Victoria Bull from our Shopping for workforce has the pleasure of sourcing bottles from non-public collections – a lot of them astonishingly outdated. Uncorking them is a particular second, a fragile operation accompanied by bated breath and crossed fingers. However within the case of this 1945 classic from Château Rauzan-Ségla, it was nicely well worth the effort.
How many individuals does it take to open a bottle of wine? Effectively, when the bottle in query is a Berry Bros. & Rudd bottling of a 1945 Château Rauzan-Ségla, from Margaux, there wanted to be no fewer than 4 of us to supervise the operation. One colleague to dutifully present his Durand – a modern and environment friendly bottle-opening machine that mixes the prongs of the butler’s thief, and the helix of a conventional corkscrew – one other colleague to make use of stated machine, and two extra of us to look on with bated breath and sweaty palms. The Durand labored its magic, and all at one with the Rauzan-Ségla, we breathed a sigh of aid. With the bottle unlocked, we might assess the liquid inside.
It’s a uncommon event when one must summon the Durand. It means that an particularly mature bottle of wine is about to be opened; and a ritual, undertaken with reverence, ensues. Much like unwrapping a gift or putting a small wager on an out of doors horse; actions of unknown promise, the place there’s alternative for disappointment, or nice reward.
The 1945 Rauzan-Ségla was a very vital bottle. Now approaching its octogenarian decade, the wine was made within the “victory classic” – and made, poignantly, principally by ladies. It is a classic that may little question garner respect and appreciation, even when the wines hadn’t been so spectacular. Nevertheless, the yr was blessed with good rising circumstances, and it stands with ’21, ’59, ’61 and ’82 as one of many best Bordeaux vintages of the twentieth century. A extreme frost naturally diminished yields, leading to grapes of nice focus, whereas the constant heat of August and September meant a gradual ripening and sluggish accumulation of sugars. Small berries with ripe tannins promised wines of remarkable longevity.
The wine was, certainly, a triumph. We had been delighted, and the appreciation to have the ability to do that bottle was felt strongly by all. Terribly, the palate nonetheless danced with recent fruit; extra blackberry and currant than crimson fruits, whereas the construction was agency. The wine was brooding and concentrated; it immersed our palates with black fruit, whereas drawing our minds again to the previous.
We poured it alongside ’61s and ’67s, and the distinction was exceptional. The ’61s had been nonetheless holding up nicely, as showcased by Berry Bros. & Rudd bottlings of Grand Cru Classé châteaux. We additionally tried some ’67s, a chilly yr, which resulted in inevitable widespread chaptalisation. The wines had been slightly skinny, however not disagreeable, with some anticipated cigar field and cedarwood aroma.
These wines could have handed their anticipated ingesting window, however we weren’t there for the scores. It was a complete pleasure to find how every wine clearly encapsulated its classic. In Bordeaux, the place the climate is extra marginal and fewer predictable, classic variation has all the time been pronounced. These days, with the results of local weather change and steady enhancements in know-how and tools, vintages are extra qualitatively constant. Due to this fact, when opening a mature bottle, you might be putting your self proper again into the summer season of ’69 – or on this case ’67, ’61 or ’45 – and sampling a real flavour of historical past.
In fact, wines don’t must be half a century outdated for us to understand their age. The 2005 classic was an distinctive one, producing a bumper crop of ripe berries. Almost 20 years on, it’s ingesting superbly now. Whereas wines from ’11 and ’13 – vintages oft ignored, being overshadowed by the standard of ’10 and the drinkability of ’14 – are glorious choices, hitting the stunning spot between maturity and affordability. These bottles have all been ready for the right second to be opened – and that good second is while you determine it to be, whether or not you want a Durand, or not.
Discover the wines of Rauzan-Ségla right here
