30x 1955 & 1961 (mostly Bdx)
Tasted Sunday, October 17, 2021 by Cailles with 216 views
Introduction
Tasted at a collector who acquired most wines 30 years ago. Great tasting to compare this two great vintages.
Tasted Sunday, October 17, 2021 by Cailles with 216 views
Tasted at a collector who acquired most wines 30 years ago. Great tasting to compare this two great vintages.
1961 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Rosé Vintage 97 Points
France, Champagne
A big treat to kick-off this tasting. With just a minute or two of air this Champagne started to sing and got more intense, pure and clean by the minute. Super complex, so round and still incredibly fresh and even with some slight fizz - this had it all. I would love to drink that every hour of every day. Best rating of all wines tasted tonight.
TN: Expressive nose with caramel, toffee, mushrooms and citrus notes. Inviting, precise and getting more intense by the minute. The palate opens with fresh fruit, citrus, apple, some tropical notes, minerality as well as all tertiary aromas with caramel, toffee, mushrooms. Very harmonious and balanced with a fine creaminess and a good freshness and even some very fine mousse. The precision and tension are off the charts and the length is quite impressive. A great experience.
Decanting: Not decanted, no decanting needed. Some unpleasant oxidative aromas quickly blew off.
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1961 Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
This is quite an amazing Sauternes with lots of substance, a singular nose Sauternes purists might not like but I find intellectually quite appealing, nice tertiary aromas and a good freshness. Towards the finish, the wine is a bit heavy and slightly cloying but nevertheless, this was a lot of fun to drink on par with the Yquem 1955 (rated 94 pts) and 1961 (93 pts). Others at the tasting liked it a less.
TN: Extremely singular nose which smells like citrus syrup with some particular spice (not sure what exactly). Quite intriguing but of course not the best nose you could wish for in a Sauternes. More typical on the palate with lots of saffron, toffee, mushrooms, citrus, apple, quince and spices. Very precise and quite intense but with lots of freshness. As mentioned above, only towards the end this gets a bit cloying. But all in all, this is a great wine.
Decanting: Not decanted, good from the go. A short 30 minutes in the decanter should be sufficient.
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1955 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echezeaux 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 (rated 94 pts) and the 1961 (rated 91 pts). The 1955 jumped out of the glass with a tantalizing firework of aromas but didn’t show the same verve and not that clean on the palate. The 1961 almost look liked a port wine and showed quite oxidative and almost dead. But with a lot of swirling and air both wines resurrected and got better with every minute in the glass and my score kept climbing higher. In the end both were very good wines but without exceptionalism. The only question left is, what would have been possible if we would have time to follow the wine over more than just 20 minutes.
TN: Very inviting, fine and medium+ expressive nose with ripe red fruit, meaty notes, smoke and minerality. Always evolving and very intriguing. Didn’t need much time. On the palate it showed not very harmonious at first with a not really well-integrated acidity and an astringent finish. The longer it sit in the glass, the better and more balanced and harmonious it got. Fresh, ripe red berries, some dried fruit, leather, tobacco, stems, meaty notes, melted tannin structure but with good tension, very light and slightly creamy texture and with the last sips a balanced and medium length finish. In the best moments this was a 95+ pts experience. While the depth was 95+ material, the precision was not.
Decanting: Not decanted but this bottle would have needed at a solid hour.
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1961 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echezeaux 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 (rated 94 pts) and the 1961 (rated 91 pts). The 1955 jumped out of the glass with a tantalizing firework of aromas but didn’t show the same verve and not that clean on the palate. The 1961 almost look liked a port wine and showed quite oxidative and almost dead. But with a lot of swirling and air both wines resurrected and got better with every minute in the glass and my score kept climbing higher. In the end both were very good wines but without exceptionalism. The only question left is, what would have been possible if we would have time to follow the wine over more than just 20 minutes.
