6 magnums per lot
Details
1962 LA TÂCHE IN SIX MAGNIFICENT MAGNUMS
"This is one of the greatest wines of my lifetime and while I cannot say that the '62 LT is better in magnum than bottle at this stage, it's a debatable point. I repeat the note from 750 ml here but if ever I was tempted to give a wine a perfect score, this wine in magnum is an undeniable candidate.
Though it required over 30 years before collectors finally caught on, '62 has clearly emerged as the finest vintage of the decade, edging out '64 and '66. Interestingly, '62 was not particularly well regarded for many years and even an average plus vintage like '61 was regarded more highly. The growing season was cool until August and it rained in September, which further delayed the harvest. The general ban de vendange was declared on October 8th but the Domaine did not begin its harvest until the 15th.
As to the Domaine, '62 is indeed one of the greatest vintages of this storied place though it perhaps has never received the acclaim of certain others, probably because it is not a powerful, rich and massive vintage but rather one of delicatesse and understatement yet the purity of expression is almost unrivaled. (A recent bottle of the '62 Richebourg was simply magnificent). Even better than the bottle I had at the April, 2002 Acker tasting and words simply cannot express the astonishing aromatic complexity and for me this is the most complex nose of any vintage reviewed here. Much like the '71, the flavors no longer have the sap and power they once did but the purity and detail are mind boggling. Silky, refined and altogether classy with a finish that goes on and on. This is a wine of drama and emotion - in short, quintessential La Tâhe that is knee-bending in its brilliance and while there is no reason to wait, it appears to have the stamina to last for another decade at this level. In short, this is a genuinely complete wine of absolute genius... Now tasted more than a dozen times with mostly consistent notes." BH, Oct 22, 2005
La Tâche--Vintage 1962
Côte de Nuits, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Levels: one 2.5cm, two 3.5cm, two 4cm and one 4.5cm; serial numbered labels: 170, 172, 173, 175, 178, 179, lightly bin soiled labels, one corroded capsule, Frederick Wildman slip labels, one capsule cut to reveal domaine vintage stamped cork of appropriate age
"This is one of the greatest wines of my lifetime and while I cannot say that the '62 LT is better in magnum than bottle at this stage, it's a debatable point. I repeat the note from 750 ml here but if ever I was tempted to give a wine a perfect score, this wine in magnum is an undeniable candidate: ("The '62 is a point of reference for me and one of the greatest examples of La Tâche ever in my experience. The essential character of the wine is clearly one of discretion but it is, in my view, a simply brilliant example and one that is for me truly a measure by which all other vintages of La Tâche will be judged. The '99 may very well surpass it but that remains to be seen." Aubert de Villaine; Meadows: Though it required over 30 years before collectors finally caught on, '62 has clearly emerged as the finest vintage of the decade, edging out '64 and '66. Interestingly, '62 was not particularly well regarded for many years and even an average plus vintage like '61 was regarded more highly. The growing season was cool until August and it rained in September, which further delayed the harvest. The general ban de vendange was declared on October 8th but the Domaine did not begin its harvest until the 15th. As to the Domaine, '62 is indeed one of the greatest vintages of this storied place though it perhaps has never received the acclaim of certain others, probably because it is not a powerful, rich and massive vintage but rather one of delicatesse and understatement yet the purity of expression is almost unrivaled. A recent bottle of the '62 Richebourg was simply magnificent). Even better than the bottle I had at the April, 2002 Acker tasting and words simply cannot express the astonishing aromatic complexity and for me this is the most complex nose of any vintage reviewed here. Much like the '71, the flavors no longer have the sap and power they once did but the purity and detail are mind boggling. Silky, refined and altogether classy with a finish that goes on and on. This is a wine of drama and emotion - in short, quintessential La Tâche that is knee-bending in its brilliance and while there is no reason to wait, it appears to have the stamina to last for another decade at this level. In short, this is a genuinely complete wine of absolute genius. Note: the most recent bottle was spectacular for 5 minutes and then instantly turned pruney, from which it never emerged. Yet another recent bottle opened in Burgundy with an outstanding fill level was aromatically spectacular displaying truly stunning depth and breadth yet the flavors are beginning to lose just a bit of vitality. I would begin looking for reasons to pull the cork. Yet one more bottle sampled in Los Angeles that came from the Nicolas cellars was quite a revelation as it possessed all of the aromatic fireworks described above yet was youthful and still tannic; in short, a great, great bottle that had everything including 20+ years of holding plateau. Now tasted more than a dozen times with mostly consistent notes." BH, October 22, 2005
6 magnums per lot
"This is one of the greatest wines of my lifetime and while I cannot say that the '62 LT is better in magnum than bottle at this stage, it's a debatable point. I repeat the note from 750 ml here but if ever I was tempted to give a wine a perfect score, this wine in magnum is an undeniable candidate.
