20 Mature Magnums (mostly Bdx, w/ Unico, Vogue Musigny, Marthas)

Annual Richter Magnum Feast

• 1964 Château Ausone - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  From magnum. Three 1964 Bordeauxs side-by-side. All three wines couldn’t hide the fact that 1964 isn’t the strongest vintage. The common denominator here was a medium complexity but especially a bit of missing weight mid palate. Nevertheless, being all in their prime, these wines were drinking quite beautifully today. The Ausone (94pts) and Mouton (93pts) were fresh and with even some exciting traits (Mouton’s coconut nose). The Margaux (93pts) initially showed almost completely over-the-hill. Dismissed by many, I kept my glass and my intuition was not wrong: after 30-40 minutes in the glass we had a new wine, no faulty notes anymore and at least on par with the others.
  
  TN: Expressive nose with a strong dark fruit core, herbs and some bbq notes. Very intriguing. On the palate there is a beautiful freshness with fine melted tannins, good tension and an airy texture. It misses a bit of aromatic weight but shows nice dark red and darker fruit, some sweeter coffee notes and a tiny bit of minerality. Beautiful to drink and with a good freshness as the highlight at first and with time an increasing sweetness. It has not the weight and aromatic density to truly excite but is fun to drink today. (94 pts.)
• 1964 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
  From magnum. Three 1964 Bordeauxs side-by-side. All three wines couldn’t hide the fact that 1964 isn’t the strongest vintage. The common denominator here was a medium complexity but especially a bit of missing weight mid palate. Nevertheless, being all in their prime, these wines were drinking quite beautifully today. The Ausone (94pts) and Mouton (93pts) were fresh and with even some exciting traits (Mouton’s coconut nose). The Margaux (93pts) initially showed almost completely over-the-hill. Dismissed by many, I kept my glass and my intuition was not wrong: after 30-40 minutes in the glass we had a new wine, no faulty notes anymore and at least on par with the others.
  
  TN: At first soy sauce, oxidation notes, lactic notes and lots of acidity towards the finish. Dead? No. With additional 30+ minutes in the glass all the oxidation notes blew off and underneath was a beautiful wine with a dark fruit core, good sweetness, malty and caramel notes to die for. Quite round and harmonious without and faults in its structure. In the best moments, this was singing on a 92/93pts level. Probably still not an ideal bottle. (93 pts.)
• 1964 Château Mouton Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  From magnum. Three 1964 Bordeauxs side-by-side. All three wines couldn’t hide the fact that 1964 isn’t the strongest vintage. The common denominator here was a medium complexity but especially a bit of missing weight mid palate. Nevertheless, being all in their prime, these wines were drinking quite beautifully. The Ausone (94pts) and Mouton (93pts) were fresh and with even some exciting traits (Mouton’s coconut nose). The Margaux (93pts) initially showed almost completely over-the-hill. Dismissed by many, I kept my glass and my intuition was not wrong: after 30-40 minutes in the glass we had a new wine, no faulty notes anymore and at least on par with the others.
  
  TN: Intense, expressive nose dark fruits, some coconut notes, herbs, some smokey notes and some minerality. On the palate fresh as a daisy, intense but very fine dark berries, a beautiful sweeteness, herbs, minerality, some Mouton coffee. Quite complete and harmonious. With time the nose gets a bit more muted. The wine is light and misses bit aromatic density mid palate like the others too but overall is quite fun to drink. The nose was the clear highlight here. (93 pts.)
• 1961 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  From magnum. Three 1961 Bordeauxs side-by-side. The Lynch Bages (97pts) and the Pontet Canet (95pts) showed both exceptionally well. Highly complex, with all the telltale Pauillac tertiary aromas and a still intact sweet fruit core, high precision and purity and with superb freshness. Some points deducted as both wines had still slightly grippy tannins. The Calon Segur (90pts) showed highly complex and with an intriguing caramel core but was a bit wild and muddy with some strange notes too.
  
  TN: Wonderful medium expressive classic Pauillac nose with a strong dark fruit core, minerality, tobacco. Great. On the palate the same impression. Classic Pauillac, with the same aromas and a beautiful sweetness to match the minerality and tertiary tobacco and truffle complex. A wall of tannins still with some grip, good freshness, light and airy but with good weight. Good length. Very good. (95 pts.)
• 1961 Château Calon-Ségur - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
  From magnum. Three 1961 Bordeauxs side-by-side. The Lynch Bages (97pts) and the Pontet Canet (95pts) showed both exceptionally well. Highly complex, with all the telltale Pauillac tertiary aromas and a still intact sweet fruit core, high precision and purity and with superb freshness. Some points deducted as both wines had still slightly grippy tannins. The Calon Segur (90pts) showed highly complex and with an intriguing caramel core but was a bit wild and muddy with some strange notes too.
  
