Stunning Night in South Florida

[dstgolf]

Anticipation had been rising for weeks after contacting Stuart months back about getting together for an offline in FLL on our return from a Caribbean cruise. It couldn't have been more perfect when Stu said sounds great and your timing corresponds to a 61 tasting that he had been planning and we were more than welcome to join. Twist our arms a little and we couldn't refuse!! Next surprise was hearing that Jim H was making one of his famed surgical strikes for the night to return Sunday not to miss the Superbowl festivities back home....unfortunately and sadly Jim's health would not allow him to attend this amazing evening, Great company with Stu,Kathy and their friends Ryan and Allison who are also great fans of Bordeaux as well with everyone meeting at Cafe Maxx in Pompano Beach which was superb.

First up was 2009 Dom Perignon that is always a great way to get the juices and lips flowing. Fresh, crisp with fine mousse and nice acidity with light brioche background with citrus and apple notes. Always a delight.

Flight 1

1961 Domaine de Chevalalier a surprisingly youthful wine that showed decades younger than this 58 y/o senior. Still inky black with no bricking and nice spiced,leathery brambly cassis nose and palate. Tannins almost resolved but still hanging in the background. Beautiful way to start and most surprising wine of the night for me striking way above expectations.

1961 Margaux up next not nearly up to expectation. Nose of the night for sure with classic Margaux berries and sandalwood but pale pink wine,bricking and soft but fading palate with little fruit left and well into tertiary phase if not beyond. Certainly the 61 en magnum served up at the Chateau enjoyed by many in 2005 was far superior and this was a ghost of what it should be. Biggest let down of the night and beyond its prime.

Flight 2

1961 Leoville Las Cases still strutting strong with little loss of color and slight bricking. Cassis and blackberry fruits with nice depth on palate with dark fruit forward,resolved tannins and beautiful balance but a little unidimensional by comparison to what I expect from the great growths but this is how I feel about Las Cases across vintages. Lovely wine again showing much younger than its age but not my favourite.

1961 Pichon Baron was amazing. Strong out of the blocks with dark brambly cassis,blackberry with developing spice and background graphite.eucalyptus. Delicious through and through with no faults. Let this evolve over the 3-4 hr dinner and in the end it died in the glass so I question how much life this has ahead. Drinking perfectly now and can't see this getting any better so drink up .

Flight 3

1961 Lynch Bages was showing fabulously and much better than expected. Beside the Baron I gave the edge to the purple Baron but may be my personal preferance but this was delicious and classic Lynch with lots of life left.

1961 Latour. What can I say...a real treat. A question mark initially after the pour showing a little funky awkward acridness in the glass that just blossomed in the glass like the phoenix rising from the ashes. A truly beautiful Latour with perfect balance,classic pauillac black fruit, graphite and cedar. As good as a wine gets but not quite the depth and length that the Baron showed in my mind.

Finale

1971 Y'Quem split simply delicious classic evolved Y'Quem and a great way to finish a magical dinner party.

As always Stu's generosity exceeded expectations and that was the moment of the night by far. Wines were great but company exceptional. Lots of laughs,good discussions and looking forward to the next time. Many thanks again to Stu and Kathy for making this happen!!

To start preliminary discussions about BWE 2021 Ryan and Stu are anxious to make it return to south Florida and everyones health depending that would be great to keep the idea alive.

2020 BWE Bordeaux was also discussed and got me pumped to hammer down some dates so we can fix the calendar sooner than later.

As far as my rankings for the night went; Baron with Latour close second, Chevalier, Lynch, Las Cases, Margaux a distant sixth but nose was number one by a long shot!!

[JCNorthway]

Thanks for the write-up of this "once in a lifetime" experience. Based on your descriptions, it sounds like the 1961 vintage may be nearing the end of its best years. But it's pretty amazing how many of the wines are still this good at age 58.

[sdr]

It’s always fun to host fellow BWEers who stop by for a bit of our favorite liquid refreshment. It’s nice to see DANNY’s detailed terrific notes. Along with good local friends Ryan (DrinkBordeaux.com) and Allison, a good time was assured, especially since they bonded over cruise and travel stories. I agree mostly with Danny but I ranked the Latour higher.

