Aged Bordeaux Gems (with Unico/Heitz MV in the mix)

Large annual all aged magnum tasting from an important wine trader and collector (majority coming from french cellars)

• 1962 Château Angélus 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Magnum. Upper mid shoulder level. While this bottle was still there with good tension and a lot of fruit, this Angelus was no winner. It had a bit too much power, too much ripeness and lost its balance and harmony along the way. 1962 isn’t a vintage to chase and this Angelus is no different. As the wine got better with a lot of swirling, I keep wondering if it would have improved with a lot of air. That’s the unfortunate downside of larger tastings.
  
  TN: Intense nose with a very ripe, liquory fruit expression and some heat interfering. More balanced (especially with some air) on the palate with dark earthy notes, dark fruit, with time more red berries, malt notes and some chocolate hints. Medium complexity with fairly good precision. While it got softer and creamier with time in the glass, it never reached that gorgeous, luxurious structure Bordeaux can have, it always remained slightly angular and too powerful. Medium+ length.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. I guess this wine could have improved with significantly more air.

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• 1962 Château Montrose 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Magnum. Mid shoulder level. The typical aged Montrose nose full of tobacco and truffles was to die for. Sadly, the palate was not remotely as clean and intense. It lacked intensity and harmony. The bouquet promised a 95/96 point jewel but overall not much more than a 92 point experience.
  
  TN: Dark brooding nose full of fine tobacco, hints of truffles and dark fruits. Soft yet intense and well defined. I could smell this for hours… On the palate lots of dark fruit, less intense but still present tertiary aromas of tobacco and forest floor but overall quite hollow and at times slightly disjointed with a too high acidity. As the Angelus 62 we had next to it, this wine has still a firm structure with noticeable but soft enough tannins. Missing some weight, concentration and complexity.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. I guess this might have improved with some hours in the decanter.

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• 1952 Château Latour Grand Vin 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Magnum. Top shoulder level. This wine seemed quite young with little tertiary development. I very much liked the precision and cleanliness but overall it was slightly monolithic and angular, missing any sexiness. I guess with more time in the decanter this might have opened up more and soften. Still, this was quite impressive and from well-stored magnums like this, might improve for a few more decades.
  
  TN: Dark color with hardly any ageing notes. Very intense dark fruit notes, especially cassis, graphite and hints of nutty aromas on the nose. Lots of fresh dark fruit, lots of minerality, hints of malt and nutty aromas on the palate. Very good precision, clean, intense but not overly complex. Slightly angular structure with some edges and an intense acidity which is however quite well integrated.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. This would have needed a few hours in the decanter.

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• 1947 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Magnum. Top shoulder level. The nose here was quite weak with a lot of cellar stink which didn’t go away. It was better on the palate: sexy, ripe and sensual mirroring the hot vintage. But it of course didn’t have the precision and cleanliness of a great wine.
  
  TN: Dumb, cellar stench on the nose. On the palate creamy, round and sexy with fine sweet red fruit going from fresh berries to very ripe liquor berries. Not overly complex and precise and not pure with some unwanted notes interfering. Very fine, harmonious structure with fine tannins and good acidity and tension.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. I’m not sure if a prolonged decant would have been enough to get rid of the cellar stink on the nose.

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• 1961 Château Grand-Puy Ducasse Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Magnum. Mid shoulder level. Sadly this bottle was completely gone. Balsamico…

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• 1961 Château Beychevelle 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Magnum. Top shoulder level. We had two Beychevelle magnums, one from 1961 (rated 96) and one from 1948 (rated 95). Both bottles were in absolute pristine condition with very good fill levels and impeccable, almost new labels which make me believe that these bottles were highly likely late releases from the Chateau. Both wines were on fire showing fairly complex aromatics (the 61 more so than the 48), delivered with good precision and all embedded in a soft and creamy structure. Highly enjoyable and at its peak.
  
  TN: Wonderful inviting nose with dark and red forest berries, cola, fresh herbs, leather and tobacco. Good intensity and well delineated. Same aromas on the palate with even more red berries and tobacco notes appearing along with some earth/minerality. Nicely complex and precise and all embedded in a superb structure with ultra fine tannins, a well integrated acidity boasting a very fine, creamy, melted texture which is so sensual and inviting. Medium+, red berry driven finish.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. Good from the go. No decant needed.

