Apostelwein 1727

1727 Rüdesheimer Apostelwein – Bremer Rathskeller bt Markus del Monego MW

1727, Johann Sebastian Bach presents the oratorio „Matthäus Passion“, Georg Friedrich Händel composes the Coronation Anthems for King George III, the Italian artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo is born, the scientist Isaac Newton dies aged 84 and the Rheingau vintners harvest an exceptional vintage. The vintage 1727 features wines of great fame which were very much in demand. Therefore the city council of Bremen decided to cellar a barrel of this extraordinary vintage beneath the Town Hall of Bremen. The so called „12 Apostels cellar“ became the home of this rarity, already sought after in the 19th century: The London based auctioneer Christie’s presented a dozen of bottles of the 1727 in his wine catalogue from 1829. The bottles were sold for 5 pounds, a fortune in the early nineteenth century. The last half bottle sold at Christie’s was in 2008, when the wine was sold for more than 6000€.

During the ageing process in the cellars at Bremen, different bottlings have been made. The half bottle which was presented on October 6, 2017 has been bottled in the sixties, it was the last bottling. The wine originates from the so called Judas cask and is arguably the oldest, still drinkable wine worldwide. The grape variety of this wine is unknown. At the time being, the vineyards where planted in mixed plantations. It is thought that White Orleans could be the main grape variety, Riesling might have played a minor role in the blend.

Ten tasters gathered on October 6 in a cellar at Essen and were anxiously waiting to taste the wine. Tasting such a rare bottles is a special experience. Only two wines are known with an older age: the last bottle of 1540 Stein from Würzburg which is kept in the cellars of the Bürgerspital Würzburg and a cask of 1653 Rüdesheimer, which is still ageing in the Rose cellar of the town hall of Bremen. However, both of these rarities are not accessible for tastings and not on sale. Expectations were high and –to make long story short- were absolutely fulfilled. The 1727 was shipped from the Bremer Ratskeller two weeks before the tasting day and opened one hour before service. It showed an amber colour with a slight copper coloured hue. The nose was very expressive displaying an aroma reminiscent of oranges, candied orange peel and bitter almonds at the beginning. After a quarter of an hour the aroma of candied orange peel intensified and was complemented with hints of dried fruits, mainly apricots. Another ten minutes later the nose turned towards a quite spicy expression with aroma reminiscent of cinnamon and nutmeg blossoms. The fruit still developed positively remaining on dried apricots and hints of candied orange peel. After more than half an hour hints of walnuts showed up. Half an hour later the first hints of flowery and blossoms were turning up: white lilies, honey and white blossoms. It was interesting to see, how the different aromatic components showed up, intensified than faded and some of them were coming back on a regular rhythm, especially the aroma reminiscent of English fruit cake, balmy spices and roasting notes. After three hours in the glass the aroma reminiscent of walnuts, caramel, raisins and butterscotch intensified. Interestingly the nose kept hints of dried fruits for over six hours in the glass. The palate was exceptional from the beginning, displaying a creamy texture, fine acidity and a hint of sweetness. A wine with 290 years of age with surprising freshness. Even after six hours in the glass, the wine showed a mild character with hints of candied lemon peel. When the glasses were finally emptied more than six hours after service, they kept displaying an intense aroma of sherry, walnuts, dried pineapple and candied orange peel. A unique experience.

It was my second bottle of this wine. The first time I had the pleasure to taste it over five years ago. Comparing the tasting notes from that time, there were a lot of parallels, however this bottle was even more perfect.

Rating: 100/100

This wine comes from a large cask in the famous 12 Apostles' cellar beneath the Town Hall or Ratskeller in Bremen. The first time this appeared in a Christie's wine catalogue was in 1829 when it sold for 5 pounds a dozen, a high price at the time. An occasional half bottle has appeared at auction since that date, mainly over the past 30 years. The wine is drawn from the mother cask, which is then topped up with a young Rüdesheimer of appropriate quality. In this way the large volume of the old wine is kept refreshed. I first tasted the 1727 at Schloss Vollrads in 1973 at a tasting of wines of the world to celebrate Count Matuschka's 80th birthday
Another memorable occasion took place at a dinner in Sydney on the evening of my first visit to Australia in February 1977. By way of welcome, my host, the irrepressible Len Evans, had invited the Prime Minister and a group of the best 'palates'. Among other fine and rare wines was this 250 year old Hock. Just as it was about to be served, there was a shattering crash followed by an agonised Australian voice ' Gee Len, sorry; we'll just have to have the 1728'! (The 'waiter', Anders Ousbach, who had dropped a handful of spoons, was a wine expert and opera singer known for his practical jokes.)

On my second visit to Bremen in 1981, I was able to taste the wine from the cask. It had an amber straw colour, the smell of old apples and a nutty, appley taste. Dry. Good length. High acidity. More recently, from a half bottle 'Réserve du Bremer Ratskeller': it was paler than I had previously noted. Sercial madeira-like colour; bouquet reminded me of an old madeira, then more like a raya sherry. After two hours in the glass, a smell of rich old stables and an hour after that, an amazing pungency lingered in the empty glass. On the palate medium-dry, lightish weight, a soft, gentler, slightly toasted old straw flavour, tolerable acidity, and clean finish. Last noted at a dinner to mark the publication of the German edition of my Great Vintage Wine Book in Zürich, Oct 1983 ** for pleasure, ***** for interest. Michael Broadbent, Vintage Wine