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The Château du Bourdieu was built in 1464 and is one of the oldest wine estates in the Blaye region, where the first cultures of vines appeared in Roman times. The owners of this estate were, until the 18th century, prominent Lords of Justice exercising in the region. This Armagnac was stored since 1930 in demijohns after 100 years of maturation in the cask, after reaching an alcohol level of 37° vol. due to natural evaporation. All demijohns of the 1830 vintage were acquired by the Château de Seguin of Pessac Leognan (Bordeaux) in 1930, directly from Jean Lagougine, owner of Château du Bourdieu at this time.

Unknown producer. Rebottled and recorked in 2018 in the Gascony region at Château de Gudmont.

The oldest house in Bas Armagnac, the Dartigalongue family began to distill in 1813. Pascal Dartigalongue, born in 1817 founded the first Maison d‘Armagnac in Nogaro in 1838. His Armagnacs found markets in Belgium, Holland, England and even already in the USA. In 1906, the vintage Dartigalongue Armagnacs were on the menu at the Café de Flore, the Edouard VII, the Café Riche, and many other prestigious and luxury Parisian hotels.

A very nice 19th century vintage-dated Armagnac from Château de Percenade, bottled at its natural strength of 35% by Gélas et Fils. The Maison Gélas, founded in 1865 by Baptiste Gélas, has been a family business for 150 years. Family traces go way back to 1246, but it was not until around the middle of the 19th century that the Gélas family linked its own destiny to that of Armagnac. The Gélas family is related to the family of Charles de Batz de Castelmore, better known as D'Artagnan, the famous musketeer.

Bottling from the 1960s. The Damblat and Havion families have been making Armagnac at their Château in the Ayguetinte Village since 1859. The Château was first built by the Templers in the XIII century. Damblat blends brandies from the regions of Bas Armagnac and Tenareze.

The 1865 is the earliest Huet vintage calvados. François Huet, great grand father of the actual owners François-Xavier Huet and Cyril Marchand-Huet, started to distill calvados in 1865 but only for his own family. His son Pierre Huet, the most notable figure of the family, was much involved in the brand reputation by selling the products to prestigious restaurants such as Paul Bocuse, Taillevent and Guérard, and that's when Huet began to be a renowned and prestigious calvados brand.

The second-oldest known vintage dated Calvados from the Groult family, limited to 250 bottles only (bottle 114/250). It was released in the 1980's, when Roger Groult managed the company. He was the grandson of the business founder Pierre Groult, who refined production and aging process, and won his first gold medal in 1893, and was one of the first producers that began to bottle the Calvados, since it has usually only been sold in casks.The Groult family still live on the same land as their ancestors who started the farm in 1622.

An ancient bottle of the legendary apple brandy from the French region of Basse-Normandie. The history of Morin, one f the oldest producers in the region, began in 1889 in La Haye de Calleville in the Risle Valley, before Pierre Morin succeeded his father and transferred the small family business to Brionne, and from there finally to Ivry la Bataille, a charming small Norman town in the Eure Valley.

Another outstanding 19th century vintage calvados from the Huet family. Their distillery is the only one in Normandy to use wood chips to heat the two stills. More than 25 varieties of apples are grown on the 30 hectares of orchards. In 1865, François Huet started producing calvados for his family and the people from the village. His son Pierre Huet started to built the brand's reputation by selling to France's leading high-end restaurants. Today, the fifth generation still produces the calvados the same way on their family estate "La Brière des Fontaines".

Very nice Calvados from the Pays d'Auge appellation, bottled in Luc sur Mer in 1949 after 56 years in barrel at 43% vol. alc. Hiroyuki Takayama, famous Calvados collector and owner and manager of the Bar Calvador in Kyoto, wrote about his tasting experience in 2016: "New opened Calvados Legoux 1893. A producer who no longer makes Calvados. This is a wonderful 19th century drink that I experienced for the first time."

