MOSTLY OLDER BORDEAUX - (11/5/2016)
A member of one of the tasting groups I belong to hosted a tasting in honor of his wife's birthday with an announced theme of Bordeaux. He outdid himself with his generosity, opening braces of 1961s and 1964s that he acquired on release and possibly a few of the other wines as well, and the rest of the group's contributions weren't too shabby either. It was a tremendous afternoon of friendship, fellowship, and great wine.
- 1961 Château Lynch-Bages - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Drinking very well, with leather accenting ripe curranty fruit, it isn't showing its age and blind I'd be inclined to guess it was the 1982 (until I had a 1982 later in the tasting). (94 pts.) - 1961 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Stunning intensity and complexity, loaded with fruit with some earthiness and leather buttressed by nice acidity. Showing magnificently well but with a lot of gas left in the tank. (97 pts.) - 1964 Château Cheval Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Corked. NR (flawed) - 1964 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Elegant, with ample red and black fruit that plays second fiddle to the intense tobacco, minerality, and lawn fertilizer complexity that make Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion my favorite Bordeaux. (95 pts.) - 1966 Château Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
A little floral, fresh crushed vine, spice, beautifully elegant and holding up well, but it was better 10 years ago. (92 pts.) - 1979 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Very pure currant fruit, elegant, fading a bit, but still quite pleasant. (89 pts.) - 1979 Château Lynch-Bages - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
More black fruit, more youthful, and more intense than the Pichon Lalande, which I've generally found to be one of the wines of the vintage. I was quite impressed with how well this was showing. (91 pts.) - 1982 Château Lynch-Bages - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Still a baby, showing lots of black fruit and lots of structure. A little more blocky, youthful, and monolithic than some other bottles I've had, it could still use some time in the cellar. (94 pts.) - 1985 Château Lynch-Bages - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
A very unusual showing, this bottle was off and showing a lot of greenness instead of the pure red fruit I normally find in the 1985. As disappointing as the 1979 was surprising. (81 pts.) - 1990 Château L'Evangile - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Incredible, spice, rich plummy fruit but carried with great class, with ample but supple tannin lurking below. The best 1990 Right Banks are so exotic and beautiful but still subtle and balanced, the proverbial steel fist in a velvet glove wrapped in a silk handkerchief, and this is one of the best (95 pts.) - 2002 Vieux Château Certan - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
From magnum, coffee, violets, and perfumed black fruit, it is drinking very well now. (92 pts.) - 2000 Château Léoville Poyferré - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Slightly corked. NR (flawed) - 1999 Château Moulin Saint-Georges - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
In a good place, but a little stemmy and simple, just outgunned today. (89 pts.)