160 year anniversary of 1855 classiffication of Grands Crus classees
Tasted Saturday, April 18, 2015 by AV2012 with 478 views
Introduction
On 18.04.2015 it was exactly 160 years since the famous 1855 classification originated. A good day to compare Bordeaux of legendary '61 from both river banks to some other red wines of the best regions from the same time period.
NV Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Réserve 92 Points
France, Champagne
An older bottle from late 70s. Blindly one would say that it is from late 80s, just so lively it is. Concentrated, brioche, good kick. Very similar to the previous bottle.
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1961 Château Pavie 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Quite lively, bright colour for the age, dark with a brickish meniscus. Nose starts off metalic, then comes smoke, smoked sausage, later tobacco, a bit of tar. Medium intensity palate, noticeable but fine tannins. Excellent structure. This was a fragile, but very rewarding wine.
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1961 Château Talbot 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien
Nose starts off more intense than Pavie '61. There's some sweet note, may be hint of vanilla, certainly smoked meat as well as noticeable vegetable notes. Cabernet Sauvignon character was evident, but I am also sure that there's was at least 15% of Cabernet Franc in the blend. Very good balance, rather round, silky tannins. With time there appeared a chocolate note on the finish.
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1961 Lupé-Cholet Gevrey-Chambertin 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
Quite dark colour for a 50+ y.o Burgundy, but clear, lively and beautiful. Nose of dried strawberries, forest floor, some oh-so-pleasant farmyard, some burned sugar. Silky on the palate, but there's still some tannins in the wine. Round, rather rich and I would even say quaffable. There was a certain sweetness to it, it was almost a little bit cloying on the finish.
I suspect given the widespread practice of that time negotiants (and Lupé-Cholet was one of them), that a fair share of red Rhone wines were added to this Gevrey-Chambertin, doubt that otherwise it would still be so bold. An excellent experience nevertheless.
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1964 La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva 904 Flawed
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Nose starts off with barnyard, animal notes, typical pickle aromas, mushrooms. Quite fullfilling on the palate, good accidity, silky, integrated tannins, some herbal and oaky-vanilla notes. Unfortunately it also had this typical corky smell of public pool and chloride.
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1964 Berberana Rioja Cosecha Especial 95 Points
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
This was a substitue for the corked Rioja Alta GR 904 and what a substitute it was! Superb bouquet of autumn flowers (!), some pleasant farmyard and forest floor, some pickle. Very fine, nuanced and elegant. Medium light, but muscular body. Outstanding on the nose and on the palate, my WOTN.
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1964 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo 89 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Very dark, bricky colour. There's notes of fino Jerez, spices, Christmas spices, burnt sugar, licorice, tar as well as mushroom, truffle and hot, cooked fruits. I wonder if it got some slight heat damage somewhere in its life? Quite typical of a mature Barolo though. Paired well with mushroom risotto.
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1964 Château Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 89 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Lots and lots of very fine sediment, just like an older Barolo. The lighest colour of all the wines of the evening, with a bright red brick colour. On the nose there's truffle, may be a hint of dill, pickle. Integrated tannins, mild, integrated taste of marinade and sweetness, sweet, metallic black tea. There's also some meat and cola on the nose, the palate seems a bit spritzy, which is interesting. We discussed that this CdP was the most reminiscent of a Burgundy as it should be. Light and even ethereal at some point.
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1964 Staatsweingut Meersburg Meersburger Rieschen Ruländer Trockenbeerenauslese 90 Points
Germany, Baden
Quite dark, but clear colour. Sweet apple puree with cream, fried apple, burned sugar. Palate mirrors the nose, but there's also some rye bread soup coming into play. Rulander TBA evidently has a smaller concentration and intensity than Riesling TBA, even for TBA.
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