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Linden’s Review of Two 1959 Vintage Dinners
© Linden Wilkie, 13th March 2020
Burgundy: 14th November 2019
Hong Kong: 16th December 2019
1959 produced ripe, high quality wines in Rioja, Napa Valley, and Piedmont, but in those three places 1958 was superior, and remembered as one of the ‘greats’. But in Champagne, Burgundy, the Loire, the Rhône, and especially Bordeaux (red and Sauternes) 1959 is one of the benchmark vintages. It was great too for German Rieslings, with a lot of high prädikat wines produced, and for a number of estates, the first time they ever produced trockenbeerenauslese (including at Egon Müller).
Although you might find some antecedent example, the 1950s marks a time when the first of what would become the ‘new classics’ had begun. Max Schubert’s ‘Grange Hermitage’, a mostly shiraz wine of immense depth styled for longer cellaring had begun tentatively as an experimental wine in 1951. John Daniel, Jr. was at the peak of his form at Inglenook in Napa Valley. And a young Serge Hochar, fresh from studies in Bordeaux, joined his father at Château Musar in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley to make his first vintage – in 1959. But these were slim beginnings, and it wouldn’t be until events like Stephen Spurrier’s Judgement of Paris in 1976 that fine wine = France, would begin to change. If you were studying for your Master of Wine exams in 1960, your focus would have been more telescope than the global kaleidoscope of regions covered today.
Critics have mostly been effusive about 1959. Burgundy that year saw ‘a large, glorious and early vintage. You have to go back to 1949 and forward as far as 1990 for something as successful as this, though 1964 was not far behind… Fine weather in early June, following mild spring, enabled the vines to flower swiftly and successfully, ensuring not only a large and early harvest, but one of even maturity. July and August were hot and dry. Early September brought just enough rain to keep the maturation process on an even keel. And the harvest took place in ideal conditions, beginning two weeks earlier than usual on 14 September.’ (Clive Coates MW, 1997). Jasper Morris MW (2010) offers a more equivocal view – ‘This is a great vintage for burgundy of both colours, though the wines are beginning to fade now.’ Douglas E. Barzelay and Allen D. Meadows (2018) concur. ‘In that still-innocent period between World War II and the end of the 1970s, the most popular Burgundy vintage was unquestionably 1959 (even though in our view 1962 and 1978 eclipsed it in quality). Its popularity resulted from a combination of uniformly high quality, ease of appreciation and ready availability… Today many of the reds are tiring, and there is considerable bottle variation.’
For Richard Juhlin (2002), 1959 saw ‘An abundant harvest of Champagnes that often exceed an alcohol content of 13 percent due to the heat wave. The wines showed remarkable ageing qualities, despite their lack of acidity. The power and concentration are masterly, whether the predominant variety is Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. A marvellous vintage.’
Michael Broadbent MW (2002) wrote of 1959 for red Bordeaux: ‘A great vintage. Hugely popular with the British wine trade, proclaimed by the pundits as ‘the vintage of the century’ and très grands vins by the Bordelais, the optimists were not far out despite some talk of lack of acidity. Apropros, the eminent Professor Peynaud states that if a wine has an abundance of all the major component parts, alcohol, extract, fruit and tannin, an equally high level of acidity is not only not essential, it is not necessary. The 1959 vintage was blessed with a very favourable growing season, in particular a fine, warm summer, with rain mid-September to swell the grapes; the harvest followed a week or so later.’ For Robert M. Parker Jr. (2003), the 1959 reds were ‘especially strong in the northern Médoc and Graves while less so on the right bank (Pomerol and St.-Émilion were still recovering from the devastating deep freeze of 1956), are among the most massive and richest ever made in Bordeaux.’
A common thread from what must have been a glorious French summer in 1959 is wines of richness but also low acidity. That helped with their early appeal, but it was also the achilles heel for red Burgundy, lacking the preserving tannin of Bordeaux grapes’ thicker skins, it is more fragile. It’s a vintage that today makes me nervous when opening a bottle of red Burgundy, in a way that a fresher-styled bottle from 1962, 1966 or 1969 would not.
