WTN: Great night, good wines ('61-90 Bdx, + Loire/Tuscany)

Monday Betsy was in the Verdi Requiem at Carnegie Hall , so I decided it was a good time to indulge in liver and onions (as she doesn't care for it). Wine was the 2006 Canneto Rosso di Montepulciano. I confess when I got this I actually thought I was buying a very well-priced Rosso di Montalcino, I didn't realize my mistake till putting it in the cellar. Well, as mistakes got this wasn't at all painful. Medium bodied with rich black cherry fruit, a little bit of chewy tannins, a sturdy Sangiovese that is satisfying if not quite exciting. B

Tuesday we had a couple over in late celebration of their joint birthdays. Alex had told me he had never had a birthyear wine, so thought this was a good time to try a half of '61 Gloria (with some backup claret). Betsy made goat cheese/chive.mustard souffles (great recipe, from Jenise) as starter, followed by squab in a porcini/wine sauce (thanks to CMM for recipe!) with mashed potatoes, an endive and watercress salad, and cheese. My only culinary contribution was butchering the squabs (these were plucked, but Betsy prefers not to do entrail/head removal) and slicing the bread.

With the chevre souffles, the 2007 Domane de la Charmoise Sauvignon (Touraine). Lemon and gooseberry, fresh and crisp, nothing especially complex but a clean, correct, and comfortable Sauvignon Blanc. At $12 I'll buy again. B

On to the reds, with the squab:
1961 Ch. Gloria (St Julien), 375 ml
So I knew I was taking a chance buying a couple of half bottles. Great vintage, but 47 is really stretching it for a Cru Bourgeois in this format. I warned it might be a disappointment, and the fact the cork was basically sawdust made me pessimistic. But lo and behold, as it went through funnel into decanter the color was dark and pure. In the glass there was some bricking around the edges, but overall quite bright. Nice sweet cassis and black plum fruit, a bit of earth and tobacco, amazingly young. I can't say it was the most complex older claret I've run across, but it was quite enjoyable, and the real pleasure was watching Alex marvel at a wine as old as himself. Lasted well through the course. B+ for the wine, A for the exceeding expectations.

1970 Ch. de Pez (St Estephe)
I've had this a few times, always a pretty dependable wine, if not exciting. Redder fruits, higher acids than the Gloria. Maybe a bit more happening on the secondary/tertiary level than the St Julien, there's lots of damp earth, as well as cigarbox and cigarsmoke. A bit sharp after some time in decanter. B/B+

1990 Ch. Haut Brisson (St Emilion)
Youngest red of the night, closest to the grave. Red plummy fruit, a hint of prune, some earth. Resolved tannins, some nice tobacco-y notes,but short for a '90. Drink up fast if you have. B/B-

Fun night with fun people.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
 

You must be living right. A '61 Gloria in a 375 and a '70 de Pez is really stretching it. I still have some '70's from similar producers and they are really beginning to fade. When it works it is great fun, when it does not it tends to be a weak acidic failure where you resolve to drink your wines a little earlier. These must have had excellent storage.
Walt

I don't have any of those wines that you tasted, but it's amazing that the '61 Gloria showed well in spite of the cork condition and bottle size. Nice reading and thanks for sharing the notes.

Pleae extend our belated greetings to Betsy.

As to provenance, the Gloria was a purchase from PC within last year. I got 2, they were cheap, and I kept my expectations in check. Fill was very good. I'll save my other for my brother (a '61 vintage), and try not to let last night's showing raise my expectations too much ("there are only great bottles", etc).

The de Pez was purchased privately a few years back after showing surprisingly well at a tasting. Labels aren't great (passive storage), but cold damp storage means good fills. I agree most lesser '70s are on far side of slope, though certainly some better wines (HB, Montrose, LMHB, Canon, Ducru) are still rollng along.