Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Saturday 17 October 2015

1865 Bourgueil and 1857 Vouvray = 308 years in bottle

1865 Bourgueil
1865 Bourgueil – bricky but still magically there 150 years later! 
No spitting on this occasion – only backwards....
It was once again an extraordinary experience. Less comprehensive than the memorable tasting Les 5 du Vin enjoyed in the cellars of Lamé Delisle Boucard back in June 2012 but equally amazing!
I was in Bourgueil for a tasting and Guillaume Lapaque ­ (Monsieur Bourgueil) ­ asked whether we would be free to taste an 1865 Bourgueil from the Demont family this evening. The idea was to check whether the 1865 was still holding up as there was due to be a television programme featuring Gérard Depardieu tasting the 1865. We had nothing special planned for the evening, so of course we were up for the 1865. Even if we had been busy we would have done our best to make a space to taste an 1865 – the oldest Loire red I have ever been privileged to taste. We duly arrived at 7pm and headed down into a cellar in the middle of a field. The cellar, hewn out of the local limestone, had two chambers one to the right remained locked and barred we were let into the one on the left with its earthen floor. Here there were a number of dusty bottles ranged in sand along the floor and on storage ledges along the walls. 
The 1865 Bourgueil in photos:
Heading down into history
Heading down into history
Not 1965 but 1865...
Not 1965 but 1865...
The cave
The cave – on left Nicolas and his father Michel Demont
IMG_0225.jpg
About to disturb the slumbers of the 1865.
About to disturb the slumbers of the 1865.
Michel Demont starting to pour the 1865
Michel Demont starting to pour the 1865
Still a vibrant colour
Still a vibrant colour
A glass of the 1865 beside its bottle
A glass of the 1865 beside its bottle
Michel Demont enjoying and reflecting on his family's 1865
Michel Demont enjoying and reflecting on his family's 1865
The 1865 was still very definitely wine – bricky orange in colour – with quite a fungal aroma but pleasant: ceps and truffles. An attractive texture and body with quite marked acidity initially. With a little time in the glass the acidity softened and the 65 gained further body. Remarkably after finishing the wine, its aromas lingered on in the glass. Incroyable!!
Metal tag: Vouvray 1857
Metal tag: Vouvray Blanc 1857

1857 Vouvray 
On entering their cellar Michel and Nicolas Demont explained that 150 years again vignerons were already exchanging bottles, which is how they came to have some 1857 Vouvray here. After very generously opening and sharing with us the 1865 they decided that while we were all here they might as well open one of the 1857 Vouvrays.
Pouring the 1857 Vouvray into a jug
Pouring the 1857 Vouvray into a jug
1857 Vouvray still golden coloured
1857 Vouvray still golden coloured
1857 Vouvray: still clear, golden colour
1857 Vouvray: still clear, golden colour 
even though it is in a Bourgueil glass!
Christophe Demont with the 1857
Nicolas Demont with the 1857
Many thanks to Michel and Christophe Demont for their amazing generosity. Truly memorable!
Many thanks to Michel and Nicolas Demont 
for their amazing generosity. 
Truly memorable!
The 1857 Vouvray was equally amazing with vibrant golden colour, a little oxidation but really remarkably little for its age with a gentle sweetness – honey and apricot – and lightly truffly nose. Incredible!
As we were staying at the Café de la Promenade with took a tasting sample in a glass back for Ludo to try. Although Ludo was impressively quick to divine that this was a Vouvray, I was a little disappointed that he had trouble identifying the vintage opting initially for 1947, which would normally be a considerably deeper gold and much sweeter. Chapeau Ludo !
In the end Depardieu apparently preferred to taste old vodkas with his fellow countryman Vladimir Putin rather than the 1865 ..... foolish boy!
(Also posted on Les 5 du Vin)

2 comments:

Peter van den Besselaar said...

Very nice blogpost, Jim! 1865 is the year that Abraham Lincoln died. King George V was born in 1865. In 1857 the first elevator was installed in NY. In Sheffield the first association football team was founded. It's magic to think how wine can bridge the time. Thanks for writing about this experience.

Jim's Loire said...

Many thanks Peter. After the Demont's' extraordinary generosity writing this up was the least I could do.