Every now and then it is nice to take a break from tasting younger wines and pull the cork from some dusty, cobwebbed gems to get a sense of how wines age and how house styles may have changed over time. The wines below were consumed at a wonderful dinner put on by a Mr. King Angry and supplied by Those Whose Names Cannot Be Mentioned. It was a wonderful evening of perfectly prepared Sushi matched with mind bending Champagne and Burgundy.

Before getting to the notes, I will mention that long aging is not a qualification for being a great Champagne. Also, just because a wine is old does not make it great. All Champagnes age and progress differently. Some peak very young and some take decades. If it doesn’t taste and smell good it is simply an interesting and hard to find piece of history.

While there is nothing like opening a stunning 50-100 year old Champagne, please remember that when a Champagne is this old you are not likely to get the bottle to bottle consistency of younger bottles – you roll the dice a little with many pre-1960 Champagnes. Regardless, it is always makes me catch my breath to taste wines that were made while Kennedy was president, World War II had just ended, the roaring 20’s were in full gear, or the 20th century was just beginning.

1923 Bollinger
(25% Chardonnay, 75% Pinot Noir; Fermented in old oak barrels; reportedly disgorged and late released in the 1960s or 1970s)
A mind bending nose of star anise and truffle oil instantly demands your attention and brings you headfirst into the wine. Unfortunately, just as quickly it becomes very overpowering and distracting. In the mouth, flavors of pine and truffle oil dominate and steamroll the sweet peach notes that this wine offers up. I have to say that this bottle was very interesting, but this can’t possibly be what 1923 Bollinger should taste like. Not Rated. Find this wine

1929 Bollinger
(20% Chardonnay, 80% Pinot Noir; Fermented in old oak barrels)
Sweet aromas of caramel, raisin, and some spiced chocolate are nice, but they cannot overcome the overwhelming Madeira character of this bottle. The palate keeps with this trend as it shows a thin Madeira-like quality. Some citrus notes remain, but this bottle has seen its better days. Grade of C (73-75 pts). Find this wine

1949 Bollinger
(30% Chardonnay, 70% Pinot Noir; Fermented in old oak barrels)
This shows amazing acidity and is very light on its feet. Touches of sweat come into the spicy caramel nose, but the palate is very fresh and full of flavor. Peaches and gently spiced caramelized oranges make for a very enjoyable wine. Grade of Low A- (89-91 pts). Find this wine

1961 Bollinger
(25% Chardonnay, 75% Pinot Noir; Fermented in old oak barrels)
Light hints of truffle and spicy anise make up a very open nose. In the mouth, this wine exhibits a wonderful body and loads of toasty caramel and vanilla spice before putting on its evening best and gracing us with an elegant finish that leaves wisps of cinnamon dancing around in your mouth. A wine that is the total package and makes me swoon. Grade of A (93-95 pts). Find this wine

1964 Bollinger RD - from magnum
(25% Chardonnay, 75% Pinot Noir; Fermented in old oak barrels; Disgorged April 1, 1983; Dosage ~ 3 g/L)
Hints of sherry and baked bread dominate the nose while the palate is ruled by dry acidity. Touches of sweat also come out before some dark citrus tinged berries make their way into the picture. Overall this is still a lively wine, but well past its prime. I bet this was really good in the mid 1980s.
Grade of B- (80-82 pts). Find this wine

1966 Bollinger
(25% Chardonnay, 75% Pinot Noir; Fermented in old oak barrels)
Bright oranges dominate the nose on this wine which shows much younger than its 42 years. The palate reveals concentrated orange and some toasty biscuits, but the finish is a bit empty and shows a somewhat scratchy mineral character that I find distracting. Where the 1961 seems to have an extra dimension, this wine doesn’t get beyond the orange and bread based flavors. That said, it is certainly good and amazing in its youthful and full bodied character. Grade of A- (90-92 pts). Find this wine

Old NV Bollinger (likely from 1965-1975)
(Approximately 25% Chardonnay, 60% Pinot Noir, 15% Pinot Meunier)
I have had bottles of this dating from the late 1970s that have been quite enjoyable if showing a bit too much sherry and spice for some. Unfortunately this bottle was DOA as a musty, musky nose led into an acidic sweatbox palate. Not Rated. Find this wine

1900 Heidsieck & Co. Monopole
(Approximately 25-30% Chardonnay, 70-75% Pinot Noir)
The nose shows scents of delicate truffle oil and sweet vanilla flavored licorice. Semi-sweet, peachy, caramelized fruit play the lead on a palate that is enjoyable, but clearly fading and a bit on the lighter side. It is amazing how well this shows for a 108 year old wine and it clearly will hold up for many more years, but it is more interesting than truly enjoyable. Grade of High B- (81-83 pts). Find this wine

1961 Salon
(100% Chardonnay; Le Mesnil; Fermented in oak – not sure what percentage; No malolactic fermentation; stored at the winery until now)
Incredibly tight on the nose and palate this wine possesses amazing youthfulness. With an hour in the glass, some caramel and red tinged citrus some out on the nose and a beautifully white floral and caramel buttered citrus flavor comes out on the palate. This shows just how good 1961 Salon is and what well aged, well cared for Salon can be like. Grade of High A- (91-93 pts) with further improvement potential on well stored bottles. Find this wine
 

1979 Krug Clos du Mesnil
(100% Chardonnay; Single vineyard in Le Mesnil; Fermented in old 205 L Argonne oak barriques; No malolactic fermentation)
A nose of creamy caramel and wheat dough draws you in for a sip and that sip doesn’t disappoint. Rich flavors of toasty dough, vanilla, caramel, peach, citrus, and some straw weave in and out of each other to create a masterpiece of a wine that still has decades of life ahead of it. Grade of Low A (92-94 pts).
Find this wine
 

Cheers!

Brad Baker

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