Legends only: 15 Bordeaux & 2 Heitz MV Magnums

This tasting by a profiled collector and merchant was a long time in the making with bottles added to the collection over many, many years from trusted and inspected cellars and collectors only. The prepartion of the wines was immaculate (double decanted 3+ hours prior to consumption), the bottles have been authenticated by the a group of experienced collectors and the fill levels (as far as I could see) were quite good for all wines. The level was incredibly high with almost all bottles showing great and only the 1959 Haut Brion as an off bottle.

So many of these wines are unicorns these days and it's a great privilege and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to taste them but we got all of these out of magnums (and one double magnum and one 6L)! This is even more humbling and sadly, it's certain that I won't cross path with these wines ever again.

Note: root day

• 1999 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese 94 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  From a 6L bottle (only a handful filled through a merchant). Decanted for roughly 2 hours. With 22 years of age, this Auslese is in a beautiful spot, it drinks so effortlessly from start to finish with the purity and the most impressive balance between the sweet components and the laser sharp acidity being the highlight. Probably the most delicate and luxurious Riesling I've had to date. Why only 94 pts? The nose showed rather muted and it the complexity on the palate could have been higher. Anyway, this is fantastic. I'm always impressed how these aged Auslesen with their sweetness are so incredibly enjoyable and perfect to start an evening (when done right, like in this case).
  
  TN: On the nose, this is quite shy. Some citrus and wet slate aromas shine trough but it is not overly expressive. Much better on the palate with fine lime, citrus cake, wet slate minerality, some spices. It doesnt shine with a very high complexity but with its purity and the superb balance between sweetness and freshness. It has a good intensity and mid palate weight but make no mistake, this is all about finesse. The balance and harmony are excellent, the finish has a good length with this wonderful sweetness and freshness.

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• 1961 Château Margaux 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  From magnum. Double decanted 3-4 hours prior to consumption. Quintessential Bordeaux, this Margaux was firing on all cylinders. Not famous for being one of the great 1961s, this magnum showed very complex, perfectly delineated, clean and harmonious, almost young-ish and fresh. Compared to a regular bottle I‘ve had to months ago (rated 95 pts) this showed much more power and intensity, fresher and better delinated. A winner. 97 to 98 pts.
  
  TN: Explosive nose which puts you directly into Bordeaux heaven. Intense and super precise aromas of tobacco, black truffles, old leather, black tea and underneath a fresh dark fruit core. Superb nose. On the palate, the wine glides down effortlessly across your tongue with such a fine structure, molten tannins with no hard edges, superb freshness, perfect balance and a broad array of aromas mostly in the teritary spectrum with wet forest floor, leather, truffles, black tea, some spices, fine dark berries. Nothing in the dried spectrum, everything fresh. Just wow. Such a complete wine with so much life and tension, yet the perfect softness.

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• 1969 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Magnum face-off Heitz MV 1969 vs 1974. Both wines double decanted 3-4 hours prior to consumption. Two Napa Valley legends side by side is a big privilege to drink and both bottles showed incredibly good. The 1974 (rated 99 pts) is close to perfection thanks to unbelievable complexity, perfect delineation and the most wonderful structure. I’m sure that this would have been a triple digit score if I could have followed the wine over a few hours. The 1969 (rated 95+ pts) is dominated by the strong mint/eucalyptus component from the nose to the finish. Still, the wine isn’t monolithic on the palate but not as complex as the 1974 either. The structural frame is impeccable. Some points deducted as there are some unwanted cellar stink aromas in the background.
  
  TN: Very expressive nose full of the typical mint, eucalyptus and fresh spearmint aromas. The wine is exhaling out of the glass, filling the room with the mint/eucylputs scent. Underneath some fine dark and dark red berries, but only in the background. Impressive precision. On the nose and througout the palate there are some slight stinky cellar notes which impair the experience a bit but then there is so much substance and especially the intense minty notes that cover that well up most of the time. On the palate this equally great, with so much freshness and tension, perfect balance and harmony between the super spices and minty notes and the still fresh and young dark fruit. Molten tannins, perfectly round and integrated acidity, very good harmony and balance. Not as layered as the 1974 in the next glass and not as clean but still, this is a fantastic wine.

