We had a 1970 Chateau La Grande , a third growth wine from St. Julian for the Superbowl, along with Cassoulet. It had aged very well, as you might guess. It was not over the hill. Obviously the tannins had receded. The fruit was there and seductively enticing. The wine benefited greatly from decanting on Saturday, and drinking it yesterday. I do cover the decanter with cling wrap to limit the oxygen. Our 1970s are drinking very well. We are drinking them, however.
Kent
My error, It is Chateau La Grange, a third growth St. Julien. I have a few bottles left. I find, or found because I want to drink half of the old bottle the next day that prolonged decanting always improves an old wine. It's actually quite something. The balance is better; the fruit is more substantial, and the nose is better. I do leave it in the decanter; I do cover it with a bit of nitrogen, and I always wrap it with cling wrap. That slight extra bit of aeration has always made it better.
Kent
I'm very glad to hear that you had a good experience with this wine. I've had some very lovely '70s, but all but the biggest of them are now on the downslope in my experience. As Bill says, I think that you're talking about Ch. Lagrange in St. Julien. I wouldn't wait too long on those other bottles, but I hope that they prove as satisfying as this one was.
Mark Lipton
I agree. It's hard to imagine what aging further would do. The few 1970 1st growths we have have been spectacular, the most recent a Cheval Blanc. There's a bottle of 1970 Latour lying there just screaming at me as I type. I think as well they should be drunk now.
If you have thoughts on that please share.
Kent
Kent wrote on Mon, 8 Feb 2010 15:32:48 -0800:
I wonder about the phrase, "cover it with a bit of nitrogen" since air is roughly 80% nitrogen and, if it did not mix with the air, nitrogen is lighter than air and thus would rise above it. It would take rather a lot of nitrogen to displace the oxygen in the air by mixing. Argon would work being inert and heavier than air but it's not cheap. Carbon dioxide is also heavier than air but it is water soluble and might change the taste of the wine.
You're absolutely right. Blasting nitrogen spray over 100 cubic inches of air on top of leftover wine in a decanter for only 24 hours probably makes no sense. I do use Private Preserve now and then to save remaining wine.
Thanks very much.
Kent
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