Wine Vault: Fresh Notes on Some Elder Statesmen
I recently had the opportunity to plow through a number of older bottles as part of a cellar that I was looking to purchase. These were the leftovers of what must have been one incredible collection, as what I looked at was merely the fifteen or so cases that had been dubbed unacceptable for purchase by another buyer. The seller told me of two cases of 1955 Petrus and multiple magnums of '59 and '62 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti wines that the first bidder was able to snare, amongst what must have been a star-studded lineup. Ah well, as the notes below will attest, it is indeed better late than never! The seller was convinced that these bottles had been mis-stored, as they uniformly shared an oily, sticky grunge on the bottles. I was not so certain that this was the case. Like any critical mass of old bottles, there were a number of examples where the corks had let go and the wines had ullaged dramatically. However, the bottles with good fill levels possessed excellent colors, nice flat corks, and seemed to have a strong chance of being sound. The sticky residue on the bottles turned out not to be wine (as feared by the seller), which easily washed off the bottles. My host opened up a very generous number of bottles for me in the hopes of my being able to ascertain the quality of what remained.
The notes that follow do not all originate from this particular cellar. The news of this cellar seemed to get a number of friends in the mood for old bottles, so a number of mature bottles were popped as part of the usual blinding back and forth of the last couple of weeks. I have tried to be as clear as possible about the condition of the bottle, if it indeed looked suspect. Certainly the notes on the poor bottles are of less use, but I felt that sharing them might assist someone else who may run across a perfect bottle of a corresponding wine. As many of these notes will attest to, low fill levels on older bottles are not in and of themselves critical in ascertaining the quality of a wine. If the fill is low, but the color is sound, the cork looks good, and there are no signs of obvious leakage on the bottle or label, the wine may still be quite good. The finest wine I have yet had the pleasure to taste was a 1945 Comte De Vogue Musigny Vieilles Vignes that was ullaged a good three inches. And yet, the wine was sheer perfection. All in all, it has been a pretty tasty month of May.
The Wine List:
1949 Chambertin- Faiveley
1959 Musigny- Jacques Prieur
1959 Pommard Grands Epenots- Louis Latour
1961 Chambertin Clos de Beze- Pierre Damoy
1961 La Tache- DRC
1962 Nuits St. Georges Les Porrets- Henri Gouges
1962 Musigny- Jacques Prieu
1962 Corton Grancey- Louis Latour
1964 Clos de la Roche- Leroy
1964 La Tache- DRC
1969 Richebourg- Francois Gros
1934 Chateau Latour
1952 Chateau Cheval Blanc
1953 Chateau Haut Brion
1955 Chateau Margaux
1970 Chateau Haut Bailly
1971 Chateau Canon
1971 Chateau Trotanoy
1971 Chateau Latour
1979 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion
1976 Cote-Rotie- Robert Jasmin
1949 Chambertin- Faiveley
An extremely low fill , but this wine showed remarkably well. I am sure that this was just an example of a nearly fifty year-old cork that let loose. The level was a good four inches below the cork, and the wine showed a touch of maderization on the nose. However, it also displayed a deep, black fruity nose of cassis, plum, smoked meats, herb tones, bitter chocolate, truffles, sous bois, wood smoke, and cedary, spicy wood. On the palate the wine was full, sweet, and quite powerful, with plenty of meatiness and black fruit, solid acidity, soft tannins, and a long, complex finish. A very impressive wine. Good bottles of this have a decade of life to them still. 1997-2007. 88-93?
1959 Musigny- Jacques Prieur
Now that Jacques Prieur has awoken, it is time to really lament what could have been for all those years. This wine is still fairly rich and full, and with inspired winemaking, could have been absolutely magical. Alas, it is merely god and well-preserved. The nose offers up scents of plum, coffee, vinesmoke, herb tones, earth, truffles, and cedary wood. On the palate the wine is quite full, but not well-delineated (from over chapitalization?), with soft tannins, and a long, modestly complex finish. This wine could have been profound if Prieur was making wines then like it does today, but it is merely a very fresh, full and powerful wine of moderate flavor interest. 1997-2007. 86.
1959 Pommard Grands Epenots- Louis Latour
Curiously, this wine was quite reticent on the nose. The color was still quite vigorous, but the nose was shy, offering up only scents of raspberry, coffee, meaty tones, herbs, and earth. Was this a function of the cellar being moved recently? However, after the tight nose, the sweet, fullish palate comes as quite a surprise: long, quite well-balanced, with a solid core of fruit, soft tannins, fine ripeness and length, and quite a complex finish. This wine had been moved a couple of times in the last month, so perhaps the nose will come back once the wine has settled in from travel. At the very least, this is quite a good bottle. 1997-2005. 88-91?