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• 1974 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard 99 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Magnum face-off Heitz MV 1969 vs 1974. Both wines double decanted 3-4 hours prior to consumption. Two Napa Valley legends side by side is a big privilege to drink and both bottles showed incredibly good. The 1974 (rated 99 pts) is close to perfection thanks to unbelievable complexity, perfect delineation and the most wonderful structure. I’m sure that this would have been a triple digit score if I could have followed the wine over a few hours. The 1969 (rated 95+ pts) is dominated by the strong mint/eucalyptus component from the nose to the finish. Still, the wine isn’t monolithic on the palate but not as complex as the 1974 either. The structural frame is impeccable. Some points deducted as there are some unwanted cellar stink aromas in the background.
  
  TN: Expressive nose with some reductive notes, smoke, superb fresh dark fruit and of course mint and eucalyptus notes. Compared to the 1969 in the next glass, this shows much more layered on the nose (the 1969 is mint only). Super clean, and impressive precision. A superb nose but not perfect. On the palate this is incredible, so dense and young, so layered and all aromas with absolute precision. Much more complex than the 1969 with a rainbow of fresh and jammy red, dark red, dark berries. Good minerality lending the wine freshness, together with lots of nutty notes, lots of minty notes (but not as dominating as with the 69), lots of herbs, a bit of malt. Just absolute greatness and perfect. Wow, this is the best Napa Cap I ever had. Incredible.

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• 1945 Château Latour Grand Vin 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Battle between three 1945 Bordeaux legends - all from magnum! Certainly once in a lifetime opportunity. All double decanted 3-4 hours prior to consumption. The winner was the Petrus (rated 96+ pts) which is pure elegance in a bottle without a shred of weight and with every aroma painted with the finest brush strokes. Very Burgundian, absolutely mesmerizing. The palate would have deserved a higher score but bouquet was a bit shy. The Vieux Chateau Certain (rated 95 pts) was dark and wild, very intense and complex. Some probably unripe Cabernet Sauvignon berries went into the blend which lend the wine freshness and add to the complexity. The “weakest” wine among the 45s was the Latour (rated 92 pts) which showed a bit evolved on the nose and a bit thinned out on the palate which, however, showed a beautifully pure sweetness.
  
  TN: Intense, expressive nose with lots of dried dark fruit, lots of malty and nutty aromas, some fresh berries, minty and spicy notes. But overall this is a very evolved nose, not over the hill but you have to like that aroma profile. On the palate this is fresher and a tad younger but it cannot hide that the best days are long gone. It shows nice fresh herbs, minty and fresher dark fruit notes which with time get sweeter and sweet but overall it is still a bit thin with not enough complexity, mid palate weight and finish. With more time in the glass, the palate got better with more sweet and creamy dark fruit taking the reign. Overall a good wine but without exceptionalism.

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• 1945 Vieux Château Certan 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Battle between three 1945 Bordeaux legends - all from magnum! Certainly once in a lifetime opportunity. All double decanted 3-4 hours prior to consumption. The winner was the Petrus (rated 96+ pts) which is pure elegance in a bottle without a shred of weight and with every aroma painted with the finest brush strokes. Very Burgundian, absolutely mesmerizing. The palate would have deserved a higher score but bouquet was a bit shy. The Vieux Chateau Certain (rated 95 pts) was dark and wild, very intense and complex. Some probably unripe Cabernet Sauvignon berries went into the blend which lend the wine freshness and add to the complexity. The “weakest” wine among the 45s was the Latour (rated 92 pts) which showed a bit evolved on the nose and a bit thinned out on the palate which, however, showed a beautifully pure sweetness.
  
  TN: Surprisingly dark color. Expressive nose full of ripe dark fruit, spices, old leather, fresh herbs. Quite intriguing but also demanding. Pure fresh, probably slightly green but that works great with the `45 ripeness and for me is definitely more a feature than fault. But overall intriguing nose. On the palate this is quite young and even wild. Lots of fresh fruit, fresh herbs and minerality. Not yet superbly integrated this will need more time to calme down. Hardly any tertiary development detectable beside some wet forest floor aromas. Still a wall of tannins with some rough edges and a not yet perfectly integrated acidity. With more time in the glass the wine got round and rounder but remained much wilder than all other wines in the series and the evening. Still, this is a lot of fun to drink, very intriguing and complex and with superb precision. 95 pts.

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• 1945 Pétrus 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Battle between three 1945 Bordeaux legends - all from magnum! Certainly once in a lifetime opportunity. All double decanted 3-4 hours prior to consumption. The winner was the Petrus (rated 96+ pts) which is pure elegance in a bottle without a shred of weight and with every aroma painted with the finest brush strokes. Very Burgundian, absolutely mesmerizing. The palate would have deserved a higher score but bouquet was a bit shy. The Vieux Chateau Certain (rated 95 pts) was dark and wild, very intense and complex. Some probably unripe Cabernet Sauvignon berries went into the blend which lend the wine freshness and add to the complexity. The “weakest” wine among the 45s was the Latour (rated 92 pts) which showed a bit evolved on the nose and a bit thinned out on the palate which, however, showed a beautifully pure sweetness.
  