TN: At first pitch black, oxidized and only a bit of dried fruit peaking trough. With a lot of swirling it came back with nice meaty notes and dark red fruit on the nose and an ever changing profile on the palate with dried red, dark red, some fresh blue fruit, meaty notes and old leather on the palate. In the end no more oxidation notes. In this short period of time it made an impressive turn but never really became a perfectly clean and complex wine. Melted tannins, enough tension and freshness but rather on the masculine side of what Burgundy can be.
Decanting: Not decanted but this bottle would have needed at a solid hour.
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1961 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 84 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Tasted single blind. This wine had some pleasant mint, spice, meaty notes and some ripe red berries on the palate but not much more. Lots of oxidation notes, an unpleasantly ripe nose and it got more acidic by the minute. Overall not much pleasure. Our host bought this bottle 30 years ago and it has been impeccably stored since then, so it is likely not a widely travelled bottle.
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1961 Château Puy-Blanquet 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Tasted single blind. Bombastic on the nose, great mature claret. But then quite sour on the palate. This is the story of this wine. 96 pts on the nose, 87 on the palate. So 90 pts overall?
TN: Wonderful mature Bordeaux nose with tobacco, wet forest floor, some truffles, old leather and some brett notes as well as some dark fruit underneath. Nicely clean and precise. Easily 96 pts on the nose, only a bit more sweet fruit was missing for a quite perfect nose. Sadly the palate did not show as good. On the attack and mid palate there is good power and tension with red and dark fruits and many of the same tertiary aromas but towards the finish there is an intense astringency which make it quite unpleasant.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting needed.
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1955 Château Talbot 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 (95 pts) and the 1961 (93 pts). Both wines showed incredibly well and clearly above my expectations. The 1955 is at its peak, very elegant with wonderful tertiary aromas and a superb sweet fruit core. The 1961 showed a bit more masculine with some edges and a touch less tertiary and hence less complex but my guess is, that it can get there with more age. To get to a higher score, both wines would need even more depth and a slightly higher precision. Anyway, lots of fun to drink today.
TN: Good from the go but with just a few minutes of air the nose got medium+ expressive with lots of graphite, leather and truffles as well as some soft dark fruits. Quite balanced and very classic. On the palate there is more fruit with ripe and sexy candied fruit, minerality, herbs, leather, hints of tobacco as well as some brett notes and more fresh cassis notes with some time. Good power, well integrated with melted tannins, good tension, fresh but slightly creamy texture and a well-integrated acidity on the attack and mid palate but a bit too much acidity on the finish which is, fortunately, balanced by sweet fruit. Quite complete although probably not the deepest and most precise wine.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting necessary, a short 30 minutes should be enough.
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1961 Château Talbot 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 (95 pts) and the 1961 (93 pts). Both wines showed incredibly well and clearly above my expectations. The 1955 is at its peak, very elegant with wonderful tertiary aromas and a superb sweet fruit core. The 1961 showed a bit more masculine with some edges and a touch less tertiary and hence less complex but my guess is, that it can get there with more age. To get to a higher score, both wines would need even more depth and a slightly higher precision. Anyway, lots of fun to drink today.
TN: Medium+ expressive nose with minerality, mint notes and quite ripe fruit as well as very slightly alcohol notes but still overall quite enjoyable and inviting. Same aromas on the palate with more dark fruit, lots of minterality, some herbs and leather notes. Nicely integrated with velvety tannins but still one or the other edge, a well-integrated acidity and elegant feel but overall a touch less harmonious than the 1955. Medium length. A bit less over everything compared to the 1955 but still quite enjoyable.
Decanting: Not decanted, I guess this would have been better (softer, more open) with an hour+ in the decanter.
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1961 Château Pavie
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Tasted single blind. Sadly, this was dead. Stinky, vegetal, rancid notes.
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1961 Château Belair (Dubois-Challon) 84 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Tasted single blind. This bottle was not very good, only medium expressive with not much substance, no precision. The wine was quickly drying out. There were some pleasureable moments with one or the other sniff showing nicely mature notes or an ok-ish attack but overall no winner.
