1961 Vintage Burgundy Vs Bordeaux Wine Tasting

“I love everything that is old; old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines. “

- Oliver Goldsmith, The Vicar of Wakefield

The month of November is one of the best in terms of tastings as we are very thirsty here at the Wine Watch as we take almost the entire month of December off in terms of wine tastings- so we hit it hard in November.  And one of the best deals that we offer is that if you have more wine than you can drink by yourself we will help you drink your wines and pay you for them!  Imagine that we will pay you to drink your wines!!!  This is a tasting that is for one of our good friends from the 1961 vintage, who has been collecting wines from his vintage for decades and will now share them with you.    

This is a “Once in a Lifetime” tasting that features both Burgundy and Bordeaux form the legendary 1961 vintage.  These may not be the most sought after wines from this amazing vintage but I have added a bottle of 1961 Petrus from my stash to sweeten the pot and that along with the 1961 La Tache are worth the price of admission alone!   This tasting which includes dinner and gratuity is $1750.00 + tax, there are only 12 spaces available for this event.  For reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.  Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any food allergies or aversions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.

1961 Bordeaux VS Burgundy Wine tasting

Friday, November 20^th

7:30 PM

1961 A. Ligeret Volnay

1961 A. Ligeret Gevrey Chambertin

1961 A. Ligeret Vosne Romanee

1961 Lupe Cholet,Beaune

1961 A. Ligeret Gevrey Chambertin

1961 A. Ligeret Alox Corton 

1961 Domaine de la Romanee Donti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole

1961 Chateau Petrus Pomerol

1961 Chateau Cos D'Estournel Saint Estephe 

1961 Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 

1961 Chateau Lascombes Margaux 

1961 Chateau Beychevelle St Julien 

1961 Chateau Larrivet Haut Brion 

1961 Chateau La Tour Blanche 

Menu

Selection of Cheese

Lions Main Mushroom and Emilio Lustau Amontillado Sherry Soup

Beef Tartar Served Over Bone Marrow with Whole Wheat Toast and Truffle Aioli

Duck Confit with sundried Cherry reduction and sweet potato flan

Ginger Scented Vanilla Creme Brulee

This tasting which includes dinner and gratuity is $1750.00 + tax, there are only 12 spaces available for this event.  For reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.  Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any food allergies or aversions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.

A brief Review of the 1961 vintage taken from: www.thewinecellarinsider.com:

“1961 Bordeaux wine is one the legendary Bordeaux vintages of all time and for several good reasons. Of course, that all starts with the perfect growing season and harvest. The spring frost conditions naturally reduced crops, lowered yields and concentrated the already intense flavors. Generally speaking, the spring was mild in Bordeaux, which led to an early and even flowering. A frost struck much of Bordeaux at the end of May, which damaged many of the vines. Because the frost occurred late in the season, after the flowering, there was no additional birth of new berries. The crop was already low, due to the frost of 1956, this only reduced the yields further, with several the top estates reporting yields of 11 hectoliters per hectare. From that point forward, everything improved.

The summer was for the most part, warm, sunny and dry. The only break from the excellent summer weather occurred in July, when the summer rain fell, which proved to exactly what the grapes needed. The remainder of July was warm, sunny and dry. August was extremely hot and dry, which was followed by a close to perfect September, which was warm and dry. These conditions produced small, ripe, sweet, ripe, thick skinned berries with almost unseen levels of concentration of intensity and flavor. The 1961 Bordeaux harvest officially began September 22. This is similar to what happened in 1945. Although, in 1945, the harvest started even earlier. Due to the naturally low yields in both years, the vintages are often compared with each other.

While 1945 Bordeaux favored the Medoc , that is not the case with 1961 Bordeaux wine.  Stunning 1961 Bordeaux wine was produced in Pessac Leognan , Pomerol , Pauillac , St. Julien and while Margaux was not consistent, Chateau Palmer made what people feel remains the best wine in their history! Chateau Latour is prodigious. It was not a good vintage for St. Emilion , or the sweet, white, Bordeaux wine from Sauternes . Pomerol was particularly successful. 1961 Haut Brion is one a contender for the best wines they produced in the 20th century and La Mission Haut Brion is not far behind!

1961  1961 Bordeaux Wine Vintage Report and Buying Guide

The small harvest produced great 1961 Bordeaux wine from in appellation from top to bottom. The wines were rich and tannic, which demanded extended cellaring. 1961 Bordeaux was not fun to drink in its youth. In part, that explains why so many 1961 Bordeaux wines remain for sale today. The best wines are concentrated, deep, complex and hauntingly perfumed.  One of the most important traits all great vintages share, is that the wines from top to bottom, and in all appellations produce great wine. One of the best aspects of 1961 Bordeaux wine is that numerous chateaux produced very good wines. This means consumers do not need to look only at the top wines to be get a good chance at enjoying, great older wine. Today, 1961 Bordeaux wine is considered one of the true reference point vintages for mature, Bordeaux wine.”

Read more about the 1961 vintage at Wine Cellar Insider