Grape Wine Journey

It was one of the greatest vintage in Bordeaux.

It was the year that JF Kennedy stepped into the Oval Office in Washington DC.

It was the year that East Germany constructed the Berlin Wall.

It was the year that “Are You Lonesome Tonight” by Elvis Presley, “Moon River” by Henry Mancini and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by The Tokens topped the Chart.

In January 2010, it is the year that I tasted a1961 Bordeaux.

Ch Patache d'Aux 1961

It was a bottle that my friend bought in one of his business trips in Europe.  He didn’t know a lot about the wine, but he knew it would be difficult to come across another 1961 bottle again.  We were guessing what would be the tasting notes on the wine?

The suspense fills the air; the color, the nose and the palate of the Bordeaux ….

The wine had sediment as expected, but the color was still vivid.  Surprisingly, the nose showed fruit with grass, leather and milk.  It didn’t require time to air, but it showed the complexity of an old wine as the night went.  The acidity was high, but the food balanced the acidity.  It was very different than the modern day Bordeaux wine, but it went well with food. 

Grilled Kurobuta Pork

We were all amazed that the wine was already 49 years old, it was certainly at its peak, it had its unique style and most of all, we all loved it!