It’s a different story today for red Bordeaux, where at events I’ve hosted or attended over the past couple of decades, 1959 has often stood out for longevity and quality in vertical tastings. And 1959 Bordeaux horizontals have been solid with high hit rates. Stylistically, sometimes 1959 can be less flambouyant than the ripe and intense small-crop 1961 vintage, but I have found 1959 to be more steady, more reliable overall. In my view they also express their terroir better than 1961, which can tend to be more vintage-dominant in style.
1959 is absolutely glorious in Germany, especially from feine and feinste auslese level and up. Many Rheingau estates were on good form, and examples from the Mosel, Saar and Ruwer can be spellbinding – ripe, complex and still fresh. In the 20th century it is one of a handful of very best years alongside 1921, 1949, and 1971.
Of course 2019, marking the 60 year milestone for this vintage, was an auspicious time to open some 1959s. The Fine Wine Experience hosted a 1959 dinner in Hong Kong’s Grand Hyatt on 16th December 2019. Mike Wu and I also participated in a private dinner in Burgundy on 14th November 2019 at which most of the wines served were 1959s. Bottles were contributed by guests, a number of whom were born in 1959, and many of the bottles had been in family or estate cellars for decades, sometimes since bottling. The hit rate was understandably exceptionally high – not just for drinkability, but in some cases the very best bottles I’ve ever tasted of certain reference ‘59s.
For ease of reference, I’ve organised the wines by region, rather than by event, or serving order.
(I cannot resist including three notes from three other ‘nines’ at the dinner in Burgundy)…
1979 Beaune 1er Cru ‘Clos des Mouches’ Blanc, Joseph Drouhin
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 90
Fine yellow gold; a spicy and gently minty expressive nose; gentle, elegant and minty on the palate, a touch of fresh champignon. Nice
1969 Meursault 1er Cru ‘Clos de la Barre’, Domaine des Comte Lafon
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 92
Bright old gold; toasty, nutty nose, spicy and ripe, and with also a touch of fennel coolness; bright, elegant and toasty on the palate, a toasty old Meursault, with a touch of leaf/fennel on the finish. Long and fine-boned. Bright old gold; toasty, nutty nose, spicy and ripe, and with also a touch of fennel coolness; bright, elegant and toasty on the palate, a toasty old Meursault, with a touch of leaf/fennel on the finish. Long and fine-boned.
1969 Volnay 1er Cru ‘Champans’, Domaine des Comte Lafon
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 92
Pale copper, limpid; a smoky honeyed nose, with sous bois and a little grilled bacon, overall this is a gentle nose full of interest; bright and elegant on the palate, pure, softly enticing, a touch of VA kicks in, and then a long fine finish. Beautifully refined, understated old Volnay.
1959 Krug, magnum
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 97
Creamy, with citrus and spice notes – mature, but wonderfully vibrant and fresh; lots of flavour on the palate, spice, a soft creaminess, with a prickle of bubbles, good length. This is so fresh for its age, yet satisfyingly complex and complete. A graceful old Champagne.
1959 Anjou ‘Moulin Touchais’
The Fine Wine Experience ‘1959’ dinner, Hong Kong, 16th December 2019 92
Fine, bright old gold; lanolin aroma on the nose along with candied stone fruit and tropical fruits, and blue cheese – quite particular!; good weight and intensity on the palate, bright and ripe with a late pick taste but also lots of sharp juicy acidity. Good length with a clean finish.
No votes for wine of the night.
1959 Vouvray ‘Le Haut Lieu’ Moelleux 1er Trie, Domaine Gaston Huët
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 90
Full old gold; full and sweet and rounded. Some heft, a little S02. Good.
The Fine Wine Experience ‘1959’ dinner, Hong Kong, 16th December 2019 95
A more coppery gold compared to the Moulin Touchais; lovely nose, melting, caramel and dried apricots, spices – this is complex; unctuous on the palate, melting, ripe and spice-laden. Very fine with a very long finish. Wonderful.
No votes for wine of the night.
1959 Volnay-Santenots, P. Ampeau
The Fine Wine Experience ‘1959’ dinner, Hong Kong, 16th December 2019 89
A lovely, pale rose colour, limpid; a fine, lovely nose, gibier, sweetness, dried roses, some VA lifting this; supple, silky and fine on the attack, bright acidity which is VA-laced, and which gradually overtook it in the glass. But the flavours were positive, despite some decay.
