The 1959 bottles that restored my faith in old burgundies!

2 Nov 2011: Dinner at Caprice, Four Seasons, HK. The restaurant team of staff did a fantastic job with the food and service and the cheese trolley was certainly not to be missed (they even had Citeaux, one of my favourite cheeses from Burgundy, from the tiny production of just 500 cows and rarely available outside of France).  I was a bit nervous about the wines, given how many times we had poured over-the-hill or madeirised burgundies down the sink!  This evening, for a change, we were 'very pleasantly' bowled over by all of them!  What a revelation!  (To top it up, George presented us with a glass each of both 1998 and the just-launched Krug Clos du Mesnil!)

1992 Chevalier Montrachet, Leflaive:  Bright golden colour.  On the nose, acacia, ripe pear, quince, butterscotch, hazelnuts, honey, hints of white chocolate, with plenty of liquorice and mineral nuances on the palate. Very ripe, very seductive, round and fleshy, richly mouthcoating, but still showing sufficent acidity to keep it from being flabby or excessively rich.  Loved the very minerally, spicy and honeyed finish....it went on for almost a minute! Drink now and over next 6 - 8 years.  17.5/20

1959 Chambertin, The Wine Society: Medium garnet colour. Mature bouquet of red cherry, violet, hoi sin sauce, leather and savoury, further developing in the glass to take on more earthy, sous-bois and incense-like character.  Muscular, still showing well the power and concentration, a little austere still.  Still tasted very fresh and remarkably lively for its age.  Drink now and for the next 5 - 6 years. 17/20

1959 Vosne-Romanee La Grande Rue

1959 La Grande Rue, Lamarche: Pale garnet colour. A mesmerizingly enchanting and complex perfume of dried rose petals, liquorice, coffee (mocha), toasty, spicy, and minerally.Hint of caramel on the extremely long finish. Silky textured and all elements in total harmony.  A very fine expression of the ethereal qualities of Vosne-Romanee, Burgundian finesse, perfume, subtle power and concentration, complexity, and elegance at its apogee.  Though a monopole of the Lamarche family covering only 1.65 hectare in area, La Grande Rue only became the 31st Grand Cru of the Cote d'Or in 1992, so on this label, it was still a village level (Vosne-Romanee) appellation.  We enjoyed this over 2 hours and it did not show any signs of deterioration. A remarkable effort! Drink now and for next 8 - 10 years. 18.5/20

And look at the corks for the two 1959 bottles......how they held so well despite the age!