  TN: Quite dark colored. Medium+ expressive with loads of minerality and an array of dark berries. Seems much younger. The nose feels luxurious but understated, it doesn‘t have the expressiveness and intensity of most other wines tonight. On the palate, however, this is absolutely incredible. It is so fresh, young, vibrant and full of tension and at the same time there is this absolute elegance, the most luxurious structure, no weight at all. Very delicate but intense red berries, other dark red fruits as well as flat out black cassis fruit, such a beautiful sweetness, still fresh, not too ripe. Wow. In addition, meaty notes, such a wonderful herbal and earthy component, very fine tobacco, some old leather, superb minty freshness, so much minty and spicy notes. Incredibly complex and so precise and all embedded in that most perfect structure with a perfect harmony and a long finish. 96 to 97 pts from a technical standpoint. Easily a 100 pts experience given the rarity and history of this bottle.

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• 1947 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Mouton vs Mission 1947. Both from magnums and double decanted 4 hours prior to consumption. Two very strong wines and a close race with the Mouton (rated 97 pts) slightly edging out the Mission (95 pts). Both wines were a bit shy on the nose and showed much stronger on the palate. Quite different int style, the Mission was quintessential Pessac with the typical mix of fresh fruits, loads of tobacco and minerality, while the Mouton showed like a quintessential Mouton full of burnt sugar and coffee notes with that extra touch of seductiveness and sweetness. Both wines have had an equally good structural frame and a lot of life left in the tank, especially from magnum.
  
  TN: Medium expressive nose, with smoke, dark fruit, tobacco and minerality. With time more intense and smokey and with lots of black tea notes. Not expressive and precise enough to fully convince. A whole other story on the palate where the wine sings from the attack till the long finish. Very good sweetness with fresh dark and dark red berries, some blue fruit too, lots of minerality and tobacco. Some herbs too, some malty notes. Quite complete wine although not as complex as many other wines in this tasting. The structure is impeccable with a wall of fine and slightly velvety tannins, superb freshness, nicely creamy structure. Good weight, good balance and harmony.

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• 1947 Château Mouton Rothschild 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Mouton vs Mission 1947. Both from magnums and double decanted 4 hours prior to consumption. Two very strong wines and a close race with the Mouton (rated 97 pts) slightly edging out the Mission (95 pts). Both wines were a bit shy on the nose and showed much stronger on the palate. Quite different int style, the Mission was quintessential Pessac with the typical mix of fresh fruits, loads of tobacco and minerality, while the Mouton showed like a quintessential Mouton full of burnt sugar and coffee notes with that extra touch of seductiveness and sweetness. Both wines have had an equally good structural frame and a lot of life left in the tank, especially from magnum.
  
  TN: The nose is medium expressive with a fine fruit core and some minerality and malty notes. But not much more. On the palate this shows a potpourri of red and dark berries, there is still so much fresh and pure fruit, very little dried fruit. Additional layers of malty and slightly nutty notes, fine herbs and a nice mineral backbone. Such a wonderful sweetness paired with a spicy and herbal freshness. Superb freshness, molten tannins, good tension and vivacity. With time a wonderful coffee and barnyard layer adds to the complexity. Good mid palate weight, intense yet light as a feather. Very good, long and expanding finish. This is a fantastic wine, so much fun to drink and easily worth 96-97 pts. With a better bouquet it could have been even higher.

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• 1924 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 98 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  From double magnum. Double decanted roughly 4 hours prior to consumption. This is a crazy wine, so singular in its expression with all the caramel and nutty notes dominating everything. It drinks almost like a dessert. Very complex and hyper precise. It has not the balance and harmony of most other wines we had that night (but this was not officially part of the legends tasting but a table wine for the dinner that followed) but is still an amazing wine.
  
