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+--- Thread: 1964 Red Bordeaux (/thread-1742.html)
- Sharon43 - 03-07-2000
Does anyone know the value of a bottle of 1964 Chateau le Boscq red Bordeaux, with the words "Apellation Saint-Extephe Controlee" on the bottle? Also, is it drinkable?
- mrdutton - 03-07-2000
If the wine has been properly stored all these years, chances are good that it is very drinkable!
I did a little research for you. Using a data base in the UK (Wine Spectator's online information didn't include 1964),I found out that the 1964 Bordeaux wines are still very drinkable. The vintage was not the best, but it was quite good. This particular database gave 1964 a score of 8 on a 1 to 10 basis.
St-Estephe is a town on the east bank of the Gironde river in the Bordeaux region of France just off of the Atlantic coast (many people say that the vineyards around Bordeaux are the greatest source of fine wine in the world). The St-Estephe wine district is surrounded by the Medoc, Haut-Medoc and Pauillac districts. It is the Pauillac district where Chateau Latour, Chateau Lafit-Rothschild and Chateau Mouton Rothschild (all Premier Cru Classe growths) are located.
Your wine is a Cru Bourgeois which is the category below the five Cru Classe (classed growths) which were determined in 1855. The Chateau Le Boscq is located on the northern edge of the Saint Estephe district. It has been producing some very good wines.
I tried to find some specific tasting notes for your wine. Unfortunately I did not find any. Nor was I able to find any information on a potential value. However there are references available, such as Sotheby's, where you might find that information.
Placing a specific value on a single bottle of wine, though, can be difficult and selling it can be even more difficult. Usually fine old wines are sold at acution or in private sales in case or multiple case lots.
One of the primary keys to determining whether or not your wine is drinkable is storage. If the wine has been left laying on its side (to keep the cork moist), undisturbed, in a low light area at a temperature of about 55 degrees F., then the chances are that you have a very drinkable wine. If the wine has been moved around a lot, subjected to bright light or sunlight and varying temperatures, then it might not be good at all.
The best way to tell would be to open it and drink it. I would set the bottle up-right about a day before drinking it to allow the sediment to settle to the bottom of the bottle. Then I would remove the cork and very gently pour it into a wine glass. The wine should not smell musty or vinegary nor should you smell anything like sulpher or bad eggs. Then I would taste it and either enjoy it or spit it out..........
Others on this wine board who are far more knowledgeable than I may be able to provide you with more specific information or with better detail on how to research your wine a bit more in-depth than I did.
- Sharon43 - 03-07-2000
to mrdutton: thanks so much for the info. I will post a message when I get the courage to open up the bottle!
- hotwine - 03-07-2000
As I remember the '64 Bordeaux, they were very nice indeed; not a premium vintage, but quite enjoyable. Although I'm not familiar with your particular St Estephe, suggest you honor it as a fine old wine by serving it with a hearty beef dinner - a chateaubriand, or large sirloin, with the usual trimmings. An excellent appetizer is escargot sauteed in garlic butter and about 1/4 cup of the wine. (That same sauce works well over the beef, too, if sauteed mushrooms are added.)
Would not recommend you drink the wine without food - it needs to accompany the meal itself. Also, to avoid breaking up the cork with a conventional corkscrew, suggest you use a gas-powered cork popper that injects gas/air into the small space below the cork, and forces it upward and out from below. They are available at most wine shops, or can be ordered through catalogs. I'm looking at a catalog from Int'l Wine Accessories that lists a cork popper for $24.95 (1-800-527-4072 or www.iwawine.com)
After going to the trouble of preparing such a nice dinner, you won't want to risk disappointment with the wine, so stop by your retailer and ask him/her for an inexpensive 3d growth Bordeaux to have as a back-up. For $20-30, it would be cheap insurance.
Best wishes.