1961 Chambertin Clos de Beze- Pierre Damoy
Pierre Damoy is not my favorite producer (with much needed changes not put into place until 1993), but this wine showed surprisingly well. The nose is a bit pumped up from over-chapitalization, but is still deep, dark and sweet: scents of blackberry, chocolate, grilled meats, black truffles, smoke, herbs, and earth waft from the glass. On the palate the wine is still big and deep, with moderate complexity, but impressive vigor for the vintage. The finish is long and silky. Not a wine of profound complexity, but a surprisingly full and opulent mouthful. Good stuff. 1997-2005. 87.
1961 La Tache- DRC
While 1962 red Burgundies receive less attention than they deserve, the 1961s are considered better (perhaps because of Bordeaux's success?) than they truly are. This is a wine that I have seen fetch hefty prices at auction, but it is merely an excellent effort from a solid vintage. The nose is classic mature DRC, but high-toned and moderate in intensity: scents of raspberry, strawberry, coffee, herb tones, duck, sous bois, caramel, minerals, and cedary wood waft from the glass. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, round and supple, with fine delineation, a modest core of fruit, lovely terroir, and a long, stylish finish. This wine will continue on for quite a while on its healthy acidity, but it is not by any means a wine of legendary proportions. 1997-2007. 88.
1962 Nuits St. Georges Les Porrets- Henri Gouges
This was the era of Gouges at his best, and this wine showed reasonably well. Again. like the '59 Latour Grands Epenots (see above), this wine may well show better once it settles in from its having been moved. The nose offered up mature Nuits notes of red cherry, coffee, tea leaves, sous bois, woodsmoke, herbs, earth, and a hint of vanillin oak. Medium-bodied, round and supple on the palate, with fine delineation, moderate depth, and a long, modestly complex finish. Clearly, this has been drinking for decades, but it is still alive and kicking! 1997-2005. 88.
1962 Corton Grancey- Louis Latour
Ullaged two inches. A lovely middleweight at the end of its apogee: sweet notes of strawberry, cherry, coffee, herb tones, sous bois, coriander, mushroom, and cedary wood. Medium-bodied, round and silky on the palate, with a fine core of fruit still, bouncy acidity, and a delicate, longish finish. This wine was no doubt better five years ago, but it is going down with aplomb and honor. This is still a very tasty bottle, but drink soon. 1997-1998. 87.
1962 Musigny- Jacques Prieur
A step up from the 1959! 1962 is a very under-appreciated, great vintage for red Burgundy, but often gets lost in the glare of 1964, 1966 and 1969. In my experience, the '62s that I have had over the last couple of years are deeper and more vigorous than comparable appellations from 1969. This is certainly a vintage to keep an eye out for at auction (just don't outbid me). Here the great terroir of Musigny makes more than a cameo appearance. The nose actually needed a bit of time to open, and after twenty minutes offered up scents of roasted plums, cherry, chocolate, tobacco, ginger, smoke, truffles, mustard seed, and spicy wood. Full-bodied and quite powerful still on the palate, with lovely complexity, melting tannins, bright acids, and a long, complex finish. This is really a tasty bottle of wine. 1997-2005. 89.
1964 Clos de la Roche- Leroy
I have had some very disappointing bottles of older Leroy wines of late (see feature), but this bottle offered up everything that could be hoped for in terms of appellation, vintage, and Leroy handiwork. It was not my bottle, but my understanding was that this wine has been nestled in a cool cellar in California for well over a decade, and is not one of the recent releases from the domaine that have been so hit or miss. The nose is absolutely magical, with kaleidoscopic nuances of cherry, plum, coffee, venison, sous bois, vinesmoke, mustard seed, minerals, and cedary wood. This is great, great Burgundy at its magical, seamless summit. On the palate the wine is deep, full and perfectly balanced, with a juicy core of fruit, a haunting delicacy not often associated with a Leroy wine (or Clos de la Roche, for that matter!), soft melting tannins, bright acidity, and a long, amazingly complex, perfect finish. This wine could not have been caught at a better time. 1997-2005. 97.