  TN: Bombastic nose, very expressive full of caramel, coffee and toffee notes, so much nutty notes are dominating here, with dark fruit core underneath with loads of herbs. The nose is quite singular, I couldn‘t stop smelling the wine. Definitely 100 pts here. On the palate there is a beautiful sweetness with blue and dark berries and again so much nutty, toffee notes, tobacco, lots and lots of fresh provencal herbs and minty notes as well as a beautiful minerality. Truly singular and spectacular with all aromas delivered in UHD. The tannins melted away but the wine still holds well together with lots vivacity. The acidity is probably a bit too pronounced. The wine has a beautiful fresh feel with the perfect amount of creaminess. Long and expanding, highly complex finish with a touch too much acidity. This is great and easily worth 97 to 98 pts. If the acidity would have been better integrated, this could have been a perfect wine.

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• 1900 Château Lafite Rothschild 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Tasting this wine legend from a pristine magnum is a truly humble experience. The wine was double decanted roughly 4 hours prior to consumption which helped it to open up but the wine constantly improved further in the glass. It is all about finesse, shows highly complex with almost perfect precision, has still a beautiful sweetness and lots life left. It is very Burgundian, light as a feather with no weight. Without doubt the best Lafite I ever had and I‘m quite sure that I could have followed the wine over more than just 45 minutes, my score would be even higher as the wine kept evolving and adding complexity and weight.
  
  TN: First nose, incredibly expressive full power nose full of reductive notes, stingy oak, dark red fruit, cedar and tobacco. Super sexy and inviting. On the palate, the first impression is a bit mixed as the wine quickly disappears after the impressive attack. But with more time in the glass the wine gets much more impressive with such a light and airy structure and texture but good mid palate weight and an expanding finish. But this is never about power but all about elegance and finesse. Very delicate and fine red strawberry notes, other red berries and some darker fruit notes, in all shapes, pure and fresh as well as candied and dried, it gains so much sweetness with every minute, and then there is that fresh minerality and nice herbal component, still these fine toasty notes and some more reduction notes. The purity is incredible, the precision of the charts, all the lines are so clean. The tannins are completly molten but still, there is so much tension and vivacity in the wine. A perfectly integrated acidity, very fine texture with the right amount of creaminess. A marvel and a great privilege to taste this wine.

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• 1959 Château Haut-Brion Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Four Haut Brions legends, all tasted from magnums. All double decanted 4 hours prior to consumption. Narrow winner was the 1945 (rated 97 pts) which showed such an intriguing, pure fruit sweetness and showed absolutely weightless. This was quite the contrast to the other Haut Brions which were all quite similar in style, with a darker appearance and much more about raw intensity with unbelievable complexity and the fruit rather in the dried/port-like spectrum. Equally good was the 1934 (rated 96 pts) which must rank among the most complex Bordeauxs I’ve ever had and which showed quite airy, despite all the intensity. The 1929 (rated 93 pts) showed similar to the 1934 and almost equally complex but didn’t had the same absolute airiness and hence, was a bit too overwhelming and heavy. I don’t doubt that for wine lovers who like these port-like aromas and Malaga, Brandy notes more than I do, the 1934 and 1929 would have been a 100 pts experiences. The 1959 (NR) was sadly not an ideal bottle and clearly well past its prime (which is not normal for a 1959).
  
  TN: Sadly, this bottle showed very advanced with lots of curry and broath-like aromas. It was still drinkable as there was so much substance on the palate but clearly not an ideal bottle and hence no rating. I’ve had this before (rated 96 pts) and it was much fresher and without all this fault age aromas.

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• 1945 Château Haut-Brion 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Four Haut Brions legends, all tasted from magnums. All double decanted 4 hours prior to consumption. Narrow winner was the 1945 (rated 97 pts) which showed such an intriguing, pure fruit sweetness and showed absolutely weightless. This was quite the contrast to the other Haut Brions which were all quite similar in style, with a darker appearance and much more about raw intensity with unbelievable complexity and the fruit rather in the dried/port-like spectrum. Equally good was the 1934 (rated 96 pts) which must rank among the most complex Bordeauxs I’ve ever had and which showed quite airy, despite all the intensity. The 1929 (rated 93 pts) showed similar to the 1934 and almost equally complex but didn’t had the same absolute airiness and hence, was a bit too overwhelming and heavy. I don’t doubt that for wine lovers who like these port-like aromas and Malaga, Brandy notes more than I do, the 1934 and 1929 would have been a 100 pts experiences. The 1959 (NR) was sadly not an ideal bottle and clearly well past its prime (which is not normal for a 1959).
  
