I think i may have committed some sort of sacrilege. A good friend passed away a few years ago and left me half a dozen bottles of various wines that were 20+ years in the bottle and had not been looked at in a decade or more. I am not that knowledgeable about wine, Nobilo’s Sauvignon Blanc is about my speed. So I gave 5 to shared friends and 4 were undrinkable.
So this afternoon i decided to try the 1976, knowing it was probably badly corked.
And i botched it. The cork was longer than my corkscrew and i left half an inch of cork in the bottle.
I poured an inch into a snifter to check the aroma and it was ambrosia. I took a sip and it was like a very mild, perfectly sweet desert wine. Just an incredible wine. And i am drinking it with pasta and white sauce. But it is amazingly good!
This was really poor planning on my part but what a surprise!
And all i can think is, thank you, my friend!
I’m astonished that nobody has yet commented on your post! Have you Googled d’Yquem? It’s, er, moderately well thought of. If that bottle was kept properly (doesn’t sound likely, sadly) it would be in the hudreds of dollars range: https://www.chateau.com/chateau-d-yquem-1976-bottle-75cl-white.html
I’m jealous as hell!
I think that a few people were kind enough to not post “You idiot!” comments.
I knew it was a very good vintage but i “knew” it was going to be bad. I was wrong.
It survived the neglect surprisingly well.
Now I REALLY do not know what to do with these.
I think I may find a steak place that will let me bring in the Medoc and invite a friend to have dinner w me.
If the yellow color of the Pinot Grigio is accurate it is likely oxidized, so I wouldn’t expect too much. The Château Greysac isn’t a rare vintage, but if it was stored properly you might be pleasantly surprised. Use an “Ah So” cork puller, as it will likely crumble in response to a corkscrew.
Three cheers for that Y’quem. O my!
You never know. I’ve had bottles that have been absolutely tortured–e.g., stored vertically in garages for >20 years–drink enjoyably. I’ve come to the conclusion that abrupt temperature changes, vibration and light are more likely to damage wines than those other things.
IMO, it’s better to be cautiously optimistic when opening bottles you “know” have gone off. Open them under circumstances where you can enjoy them, and have a backup. In the case of something like the Y’quem, do it at a gathering. You van also taste before anyone’s witting…
I agree on vibration and abrupt temperature changes. I had a 30 YO+ vintage Warre’s kept in a closet for a decade, a kitchen for a decade, and a wine fridge for a decade. I opened it this Christmas, and it was marvelous. I demolished the bottle along with a fruitcake over the course of three days.
In the future I will be a lot more careful in my assumptions. I just “knew” it was going to be badly corked and proceeded to waste an opportunity to share that bottle of wine. And to add insult to injury, I botched removing the cork… The cork was longer than my corkscrew and I left 3/4" of the cork floating in the wine.
Never use a corkscrew on old bottles. Always use a two-prong puller. If you don’t know how to use one, find somebody who does and has experience opening, tasting, and evaluating older bottles.
Gather close friends, but have backup bottles of well above average wines if the principal bottle is a bust.
Never had d’Yquem. We’re big on the Poor Man’s Yquem – Ch. Rieussec.
