Four Decades of Left Bank Bordeaux with Friends

Assessing the stylistic differences between each decade (1960s-1990s) across four classified growth producers.

• 1968 Château Latour Grand Vin 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  It's hard not to be romantic about wine when you find a label-less Châtour Latour, are worried for about two months regarding whether it'll drink well or not, and then you wind up with a 96 point wine on the night when you do eventually open it. The first bottle of five on the night in a tasting that saw us cover four decades of Bordeaux wine (60s-90s) and this stole the show. The nose was an aromatic treat, packed with scents of spice, cedar, toasted coconut, grapefruit, tobacco and oregano. The tannins from the hot 1968 summer mellowed down to produce a palate that had incredible for its age as notes of redcurrants and crème de cassis were balanced out with peppercorn, meat and a tinge of leather across some reasonably good acidity. Just an absolute joy on the night and shows you the beauty of mature Bordeaux.

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• 1970 Château Palmer 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Crisis averted as, despite using a Durand, the cork was doing us no favours on this bottle, forcing our hand to strain the wine into a decanter. To our surprise, the wine actually benefited from the decant, opening up to be a gem over the duration we enjoyed it. The nose had a brilliant balance of tertiary components as forest floor and tobacco were counteracted by mint and red cherries. The palate, though, evolved to represent the elegance we so often associate with wine from Margaux. An upfront that lures you in with notes of chocolate, plum and dark cherries shifted into a tertiary mid-palate of cedar wood, earthy funk and licorice before a gamey finish came in that elongated the wine's silkiness. Château Palmer regularly impresses me, and with this being the oldest example I've had to date, it really showed the prowess of the château.

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• 1986 Château Lynch-Bages 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  I've been a skeptic when it comes to Château Lynch-Bages just purely out of the fact that the three modern vintages I've tried have never done it for me (2002, 2005, 2010). But, I wanted to dive into something older to really give it a fair shot. This bottle turned up on the night, holding its own against a 1968 Château Latour, 1970 Château Palmer and 1995 Château Haut-Brion. The nose was so unique as scents of brine, oak, a vegetal quality, light pepper and hints of dark cherries medlied together. The palate had an incredible upfront, boasting notes of blackcurrant and a rose petal-esque florality before the mid-palate brought in some weight and balance with tertiary qualities of forest floor and cedar wood. The finish gave this wine a youthful feel as cassis and pepper took the wine through an elongated finish. The best example of Château Lynch-Bages I've had to date.

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• 1995 Château Haut-Brion 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  This bottle was slow oxidised for three hours prior to tasting it and it needed every minute of it (as the review below me confirms). Restrained upon first tasting it, this bottle was singing after it got some air time, showing off a lot of the characteristics I've come to love from the 1995 vintage. There was an exuberance to the nose that was brought out through scents of mountain pine and menthol, balanced out by typical smokiness from Pessac-Léognan and a hint of bell pepper. The palate was oozing power as an inkiness medlied with blackberries on the upfront before the mid-palate was dominated by notes of dark chocolate, licorice and earthiness. The finish was lively and long as cocoa and pepper gave us the indication that this wine has decades left in its life. A great experience to enjoy this right at the beginning of its drinking window.

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What better way to end the evening?

• 1997 Château d'Yquem 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  After tasting a 1968 Château Latour, 1970 Château Palmer, 1986 Château Lynch-Bages and 1995 Château Haut-Brion on the night, it was an unbelievable feeling when our WOTN was the last bottle we opened: a demi of 1997 Château d'Yquem. There's never an occasion where mature d'Yquem doesn't steal the limelight, but that first whiff of tropical fruits (pineapple and mango) off the nose, coupled with oak and honeysuckle just lure you into such an elegant example of Sauternes. The palate had an upfront that had a very pronounced mango note that was balanced out with quince before the mid-palate introduced a light pineapple note that was elevated with baking spices. The finish added some weight and (relative) youthfulness with notes of herbs, licorice and vanilla, rounding out the wine extremely well. Late 1990s Château d'Yquem is in a great spot right now.

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