THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 4, 1996 TAG: 9602010063
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: THE HUMBLE STEWARD
SOURCE: JIM RAPER
LENGTH: Long : 125 lines
HAMPTON WINE merchant George LeCuyer never needs an excuse to throw a wine-tasting party. He has one of the region's best-stocked wine cellars, and several times a year he dips into it to orchestrate a themed tasting. The beneficiaries of his generosity are a roundtable of oenophiles he has recruited over the years.
When lucky members of LeCuyer's roundtable gathered at his home last month, however, we weren't sure what to expect. We had been invited to a going-away party for John Blazon, a young pillar of the wine trade in eastern Virginia. He was soon to leave for a new job managing the wine programs of restaurants at Disney's Grand Floridian Beach Resort in Orlando. Blazon, who most recently had worked for the wine distributor Robins Cellars, was a member in good standing of the roundtable.
LeCuyer had told me when he invited me that he had wanted to pull up a few bottles with the vintage date of Blazon's birth year. But, as it turned out, the lad had been born in 1960, which, generally, was a lackluster birth year for wines.
So what did LeCuyer decide to do? ``I thought you wouldn't mind if I bracketed the birth year,'' he told us.
This, of course, he said with a smile. LeCuyer had pulled 11 bottles of Bordeaux reds, three from 1959 and eight from 1961. These are two great Bordeaux vintages, 1961 being widely considered to be the best since World War II and 1959 not far behind it.
All of the tasters agreed that LeCuyer had arrived at a marvelous compromise.
Here is a listing of the wines, ranked by the average score (on a 100-point scale) of the eight tasters, among whom were John Keating, a wine educator and consultant; Bobby Huber, a Norfolk restaurateur; Clement Brown, a division vice president of Seagram Chateau & Estate Wines Co.; George Ackerman, a Newport News wine merchant; and John Parker, a wine collector.
Lafite-Rothschild 1959 Pauillac (98.3 average score) - This won perfect 100 point ratings from several tasters. It is of first-growth classification, which means it is from one of five chateaux officially recognized as the best of Bordeaux's Medoc region. This 1959 still had youthful color and looked the way it tasted, incredibly concentrated. The nose was of vanilla, spice, tar and dried black cherries. The taste was complex as well, with dark fruit wrapped by cedar and licorice. There was alcohol strength and a bite of tannin on the finish. Who knows when this wine will begin to lose its charm, certainly not in this century. My rating was 94, with points deducted, perhaps foolishly, because the wine is so atypically thick.
Margaux 1961 Margaux (97.5) - Another first growth, this wine also garnered some perfect scores. Several tasters noted that it seemed to be at the peak of readiness. Its color predicted no decline, and neither did its spicey, blackberry nose. The taste, of dark fruit and anise, was elegant, much less burly than the Lafite. I wrote ``smooth'' in my notes. The finish was long and warm. My rating, again, was 94. Why not higher? I wondered whether I might have liked this wine better a year or two ago.
Cos d'Estournel 1961 St. Estephe (94.6) - This second-growth chateau, though in the relatively humble commune of St. Estephe, is just across the boundary line from Lafite in the prestigious Pauillac. A heavier percentage of merlot (and less of cabernet sauvignon) than most of the great wines of Medoc can give Cos d'Estournel a ripe fruitiness. The 1961 we tasted had a narrow edge of orange color to it, indicating maturity. The nose also had the wet-dog-lying-on-a-bed-of-cedar-chips smell of a mature wine. The taste, however, was surprisingly youthful, with black cherry and mineral flavors, and noticeable tannins. Scores for it ranged from 99 to 90. I gave it a 91.
Beychevelle 1961 St. Julian (93.5) - A beautiful, almost youthful color recommended this fourth growth. It had aromas of plums and black pepper. The taste was delightfully layered with black currants, allspice and cedar. Tannin was underneath it all, making me believe it has more years of life left. Scores ranged from 98 to 89. I gave it a 91.
Talbot 1959 St. Julian (92.8) - This is a fourth-growth, and a St. Julian chateau that I hold in high regard. The 1959 had brick colored edges to it, but the aroma of black cherries and black pepper and mint promised more youthful flavors than I had expected. I tasted blackberries and cedar in it and loved every drop of it. Scores were clustered around the average. I gave it a 90.
Pichon-Longueville Baron 1961 Pauillac (92.5) - This is from a respected second-growth chateau that, like Cos d'Estournel, uses more merlot in its blends that the typical top properties of Medoc. The 1961 we tasted had a lovely color, but I was somewhat put off by its raw beef nose. The taste was a confusing mix of plums, raisins, spices, cedar and green peppers. All of the other tasters liked it more than I did. It scored from 98 to my 88.
Ducru-Beaucaillou 1961 St. Julian (92.3) - This is one of the two or three St. Julian chateaux that wine experts sometimes contend should be elevated from second-growth to first-growth classification. Promoters of Ducru-Beaucaillou might use the 1961 to bolster their cases. This wine showed a hint of maturity in its color, and the nose brought to mind the aforementioned wet dog. But the flavors were complex and lovely, with dark fruit, anise, coffee and cedar vying for attention. It also had the tannic backbone to last a few years longer in the bottle. Scores ranged from 98 to 85. I gave it a 90.
Calon-Segur 1961 St. Estephe (91.8) - St. Estephe is not known for elegant wines, and Calon-Segur is one of the reasons why. The commune's wines often lean toward the thick and rough, and can be stubbornly astringent. But I've enjoyed many bottles of Calon-Segur from the 1980s, good, solid wines that weren't too expensive. And I thought this 1961 was quite good for one that would be priced at a fraction of others in the tasting. Its color was a little brickish and it smelled mature. In the mouth, however, the wine was smooth, almost sweet. Black cherry and tar flavors dominated. Scores ranged from 99 to 86. I gave it an 87.
Grand-Puy-Lacoste 1959 Pauillac (89.6) - This chateau has a better reputation than its fifth-growth classification would indicate. The 1959 looked beautiful in the glass. The nose, however, predicted a lean wine, and the taste was tired and metallic. Other tasters found ample fruit and pleasing tea flavors, but none rated it as a classic. Scores ranged from 92 to my 83.
Leoville-Las Cases 1961 St. Julian (88.7) - Another chateau widely said to be underrated, this second-growth property is adjacent to Pauillac's famous Chateau Latour. Las Cases prices might lead us to believe that the chateau has already been elevated to first-growth classification. As much as I have enjoyed the occasional bottle of Las Cases from 1978 through 1988, I was very disappointed in the 1961. The appearance was fine, but then came the musty nose and the mouthful of tar and tobacco. And the finish was dusty and abruptly short. Scores ranged from 95 to 82. I gave it an 84.
Lagrange 1961 St. Julian (87) - I am not very familiar with this third-growth property, which, I am told, has begun to recover from a marked falloff in performance during the 1960s and 1970s. This 1961 was a little orange around the edges and cloudy, and it had a very weak nose. The taste was pruney, with metallic notes. One member of the group gave it a 98, however. Another gave it an 80, winning for Lagrange the dubious honor of having the greatest range of scores. I gave it an 83. by CNB