Chateau Dauzac 1985 (1x75cl)

A 1985 is a birth-year bottle for a lot of people, and that's usually the reason it gets opened. Forty years in glass means every bottle has its own story, so condition and level vary from one to the next and there's no way to know before the cork comes out.

Treat it gently. Stand it upright for a day or two, open it at the table rather than hours ahead, and decant slowly off the sediment. If it's a milestone dinner, keep a younger bottle nearby as backup.

Tasting notes

Left bank Bordeaux at this age typically moves away from fresh fruit toward dried figs, tobacco leaf, forest floor and old leather, with tannins that have mostly melted away. Wines this mature usually drink best in the first hour, so pour and enjoy it while it talks.