1961 IN FLORIDA - Cafe Maxx, Pompano Beach, Florida (2/2/2019)

No, not Connie Francis on the beach, this is about Bordeaux. With Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts stalwarts Danny and Danielle coming to town after a Caribbean cruise, I wanted to showcase something they may not have seen much before. Of course with any wines this old, a lot of luck is necessary. I sourced the wines over the last few years, mostly from auctions.

• 2009 Dom Pérignon Champagne - France, Champagne
  I like this better for drinking today than the lean and citric 2008 version for its immediate drink ability. Less taut, more relaxed, slightly more advanced. Still very young of course and will surely fill out over the years. Nicely wheaty, well balanced, medium acidity. I suppose in 30 years the ‘08 might the be more interesting one of the pair but who cares? (92 pts.)

• 1961 Domaine de Chevalier - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  I found this quite amazing and a real surprise. The instant burst of floral perfume is captivating. Silky at first, it gradually became more coarse and less interesting though. Nice combination of black fruit and sous bois; there’s plenty of life here. Medium weight and concentration, savory, maybe petrichor. Really good, not just a survivor. (93 pts.)
• 1961 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
  For a few fleeting minutes it seemed like this bottle would be a winner based on its lovely berry perfume that so distinguished it in its youth. But sadly it was not to be and it quickly turned dull and morose. Still, one could see the outline of what once was a beauty, if only through heavy cloud cover. A touch of earth on the finish adds interest, but not enough. Au revoir, my lady. (86 pts.)

• 1961 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Well I guess it’s true - Léoville Las Cases eventually becomes mature if you wait long enough. Finally, aged complexity emerges to envelope the intense core of beautiful black currant fruit that is the essence of St. Julien. While many ‘61s are (or were) excellent examples of their properties, I think that the vintage was even more generous to Léoville Las Cases. The tannins are fully resolved and it’s supple although unfortunately it turns a bit dry at the very end. Still, a great success without a doubt. (93 pts.)
• 1961 Château Lynch-Bages - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  The ‘61 version is recognizable Lynch Bages for its slightly coarse texture and bold take no prisoners character. Really concentrated and energetic, it seems like it could go on for another decade or two. Black fruity and unabashedly Pauillac. Even better, it evolved in the glass and became more complex. (93 pts.)

• 1961 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Damn, this is good and demonstrates that a pristine bottle last year was no outlier. Tremendously robust and intense, dusty and charred, like an espresso rather than a café creme, it screams Pauillac. While obviously in its secondary stage it by no means lacks cassis fruit. A Jim How kind of wine. (94 pts.)
• 1961 Château Latour Grand Vin - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Oh my, it’s Latour and it’s 1961, a sublime combination. This bottle, sourced recently from the local wine merchant, is indisputably genuine at a time when so many of them are fakes. Great deep maroon color to the rim. Phenomenal aroma of black licorice, cassis and chestnut. Amazingly deep. Fine tannins. Both elegant and powerful. Not even a remote hint of fatigue, it seems 20 or 30 years old but too mysterious for an mere adolescent. A notch above the other ‘61s on this night. “Aristocratic” is a much abused term for Latour, but if you get a chance to taste this one, you understand why. A masterpiece. (98 pts.)

• 1961 Château Montrose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
  Horrendously corked. Most of my ‘59 Monrose have been corked, too. NR (flawed)
• 1961 Château Mouton Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Corked. I felt like I was passing a kidney stone as I poured it down the sink. NR (flawed)

• 1971 Château d'Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
  The ‘71 Château d’Yquem may be even more gorgeous out of halves than seven-fifties, at least if this bottle is any indication. Fabulous balance, not too sweet, not too acidic, not too bold. This is not one of those top heavy crème brûlée versions. The botrytis is beautifully integrated. Not at all cloying, it’s positively regal and persuasive. There’s more tangerine peel and burnt lemon than oak and cream. More proof that Yquem is more interesting at age 48 than ten or twenty. (96 pts.)

The wines that were not corked showed mostly well and gave a hint why this vintage is revered. While obviously no reason to wait any longer, the best can go on for years.

