Claret 1959

1959 CLARET

In many senses, I began my wine career with the 1959 vintage. After working in Bordeaux, where I completed a stage with Calvet and helped to harvest the 1964 crop, I started work with Hedges and Butler, first in their cellars under Charing Cross Station, and later in their shops in Regent Street and Jermyn Street. The latest vintage to be listed - this was the days before en primeur selling - was the 1959.

Later, the first in‑depth tasting I ever made was of the 1959 clarets. This was the subject of the very first article I wrote about wine, and, much to my surprise, was accepted by the now defunct Wine Magazine, and published in 1968. I was paid eight guineas, sufficient, in 1968, to buy half a dozen bottles of a good classed growth 1959 claret. Thus it all began ....

The 1959 vintage represented a watershed in Bordeaux. It was the last vintage made by old‑fashioned, pre‑scientific methods ‑ bung it all in and hope for the best ‑ with no temperature control. It marked the end of ridiculously cheap prices on which no wine estate could make a serious profit. And it was the first vintage where what perhaps today would be called media hype ‑ newspaper reports outside the parochial trade press ‑ began, as they increasingly have done since, to talk up the quality and prices of the wines.

For the story behind the 1959s we have first of all to go back to February 1956. This was the month ‑ it happened to a lesser degree in January 1985 ‑ when the mercury almost disappeared in to the bulb of the thermometer. Temperatures in Bordeaux descended to levels which even the hardy vine was unable to bear, particularly as, following a warm January, the sap had already begun to rise. The result was widespread devastation; whole vineyards were wiped out, and in the remainder of the vignoble the vines which did survive were given such a shock that it took them several years properly to recover. As a result, obviously, the 1956 yield was tiny. The size of the harvest in 1957, 1958 and even 1959 was also severely reduced.

THE WEATHER

By and large 1959 was a fine, hot, dry year. The early spring was particularly fine, with clear skies and high barometer readings, meaning that it was cold at night, crisp in the morning, but, if sheltered from the wind, one could prune in shirt-sleeves in the afternoon. April began well but clouded over after Easter, and there were storms at the end of the month. May began indifferently but improved later, ushering in good weather for the flowering which began at the beginning of June, about a week earlier than normal. July and August are unsettled in Bordeaux, with hail and storms to interrupt the growing cycle of the vine, and with the earlier month frequently colder than June, but in 1959 it was almost entirely warm and sunny, indeed the conditions in July were a real heat-wave. September started hot; there was a lot of rain in the week after the 12th but conditions had improved by the time the picking started on the 25th and continued fine and hot throughout the harvest. In all it was a very hot dry year. Though the rainfall statistics for the two crucial pre-vintage months, at 133mm, bears little resemblance to 1961 and 1985 (both less than 40mm) and even with 1966 and 1970 (around 75mm), the rain that fell was almost entirely confined to the week in September mentioned above.

THE WINE AND THE MARKET

It was the first good vintage since 1955, with big, backward, full-bodied, richly coloured, ample wines; full of fruit, full of tannin and full of generosity. The quantity, both because of the residual effects of February 1956 and as a result of the dry weather, was small, some two thirds that of the healthily-sized 1955 harvest, though as far as the declaration of A.C. vin rouge was concerned, similar to 1952 and 1949. At a mere 700,000 hectolitres, however, the figures are dwarfed by the prolific 4, if not 5, million hectolitre red wine harvests of today.

Because of the shortage, because of the good quality and because of the initial reports of a "vintage of the century", prices rose, if marginally, on earlier levels. The first growths fetched from 6,500 (Cheval Blanc) to 11,000 (Lafite) expressed in the then very new New Francs (per tonneau of 100 cases without bottling and keeping charges), but of these, only Lafite and Mouton were significantly more expensive than for the 1957s. Other classed growths also increased slightly.