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• 1959 Château Margaux 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Magnum. Top shoulder level. Sadly this bottle wasn’t perfectly clean. There was some cellar stink, some interfering impurity which adversely affected the whole experience. But you could sense that underneath was a lot of power and stuffing. In the best moments that stuffing peaked through and that was quite exciting. I wonder if the wine would have opened up and get rid of the faulty layer with some air. Stranger things have happened.
  
  TN: Sweet red berries on the nose, nicely perfumed, very Margaux. A lot of intensity on the palate with sweet dark and red fruit, mineral notes, earthy /barnyard tones. Many more aromas hinted their existence but were caught under a layer of bad dump cellar stink. Texture and structure were fine but the whole experience tainted. Too bad.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. This bottle could have used some air.

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• 1959 Château Angélus 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Magnum. Mid shoulder level. This Angelus was singing. Superb nose, layered palate, creamy, sweet, luxurious and with a very good length. This was an absolute treat and although it is a completely different style of wine, it was on the heels of the magical Haut Brion 1959 we had next to it. The only downside. It didn’t held up that well for too long. These 95 points are for the superb first 15 minutes. Afterwards it crushed slightly with signs of age tainting the picture.
  
  TN: Fantastic, singular nose with molasse, malt, sweet honey note, pancakes well balance by a herbal and mineral component. Very fresh palate layers and layers of red fruit, herbs, minerality, cola, honey, vanilla, leather and malt. Superb texture, sweet, creamy, fresh, great balance and harmony and with very fine tannins and a still ok tension. You could sense that this is great but will probably collapse anytime soon – it than happened after 15 minutes (instead of one or the other hour I suspected).
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. This bottle couldn’t handle more air.

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• 1959 Château Haut-Brion 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Magnum. Upper mid shoulder level. This wine was very impressive. Actually it was more impressive than truly enjoyable. There is so much depth and stuffing, an incredible complexity paired with laser focus but the 20+ minutes this was in the glass it did never fully opened up and become softer. It would have been so great to follow this beauty over several hours and/or with the right amount of decanting. In the whole lineup this was clearly the most complex wine. Yet, without air it didn’t show everything and was slightly too dense and even a bit cloying.
  
  TN: The first appearance is mixed with too much ripeness bordering on cooked fruit. Luckily with a lot of swirling the wines slowly reveals its true self. Hyper precise and complex nose with smokey notes, ripe dark fruit, cassis, coffee, burnt sugar, mineral notes. Very dense, young on the palate with sweet fruit which becomes purer by the minute away from the liquor-like expression at first. Layers and layers of aromas with all the before mentioned aromas and more sexy nutty notes and herbal scents complementing the picture. Intense, precise and yet everything is toned down as the wine is not yet ready. The texture is superb, creamy, with lots of tension, the wall of tannins is silky and fine and the acidity provides a lift to keep it elegant, although that would have been much better with additional hours of air.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. This would have been much more open and better with several hours in the decanter.

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• 1929 Château Pontet-Canet 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Magnum. Upper mid shoulder level. This was a roller-coaster. The nose was amazing, to die for. So sexy, sweet, dense, yet fresh and with a sense of weightlessness. The palate, on the other hand, was hollow and rather simple. 97+ points for the nose, 90/91 points for the palate.
  
  TN: Very sexy nose with lots of pure red fruit, strawberry candy, malt, honey and with a superb herbal lift from mint/Melissa. Intense, light, sweet and fresh. Delivered in HD. The palate is rather hollow with herbal notes and bright red fruit, not the complexity or precision of the nose. Good but slightly fragile structural frame.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. Good enough.

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• 1945 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Magnum. Mid shoulder level. This was very St. Julien and was still very masculine and savoury. A bit too masculine and savoury. Not the perfect balance here, in my opinion. While the structure is still quite impressive, I’m not sure this has enough fruit and aromatic balance to develop any longer. While quite impressive, this is without exceptionalism.
  
