One Wine Across 110 Years

[@Smiding]

Durand: €170 1970 Marques de Riscal: €200 Watching Konstantin pulling out old corks without a durand: Priceless

[@kuongsam2314]

Durand should sponsor this video...

[@barath4545]

Yeah, Konstantin also has to go defend his German citizenship now for being unprepared for opening the ancient wines. Ordnung muss mehr sein dan das! Too bad the old ones were not up to spec :( ... Recently had a 1970 Bx horizontal and had 2-3 blind ringers from Spain (Gran Reservas) and they all sung! Like 1970 Spain is deffo not over the hill in general, these 2-3 were spot on and were not Vega Sicilias or some top wines.

[@steve.schatz]

I love the videos when you taste the older vintages. Thank you!

[@marcvillucci7826]

Incredible to think about how many people were born after that wine was put into bottle, lived full, vibrant lives from children to parents to grandparents, and died before that same bottle was opened and enjoyed

[@dtonpbac]

Only you can pull off content like this in the wine world. Thank you always for the amazing videos!

[@fingersfinesilver]

I was worried for you for a moment, but at least the 110 yo wine wasn't too bad, 2017 is a great tip. Thanks for the video - it was quite exciting!

[@damayor62]

What an amazing episode Konstantin. And a big "Thank you" to Paul for making it possible. I'm going to have to look for some Marques de Riscal.

[@norbertwowy8004]

The first aged wine I drank in my life at the age of 22 used to be a La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 1970. The weeks thereafter, I also enjoyed a Vina Tondonia 1972 and a Marques de Murrieta 1972. All of them showed simply amazing. Very happy to see, a 1970 is still at least drinkable. Rioja was my start for enjoying quality wine. 🥂🍷🍾

[@norbertwowy8004]

It all happened 1990 by the way

[@Cdnprairieboy68]

Thank you Paul for making this tasting possible! Very interesting, as I think most wine nerds love Rioja! One of the most consistent and affordable wines of quality. This was very interesting and I will continue to invest in Riojas for my cellar!

[@MarcKoetse]

Why on earth did you not get the tool and resume filming after that? ...

[@paulkuyper6686]

Sometimes you have to make do with the means available to you. I think that even with the Durand the cork would have fallen apart as well. It just would have been easier and in my opinion more boring

[@arrowzen7433]

If there ever was an episode for a Durand, this would be it.

[@freya5602]

Your determination to open old bottles with that corkscrew in what seems like most videos of this type is my fav part of this channel 😂 Never change Konstantin

[@jonikaranka3393]

I think this hasn't been covered in comments, but quite a few things changed from 1914. First, Garnacha constituted much more of the overall vineyard area and was the main grape for much of the 20th century. Early on, some French varieties would also have been planted. Second, and maybe the biggest change, barrel aging used to be longer. Those crazy López de Heredia releases? Tradition. Before "Reserva" was a thing, wines were frequently aged say 5, 6 or 12 years in barrel.

[@nigelthompson982]

I recently shared a 2014 and 1964 Marquis d’Riscal as a 50 year tasting, similar experience as yours. However there was a split of 50:50 on the preference amongst 6 friends. My preference was the most recent as the back to back tasting exposed the ‘past the best’ of the older vintage. Fascinating stuff!!

[@georgeliapis47]

I love modern Rioja, and I definitely agree that aged wine is always interesting - but not necessarily more enjoyable than the younger one. As for the Durant, I just use a sieve to get the cork pieces out since I also use standard corkscrew; I admire your patience and dedication though, really enjoyed this video as well!

[@Birdylockso]

I've had a 1964 Faustino Gran Reserva, ex-cellar, last year. Surprisingly, it was quite delicious. It was soft, and nuanced, with perfectly resolved tannin. Soft cherry with touches of tea leaves and mocha. We were quite impressed. Rioja is one of my go to wine for its QPR ratio. It can age well also. I prefer my Rioja at least 10 year old, 15 would be better.

