2002 Massandra Oreanda

Massandra Winery was founded in 1894 near the city of Yalta, on the Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. The large, elaborate fortress-like winery was built to supply the czar’s summer palace with wine, and no expense was spared. Miners were brought in from other parts of Russia to tunnel into the rock to make large, cool cellars. In modern times the winery has been most noted for its dessert wines. It is also notable for its collection of wines from more than 100 years. The collection was started by Prince Lev Golitzin, the first winemaker, and was considered so valuable that during WWII it was moved to avoid the possibility of it falling into hands of the German army. Wine from the collections as occasionally been offered at Sotheby’s auctions.