Napa Valley Wine Radio

Question from Robert:  I have a bottle of 1964 Gevrey-Chambertin, Pierre Ponnelle, Red Burgundy. I am not a wine expert and wondered if it is worth anything or should I just drink it! It has been hidden in the garage all these years!  It belong to my father-in-law and he died in 1972!  Please advise.

Answer: What a fun wine to discover!  You have a piece of history.  According to the Wine Spectator, 1964 was a “vintage of note” in Burgundy.

That’s a good start.  Gevrey Chambertin is a very fine growing region in Burgundy, another good start.  As you probably know, the grape is Pinot Noir.  Does the bottle name a vineyard or say anything like Grand Cru or Premier Cru?  The problem with Pierre Ponnelle is that he covers a lot of territory in terms of price and quality and I don’t find any current vintages from him that are Grand Cru or that say something more specific than Gevrey Chambertin.  If it says Grand Cru, or names a prestigious vineyard, theoretically it represents Burgundy’s best.  Even so, it’s probably at least tired at this point, if not over the hill.

How’s the fill height?  If you’ve heard the term “ullage,” it refers to the space between the wine and the cork.  If the level of the wine has gone down significantly, it’s not a good sign. The garage is another issue.  Unless it’s extremely well insulated, the temperature fluctuation may have been too great over the years.  The only way to find out is to open it!

If I had a special bottle like that, I’d open it with some wine-loving friends or relatives, just to see what it’s like, but I’d have a back-up bottle.  If you can find it, it would be fun to compare it to a current vintage of the same wine.

If you’re thinking of resale, the only thing I found online that was close was a 1949 (another “year of note”) Gevrey Chambertin by Pierre Ponnelle for about $400.00.  You might look around on wine auction sites like winebid.com or winecommune.com. Auctioneers and buyers will want to know about the quality of the storage conditions all these years.

I hope that helps.  Have fun with your wine!  Cheers!  Nancy