[@darkerbinding6933]

Nice show, Konstantin! I drank a glass of "Franciscan Estate - Cabernet Sauvignon 2021" while watching this and it was very enjoyable. What's great was it was also only $14.

[@dangareau3143]

Always great value in Spain. Great tasting great video. Cheers!!

[@61hink]

I have a couple of very inexpensive two-prong wine openers that I got on Aliexpress for about $3 each. They don't have the corkscrew in the middle, just the prongs. One of them saved me about two weeks ago when a not-terribly-old cork crumbled on me. Cheap insurance and it saved a Bordeaux that I found quite delicious.

[@wesley907]

Really cool to see this tasting. Thanks.

[@thomaslyons4973]

we've all been there. RIP cork

[@gtdriver7423]

Hi Konstantin, sehr interessantes Video. Bin sofort danach in den Keller und finde einen 1982iger Riscal mit noch gutem Füllstand. Das Etikett sieht exakt so aus wie bei dem 1970iger; auch dort kein Hinweis auf "Riserva" . Bin schon gespannt wie ein Flitzebogen in wie weit er noch trinkbar ist, 1982 gehört wohl zu den Top Jahrgängen in Rioja . Bester Rioja ever den ich ca. 2015 getrunken habe 1989 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. War wie neu! Aktuell kürzlich den 2001er Jahrgang getrunken; kann bzw. sollte noch erstmal weitere 5 Jahre liegen. Cheers!

[@andythem320guy9]

I trained my palate with Rioja and Spanish wines. In Puerto Rico they are the most sold wines as they provide amazing taste for the price. I have two 2013 Rioja wines in my cellar that are in their peak. Others are 2017, 2018 and a white tempanillo. Since I cook a lot of meaty pasta, tempranillo is always a great choice.

[@panaceiasuberes6464]

Rioja is unique and every single one of its producers strives on individuality but the best producer for me is still Dinastia Vivanco, whose wines have a complexity rivalled only by some of the most labour-intensive Douro wines (Crasto, Nieport, Vesúvio)

[@JumpCoachingConnection]

That was very cool! I actally have a bottle of that from my parents, recognized the "gold cage". Its a 1985, think I'll go out and get a more recent bottle to have and compare one of these days. Great video....!

[@kentpiano2600]

Well I liked this a lot! There are a lot of different wines coming out of this region + I prefer young unoaked but have a number of 2010 Gran Reserva which are superb, a colossal year for Rioja, your 110 yo wine looked drinkable which is remarkable and shows the worth of this region

[@jpdonovan3753]

Thanks, Paul! And Konstantin, of course. This was a fun one.

[@craigmetcalfe1749]

Hey Konstantin! I tasted the Marques de Riscal Reserva Rioja Spain last night and today. I prefer the Reserva to the Grand Reserva and will be fascinated to see how they have aged. By the way it is my go to wine for Lamb. Cheers!

[@markforman2768]

I like both styles. Truly fascinating and thank you so much for sharing this experience with us

[@welshtoro3256]

Fantastic review. I love Rioja and Spanish wine in general. This kind of confirms what I know and that is that very few Spanish wines improve after more than a couple of decades. That's a good thing in my opinion. Five or ten years is all you need. After that they might be going downhill.

[@ulloriaqkristiansen4649]

The oldest Rioja I’ve had was 14 years old. I loved it.

[@tedholland7613]

Quite an interesting video. Love this Producer and love Rioja. My experience is that generally Rioja drinks wonderfully young and also with some age, 10-30 years. Thanks for confirming my experience that drinking wines before their peak is more enjoyable. I'm still thirsty!

[@rmelgar9]

Beautiful producer ! Always liked it!

[@luisfelipecanever9505]

Fantastic video. Marques de Riscal is one of my favorites.

