It was a superlative year for Bordeaux in 1961, producing wines of power and majesty.

Control of temperature during fermentation was better than it had been in, say, 1928 or 1945, so the tannins were reined-in and the wines were very attractive from their early days.

Arden recently acquired a bottle of the great 1961 Château Mouton Rothschild from a cellar in Essex.

It has a “La Bergerie” neck label. This was the negociant company acquired by Baron Philippe de Rothschild in 1933 from the Comte de Ferrand  as part of the deal that saw the Baron purchase Château Mouton d’Armailhacq.

The ullage reflects its age – it’s 61 years old, you know!

(Alas, 1961 wines do not always look as good as my doppelgänger George Clooney, also of 1961.)

But the wine itself is still blood-dark, suggesting that it’s good to go…