A Blast from the Past: 1972 Burgundy for Thanksgiving

My in-laws are friends with a delightful couple, Doug and Beth, who spent years in the Middle East where Doug was a political officer at various U.S. embassies. They were in the stands when Anwar Sadat was killed in 1981. When not discussing world politics, Doug is a serious oenophile—and a generous one, too. He brought two old bottles of Burgundy from his cellar, these dusty and weathered specimens from 1972. ”CHASSEUR” was stamped across the label.

Now, most of my wine drinking, for reasons of budget and a paucity of rich friends, is limited to recent vintages. My own personal “wine cellar”—imagine a bakery rack placed in a cold basement—has a few old bottles. There’s a 1981 Bordeaux from Latour Haut-Brion, and a 1976 Barolo, both of which I seem to be saving for a special occasion that never arrives. But mostly my collection is a rag-tag assortment of favorite cheapies and a few limited-release bottles dating back to 1997 or so.

You can imagine my excitement, then, when I saw the 1972 bottles sitting on the counter, along with a couple of newer wines that Doug had brought as back-ups in cases the 36-year-old Burgundies had turned to vinegar. He knew it was a distinct possibility. Frankly, I didn’t care one way or the other. It’s not often that you get a chance to quaff a wine that’s older than most of your co-workers.

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