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1955 Château Calon-Ségur 87 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. The 1961 (rated 93 pts) was the clear winner. Alive and kicking, wonderfully mature, quite complex and with a fine structure. The 1955 (rated 87 pts) had not the same complexity, wasn’t as clean and was more power than elegance and substance and was slightly lactic. These Calon Segurs were a bit weaker and more inconsistent than their neighbouring Phelan Segurs from the same vintages (rated 91 and 93 pts) in the same flight.
TN: A bit of heat on the nose and not much well-delineated aromas. On the palate there is still a good fruit core, some herbs and mature Bdx aromas. The precision is ok but it is not overly complex - still, it is quite pleasant. The wine has a lot of tension and power but is slightly lactic and it gets acidic towards the finish.
Decanting: Not decanted, maybe this would have been better with a bit of air (but I doubt it).
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1961 Château Calon-Ségur 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. The 1961 (rated 93 pts) was the clear winner. Alive and kicking, wonderfully mature, quite complex and with a fine structure. The 1955 (rated 87 pts) had not the same complexity, wasn’t as clean and was more power than elegance and substance and was slightly lactic. These Calon Segurs were a bit weaker and more inconsistent than their neighbouring Phelan Segurs from the same vintages (rated 91 and 93 pts) in the same flight.
TN: Medium- expressive and luxurious nose with dark fruits, cola, mint, minerality. Not super well defined but very harmonious and inviting. Same on the palate with more red fruit, sweet and candied, minerality, black teem and herbs. Nicely complex and clean but a bit more tertiary aromas missing. The structure is impeccable with molten tannins but good tension, good and well-integrated acidity and a light, fresh and creamy texture and feel. Medium length. 93 to 94 pts.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting necessary.
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1955 Château Phélan Ségur 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. The 1961 is the winner (rated 93 pts) thanks to a fully mature aroma profile, good complexity and a flawless structural frame. The 1955 (rated 91 pts) showed a bit less complex and had some heat as well as a slightly astringent finish but was nevertheless a good wine. These Phelan Segurs outperformed my expectations and performed better than their neighbouring Calon Segurs from the same vintages (rated 87 and 93 pts) in the same flight.
TN: Intriguing nose with black truffles, minerality and some brett (not too much, just enough). The palate shows wonderfully creamy with the same aromas along some dark red and dark fruit, and some herbs. Medium precision and complexity. Fine tannins and the beforementioned nicely creamy texture but with just a hint too much not integrated acidity towards the finish.
Decanting: Not decanted. No extensive decanting necessary.
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1961 Château Phélan Ségur 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. The 1961 is the winner (rated 93 pts) thanks to a fully mature aroma profile, good complexity and a flawless structural frame. The 1955 (rated 91 pts) showed a bit less complex and had some heat as well as a slightly astringent finish but was nevertheless a good wine. These Phelan Segurs outperformed my expectations and performed better than their neighbouring Calon Segurs from the same vintages (rated 87 and 93 pts) in the same flight.
TN: The wine needs a bit of air. At first a bit muted it gets more expressive by the minute with dark fruits, coffee, minerality and some brett notes on the nose. Same aromas on the palate with more tertiary aromas, a broader fruit spectrum (mostly red fruits) and some herbs to complement the picture. The highest complexity of all St. Estephes and with fairly good precision. Quite clean, good tension, fine, velvety tannins, well-integrated acidity, good balance and fine, creamy texture as well as good length. Quite complete. For a higher rating it would have needed even more complexity and precision.
Decanting: Not decanted. This, like many other 61s, would have needed a solid 1h+ in the decanter.
