1961 Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, Saint-Julien, Bottle (750ml) [High Shoulder]

RP98 Pale to medium brown-brick colored, the 1961 Ducru-Beaucaillou springs from the glass with notes of kirsch, raspberry preserves and dried mulberries plus wafts of sandalwood, menthol, aniseed and dried roses with a hint of black truffles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is laden with layers of dried red and black berries and tons of spice and floral sparks with a wonderfully plush texture and fantastically long, multilayered finish. A great bottle like this one satisfies all the style and quality expectations of a 1961, and then some.

LP98 The 1961 Ducru-Beaucaillou, tasted at the chateau, is medium to deep brick in color. It opens with amazingly youthful, fragrant suggestions of cherry cordial, creme de cassis, rose oil, and spearmint, followed by touches of sandalwood and cigar box. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich and velvety, with a refreshing backbone to counter all that spicy fruit, finishing long and perfumed.

VM97 (Neil Martin) I have been fortunate to taste the 1961 Ducru-Beaucaillou several times over 20 years, both blind and non-blind, at private dinners and at the château. It is a formidable 1961. This bottle has the vintage’s telltale chlorine tincture on the nose that is interwoven into the black fruit, peat and light cedar scents. It is extremely focused although not as vigorous as say, a decade ago. The palate is very well balanced with fine tannins, very saline in the mouth, full of tension and energy thank to its fine bead of acidity. As I remarked in my previous note, it is not a 1961 with a surfeit of finesse, but it has a dimension and gravitas that demands respect. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château.