An adventure down history.

For many, collecting antiques can be a fanatical pastime. For wine lovers, this road is fraught with uncertainty but also wonderful surprises. Last night, we had disappointments but we had some wonderful surprises as well - such is life.  We had 2 vintages which bookended the beginning and the worst parts of the previous large financial disaster - the great depression of the early 20th century. Is this where we are in the latest equivalent of the 21st century? - who knows.

1929 Beaune - Doctor Barolet selection ( H. Villamont)

A great many significant events occured in 1929 which would reshape the later parts of the 20th century - a monumental year by any measure.
  • The beginning of the great depression ushered in by the stock market crash in the United States
  • The first public telephone booth call was made
  • The Vatican was established as an independent jurisdiction by the Lateran treaty
  • The first Academy awards were given out
  • The EEG was invented
What a surprise on opening this 80-year old wine -  it was still alive & kicking! The color was light but healthy. Immediately on opening, smells of plums, hints of tea and a touch of figs. Balanced and consistent on the palate, fine tannins but not the quite the kind you expect from a GC on the Nuit side.  Over the course of 10-15 minutes of air contact the tannins started to reassert themselves and had a bit of an edge - this then softened over the next 15-20 minutes. Surprisingly, the nose reminds me of Armand Rosseau's Chambertin. In the mouth, it's a slightly different story - again definitely not GC finesse. It had the energy, balance, acidity, complexity. A wonderful experience trying, experiencing and partaking in history.

1933- Beaune Premier Bouchard Pere

As the US started bottoming out here were the highlights of historical events of 1933
  • Construction of the Golden Gate bridge begins
  • Newsweek magazines is published
  • Franklin D Roosevelt becomes US president and begins the "New Deal"
  • Nissan Motors begins operation
  • Adolph Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany and the Nazi party comes into power
Holy cow! This thing does not resemble a 76 year old wine. It must have been suspended animation. Color is extremely deep and young ( given the age) - you would have confused this for at most a 20 year old Burgundy. Nose is a bit more reserved not as seductive and complex as the the 1929; bit more monolithic as well on the palate.  Compared to the previous bottle this was more of a "bulldog" - tough and wound up. Tannic structure was more heavy and to me not as fine as the previous bottle ( again these are both Beaunes! ). Nit-picking aside, given that is Bouchard is 76 years old - completely amazing condition. Hope I'm in that good shape when or if I get there.

1949 - Moet & Chandon Rose

Some landmark geopolitical events shaped this year and for years to come.
  • The People's Republic of China is officially proclaimed
  • Chiang Kai Shek's army retreats to Taiwan
  • The Federal Republic of Germany is officialy founded.

I had high hopes for this one but it was not to be. DOA. Oxydised, no go. Blech.

Comments

Cambias said…
First telephone call in 1929? Seems kind of odd since the phone was invented 50 years earlier. Did it take people half a century to figure out which end you talk into?
8:48 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Adventures in Italy

Image
We only spent one night in Rome and that was the gastronomic low point of the trip. Thinking we couldn't go wrong by picking the most crowded joint in the vicinity.... oops bad luck. We just could not understand why there were so many people. Maybe they served the leftovers to the tourists? The fish was stale and the lamb was pretty sad as well. Sub-standard food, expensive and mediocre service ( restaurant pictured below). One of the best places in terms of food was in the town of Lucca. Over lunch we went to this lovely little place called "Canuleia". The fresh vegetable salad with burrata cheese was lovely. Being quite creamy on the inside, the cheese liquids gets mixed up with the olive oil and vegetables outside resulting in a lovely dressing - I'm sure it was deliberate. Last but not least, a lovely wine from Tenuta Campo di Sasso called Insiglio . You may not have heard of this outfit but this is where Lodovico Antinori went when his beloved Ornelia was sold.
Read more

Dinner with Lodovico Antinori & Tenuta di Biserno

A few years back, I mentioned about a wine that stood out on a trip to Tuscany. That wine was called Isoglio del Cinghiale. After some fact checking, the people behind this winery were none other than Lodovico & Piero Antinori - the previous owner(s) of Tenuta Ornellia. Fast forward almost 2.5 years later and we had a very special treat - dinner with Lodovico in person. Insoglio is basically their everyday drinking product. Up until 2005, it was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Verdot and Cab. Franc. Starting in 2006, Syrah was added to the blend and by 2007 I believe Cabernet Sauvignon was completely eliminated. Going forward from the 2007 the blend of varietals have pretty much "settled" in. Given the price point of this wine which is ~ EUR15, no complaints. More than acceptable as an everyday quaffer. Next up is the Il Pino di Biserno which is a more Bordeaux-like blend and does not contain any Syrah unlike the Insoglio. This is a much more complex wine a
Read more

Henri Jayer, Meo Camuzet & Emmanuel Rouget - what's the connection

Image
These 3 producers often seem intertwined together and spoken in the same breath. What is the relationship here? Well, another walk down history is in order. Henri Jayer was born in Vosne Romanee in 1922. In the late 1930's Henri helped his father Eugene tend the vineyards and in 1942 married Marcelle Rouget. Right at the end of WWII, Henri Jayer made a deal with the Camuzet family to tend their Premier Cru and Grand Cru parcels and produce wine for them. The catch was that Henri would keep 50%  under his own labels. Among these vineyards were Echezeaux, Richebourg and the famed Cros Parantoux 1er Cru.  Cros Parantoux was born in 1978 solely due to the efforts of Henri Jayer and alot of dynamite!! Location-wise it is sandwiched in between "Le Barreaux" on top, Richebourg below and "Le Petite Mons" to the left of it.  Stylistically it has more than a passing resemblance to Richebourg. Starting in the late '80s Jean-Nicolas Meo started working the Meo-Camuzet p
Read more