Continued the big 5-0 celebration last fri night with the local fellas. I’ve had a smattering of birth year wines over the years…but this flight was by far the best yet! Will add the other wines later on. Thanks again guys!!
1969 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon- France, Champagne (5/12/2019)
An original bottling from an Italian cellar…it was pristine! The cork came out perfectly just by tugging on the wire cage…a faint pop…then a waft of freshness released from the bottle…I knew then we were in for a treat! More tiny prickling bubbles than I thought there would be…poured a brilliant aged golden color…rich and creamy baked apple, apricot honey, aged nuttiness…so alive with lemon and orange acidity…saline minerality…a very faint sweetness that reminded me of an aged Sauternes…SO much elegance and finesse…yet full bodied and flavored…really drank well throughout the evening. Couldn’t ask for a better showing to celebrate a 50th bday! (98 pts.)
1969 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon C-91- USA, California, Napa Valley (5/12/2019)
The story goes that when Joe Heitz came close to running out of selling the reg Napa bottling, and the precious Martha’s was still resting in barrel, he would dip into the Martha barrels and bottle this wine, the C-91, so he could continue to sell wine to his loyal customers.
Little concern for this bottle as the ullage was down to the shoulder…but after the cork came out in one piece…the wine was in fine shape! Still quite dark and youthful looking…amply fruit with slight sweetness…plum, currants, dried cherry…soft and delicate structure with a beautiful polished sheen…very complex, showing classic Heitz mint/euc/dried herbs nuances…dusty old cellar cedar spice…leather, mixed nuts…drank well till the end. (95 pts.)
1969 Freemark Abbey Petite Sirah York Creek- USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (5/12/2019)
Last had this 7yrs ago…pristine bottles acquired from the late Barney Rhodes(owner of Bella oaks vineyard) cellar sale back then. This bottle was in the same vein as before…aging at a glacial pace! SO youthful and dark fruited…smooth as silk, yet still a firm spine of dusty dry tannins. Plum liqueur, dried blackberries, cacao, licorice…dusty old cellar dryness…aged leather, olive, mushroom, dried tobacco leaf. The complexities have to really be searched for though, as this is still quite monolithic in nature. Not going to get any more expressive from here…but probably not going to die out either. (92 pts.)
1969 Château d’Yquem- France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (5/12/2019)
Coravined this a couple times back in Jan when the wife turned 50…now the cork comes out. Seems tired from what we tried in Jan? The fruit still has a nice sweetness of botrytis semillon…peach apricot tea, saffron threads, creme brule crust, honey butter, orange marmalade…aged dryness and mineral salinity…rich yet delicate…but the vibrant fresh citrus acidity was lacking…and more mothball mustiness and oxidized bitters were evident. Still pleasures to be had…but not the 97pt experience as before. (90 pts.)
Good to see you got a good bottle of the DP, I’m on the fence about a bottle with a poor level but great provenance and I’m now more inclined to take the risk.
If it was foil and not the old plastic capsules, then it wasn’t an original disgorgement. Any DP pre-1970 that has foil isn’t an original disgorgement even though it doesn’t say RD, or Oenotheque etc. I don’t know exactly when they started stamping the labels with R.D. but there were quite a few years that the '69’s had no label marking.
It makes more sense that your bottle showed so well because I’ve found most of the true '69 OD’s that I’ve had in the past 10-15 years to have seen better days and bottles like yours to be much fresher.
Ray…you are no doubt the expert here. I called it an original bottling because I was told by the seller, Walker Wine Co, that this was acquired from an Italian cellar that purchased a lot of DP on release. What does an original plastic capsule look like? Also…when buying these old DP’s, do you look for originals or later disgorgements?
Here are a couple of pics of what I call the DP “plastic” capsule. It’s sort of a plastic/latex type material that came in various shades of blue, blue-green and green.
A number of years ago I asked the recently retired DP winemaker Richard Geoffroy why there were different colored capsules and if they meant anything. He responded that they used whatever color the supplier sent them. When I asked him about foil on some of the bottles from the 60’s, he then told me that DP first starting using foil for the 1970 vintage and also used it for all subsequently later disgorged bottles from previous vintages.
As far as buying older DP’s that are original release vs later released -
For most vintages I prefer great examples of originals over later disgorged. However, the hit/miss ratio is much lower for the OD’s.
However, the '69 vintage is one where I’ve always preferred the later disgorged over the OD whether they be the unlabeled version like your bottle, RD labeled, Oenotheque etc.
2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - Brilliantly airy, chiseled…impressive…but I was more impressed with 08 DP. NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 164eme - Always striking! Every bottle has been a true joy to drink. 1996 Pierre de Crillon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 1er - Blind…corked. 2017 Walter Scott Chardonnay X-Novo Vineyard - Blind…I called out Roulot Bourgogne. Love the integrated match strike and crystalline freshness. 2015 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs-Gain - PYCM is PYCM…creamy and rich, intense citrus, match strike, mint. 2013 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchantes - Tropical/stone fruits, great energy, subtle match strike, mineral salinity, SO good! 2011 Maison Ilan Chambertin - Blind…actually really good! Bright crunchy red fruits, pretty florals and spice, elegant…just not Chambertin weight and magic. 1999 Fratelli Revello Barbera d’Alba Ciabot du Re - Rich, big oak spice, brett, leather, tar, licorice…very creamy with amazing balance. Nice. 1995 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - Wonderful classic claret flavors and smoothness, yet still posses the 95 grip. Needed more air…and a steak!
Thank you for sharing and making the trip!!!
Might be my favorite dinner for all the right reasons (company, special wines, great wines, food and atmosphere).
The three bubbles, Heitz and chards were an absolute treat.
Until next time
Congrats on 5-0, Buzz. I turned 42 this weekend and also had a Heitz birthday wine. These old bottles of Heitz really stand up to the test of time!
1977 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks- USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (5/12/2019)
Mid shoulder fill, corroded capsule. Cork crumbled even with the ah-so, but upon first whiff of beautiful violets, old books and kirsch. Double decanted for 3 hours before drinking. Remarkably consistent with last year’s bottle, although this showed a bit cleaner and fresher. Very alive in the mouth, and it only progressively gets better over 5 hours. Plenty of lift and fruit left, in the form of Balsamic strawberry and black cherry, buffered by slate and chalk. Vibrant acid. Tertiary notes abound - old library, leather gloves, soy and wet earth. Just lovely. (94 pts.)
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