On Jul 13, 9:25*am, Lawrence Leichtman > wrote:
> In article
> >,
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> *cwdjrxyz > wrote:
> > I had one bottle of Chateau La Gaffeliere 1966 which I opened but
> > expected to be too old. It was a decent, but not top, wine in the mid
> > 80s and likely at the peak then according to some old reviews. I was
> > thus not expecting much, and had another bottle of younger wine as a
> > backup. The fill was still in the low neck, and the cork was still
> > sound, although a bit soft.
>
> > The wine still is fairly deep in color with only moderate age showing
> > around the rim. There is fairly intense black fruit such as cassis and
> > blackberry. There is considerable mixed spice. The tannins are a bit
> > dry as often is the case for old 66s, but not too intense. The acid
> > balance is good. This is an old style common in Saint Emilion PP (pre-
> > Parker). *Such wines often can take many years to fully develop and
> > can hold a long time after they mature. They can be very good matches
> > for some foods. However they often do not make friends when young. I
> > do not know if anyone makes this type of wine anymore.
>
> What a nice surprise. Last '66 I had a Ducru from that era in 2005 was
> faded though the provenance was good and the condition was good.

At 40+, lots of bottle variability. '66 Ducru can still be pretty
vigorous, had couple years ago.