110-Year-Old Wine: The Tasting Experience of a Lifetime?

[@gordonjackson2655]

About seven ago, I had the chance to buy a Rioja bottled in1953. It was described as "drinking perfectly". In the same way that you described this Madeira as, "more of a tasting experience." (a paraphrase) than one to sit and drink, the Rioja was. My wife didn't like it, I was happy to drink it. I felt it had lost a lot of character, but was by far from being undrinkable. However, it was an interesting experience and for me, the chance of a lifetime. I buy 40 year old tawny ports from different wine makers. They do vary in style, I preferer the sweet, walnut tasting ones. I also like Spanish Jerez solera brandy styles they are much sweeter than the French. It's all down to preference.

[@perjonas8809]

Hello Agnes! In 1996 I visited Barbeito in Madeira. I almost bought a bottle of 1799 Madeira, but did not. It was 500 Euro at that time. I did buy a bottle of Boal 1895 and still have it. It was in barrel for 98 years. No hurry to open. I also visited Borges and they served me a Terrantez 1877! An amasing wine. I did buy a bottle, drank it many years later and it was fantastic. The best thing about Madeira is that you can keep an open bottle for many months, or even a year and it still tasted fine. The oldest one I tasted is a D´Olivieras 1850. Very good. I have also tasted the semi sweet Loire Chenin Blanc Moulin Touchais 1885, 1887 and 1892. Two of them was good, one very good!

[@NoSediment]

OMG, what a great experience! Madeira is on my bucket list, I really want to visit that island. Hopefully next year!

[@e.r.v.9612]

In my humble opinion eather the bottle or the corck or capsule belongs to a 110 years old bottle.....that's why you feel it so alive and fresh on the palate.

[@NoSediment]

No, it was not fresh as I would expect of a recent wine. I mentioned it still had the age, and the color and appearance of an old wine. And according to many comments below Madeira can live way longer than that. Hopefully I will be there soon enough and taste more to truly understand. 🥂

[@reimacederstrom4576]

Thanks for opening this old Madeira and sharing an interesting experience. Often, expensive and old bottles just change hands and never get drunk. It's a pity.

[@NoSediment]

This is why I was trying to share that bottle with many friends and colleagues. 😌

[@claudestuder4199]

1966 GS Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa. Epic stuff it was.

[@NoSediment]

😮😮

[@hazardo4378]

About 30 years ago I had the opportunity to taste a Madeira from the 19th century (1895 I think). It was one of the last Christmases my grandfather was present, and my uncle brought the Madeira (just a few years older than my grandfather at the time), while my father supplied a Port from the 60s. I recall not being a fan of the Madeira, as you mentioned with yours, no fruit, burnt caramel. The 60s port was banging though.

[@MichaelH-ck4hg]

I’ve never had wine anywhere near to this old. I’ve had cognac and Armagnac that old and they were amazing. The Armagnac was from 1868. I don’t remember how long it was in the barrel, but I think around 80 or more years.

[@NoSediment]

I am a complete and utter idiot for a spirits, I doubt I would be able to appreciate such an old and aged brandy. 🥃 I did study them only to pass my WSET Diploma, and that was the only exam I had to take twice. 🤦‍♀️ However, they can survive much better and longer than wines, so I am sure Your experience with Cognac or Armangnac was much better than if You would have tasted wine. 🍷

[@rickkan4870]

the oldest madeira I've tasted was a 1850 verdelho and the second oldest was a 1875 Moscatel madeira(recommended by the bartender), they were very interesting. I felt similar to how you felt bout the one you tasted in this video, it's something i'd like to drink from time to time and would also recommend others to try but i certainly wasn't, "blown" away by them.

[@NoSediment]

Wow, impressive, that wine can age as long! Impressive!

[@baggrabb]

Great video, you sort of HAVE to roll the dice when an opportunity like this from a reputable source, you have to go for it. I would have expected much wider ulage after 100 years. Was there any chance that the wine was re-corked at some point? A good cork after that long is a bit odd. Oldest I’ve tasted is 1968 Chateau Latour. Was ethereally wonderful!

[@NoSediment]

I have no idea, unfortunately the person whose cellar was being sold off had passed, so there is no way of saying. And there was literally no information on the label. I would want to think that if it was re-corked it would be with better quality cork, but I really, really don’t know. 🤓

[@andrewkarl5174]

I was gifted three German Riesling, from the 1980s. They had just been in someone’s closet. A lot of bottle variation, all were nice, and very interesting. At the end of this video, I could really see your love of wine shining through. Cheers

[@NoSediment]

Thank You, yes, there are wines that bring out emotions like these, and these are usually the best bottles or best experiences. 🥂

[@Mathijs1308]

An unknown 1920ties vintage Lynch Bages by negotiant ! Fantastic bottle. Drank in 2022.

