Info On Some Wines...

This is the Langtry? I haven't had in years, but it was a pretty good bottle then. I'd guess if storage wasn't too warm this would be pretty tasty bottle of mature red.

Didn't know they made a PV varietal bottling, never had a PV that old, but could be good.

I've had some good '93 Tuscans. This is a Banfi wine that isn't really a long ager, but it could be good.

Least likely to be alive. '85 was a good vintage for white Burgundy (great for red), but this is a bottle that was really destined for drinking 20 years ago. But try it!

Good vintage, but this is really pushing it for a CC.

IIRC, Windsor is the company that makes labels to order for gifts, etc. Not great stuff. But bubblies can surprise you.

Try cellartracker.com to see if any notes on these.

Remember, if over the hill they won't hurt you. So pop and try, with backups. Just regard all as potentially good- and potentially not. Good luck, and report back!

For the most part these wines should have been drank within the first year or two of purchase. These are mostly "off the beaten path" bulk wines, value wines or second label wines which can be incredible values but aren't generally built for long term aging. My guess is that the 1985's will be well over the hill. The 1993 Col di Sasso ( a Banfi product that you can still purchase recent releases of Col di Sasso for about $7.00) will probably be quite tired but might be interesting. The Windsor might be OK but my guess is it will be a bit oxidized and perhaps not very fizzy. Windsor makes bulk wines for private label so you can have a wine with your name on it. The Guenoc Meritage should be the best of the bunch. Guenoc is a large producer of inexpensive California wines and they've been around for a long time. They are now marketed under the Langtry Estates label. I had the 1995 MErtiage recently and it's showing it's age but it's still quite drinkable. The Peteit Verdot was a wine sold only at the winery in very small numbers in years when they had excess grapes. I have no idea what to expect from that. Hope the tasting turns out well (you might want to have a few back up bottles of younger wines in the event that these are too tired to be enjoyed) Please post notes.

I think that it depends on what you expect to get from the aging process. I think that there are a lot of variables but ones that you have some control over are cellar conditions and to a certain extent provenence. I keep mine at a constant 55F. I try to buy the wines as close to the source as possible and from a reputable wholesaler or importer. I look at the pedigree of the wines from the winery and the historical affinity for the wines to age gracefully into smooth complex wines just not old wines. I try to make sure that the vintage isn't too ripe or hot or too wet or cold but in the end you just have to drink the wine and trust your palate (or the palate of someone that you trust) that the wine has all of the ingredients to come together and allow the wine to age into what you expect. That may happen in a year or two or perhaps take 50 years and hopefully we make the right call and don't wait too long. I;d much rather err on the side of too young than DOA. I usually give a disclaimer to people trying an old bottle for the first time explaining that it can be an aquired taste. If you enjoy big, fruit driven, jammy, chewy or fat wines you might not like older, aged, mature wines. Part of the fun is checking on them every so often to see where they are and then drinking them when they reach the stage that you prefer. I like mine at the early stages of maturity where the tannins are resolving but still have a little grip, the fruit is still a major component yet the secondary nuances of cedar, leather, earth, mushroom, tobacco, etc are beginning to form in many red wines or the nutty depth and richness are starting to emerge in whites.

. . Thanks for the input. I'll report back the results. I may have some more questions later as I begin cataloging the cellar.

. . The tasting went rather well for an informal affair! As expected some of the bottles were good, some were past their prime, and some were turned.

The 1995 Guenoc (Langtry) Meritage was the best of the bunch. It probably should have been allowed to decant longer, but it did well. Very fruity bouquet with a "smokey" edge. This followed through in the flavor. The finish was a bit strong considering the light forward, but I think this was due to the age and the wine being, as you said, a bit tired. Everyone liked this one.

The 1993 Guenoc Petit Verdot initially was considered bad. Very dry, with what we thought were overpowering earthy tannins. However, about an hour later, two of us tried it again, and it certainly benefited from being allowed to open longer. Very dry forward, but a sudden deep fruit flavor in the middle. I thought ripe cherries, my buddy thought plums. The finish was still very earthy, but had a hint of vanilla. Overall, a good wine.

