1961 Château Pavie

English bottling by Cockburn & Co. Peppercorn argues that UK bottling took place earlier than château bottling, to the benefit of the wine’s freshness and quality. Wonderful polished crimson. Very complex and fine. Together and fragrant and mellow. No excess of tannin – unlike other 1961s – although tannin did come up after a while in glass. Very long and complete. Lovely stuff. Great fan of flavours on the finish. (JR)

The first few times I tasted this wine I was unimpressed, but in 1988 at a blind tasting, the wine revealed a huge, spicy, cedary, black plum-scented nose, rich, concentrated, opulent flavors, amazing youthfulness, and plenty of tannin and alcohol in the finish. I was shocked when I learned it was the 1961 Pavie. The bottle I saw could easily last for another 10-15 years. It bore no resemblance to the relatively tired examples I had tasted previously. Will the real 1961 Pavie please come forward? Anticipated maturity: Now-2005. Last tasted, 2/88.