At this level, translated into retail prices to the consumer, a first growth cost 30 shillings (£1.50) a bottle, and a wine like Château Palmer or Gruaud‑Larose, almost certainly bottled in Britain, around 12s or 14s (£0.60‑£0.70), when the wines were first listed in 1963 or so. It was the 1961 vintage, with an even smaller crop, and with even better wines, which started the forward momentum of ever‑higher prices; prices which today, by comparison with those of twenty and more years ago, seem sometimes to be at levels which verge on the ridiculous, and are, for many of us, way out of reach.

Initially the reputation of the 1959s was very high. If the wines were perhaps over‑praised at the start there was certainly plenty to get excited about. They were big and fleshy and old‑fashioned in their density and tannin. But, unlike the 1957s, there was a generosity and concentration of fruit; they were fat, not hard; rich, not austere; and had a warmth and spice which made them, especially on the nose, immediately appealing and seductive. A characteristic of this vintage was an almost Rhône-ish, baked, roasted quality, something I associate with a wine whose fruit has been kept warm during the night by the effect of infra‑red heat seeping out of the stones in the vineyard which have soaked up the sun during the day.

Many of the lesser wines have not come my way for several years, and are in any case now over the hill, but my residual memory of the vintage as a whole is of a consistent year, certainly as far as the Médoc and the Graves are concerned, and of a good year for petits châteaux as well as classed growths. The Saint-Émilions and Pomerols were more uneven, no doubt as a result of the 1956 frosts, but, here again, many fine wines were made.

Today all but the very best now show age. The vintage, if it is to be faulted, suffered from a certain lack of freshness and acidity and this made some of the lesser classed growths and bourgeois wines begin to dry out as they advanced towards the middle of their second decade. The grip of concentration began to relax and the wines became rather coarse and astringent as they softened up. Nevertheless, the 1959s have always, and deservedly, been popular, and still now, at the top levels, will give much good drinking in the years ahead.

While it would not be too difficult ‑ it would just take time, and of course be rather expensive ‑ to assemble a large scale sample of 1959s today, it might also be unfair on some of the wines. Most of the 1959s were bottled by those who bought them, not by the châteaux. With age, even bottles out of the same case can vary enormously, and today a wine may show disappointingly while tomorrow, particularly if of a different provenance, the bottle may be magnificent. On a subsequent page I list my notes of a tasting of the top wines of the vintage which took place in the USA in October 2004. What follows is a summary, often based on the tasting notes of a number of bottles, of best wines of the vintage as they have shown themselves to me in the last five or six years.

GRAVES

Nineteen fifty-nine was certainly a very successful year for the Graves: indeed the Graves had a good 50s decade as a whole, for the 1955 vintage has more character than elsewhere and the 1957s were not too hard. Haut-Brion 1959 is one of the stars of the vintage: big in colour, rich, spicy and aromatic, sturdier than the wine is today: a voluptuous bottle which is now well matured and even in magnums should not be kept too long.

La Mission is another star, but can still be kept. The wine has a magnificent colour, the rôti character of the vintage coupled with the dense, deep richness of La Mission and heaps and heaps of fruit. Its younger brother La Tour-Haut-Brion is also very good.

I would place Domaine de Chevalier very highly in any list of the wines of the 1959 vintage. Elegance is not the first word which would spring to mind in discussing the 1959s but it is the immediate connotation for this lovely mulberry‑fruity, supremely stylish example. There is still plenty of life ahead of it. Haut‑Bailly is another lovely wine with a very plummy, almost 1961 concentration of old vine fruit. Carbonnieux is full and oaky, solid but rich; a more substantial wine than it seems to be today. Pape‑Clément, in May 1986, was showing a bit more age but this may have been an unlucky bottle. De Fieuzal is a big, solid, rather chunky wine. It should still be alive, if showing a touch of astringency now. Malartic‑Lagravière, the last time I made a vertical tasting at the property, was full, spicy and generous, an impressive bottle showing better than the 1961.