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1961 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 96 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Tasted single blind. This is a monster of wine with so much substance and aromatic layers. Super exciting intellectually but in this lineup of mature Bordeauxs, the unbelievable intensity of all these aromas was slightly overwhelming. Additionally, I like the fruits a little bit in the fresher and less ripe/dried spectrum. Nevertheless, this is definitely an absolute world class wine which will go strong for another 50 or 100 years and will continue to improve from further. It strongly reminded me of a magnum Haut Brion 1959 (!) from 18 months ago. I don’t have much experience with these old Unicos but this showed much riper and new-worldish than the 1960 and 1965 last year which were more like a Bordeaux. All three vintages showed rather young and far away from their respective peak (probably not wise to buy new vintages of this when you have to wait that long).
TN: Hyper intense liquorice, cinnamon and a plethora of ripe dark fruits. Quite singular but so hyper intense that is almost unbearable to smell. Yet it is impossible to stop smelling it. Same on the palate: this is a hyper dense wine with so much substance and power with loads of very fine tannins and a high freshness as well as a creamy texture. Lots of tension, very vivid. Very complex and with very high precision with mostly ripe and dried dark fruits, herbs, minerality, spices, mushrooms. The balance is not perfect as there is just too much substance to handle. Maybe time will change that.
Decanting: Not decanted. Good from the go but I would give this a 2+ hours in the decanter.
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1961 Château Mouton-Baronne-Philippe 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Tasted single blind. This was a very pleasant, fully mature wine with a nice fruit core and good balance as the highlight. It has certainly not the precision or complexity to play in the league of the very best wines in the vintage.
TN: Not very expressive nose full of minerality and some fruit. With time some unpleasant more oxidative notes. Better on the palate the wine is super fresh and elegant with fine, molten tannins, a good acidity which is probably a bit too pronounced towards the finish and a fine creamy texture. Not overly complex but with fine, ripe fruit, minerality, herbs, leather and a touch of coffee. Ok precision and good balance.
Decanting: Not decanted. Doesn‘t need any decanting.
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1955 Château Mouton Rothschild 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. Oh boy, was I disappointed when the wines were revealed. The 1961 (88 pts) was the wine I was most looking forward to taste in this tasting, especially as provenance should have been great. Sadly the bottle was no winner. Still quite some substance but disjointed. So the 1955 (95 pts) won the race. The best nose of the evening (99 pts) with an incredible complexity and precision but a bit less impressive on the palate. I hope to meet a pristine bottle of the 1961 again some day (and with the right amount of air).
TN: Killer nose with layers and layers of aromas. Coffee, herbs, minerality, dark fruit, forest floor, matchstick, some brett. Very intense, highly precise, ever changing, very balanced and luxurious. The best nose of the tasting, close to perfection. Seductive palate with a great attack and finish but a bit of a hole mid palate. Same aromatics but a bit less impressively staggered. Impeccable structural frame with fine tannins, medium+ tension, good, well integrated acidity and a nice creamy structure.
Decanting: Good from the go, didn‘t need any extensive decanting.
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1961 Château Mouton Rothschild 88 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. Oh boy, was I disappointed when the wines were revealed. The 1961(88 pts) was the wine I was most looking forward to taste in this tasting, especially as provenance should have been great. Sadly the bottle was no winner. Still quite some substance but disjointed. So the 1955 (95 pts) won the race. The best nose of the evening (99 pts) with an incredible complexity and precision but a bit less impressive on the palate. I hope to meet a pristine bottle of the 1961 again some day (and with the right amount of air).
TN: Very Pauillac on the nose with loads of graphite, some coffee and spices but also some oxidative notes. Intense and singular on the palate with lots of mint, Dr. Pepper kirsch notes, disjointed and strange. Lots of substance and the structural frame seems impeccable. Medium length.
Decanting: Not decanted. Followed over roughly 20 minutes but not swirling helped here. Maybe a long decanted could have changed things?
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1955 Château Margaux 80 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. No close race here. The 1955 (80 pts) was over and reeking of cat pee. The 1961 (95 pts), however, showed wonderful, seductive, fully mature but full of life with probably just a bit of substance missing for an even higher score. I particularly liked the typical Margaux femininity with lots of floral aromas.