1964 La Tache- DRC
While the Leroy Clos de la Roche was at its absolute apogee, the '64 DRC La Tache was still on its way up! From the older vintages of DRC that I have had, I have always been under the impression that the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti was infinitely more successful in 1962 and 1966 than in 1964 and 1969. In '62 and '66, all of the opulence and profundity that one expects from a great vintage of DRC is on display up and down the range, but the '64s and '69s are much more of a mixed bag. All of the '69s I have had have been solid, but not up to my expectations of DRC and the vintage. The only other DRC '64 I had other than La Tache was the '64 Richebourg, and while it was certainly a fine wine, (though a bit high-toned for DRC Richebourg) I had expected even more. This wine, on the other hand, exploded from the glass with scents of sweet black raspberry fruit, roasted plums, violets, duck, exotic spices, coffee, loads of minerals, forest floor and toasty oak. Huge and explosive on the palate, with a huge core of vibrant fruit, still plenty of tannin, and a long, complex, massive and chewy finish. While this wine is not as harmonious as Leroy's Clos de la Roche, it is a bigger, younger, wine that may one day eclipse the Leroy, though I am not sure that it will ever possess the same polish and finesse as the Leroy. However, while I usually prefer wines of finesse, I had a hard time not being totally seduced by the opulence and sweetness of the '64 La Tache. Let's just say that this was a pairing I would repeat again anytime, anywhere. Clearly, this is a profound bottle of wine. 1997-2015. 96+.
1969 Richebourg- Francois Gros
One of my favorite 1969s is the Richebourg from Jean Gros, which I have had the pleasure to taste on three or four occasions. It is a quintessential '69: medium-full, round and elegant, with an extremely complex bouquet, a sweet core of raspberry fruit, and a long, complex finish. I had hoped that brother Francois would have worked similar miracles, but this bottle, while still very full and vigorous, was not a winemaking tour de force. The fill level was excellent, but the cork was a bit loose. The nose offered up scents of plum, bonfires, meaty tones, earth, and marjoram. Medium-full, deep and sweet on the palate, but totally four-square and rough-shod on the finish. The very little tannin left was well-integrated, but where is the sense of grace, complexity, and style of a great Grand Cru? Richebourg at its best is a big BMW on the autoroute, at worst a '70s muscle car. This was a very well-preserved Studebaker. 1997-2005. 86.
1934 Chateau Latour
This was an extremely low fill (below the shoulder), and the wine showed as if it still had some life ahead of it. Unfortunately, my host had less patience than I, and after one quick glass, this wine was dumped down the sink! My gut feeling is that it would have opened up nicely with a bit more air, but we will never know! The nose was a bit edgy with acidity, but offered up aromas of raspberry, mincemeat, mint, tobacco, grilled nuts, minerals, and plenty of cedar. On the palate the acidity was again a bit aggressive, but the wine remained medium-full, reasonably deep, and with some length on the finish. With air, this could have really blossomed... good bottles are certainly still fine to drink, though this is a more red fruity, high-toned Latour than in most top vintages. Good bottles: 1997-2010. 84-89?
1952 Chateau Cheval Blanc
1952 is not a strong vintage in the Medoc, but it has produced a number of superb right bank wines. However, I am not sure if this bottle of '52 Cheval was representative. I did not get to see the fill level on this particular bottle, but I assume it was one of the better bottles. The nose is quite deep and tobaccoey, with intense black fruit, truffles, smoke, bitter chocolate, herbs, tar, and earth. I was served this wine blind and I guessed Gruaud Larose because of its earth and black fruit components. On the palate the wine was a touch four-square, still a bit clenched, but full, deep, chewy and quite powerful. On the finish the wine still possessed plenty of tannin, reasonable acidity, and plenty of fruit. Not the most elegant example, but a wine with character and years of life ahead of it. 1997-2010. 88.
1953 Chateau Haut Brion
Alas, the cork on this bottle was loose in the neck, and while inspecting it, I dislodged it ever so slightly. The fill level was mid-shoulder, and once the cork slipped, I knew it had to be consumed over the near, near term. After standing five days, we had at it. This is a quintessential '53: elegant, polished and hauntingly perfumed. For many of us weaned on the big, virile vintages of the 1980s, the inherent delicacy of a wine such as '53 Haut Brion requires a bit of concentration. Ah, but the wonders that unfold: a fabulously perfumed nose of sweet cassis, earthy, truffley, smoky, black old Haut Brion notes, hints of paraffin, smoked meats, cloves, and a fine base of toasty oak. Aromatically, the '53 is really a polished, elegant, slightly downsized rendition of the 1959. Medium-full, elegant, and very intensely-flavored on the palate, with perfect balance and focus, great complexity, and a long, opulent, seamless finish. A complete package, this wine lacks absolutely nothing. This is claret for Burgundy lovers who prize intensity, complexity and perfume without undue weight. I prefer this to the more heralded 1961 Haut Brion! One of the loveliest bottles of Bordeaux that I have run across my palate. 1997-2010. 96.
