Right then, the tasting on Sunday was pretty successful in my opinion. There was the usual showing of tired and faded wines, as more often than not seems to be the case at events like this that showcase wines that are up to 50 years old, but there are always a few gems (1966 Chateau Palmer), and often some wines that provide immense pleasure when you really don't expect them to (1961 Chateau Lanessan).
The best wines there were:
1966 Pichon Lalande: Still in very good condition, although it had faded a touch in my opinion. A brick red colour, with a soft, delicate, complex nose of black cherries, roses and a little earth. The palate still had some good structure - the tannins were still noticeable and the acidity was still good - which has kept this wine going, though not for much longer I suspect. Still drinking very well though.
1966 Chateau Latour: Still had quite a dark core, surprisingly so for its age, with a lighter rim, the aromas were still quite strong - plenty of secondary leather, tobacco, earth and spice, with an underlying edge of mixed dark fruits. On the palate it was elegant and refined, with a medium body, a soft, silky texture and complex, evolving flavours that danced around the mouth. This is holding up very well and was in excellent overall condition, and a pleasure to taste. Very interesting to taste alongside the
1966 Chateau Palmer: For me this was the standout wine of the morning(!), even more so than the Latour. A wine of huge depth and complexity, it was surprisingly youthful. A light ruby red core with a faded rim, the nose was bursting with intense fruit (cherries, plums, blackcurrants), alongside leather, cedar and cigar box notes, which to me defied its 44 years in its intensity. It showed great fullness and richness in the mouth, with soft, supple tannins and fine, balancing acidity, with a very long, rounded finish. This wine has many years ahead of it for certain - I would love to be able to revisit it in a decade or so!
And finally, the surprise wine of the tasting was:
1961 Chateau Lanessan: This was showing much better than either the '61 Palmer or the '61 Beychevelle that it was poured alongside, which surprised not only me, it was a considerable talking point at the tasting given the fact that it isn't even a Cru Classe. The wine had a beefy nose of quite intense dark fruit, with smoke and leather aromas backed up by a medium/full bodied mouthful that was still quite rich and dense. There was still some good tannic grip, and excellent acidity to keep it in balance. Not as refined as the '66s, but nonetheless still a splendid wine.
I think you'll all agree, this is an outstanding way to spend a Sunday morning - it is my own, unique form of Sunday worship. I would also like to offer my profound thanks to Mrs. Fatboy for accompanying me to this event, and listening to me rambling on about these ancient beauties - the only time I am allowed to talk about another in such glowing terms...
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