[@J-DUB-F1]

I love tasting really old wine (never tasted anything THIS old! ), as it's just really interesting, and a treat to have a look/taste into history. I don't care if it's not "good" wine anymore, it's a unique experience 😉😋🍷🍷

[@HansGWEaerger43]

We had this exact wine from 1941 for my father's 80th birthday 3 years ago and it was somewhere in between your descriptions of the 1970 and 1914 versions. Obviously it really ages well. ;-)

[@ongcheonghock]

I had the privilege to taste a 1937 Chateau Petit Village at a friend's house. The cork came out whole with a soft sigh and was shiny and jet black. The initial nose was musty and not very appealing. The bouquet slowly infused the whole room with a delicate bouquet. IN the glass, the wine was completely amber, no more red core. On the palate it tasted like a really old claret, very delicate and complex. After 45 minutes, the wine just collapsed and was almost undrinkable! My question is, did you continue to follow the 1914 wine and did you have the same experience?

[@aswinos6077]

Interesting tasting. I enjoy trying old wines (after opening with my Durand!).

[@ericthompson3255]

Oldest Rioja I've tasted was 2001, and it was drinking very well. starting to show a lot more earthy notes, but still lots of fruit. I did have a Dao from 1989, which held up very well, but was definitely past it's peak. i definitely agree that drinking a wine too young is far superior to too old.

[@Nemosan01]

My dad gave me 100-150 bottles from 1950->……. My mom gave me an ah-so after having too many wines with cork bits…. My friends gave me a Durand…. Always good to have bit of backup equipment ❤

[@connerdobson2906]

The timing of this video is absurd! I just this past Friday opened a bottle of the 2014 vintage of this same wine that I happened to find hiding at an old local liquor store here. It was labeled at 14% abv and had a mostly garnet color with some light brown around the rim. The nose and palette both gave me notes of cherries, vanilla, and tobacco smoke with plenty of acid but seemingly lower tannins than my usual fair. I had initially thought that it felt at the end of its life but after watching this video I might go back and get another bottle or two to sit on!

[@willberlin4923]

The current release is 2019. That bottle has been sitting in a warm liquor store for 5 years. I wouldn't recommend aging them.

[@connerdobson2906]

@@willberlin4923 Probably a good point. You're likely saving me money, thanks friend!

[@willberlin4923]

Glad I could help. Cheers!

[@maxwarren1]

I tasted some Rioja in the 90's and I liked them, but I'm not a fan of American oak flavours. This video is a good example of why producers should adopt screw caps: no crumbly, broken corks: the level of the wine stays consistent, and it stays fresher.

[@jpdj2715]

The 50 years old cork probably would have done the same with the Durand. Two alternatives. (1) the air pump system (no, I don't mean Coravin). (2) special pliers that are heated and enable to neck of the bottle to be broken off just below or at the bottom of the cork (if done well, without cutting you get an extremely clean cut!) In this case, the air pump would have been the simplest and worked really well.

[@arrowzen7433]

Definately an iconic label and always a quality buy for the price.

[@behradb]

I'd love to see more Rioja wines fratured on this channel! 🍷

[@KettleRiseRanch]

Thanks for the video, curious if you have considered a video or series on how to find and keep the optimal aged wine? I find that difficult. I tend to drink it too early or wait too long…

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

Yes … great topic

[@Cleyven]

Still very interested on this. My son was born in 2022 and I'm looking for a wine that I can open once has 18years.... but I still can't get good info on which to choose and more importantly, how to properly store it. Would be very interested in a video about this.

[@robertterry9854]

I actually have a question regarding that 1863 port you had a while ago. I found a bottle of it for actually a very reasonable price for it and was curious if it would still be good and things I should for to make sure it isn’t forged?

[@1000mgTren]

Awesome video! Could we get a tour of the "museum" you mentioned?

[@tarekhamid3882]

Hello Konstantin... many thanks for the effort (and expense) to put this informative, unique , but messy (cork-wise) video. Question, if you a have a moment: Any simple explanation for the counter-intuitive comment you made, that oak barreling, enhances a wine's age-ability (because of the exposure to some oxygen) !!!

[@gab.lab.martins]

WHERE'S YOUR DURAND?!?

[@arrowzen7433]

I frequently get surprised about just how well Rioja’s generally age. Sometimes also how slowly they mature. I wonder how much is down to oak tannins and how much is winemaking and how much is grape and how much is chalky soils and a terroir that makes balanced grapes. Probably a combo. Either way, fascinating.

