1964 Château Beychevelle
Community Tasting Note
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Tuesday, February 11, 2014 - 1964 Château Beychevelle
In 1969, a friend gave me a bottle of 1964 Chateau Beychevelle on the occasion of the birth of my first child. In the past 45 years, the bottle has survived 8 household moves, stored in various stages of “cellaring” including temperature and non-compliant venues.
This being the 45th anniversary of that event, I shared the bottle with some friends at a Boy’s Night Out dinner. The friends I dined with are knowledgeable about food and wine and it was a fun thing to do.
It's always nice to be surprised when a wine shows much better than expected. Beychevelle was on top of their game in the 60's and this bottle shows why. The waiter opened the bottle with due care and the cork almost came out in one piece. It did break at the 2/3 point but it was moist and upon smelling the cork, it indicated that the wine was still good. The rest of the cork was removed without a problem and the first pour was greeted with anxious anticipation. We all tasted the small initial pour and agreed that it was remarkably good, but it should be decanted to see how it developed. The decentering showed very little sediment and we allowed the wine to sit for about 10 minutes. We were concerned that sometimes the wine will “peak” early and then fall off so we each were poured a few ounces to have a try. The nose was pleasing but not overwhelming. On first taste it was good, but not spectacular. It had a lot of tannins and was pleasant to the pallet. There were strong berries, truffle, smoke, tobacco, earth, plums and leather scent to a soft textured, medium/full bodied wine that is fully mature. The wine ended with a spice and cassis finish. It was a wonderful experience and I am happy that the bottle was in such perfect condition. You never know after 45 years. Happy Birthday Cynthia!
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