Of course, Vinogirl is only a nickname, it is not the name that I answer to. There are only two people in my life, one for years, one more recent, who frequently call me VG. Yet, I have been known to create a website account using the Christian name, Vino and the surname, Girl. That's Ms. Girl to those who don't know me well.
I have had a few different nicknames throughout my life. My first ever nickname was given to me by my maternal-grandfather, my Pop. Pop dubbed the baby Vinogirl, Beatie. When my Vinomum asked him, "Dad, why Beatie?" he replied, "Because she was born in the Beatle-age." (It's also fitting at this point to mention that I was born with a complete Beatle mop.) This bottle of wine is also nicknamed Beatie. Why? Because it too was born in the Beatle-age. Apparently, 1964 was a great vintage.
The 1964 Le Mouton Baron Philippe was a very special, long ago birthday gift from my Vinomum and Thud, but I only just recently decided that it was time to open this aged bottle. The low fill, or ullage, suggested perhaps that this bottle should have been consumed a long time ago. Over the past 56 years, although stored correctly whilst in my custody, some wine had been lost through cork-absorption and evaporation. So how exactly had Beatie aged? After all, middle age is not always kind to wine. Or humans, for that matter.
The capsule posed a bit of a problem in that the lead had fused to the top of the cork. The cork itself came out in three pieces, which was a nice surprise as I was expecting it to crumble like a McVitie's digestive biscuit. The colour of the wine was extraordinary, dark and opaque like a Turkish coffee, not even the slightest hint of red or purple. On the nose, Beatie displayed a slightly oxidative character (which I'm not overly fond of in any wine, red or white), but here it was more agreeably akin to a nutty sherry. Although, lurking somewhere behind the nuttiness, there was a definite shy tree-fruit element.
I took my first sip with great trepidation, I wasn't expecting much, except I was blown away, and how! Caramelised rhubarb, dried green tea leaves and baked plum vibes took control of my taste buds - so delightful and definitely Cab-like. What dominated was the acid that, after more than half a century, was precise and linear. And the best part? The beautiful, lingering finish - it went on and on.
After another 20 minutes the wine had opened up further and was even more interesting. I kept revisiting and sniffing, as there was an aroma I just couldn't quite identify. It seemed so familiar, yet I just couldn't pin it down. The smell was of a vegetative nature, but not the capsicum, asparagus, celery notes that I am accustomed to in a green wine. No, this was a freshly bruised stemmy aspect that I just couldn't quite grasp. So intriguing. Wow!
Beatie, you were a bit of an enigma. But a beauty until the end. And everything I love about wine.