Though it required over 30 years before collectors finally caught on, '62 has clearly emerged as the finest vintage of the decade, edging out '64 and '66. Interestingly, '62 was not particularly well regarded for many years and even an average plus vintage like '61 was regarded more highly. The growing season was cool until August and it rained in September, which further delayed the harvest. The general ban de vendange was declared on October 8th but the Domaine did not begin its harvest until the 15th.
As to the Domaine, '62 is indeed one of the greatest vintages of this storied place though it perhaps has never received the acclaim of certain others, probably because it is not a powerful, rich and massive vintage but rather one of delicatesse and understatement yet the purity of expression is almost unrivaled. (A recent bottle of the '62 Richebourg was simply magnificent). Even better than the bottle I had at the April, 2002 Acker tasting and words simply cannot express the astonishing aromatic complexity and for me this is the most complex nose of any vintage reviewed here. Much like the '71, the flavors no longer have the sap and power they once did but the purity and detail are mind boggling. Silky, refined and altogether classy with a finish that goes on and on. This is a wine of drama and emotion - in short, quintessential La Tâhe that is knee-bending in its brilliance and while there is no reason to wait, it appears to have the stamina to last for another decade at this level. In short, this is a genuinely complete wine of absolute genius... Now tasted more than a dozen times with mostly consistent notes." BH, Oct 22, 2005
La Tâche--Vintage 1962
Côte de Nuits, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Levels: one 2.5cm, two 3.5cm, two 4cm and one 4.5cm; serial numbered labels: 170, 172, 173, 175, 178, 179, lightly bin soiled labels, one corroded capsule, Frederick Wildman slip labels, one capsule cut to reveal domaine vintage stamped cork of appropriate age
"This is one of the greatest wines of my lifetime and while I cannot say that the '62 LT is better in magnum than bottle at this stage, it's a debatable point. I repeat the note from 750 ml here but if ever I was tempted to give a wine a perfect score, this wine in magnum is an undeniable candidate: ("The '62 is a point of reference for me and one of the greatest examples of La Tâche ever in my experience. The essential character of the wine is clearly one of discretion but it is, in my view, a simply brilliant example and one that is for me truly a measure by which all other vintages of La Tâche will be judged. The '99 may very well surpass it but that remains to be seen." Aubert de Villaine; Meadows: Though it required over 30 years before collectors finally caught on, '62 has clearly emerged as the finest vintage of the decade, edging out '64 and '66. Interestingly, '62 was not particularly well regarded for many years and even an average plus vintage like '61 was regarded more highly. The growing season was cool until August and it rained in September, which further delayed the harvest. The general ban de vendange was declared on October 8th but the Domaine did not begin its harvest until the 15th. As to the Domaine, '62 is indeed one of the greatest vintages of this storied place though it perhaps has never received the acclaim of certain others, probably because it is not a powerful, rich and massive vintage but rather one of delicatesse and understatement yet the purity of expression is almost unrivaled. A recent bottle of the '62 Richebourg was simply magnificent). Even better than the bottle I had at the April, 2002 Acker tasting and words simply cannot express the astonishing aromatic complexity and for me this is the most complex nose of any vintage reviewed here. Much like the '71, the flavors no longer have the sap and power they once did but the purity and detail are mind boggling. Silky, refined and altogether classy with a finish that goes on and on. This is a wine of drama and emotion - in short, quintessential La Tâche that is knee-bending in its brilliance and while there is no reason to wait, it appears to have the stamina to last for another decade at this level. In short, this is a genuinely complete wine of absolute genius. Note: the most recent bottle was spectacular for 5 minutes and then instantly turned pruney, from which it never emerged. Yet another recent bottle opened in Burgundy with an outstanding fill level was aromatically spectacular displaying truly stunning depth and breadth yet the flavors are beginning to lose just a bit of vitality. I would begin looking for reasons to pull the cork. Yet one more bottle sampled in Los Angeles that came from the Nicolas cellars was quite a revelation as it possessed all of the aromatic fireworks described above yet was youthful and still tannic; in short, a great, great bottle that had everything including 20+ years of holding plateau. Now tasted more than a dozen times with mostly consistent notes." BH, October 22, 2005
6 magnums per lot