[@NoSediment]

Vivawowow, sounds epic! 😲

[@ptg01]

Fascinating how Madeira was 'discovered' by accident after a long boat trip across the ocean !

[@Ruirspirul]

most wine technics and styles were “discovered” by accidents

[@danfarmer6730]

Agnese, I loved your honesty regarding this wine. I got the feeling you were a little disappointed. I like younger wines, since I can't get myself to spend over $50 US per bottle. Happy New Year!!

[@NoSediment]

I really was not, it was just a great experience and I took it that way. And it was great to talk with other wine friends who I shared the bottle with and hear their thoughts. Some thought it was still full of life, others believed it was close to dying. All agreed it was great experience!

[@fanatiek1]

Super video. The level of a 100 year old wine.....when was it bottled or rebottled ? My Oldest wine was a Lafite Rothschild 1939. But the onion colored wine tasted like dried bacon and was undrinkable. I love to drink, and have drunk a lot of old wines, but until now there were more disappointments than tasty experiences.

[@NoSediment]

I really don’t have any extra information on the bottle, unfortunately. I doubt it was recorked, I would expect the new cork to be of higher quality. But I might as well be wrong.

[@elsbydre]

Wonderful video! I loved watching your first smell of the wine, you looked like you could jump around with joy and giddiness! 🎉🎉 6:41

[@NoSediment]

Hahaha, yes, it was truly a great experience, and I was happy that wine was still alive! Because to be honest I was slightly worried about it, especially after I pulled the cork.

[@apistosig4173]

FWIW: Grange Hermitage is arguably one of Australia's most famous and sought after wines. Frequently, owners of this wine are invited to bring their past vintages along where these are uncorked, wine checked for validity / viability, the bottles are topped-up with the current vintage to ensure continued development, a fresh cork inserted & owners sent home.

[@NoSediment]

Very interesting, but is this done if person owns just a single bottle? Usually You need to have full box, and You loose one bottle, of which the others are topped up. Otherwise, what they are topping up? Fresh wine? 🍷

[@apistosig4173]

@@NoSediment Any bottle, single or case, topped up with the current vintage to assure longevity.

[@NoSediment]

Yeah, that sounds funny, usually it is topped up with the exact wine, so for me it would mean that wine no longer of single vintage. I will check this out. Bordeaux estates do this only for their own collection usually, and tops only with the exact vintage the wine is labelled.

[@apistosig4173]

@@NoSediment WOW

[@hazardo4378]

@@apistosig4173 Choose carefully the year you have it re-corked then :D

[@nichotime]

1792 Rhone red style before it was called "Rhone") at DC 1980's Heublein Auction. Still focused and strong- clear golden with floating "red" flakes. 1864 Montachet Bouchard- greatest ever, ecstatic brilliant sweet nose -- Penetrating the senses Blindingly beautiful Distinct. Old Reingau last forever. Rare wines (Latour) need 30 yrs to sweeten up. Thanks for your beautiful and honest take! Blessings for the new year(s)

[@NoSediment]

Thank You, may You have joyful New Year’

[@mondarinvino107]

Oldest wine tasted: 1850 D'Oliveiras Verdelho at an epic tasting with the producer on the island. The best of that day for me, however, was the 1905 Verdelho which my wife graciously gifted to me. I took it home and shared small tastes with special friends not worrying about its fragility. My notes say it was super pronounced highly intense, ultra long guavas, tamarind, prunes, fig, saltana, and a certain interesting sourness. Sadly I accidently broke the bottle with a little more than half the liquid still in it!! :(

[@NoSediment]

Wow. You beat me! 🙌🙌🙌 Sounds like a great experience, and I can’t wait to travel to Madeira and visit the estates. 🍷

[@alexandermakatrovskiy4497]

Fabulous!!!

[@NoSediment]

Cheers! 🥂

[@jacobweber4234]

Oldest wine I´ve tasted so far, was a PX from 1935. But January next year, I have been invited to visit Kloster Eberbach in Rheingau, where the first wine is a Spätburgunder from 1925, there will also be a line up of 4 Rieslings from 1935. Plus other old wines. :D

[@NoSediment]

I have been very lucky to taste some of the really old vintages from Eberbach myself, and all of those showed still a lot of life! So very happy for You and Your experience to come! Thank You for watching and commenting! Cheers! 🥂

[@jimdavids6708]

Wow, another great review, thanks ❤

[@jdones5475]

Amazing! Thank you for sharing with us ! 😊

[@NoSediment]

Thank You for tuning in!