TN: Lots of minerality but a lot of cat pee too on the nose and palate, missing substance to fill out the ok structure. Some nice hints of fruit peaked trough, some mature Bdx aromas but that was not enough to save the day. This bottle was definitely past its prime. Some
Decanting: Nothing would have helped here.
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1961 Château Margaux 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. No close race here. The 1955 (80 pts) was over and reeking of cat pee. The 1961 (95 pts), however, showed wonderful, seductive, fully mature but full of life with probably just a bit of substance missing for an even higher score. I particularly liked the typical Margaux femininity with lots of floral aromas.
TN: Medium+ intense nose with dark and fed fruits as well as minerality. Inviting and quite precise but not as layered and exciting as the palate which shows red and blue berries, lots of floral aromas, minerality and some herbs and old leather. It misses a bit of intensity mid palate but otherwise is quite complete. Fine, melted tannins but with good tension, good acidity and a wonderful creamy texture, so round and soft.
Decanting: Not decanted, good from the go. Maybe with a bit of air this would have gained further intensity.
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1961 Château Haut-Bailly 87 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
This wine had a good nose and was nice and soft but missing a bit of substance and it had a drying finish. A bit past it‘s prime, it seems. I still have to drink one Haut Bailly which truly excites me. This wasn‘t it either (nor the highly rated 09/10/15/16/18 vintages).
TN: Pleasant nose with floral notes, red fruit and tobacco. Same nice florality on the palate, soft, round and balanced but without the depth to excite. Slightly drying tannins, especially towards the finish. Quite balance and nicely creamy.
Decanted: Not decanted which was the right decision here.
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1961 Château Pape Clément 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
As always, Pape Clement did not disappoint with its typical seductiveness and ripeness. Yes, it‘s not as deep as the best wines in this great vintage but it‘s just so much fun to drink and without any fault. I would drink that every day.
TN: Dark brooding nose with smoke, dark fruits, wet earth and tobacco. Super soft, balanced and creamy palate with dark fruit, coffee and tobacco. Not that complex but well delineated and with and inviting, round frame and a pleasant finish. 92/93 pts.
Decanting: Not decanted, good from the go.
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1955 Château Rausan-Ségla 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. Another win for the 1955 vintage here. The 1955 (rated 93 pts) had a singular, enchanting nose full of freshly braked bread and meaty notes. Same as the 1961 (rated 90 pts), there is not enough depth on the palate to play in the same category as the big names but still quit enjoyable and complete. The 1961 was a bit less giving and showed a bit astringent towards the finish. I‘m a fan of this winery after recent improvements in quality, especially of the fantastic 2018.
TN: As mentioned above this had a singular nose with intense aromas of freshly baked bread, bacon and other cold cuts, along some fine tertiary notes. On the palate this showed fine sweet red berries, floral notes, again the same meary notes and herbs. Very fresh and precise with fine tannins and a nicely creamy texture and medium+ length. Quite balanced and complete. 93+ points.
Decanting: Not decanted, which seemed fine.
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1961 Château Rausan-Ségla 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. Another win for the 1955 vintage here. The 1955 (rated 93 pts) had a singular, enchanting nose full of freshly braked bread and meaty notes. Same as the 1961 (rated 90 pts), there is not enough depth on the palate to play in the same category as the big names but still quit enjoyable and complete. The 1961 was a bit less giving and showed a bit astringent towards the finish. I‘m a fan of this winery after recent improvements in quality, especially of the fantastic 2018.
TN: A bit more restrained on the nose, dark brooding, luxurious, dark fruits and coffee. Same on the palate with coffee, dark fruit and lots of minerality and freshness with a finely melted tannin structure but so much life left in the tank. Towards the finish the acidity was a bit too pronounced tempering the overall experience. But all in all quite pleasant.
Decanting: Not decanted. I guess this would have opened up and improved with more air. Like many 1961s, these can be a bit muscular and need a bit of air.