  TN: At first full of caramel, with time then lots of dirt and some barnyard aromas come out. A bit muddy, even one or the other a bit faulty aroma pops up. On the palate this holds up a tad better, with some sweetness and lots of minerality. Very fresh. Still drinkable but without any exceptionalism. It doesn’t match the puirty, complexity or weight of the Lynch and Pontet mags in the same flight. (90 pts.)
• 1961 Château Lynch-Bages - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  From magnum. Three 1961 Bordeauxs side-by-side. The Lynch Bages (97pts) and the Pontet Canet (95pts) showed both exceptionally well. Highly complex, with all the telltale Pauillac tertiary aromas and a still intact sweet fruit core, high precision and purity and with superb freshness. Some points deducted as both wines had still slightly grippy tannins. The Calon Segur (90pts) showed highly complex and with an intriguing caramel core but was a bit wild and muddy with some strange notes too.
  
  TN: Dark brooding, dense nose, so fresh with lots of minty notes. Some tobacco which gets a bit more prominent with time. On the palate this is amazing, so much freshness, velvety texture and feel, good weight and a long sweet finish. Perfectly balanced but still a bit masculine and grippy in its structural appearance. The aroma complex is very intriguing with precise notes of dark fruits, a superb sweet fruit core in general, caramel notes, herbs lots of minerality, tobacco, some hints of truffles and with time even some malty notes to die for. Easily 97pts today. (97 pts.)
• 1960 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
  From magnum. Two Unicos side-by-side. Clear win and my best Unico yet was the 1965 (97pts) which showed me for the first time why people rave about this wine. Like all old Unicos I tasted before, there was just not enough fruit and sweetness but this time, this was compensated by a sweet malty and caramel/toffee core. It tasted like a great old Bordeaux. The 1962 (92pts) showed much less complex, with not enough sweetness and hence a slightly off balance.
  
  TN: Dark brooding nose, seems much younger, driven by minerality and a cool dark fruit core. Not sweet. On the palate very fresh and with loads of acidity. Again a cool dark fruit core, herbs, minerality. Not overly complex but quite elegant, even if the acidity is a bit too pronounced and there is not enough sweetness to create a good balance. Good but without exceptionalism. (92 pts.)
• 1965 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
  From magnum. Two Unicos side-by-side. Clear win and my best Unico yet was the 1965 (97pts) which showed me for the first time why people rave about this wine. Like all old Unicos I tasted before, there was just not enough fruit and sweetness but this time, this was compensated by a sweet malty and caramel/toffee core. It tasted like a great old Bordeaux. The 1962 (92pts) showed much less complex, with not enough sweetness and hence a slightly off balance.
  
  TN: A mature nose with dark berries and some malty notes, super fresh with some minerality accents, some caramel. With time so much more coffee and caramel on the nose. Wow. On the palate the same malty notes, some caramel, fresh dark fruit core. As mentioned above, the missing sweetness from the fruit is compensated by the malty notes, the caramel and toffee aromas. Very layered with new nuances popping up with every sip. The same super freshness, lots of tension like the 1962 but without hard edges. Medium length only but overall a great wine and one of the winners of the night. (97 pts.)
• 1976 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
  From magnum. A great Martha’s. At its peak, highly layered, sharp and precise and an almost perfect balance. Could not fully compete with the purity of the 1978 (99pts) the night before but still was one of the best wines of the tasting. Others liked it a bit less but I think it just needed more time and air to reveal its beauty.
  
  TN: At first a bit muted but with time much more open and continuously improving. The nose never fully opened though but on the palate, this began to shine with time: so fresh and with lots of tension but beautifully melted tannins. Impressively layered with dark and red berries, herbs, minty notes, some malty notes, minerality, some coffee and with time more and more tobacco. Highly precise, perfect structure with fine, silky tannins, superb freshness. Medium length but with a beautiful sweet and minty finish accented with some malty notes. (96 pts.)
• 1928 Château Mouton Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  From magnum, tasted double blind. No detailed notes. While the beautiful malty sweet core was a highlight, the complexity was rather low and the balance was off (too much acidity). No winner but with a few good moments that showed what could have been possible. (92 pts.)
• 1948 Château Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
  From magnum. Two 1948s side-by-side. Not the best vintage and both wines showed quite similar characteristics: not overly rich and ripe fruit, far too much acidity dominating the picture and missing definition. Still, you could drink both wines. The Mouton (91pts) edged out the Haut Brion, which had a slight cork taint.
  
  TN: A bit muddy nose, not much expression. On the palate a touch better, with some fruit, some herbs, some malty and toffee notes. But not as precise. Melted tannins but still good tension but not as well balanced with a bit too much acidity. (91 pts.)
• 1948 Château Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  From magnum. Two 1948s side-by-side. Not the best vintage and both wines showed quite similar characteristics: not overly rich and ripe fruit, far too much acidity dominating the picture and missing definition. Still, you could drink both wines. The Mouton (91pts) edged out the Haut Brion, which had a slight cork taint.
  
