I rarely drink more than a couple of glasses per evening, but sometimes you have to suffer for your art – no? Of-course it could have been oh-so different!
The wine in question was a 1955 Tastevinage, and given my experience of the Tastevinage, I have a positive impression of the quality today – I can’t vouch for before I was born though! Anyway, whilst it had less than a couple of inches of ullage, after removing the top of the capsule, the cork looked pretty damp. Usually this (supposedly dry) end stinks of oxidised wine when so wet – but I could detect none. With screwpull-worm and ah-so in tandem I slowly began to pull (twist) the cork out. It nearly, nearly made it one piece too, but the cork was longer than the ah-so and left a small chunk behind. Fortunately it could be removed without dropping into the wine. Impressively for such an age, you could still even make out some of the wording on the cork; Grands Epenots…
1955 Tastevinage, Pommard Grands Epenots
No mention of 1er Cru – in those days you were supposed to know that the Village name followed by a vineyard name, on the same line with the same size of letters, was indeed a 1er Cru! The producer was Henri Gaunoux (et ses Fils), and it was bottled for Mövenpick, Switzerland who have/had, wineshops, restaurants and hotels.
This is rather dark and seems rather browner than might be palatable, but the core is still of something that looks red. Ooh – what a pretty and sweet nose. It’s showing a little earth and some soy sauce but wrapped in a sort of clean sweetness. In the mouth it’s not super concentrated but it’s clean, quite fresh and silky too – unless you chew – and here are grainy tannins that (blind) could be only 5 or 6 years old; but – such is the balance here – you have to look for them. The finish is not super-long, but has a sweet, almost spiced, pears poached in wine impression. I simply love the nose and appreciate all the rest.
Rebuy – No Chance! – so I’m luckily that I have a few more 😉
Out of interest, I thought I’d have quick look at what was happening in 1955:
Mercedes’ 190SL was launched
James Dean died – but in a Porsche!
Albert Einstein also died – not car-related
West Germany becomes a recognised country and joins NATO
The last occupying Soviet troops leave Austria (I’d no idea it was so late…)
The Warsaw Pact was signed