SAINT-ESTÈPHE

The only Saint Estèphes I have seen regularly in the past few years have been the top three and of these I would probably rate Montrose the best, though all may now show a bit of age. Montrose is a wine with great warmth, depth and charm, somehow more generous than the rather austere 1961. Cos D'Estournel produced wines in that period which were less ample and less rich than the wines today. On two separate occasions when I have participated in a vertical tasting of Cos vintages it has been overshadowed by a delicious 1962. Calon-Ségur made magnificent wines in the first decade after the war. A château-bottling in April 1985 showed sweetness and fruit but not the depth and quality of earlier vintages. Yet a Hedges & Butler bottling a few months later had plenty of vigour and concentration. I remember Phélan-Ségur from the late 1960s as very good, and was glad to see it again after all these years in such good form.

PAUILLAC

Inevitably, we begin with Pauillac's top three and I would put Latour not only at the head of the list but at the head of the 1959 vintage. Latour is a magnificent wine which is still young and still solid but has real distinction and breed. Very close behind is Mouton (the bottle in Austria in May 1991 was a sad exception), another very special wine indeed, more voluptuous, richer, cedar-woody; which one prefers is a question of personal taste. The Lafite 1959s I have tasted recently have varied from à point and very classy (see below) to decidedly mature, if not over the top; essentially a very complex, subtle, complete wine which, if still fresh, will be simply delicious. This is a splendid trio.

Pichon‑Longueville‑Baron, as would be expected, is bigger and more masculine than the Comtesse. Pichon‑Lalande, in that epoch, was not making the superlative wines it does today but the wine was sweetly fragrant and long on the palate when I sampled it at Pichon in March 1988. Better, in my view, is Grand‑Puy‑Lacoste; ripe, full, rich and complex, one bottle a little aged, the second still vigorous in May 1985, a third very impressive in March 1988; and Lynch‑Bages: several excellent notes: full, plump, ripe and spicy. A Wine Society bottling of Croizet‑Bages showed unexpectedly well in March 1988. Mouton‑Baron‑Philippe (as it then was) and Haut‑Batailley can also be recommended.

SAINT-JULIEN

Two major properties in Saint-Julien produced superior wines in 1959 than they did in 1961: Léoville-Barton and Léoville-Las-Cases. They are similar, very Cabernet Sauvignon wines but with a really rich, warm background and real class. These, I suspect, are the best wines of the commune and are still holding up well today. Poyferré made a good wine in 1959 (after which it declined somewhat) but the examples I have seen recently have shown age. Ducru is also very distinguished indeed (though sadly the bottle we sampled below was uninspiring); beautifully balanced, ripe and complex, but the prodigiously good 1961 is yet better. Gruaud-Larose is full and rich but not quite in the same league though certainly very good. Langoa is round, fragrant, ripe and subtle and was still holding up well last time out. Saint Pierre (Sevaistre) is another very fine wine: soft, Cabernet-based and with very good fruit. Talbot is smooth and sweet, also very good. Branaire is less exciting but Beychevelle is ripe and stylish.

MARGAUX AND THE SOUTHERN MÉDOC

Superior to Château Margaux itself, which is elegant, refined and fragrant, though now showing a bit of age, is Palmer, another of the stars of the vintage. This is a wine of great finesse and complexity, a lovely subtle, fruity, velvety bottle, which still has a fine future ahead of it. Malescot is big, rich and voluptuous, still very fresh and lively. The property at the time was making superb wines. Brane-Cantenac had class if never a great deal of richness and has now faded. Rauzan-Gassies is rich and ripe, if a bit bulky and lacking in class. Rausan-Ségla is softer and more stylish, sill vigorous and fragrant. Lascombes is big, full, rich and meaty and will keep well. Issan, on the one occasion it has come my way, was soft, elegant and fruity but showed a little age. Giscours is good but Kirwan I did not find exciting.

Château Cantemerle I tasted on several occasions when I was working for The Wine Society some 30-35 years ago and it was delicious then: complex, refined, delicate and subtle. Judging by the sample below it still is. I have only seen La Lagune once recently. It was somewhat solid and four‑square but underneath there was plenty of richness.