  TN: Much brighter than the 1934 and 1929 we had in the other glasses in this flight. Sweet fresh, pure strawberries, candied strawberries, some herbs and black tea notes on the nose. Very delicate and inviting. Very feminine. On the palate the wine shows much more intensity than on the nose with very fresh, not dried or too ripe red and dark red as well as floral aromas. So beautifully sweet. Additional malt, herbal, mineral, tobacco, iron minerality layers and a very intriguing layer of nutty aromas. The tannins are still slight noticeable and the wine has great tension. The acidity is high and keeps the wine young and fresh but at times it is a bit too pronounced and not perfectly integrated. Very fine creamy texture, no excess weight, very airy and light and a very long finish driven by fruit and malty notes. A very harmonious and complete wine and lots of fun to drink. Easily 96 to 97 pts and I guess if I would have had more time, the score would have climbed higher.

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• 1934 Château Haut-Brion 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Four Haut Brions legends, all tasted from magnums. All double decanted 4 hours prior to consumption. Narrow winner was the 1945 (rated 97 pts) which showed such an intriguing, pure fruit sweetness and showed absolutely weightless. This was quite the contrast to the other Haut Brions which were all quite similar in style, with a darker appearance and much more about raw intensity with unbelievable complexity and the fruit rather in the dried/port-like spectrum. Equally good was the 1934 (rated 96 pts) which must rank among the most complex Bordeauxs I’ve ever had and which showed quite airy, despite all the intensity. The 1929 (rated 93 pts) showed similar to the 1934 and almost equally complex but didn’t had the same absolute airiness and hence, was a bit too overwhelming and heavy. I don’t doubt that for wine lovers who like these port-like aromas and Malaga, Brandy notes more than I do, the 1934 and 1929 would have been a 100 pts experiences. The 1959 (NR) was sadly not an ideal bottle and clearly well past its prime (which is not normal for a 1959).
  
  TN: Very intense, expressive nose full of malty notes, black tea, herbs and crushed rocks, very dense, inpenetreable just like the almost black color of the wine. Very inviting, sexy and intellectual at the same time. On the palate this is fresh and vivid, with a wall of very fine tannins, molten and without edges but still superbly structured. The acidity is there and perfectly integrated. The texture is surprisingly airy despite all the intensity. A pleathora of aromas from loads of malty aromas to dried fruit to fresh black fruit, lots of herbs and minerality, old leather, hints of tobacco (I would have wished for more). Beautiful from the attack and than expanding into the mid palate and towards a long finish. This is such an intriguing wine with that unexplicable layerdness but as mentioned above, not my favorit aroma spectrum. Technically this is quite perfect or probably it is perfect.

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• 1929 Château Haut-Brion 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Four Haut Brions legends, all tasted from magnums. All double decanted 4 hours prior to consumption. Narrow winner was the 1945 (rated 97 pts) which showed such an intriguing, pure fruit sweetness and showed absolutely weightless. This was quite the contrast to the other Haut Brions which were all quite similar in style, with a darker appearance and much more about raw intensity with unbelievable complexity and the fruit rather in the dried/port-like spectrum. Equally good was the 1934 (rated 96 pts) which must rank among the most complex Bordeauxs I’ve ever had and which showed quite airy, despite all the intensity. The 1929 (rated 93 pts) showed similar to the 1934 and almost equally complex but didn’t had the same absolute airiness and hence, was a bit too overwhelming and heavy. I don’t doubt that for wine lovers who like these port-like aromas and Malaga, Brandy notes more than I do, the 1934 and 1929 would have been a 100 pts experiences. The 1959 (NR) was sadly not an ideal bottle and clearly well past its prime (which is not normal for a 1959).
  
  TN: Expressive nose full of black tea, bergamot, hertbs and mint candy, malty aromas. A bit more understated than the 34 which is completely in your face. On the palate, this is very intense, but lacks the sweetness of the 34 and 45 we had next to it. It very much remains in the malty, herbal, black tea spetrum. Very old port/madeira like aromatics. And it misses a touch of creaminess too but first and foremost, this is slightly too heavy with not the perfect airiness to handle all that substance. Still, this is a great wine with molten tannins, good textural depth and a never ending finish. It is still a fascinating wine with a good balance. As mentioned above: for lovers of old port/madeira wines, this deserves a higher rating than the 93 pts. For me the still fresh, pure fruit, fruit that is not only in the dried spectrum and especially a touch more acidity and textural lightness was missing.