The history of the Groult family distillery begins in the 19th century at “Clos de la Hurvanière”, a farm located in the heights of the Pays d'Auge, in St Cyr du Ronceray. Pierre Groult (1830-1918) began to distill cider in 1860 and expanded production by purchasing a pot still and building a cellar. He won his first gold medal in 1893 and was one of the first producers that began to bottle the Calvados, since it has usually only been sold in casks. Grandson Roger Groult (1905-1988) expanded the distillery in 1975. During his "reign" he released his grandfather's destillate after decades of aging.

1720 Caves du Restaurant du Casino Municipal de Nice holds the Guinness World Record for being the world's oldest Cognac. Three bottles are known to exist, with two of them being in my possession. The municipal casino of Nice at the French Riviera was a famous entertainment complex with games rooms, ice cream parlor, restaurant and performance halls, operating between 1884 and 1979. The casino organized numerous shows: theater, recitals, concerts, cinema. The establishment had a permanent orchestra. Louis Armstrong and Django Reinhardt performed here for the jazz festival in 1948.

The second oldest vintage cognac that I know about. I held a 1734 Gilot in my collection a few years ago, that was acquired by an asian collector.

A phantastic bottle from the 1779 vintage, from a lot containing six bottles which we found in a mansion in France, together with their original "Raynal" branded wooden box, with the vintage "1779" stencilled on it. The history of Raynal dates back to 1814 with the foundation of the Pinet Casillion company. Raynal was founded in Jarnac in 1840 by Louis Saulnier and has been blending French „eaux-de-vie“ of the most excellent quality. Old Saulnier and Raynal bottlings have been in focus of serious cognac collectors over the last decades.

Included in a sale of a private cognac collection, held by Christie's in Geneve in November 2012, was a bottle of Saulnier Frères Grande Fine Champagne Cognac from 1789 – the year of the French revolution. With a pre-sale estimate of 15,000 – 25,000 Swiss Francs (approx $15,800 – $26,400 US dollars at that time), interest for this historical piece was extremely strong, and it finally sold at an impressive $31,650 US dollars. Louis Saulnier founded Raynal in Jarnac in 1840, a house that has been blending French „eaux-de-vie“ of the most excellent quality.

1789 is the the oldest known Courvoisier vintage, produced during the French Revolution of 1789. In 2012, the then 233-year-old cognac was on sale for £95.000 at Harrods in London and displayed in their wine shop's tasting room. This is a one liter bottle! In 1835, Emmanuel Courvoisier started the companyin in 1835 with Louis Gallois, then the mayor of Bercy. Originally, they would act as traders for the best cognacs of the region but then became producers themselves and moved the company to Jarnac. Later, the Curlier brothers (nephews of Emmanuel's son Felix), took over the management of the business.

Rated 98 points by Wine & Spirits Magazine. There is also a 37.5 cl half bottle of this Cognac available. Jean-Jacques Dussumier (1792–1883) was not only known as a merchant from Bordeaux, but also as a voyager (travelling on two ships he owned) and a collector of zoological species from southern Asia and regions around the Indian Ocean. These collections were later studied and classified by French zoologists such as Georges Cuvier, Achille Valenciennes, among others. Dussumier's name was lent to numerous species, mainly fish, and an entire genus of herrings is called Dussumieria.

The house Croizet is one of Cognac’s oldest companies, founded by Léon Croizet in 1805. Léon Croizet who belonged to a family of vineyard owners established in Grande Champagne since the 16th Century, wanted to create his own Cognac House to compete with the 20 other or so houses that had recently been established. He was a fine connoisseur and former Sommelier to Napoleon I's High Command. Until 2020, a 1858 bottle of a Croizet Pre-Phylloxera Cognac called Cuvee Leonie held the world record of the most expensive Cognac ever sold at auction. It was sold in 2011 for 1,000,000 CNY (£101,293.75) in Shanghai.

From the founding year of Maison Otard. The Otard family traces its origins back to the 9th century to a Norwegian viking named Ottar. His descendants lived in Dun-Ottar castle in Scotland and followed King James II of England to his exile in France in 1688. James O’Tard fought alongside Louis XIV of France and was made a Baron in 1701. In 1795, his great-grandson, Jean-Baptiste Antoine Otard founded the cognac house together with Jean Dupuy. Jean-Baptiste Antoine Otard became mayor of Cognac, and bought the Château de Cognac, where the company still stores their Cognac today.

