Okay, it was a tiny gamble that I knew I'd probably lose.
Spotted this 20+ year old Cru Beaujolais at my local shop, and couldn't resist the opportunity to see how past-its-prime this Gamay could be. I knew I ran the risk of it already being oxidized and/or lifeless (this usually isn't a long lived grape anyway), but for $20, worth the risk. The shop owner told me to come back and exchange it, in case it was gone. Lapierre is delicious Morgon, so – why not? I hoped for tertiary elements at best, perhaps some signs of remaining, dwindling life. Plenty of sediment in the bottle, so I let it sit for a bit before I removed the cork with an Ah-so.
Alas!
Visually, a light yet cloudy tawny red. She's a brick….house! I could tell already – oxidized.
On the nose, chocolate covered strawberries, walnuts, bruised apples. Oh yeah, definitely oxidized. Damn. Anything worthwhile on the palate?
Nope. As decrepit a wine as I've had to date. No acidity left, could barely feel any alcohol, borderline vinegary with the mouth feel of plain ol' drinking water.
I imagined this must be what the "grandmas cupboard" or "found in the attic" wines we get on this sub all the time must taste like. Charging this one to the game, and the unique experience of a lifeless bottle. Now to get some recent Lapierre…
by JJxiv15
10 Comments
That’s nice of the shop owner to offer that but I wouldn’t do it
I would have done the same thing. A gamble worth playing.
I’m guessing that had poor storage at some point. I have had a lot of Lapierre (including 25 year old bottles) and never had one that was too old.
this wine can absolutely age this long if well stored and such. promise.
Had an ‘01 Foillard CdP recently that was utterly superb, cru Beaujolais definitely can last this long and still show very well. I’d have gambled in a heartbeat if I came across that.
Super cool from the shop owner to offer the possibility of an exchange, but personally if I’m buying 24 year old Bojo I’m happy to accept the risk of the gamble
Did you try letting it breathe overnight? I’ve had one or two wines that actually came back to life (somewhat) with long, slow oxygenation.
Just to chime in along with others, a well made Beaujolais could stand up to that sort of ageing, no problem. I had a 2000 MàV not so long back that was singing. Could be storage, could be closure or could be Lapierre’s conservative use of sulphur. 🤷♂️
“no acidity” “borderline vinegary” huh?
The color alone definitely looks past-its-peak. Always a shame to gamble and lose, but I find that it’s still an experience to try bottles like this and there’s some value in that.