[@billybob7088]

opening older wines like that, I always pull cork out while its laying on its side, slightly tilted up

[@robp.7769]

Great video. This wine is a staple for me as it's very consistent and never breaks the bank.

[@brianmadsen9536]

With old wines how do you feel about a wine filter to remove cork and residue?

[@yeznikkazandjian6105]

Have you tried the cork pop with a CO2 needle; it pushes the cork from underneath, and I have had a lot of success with old wines.

[@gabriellevanneste5978]

Clever not using your Durand Konstantin! 😂 Hope this generates tons of comments! Clever! 🥂

[@hhallengren]

I think Rioja offers a really great QPR - you can often find great Crianzas for less than 15€ (got the '16 Viña Cubillo for 14€ a few weeks back) - but also great Reservas for less than 25€ (like Viña Ardanza). And you get them with some decent bottle age already making them much more approachable than young Bordeaux for example - that's usually higher in price for the same level of quality. I guess it's just been out of style for a while keeping the prices low; which makes me really happy as I can get them for cheap 😊

[@terryhsiao1745]

I had some 70s and 55 in perfect conditions. they were amazing. Love riojas. ( also have had some 80s that were terrible LOL)

[@clydeblair9622]

My first '70 was a Cantenac Brown. Mind blowing.

[@SomebodysVincent]

10:50 Apparently they make Cava in Rioja as well!

[@stanleovart]

This winery is so great. Like that!

[@williamrobinson7435]

For me, thing is that if you have a Master Of Wine on the case, even if he hasn't a handy Durand or port tong and the cork is so decayed that it won't emerge without leaving bits, then the chances are that if it resembles an ok tawney then at some stage it must've been SUBLIME and DELICIOUS so that's even sadder and more frustrating than if you pay £1 more than you want to and you don't have a bargain.. Summer is icumen in, as we sing here in England, so MY question is this; how about Sangria? A practical in depth on this would be very much appreciated! A fascinating account, and extra thanks to the erudite and thirsty subscriber who vended the vino, and to you Master for stumping up the ££££ necessary. That's REAL dedication to duty. Nice one Konstantin! 🍷🌟👍

[@billwatters4833]

What would be your recommendation for a dry Sauvignon Blanc at a budget price of £50.00? A lady to whom I presented a Vallpollicello Amarone asked me about my favourite white wine. I really couldn't say. I have enjoyed some of the pricy Italian whites at £25 with its white peaches etc. but my taste is limited by my financial reach.

[@MinhPham-kz4qw]

Hello Paul and everyone. Do you know about Avelis Lozitza Cabernet Sauvignon 1996. I accidentally learned about it through an old magazine. Can you tell me what kind of wine it is? Danke!

[@juanmanuelmunozhernandez7032]

My take on Rioja, as a Spaniard who's a bit tired of the bulk thing: The Spanish love the oak flavour. The more, the better. And they do love their juicy, fruity, sweet-ish aromas. So American oak fits to a T for bulk production. Modern style rioja is walking away from the beautiful graciano and the powerful mazuelo, more into the fruity tempranillo. While I understand the marketability factor, I'm tired of those wines. I'd like to see a 100% French oak of second passage, 70% temp, 25% graciano, 5% mazuelo, at 5 years of age. That's my kind of rioja. Incidentally, they tend to age gently and develop some incense, spice-box aromas which are delightful to me, kinda like Pinot but more balsamic. Cheers everyone!

[@BlueBanana5000]

Can you recommend any Riojas that are still somewhat close to the "old" style?

[@juanmanuelmunozhernandez7032]

@@BlueBanana5000 if you've got a hundred dollars or so to spare, Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva is to me the classic reference, along with Marqués de Murrieta and Marqués de Riscal, to name a few. A mixed bag of price-points are: CVNE (or Cune), Contino, Marqués de Cáceres, Beronia, La Antigua Clásico. There's no clear cut nowadays, and historic wineries like Muga are finding the middle ground, so it's not the easiest of tasks in the mid-price market, let alone in the bulk market. Classic Rioja is a lot more Burgundian in spirit, with more perfumed wines focused on tertiary aromas. Modern Rioja is deeper and oakier, and they're avoiding blending overall. A shame, because Graciano is a beautiful grapve variety, if you can find a varietal wine try it, it adds a lot to the mix in my view.