  TN: Some wet cardboard or more likely slight TCA notes. If we would have had more time, we would have found it out. Underneath, there was a cool, fresh, dark-fruited wine with some malty notes, melted tannins, a too dominating acidity and hence a mediocre balance only. (FLAWED)
• 1952 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Mise Drouhin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
  From magnum, tasted double blind. Hell yeah, this was mighty impressive: from the first sniff it screamed perfection. Seductive, incredibly complex, ever changing, impossibly fresh and full of tension and verve from start to the long finish. This had it all. As sirpat mentioned in his TN, there was some discussion about the authenticity of this bottle but I don’t really care about that because whatever it was in this bottle, was magical. The wine of the night, and one of the best wines I’ve ever had. I’m quite sure that if I could have followed it for a bit longer and for more than half a glass, it would have been a perfect 100pts.
  
  TN: A seductive nose with coffee, caramel, fresh dark fruit, tobacco. Wow! This intense very coffee and burnt sugar driven nose is to die for. Ever so slightly changing, ao seductive and luxurious. Same on the palate: highly intense, so much aromatic density, mid-palate weight, with a power finish, but without any heaviness, light and almost but not fully airy texture. In addition to the caramel, burnt sugar and coffee notes, there is a strong, perfectly ripe dark fruit core and on the palate a superb layer of tobacco and loads of minerality, all creating a perfect balance. Incredible. So pure, perfectly arranged, seductive and luxurious from A to Z. (99 pts.)
• 1950 Château Cheval Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  From magnum, tasted double blind. No detailed notes taken. I was so consumed by the incredible Vogue Musigny 1952 in the next glass, that I didn’t give this enough attention. But part of the reason for that is that this paled in comparison. While it had a beautiful sweet fruit core, there was not much more. A bit of tertiary notes and herbs but overall a bit unimpressive vs the competition. Still, definitely an ok to good wine without fault. (92 pts.)
• 1982 Château Ausone - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  From magnum. Three 1982s side-by-side. Really bad luck in this flight with two corked/incorrect bottles (Ausone & Cheval Blanc). The only great wine was the Pichon Lalande (96+pts) which delivers every time all that Pauillac magic with tobacco and truffles and from magnum comes with that seductive burnt sugar/toffee note, which is to die for. (FLAWED)
• 1982 Château Cheval Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  From magnum. Three 1982s side-by-side. Really bad luck in this flight with two corked/incorrect bottles (Ausone & Cheval Blanc). The only great wine was the Pichon Lalande (96+pts) which delivers every time all that Pauillac magic with tobacco and truffles and from magnum comes with that seductive burnt sugar/toffee note, which is to die for. (FLAWED)
• 1982 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  From magnum. Three 1982s side-by-side. Really bad luck in this flight with two corked/incorrect bottles (Ausone & Cheval Blanc). The only great wine was the Pichon Lalande (96+pts) which delivers every time all that Pauillac magic with tobacco and truffles and from magnum comes with that seductive burnt sugar/toffee note, which is to die for.
  
  TN: Superb nose full of dark fruit, coffee, burnt sugar, minerality, tobacco. So precise and inviting. On the palate fresh red fruit, dark fruit, coffee, burnt sugar, minerality, tobacco, classic Paulliac and with that seductiveness that is captivating. Melted tannins, good freshness and an good balance. Probably not the most impressive, expressive bottle of this but still fantastic at 96+pts. (96 pts.)
• 1967 Château Climens - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
  From magnum. The two Sauternes needed time and air but then were in great form. The 1959 Lafaurie Peyraguey (96pts) was the best I’ve ever had from this winery, complex, fully tertiary and with a lot of cut. The Climens 1967 (94pts) was a tad less complex, less mature and a bit oily. Third sweet wine was a Dow Vintage Port 1963 (85pts) which showed too ripe and heavily alcoholic. Port lovers will score it higher.
  
  TN: On the nose a bit muted. With time more open, expressive, some caramel, quince, orange. On the palate wonderful with lots of fruit, intense, deeply aromatic, quince, peaches, oranges, saffron, spices and with a deep, cutting acidity. At first a bit oily, with time a bit fresher and better. (94 pts.)
• 1959 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
  From magnum. The two Sauternes needed time and air but then were in great form. The 1959 Lafaurie Peyraguey (96pts) was the best I’ve ever had from this winery, complex, fully tertiary and with a lot of cut. The Climens 1967 (94pts) was a tad less complex, less mature and a bit oily. Third sweet wine was a Dow Vintage Port 1963 (85pts) which showed too ripe and heavily alcoholic. Port lovers will score it higher.
  
  TN: Dark color. On the nose and palate so intense, full of malty notes, caramel, toffee, herbs, spices, lots of intense fruit, quince, peaches, prunes. Endlessly complex and with a superb acidity to keep it fresh and light. Wonderful. (96 pts.)
• 1963 Dow Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto
  From magnum. The two Sauternes needed time and air but then were in great form. The 1959 Lafaurie Peyraguey (96pts) was the best I’ve ever had from this winery, complex, fully tertiary and with a lot of cut. The Climens 1967 (94pts) was a tad less complex, less mature and a bit oily. Third sweet wine was a Dow Vintage Port 1963 (85pts) which showed too ripe and heavily alcoholic. Port lovers will score it higher. (85 pts.)