SAINT ÉMILION AND POMEROL

My experience of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol 1959s is less extensive than that of the wines of the Médoc and Graves. The Libournais were less popular in those days and, as I have said, the wines were found to be more irregular than those on the western side of the Gironde. Cheval-Blanc is very roasted and spicy and I find several references to "porty" in my notes. Nevertheless, if a little curious in flavour, the wine is good. It was still being shipped in wood in those days and I have notes of bottlings by Dolamore and British Transport Hotels (both successful) in my "archive". Ausone hitherto has been decidedly old save for a surprisingly good bottle in May 1991. Canon, Clos Fourtet and Magdelaine are certainly successes, the first two decidedly "old-fashioned" in their character but all now show a little age. Perhaps Magdelaine had the most finesse. Pavie, a bigger wine than today, I have also enjoyed, and La Gaffelière (then La Gaffelière-Naudes) is richly fruity, highly concentrated and most enjoyable. Figeac I thought was excellent when I tasted it blind at the château in April 1985. There had been some mix up in the presentation (the second wine of the 1959 vintage had been inadvertently substituted - that was very good too) and so the Figeac 1959 was served as the fifteen bottle in a 14 bottle tasting. I took it for a good, late 1940s vintage. A high accolade.

Pétrus I found good but not unmistakably of premier cru quality and I preferred the 1962 at a blind tasting in May 1987. Château Lafleur is very exciting: perhaps the best Pomerol of all. Trotanoy and Latour-à-Pomerol are both excellent, very rich and complex and should still be fine. Lafleur-Pétrus has only come my way recently in Belgian bottlings, rather faded, but earlier was ripe, ample and not too muscular. L'Évangile, in a jeroboam in December 1985 at the Studley Priory Weekend, was a leathery, liquorice‑flavoured blockbuster; rich and earthy, intriguing and exciting but overshadowed by La Conseillante 1964. La Conseillante 1959 is a lovely, elegant wine, now showing a little age but discreet and aristocratic. Vieux Château Certan is richer and plumper, an excellent bottle which still has a fine future. By and large though, the wines from this side of the river now show age and should not be held for much longer.

THE TASTING

The following wines were sampled in New Hamphire, USA, at a tasting organised by Jack and Thelma Hewitt, in October 2004.

Saint-Émilion

Chateau Angelus, 1959 See Note

Quite full colour. But rather old looking. Dead. Indeed unclean on the nose. I didn't bother tasting it.

Chateau Ausone, 1959 Drink Soon 17.5

Full colour. Fully developed. Rich, stylish, delicate, complex but not too tired on the nose. Lots of finesse here. Fullish body. Beginning to show a bit of age but nevertheless ripe, balanced and classy. Not short. Fine if not great.

Chateau Beauséjour-Duffau-Lagarosse, 1959 Drink Up 13.5

Medium-full colour. Well matured. Slightly dried out on the nose. Rather subdued. Getting a little tired on the palate but some fruit and sweetness left. Not too astringent. Medium body. Not bad plus.

Chateau Cheval Blanc, 1959 Drink Soon 16.5

Medium to medium-full colour. Well matured. Mellow nose. Plump and ripe. Medium-full body. Fresh, sweet and balanced on the palate. Yet slight suggestions of astringency. The wine is fruity, but the acidity is beginning to dominate. Very good plus but without the class of the left bank wines.

Clos Fourtet, 1959 Drink Up 13.5

Full colour. Little maturity. Rich and cedary on the nose if no real finesse. Fullish body. Quite rich and concentrated on the palate. A little dry and a little maderised but still has fruit. Class too. Good with food.

Chateau Figeac, 1959 Now-2010+ 17.5

Magnum. Full colour. Fully developed. Ripe, slightly spicy, succulent, vigorous nose. Ample and fat. High quality. Full body. Still very youthful. Rich and structured. Firm, even. Good grip. Long. Not perhaps the greatest of class in the fruit. But vigorous and fine.