[@BlueBanana5000]

@@juanmanuelmunozhernandez7032 Thanks a lot! I actually had the Marques de Murrierta 2018 Reserva recently and I didn't find it too oakey as well...or let's say, less than I expected. But it's a beautiful wine. So far, I haven't tried a lot of Rioja yet and definitely not aged, so I'll check your other recommendations out and keep my eye out for a bottle with some graciano in it. Just a guess, but the development towards more oak heavy and fruity-sweetish wines could also be due to internationalization and an attempt to create a flavour profile that matches the taste of international customers (especially from the US) and wine critics like Robert Parker. Just think about the history and origins of Napa valley wine or super tuscans - could be a similar development here. Sure these are all great wines on its own, but there's certainly some sort of "alignment", when it comes to flavour profiles from different regions

[@juanmanuelmunozhernandez7032]

@@BlueBanana5000 Those good examples are classy, tertiary focused but well integrated oak. The farther away you go from premium examples, the more likely you are to find excess oak. As for graciano, it gives a flowery lift to younger styles like crianza. It would take lots of tasting to see what it does to more aged examples. It's like Vespolina added to Nebbiolo in Valtellina wines, as a comparison. The US market point you make is true, hadn't thought of that. However, the Spanish market also loves fruit and oak (especially American oak, which is more common in Rioja than it is in Ribera del Duero).

[@toothman51]

You should just get 3 or 4 twin blades corkscrews. They cost about $5 and work almost as well as a Durand.

[@Kneisterkasten]

Opened a 2006 Gran Puntido before checking what this week's video's gonna be about, excellent match once more!

[@thorfischer-olsen6504]

oh, is there a reason why the coravin isn't applied for the old wines (when le durand is missing)?

[@Pasha2times]

Messacre 😄 Actually I sold and al tried so many bottles of MdR different vintages in a boutique I work. The best were Gran Reserva 2017 150 years anniversary edition and Baron de Chirel verdejo from centuarian vines. Unbelievably great wines!

[@qwaqwa1960]

Do you have an opinion on "hypodermic"-type cork removers, esp. re old corks?

[@a126366184]

Great video, but I’m wondering why you didn’t use a-so, vintage wine opener?

[@notoverlyacerbic9574]

I have always wanted to ask a MW this,there is very little online about it. In terms of barrels,everything is always American or French oak.. 1- are other hardwoods ever used by any producers,like pecan or maple? And if so,to what effect?

[@Ivan-Hernandez]

What is the significance of the opened champagne bottle in the bucket?

[@julioerodriguez6097]

My late father and I, We opened a 1965 Marquez de Riscal that he brought from Spain after he completed medicine school in Seville. The wine was opened in 2003 and it was bad (vinegar for salad) since the cork had seepage and air ruined the wine. Awesome video and thank you for sharing!

[@VektrumSimulacrum]

The wines I've had from that region were generally enjoyable to me. If I were to invest in a wine to age in celler long term it would be at the top of the list.

[@thomashansson848]

Will a Marques De Riscal 1989 be good/diccicult to uncork (perfectly stored)?

[@nikiforoskapetanakis4151]

Rioja can produce some really amazing wines, perfect for a nice dinner or even a high quality wine tasting night. In my humble opinion the are bold wines, showing their guns early on. However, I don't feel that they have the complexity of top Bordeaux or some Supertuscan wines to reveal something more "magical" after aging. In any case, I love La Rioja Alta of Vina Ardanza and after tasting the 2016 vintage, I have the 2008 vintage in my cellar, waiting to taste it and compare.

