1961 Château d'Yquem

Community Tasting Notes (24) Avg Score: 91.7 points

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  4/18/2024 - Satoshi Nakamoto Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Served in a 375ml for 5 people, which was perfect. Thanks again, Raymond!
  
  Burnt sugar, marshmallow, butterscotch, peach marmalade, and creme brulee. Lengthy finish. For me, aged Sauternes could use more acid and energy, but the rich mouthfeel always makes it a pleasurable experience nonetheless.

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  12/31/2022 - RayOB Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Drank at 67
  Still young with much more sweetness than I expected.

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  10/28/2022 - Michael Hung Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Pristine fill and bottle for its age. PnP, drank over a hour. Immediately, pronounced notes of orange marmalade, bitter orange peel and pith, burnt caramel and creme brulee, rubber/tar. A little heavy and rich, doesn't have the superb balance of the best vintages, but showcasing a plethora of tertiary development. I had guessed alcohol to be 13.5% despite the overwhelming amount of heat resonating from the palate. The heat and bitter characteristics blew off after a hour in the glass, definitely allowing the Yquem to become much more enjoyable, floral, and allowing some hidden fruit to come out. Served alongside with a flourless chocolate cake (worked really well), foie gras with apples (worked amazing), and a grand marnier souffle (slightly disjointed pairing).
  
  Overall, an epic experience trying such an old Yquem. I can't see this getting any better with additional age, due to its imperfect balance. But this is also Yquem, so it will continue to keep for decades nonetheless. I would recommend opening a small pour in the glass alongside a decant for an optimal drinking experience.

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  10/17/2021 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points

  30x 1955 & 1961 (mostly Bdx): 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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  9/20/2021 - sirpat00 wrote: 92 Points

  Grand 1961 vs 1955 vintage tasting (Fribourg): Big 1961 vs 1955 tastings including 10 direct match-ups and 11 individual wines from 1961. The tasting was conducted in flights of 4, single-blind and with no previous decant with all bottles opened 1h prior to start. The line-up was dominated by Bordeaux reds, but also included 5 Sauternes, 1 Champagne, 3 Burgundy reds and 1 Ribera del Duero. The following observations are worth mentioning: i) 1961 generally came across as a better vintage today than 1955, ii) the performance correlated with the 1855 classification, iii) The most outstanding wines were outside of the Bordeaux reds with Veuve Clicquot Rosé '61, Vega Sicilia Unico '61 (both 97) and La Tour Blanche '61 (96) worth mentioning, iv) Top-performing Bordeaux was Margaux (95) in 1961 and Mouton in 1955. List of wines included in the tasting story.
  
  Tasting note:
  Distinctly smoky aroma profile in contrast to the more classic '55 next to it, also candid fruit, spice and sweet honey notes. Soft and well-balanced palate with a smoky aftertaste. A solid Yquem, but without the ability to leave a lasting impression, I found, and I did prefer the '55 somewhat.

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