'85 Pouilly-Fuisse was turned, of course. It was worth a try!

'94 Windsor Blanc de Pinot Noir was quite tasty with a taste of honey in the forward and a sweet bouquet with the quick finish I expect from a blush.

'85 Chianti was not turned, but it was very tired. I think it would have still worked with a heavy meal because of the dryness, but the heavy finish made it hard to drink as a stand-alone wine.

The surprise hit was a bottle of 1973 Chateau Nairac Sauternes. I was positive that it would be turned, but I was pleasantly surprised. It had a very rich, smooth nose with hints of citrus. The finish was slightly bitter, having a touch of a grapefruit taste, which was welcome due to the sweetness of the body. Upon doing some research when I got home, I found that a Sauternes can age almost indefinitely under good conditions. I'm starting to wonder if we should have uncorked it!

Thanks for everyone's input!

Here's a question: As we were looking at the contents of the cellar, there were a few bottles that one self-proclaimed "wine nerd" said might have real value. After I sit down and make a real inventory of what is in the cellar, what's the best route I should take to have it evaluated? Would a local wine store (dedicated to wine) be willing to do this, or am I better off sending the list to a service, or...?

Thnkas for sharing the notes with us. I think it depends on where you are located as to what to do with the wine. In a large market it might be easier to find a local store that could help you. Otherwise you might have to make up an inventory list and have a couple of online vendors give you an appraisal. Brentwood Wine does this as does Magnum Wines. I've never sold any wine but I've had friends who have used both places with fairly good results.

I doubt any of it would be sold, but it'd be nice to know for insurance purposes. I assume there's typically a fee for such services?

While I'm not an expert on insurance matters you probably alredy have coverage under your homeowners policy. As long as you're not claiming that the wine has a value exceeding the limit on your policy you should be fine. I have a policy that covers "collectibles" up to $250,000 and I didn't have to give them a listing. The wines that you listed so far don't have a great deal of market value so if the rest of the 20 cases are indicitive of what you have already listed you're probably well under your homeowners limit. You may want to check Winesearcher.com for a realative value on the wines with "real value".

Most insurance policys in USA do not consider wine as collectable and you need a special rider to cover wine.

In my state your conventional Homeowners Insurance only cover wine as a perisable and most policy limits are under $2500 for perisables.

Chubb and Firemans Fund write policys to cover all perils for W>

While I'm not an expert on insurance matters you probably alredy have coverage under your homeowners policy. As long as you're not claiming that the wine has a value exceeding the limit on your policy you should be fine. I have a policy that covers "collectibles" up to $250,000 and I didn't have to give them a listing. The wines that you listed so far don't have a great deal of market value so if the rest of the 20 cases are indicitive of what you have already listed you're probably well under your homeowners limit. You may want to check Winesearcher.com for a realative value on the wines with "real value".

Allstate covered my wine in CA, but I was asked to provide an inventory along with estimated replacement value. They covered this replacement cost rather than what I had paid for the wine, which I thought quite cricket, and were willing to for go the fact that I didn't have all receipts.

I was asked to provide photos of the wine cellar, which was a bit silly as it showed nothing more than "the guy's got a lot of wine."

In France your wine is covered for its purchase cost, and you must provide receipts showing the original sale.

Unless there's really a lot of it, sounds as if your best bet is to have some more parties and drink it up. (BTW thanks for posting the notes here, that rarely happens -- most just ask our opinion and then we never hear again...)

Also I'm guessing these basement conditions are less than ideal from your descriptions. I'm no fan of Pouilly-Fuisse particularly (don't buy it) but there's no reason a 20 year old bottle shouldn't have been at least drinkable if not great.

Also not sure what you mean by "turned," wine doesn't usually turn to vinegar although it can become pretty darned unattractive with too much age.

Anyway if the cellar conditions aren't too bad you might find some other surprises down there, may as well use the opportunity to find out what aged wine tastes like. Of course, if you've never had older wine, you might just not like it! ;)

cheers,

-E