Chateau La Gaffelière, 1959 Drink Soon 18.5

Magnum. Very full colour. Fully developed. Very lovely nose. Creamy rich and old viney. Fresh. Mellow. Very, very ripe. Full body. Beginning to show a bit of age but the fruit is super concentrated and quite glorious. Good acidity. This is very lovely.

Pomerol

Chateau Nénin, 1959 Drink Up 13.5

Medium-full, well-matured colour. Not a lot on the nose but not too astringent. Medium-full body. Some astringency. But still has fruit. Lacks a bit of class and personality.

Chateau Petrus, 1959 Now-2010 17.5

Full colour. Still vigorous. Rich nose. Fat, ripe and almost jammy. A slight touch of burnt fruit. Still very fresh. But not very classy or complex. Full body. Very, very ripe. Fat and aromatic on the palate. Spicy, fresh and vigorous. Quite individually different from the rest of the first growths. Fine but not great.

Chateau Pressac, 1959 Drink Soon 14.0

Re-corked 1997. Full colour. Still vigorous. Fresh and fruity and quite rich on the nose. On the palate surprisingly fresh. What was it topped up with? Medium weight. Good fruit. Quite ripe. Quite good.

Chateau Rouget, 1959 Drink Up 13.0

Fullish, well-matured colour. Good rich fruit on the nose. A fullish, earthy wine. Some astringency. Not as good on the palate as on the nose. It lacks distinction.

Chateau Trotanoy, 1959 Now-2009 18.0

Bottled by J.P. Moueix. Full, vigorous colour. Fresh, ripe, stylish, balanced Merlot nose. Marvellously fresh on the palate. Medium-full body. Rich and harmonious. Complex and very classy. Long and vigorous. Fine plus.

Vieux Chateau Certan, 1959 Now-2009 17.5

Full, fully mature colour. Fullish nose. Meaty and chocolaty. Very ripe and rich. Medium-full body. Ripe, mature, mellow and complex. Good freshness but hinting at the end. Not as concentrated or as fine as Trotanoy but nevertheless very lovely fresh finish.

Graves

Chateau Bouscaut, 1959 Past Its Best 10.0

Full colour. Little brown at the rim. Fresh. Not exactly rich though, but quite fragrant. Rather sour and vegetably soupy on the palate. Medium-full body. Some astringency. No enjoyment here. Past its best.

Domaine De Chevalier, 1959 Now-2010 17.5

Direct from the château. Full, vigorous colour. Distinct Cabernet Franc. Slightly green pepper-herbal aspect on the nose. Medium body. Soft and mellow. Not as sweet as the very best. But elegant, creamy and complex. Very long. Very silky-smooth. Plenty of life ahead of it.

Domaine De Chevalier, Blanc, 1959 Now-2009 18.5

Mid-gold colour. Ripe, elegant, complex, well-matured nose. Fullish bodied and very concentrated. Lots of depth. Very lovely harmonious fruit. Very fresh still. Very lovely. No hurry to drink.

Chateau Haut-Brion, 1959 Now-2008 19.0

Full, vigorous colour. Lovely nose. Slightly fading perhaps but very complex and classy. Still sweet on the palate. Medium-full body. No astringency, but not as vigorous as Margaux or La Mission Haut-Brion. Real finesse. Multi-dimensional. Very lovely. Very, very long. Very fine plus.

Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion, 1959 Now-2010+ 18.5

Full, vigorous colour. Lovely nose. Splendid fruit. Fresh, ripe, elegant and classy. On the palate very smooth and silky. Quite full. Rich at the end. Very high class. Long and very lovely. Château Haut-Brion is yet classier but La Mission is more vigorous. Very fine.

Margaux

Chateau Brane-Cantenac, 1959 Drink Soon 16.0

Medium-full colour. Fully mature. Soft, ripe, succulent, elegant nose. Medium-full body. Balanced. No undue astringency. Quite rich. Good style and length. Still sweet. Very good.

