1964 Red Bordeaux

[mrdutton]

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.