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1955 Château Rauzan-Gassies 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. Another wine for the 1955 (91 pts) which had a superb nutty nose but was missing a bit of depth on the palate. The 1961 (rates 86 pts) showed lots of intensity but with lots of dried fruit and some oxidation notes as well as a bit too much acidity. Not death yet but this bottle was clearly on is last legs. The Rausan Seglas we had in the same flight showed better.
TN: Super nose with lots of Latour-like nuttiness and dark fruit underneath. This is the highlight here. Very seducing and inviting. Round, soft and harmonious on the palate which boasts dark and red fruit, nuts and some old leather. Not overly complex but with well integrated tannins and acidity, missing a tad of creaminess.
Decanting: Not decanted. Improved in the glass and could have used a bit of air.
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1961 Château Rauzan-Gassies 86 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. Another wine for the 1955 (91 pts) which had a superb nutty nose but was missing a bit of depth on the palate. The 1961 (rates 86 pts) showed lots of intensity but with lots of dried fruit and some oxidation notes as well as a bit too much acidity. Not death yet but this bottle was clearly on is last legs. The Rausan Seglas we had in the same flight showed better.
TN: Dried, port-like fruit and oxidation notes on the nose and palate. More teritary aromas complement the picutre on the palate which is very fresh but too acidic towards the finish. Good intensity but not overly complex or precise. Overall missing a bit of balance.
Decanting: Not decanted. This deteriorated a bit with air.
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1955 Château Gilette Crème de Tête 80 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. The 1955 (80 pts) had not much to offer with a disintegrated acidity and wet cardboard smells. The 1961 (90 pts) showed young and well defined but the acidity wasn‘t that well integrated either. Unsurprisingly, both wines couldn‘t keep pace with the Yquems in the same flight.
TN: Faulty wet cardboard smells on the nose and palate which still showing a nice, undefined sweetness but also an unintegrated acidity. In addition, the finish is not existant.
Decanting: Not decanted. Maybe this would have needed a bit of air.
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1961 Château Gilette Crème de Tête 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. The 1955 (80 pts) had not much to offer with a disintegrated acidity and wet cardboard smells. The 1961 (90 pts) showed young and well defined but the acidity wasn‘t that well integrated either. Unsurprisingly, both wines couldn‘t keep pace with the Yquems in the same flight.
TN: Medium- expressive, light citrus nose. Same citrus aromas on the palate, with some more spices and lots of freshness but not much complexity. A bit out of balance towards the finish with an overbearing acidity. Overall still pleasant.
Decanting: Not decanted. Maybe this would have needed a bit of air.
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1955 Château d'Yquem 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. Close race between the two with the 1955 (94+ pts) slightly ahead of the 1961 (93 pts). Both showed the typical complexity and aromas but were missing the perfect definition and balance the best vintages have for a higher rating. Maybe more air would have improved both wines.
TN: On the nose this wine is quite expressive but not overly precise but much more so on the palate displaying layers and layers of saffron, creme brulee, toffee, citrus, orange peal, nuts and spices. The typical complexity of Yquem which is to day for just not delivered in that hyper precise fashion like the very best vintages. The wine has a lot of freshness but the acidity is not perfectly integrated. Good length.
Decanting: Not decanted, but I guess at least 30+ minutes in the decanter would have been helpful.
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1961 Château d'Yquem 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. Close race between the two with the 1955 (94+ pts) slightly ahead of the 1961 (93 pts). Both showed the typical complexity and aromas but were missing the perfect definition and balance the best vintages have for a higher rating. Maybe more air would have improved both wines.
TN: A tad less expressive than the 1955 with the same aromas of creme brulee, lots of saffron, apricots, quince, citrus, spices along some mushroom notes which are more interesting than a good fit. Fun to drink with a good balance of sweetness and freshness. Overall quite good but without the absolut precision and clean lines it would need for a 95+ point rating.
Decanting: Not decanted, but I guess at least 30+ minutes in the decanter would have been helpful.
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