[@sascharohde5012]

😊 it is such a pleasure to see your excitement, your joy 😃 Great experience 👍🏻

[@NoSediment]

Indeed it was! Thank You and cheers! 🥂

[@zaphod333]

Happy you had the chance to make this experience! And I love your non-awe-struck candor about the qualities of wine - or should I in this case say characteristics? 🤔😄 I haven't had a wine that was anywhere near that old, but I don't miss it in the slightest. Much like my fellow commenter hnurminen, I prefer my wines just on the brink of ripeness. I found most of the older wines I had (there weren't many) to be more of a curiosity than truly enjoyable, much like in your video. I have to say though that the 1966 Kopke Colheita I had a few years ago was a treat. Btw only quite recently I had my first meaningful contact with Madeira, and the young Barbeito Boal stood out for its freshness and liveliness. In case they preserved the style over the century I'm not surprised at all about the showing as far as acidity is concerned.

[@NoSediment]

Is it not a correct word? “Characteristics” I use it a lot, but English is not my native language, so I don’t know if that is really correct. Thank You for Your lovely comment.

[@zaphod333]

Neither is English my first language. 😉 It was meant as a play on words: While I think "qualities" can be meant completely neutral, it can also be understood as having a positive connotation (it exclusively is in my native language). "Characteristics" however is completely neutral. So by explicitly making this distinction, I was hinting at you experiencing a wine that was not exactly delicious but more... interesting.

[@Ruirspirul]

loving the new setup, loving newish format! also loving seeing myth of aged wines been incredible getting busted😅

[@NoSediment]

Thank You, yes, we have worked to get No Sediment in a new studio, and hopefully next year You will see more of this setup. Thank You for watching till the end! 😇

[@mondarinvino107]

The most interesting part of the vid to me was the point that in the far past the wines were sweetened (i.e., sweetness not coming from the RS of the must). This is not something I've ever explicitly encountered in any educational materials (e.g., WSET). If you have more details, could you elaborate further? What type of sweetener was used? When was the practice of arresting fermentation w/ spirit adopted? The island did have a thriving sugar cane industry in its past, but not sure if it overlapped with the wine trade there.

[@NoSediment]

I have no idea, I read it in the book of Madeira wines, and it made sense. It is much easier that way, wine is more stable after full fermentation. If I ever find more information on this, or if I travel to Madeira and will visit some wine estates, will sure to ask this question. 🙏🏻

[@brianpite0893]

For me it was a 1984 chateauneuf. About 13 years ago. It was definitely on its decline. Another great video!

[@NoSediment]

Chateauneuf is great in that way that it is so approachable in its youth, and sometimes because of that, it does not always age as well. I like mine up to 10 -15 years of age, this is the sweet spot. Thank You for sharing Your experience with us! 🙏🏻

[@CanErgur]

I am always skeptical about these several-decades old bottles, but I am happy that yours turned out well. By the way Agnese your new set-up is nice, enjoy! ;)

[@NoSediment]

I am also sceptical, and it turned out to be a great experience, however, as I said, not a wine I would enjoyed over the evening with friends and family. Thank You for noticing the new setup 🙌

[@Colin-o9b]

Best Madeira video ever Agnese❤ Happy 🎉 New Years 🎉 All the best in 2025.

[@wabalah1434]

Oldest bottle Chateau Latour 1934 and it was gone by opening. But a Chambolle musigny from 1949 late realease this year was singing, and probably best red wine experience ever.

[@NoSediment]

If I would have to guess; I would expect Bordeaux to live longer than Burgundy, but we see that at this age every wine and every bottle walks its own way. Great, thank You for sharing!

[@wabalah1434]

@NoSediment You are exactly right. In principle Bordeaux have the advantage of being a blend, and then can always choose the best outcome of any giving vintage. The second thing is none of the Bordeaux variaties are fragile especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are very dark, which gives better conditions for ageging because of tannins. The Chambolle Musigny I had was very well stored, and if I had to guess it was realeased in the 1980'ies, and been stored correct after that. The label was perfect, fill level was top neck and the color very dark in the glass especially when you consider it is pinot. It was only a little brown around the rim. It smelled of shoepollish, truffles and mature cherries, and on taste it reflected that aswell with absolutely no tannins at all, very smooth. It was a magnificent experience and probably the last time I try something like that again. Wine is beautifull even if it dissapoints it always tell the truth about its journey. Cheers.