The great fame of A.E. Dor is based on a collection of ancient eaux-de-vie from 1800 to 1893. In the 1970s, a series with the oldest reserves of the House of Dor was launched, which achieve some of the highest prices of all vintage cognacs among collectors, simply because the authenticity is guaranteed due to their younger bottling dates. Today, A. E. Dor is the ONLY producer with the right to market cognac that contains less than 40% alcohol through natural evaporation. This 1800 Grande Champagne Cognac comes along with only 30% of alcohol. Not reduced, reached just by leaving quite some share to the angels!

Rated 100 Points by the Wine & Spirits Magazine!

An early pre-phylloxera cognac from the famous house Otard. The Otard family traces its origins back to the 9th century to a Norwegian viking named Ottar. His descendants lived in Dun-Ottar castle in Scotland and followed King James II of England when the later moved to France in exile in 1688. James O’Tard fought alongside Louis XIV of France and was created a Baron in 1701. In 1795, his great-grandson, Jean-Baptiste Antoine Otard created the cognac trading house bearing his name, became mayor of Cognac, and bought the Château de Cognac, where the company still stores their cognac today.

Louis Eschenauer was a German wine merchant from Alsace, who started his business in Bordeaux in 1821. He bought outstanding Cognac in barrels from producers, to store them further and have them bottled only after a long aging period, sometimes 40 to 50 years. With his son Frédéric taking over the business, thanks to his excellent wine knowledge and tasting skills, Eschenauer & Co becomes the most important merchant on the Place de Bordeaux during the 1870's. After Frédéric's death in 1899, his sons continue the business. Eschenauer 19th century Cognacs were distributed worldwide well into the 1930's.

A famous 1830 Cognac from Eschenauer, bottled after 1920, with the golden label, which was designed for the oldest and best brandies released by the house of Eschenauer. Chris Munro, head of wine sales at Christie's, London, suggested the 1830 Eschenauer Grand Fine Champagne as the oldest bottle to be part of a starting wine cellar, when he and two other wine experts were asked by the Wall Street Journal in 2007, to design a wine list for novice wine collectors with a starting capital of 10.000 Euro.

Louis Eschenauer was a German wine merchant from Alsace, who started his business in Bordeaux in 1821. He bought outstanding Cognac in barrels from producers, to store them further and have them bottled only after a long aging period, sometimes 40 to 50 years. With his son Frédéric taking over the business, thanks to his excellent wine knowledge and tasting skills, Eschenauer & Co becomes the most important merchant on the Place de Bordeaux during the 1870's. After Frédéric's death in 1899, his sons continue the business. Eschenauer 19th century Cognacs were distributed worldwide well into the 1930's.

In mid-2021, sitting out European Covid-Lockdowns on Madeira, one of my dear friends on the island found this amazing huge demijohn with old Madeira Terrantez, apparently a 1800 vintage, with somewhat around 18 Liters in it. We carefully drew some tasting samples and sent them to a few experts to get some qualified opinions. Francisco M. Albuquerque did the chemical analysis. Ricardo D. Freitas finally offered to have the wine bottled at the Barbeito winery. His comment: "Absolutely astonishing".

Probably from the Braheem Kassab Collection. Produced by the Vanda Goncalves vineyard. Level into the neck. Edwin Vos (Christies) tasting notes: "Old golden colour, bright. Fine expressive nose of well cask aged Madeira. Vintage furniture wax, straw, touch of velpon, intense high toned nose, fresh bread. Soft mellow start of dried peaches over dry clean taste, medium length, high acidity in good concentration. Bone dry. Good Sercial in a direct drier style. Typical bitter tone, lavender and fennel."

Very nice Terrantez from 1842, which was a good vintage for Terrantez. Producer unknown, but the type of label let us guess it's a Henriques & Henriques. "... An unforgettable moment followed. Indeed, the quality and age of the Madeira Terrantez 1842 brought us into an intense moment of emotion. The amber and clear color was already fun. The density and complexity of aromas and flavors carpeted our palate for a long time. The acidity was phenomenal and the volatile acidity amplified everything to bewitch the experienced connoisseur." 5/5 stars - Dominique Fornage, Nobilis Vinotheque, Switzerland)

D’Oliveira is one of the greatest of the classic Madeira shippers, and one of the few to survive from the pre-phylloxera era. Founded in 1850 by João Pereira D‘Oliveira, and an amalgamation of firms dating back to 1820, it is today housed in cellars that date from 1619. This small jewel of a company has always be owned by the D‘Oliviera family.

