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A very nice 19th century vintage-dated Armagnac from Château de Percenade, bottled at its natural strength of 35% by Gélas et Fils. The Maison Gélas, founded in 1865 by Baptiste Gélas, has been a family business for 150 years. Family traces go way back to 1246, but it was not until around the middle of the 19th century that the Gélas family linked its own destiny to that of Armagnac. The Gélas family is related to the family of Charles de Batz de Castelmore, better known as D'Artagnan, the famous musketeer.

The 1865 is the earliest Huet vintage calvados. François Huet, great grand father of the actual owners François-Xavier Huet and Cyril Marchand-Huet, started to distill calvados in 1865 but only for his own family. His son Pierre Huet, the most notable figure of the family, was much involved in the brand reputation by selling the products to prestigious restaurants such as Paul Bocuse, Taillevent and Guérard, and that's when Huet began to be a renowned and prestigious calvados brand.

Louis Eschenauer was a German wine merchant from Alsace, who started his business in Bordeaux in 1821. He bought outstanding Cognac in barrels from producers, to store them further and have them bottled only after a long aging period, sometimes 40 to 50 years. With his son Frédéric taking over the business, thanks to his excellent wine knowledge and tasting skills, Eschenauer & Co becomes the most important merchant on the Place de Bordeaux during the 1870's. After Frédéric's death in 1899, his sons continue the business. Eschenauer 19th century Cognacs were distributed worldwide well into the 1930's.

A famous 1830 Cognac from Eschenauer, bottled after 1920, with the golden label, which was designed for the oldest and best brandies released by the house of Eschenauer. Chris Munro, head of wine sales at Christie's, London, suggested the 1830 Eschenauer Grand Fine Champagne as the oldest bottle to be part of a starting wine cellar, when he and two other wine experts were asked by the Wall Street Journal in 2007, to design a wine list for novice wine collectors with a starting capital of 10.000 Euro.

From the Ai-Danil vineyards, this is the first Tokay style wine ever made in Massandra, from Furmint and Hárslevelü, grown on the vines which have been imported to the Crimea from the Tokay region in Hungary in the late 18th century. The Massandra Tokay needs long aging in the bottle and is capable of extraordinary longevity. Residual sugar: 210 g/l, 12 % alcohol. "Full mahogany colour with green yellow rim, very fine. Soft developed nose with lovely fruit. A sweet, richly concentrated wine, soft and very long on the finish. Excellent aftertaste. Lovely." (Sotheby's, 1990)

Malaga was produced in Massandra only in 1891, 1914 and 1915. All of them are much richer than original Malaga, and as viscous as Tokaji Essencia. It was most likely the Tocai Fruliano grape variety, which was used to produce this splendid wine. "…This is a seamless wine by definition without a single sensation falling out of place. The finish lasts longer than I am willing to wait between sips. This is the greatest sweet wine I have ever tasted in my life. In the words of another critic, it is a pity the scale has to stop at 100." (Frank Martell, Bonham’s, 100 points)

Very nice early Port from the Real Companhia Vinicola do Norte de Portugal, which was founded in 1889 and bought by the Real Companhia Velha in 1963. This Vinho do Porto Garrafeira was bottled in 1856, and rebottled and labeled in 1963. The word Garrafeira was used for old Tawny or Colheita style port wines, where the contents of the bottle are of exceptional age. The vintage 1820 was an "excellent novelty ... in which all wines were naturally (and unusually) full, sweet and tasty" (Joseph James Forrester), but produced little quantity.

Bottled in 1969. Probably one of the best 19th century port wines. The great French authority, Francois Audouze, rated the 1890 Burmester AHEAD of a 1906 Chateau d'Yquem. "Slightly hazy pale ruby red colour. The nose is stylish and roasted with raisin and honey nuances. The palate is extremely lively and harmonious. Perky acidity lifts up the wine and the sweetness level feels just perfect. Long-lasting palate of dried fruit flavours and nuttiness ..." 97 points, ranks nr. 195 in "The 1000 Finest Wines Ever Made" (European Fine Wine Magazine, 2008)

Dry Fino Sherry, vintage believed 1925, since similar half-bottles have been sold at Sotheby’s. In 1868, Queen Isabel II ennobeled José López de Carrizosa y Pavía from Jerez de la Frontera, and gave him the title Marqués del Mérito. His son José Maria López de Carrizosa and Garvey, 2nd Marqués del Mérito, founded a bodega in Jerez in the late 19th century, and used just his title for the name of the brand. He associated with the trade company of Alberto Romero Fontán, a city councilor of Jerez, to benefit from his international ties, especially to Mexico, in order to increase the export of his wines and brandies.