Speaking Of Old Things...

Off the top of my head (an unfortunate metaphor, perhaps, in context of anything even vaguely connected to Paris...) the world's most expensive wine is the Royal Tokaji 2008 vintage. At $40,000 a 1.5 liter bottle.

Once again we have Louis XIV 'the Sun King' implicated in another wine legend, since he did in fact call the Hungarian Tokaji 'the wine of kings and the king of wines.'

I have had different editions of Royal Tokaji, not the new highest-priced one, and the brand and name never went for such elevated prices (at least not in relatively recent times) prior to a decided effort by the winemakers to deliberately re-establish the wine at the very top of the world's clearly and widely esteemed styles and names.

I mean they are entitled to position the wine there - it is certainly good enough.

But there are a number of 'oldest, best-est,' and 'most expensive-est' wines, especially when it comes to the matter of Napoleon cognac.

We have spoken of the Remy Martin Louis XIII not long ago, and this contains an amount of 100-year old authentic Napoleon liquors in the total blend. We are talking $35,000 a bottle there. And there are those auction house show-stoppers that claim the Guinness Record now and then for 'the most expensive' or 'the oldest' bottle ever, or ever found...

You have to be careful though and not equate apples with oranges because sometimes the old bottles are close to a gallon in size/quantity of liquor!! When cut back to the same volumes, per volume, it is the Royal Tokaji that is the most expensive.

Cuvee Leonie Cognac - oldest, most expensive individual bottles...

I can tell you about another brand of though - Seppeltsfield in Australia. This is consistently rated 100/100 by a large number of world-famous wine experts.

You can easily buy a Seppeltsfield 100-year old Para Port wine any day, for about $150 for around 700 ml., and around $35 for a 'Grand Tawny' Seppeltsfield and maybe $500 for the

major 'Vintage Tawny.'

Now, it's worth remembering that these Port wines - virtually all Port wines as far as I know - contain brandy or cognac in them that stops the continuing fermentation of the grape juice, thereby preserving the freshness and some of the acidity.

So... ...if you buy a Seppeltsfield 100-year old Port, it will contain 100-year old brandy or cognac in it.

What's the difference in taste and taste experience? The Seppeltfield Tawny is much more tart than you would suppose, given it is a Port wine - which is meant to be very sweet. It is of course, sweet but it is also complex with all kinds of other flavors that come through.

The 100-year old Vintage is even more complex with slightly less of a tart profile. 

With either of them, you get a real sense of antiquity and yet also esoteric and complex beauty. They are highly pleasurable experiences, either wine.

And I am sure so is the Royal Tokaji. I wouldn't turn one away from the door.

LOL ...Not saying anything!