Noel Cossart describes the Torre Bella wines to have a specific character: “The Wines, which are mostly from the Câmara de Lobos and Arco da Calheta vineyards, are full, rich, well-balanced wines with an attractive acid finish.” The estate was gradually inherited by Mr Dermot Bolger, who was also responsible for the revival of Malvasia Candida by replanting this variety in 1940, at which point only a few plants remained. This bottle came from the old Bolger family and was bottled from original old demi johns.

Bottle Nr. 1315/2266, bottled in 1978. Over 50 years aged in oak casks and then rested in glass demijohns.

In 1741, John Leacock, who was only 15 years old at that time, moved from England to Madeira, to start an apprenticeship at the Madeira shipping company Catanach & Murdoch. Years later, he started his own business and founded the Leackock's company in 1760. Suffering decrease of business during the WWI and the American prohibition, they joined forces with Blandy's and founded the Madeira Wine Association (today Madeira Wine Co.) in 1925.

Bottled in the 1930s, recorked in 1974 and 2013. In the 18th century about 45% of all vineyards on the island were controlled by the Torre Bella family, with extensive vineyard holdings around Camara dos Lobos. However it is rare to find the Torre Bella name on labels or bottles. "Intense nose, rich expressive aromas of fudge, caramel and beeswax. Lovely and pure. Fine Cognac style attack of taste. Dry (for Sercial a relatively low 20-25gr/ltr residual sugar) with touch of fine fruit in spirity intense taste. On the mid pallet some roasted hazelnuts and old woody aromas. Tight long finish." (E. Vos, Christie's).

D’Oliveira is one of the greatest of the classic Madeira shippers, and one of the few to survive from the pre-phylloxera era. Founded in 1850 by João Pereira D‘Oliveira, and an amalgamation of firms dating back to 1820, it is today housed in cellars that date from 1619. This small jewel of a company has always be owned by the D‘Oliviera family. They have held on to many of their most famous vintages, creating an irreplaceable stock of old wines, with the 1875 vintage being one of the oldest.

Malaga was produced in Massandra only in 1891, 1914 and 1915. It was not conveyed, which grape variety was used to produce the splendid Malaga wines. A very intensive depth of colour leads to a variety with thick peel, most likely the Tocai Fruliano grape variety. Made from grapes grown around the Livadia Palace. "An incredibly rich deep red cherry colour with an intense yellow very narrow rim tinged with green. Superb. Deep fruit nose. An unbelieveably rich, unctuos, sweet palate of ripe cherries, plums and caramel. Very long rich finish and aftertaste. Very interesting, smooth but complex wine." Sotheby's 1990

The Ai-Danil vineyards lie in a special zone called the Gurzuf amphiteatre which is responsible for producing the finest Tokays of Massandra. These wines require great ageing to be at their best and are capable of extraordinary longevity. "Amber/tawny, lemon edge. Intense ceème brûlée, burnt sugar, molasses, smoky, such defined toffee apple overtones, caramel - very rich and intense - incredible. On the palate toffee apple, literally bite into this - so intense and mouthwatering, very long and harmonious, crème brûlée. Candied orange at the end, lemon twist and toffee apple aftertaste. Incredible." Sotheby's 2004

The variety Rose Muscat is more difficult to handle but produces one of the finest of all dessert wines. They are pure, clean and have great longevity. Residual sugar: 312g/l. "Medium-deep tawny amber. Intensely concentrated toast and marmalade notes. Figgy and deep. Rich, full bodied attack. Hugely sweet. Toffee and nut complexity. Mouthfilling and magnificently enjoyable. Sits in the mouth so beautifully. Coffee profundity. Caramel and Demerara sugar. Scintillating and with incredible tenacity of rich, complex flavours." Sotheby's 2004

