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My Bordeaux: the 1960s
The renowned propensity of Bordeaux wines to age allows us today to taste wines from the 1960s that are extraordinarily expressive and have amazing elegance.
Why Bordeaux wines can age so long, while continuing to improve, remains a mystery and not only in Bordeaux. Without resorting to the “3-methyl-2.4-adiene” calculation, the recent method to predict a wine’s lifespan, there are many other factors that determine their propensity to age, including alcohol level, acidity, quantity of polyphenols and, above all, the balance between these components.
Even this decade, which has been more or less snubbed by critics, is now offering extraordinary satisfaction. The wines from the 1960s decade, many vintages of which did not seem to have a positive future when they came out, are today revealing magnificent complexity and finesse. Surprisingly, as always, they still have a dense color, a bold garnet, which never leans toward orange nor appears excessively evolved.,
For sure, how a wine has been kept is a determining factor (bottles never moved after acquisition, preservation in cellars at a constant temperature of 12-14°C year-long and at a constant humidity level of 70-80% and far from street vibrations and direct sunlight to avoid undesired photo-oxidation) but at the same time these wines confirm their extraordinary propensity to age.
The 1960s in Bordeaux, while not having top vintages (with the exception of the stratospheric 1961, considered one of the greatest of the century), today offer wines with extraordinary expressiveness and amazing elegance. These are by now auction wines, as reflected by their prices.
Pauillac Premier Cru Classé 1968 Château Latour
96/100 - € 700
Here is the first example of a vintage not celebrated when it came out but is astounding in a glass today. It has a bold, pronounced garnet color and a bouquet rich in rounded sensations of underbrush, resin, shag tobacco and loquat. The mouthfeel is very broad, elegant silk and wrapping. A wine to drink by the bucket.
Pauillac Premier Cru Classé 1967 Château Lafite Rothschild
94/100 - € 800
A ruby-red color leaning towards a distinct, compact garnet. The bouquet is initially compressed but then extends magnificently with notes of aromatic herbs, rhubarb, sweet licorice and graphite. The mouthfeel is almost rounded thanks to its beguiling softness, while at the same time unleashing great energy and aristocratic texture.
Saint Emilion Premier Cru Classé 1966 Château Cheval Blanc
95/100 - € 800
Perfect bottle aging for this small gem that has a bold, garnet color with a lovely transparency and some residual luminosity. The aromas are decidedly “animal”, hide and tanned leather, with the richness of spice and garnished with peppercorn and mace. The mouthfeel is covetous with its roundness, settled tannins and happy balance between its elegance and solid, aristocratic texture.
Pauillac 1964 Château Mouton Baron Philippe
90/100 - € 100
Yet another example of how Bordeaux wines with a relatively low classification can surprise with their propensity to age. The red color is quite clear and transparent with distinct orange notes on the edge. The aromas are light yet well-defined with prevailing ones of root and cinchona as well as one of dark cacao. The mouthfeel is upheld by a nice acidity and is subtle yet taut, almost impalpable and splendidly delicate.
Margaux Premier Cru Classé 1964 Château Margaux
96/100 - € 650
A very lovely, intense garnet color that still has some crimson reflections. The inebriating aromas are not that intense but very complex and assorted, ranging from dried flowers to damp earth, from pine bark to fine spice (nutmeg). The attack of the mouthfeel is wonderful with its silky consistency, elegance and aristocratic structure. A meditation wine.
Pessac Leognan Premier Cru Classé 1964 Château Haut Brion
96/100 - € 550
The color is still red with only a few garnet reflections and no hints of orange. The attack of the aroma amazes with its variety of tobacco notes, both pipe and cigarette. Balsamic sensations then take over with a suffused hint of cacao and licorice within a very intense aromatic spectrum. The mouthfeel is extraordinary thanks to its compactness and texture and how wrapping and saturating it is.
