looking to purchase some "birthday" wine from the
1955 vintage and would like to know the experience of others that have bought and tasted wine from older vintages like this:

what are the odds of getting a stinker?

do low fills always mean a bad bottle?

where to go to try and find a few good bottles?

thanks !

69lafite

there was nothing special about 1955, odds are any bottle you buy will be vinegar. you must be sure that it has been properly cellared for 49 years and it must be of sufficient stature to make it for the long haul and still have anything left. very few wines fit the bill. Some y'quem, petrus some other first growths. perhaps an impeccably cellared magnum. overall your chances are slim.good luck

i should have mentioned some second growths too. leoville las case, vieux certan, cos etc. your question about ullage is a good one. one would expect some evaporation on older wines. provenance is key.

No personal experience but a quick search of the WS database revealed this wine rated at 95 when tasted in 1991. Should be good, provided that it was properly stored as Drthvader pointed out. It's available here in Montreal for a cool CDN$1295

From the Parker 1999 Bordeaux book (not quoting exactly): After a long period of sleep the top wines appear to be fully mature. They're more solidly made and firmere than the great 1953's, and it's an underrated undervalued year. Except for La Mission Haut Brion, which he says has claim to the wine of the decade, and this wine is NOT undervalued! Lynch-Bages looks good (92), Mouton is 97 points, and supposedly relatively cheap, Haut Brion has another 10-20 years and is also a 97, so it sounds like they'res stuff out there!

Welcome to Massachusetts - Be Fabulous and Say "I Do"

69,

My wife was born in '55 and I have enjoyed several from '55. The last two that come to mind are the '55 LaTour and was very nice and the '55 Mouton was beautiful and I think would still be drinking very well. I had both in 2001.

With proper storage I would not hesitate.

Good luck,

Michael

"there was nothing special about 1955?"

You're joking, right? Many truly great world-class wines were produced in Bordeaux in the 1955 vintage. Years ago, friends and I did a series of d9inners at which we compared the First Growths of 1962 and 1955. Of all thw ines tasted, the best were the 1955 Mouton, followed closely by the Lafite. These are long-lived wines that should still be drinking well, providing the corks have endured and the provenance was excellent. The Latour and Haut Brion were also excellent. Pass on the Margaux.

Just one more sip.

I agree with Board-O, many great wines were produced in this vintage. I recommend Mouton and La Mission Haut Brion.

quote:

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Originally posted by drthvader:
there was nothing special about 1955, odds are any bottle you buy will be vinegar.

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What planet are you on? 55 produced several great Bordeaux wines.

69Lafite, look for Paulliac, & Graves. If you can afford it, stick to the First Growths and La Mission which produced a historic 55.

More often than not, low fills will be bad bottles. It is better to pay more for what looks to be a good bottle than to save a few dollars and buy what might be plonk.

If I was looking for something from '55 I'd be looking for some Vintage Port, because '55 was rated as an outstanding year.

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The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. -Herbert Spencer

thanks for the recomendations. I have one bottle of Latour and would like to find a Mouton.

Are there any rare wine merchants that might be able to help me find what I'm looking for?

It is nice to know that it is possible to taste a 50 yr old bottle of wine and still enjoy it !!

69lafite

quote:

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Originally posted by 69lafite:
thanks for the recomendations. I have one bottle of Latour and would like to find a Mouton.

Are there any rare wine merchants that might be able to help me find what I'm looking for?

It is nice to know that it is possible to taste a 50 yr old bottle of wine and still enjoy it !!

69lafite

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The 55 Mouton is a stellar wine. The 55 Latour is good but not as concentrated.

The best wines of the vintage are the 55 La Mission Haut Brion & Haut Brion!

Your best bet is to go to Winesearcher.com and pay the $25 for the pro version.

Another tip, 55 Port. The Graham, Taylor & Fonseca from 55 are all stellar wines.

Dee Vine Wines in San Francisco has the 1955 La Mission Haut Brion for $1225/bottle. I believe that this wine is a RMP 100 pointer.

IW

Life without wine?...... Yeah Right.<br /><br />I believe we have 2 lives; the life we learn with and the life we live with after that.

Does this HAVE to be a Bordeaux? Your options would definitley widen and at a fraction of the cost. If money is no object, than you have great BX suggestions here. If you don't want to spend $1000+, a port would be a great choice. 50 year old top vintage port would be yummy! In fact you could probably enjoy 5 or more for the same price as one of the big bordeauxs.

since this will be for my 50th birthday I feel obliged to take all your suggestions seriously and get some '55 port and some '55 bordeaux !!


69lafite

Another tip: the 1955 Grange is absolutely legendary in Australia, needless to say it's beyond my budget.

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The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. -Herbert Spencer

True story. About 7 years ago a buddy who did not like wine. Sold me a botttle of 1955 lafite for $20.00. Some guy gave it to him from his wine cellar in newport beach, because he did a great job of painting the cellar. We drank it about 6 years ago It was perfect bottle a wine with the age to go another 20 years

Question: How long would would one need to decant vintage wines such as a '55 Mouton or '55 La Mission Haut-Brion. Just asking so when I turn 55 in 15 years and start looking for these vintage wines to celebrate my birthday I'll have an idea of how to treat such jewels

JFJ

quote:

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Originally posted by JFJ:
Question: How long would would one need to decant vintage wines such as a '55 Mouton or '55 La Mission Haut-Brion. Just asking so when I turn 55 in 15 years and start looking for these vintage wines to celebrate my birthday I'll have an idea of how to treat such jewels

JFJ

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Wines that old should be decanted solely for sediment. If possible, stand the bottle up for several days and pour slowly and carefully. If you must decant, do not let the wine remain in the decanter for more than a few minutes. Pour it into your glass and enjoy.

Yes, old wines can crash quickly. A lot of bottled up energy in these old guys. Open, decant for sediment, pour, look, swirl, drink up!

Wish I could be there.

Taste immediately after decanting.

Just one more sip.

I was also born in '55 (as was my wife) and stumbled over a small lot of '55 Taylor port in the mid '90s. The couple bottles I've opened have been great and I expect the remaining ones to last for several more "significant" birthday celebrations.

Right now, I'm struggling, though. Sherry-Lehmann has an offering of old Bordeaux that includes '55 Haut-Brion, Latour and Mouton. While not cheap, the offering claims the bottles are coming from a negociant firm in Bordeaux and have been perfectly stored since release. The ordering deadline is today ...

I'd love to get a few of these for both my and my wife's birthday next year. I'm just not sure the wallet can take much more ...

Scott