Chateau Cantenac-Brown, 1959 Drink Up 12.5

Full, rich, mature colour. Quite a solid nose, but there is no lack of fruit here. On the palate the fruit has dried up a bit. Fullish body. Now a bit ungenerous. Not too bad, but it was better 10 years ago.

Chateau Ferrière, 1959 Drink Up 14.0

Fullish, well-matured colour. Cedary nose. The fruit has dried out a little. Not too dry or astringent on the palate. Medium-full body. Quite high volatile acidity. Some fruit and sweetness. But not much class. Quite good at best. Was better ten years ago.

Chateau Lascombes, 1959 Drink Up 13.0

Full, well-matured colour. Rich and cedary on the nose. Full, rich but firm and a little old-fashioned. Rather burly. The ullage was quite marked. Chunky and a little astringent. I have had better bottles. This is a little over hill.

Chateau Margaux, 1959 Now-2010 18.5

Full, vigorous colour. Lovely fragrant, elegant nose. Good freshness. Quite full. Harmonious, classy and complex. Very fine. Still lots of life ahead of it.

Chateau Marquis De Terme, 1959 Drink Soon 15.0

Ful, well-matured colour. Quite a full, tannic nose. Not too dense or astringent though. A full, meaty wine. A little astringent on the palate, but there is still fruit, succulence and even class. Better with food. Good.

Chateau Palmer, 1959 Now-2010+ 19.0

Medium-full, mature colour. Splendidly rich, complex nose. This is even better than Château Margaux, good as it is. It is richer, fatter and more old viney. Though the colour is less intense, this is more profound and more vigorous at the end. Super.

Chateau Prieuré-Lichine, 1959 Drink Soon 15.0

Full, well-matured colour. Rich nose. Full of fruit if without any great class. Suggestions of attenuation now. Medium-full body. Good balance. Fresh. Vigorous. One and half rather than three dimensions but positive at the end. No real attenuation on the palate. Good.

Chateau Rauzan-Gassies, 1959 Drink Quite Soon 16.5

Fullish, well-matured colour. Ripe nose. Fruity. Not unstylish. Fullish body. Really quite rich and concentraed. Balanced. A little chunky, but very good at the end. Lovely fruit. Still vigorous. Very good plus.

Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, 1959 Drink Up 13.0

Very full colour. Ripe, rich, cedary nose. Rioja hints. Plenty of fruit still and no lack of class. On the palate a little too old. Decent fruit but now a bit dried out. The fruit is beginning to lose its succulence. Better ten years ago. Drink up.

Saint-Julien

Chateau Beychevelle, 1959 Drink Up 14.5

Medium, fully mature colour. Soft nose. Somewhat subdued. On the palate originally good, classy fruit and medium to medium-full body. The fruit has now dried up a bit though. Quite good plus.

Chateau Branaire-Ducru, 1959 Drink Soon 16.0

Medium-full, well-matured colour. Quite a chunky nose. Slightly astringent. Better on the palate. Full, rich and quite classy. Good grip. Not too dense. Long finish. Very good.

Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, 1959 Now-2009 19.0

Fullish, mature colour. Lovely fragrant, classy nose. Impeccably balanced. Ripe and with very lovely, multi-dimensional fruit. Fullish body. Still very fresh. Complex and concentrated. Intense and pure and very fine. Great elegance. Very Ducru. Very, very lovely.

Chateau Gruaud-Larose, 1959 Now-2009 17.5

Fullish, mature colour. Rich, vigorous, meaty nose. Ripe, fat and succulent. Slightly spicy. Slightly sturdy. Full bodied. A little tannin. Rich fruit underneath. Good grip. A meaty wine. Vigorous. Fine.

Chateau Lagrange, 1959 Drink Up 12.5

Full colour. No undue age. Decent fruit on the nose. A little dry but not too much so. Medium-full body. Slightly astringent. Rather earthy too. The fruit is beginning to dry up and the wine never had any distinction.