1955 Chateau Margaux
A very pretty, seductive, middleweight that has been drinking well for decades but is still holding up remarkably. The fill on this bottle was mid-shoulder. The nose is quintessentially perfumed Margaux: scents of red berries, violets, coffee, minerals, and cedary wood unfold from the glass. Medium-bodied, round and elegant on the palate, with a sweet core of fruit, fine balance, and soft, lingering flavors on the finish. The wine displays impressive intensity and length for a wine of such delicacy and obvious evolution. Still lovely after all these years, and with a bit of life still in hand. 1997-2005. 88.
1970 Chateau Haut Bailly
I have had this wine on numerous occasions, and every time I have it, I fail to even consider the wine in my list of erroneous guesses. For whatever reason, I never seem to remember the wine to be as good as it shows in the glass. Once again, this wine blew me away: the nose is gorgeous, with an almost Pomerol-like nose of roasted plums, chocolate, tobacco, truffley tones, minerals, and a deft touch of toasty oak. Full-bodied (why do I always remember it as medium-bodied?) on the palate, with layers of fruit, great balance and focus, and a long, complex, suave finish. This is a beautiful wine for drinking over the next decade and a half. Wait 'til next time... 1997-2012. 91.
1971 Chateau Canon
According to Robert Parker, this wine is a fading failure (65 points), but Michael Broadbent liked the wine very well (four stars) and felt it would still be drinking at its peak. Ring one up for Broadbent! The nose was actually a bit tight out of the blocks, but with fifteen minutes air evolved into a stunning nose of black cherry, mint, plum, tobacco, truffle, herb tones, roasted nuts, smoke and a hint of oak. While this wine is only one-third cabernet franc, it is quite marked by the grape. Full-bodied and quite packed with fruit on the palate, with modest tannins, fine acidity, and a long, complex, surprisingly powerful finish. A fine, fine showing for this wine, which has years and years of life ahead of it. 1997-2015. 90.
1971 Chateau Trotanoy
One of the great Trotanoys, the '71 has been drinking magically for years, but continues to cruise along without any indications of sliding. This bottle had a low shoulder fill. The nose is quintessential Trotanoy: with scents of plums, black cherry, violets, chocolate, black truffles, hints of game, minerals, herb tones and toasty oak. Full-bodied and very silky now on the palate, with fabulous delineation, seamless balance, and just a whisper of tannin on the finish. Every time I taste one of the Trotanoys from their glory years, I long for this chateau to return to form. Clearly, Trotanoy's terroir is sacred ground. A stunner. 1997-2010. 94.
1971 Chateau Latour
During the 1960s and 1970s, Latour and La Mission Haut Brion had an unequaled track record for producing great wines in "off" vintages. 1971 Latour is a perfect example of how hot this chateau was at this time. The nose is deep, complex and beautifully resolved, with scents of sweet cassis, tobacco, black truffles, earth, smoke, herbs, roses and cedary wood. On the palate the wine is lush and opulent, with great depth, beautiful balance, melting tannins, and a long, complex finish. This is a beautiful Latour that has been in its plateau of maturity for a decade and a half, but will continue to drink well for the next two decades. Great stuff. 1997-2017. 93.
1979 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion
Here is an example of La Miss at the peak of its game. This is a big, full-bodied, powerful wine that is drinking beautifully, but with plenty of years still ahead of it. Like the 1978, it is a very, very short list of wines in 1979 that are in the same league as La Miss. The nose is wonderful, with notes of sweet black berries, cassis, black truffles, roasted tobacco, earth, smoke and cedar. Full-bodied and generously into its apogee on the palate, with moderate tannins, excellent balance, and a long, complex finish. Super stuff. 1997-2015. 92.
1976 Cote-Rotie- Robert Jasmin
Jasmin was once one of the bright stars in Cote-Rotie, but his reputation has slipped considerably over the last decade. The last Jasmin wines I tasted were a very light, disappointing 1985 and a deep, ripe, very complex and satisfying 1983. Jasmin was often rumored to have different cuvees for different markets, and to be predisposed to send his lightest, least distinguished wines to the US. The 1976 is clearly cut from a different cloth from the 1985: an intense, peppery nose of crushed raspberries, grilled meats, mint, coffee, nut tones, minerals, and tons and tons of ground pepper. Full-bodied and beautifully resolved on the palate, with bright acidity, melting tannins, and a long, complex finish. This is a wonderful bottle of serious Cote-Rotie for drinking over the next ten years. 1997-2010. 93.
