Cracking open a bottle of 1900 Riscal (literally)
The 1860 barrel room at Marqués de Riscal in Elciego, Rioja Alavesa, the region’s first cellar built specifically for oak aging. Photo courtesy Marqués de Riscal.
Suddenly, grappling with the disintegrated cork of an old Bordeaux from the 1960s feels like a cakewalk.
Check out this video that appeared in a recent decanter.com report on a pre-auction dinner held at Christie’s in London last month, in which Marqués de Riscal winemaker Luis Hurtado de Amézaga, a descendant of the bodega’s founder, opens a bottle of 1900 Riscal using red-hot tongs and cold water.
Of the impressive lineup of Riscal wines tasted, the 1900 came out on top. Here are author Stephen Brook’s tasting notes for the 108-year-old beverage (a vintage which, I might add, Luis Hurtado was also tasting for the first time):
1900 Marques de Riscal (pre-phylloxera vines; original cork; 60% Tempranillo, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Graciano; aged 50 months in oak). Medium-deep red with some brick tones, but still bright. Cherry aromas on the nose, exquisitely perfumed and sweet. Medium-bodied, utterly smooth and silky, still remarkably fresh, a touch faded but by no means lacking fruit. The balance is excellent, with no trace of dryness, and the long finish has lift and freshness. Remarkable. 19.5 points