1970s Bordeaux Tasting at Wine Watch

Maya (advising Miles against being overly fussy about when he will drink a vintage Bordeaux wine he owns): "You know, the day you open a '61 Cheval Blanc … that's the special occasion."

At Wine Watch we think that everyday above ground is a special occasion that’s why we have so many “Once in Lifetime” tastings!  We have hit the subject of Bordeaux hard this month so I figured we should continue our hard work with a study of 1970’s Bordeaux to start out the month of February and finish our three decades of study.  Tomorrow night we have 1982 Bordeaux, next Friday we are showcasing the 1961 vintage so we really need this extra credit course to finish the last three decades from the world’s longest lived wines. 

The best vintage from this decade was 1970 and this was the first year that it was mandatory to bottle all of the wines at the Chateau.  In the past a large portion of the wines sold from Bordeaux were sent to wine merchants in Belgium and England for the shipper to bottle.  This was one of the things that lead to drastic improvements in the consistency of Bordeaux wines.  Unfortunately there were many bad vintages in the 1970’s.  The 1971 vintage was only good on the right bank, 1972 was a wash as was 1972, 1973 and 1974.  The second excellent vintage in this decade was 1975 and we have the wine of the vintage on the table tonight the 1975 La Mission Haut Brion as well has Chateau Petrus and Chateau Trotanoy these three along are worth the price of admission at $395 + tax. 

Wine Watch Catering’s Toni Lampasone will be making a special meal to accompany the tasting wines and there are only 14 spaces available for this event and the price is $395 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

For those of you that were born in the 1970’s and want to experience a wine from your birth year I have included all the Bordeaux in the store from this decade and we have most of the wines that we are tasting available for sale also making this event even more exciting!!

The Best of the 1970's Bordeaux tasting at Wine Watch
Wednesday, February 1st
7pm

1970 Chateau Latour Pauillac
Price: $700.00    Sale Price: $595.00
Quantity in Stock: 9

(91 Points) Elegant and gorgeous to drink now. Peaked. Ruby red color with an amber edge. Lovely aromas of plum, berry and mint. Full-bodied, with currant, dried herb character. Medium finish.--Latour vertical. Drink now. –JS Wine Spectator Issue: Aug 31, 2000 Below are a set of photos of the actual bottles. The larger an image of the labels, while the smaller image illustrates the fill in the bottles. From

1970 Chateau Palmer Margaux
Price: $500.00    Sale Price: $395.00
Quantity in Stock: 4

(95 points) Not yet fully mature, the 1970 Palmer is one of the great wines of the vintage. It exhibits a dark, opaque garnet color, and an emerging, fabulously complex, exotic nose of licorice, over-ripe plums and blackcurrants, soy, cedar, and minerals. Rich and concentrated, with medium to full body, a sweet inner-core of fruit, firm but silky tannin, and a long, rich finish, this remains a youthful, potentially superb Palmer. (RP) (6/1996) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1970 Chateau Gazin Pomerol
Price: $149.00    Your Price: $131.12

1975 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Pessac Leognan
Price: $1350.00    Sale Price: $995.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

(100 Points) The 1975 La Mission-Haut-Brion has been the most consistent wine of the vintage. Super-concentrated, and now beginning to shed enough tannin so that it can be fully appreciated, this enormously constituted La Mission-Haut-Brion has developed that fabulous Graves set of aromatics - tobacco, black fruits, minerals, roasted herbs, and cedar. Huge, massive, thick, and succulent, with moderate tannin, and some amber notes at the edge, this wine will reach full maturity by the turn of the century and last for 30-40 years. An extraordinary La Mission-Haut-Brion, it comes closest in style to resembling the 1945, with a hint of the sweet, ripe 1959. The notes for this wine are taken from the description of Series I of the 1995 tasting conducted in Munich by Helga and Hardy Rodenstock. Many years after the tasting from which this note derives allegations were made concerning the authenticity of old and rare bottles of wine sold by Hardy Rodenstock to collectors around the world. The matter has been the subject of numerous articles, litigation and at least one book. Mr. Parker believes that the wines served to him at this tasting were authentic so this note and the others from that specific tasting continue to be posted on eRobertParker.com. Below are a set of photos of the actual bottles. The larger an image of the labels, while the smaller image illustrates the fill in the bottles.

1975 Chateau Petrus Pomerol
Price: $2295.00    Your Price: $1836.00
Quantity in Stock: 10

(98 Points) One of the most rustic and powerful Petrus of the last 25 years, this wine still has a murky garnet/plum/purple color, a gorgeous nose of overripe black cherries, mocha, caramel, chocolate, and a hint of iron and blood. Full-bodied, super-concentrated, with massive tannin and extract, this behemoth Petrus can be enjoyed but still seems another 5-10 years away from maturity. It is certainly a 50-70 year wine, with exquisite concentration and intensity, but seemingly the rough edges will no doubt be less appealing to those looking for pure seamlessness. Perhaps that will emerge with bottle age. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2040. Last tasted, 11/02. Bordeaux Book, 4th Edition, Jan 2003 Below are a set of photos of the actual bottles. The larger an image of the labels, while the smaller image illustrates the fill in the bottles.

1975 Chateau Trotanoy Pomerol
Price: $495.00    Your Price: $396.00
Quantity in Stock: 8

The next door neighbor to Chateau Petrus and this vintage has an average score of  93.3 on Crllar Tracker

1978 Chateau Cheval Blanc, St Emilion
Price: $395.00    Your Price: $347.60
Quantity in Stock: 10

(93 points) Bright red. The captivating nose of red berries, minerals and grilled nuts is complicated by a delicate leafiness and a spicy tobacco note. Then sweet, bright and focused in the mouth, with flavors of red berries, tobacco, cedar and underbrush. Finishes very long and spicy, with a slight tannic kick at the back, but still manages to come across as refined and suave. This Cheval Blanc has always exhibited (especially in its youth), a firmer, more austere personality than most vintage. The 1978 growing season was characterized by slightly lower-than-average temperatures in the summer and fall. It was dry right through the very late harvest, which took place between October 9 and 18. There was a late start to the growth cycle and lots of mildew in the spring. This was one of the best bottles of 1978 Cheval Blanc I have ever tried. (ID) (10/2011) Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

1979 Chateau Leoville Las Cases St.Julien
Price: $156.00    Your Price: $137.28
Quantity in Stock: 11

(89 ponts)Lean and focused, with well-articulated currant and berry flavors that lie gently on the palate. Has elegance and flavors that persist.--Léoville Las Cases vertical. Drink now through 2000. –HS Wine Spectator Issue: Feb 15, 1992

1979 Château Margaux Margaux
Price: $375.00    Your Price: $330.00
Quantity in Stock: 15

(92 points)  A deep garnet core. A knock-out nose of ripe raspberry, burnt toast and roasted herbs. The palate was initially quite aggressive and tannic (just as Michael Broadbent comments) but with an hour in the glass, the wine smoothes out...(NM) (3/2003) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1970 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes (375ml)
Price: $70.00    Sale Price: $55.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

One of the marquee Sauternes houses and this vintage has an average rating on Cellar Tracker of 91.7!

Menu

Selection of Cheese:  Reggiano Parmesan, Beemster Gouda

Bordeaux braised beef short rib with mixed vegetable risotto

Chocolate Covered Bacon and berries

This tasting is $395 + tax and is limited to 14 tasters, for reservations call 954-523-9463.