Drinking a 1967 Barolo

It's hard to image that you would want to consume anything that has been sitting on a shelf for 49 years, but when it comes to vintage wine, there are collectors who pay five figures for the stuff, especially Barolos.

I was very lucky to have been birthday gifted a bottle of Marchesi de Barolo's 1967 Prandi.  Marchesi is one of the original Barolo's, and in fact in the 1800's their own Pietro Abbona is often cited as the "undisputed pioneer and patriarch of Barolo."  Their cellars are at the foot of the hill of the village of .. you guessed it, Barolo!

Because this bottle was not particularly pricey, we did know that it bore a high risk of being exposed - whether corked or oxidized - and could be gag-worthy vinegar.  Nonetheless, the experience of it all and having the very cool bottle certainly made it worth while.

So, one random Sunday night we decided to just pop it open!  The first indication was that the cork was incredibly dry, literally dissentegrating when we put in the cork screw.  So, we poured the contents literally through a hole in cork that we bore out and into a strainer.  Then, we decided we should aerate it by pouring it through an aerator.  This was very scientific!

Shockingly, the nose was nutty and deep, akin to a tawny port.  The colour was of course on the burnt side, but shockingly still deep garnet.  This certainly was not vinegar.  Upon first taste I literally couldn't discern whether the wine had gone off or not.  Of course, it was not a wham! like Barolos from the recent 20 years, but it definately wasn't offensive either.

We drank the entire bottle with a homemade eggplant parmigiana ... with each sip trying to think through what this wine could have been through, whether it has been oxidized or cooked in hot storage conditions or maybe just as it should be.  Either way, the experience was great fun ... and to be honest after that bottle we were feeling a little psychedelic!

Go to Barolo.  Drink the Wine of Kings, the King of Wines.