61s at 61

I’ve always had a fascination with the 1961 vintage in Bordeaux. Critics of the day such as Michael Broadbent almost universally declared it a 5 star vintage and a leading candidate for Vintage of the Century and one that could age very well. But at age 61 how many could still be alive? I decided to accumulate enough specimens to get a feel for them and put them to the test even though I was missing a few potential Right Bank superstars.

• 2009 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  This is the sunny and friendly vintage of Cristal to drink while you are waiting for your ‘08s and ‘12s to grow up. Butter, cream, Meyer lemon and nectarine make for a tasty cocktail. The mousse is relatively restrained and the finish is modest so I’m not sure about its lifespan but there’s plenty to enjoy now.

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• 2009 Dom Pérignon Champagne 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  Quite a contrast to the ‘09 Cristal alongside it, the ‘09 Dom Pérignon is much more reserved and displays the reductive Dom Pérignon character of coiled acidity, loads of minerals and whispy smoke. It lingers well and while a bit more open than the über-austere ‘08 it will reward quite a bit more time in bottle. A great palate cleanser for a big red wine tasting dinner.

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• 1961 Château Le Gay Pomerol 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  The starter wine for the ‘61 Bordeaux horizontal, the Le Gay showed surprisingly well for a property not renown in this vintage. The color displayed good saturation almost to the rim. The fruit is definitely alive, unique and nicely fragrant, with a touch of red to blend with the black. Held up rather well in the glass for a couple of hours before fading. The group favorite of the Flight 1.

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• 1961 Château Figeac 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  This bottle was recorked in 2005, a fact not revealed until you pull the cork but highly suspected by the mid neck level. However they did it was not terribly successful though since despite the nice color it tasted too old and lacked vigor. On the positive side there was a pleasant eucalyptus note that peeked through the stemmy flavor. Fortunately, over several hours it became more harmonious and focused. Since other bottles can perform much better this one is not representative.

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• 1961 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  The brawny aroma in the empty glass was actually the best part of the tasting experience since for the most part this bottle despite a good appearance was much too old. There’s a vestige of that GPL burly black fruit and Pauillac dirt but no where near enough. You can drink it for the experience if you want to but you probably don’t.

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• 1961 Château Margaux 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  You want to include the First Growths when you do a big Bordeaux horizontal tasting so I reluctantly added this to the list knowing it probably wouldn’t be very good. I was right although this bottle was actually slightly better than some previous ones. There is a hint of that violet flower fragrance of Margaux and even a bit of charm if you wish to be magnanimous but no where near enough to be very enjoyable. From a period when the estate was allegedly not managed carefully enough, showing that great terroir does not guarantee great wine even in a great vintage.

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• 1961 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Ducru has always been touted as one of the most successful and longest lived second growths of the vintage and this bottle showed why. Not as mellow and sweet as it optimally can be, it nevertheless wins you over with its staggering complexity and harmony. While the core of fruit is obviously tertiary there’s enough to ensure both your nose and your palate are satisfied as you continue to sniff and sip it as the hours roll on. The group favorite of Flight 2.

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• 1961 Château Léoville Las Cases 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Does Léoville Las Cases ever become fully mature? Well eventually it does but you have to wait a few eons. Yet even at age 61 this LLC is no where near its deathbed. Very dark ruby, no rust, the darkest shade of any bottle on the table. Really impressive depth and concentration with a pleasant top note of mint. As usual with Léoville Las Cases, even at this advanced age it’s stern and not especially subtle or variegated so it’s more about thrust and power than sheer beauty. Still there is much to admire even if you don’t fall in love.

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• 1961 Château Léoville Barton 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  A nice showing for the Barton, mostly due to its distinctiveness. I couldn’t identify the smell but after a few passes the closest I could come was “concrete.” Doesn’t sound too pleasant but as often the case with wine, aromas or flavors that originate outside the garden or forest can be intriguing and enjoyable. It fortunately didn’t taste like what I image concrete tastes like but it lives in a dimension well beyond fruit.

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• 1961 Château Gruaud Larose Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  TCA. Actually drinkable for a few minutes before it became unbearably stinky.

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• 1961 Château Ausone 85 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  A bonus bottle since the Gruaud Larose was corked. I was hoping this example would show better than a mediocre one a few years ago but it was not to be. The foundation is sound but the furniture is creaky. Herbaceous and drying out, even slightly stinky, it’s not corked or bretty but its best days were in the distant past.

