Notes from a small dinner:

With seafood lasagne:

2008 Fairview Cellars Sauvignon Blanc – this Fairview is in BC, not
the Cape. Decent varietal nose, clean, some sweet aromas, not bad.

2004 Springfield Estate Life From Stone Sauvignon Blanc – a different
class altogether. Very grassy nose, clean bright wine with long acidic
finish. Good food wine.

With duck confit and breast:

1959 Ch. Margaux – I last had this 10 years ago, and out of respect
for the age, we decanted immediately before pouring. Mid shoulder
fill, slight browning at the edges, but a solid dark red core. Lots
of good sweet fruit in the nose, intense flavour in the mouth with
excellent fruit levels, and some soft tannin remaining. Exceptional
length. Over 45 minutes the wine lost some fruit and the acidity came
forward and the tannins seemed to abate, indicating that the bottle is
getting on, but given it’s magnificent presentation right out of the
decanter at first, I could forgive it’s slow expiry, especially as I
didn’t leave much to fade out in the glass!

On its own:

1983 Grange Hermitage – I worried that we might be opening this too
soon, but the wine was gorgeous. Dark, with a huge mint/eucalyptus
nose, slightly warm, it was huge in the mouth with big woolly tannins
that must have made it unapproachable even a few years ago. Now it has
become very drinkable, although clearly just at the beginning of its
drinking window. Very long finish. Nearing peak and will age very
slowly indeed. 94% shiraz, 6% Cab Sauv, from a drought year.

1983 Taylors Port – not as hot as the last bottle I had, fairly sweet,
medium length, reasonably complex and well balanced. I had thought
from the colour that it might be a 1970 as it was paler than I’d
expected. Just a bit disappointing given my high expectations for
this house.

On Mar 20, 6:32*pm, "Bill S." > wrote:


> 1959 Ch. Margaux – I last had this 10 years ago, and out of respect
> for the age, we decanted immediately before pouring. Mid shoulder
> fill, slight browning at the edges, but a solid dark red core. *Lots
> of good sweet fruit in the nose, intense flavour in the mouth with
> excellent fruit levels, and some soft tannin remaining. Exceptional
> length. *Over 45 minutes the wine lost some fruit and the acidity came
> forward and the tannins seemed to abate, indicating that the bottle is
> getting on, but given it’s magnificent presentation right out of the
> decanter at first, I could forgive it’s slow expiry, especially as I
> didn’t leave much to fade out in the glass!

I am glad to hear your 1959 Ch. Margaux was still so good. I bought 6
bottles of it in the very early 70s, and it had been cellared in the
UK before that. I have had 4 bottles of it over the years, and it
always has been of very high quality. One of the 2 remaining bottles
has a low neck fill and the other has a very high shoulder fill. I
also still have single bottles of the 1953 and 1961. For the rest of
the 60s and for the 70s I have not tasted a Ch. Margaux that was very
exciting, but some were better than some might have you believe. I do
not decant wines this old at all unless they stink. Rather I put them
in the wine machine as rapidly as possible and flush out the air in
the neck with much ultra-pure argon. I find they nearly always will
keep quite a while and I can sample the wine over a week or more
without any decline I can notice. If I do decide the wine can use a
little air, I just let it stand in the glass for a bit.