[@markiangooley]

I’m so glad that more and more wines, not always cheap ones though usually (though many cheap bottles of wine are sealed with the cork version of particle board), are sealed with screw tops. It also helps if I forgot to bring a corkscrew or didn’t want to try getting one through airport security. Don’t most wine makers keep reference wines for a given vintage in bottles sealed with plastic-lined metal crown caps like those used for beer bottles? I’d be fine if those replaced corks entirely. Yes, arguably I am a horrible human being.

[@toothman51]

Good wine, 10 years is usually not enough. 20 is my go to.

[@Iastiven]

AAA great video!

[@joegurba8254]

Do you imagine the 2017 Reserva you tasted (or any other recent vintages of MdR's Reserva tier) could improve over a 20+ time frame in cellar? It seemed this 50 year old reserve was perhaps past peak but not GONE gone. Because if so, that is profound value - I should lay a case down. I had a splash of their 2008 Gran Reserva last week and it was textbook and drinking well immediately. I have friends who age Rioja much further than release date but I always had the sense that the joy of Rioja was the fact it was aged to perfection and already in its mature drinking window for the few years directly upon release. Perhaps I've been going about this all wrong? 🤔

[@mepo90189]

Very nice tasting. Right now, as a general rule I don’t buy or drink anything older than 2002. So I lean to the younger side. Having said that I don’t drink anything younger than 2019 right now.

[@laurentirgo5042]

Konstantin before 1st sip @11:41 Konstantin after 1st sip @12:23

[@adjusted-bunny]

There are some excellent Rjojas. But still too many oak monsters from that region.

[@jonikaranka3393]

Why do you only have one Durand and why is it not there?!

[@gewoonkaayman5388]

You should really really try longavi cementerio chenin blanc 2020! It is an amazing wine from Chile from really old Pais vines

[@der_weinigel]

WHERE IS THE PORT TOUNGS??

[@avidtest]

That was cool!

[@ChrisLemelle-xw3kl]

Employ the port tongs! lol

[@JohnAmidon-c6r]

for the 1970 and 1914 vintages....Port tongs?

[@clydeblair9622]

Aging is overrated. But love Riojas.

[@fredrikmalmsten8111]

I like the Riojas white (like Roda 1)

[@timwills4292]

I just had the 2018 Marques de Riscal last week comparing it to Tempranillo grown in Lodi, California! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this one again, I got excited as soon as I saw the thumbnail!

[@JabadSBS]

Marques de riscal 😊

[@notoverlyacerbic9574]

I am very early in my wine journey but I have yet to taste anything with any age.. Is there anything with 15 or so years on it that is sub $100?

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

Those bottles were. Otherwise German Riesling, Port, many sweet wines and even some Bordeaux

[@notoverlyacerbic9574]

@@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine oh cool,noted.

[@johnisom5327]

American here; I am not sure where you are living: German riesling! Definitely lay some down if you can save some for later. Easily the best wines in the world to age for the money.

[@johnisom5327]

Very kind of Konstantin to reply to this comment.

[@notoverlyacerbic9574]

@@johnisom5327 indeed it was.

[@joesantamaria5874]

Once again, proof that even Rioja has an “expiration date”. The population notion that fine wines improve with age is often not reality. The Rioja bodegas tend to release their product when it’s ready to drink, and further cellaring is pointless in many cases. As always, YMMV.

[@fiddleronthebike]

don't blame the cork... blame yourself for doing this without the proper tool😎

[@neofrog17]

Sacacorchos de láminas por dios! En Amazon lo tienes por 7€

[@martygt3357]

The 1917 would not have been cloudy if you pretended it was glued to the table for all of the cork removal. You picked it up and rotated it to show us the fill and the crumbling nature of the cork and that clouded the wine. Watch this video and count the times you lifted and moved the bottle. Besides a Durand, I've used an AHSO and the worm from my screwpull for corks like these long before the Durand was invented.

[@rikardo1070]

very enjoyable sunday morning wake up video. muchas gracias senor . btw fyi . I will be doing a cork extraction hands on seminar next week if u care to sign up . I will discount you in deference to your other skills and knowledge. 😁😁

[@cfcsquare3939]

I prefer my Rioja young