Coravin’s Aged Wine Clinic Comes to The Rocks
There’s a particular nervousness that comes with opening an older bottle for the first time, wondering whether you waited too long.
That was exactly the feeling when Trent arrived at Grappa Ristorante in The Rocks with a 2008 Château Figeac, St-Émilion. At 18 years old, and his first Figeac, there was genuine curiosity about whether the wine remained vibrant, expressive and worth opening.
Thankfully, there was no need to pull the cork immediately, thanks to Coravin Australia’s Aged Wine Clinic and Tasting Lounge.
Putting an Older Bottle to the Test
The Aged Wine Clinic offered guests the opportunity to have older bottles assessed before committing to opening them. Using Coravin’s Vintage Needle, Andrea Pritzker MW carefully accessed Trent’s Figeac and poured a sample for assessment.
The verdict was exactly what every owner of an older bottle hopes to hear: still young, fresh, vibrant and beautifully expressive. Andrea suggested the 2008 Figeac had another five to ten years ahead, turning Trent’s initial nerves into genuine excitement.
The wine showed a beautifully perfumed nose, youthful fruit and the emerging savoury complexity that makes mature Bordeaux so captivating. Making the experience more memorable and offering reassurance about the bottle’s future.
A Room Full of Wine History
The tasting lounge extended the evening beyond individual bottle assessments, bringing together an impressive collection of mature wines.
One of the standout bottles was a 1975 Penfolds Grange Hermitage Bin 95, generously shared by another attendee. Seeing a bottle approaching fifty years old made the evening’s focus on wine longevity particularly tangible.
Other highlights included a 1993 Domaine René Engel Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru “Les Brûlées” and 1994 Yalumba Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon. There were also two vintages of De Bortoli Noble One, with the 1995 and 2005 releases showing different stages of development. Each bottle offered another perspective on what happens when carefully made wine is given time to evolve.
Vintage Variation in the Glass
A particular highlight was the Yangarra Ironheart Shiraz vertical, bringing together the 2013, 2014 and 2015 vintages. Tasting these wines side by side offered a rare opportunity to explore vintage variation through the same vineyard and wine. Rather than simply asking whether an older wine remains alive, vertical tastings reveal how individual years shape character, structure and development.
The Trimbachs were another standout, with the 1989 Sélection de Grains Nobles Gewürztraminer providing a memorable example of Alsace’s ageing potential. Thank you to Mark Dietz, allowing me to try this beauty, now he knows aged wines!
It was the kind of wine that reminds you why mature bottles can offer experiences impossible to replicate with youthful releases. For Trent, the Trimbachs were among the evening’s highlights, proving that great white wines can become equally compelling with serious bottle age.
More Than Just the Wine
While the bottles were the obvious attraction, the evening also highlighted the people who make Australia’s wine community so enjoyable.
Trent caught up with familiar faces including Thibault from LeCavist, Mark Dietz from Small Island Wines and Csilla Swain from Coravin.
There was plenty of conversation, shared enthusiasm and the inevitable swapping of stories around bottles with serious history. That sense of community gave the Aged Wine Clinic a relaxed atmosphere, despite the extraordinary wines being poured throughout the room.
The most memorable moment for Trent, remained the Figeac, not because it was the oldest bottle present, but because it answered a personal question. A sense of relief, he didn't held it for too long and it had passed it's prime.
The evening at Coravin’s Aged Wine Clinic was ultimately a reminder that wine does not simply get older; it changes, develops and reveals itself over time. Anyone with an older bottle sitting quietly in the cellar, wondering whether it is ready, that reassurance is valuable. If you can't make it to a Coravin Aged Wine Clinic, the vintage needle could be a game changer! Thank you to Livi from Blend PR for inviting us!