  TN: At first a bit muted bouquet but with time a very dark fruited, malty, spicy and savoury nose. Same aromas complemented by more sweet-ish dark fruit, hints of caramel but the herbal, savoury and mineral aspect clearly takes the centre stage here. Lots of tannins which don’t form a perfect harmony with the other components despite being fairly round. With this tannin and acidic frame, the rocky and savoury profile without the counterbalance from a sweet fruit and creamy texture, this remains quite a masculine, semi-enjoyable fellow.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. Not sure if a longer decant would have helped here.

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• 1948 Château Beychevelle 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Magnum. Mid neck level. We had two Beychevelle magnums, one from 1961 (rated 96) and one from 1948 (rated 95). Both bottles were in absolute pristine condition with very good fill levels and impeccable, almost new labels which make me believe that these bottles were highly likely late releases from the Chateau. Both wines were on fire showing fairly complex aromatics (the 61 more so than the 48), delivered with good precision and all embedded in a soft and creamy structure. This 1948 was sexy, sweet, weightless and at its peak.
  
  TN: Super sexy nose with lots of fresh strawberries, minerality and herbal notes and cola. Same aromas on the palate which is absolutely weightless without missing density or intensity. Of course it is not the most complex wine but what is there is delivered with very good precision. Creamy and sexy, super fine tannins, good freshness and medium length. Highly enjoyable.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. Good from the go.

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• 1982 Château Lynch-Bages 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Magnum. Tasted double blind. This screamed Pauillac from the get-go with it’s masculine minerality, tobacco and burnt sugar notes. While it is a great wine, this is years away from its peak, especially out of this format. It doesn’t have the complexity or laser-focus of the legendary 1989 but is definitely a treat to drink. In this all blind flight, it was clearly better than the Mouton 82 (not the best bottle out there) but got clearly outshined by the legendary Pichon Lalande 82. 94 today, with some upside potential.
  
  TN: Tobacco, bay leaves, crushed stone at the centre, dark fruit underneath on the nose. Intense and precise but only semi-inviting, missing a bit of charm. More open and layered on the palate with lots of dark forest fruit, tobacco, hints of burnt sugar, herbal notes and rocks. Thanks to a better sweetness and the creamy texture its more balanced and harmonious on the palate. Very good structural frame which will need further time to mellow.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. Would have been better with 5-6 hours in the decanter.

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• 1982 Château Mouton Rothschild 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Magnum. Tasted double blind. Unfortunately, this was a weak bottle. While there was no TCA taint detectable, it was slightly disjointed and astringent. Others in the room suggested that it this would come around with a long decant. I’m not really sure about that. Beside a lot of fake bottles out there, you always fight with a quite high bottle variation when buying an 80s Mouton… hence, to chase the 82 is probably not a risk worth taking on the secondary market these days.
  
  TN: Dark fruit, graphite on the nose. Disjointed palate with lots of minerality and herbs along a rather muted dark fruit core. Not very balanced and harmonious but with quite some density. Fine tannins, not well integrated acidity.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. Probably would have needed a long decant

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• 1982 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 98 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Magnum. Tasted double blind. This was the third wine in this double blind flight with the Lynch and Mouton 82s. By then and latest after a sip of this elixir it was clear that we’re talking about Pauillac and the 82 vintage. My guess was that this was the Mouton 82 (which was a weak bottle and hence the weakest in the series). This Pichon was clearly the best wine of the whole tasting and confirmed my impression from other bottles of this wine I’ve had in the past: this is definitely one of the very best 82s. It has everything, elegance and sophistication, sexiness, complexity, precision, length – the complete package. It was a privilege to taste it from magnum to see how this wine must have been when it was younger. 98 points, easily.
  
  TN: Expressive nose displaying cassis, dark cherries, burnt sugar, herbs and graphite. Intense, precise, sexy and elegant. Same profile on the palate. Masculine, yet sweet. Layered and focused. Wonderful structure with lots of very fine tannins, a perfectly integrated acidity and the right balance between creamy and fresh. Long finish of dark fruit and herbs.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. Good from the get-go.

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• 1960 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 96 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Magnum. Upper mid shoulder level. Tasted next to the 65, this was miles ahead with an ethereal nose and a slightly less intoxicating palate which seemed still quite young. From large bottles this still needs some more years to full integrated and become smoother, yet it is already great today. The nose was easily on a 97/98 level. The palate rather on a 93/94 level but as said, with some upside in the future.
  
