RonnieRoots bought this recently in a cellar clear out sale. Could this still be drinkable? Time to find out.

Chateau Les Chaumes 1964 (Lalande-de-Pomerol): Labelled as “Grand Cru”, strange. It’s just so much fun to open a bottle like this with fellow wine geeks! Just commenting on the appearance of the bottle (not a “standard” Bordeaux bottle), the weight of the capsule (real lead, of course), and things like that. Yes, we’re nerds!

Anyway, this bottle had an excellent fill level, and the colour (through the glass) looked good. Opening was a bit of a hassle: the corkscrew just drilled a hole though the cork, so we poured this through a sieve. Colour is good, just like a ripe wine should be. Nose is a bit rustic (barnyard), but not too much, and quite strong. Light bodied, with woody flavours. Not very fruity, some berries, a bit juicy. Still some tannins left! A bit acidic, but this sure is no vinegar. Medium finish, quite dry, warm, just a bit alcoholic.

All in all, a pleasing glass of wine. It held up nicely over the course of the evening. Sure, if this were a modern vintage it would have been overpriced (I believe Ronnie paid around $35), but for a wine this old it was worth it. The idea of drinking something that was made before we were born just added to the experience!

It was indeed $35. For that price it was sure worth the experiment. I was actually quite surprised that it was still rather enjoyable. I expected vinegar.