“…In 1988, at Château Ausone [red Bordeaux], we tasted back to 1831. It was magic, history, haunting bouquets and tastes, ethereal wines – and then walking out into the vineyards undera a full moon. Sorry, but it is true!”
Serena Sutcliffe, head of Sotheby’s wine department
“I [recall] a bottle of Ausone 1900. We were in our Paris home and had just finished our meat course with a bit of wine left when we decided to walk down the street to the Pont des Arts to watch the Eiffel Tower midnight illuminations while sipping the last few drops. It was a magical moment…”
Mireille Guiliano, President, Clicquot, Inc.
“At the home of [Burgundy’s] Francois Parent and Anne-Francoise Gros-Parent – wild boar dinner, only four people. We tasted the domaine’s wines back to an otherworldly 1903 Pommard Chaponnieres. Best wine of the night: 1947 Pommard Epoenots [red Burgundy] – young and full of life and great depth.”
Don Quattlebaum, importer
“I was at the L’Aubergine restaurant in Munich, and had: ’71 Krug [Champagne] in magnum, d’Yquem [Sauternes] ’55, 45, 29, 21, and 1893! Riesling Hugel Vendange Tardive ’53 in Magnum, Palmer ’61, Cheval Blanc [red Bordeaux] ’55, ’45 Chateau Margaux, Haut Brion, Mouton Rothschild, and Latour! A lifetime experience that made my wine friends jealous.”
Etienne Hugel, co-owner, Hugel & Fils
“At a big tasting my family’s company hosted, I tried a Château d’Yquem 1893. It was fantastic to find freshness in wine that is more than 100 years old wine.”
Alessandro Ceretto, owner, Ceretto Vineyards
“I’ll never forget a tasting I attended in Dallas some years ago. It was a charity fundraiser and people paid $1,000 per person to attend. We tasted an 1870 Mouton-Rothschild from a jeroboam, and then a 1970 Mouton-Rothschild along side a 1970 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon. It was a revelation to me that 100-year-old wine could be so wonderful. It still had bouquet, the color was still there, and it had an old, but still healthy character…Our 1970 wine showed beautifully beside the Mouton…”
Robert Mondavi
“My father’s 70th birthday I was due to give birth to his first grandchild. Two days later my son was born and I named him John after my father. This was the occasion we were all waiting for and the bottles of ‘61 Haut Brion, ‘59 Lafite and ‘57 Cheval Blanc were uncorked. After nine months of only sipping a little wine, the bottles of Bordeaux tasted like heaven!”
Cristina Mariani-May, Owner, Castello Banfi
