6 bottles per lot
Details
Château Margaux--Vintage 1953
Margaux, 1er cru classé
Levels: three very top and three upper shoulder; nicked corks
"Now here's a wine. One of the loveliest of all vintages of Margaux and, incidentally, with the great 1959 and 1961, putting paid to the received nonsense that good wine was only made at Margaux only after the Mentzelopoulos purchase in 1977. I recall Harry Waugh, Harvey's wine buyer, writing in 1954 'lovely, deep, altogether a splendid wine, too good to spit out.' A great taster, with impeccable judgement. I didn't taste it until 1961, and on a couple of occasions found it condensed and unready. It opened up in the late 1960s, and in the early 1970s I used very similar descriptions: rich, smoky, lovely, silky, soft, velvety, glorious, etc. By the 1980s a rich charmer, with perfect balance, great length. Six of my more 20 notes made in the 1990s: one (in Florida) 'delicate, fading old lady' though not borne out by more recent notes. At the two Manfred Wagner verticals, the first sheer perfection, a glorious mouthful the next, alas, oxidised. One of the most perfect was a bottle I had bought at a Christie's auction in 1994 and served at my Bordeaux club dinner in Feb 1998 (cork drawn at 4pm, decanted at 6pm and poured at 8.20pm). It had a lovely, cedary bouquet which, after over an hour in the glass exuded tea-like fragrance. Sweet, delicious, still with a firm core, easy to drink, dry finish. Lovely but fading a little at Josh Latner's dinner in January 2000 and, two days later, surprisingly, a lovely bottle at the annual III Form Club dinner at Boodle's Club. Last tasted (Wagner's bad bottle), Nov 2000. At best *****" MB, Vintage Wine
6 bottles per lot
Margaux, 1er cru classé
Levels: three very top and three upper shoulder; nicked corks
"Now here's a wine. One of the loveliest of all vintages of Margaux and, incidentally, with the great 1959 and 1961, putting paid to the received nonsense that good wine was only made at Margaux only after the Mentzelopoulos purchase in 1977. I recall Harry Waugh, Harvey's wine buyer, writing in 1954 'lovely, deep, altogether a splendid wine, too good to spit out.' A great taster, with impeccable judgement. I didn't taste it until 1961, and on a couple of occasions found it condensed and unready. It opened up in the late 1960s, and in the early 1970s I used very similar descriptions: rich, smoky, lovely, silky, soft, velvety, glorious, etc. By the 1980s a rich charmer, with perfect balance, great length. Six of my more 20 notes made in the 1990s: one (in Florida) 'delicate, fading old lady' though not borne out by more recent notes. At the two Manfred Wagner verticals, the first sheer perfection, a glorious mouthful the next, alas, oxidised. One of the most perfect was a bottle I had bought at a Christie's auction in 1994 and served at my Bordeaux club dinner in Feb 1998 (cork drawn at 4pm, decanted at 6pm and poured at 8.20pm). It had a lovely, cedary bouquet which, after over an hour in the glass exuded tea-like fragrance. Sweet, delicious, still with a firm core, easy to drink, dry finish. Lovely but fading a little at Josh Latner's dinner in January 2000 and, two days later, surprisingly, a lovely bottle at the annual III Form Club dinner at Boodle's Club. Last tasted (Wagner's bad bottle), Nov 2000. At best *****" MB, Vintage Wine
6 bottles per lot
Provenance
Fine and Rare Wines, NYWinesChristie's, October 10, 2002 (1126) Lot: 557