Stu

[Ryan DB]

Allison and I also had a wonderful night. Enjoying great wines (61 Bordeaux, no less!) with great friends is always special for us. We really enjoyed meeting Danny and Danielle; maybe we'll see you in Ottawa one day! And Stu and Kathy's generosity is second to none.

As usual, I'm late putting together my notes (Stu knows this well), but I'll try to post them in a day or two. Regardless, I think we were in general agreement on most of the wines.

[robert goulet]

Well done boys....invite Bobby and I next time!! lol

[DavidG]

Fun read, glad to see you getting together again. Beautiful descriptions. Wish Jim was not laid up.

[stefan]

Congratulations on an epic event! Stuart's generosity is of course legendary.

At our dinner at Chateau Margaux in 2005, one magnum of 1961 Margaux was much better than the other, but the lesser bottle was not over the hill and probably would have held steady for many years. Provenance and format can make a big difference, of course, as can 15 years.

[Comte Flaneur]

Congratulations on an epic evening. What extraordinary generosity.

[Jay Winton]

Great notes and I look forward to our get together later this month. You were kind enough to open a birthyear Latour (1959) at a dinner we had a couple? of years ago. How would you compare it to the 61?

[Nicklasss]

Incredible. What a dinner! Having almost no experience with the 1961 vintage, I enjoy the read. I think JeanFred had the 1961 Chateau Latour once, and it is his favorite red wine ever.

I only had the 1961 Chateau Canon La Gaffelière, poured by MichaelP late at night, in a hotel room, after a convention dinner. It was still excellent.

To avoid being intimidated by Kathy and Stuart generosity next time I'm in South Florida, I need to bring the kids and Marie-Claude and limit ourself to drink orange juice!

Nic

[dstgolf]

Jay,

We've enjoyed both the 59 & 61 Latour 3 times now and I'd say the 59 has the 61 by a nose. Still showing more power than elegance of the 61. 61 still an amazing wine and a coin toss which was the star of the night for me. The Latour early on seemed awkward then became amazingly silky smooth and went on and on. The Baron was stunning out of the blocks but died by the end of the eve where the Latour was still improving. I think the Latour will outlast the Baron down the road but if two are drinking one of these over the course of a dinner the baron showed so much better in the early going I'm hard pressed how to judge this one.

Nic,

Always a lesson in humility dining and sharing a bottle or two with Stu and Kathy! Impossible to match their generosity but I'd exchange their company with the wine any day typical of most relations we've developed thru BWE. Certainly there's more to BWE than wine and we've appreciated that in spades!!!

[sdr]

Thanks to all for your comments and compliments.

Jay, I’ll disagree with our esteemed colleague Danny and suggest that the ‘61 Latour is usually, but not always, superior to the ‘59. Specifically, I found the ‘59 we shared March 2017, while very good, was less focused and lively than this sixty-one. Of course bottles of this age vary tremendously.

Nic, when you come to Florida, I will put on a dégustation of Florida orange juice, the world’s finest. If we have room, I could even pour you some nice St. Julien.

Stu

[AKR]

Fabulous lineup. I think my parents came to the USA in 1961.

My dad used to tell us he remembered exactly where he was when the President was shot.

[dstgolf]

Stu,

I'll defer to your expertise but a couple of comments regarding 59 vs 61 Latour. From memory the 61 we had last weekend was a little awkward out of the gate with some funk that blew off over a 1/2 hr or so. It was no star from the get go but once it opened up it was singing. Lighter in style than I'm familiar with for a Latour but smooth round lighter fruit notes with resolved smooth tannins. Did not seem like the big dark Latour with black fruit and layers of depth that I remember from the 59s. Certainly 61 was more feminine and the 59 the masculine of the two. Both were great but I was thinking the 61 Latour was more Margaux-like than the less than stellar Margaux itself and the 59 was more classic Latour. Both superb wines but a different style between the vintages...masculine or feminine version...pick your poison!!

Finally on our way back home to the ice and snow waiting in the FLL airport. It has been a great 3 weeks and has us both thinking retirement may not be so bad in the near future.