Of all the Muscats the Rose Muscat is the finest with a slightly different hue and what some would say is a fragile yet entrancing rose petal bouquet. The variety is more difficult to handle but produces one of the finest of all dessert wines. They are pure, clean and have great longevity. Residual sugar: 337g/l. "Deep red amber, golden edge. Luscious coffee banana crème caramel. Sweetness, wonderfully scented and clean. Banana, crème caramel, creamy mouthfilling fruit in harmony. Intense honied sweetness with touch of tangerine peel on the aftertaste. Long and clean fruit. Delicious." Sotheby's 2004

In the remarkable vineyard of Ai Danil - considered to be one of the "Grand Cru's" of Massandra - the grapes achieve spectacular levels of sugar and concentration before being completely sun dried. Made from Furmint and Harslevelü grapes, which were originally imported to Crimea from the Tokaji region in the late 18th century. „ ...Intense. Peach and pink grapefruit provide a fine fruit cut on a long sweet finish. Honied and stimulating with hints of Demera sugar, toffee apple and créme brûlée. Absolutely magnificient.“ Richard O’Mahony, Sotheby’s

Malaga was produced in Massandra only in 1891, 1914 and 1915. All of them are much richer than original Malaga, and as viscous as Tokaji Essencia. It was most likely the Tocai Fruliano grape variety, which was used to produce this splendid wine. "…This is a seamless wine by definition without a single sensation falling out of place. The finish lasts longer than I am willing to wait between sips. This is the greatest sweet wine I have ever tasted in my life. In the words of another critic, it is a pity the scale has to stop at 100." (Frank Martell, Bonham’s, 100 points)

Tsar Nicholas II. delivered Muscat Wines to the English monarchs Edward VII., George V and Queen Victoria. Extremely durable, this wine requires at least 30 years in the bottle for optimum maturity. Residual sugar: 276g/l. "Pale amber, green tinge at the rim. Lovely smoky raisins and lemon tea aromas and honey. Full, intense and inviting, very fine, clean and fresh. Lemon tea flavours on palate, leafy tobacco, smoky, soft round and refined. Understated and subtle, soft runny honey and buttery. Elegant finish, completely harmonious and balanced with understated fruit acidity. Very pleasing." Sotheby's 2004

Made from Furmint and Harslevelü grapes, which were originally imported to Crimea from the Tokaji region in the late 18th century. "Residual sugar: 204g/l. "Deep amber, lemon gold edge. A whiff of candle wax and matches. Smoky, sweet raisins. Barley sugar on the palate, medium weight, sits so well, with some lime acidity balancing the sweetness beautifully. Great intensity and persistence of sweet raisins. A long finish with clean fruit acidity at the back and warm brioche, walnuts at the end. Lovely, complete wine." Sotheby's 2004

The remarkable vineyard of Ai Danil is considered to be one of the "Grand Cru's" of Massandra. Made from Furmint and Harslevelü grapes, which were originally imported to Crimea from the Tokaji region in the late 18th century. Residual sugar 276g/l. "Medium intensity old gold. Incredible opulent peach and apricot nose. Honey and toast. Luscious attack. Spreads effortlessly across the entire palate. Seamless. Delicacy of flavour. Beautiful, soft creamy texture. Subtle coffee tones develop. Long, elegantly sweet finish with peach freshness. Lovely raisin and fig length." Sotheby's 2004

The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday, 18 June 1815, near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by the armies of the Seventh Coalition, comprising an Anglo-allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington combined with a Prussian army under the command of Gebhard von Blücher. “Waterloo Port” is one of the great vintages of the 19th Century. The 1815 was a vintage sensation at the great International Exhibitions of the second half of the 19th Century. It was still regularly sold during the 1930s.

Very nice early Port from the Real Companhia Vinicola do Norte de Portugal, which was founded in 1889 and bought by the Real Companhia Velha in 1963. This Vinho do Porto Garrafeira was bottled in 1856, and rebottled and labeled in 1963. The word Garrafeira was used for old Tawny or Colheita style port wines, where the contents of the bottle are of exceptional age. The vintage 1820 was an "excellent novelty ... in which all wines were naturally (and unusually) full, sweet and tasty" (Joseph James Forrester), but produced little quantity.