Chateau Léoville-Las-Cases, 1959 Now-2010 19.0

Full, mature colour. Very classy Cabernet Sauvignon nose. Fresh and vigorous. Lots of depth. Splendidly pure, ripe, rich and fresh fruit on the palate. Fullish body. Very velvety. Sweet and succulent. Excellent harmony and great class. Excellent. A real classic.

Chateau Léoville-Poyferré, 1959 Now-2009 18.0

Full, mature colour. Ripe, round, sweet and opulent nose. Disarmingly seductive. Medium-full body. Now just a little sign of it drying out. Fresh nevertheless. Lovely fruit. Long, classy and harmonious. Hedonistically sweet. Fine plus.

Chateau Saint-Pierre, 1959 Drink Up 16.0

Full colour. No undue age. Rich, concentrated, succulent, very Saint-Julien, old viney nose. Fullish body. Balanced, classy Cabernet nose. Now beginning to dry out but very good still.

Chateau Talbot, 1959 Now-2009 16.0

Medium-full colour. Mature but with no sign of age. Rich, succulent, vigorous, generous nose. Medium-full body on the palate. Lots of lovely fresh, ripe fruit. Well balanced. Still very vigorous. Very good.

Pauillac

Chateau Grand-Puy-Ducasse, 1959 Drink Soon 16.5

French bottled: Nicolas. Fullish, quite vigorous colour. Rich, classy, Pauillac-y nose. Good depth and vigour here. On the palate medium-full body. Very good fruit. Long, balanced and profound. Beginning to get a little astringent though. Very good plus.

Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste, 1959 Now-2009 18.0

Fullish, mature colour. Very lovely, classy Pauillac nose. Real creamy-rich old vine fruit. Fullish body. Laid-back and harmonious. Very lovely. Very long and complex. Fine plus.

Chateau Lafite, 1959 Now-2009 20.0

Fullish colour. Still quite vigorous. Lovely elegant, fragrant, complex nose. Some oak. On the palate this is ethereally subtle and multi-dimensional. Great distinction. Fullish body. Marvellous fruit. Quite brilliant. Will still keep but not for too long.

Chateau Latour, 1959 Now-2010+ 19.5

Very full, very vigorous colour. Profound Cabernet nose. Rich, old viney concentration. Very intense. Very distinguished. On the palate more vigour than Lafite but less complex and less concentrated. Very lovely silky-smooth, classy Cabernet fruit. Very lovely finish. This is very fine indeed.

Chateau Lynch-Bages, 1959 Now-2009 18.0

Very full, mature colour. Rich, cedary nose. Ripe and succulent. Profound and multi-dimensional. This is opulent, ample and succulent. Fullish body. Very well balanced. More exotic but less classy than Grand-Puy-Lacoste. But equally lovely. Fine plus.

Chateau Mouton-Baron-Philippe, 1959 Drink Soon 16.5

Full, vigorous colour. Ripe, very classy, very harmonious nose. Still surprisingly fresh. Fullish body. Rich and fruity. Very Pauillac in flavour. Very good grip. A hint of astringency but very good plus.

Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, 1959 Now-2010+ 20.0

Very full, very vigorous colour. Classic cedary-rich, sweet and creamy Mouton nose. A very lovely bottle. Very rich and fat. Splendid combination of fruit and concentration. Fullish body. The follow-through is quite brilliant. Even better than Latour. Still very vigorous.

Chateau Pichon-Longueville-Baron, 1959 Drink Soon 16.5

Very full, mature colour. Chunky nose. Good Cabernet. Still quite fresh. Fullish body. A little old fashioned. Good fruit. Good grip. Good vigour. But it doesn't have the class and harmony of Grand-Puy-Lacoste or the opulence of Lynch-Bages. Very good plus.

Chateau Pichon-Longueville, Drink Soon 16.5

Comtesse De Lalande, 1959

Bottled by Nicolas. Very full, mature colour. The fruit is beginning to dry out on the nose. Medium-full body. Was very good indeed, if not great. Now fading a little. Succulent and fruity still. Saint-Julien rather than Pauillac.