[@jamrollz]

Could have waited a few days and this would be 111yr old wine. Give it the Bilbo speech

[@NoSediment]

Hahaha, I was considering it, but I was very cautious about it, and to be honest didn’t expect it to have so much life, as it actually showed

[@chemepharmd76]

A great way to finish 2024. Wishing you a happy 2025! 🍷🥂

[@NoSediment]

Thank You! 🥂 Joyous New Year!

[@TheBaseCase]

Just an 88 Pahlmeyer Cab. Nothing like this. Heck, the oldest wine in my collection is only a 99 Fanti.

[@NoSediment]

Ha, 1988 a great vintage, some amazing people were born this year! 🫣😇

[@TheBaseCase]

@ you know, I thought you had Dragon qualities.

[@bradbellomo6896]

I've had old cheap wine that survived far longer than intended, but anything meant to drink 10 years after harvest is probably above my budget, especially if I am not cellaring it myself. Wine develops interesting changes as it ages, so it is a shame no one is marketing older, relatively cheap wines. 20 year old whisky is affordable and I've even had 50 year old Brandy, but old wines are really expensive.

[@NoSediment]

The fact is that majority of old wines are simply old wines and there is really nothing too exciting about them. The ones that are worth tasting, is indeed as You say, very expensive. However there are few exceptions, Chenin Blanc, Hunter Valley Semillon comes to mind, however, those are white. 🤔🤔🤔 Just as this one was! 🤭

[@christiansanders1]

I’ve had plenty of 10 year old wines without spending over $40. If that’s over your budget then fair enough but I think it can be worth it for a special occasion

[@bradbellomo6896]

@@christiansanders1 For me, $40 is not over budget for a special occasion, but a little pricy to drink alone on a week night. They do exist, but are probably less than 1% of the wines in this price range and still not old enough to have a big difference from newer wines.

[@atamo4323]

I curious about wine at any stage of its life. For enjoyment, I like wines more with floral notes and fruit taste (fresh or dried) before tertiary notes. But most of all, a balanced wine is the best.

[@NoSediment]

I agree, balanced wine is what matters the most, especially if we are talking about enjoyment. However, it is always nice to have this experience, at least for story purposes.

[@lamborghiniregistry]

We have a 1986 Lamborghini Colli del Trasimeno waiting to be opened

[@richardwhite1120]

Very interesting Agnes. How much would a bottle like that be worth?

[@NoSediment]

Usually these really old wines sell close to 600 and up. Mine was much more affordable, as it was coming from a private cellar.

[@megatrendy1]

1865 Chambertin. Drinkable, but not more.

[@NoSediment]

Wowowo, very impressive! 😲

[@Selkirkwater]

You are lovely but too young to have heard this bit of song “have some Madeira my dear “ . We used to buy it because it was quite cheap, obviously not aged for a long time. I was apprehensive as you opened the bottle, not a lot of experience with old wine but had cellared some wine for 20-25 years and got to experience cork taint. A truly horrible experience! It was on my mind the whole time you opened that bottle. Glad that was not your result.

[@NoSediment]

I put the song on Spotify, and it was introduced as song about a nauseating sweet drink. 🤭🤭🤭 But yes, I didn’t know that song, and a nice word play’ 😀

[@leonlovelock-kn4fw]

you are a very pretty lady i am from England UK ❤❤❤

[@hnurminen]

Hi Agnes - if you have any wine left and make it to Helsinki I'd be happy to taste it with you! My oldest wine was a 60-year-old Sauternes a few years back. Overall for me the sweet spot seems to be when there are some tertiary aromas present but not so that all fruity character and acid is gone. Kind of happy mid-way-point I guess. Keep doing what you're doing and Happy New Year!

[@NoSediment]

That is actually not that far, and there is some wine left. The only issue is that I am not planing to travel to Helsinki anytime soon. 😔 If You are in Riga over the next week, by any chance, make sure to let me know though. 🙌

[@hnurminen]

@@NoSediment I'd love that, although Xmas break is over and work calls tomorrow so no travelling planned in near future. It would, however, be great to sit down and chat over a glass of wine some day, so let me know if you some day find yourself in Helsinki!

[@JuicySommelier]

It even survived a lot of Yo mommas.

[@אסףבר-ל7ר]

😮

[@henriquelyramaia]

Why spit a wine of this magnitude? That's a waste

[@NoSediment]

It is a tasting, and always spit wines out, unless I have opened a bottle for the enjoyment. 😶