Château Margaux 1900

Margaux, Premier Grand Cru Classé (RP 100)

The 1900 Margaux is one of this century's most renowned wines. It's Splendidly rich, with a perfume that must fill a room, unbelievably unctuous, opulent, and well-focused. The fact that it manages to balance power and high extraction of flavor with both finesse and elegance makes it stand out as one of the most ex- traordinary wines I have ever tasted. A breathtaking wine!

Château d'Yquem 1921

Sauternes, Premier Cru Supérieur



bsl, wisl, lwrl, lsos, cc, cro

1921 was the driest harvest year ever recorded in 75 years, and Bordeaux wines of that vintage year were mediocre at best. Yet, it was a legendary year for the sweet white Sauternes. An abnormally hot year followed by an early autumn prompted Château d'Yquem to harvest its grapes the first half of September. Handpicking ripened grapes featuring a noble rot that year required 39 days to complete. Due to a scarcity of dew during the spring, the production of that year was low. However, the extremely dry climate infused the grapes with a con- densed amount of juice. This divine alchemy binds earthy flavors together into golden droplets of wine that embody the sweetness of tropical fruit and honey, and reflect the qualities of that vintage year.

Many 1921 Yquems were bottled at various countries and sold as exports, with the exception of a few bottles that were bottled in-house by the Château. Among them, many were bottled in Belgium by Van der Meulen, making it a more de- finitive production and source for this auction item.

Château Mouton Rothschild 1945

Pauillac, Premier Grand Cru Classé (RP 100)

A consistent 100-point wine (even outstand the number), the 1945 Mouton- Rothschild is truly one of the immortal wines of the century. This wine is eas- ily identifiable because of its remarkably exotic, over-ripe, sweet nose of black fruits, coffee, tobacco, mocha, and Asian spices. It is an extraordinarily dense, opulent, and rich wine, with layers of creamy fruit, behaveing more like a 1947 Pomerol than a structured, powerful, and tannic 1945. The wine finishes with a 60+ second display of ripe fruit, extract, and sweet tannin.

Château Cheval Blanc 1947

Saint-Émilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé A (RP 100)

It can be said that the 1947 Château Cheval Blanc does not fit the typical Cheval- Blanc image. The hot climate of that year led to an early maturation of grape harvests that were overly high in sugar content. And, without automated tem- perature controls during that time, many wineries experienced fermentation dif- ficulties, resulting in the production of a number of unbalanced wines.

In 1947, the person in charge, Jacques Fourcaud-Laussac, began utilizing a risky method by adding ice to control the fermentation temperature without letting the sugar of the wine to fully ferment. This resulted in the vinification of a rich, full-bodied wine similar to Port with high levels of alcohol and acidity. Per- haps, this Château Cheval Blanc is of non-Cheval Blanc qualities, but the special characteristics of that vintage year produced a unique, sultry flavor. This can be considered an unusual achievement. However, thanks to the adventurous spirit and method of a particular winemaker, a classic wine was born.

Château Lafleur 1950 Pomerol (RP 100)

Perhaps the greatest kept secret in all of Bordeaux is how spectacular the 1950 vintage was in Pomerol. The 1950 Lafleur could easily pass for a 1947 or 1945 wine given its extraordinary level of concentration. The color remains black/purple, and the bouquet offers aromas of cedar, spices, and black fruits. The wine is unbelievably concentrated, massively full and rich, with sweet tannin in the finish. With a viscous, chewy texture, this pure wine could easily last for another 15-20 years.

Pauillac, Premier Grand Cru Classé (RP 99)

On two occasions I rated the 1953 100 and on another occasion, nearly perfect. According to some old-timers, the wine has been fully mature for almost 30 years. It possesses that extraordinary Lafite fragrance of minerals, lead pencil, cedar, and spice. It is velvety-textured, wonderfully round, and sweet, but so well-delineated and balanced.

Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1955

Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves (RP 100)

Even allowing for the greatness of Haut-Brion and Mouton-Rothschild, the 1955 La Mission is the "wine of the vintage." It possesses a sweet, cedary, clove, smoke, and black-raspberry-scented nose, and rich, full-bodied, remarkably har- monious flavors that ooze with ripe fruit, glycerin, and heady alcohol. It is an amazing, complex, superbly well-balanced La Mission-Haut-Brion!

Romanée-Conti 1959

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Grand Cru

The 1950s was a challenging period for the vineyards of Burgundy. In 1959, The region was wrought with drought during each July and August, and followed by sporadic rainfall in September. At the time, the Leroy family, in their desire to compete with the de Villaines family, created a classic and legendary vintage through special techniques during those harsh years.

DRC placed grapes with stems intact into large wooden barrels for fermenta- tion, then transferred them to new barrels for maturation. Furthermore, they underwent a filtering process at an early stage. This led to the creation of a wine exuding a strong character, like a youngster maturing with age to form depth and refined charms that are able to persist the test of time. After that year, Domaine de La Romanée-Conti's winery operation began to turn a profit, solidifying its reputation as one of the world's greatest wine estate.

Château Latour 1961

Pauillac, Premier Grand Cru Classé (RP 100)

Port-like, with an unctuous texture, and a dark garnet color with considerable amber at the edge, the 1961 Latour possesses a viscosity and thickness. One of the three bottles served at the Château's tasting revealed a surprisingly aggressive, minty, herbaceous nose, but the other two bottles were liquid perfection, exhibiting fragrant, cedary, truffle, leather, mineral, and sweet, jammy aromatics, full-bodied, voluptuous textures, exquisite purity and concentration, and a layered, highly-nuanced finish that represents the essence of compellingly great wine.

Pétrus 1961

Pomerol (RP 100)

Bad weather during the pollination period of 1961 led to a reduction in grape yield. In addition to this, an arid August and September, combined with the early arrival of autumn that year, led to the early maturation of grapes, adding to their sweetness and endowing the wine with a rich body enhanced by the Merlot's fruitiness. After twenty years, it continues to provide a pleasant mouthfeel. And, with age, it has become a rare and much sought after wine. 1989 is also a superb vintage year, featuring a dense ruby tone to its color. If consumed right away, the wine might seem a bit muffled. However, after it is allowed to breathe, the wine's perfect balance of blackberry with hints of tea leaf and ripe citrus aromas are evoked, making it a joy to drink.