Which bottle to choose?

[Gerwin de Graaf]

I've a question. This weekend I am planning to open a Croft 1955 VP. I have aquired two bottles of this wine at an auction earlier this year.

One bottle has a cork that is slightly pushed out of the bottle (at one side only).The cork seems to be coming out of the bottle by about 2 milimeters at one side. The capsule of the bottle is still intact. The level of this bottle however, is excellent (well into the neck).

The other bottle looks better, corkwise (cork is perfectly in place), but has a lower level (barely into the neck, about 1,5 centimeters lower than the first bottle).

Since I don't have much experiende with bottles of this age, I would like to ask you all: which bottle would you open, and which bottle would you leave untill a later date (and then, for how long)?

Thanx!

ps. No, I am not considering opening both bottles this weekend

[Al B.]

Do they both have the same depth of colour to the port inside the bottle?

[Moses Botbol]

Do they both have the same depth of colour to the port inside the bottle?

Good question. Do you ever plan to sell the other bottle? I'd go for the low fill level one first if the wine is the same color. If the exposed cork bottle is lighter, I'd go with that one first...

My basic rule is drink the most suspect bottles first.

[Gerwin de Graaf]

Do they both have the same depth of colour to the port inside the bottle?

Good question. Do you ever plan to sell the other bottle? I'd go for the low fill level one first if the wine is the same color. If the exposed cork bottle is lighter, I'd go with that one first...

My basic rule is drink the most suspect bottles first.

Both seem to have thesame colour (as seen through the bottleglass of course). But I'll check once more later tonight.

I am not planning on selling the other bottle.

Thanks for the advice for now!

[Gerwin de Graaf]

And of course: depending on how the first one turns out, I just may have a good excuse to open the next bottle in the not so distant future

[Andy Velebil]

And of course: depending on how the first one turns out, I just may have a good excuse to open the next bottle in the not so distant future

Now you're talking