Oldies But Goldies

Sharon Griese recently asked the following question as a comment:

“We have a bottle of 1988 and 1990 – are they still good to drink?”

This question often comes up in discussions I have with wine enthusiasts, on various vintages. Dom Pérignon is highly recognized for its ageworthiness, and I can vouch for Dom Pérignon wines having the capacity to keep maturing gracefully and improving for a long time: they will provide an outstanding drinking experience at the very least for 20 years after release (dégorgement), be it original Vintage or Œnothèque releases.

It is not uncommon for wine lovers around the world to drink bottles of Dom Pérignon 40-50 years old or more–I even met people who feel that the first release of 1973 Dom Pérignon is currently entering its prime, or are just starting to drink magnums of 1961 Dom Pérignon, re-released in the UK in 1981! I also remember an absolutely stellar bottle of 1921 Dom Pérignon (disgorged in 1936) tasted in 2004 with Michael Broadbent, the Head of the Wine Department at Christie’s.

To come back to the question, not only should these wines be drinking well right now, they will keep developing richer and more powerful characteristics from the extra time spent maturing in the bottle–assuming of course that these bottles have been properly stored (ideally in a cold, humid and dark cellar).

Tags: Wine
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