In article >,
Ronin > wrote:

> On 2007-10-11 20:57:45 -0700, cwdjrxyz > said:
>
> > On Oct 11, 6:31 pm, Ronin > wrote:
> >> On 2007-10-10 10:52:34 -0700, cwdjrxyz > said:
> >>
> >>> I always remember the 1959 and 1961 Bordeauxs. Early on, many rated
> >>> the 1959s as superior to the 1961s, many of which were quite tannic
> >>> and harsh when young.
> >>
> >> As you seem to have some experience with those vintages, I wonder if
> >> you might have an opinion about the '59 Ch. La Mission Haut Brion. I
> >> was unfortunate enough, (sad, I know,) to have inherited 4 bottles (in
> >> the original case, no less) a couple of years ago. They look to be in
> >> good shape and I am looking forward to opening them. As I have no
> >> experience with this vintage or this chateau, Maybe you have some
> >> memories that will enrich my/our experience when we do open them. I
> >> will, of course, offer tasting notes when they do go the way of all
> >> bottles...
> >
> > I bought very few 1959 and 1961 wines when they were first released. I
> > was just out of college then and did not have a lot of money to spend
> > for wines to age. I did buy a case of 59 Yquem and a case of 61 Lafite
> > at the then high price of about $US 11 per bottle. I picked up a few
> > more bottles of 59 and 61 wines a few years after release, but by then
> > the prices had greatly increased, but still were very low compared
> > with what first growths cost today, even considering inflation.
> >
> > Michael Broadbent likely has tasted more of these old wines over the
> > years than most. You must consider that he has a "classic" English
> > taste for Bordeaux, and not a "California" taste. Parker was not
> > important on the wine scene back then.
> >
> > Back in 1959 La Mission Haut-Brion was still owned by the Woltners who
> > were making it at their best. It often was a more powerful wine than
> > Haut-Brion itself, and many, especially those in the US, often
> > considered it better than Haut-Brion - a matter of taste. Broadbent
> > says it took 20 years for the 59 La Mission Haut-Brion to lose enough
> > tannin for the wine to be decent. It was at first restrained, but had
> > perfectly evolved by the early 90s. He last reported tasting it in
> > 2000, where he found plenty of everything in good balance. He then
> > rated it 5-star out of 5-star and said that it would keep. If your
> > wine has been properly stored over the years, it likely now is a very
> > great wine, and you might want to plan some special event to serve it.
> > If storage has been less than ideal, all bets are off and it could
> > range from undrinkable to still outstanding.
> >
> > Both La Mission Haut-Brion and Haut-Brion were outstanding in 1959 and
> > 1961 and all should still be drinking well and should hold longer if
> > properly stored. Any combination of these wines would make a most
> > interesting tasting.
> >
> > The star of both 1959 and 1961 is Ch. Latour. Broadbent gave his very
> > rare rating of 6-star out of 5-star (over the top) for both of these.
> > In the late 90s he thought both of these had not even peaked yet, and
> > that the 59 might have another quarter century and the 1961 another
> > half century of life. Wines such as this are very difficult to
> > evaluate either young or at a decade or two old. Here blind tasting is
> > of little help, other than to detect flaws such as a corked wine or
> > poor storage condition. If one knows the wine is Latour and has
> > followed the development of Latour from youth to maturity over many
> > vintages, then one may be in a position to predict how a new young
> > Latour will develop (and one is by then usually quite old). Wines such
> > as this can in youth have very aggressive tannins and acids, and
> > mainly "label" drinkers will say they like them at this stage. For
> > many, if not most, such aggressive young wines, the wine often just
> > dries out with age or oxidizes before it becomes liked by many.
>
> Many thanks!
>
> Ahhh the good old days - I remember in '67 going through emotional
> turmoil, and finally deciding I couldn't possibly pay all of $5 for a
> bottle of '59 Yquem.
>
> This case of La Mission was stored "OK" as far as I know - Was
> purchased originally by Matt Sterling, the archiologist who discovered
> the Olmec civilization in Central America. He wrote "Very good wine!"
> on the side of the case and I suspect they took good care of it in a DC
> cellar. His wife subsequently became my step mother in law, and I know
> it was well kept for the last 25 years. In any case, it will be fun to
> try!
>
> JB

Wish I had bought D'yquem at $5 but I was only 20 then and they wouldn't
have sold to me. My last D'yquem was only a 1/2 bottle and $125. But I
bought a Chateau Figeac in 1969 for $5.