1964 split Bordeaux in two. A fine September had the whole region expecting a great year, and then on 8 October the rain arrived and did not stop. Médoc estates still waiting on the last of their Cabernet were caught in it. Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, where Merlot ripens earlier and most growers had already brought the crop in, made excellent wine. This bottle is from the right side of that line.
Grand Corbin-Despagne has been in the same family since 1812, with the Despagnes now into their seventh generation. It sits on the Corbin plateau in the north of Saint-Émilion, close to the Pomerol boundary, where sand over clay gives a rounder, more forward style. It was a Grand Cru Classé in 1964, lost the rank in the 1996 revision and won it back in 2006.
At sixty-two years this is an old wine from a good harvest at an estate that has never been fashionable — the only reason a properly aged classed growth is still available at this price.
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Producer: Château Grand Corbin d'Espagne
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Vintage: 1964
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Appellation: Saint-Émilion AOC
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Format: 75cl
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Region: Bordeaux, France
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Style: Red
Where it is likely to be now. The fill is good and the vintage was kind on the Right Bank, so this may well still be drinking, though as a pre-1990 bottle it is sold as a collectible without a guarantee.
Who it suits. For a sixty-second birthday, or a 2026 retirement gift for someone born in 1964 who would rather have their own year than a grander one.
Condition. The label is very slightly marked from cellar storage and the wine stands between very top shoulder and the base of the neck, which is a strong fill for a bottle of this age.
Provenance. Bought to order from a professional European merchant. We check fill, label and capsule when the bottle reaches us and photograph it before it ships.
Delivered in 7 to 10 working days, tracked. Transit cover can be added at checkout.
Sold as a collectible item, as seen. No guarantee is given on drinkability.