  TN: Fabulous bouquet with lots of silky dark fruit, burnt sugar, toast and herbal notes all delivered with high precision. Lots of fine, fresh, ripe dark berries, more herbs and rocks, a few little tertiary notes appearing, with time more sweet and molasses. Quite layered, yet on the palate still a bit muted. A wall of tannins framed by a slightly high and noticeable acidity. This needs more time.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. Good from the go but would have been better with one or the other hour in the decanter.

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• 1965 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 92 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Magnum. Top shoulder level. This paled in comparison the 1960 Unico we had in the next glass. It misses expression, fairly muted and too astringent but you could sense that there is much more potential. Would have been great to drink this after 6, 7 hours in the decanter, although I’m not sure if the acidity will ever fully integrate.
  
  TN: Quite singular nose with lots of fresh dark berries and an intense mineral component, just some hints of tobacco and burnt sugar. Muted on the palate with blue fruits peaking through but despite a lot of swirling it remained muted the whole time with just a little bit of sweetness popping up here and there to balance out the very masculine and mineral profile. Not yet very harmonious with still slightly noticeable tannins but especially an acidity which is too high.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. Would have needed several hours om the decanter.

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• 1978 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Magnum. Mid shoulder level. Another winner in this tasting, this legendary Heitz MV was firing on all cylinders even though it is still so young from this magnum. The aromatics are very intense and hyper precise which are the highlights. The red fruit mixed with the signature minty notes are to die for but this young, it remains a bit monolithic. Too monolithic to deserve more than 95 points. But with 10 or 20 more years on the hips (from magnum), this could well come close to perfection.
  
  TN: Ripe red and dark fruit an extremely intense minty note on the nose and palate. With time it opens up and gains more complexity on the palate with a broader fruit spectrum and a mineral component. Highly precise and intense. Creamy and sweet, without excess weight or fat. Superb tannins and perfectly-integrated acidity. Long, fruit and mint driven finish.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. It needed some time and swirling to start to shine. 3-4 hours in the decanter would have probably been right.

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• 1950 Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Magnum. Top shoulder level. This is a wonderful Sauternes, although still quite young and not at its peak. Expressive, concentrated, elegant and fairly complex. That certain je ne sais quoi, that extra sharpness and one or two more layers (which more age will certainly add) are missing today to get a higher score but it was still damn delicious.
  
  TN: Intense saffron notes on the nose which pushes everything else that might be there into the background. But it‘s a damn good and intriguing saffron expression. More nuanced on the palate with saffron, peaches, apricots, citrus, vanilla, malt. Nicely complex and with good precision. The sweetness is well kept in check by a high acidity. Good length too.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. No extensive decant needed.

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• 1945 Château Guiraud 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Magnum. Top shoulder level. While good, this wine was without exceptionalism. It is a bit too ripe and candied with not enough acidity to keep it fresh enough. It doesn’t have the complexity, fresh- and sharpness of the La Tour Blanche 50 we had next to it. Still quite enjoyable.
  
  TN: Muted nose, not overly interesting. More open on the palate with lots of very ripe and candied fruits, wonderful nutty aromas and hints of herbs. Rather on the very ripe and too fat side of things. Not enough acidity to keep it completely fresh and weightless. Still, quite enjoyable.
  
  Decanted: Double decanted only. No extensive decant needed

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• 1970 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Imperial. Top shoulder/into neck level. This was one of the surprises of the tasting and the proof that a big bottle from a good winery, opened at the right time can bring a lot of pleasure, even if the underlying vintage is not a good vintage. This wine was firing on all cylinders and although it is not the most complex wine, it had such clean lines and a wonderful harmony, combined with superb tension without being angular, that everybody liked it.
  
  TN: Clean, fresh bouquet with dark fruit, tobacco and truffles. Superb tension and balance on the palate with softened tannins and a perfectly integrated acidity. Along dark berries and more sweet fruit than appearing on the nose, truffles, earthy tones, tobacco and some sweet hints of honey. Not overly complex but well defined and with a beautiful texture. Medium length. Overall very inviting and harmonious.
  
  Decanting: Double decanted only. Good from the go.

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