Having a friend well-connected in wine circles whose birth year is 1966, certainly offers up some stunning opportunities. Such was the case when a group of serious wine enthusiasts got together to celebrate his 30th birthday with an investigation of the vinuous highlights of the year of his arrival. Of course, there were a few curveballs tossed in to keep everyone honest. Many thanks to Gary Levinson for his acumen and generosity. But, what about a few Burgundies next time?

The Wine List:
1966 Dom Perignon
1966 Salon de Mesnil
1966 Chateau Leoville las Cases
1966 Chateau Margaux
1966 Chateau Palmer
1966 Chateau Ausone
1966 Chateau Haut Brion
1966 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild
1966 Chateau Latour

1966 Dom Perignon

Two bottles, both exquisite: the first a bit more advanced, with scents of ripe chardonnay fruit, apples, honey, minerals, hazelnuts, yeast and spring flowers. Full-bodied, round, opulent, and with excellent acidity still framing it beautifully. The second bottle even more youthful, with a lemony tone, apple, fresh-baked biscuits, a dollop of honey, and loads of minerals. Long, complex and aristocratic on the palate, with plenty of life ahead of it. The first seemed more in the style of a mature 1982, the second a 1985. Both were wonderful wines. A convincing argument for cellaring Champagne!1996-2006. 95.

1966 Salon de Mesnil

A pretty, graceful wine in decline. Very few bubbles in the glass, but still enough on the palate to give the wine brightness and a bit of cut. The nose is lovely old Salon: overripe apples, honey, almonds, a hint of white chocolate, minerals, and a floral topnote. Round and creamy on the palate, but without the zest of a sparkler with both feet still outside the grave. Certainly a ravishing beauty in its day, but that day is a while ago now. A sentimental favorite, but not still in the league of the 1966 DP. Drink up. 85.

1966 Chateau Leoville las Cases

I have had the good fortune to taste this wine on a dozen or more occasions, and have always loved it. It is one of the really great sleepers out there. However, this bottle did not show at its best: a slightly closed nose of black cherry, tobacco, meaty tones, minerals and cedar. Better examples show a purity and cherry perfume that is stunning; that was missing here. Medium-full and a bit woody on the palate, with a decent core of fruit, but without the sweetness that this wine usually displays. A bit attenuated on the finish. Unrepresentative. 1996-2010. 86+. (92)

1966 Chateau Margaux

This is a wine that I am sure is much more interesting in magnum at this date. Michael Broadbent's comments that this wine still needs more time and extended decanting make no sense to me. This wine is serious decline. A pretty, perfumed Margaux nose of berry fruit, violets. tobacco, black truffles, and vanillin oak is the strong point of the wine. Medium-bodied and quite soft on the palate, without the acidity to give it focus or structure, this wine wanders around on the palate, and then falls off on the finish. Pretty enough stuff for uncomplicated quaffing, but look for the larger formats. Drink up. 87.

1966 Chateau Palmer

Another of the '66's that I have had numerous opportunities to run across my palate. Always brilliant, never the same! A great, tight nose of cassis, plum, tomato, herbs, tobacco, floral tones, game, and cedary wood. At times, I would have sworn this was Pomerol! Deep, full, powerful, and still a bit reticent on the palate, with a touch of tannin, great structure, and a long, complex, potentially opulent finish. This wine had a great, great fill, and is clearly one of the least evolved 66 Palmers I have yet tasted. Tremendous potential. 2000-2025. 94+.

1966 Chateau Ausone

A chameleon of a wine: one minute Medoc-like, the next unequivocally Right Bank. Scents of ripe cherries, cassis, meaty tones, herbs, spices, tobacco, coffee, earth and cedary wood jump from the glass. Very Mouton-like. Deep, full and meaty on the palate, with a bit of roasted nut and forest floor on the finish. A pointe and showing extremely well, with great persistence on the softly-tannic finish. Wide open and wearing its heart on its sleeve, but showing no signs of imminent decline. Super stuff. 1996-2010. 91+.

1966 Chateau Haut Brion

This wine seemed a bit corky at first, and I do not think that this component ever completely left the wine. However, taking that into account, I have included a note on the wine that was tasted two weeks before this particular event. From the Biederman collection. A stunning nose of berry, red cherry, roasted nuts, tobacco, black truffles, chocolate, hot bricks, and herb tones. Great purity and freshness of tone. Medium-full, intense and concentrated on the palate, with a Burgundy/Chablis-like intensity of flavor. Soft, melting tannins and bouncy acidity give this wine a lovely juicy quality. Great length and breed on the finish. One of my favorite 1966s, when in such pristine condition. Super stuff in its apogee of maturity, but holding it long-term is fraught with danger. 1996-2004. 92+.

1966 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild

Like the Haut Brion above, this is another Biederman preservation project. The 1966 Mouton to come out of his cellar has been excellent. The nose jumps from the glass with scents of roasted meats, cassis, red currant, Mouton spice, tobacco, herbs, minerals, coffee, and cedary, spicy wood. Deep, full and drinking very well on the palate, with a solid core of fruit, fine tannins, and a long, somewhat chunky finish. With rare exceptions, (like 1959), Mouton is a wine that just does not possess the length, polish, and breed of the other First Growths. A fine drink, but I would take the Haut Brion any day. 1996-2010. 92.

1966 Chateau Latourt

This is a Latour that I have been waiting years to see come out of its shell. Finally, the opening of the door is just beginning to be seen. This wine was so much bigger, deeper, and more powerful than any other wine of the night, that it had to be Latour. The nose was wonderful, and quite opulent for an awakening Latour: sweet cassis, tar, tobacco, walnuts, herbs, loads of minerals, and cedary wood. A few tasters commented that this cannot be Latour, because it was too sweet and open! Full, palate-staining, and extremely long on the palate, with serious tannin still to shed. great structure, and a huge, powerful finish. When this wine comes around (in another ten years!) it will be something very, very special. Only Lafleur can compete with Latour in 1966! 2006-2050. 96.