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• 1967 Château d'Yquem 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Three Sauternes magnums to finish this legends tasting. On paper, the Yquem 1967 (rated 94 pts) should have carried it home but the Guiraud 1921 (rated 96 pts) and 1896 (rated 98 pts) outshined it today. Yquem 1967 is among the legendary vintages for this wine but it’s a controversial vintage too. For some it is too sweet and slightly cloying, some others say that there are two different bottlings and only one is really great - the bottles that are quite dark today. Despite the dark colour of our bottle, it felt too sweet at first and only with 30+ more minutes in the glass it became better. My guess is this would have needed several hours in the decanter to fully shine. Both Guirauds were dark as motor oil, full of sweetness but with a high acidity to balance it and both showed hyper intense and incredibly complex. The 1921 got some points deducted as it didn’t have the perfect balance with the acidity too prominent on the mid palate and finish. The 1896 had a beautiful harmony of sweetness and freshness and was even more complex but that intensity was almost too much to handle for me (like an old PX or Port). But anyway, all three bottles were a lot of fun to drink.
  
  TN: Slight citrus, malt, dark spices on the nose. Not as much expression as you would expect from an Yquem (from a great vintage) but maybe that‘s just a matter giving it more air in the glass. On the palate, it‘s super intense but to be honest not very complex and a touch too sweet. The last sips after 30 minutes showed much better with less overt sweetness and more of the saffron/spices aromas that are Yquem, in addition much purer citrus and lime fruit shining through, some quince and peach aromas too and again some malty. It didn’t show as complex as other great vintages I’ve had recently (most notably the 1948, 1983 or 2001) but maybe another hour or two in a decanter would have done the trick. 91/92 pts at first and 95 pts towards the end.

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• 1921 Château Guiraud 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Three Sauternes magnums to finish this legends tasting. On paper, the Yquem 1967 (rated 94 pts) should have carried it home but the Guiraud 1921 (rated 96 pts) and 1896 (rated 98 pts) outshined it today. Yquem 1967 is among the legendary vintages for this wine but it’s a controversial vintage too. For some it is too sweet and slightly cloying, some others say that there are two different bottlings and only one is really great - the bottles that are quite dark today. Despite the dark colour of our bottle, it felt too sweet at first and only with 30+ more minutes in the glass it became better. My guess is this would have needed several hours in the decanter to fully shine. Both Guirauds were dark as motor oil, full of sweetness but with a high acidity to balance it and both showed hyper intense and incredibly complex. The 1921 got some points deducted as it didn’t have the perfect balance with the acidity too prominent on the mid palate and finish. The 1896 had a beautiful harmony of sweetness and freshness and was even more complex but that intensity was almost too much to handle for me (like an old PX or Port). But anyway, all three bottles were a lot of fun to drink.
  
  TN: Almost brown color. A touch oily from the looks. Medium intense nose with malty notes, herbs and balck tea, licorice, spices. Quinte intense and very precise. On the palate this is incredibly dense and powerful, with lots of malty aromas, nuts, citrus, lime, orange zest, asian spices, lots of coffee, prunes and some curry notes. This is very fresh but the acidity is not perfectly integrated and towards the end of the mid palate and in the finish, it is too pronounced. Anyway, this is a fascinating wine with new aromas popping up with every sip. 96 to 97 pts.

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• 1896 Château Guiraud 98 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Three Sauternes magnums to finish this legends tasting. On paper, the Yquem 1967 (rated 94 pts) should have carried it home but the Guiraud 1921 (rated 96 pts) and 1896 (rated 98 pts) outshined it today. Yquem 1967 is among the legendary vintages for this wine but it’s a controversial vintage too. For some it is too sweet and slightly cloying, some others say that there are two different bottlings and only one is really great - the bottles that are quite dark today. Despite the dark colour of our bottle, it felt too sweet at first and only with 30+ more minutes in the glass it became better. My guess is this would have needed several hours in the decanter to fully shine. Both Guirauds were dark as motor oil, full of sweetness but with a high acidity to balance it and both showed hyper intense and incredibly complex. The 1921 got some points deducted as it didn’t have the perfect balance with the acidity too prominent on the mid palate and finish. The 1896 had a beautiful harmony of sweetness and freshness and was even more complex but that intensity was almost too much to handle for me (like an old PX or Port). But anyway, all three bottles were a lot of fun to drink.
  
  TN: Almost black color. The nose is not that expressive but the palate is. It shows incredibly dense, incredibly complex, with a very high sweetness and at the same time it is extremely fresh. Finely structured and textured, an explosion like you hardly ever experience one. Coffee, malt, herbs, spices, lime and citrus, nutty notes, licorice, smoke, lots of saffron, black tea, caramel all very well defined and hyper intense. Somehow this is too much to handel for me. Enjoy with caution. 97 to 98 pts.

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