Château Mouton Rothschild 1960… 🍷
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The 1960 Bordeaux vintage was (I’m told by somebody who remembers 🤭) considered to be light, relatively inexpensive, and to be enjoyed while the superior 1959s matured.
It was the biggest crop since the frost-bitten 1956 vintage. There was a shortage of wine so the 1960s were well-bought.
Caught between the twin peaks of 1959 and 1961, Château Mouton Rothschild’s 1960 – when the estate was still ranked as a “Deuxième Cru” (Second Growth) – was one of the best examples of this overlooked year.
Arden’s bottle of Mouton 1960 came from a cellar in deepest Sussex and is in as good a condition as could be expected for its age.
The label for this Mouton vintage was by Jacques Villon (1875-1963), whose proper name was Gaston Duchamp.
He was brother of the sculptor Duchamp-Villon and the painter Marcel Duchamp.
Villon’s abstract image is captioned “ils vont dans les vignes, les oiseaux…” (“They go in the vineyards, the birds…”)
See Mouton and other 64-year olds at https://ardenfinewines.com/product-category/vintage-2/?filter=true&product_cat=1960
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Château d’Yquem 1958
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The quality of Château d’Yquem’s wine during the 1950s was – shall we say? – irregular.
The 1958 vintage was one of the better-balanced wines made by Yquem in the 1950s, a decade in which two years (1951 and 1952) were so poor that no wine was made.
(Just imagine having a business for which no goods can be made and sold for two consecutive years!)
Great Yquem vintages tend to be early (picked no later than October) and fast. This vintage was late and slow.
The resulting wine was not as sweet or rich as Yquem can be in other years.
Still, it was a better year in Bordeaux for the sweet white Sauternes wines than for the red wines.
In the context of the 1940s and 1950s, Château d’Yquem 1958 was not as good as 1949, 1953, or 1959 (all available from Arden Fine Wines 👍).
But it’s not as bad as 1963 or 1968 – which are for completists only…
#ArdenFineWines #Yquem #ChateaudYquem #Sauternes #1958gift #1958birthday #1958anniversary #bordeaux #bordeauxmaville #finewine #finewines #rarewine #oldwine #corporategift #vintagewine #anniversarygift #birthdaygift #birthdaygiftideas #birthdaygiftforhim #birthdaygiftforher #anniversarygiftideas
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 1955… 🍷
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Ducru-Beaucaillou’s vineyards are near the Gironde estuary, where the softer and lighter Saint-Julien wines come from (as contrasted to the richer wines from inland vineyards like Gruaud-Larose).
Its name – “Beau caillou” means “beautiful pebble” – evokes the two-million year old quartz pebbles found in this part of Bordeaux wine country.
It takes the other half of its name from the Ducru family that owned the estate from 1797 to 1866.
The wine itself is usually as balanced and symmetrical as the 1820 château depicted on the striking yellow and gold label.
Arden Fine Wines’ bottle of 1955 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou came from a private cellar in Warwickshire.
It’s a well-regarded vintage of Ducru-Beaucaillou, the best between 1953 and 1959, a period in which Bordeaux endured a run of dire vintages (especially the frost-bitten 1956).
More on Ducru-Beaucaillou and other 1955s at https://ardenfinewines.com/product-category/vintage-2/?filter=true&product_cat=1955
#ArdenFineWines #chateauducrubeaucaillou #1955Vintage #Millesime1955 #1955birthday #1955gift #1955anniversary #finewine #finewines #rarewine #oldwine #corporategift #vintagewine #anniversarygift #anniversarygiftideas #birthdaygift #birthdaygiftideas #birthdaygiftforhim #birthdaygiftforher #anniversarygiftideas
Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 1986-2008-2012… 🥂 🍾
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Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill was created by Pol Roger in homage to the great man.
It is the only prestige cuvée champagne named after a non-French person.
Commencing with the 1975, only 19 vintages of Sir Winston have been released to date.
The 2008 and 2012 are superlative examples of the 21st century’s finest champagne vintages.
The 1986 was the fifth vintage of Cuvée Sir Winston to be brought to life and is a very good effort for a rather mixed year in Champagne.
See more Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill at https://ardenfinewines.com/?s=Cuvée+Sir+Winston+Churchill&post_type=product
Château d’Yquem 1976 for sale!
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This great d’Yquem was made entirely with grapes harvested from the second “trie” (the selection and picking of the grapes).
Is 1976 better than 1975? Well, it’s different…
The ’76 is an elegant, extrovert d’Yquem; the ’75 is richer and deeper.
See 1976 and 15 other vintages if d’Yquem at https://ardenfinewines.com/?s=Yquem&post_type=product
Quinta do Noval 1963… 🍷
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Quinta do Noval 1963… 🍷
It was a watershed vintage of high quality and high volume (like 1927) that marked the turnaround of Port’s fortunes after post-war struggles.
Some producers sold more wine than since the 1896 vintage!
See Quinta do Noval and other great 1963 Vintage Ports at https://ardenfinewines.com/product-category/vintage-2/?filter=true&product_cat=1963
Château Mouton Rothschild 1961… 🍷
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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
This 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.
Mouton and more 1961s at https://ardenfinewines.com/product-category/vintage-2/?filter=true&product_cat=1961
#ArdenFineWines #1961Vintage #Millesime1961 #chateaumoutonrothschild #moutonrothschild #1961birthday #1961gift #1961anniversary #finewine #finewines #rarewine #oldwine #corporategift #vintagewine #anniversarygift #anniversarygiftideas #birthdaygift #birthdaygiftideas #birthdaygiftforhim #birthdaygiftforher #anniversarygiftideas
Pol Roger Cuvée de Réserve 1947… 🥂 🍾
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Pol Roger Cuvée de Réserve 1947 is not just the “normal”(!) 1947 Pol Roger – which was apparently Sir Winston Churchill’s “house Champagne” towards the end of his life – but a bottling that was disgorged on 29th July 1981 to commemorate the wedding of H.R.H. The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.
The late-disgorged 1981 version was drier than the “standard” version because it had less (or even no) dosage at the time of disgorgement.
Some bottles of 1947 Pol Roger were disgorged even later, in 1988.
See more about Pol Roger at https://ardenfinewines.com/?s=Pol+Roger&post_type=product
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Château Léoville Barton 1970…
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Château Léoville Barton 1970… 🍷
The 1970 Bordeaux summer was mostly warm and dry.
It was a big crop and the vats and barrels at Léoville and elsewhere were full to capacity.
It’s perhaps the best vintage between 1961 and 1982.
A VIP friend of Arden Fine Wines was at Château Léoville Barton when its 1970 vintage was coming to life.
As a goodwill gesture and a thank you for their support, a dinner with our VIP friend was designed and hosted by him at the Savile Club – Arden’s near neighbour in Brook Street, Mayfair – and a bottle of 1970 Léoville Barton was opened to commemorate his part in witnessing its birth.
The wine had a ruddy appearance and the nose was lovely – a nice example of cedary, smoky old claret.
The Léoville Barton 1970 is a classic wine, like an old black-and-white movie – drink it and enjoy it before it’s past the point of no return.
See 1970 and other Léoville Barton vintages at https://ardenfinewines.com/?s=Léoville+Barton