Chateau Pontet-Canet, 1959 Drink Soon 14.5

Bordeaux bottled by Cruse. Medium to medium-full, mature colour. Round, quite sweet, slightly jammy and bland nose. Fresh, medium bodied, pleasant, easy to drink wine. No astringency. Youthful. But not that complex. Quite good plus.

Saint-Estèphe

Chateau Calon-Ségur, 1959 Drink Soon 17.5

Medium-full, mature colour. Rich, meaty nose. A little sign of tiredness now. Medium-full bodied, classy, rich and ripe on the palate. This has a lot of depth and is still very much alive, though not for much longer. Long and complex. Fine.

Chateau Cos D'Estournel, 1959 Now-2009 16.0

Full, mature colour. Ripe, quite spicy but not too robust nose. Medium-full body. Good sweet fruit. A touch astringent but that aspect was always there; it isn't that it is drying out. Positive finish. Very good but not fine.

Chateau Haut-Marbuzet, 1959 Now-2010 18.0

Magnum. Direct from the château. Amazingly fresh colour. Very lovely youthful, succulent nose. Full, rich, very, very fresh, very, very smooth and velvety. Excellent ripe, rich fruit. No hard edges. Very clean finish. Quite Merlot-ish. Fine plus.

Chateau Meyney, 1959 Drink Soon 14.5

Fullish, mature colour. Meaty nose. Quite rich. Fullish on the palate. Quite sturdy. Not astringent or overly tannic though. But it has a certain earthiness and not a lot of class. Good vigour despite a hint of maderisation.

Chateau Montrose, 1959 Now-2010+ 17.5

Full, mature colour. Quite solid, chunky nose. The tannins are quite prominent. But there is good quality, ripe Cabernet fruit underneath. On the palate not too solild at all. Very rich. A manly wine. Very good grip. Very fresh. Lots of life ahead of it. Fine.

Sauternes

Chateau Caillou, 1959 Now-2009 15.5

Mid-gold colour. Full, toffee flavoured, slightly solid, four-square nose. Only a little botrytis. Fullish body. Sweet. Honeyed. Good grip. Not exactly very elegant but quite intense and powerful. Long. Good plus.

Chateau Climens, 1959 Now-2010 17.0

Rich golden colour. But not too deep or aged. Sweet, honeyed nose. Fresh and with good botrytis. Fresh. Very typical Barsac. Fresh, balanced, complex palate. Sweet but not a bit cloying. This is very good indeed. Will still keep.

Chateau De Malle, 1959 Now-2009 16.0

Mid-gold colour. Soft, gentle, aromatic, classy nose. Fresh. No lack of pourriture noble. Medium-full body. Medium sweet. Balanced and elegant. Clean and long on the palate. Not the greatest concentration but very good.

Chateau Doisy-Védrines, 1959 Now-2010+ 18.0

Deep, almost orange colour. Rich, sweet, concentrated nose. Full and with plenty of botrytis. Full bodied, concentrated, fat and well-balanced. This is ripe, intense and vigorous. Fine.

Chateau Guiraud, 1959 See Note

Mid-gold colour. Slightly coarse on the nose. Only medium-sweet. Not entirely clean. Worse on the palate. No.

Chateau Suduiraut, 1959 Drink Soon 16.0

Deep, bronzed gold colour. Medium-sweet nose. Not an enormous amount of pourriture noble. Fullish body. Sweet. Slightly bland but rich. Yet a slightly cloying finish. Very good but not great.

Chateau La Tour Blanche, 1959 Now-2010+ 17.0

Mid-gold colour. Slightly four-square on the nose. Some botrytis. Medium-full body. Decent style and concentration. Good vigour. Good depth. Not too heavy. Good grip. Ripe and elegant and long and very good indeed.

Chateau D'Yquem, 1959 See Note

Deep Oloroso-more-than-Amontillado colour. Old but full, concentrated nose. Rather too developed. this is not a representative bottle. Rich, concentrated, full bodied but lacks distinction.