Old wines

[Joe Schmoe]

I'm afraid that the 1972 CdR has probably had it. Good, but entry level wine in this category. This vintage was extremely patchy in the Southern Rhone, with some stunning age worthy attempts from the Chateauneuf du Pape big guns. Alas, this little .38 Special has seen better days. Suck it and see.

The Argentine wine is anybody's guess. I have heard some amazing stories about Cabs produced in South America that are still going strong due to the suprb old vines from which they are made. Good or awful, I'm afraid that this wine isn't worth much.

The Haut Brion is obviously worth some pretty serious money. I have tasted this wine two times , but the general consensus of this particular vintage of Haut Brion is that it was a real sleeper when it first came out. It is a very gamey minerally example and has a considerable life ahead of it. A little hotter (alcoholic character) and more rustic than some great vintages such as 82 and 89, this is still a great example of 1er Cru Classé Bordeaux. If stored in a cool cellar, this wine would be good for another 10 years or so, although I'd drink it now with rack of lamb. On a retail shelf over here, you would pay 150 pounds minimum. I suppose that means $250-350 to you . Obviously provenance is important if you actually want to sell/auction it.

The other two are worth $20 each curiousity value, but I'd be inclined to get my money back if either turned out to be a complete lemon through bad storage.

Hope this helps,

Joe Wadsack