Bordeaux 1970

Decided to tidy up the wine cellar, which had also become the home of every object that didn't have one.This took a whole day but it finally took shape. Sorted all the bottles into areas, found a few I had fogotten about and decided to baptise it with a tasting of Bordeaux 1970 with a few wine friends.Got the lighting correct but still kept the atmosphere of a dark romantic wine cellar.

Tuesday 7th November 2006 7pm
As my wife was out I had arranged for some pizzas made privately by an Italian.
The wine we drank was a Cain 5 1987,a californian which I had found in an original wooden box when tidying the cellar. It seemed appropriate to drink it.
It was good back in 1993 and has black cherries and tobacco aromas, delicious, gentle cedar, more layed-back with age..and perfect with the pizza.

Bordeaux 1970
All the wines had been in my cellar for years so the quality was hopefully going to be as good as it gets.
Decanted at 6 pm...the group tasted them blind.We started at 7.30pm
Points are out of 20
1. Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Bought July 1979
Medium deep colour; pleasant sweetish nose, dry, aggreeable but with a touch of the acidity to follow; lean and a bit raw with the promised acidity. If you have this one..drink with food and impress your guests with the Marc Chagall label.
Points 15

2.Chateau Lynch Bages. Bought December 1978
Deeper colour; reserved nose; developed a cassis aroma: fine weight with gentle tannins.One of those wines that was constant from start to finish. I have happy memories of a tasting about 15 years ago where this wine topped the 70's.
Points 17.5

3. Chateau Giscours. Bought October 1985
Very young looking; mouldy nose at first.. a real stinker..but opened up, tar;
peppery with tannins still prominant. I have tasted this wine a few times alone and that's the best way cos it is not really typical Bordeaux.
Points 17

4.Chateau Palmer. Bought December1978
Medium deep colour; gentle nose which enticed with airing, sweet touches;
soft(Merlot) flavour, very attractive. Fine balance and drinking very well indeed.
I have had this a few times over the last 10 years..this was the best bottle
Points 18.5

Summary
All 5 tasters generally had the same tasting marks. Palmer won and the Mouton was 4th.

Soon after starting to buy wine(1976) I took the advice of the experts at the time and invested what money I had in Vintage Port. As you don't empty a bottle on your own...my collection is still quite intact and I open one bottle a year maybe..with a few friends..4-5 is ideal.
I still have some 63's and 66's but decided the perfect end to the evening should be a 1970.

Warre 1970 Vintage Port
Thirty-six year old Ports don't pack the punch they did after 25 years. The start to take it easy, soften, even become elegant.Medium-sweet flavour, perfect weight, marzipan, absolutely delicious now.
Points 19.5









As if to prove how well these fortified wines hold up in bottle.. I had found a bottle of Harveys Bristol Old Bottled Cream Sherry 1962 and a 10 year old Tawny from Reid Wines in the UK. Both had been open at least 5 years with only a stop-cork keeping out the air. In both bottles there was a small tasting glass amount. The tawny was still very good..the Oloroso superb, liquid caramel. Quite amazing considering the circumstances.