I thought I had finished Domaine de Beaucastel 1967 Chateauneuf-du-Pape many years ago, but I found a bottle at the bottom of a bin. This wine now uses Chateau rather than Domaine in the name. While this wine often will last and improve for perhaps 15 years, it and most other Chateauneufs seldom last as long as some of the best examples of Northern Rhones such as Hermitage. Early on this wine was nearly black and had a very high level of medium tannins.
In summary, "Old generals never die, they just fade away." The wine is still quite drinkable, but now is well past prime and faded. The color now is about that of a medium Burgundy with some brick around the rim. There is still enough fruit to make the wine interesting. There is enough acid. But the bouquet and taste are now faded enough that the wine is a bit hot with alcohol. There is still tannin, but it is not extremely dry as sometimes is the case for Bordeaux past the peak. Some straw-like character is showing in the bouquet and taste. At least this wine has aged gracefully. A red wine that develops much oxidation often has a rather "brown" taste that can range from mild to very foul.
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