Thanks to the generosity of a good friend, I had the honour of drinking the following recently...all were drunk blind and then revealed after a couple of minutes.
Meursault-Charmes 1989, Comtes-Lafon
A deep gold colour and a wonderful complex nose. Obviously white Burgundy, with a savoury, oatmeal nose. We were guessing all over the Cote D'Or with this one. Slightly lighter in the mouth, which I think is a feature of this good-but-not-great vintage. Nevertheless, a delicious white Burgundy which is drinking well now. ***
Ch. Leoville Las-Cases 1969, St Julien (not blind)
I spotted this one in a wine merchant's christmas sale. Appalling vintage, great property. I would pick this over the reverse (bad estate, good year) every time. And indeed we were in for a pleasant surprise.
Deep garnet in the glass, faint but attractive nose of old tea, with a dusty, herby quality. Still very much alive in the mouth, with a pleasing balance of fruit and acidity. Clearly in graceful decline, but do take a punt on old bottles of this if you think they have been well stored. ***
Ch. Lafleur 1985, Pomerol
Glossy, deep appearance. Wonderful nose of blackberries. A totally different fruit quality here: this wine is sweet and plump. Lovely sur-maturite aromas give it a hedonistic style. Just so smooth in the mouth. This is superb wine; wonderful weight of fruit. ****(*)
Ch. Margaux 1947, Margaux
Deep dark colour. Iron nose. Not giving away a lot on the nose. Huge grip, very good acidity. Great, vibrant finish. Guessing left bank, late
1970s. Clearly an excellent wine.After finding out what it is - we were staggered! With time in the glass, the nose opens up a little to reveal some fine old nuances of tea, and hints of the sea. An unforgettable, immortal wine. *****
Ch. Cos d'Estournel 1945, St Estephe
Beautiful old nose. Old leather, roses, so fragrant. Plenty of grip and acidity here. This is vigorous stuff, and clearly outstanding. Not quite as much finesse as the Margaux, and maybe that led me to St Estephe, and the only property I know there. I'm guessing Cos d'Estournel 1975 or
1986. Needless to say we were staggered all over again by the vintage! Another wonderful old wine. *****Ch d'Yquem 1970
Deep orange colour. Orange marmalade and hints of VA (my suggestion of paint stripper raised a few eyebrows). Sweet, slightly simple palate. Lacks botrytis. Given what my host has already opened, this has to be Yquem. I've not a lot of experience with old Sauternes, but I'm guessing
1970 (fluke!). Being honest, there's nothing wrong with it, but it's not a great wine. Choose Doisy-Vedrines in this vintage. **A wonderful evening. My wine of the night? There could be only one choice. The older clarets were magnificent, and must be admired. But they also require some effort to be drunk with pleasure - they're not "easy" wines, and why indeed should they be? But while my head acknowledges the greatness of the Cos and the Margaux, my heart was already yearning for another glass of Lafleur...
Cheers
Joel