Expert: Paul Wagner - 7/9/2006

Question
I have an unopened bottle of wine from MARTELL MEDALLION COGNAC this bottle has maybe than 35 years old and I wanted to know if this wine has some worth value.Thank you.


Answer
Hi Flores:

Thank you for writing. First of all, I need to clarify one thing.  This is not a wine, but a cognac.  It comes from Southern France, and is made by first making wine, then distilling that wine into brandy.  Only brandy from this particular region may be called Cognac.

Because this is a distilled product, the alcohol level is between 40-50%, while wine is usually between 12-14%.  This is both good news and bad.  The good news is that the alcohol protects this cognac, and it should be in fine shape.  The bad news is that distilled products generally do not improve in the bottle.  They are aged in barrels to soften them, but once they are bottled, they don't change much at all.  

Most wines, at 35 years of age, would be well past their prime, but this bottle should be just delicious.  But because it hasn't improved, it won't be worth a lot of money, either.  I would guess that the value is between $50-100.

I would save it for special occasions, sip it judiciously, and enjoy it over the next year.

Paul Wagner