Right then, after a great deal of lingering over those 3 great wines (yes, even the '62 HB was great despite the fact that it was not supposed to be long-lasting vintage) and repeated sampling, I moved onto the others in the line. There were 3 vintages of Chateau Margaux: '67, '73, and '81.
1967: A little over its peak, however there were still some good, soft fruit and floral aromas, the palate was very balanced and elegant, with a lightish body and very soft texture, a very pleasant wine overall.
1973: It still had a certain finesse, but I felt it had faded quite a bit. Very little fruit left, but there was some minerality. A light body and smooth texture. Tired.
1981: A more concentrated wine than the previous 2, the flavours hadn't faded at all. Bouquet of smoke, earth, tobacco and flowers, with a complex palate of fruit (blueberry and cassis), cedar, tobacco and earth. Soft, resolved tannins and balanced acidity. Very elegant.
There were a couple of other Mouton-Rothschild vintages worth mentioning too: '76 and '99.
1976: Still possessed a complex and pretty intense nose, smokey, tar, earth. The palate was a little faded however, there was still some acidity and soft tannins, but the fruit wasn't backing it up as it should. Drink now if you have it.
1999: A tight nose, still developing for sure, elements of smoke and gunflint minerality. Closed on the palate also, but possesses all the right characteristics (fruit, tannins, acidity) to become a very good wine indeed.
And just before you keel over, one last Bordeaux to mention, though not so old, is the 1990 Pichon Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande. This had excellent flavours, was quite rich and had a certain finesse. The tannins were almost resolved, and all the secondary aromas and flavours were present. At its peak now, extremely good.
Phew, I bet you're all glad that's over..
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