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• 1961 Château Calon-Ségur 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  This bottle with very top shoulder ullage emanated from the pristine cellar of famed California collector Ben Ichinose who apparently purchased it on or near release. As with all the old bottles from this cache the color is stunningly youthful. While apparently 1961 is not an especially lauded vintage for Calon, you could not tell from this bottle. Extremely concentrated and lively. Black licorice flavors. Excellent tannins. Slightly coarse. Very St.-Estèphe. Not so much beautiful as impressive. A great display of the advantage of perfect provenance.

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• 1961 Château Montrose 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  While not quite as impressive to me as the Calon-Ségur, most of the others disagreed. Spicy and lingering with more than a hint of tar. Despite its blackness it is not at all dry. A bit more variety of flavor than the Calon with a sightly softer finish but that’s splitting hairs. A steak wine for sure.

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• 1961 Château Haut-Brion 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  As so often the case when successful, Haut-Brion is the most elegant wine of the left bank. Fortunately we were blessed with a wonderful example where the potpourri of gentle woodsmoke, blackberry, balsamic and dates is effortlessly seductive. A mild sensation of sweetness adds to the allure. A beauty suspended in time.

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• 1961 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  While wonderful as usual this bottle of La Mission Haut-Brion was slightly less dazzling than perfect examples, delicious as it was. The usual concoction of cranberry and bonfire with a touch of creosote was all there, just missing a tiny bit of focus and precision. Excellent tannins and acidity. Could easily be Wine of the Night on most evenings, just not tonight.

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• 1961 Château Lafite Rothschild 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  After their great success in 1959 you would assume Lafite could duplicate it in a vintage as great as nineteen sixty-one but you would be mistaken. Some critics assign to blame to the lengthy assemblage that year from many barrels but that doesn’t really explain it completely to me. There is a lot of bottle variation yet even the best ones are just very good although light and pretty. This bottle looked great with its very top shoulder fill and good color. Too much green olive though and the overall impression is a modest and pleasant survivor but you would not guess it was a famous first growth. Over time it got more astringent rather than opening up.

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• 1961 Château Latour Grand Vin 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Arguably the most revered wine of the vintage, the 1961 Latour can certainly be a monumental bottle of wine and this one was very close. Deep red ruby, minimal orange. Really, really intense which somehow is not just due to concentration, something rare and only found in the greatest of wines. Statuesque and regal. Pleasure divided equally to the intellect and the palate. The reason why you want to lay down certain wines for your grandchildren. Bordeaux at its finest. Tied for Wine of the Night for the group.

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• 1961 Château Mouton Rothschild 98 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Staggering. Exciting. Thrilling. The complete package for old Mouton and presumably a strong reason to elevate Mouton to first growth in 1973. Usually a wine becomes softer and more gravelly as it ages but somehow Mouton retains its opulence for decades. The sweet black minty fruit is stunning. Only a slightly elevated acidity makes it short of perfection. It gets better in the glass as it breathes. My Wine of the Night and tied with Latour as the group favorite.

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• 1961 Château Palmer 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Many critics have anointed Palmer as wine of the vintage. No doubt it is one of their greatest successes ever. This bottle from the cellars of Mähler-Besse was recorked by them in 1999. Previous bottles I drank from the same lot were near perfection. Unfortunately this one was slightly off due to an excess of acidity. Some of the famous Palmer mulberry fragrance and flavor was there and it was certainly enjoyable but the acidity was distracting. Too bad you can’t taste the bottle before purchasing it.

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• 1976 Château d'Yquem 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  This bottle of ‘76 Yquem is a real beauty. You can guess from the medium saturation of the orange color that perhaps it will not be as blowsy or flamboyant as some. The usual fragrance of orange, tangerine, cinnamon, clove and honeysuckle are wonderfully harmonious and there’s a judicious acidity to frame the lavish but not overbearing fruit. Very sweet but not dripping with botrytis. It’s so fresh it seems quite a bit younger than it is. Wonderful stuff and further proof of the superior age-ability of Château d’Yquem.

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Many of these wines showed fatigue and lacked sufficient fruit and energy. Yet two were spectacular and showed the mysterious depth, complexity and sheer beauty that no young wines have. Several more were outstanding and a testament to the great age ability of Bordeaux.