Bottled in 1969. Probably one of the best 19th century port wines. The great French authority, Francois Audouze, rated the 1890 Burmester AHEAD of a 1906 Chateau d'Yquem. "Slightly hazy pale ruby red colour. The nose is stylish and roasted with raisin and honey nuances. The palate is extremely lively and harmonious. Perky acidity lifts up the wine and the sweetness level feels just perfect. Long-lasting palate of dried fruit flavours and nuttiness ..." 97 points, ranks nr. 195 in "The 1000 Finest Wines Ever Made" (European Fine Wine Magazine, 2008)

The second vintage Rhum made by Jacques Bally (with 1924 being the first). Highly collectible! "Bally Rhum 1929 is a very deep brown rum, a sign of its long aging. Balanced nose. A surprising intensity ... this rum reveals the dominant fruity, distinctive character of the Bally rums, mainly fruits with brandy (prune, banana flambée, ...) but also of walnut, wine and old port ... Mouth: This rich rum will surprise you with its suppleness and its amplitude ... This vintage Bally 1929 fades only very slowly and will thus remain for a long time in your good memory ..." rhumrumron.fr (2017)

Very nice Rhum Agricole from the silent J. Bally distillery, produced on their plantations Lajus in Carbet/Martinique. Baron de Lajus settled down here in 1776, when the plantation and the water mill already existed. One century later, Jacques Bally established a distillery on the estate, one of the oldest on the Martinique island. Bally was the first, who came up with the idea to age the Rum in wood barrels to create more complex aromes.

The distillery opened in 1917 on the prestigious sugar plantation Domaine de l’Acajou, purchased by Homère Clément back in 1887, when he was mayor of Le Francois. Ed Hamilton, author of The Complete Guide to Rum: An Authoritative Guide to Rums of the World, wrote in his book: "I tried it about six years ago in Martinique. It’s very dry, woody with hints of spice and dark fruit in the body. This is the oldest of the rhums still available that was distilled at Habitation Clément before production was moved in 1989, which adds to the cachet. I would drink it with a dark chocolate or a medium to light bodied cigar."

In 1660, Nicolas Fouquet, Superintendent of Finances under King Louis XIV, awarded himself the largest plot of land ever allocated in the Antilles: 2.000 hectares in the south of the island of Martinique, before finto disgrace. In 1785, after several changes of ownership, the estate was acquired by Etienne Isaïe Marraud Des Grottes, who added rum production to the activity of the sugar refinery. Amédée Aubéry, a powerful industrialist and land owner, acquired Trois Rivières in 1905, stopped sugar production and produced only rum. In 2004 the production at the Trois Rivières Estate was shut down.

10/10 Points at rumratings.com: "... A long fermentation of several days allows this rum to flourish on sweet and fruity notes. We are really in paradise. The sugar cane is present as well as woody notes but all in elegance and refinement. It's round, soft, long, very long. We want it to never end. Aged for 3 years in bourbon casks before being transferred to larger 600 liters casks for further aging for another 10 to 12 years. This is a Rum collectors piece of history."

This 1970 bottling was made prior to the distillery closure in 1989 and was aged in Bourbon cask for 3 years before being aged in 600 liter casks for a further 10 years. "The color is dark but not too much, with bronze reflections, maintaining a certain liveliness. The nose is presented with a great complexity and of medium intense bouquet ... In the mouth we find the flavors of the aromas perceived to the nose and we notice the presence of tannin, determined, but without this prevailing over the other flavors ... " lospiritodeitempi.it (2017)

100/100 Points Wine Advocate "This is an extreme wine, my first descriptor was ultra-mega-super concentrated. It is unbelievably powerful, both in the nose and the palate, full of umami, with sweet cinnamon, Christmas cake, camphor, petrol, lemongrass, Belgian chocolate and butter. Incredibly complex and rich, sweet, balanced and smooth in the palate, it is both very sweet and somehow salty, and with time it develops a black olive note ... It is as decadent as it gets. 825 bottles were produced. This wine will survive all of us ... A real tour de force sweet wine."