Two votes for wine of the night.
1959 Clos Vougeot, J. Faiveley
The Fine Wine Experience ‘1959’ dinner, Hong Kong, 16th December 2019 92
A great appearance, mid-depth of colour, very bright old garnet; sweet and biscuit on the nose, beetroot and red fruits, with some earth and spice; supple, velvety with good fruit and spice on the palate, this has a long finish. Impressive purity, fineness and length.
One vote for wine of the night.
1959 Bonnes-Mares, Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 95
Bright, light bricked appearance; lovely open fragrant nose, sous bois and sweetness; this has so much seductive elegant charm, the sweetness and friendliness of Bonnes-Mares is here at its exuberant best. Lovely.
1959 Musigny, Bouchard Père et Fils
The Fine Wine Experience ‘1959’ dinner, Hong Kong, 16th December 2019 n/r
An odd colour, deep, clear; a metallic nose, sweet, a bit lactic; palate old, lush, sweet, concentrated, with candied violets, but there is also something really hefty, and odd, a bit ‘southern’, it is plausible but certainly not pure in taste.
No votes for wine of the night.
1959 Grands Echezeaux, Leroy
The Fine Wine Experience ‘1959’ dinner, Hong Kong, 16th December 2019 93
Bright, fine mid-colour; a fine nose with sweet notes of milk chocolate, spices, and a hint of metallic-scented decay; fine, elegant palate, lovely oranges and spices, delicate red fruit expression, and supple feel, pure taste, a little bit of VA that kicks up toward the finish where the orange-spice sweetness returns. Mellow, pure, fully mature. Drink up.
Seven votes for wine of the night – 2nd place.
1959 Grands Échézeaux, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
The Fine Wine Experience ‘1959’ dinner, Hong Kong, 16th December 2019 n/r
Hazy and tawny; raisined and oxidised, sweet and earthy; palate silky, orangey, but this has gone over completely – oxidised.
No votes for wine of the night
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 91
A smoky and rich nose, with sous bois and leather notes; sweet on the palate, a little more power, layers here, and sapid fruit, and a bit more tannin. More power and density of fruit than La Tâche, but also more terrestrial, less moving.
1959 Richebourg, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 93
Pale garnet; a low key nose, not that open when served; a sweet attack, round, pure, filigree, a gentle warmth, lovely freshness though the impression is of ripeness, warmth and sweet fruit. Opened up nicely. (bottle recorked at the domaine).
1959 La Tâche, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 97
Fine bricked colour; a fine nose, sweet and biscuit, and with the super appealing complex spice and sous bois notes La Tâche is capable of at its best; sweet, very fine and long, very fragrant on the palate too. This is beguiling. So fine and so fragrant, with a touch of ’59 warmth – ‘by a dying fire’ I wrote at the end of the note. It was that sort of wine. Memorable, and a real highlight amongst so many treasures.
1959 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, Domaine Clair Daü
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 94
Fuller colour; lovely fruit, sweet, with some leather and spice; sweet and spicy on the palate, really fresh and opulent fruit. Silky-textured. There is so much fruit in this, and there’s even a bit of heft to it. This is a fully-fired Clos de Bèze.
1959 Château Calon Segur
The Fine Wine Experience ‘1959’ dinner, Hong Kong, 16th December 2019 94
Fine, faded garnet with a mature rim; sweet biscuits, floral notes and the sweetness of fruit on the very promising nose; a sweet attack, wild strawberry confit, sweet and wonderful, cassis and plum confit – lovely flavour and a satisfyingly long finish.
No votes for wine of the night.
1959 Château Lafite-Rothschild, magnum
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 100
Deep colour; sweet, minty, cedary, with stony/mineral notes – a great nose; sweet, round, soft, lots of fruit, caressing, minty – this is just so spot on. An exceptional magnum – the kind of wine that makes you recalibrate what is possible. Just astonishingly good.
1959 Château Latour
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 96
A fuller colour, clear and bright; a full sweet nose; concentrated, sweet and initially tannic on the palate, old school in feel, with some edge to the tannin, but there is so much fruit and expression here, and authoritative concentration. Long finish. A very fine and impressive bottle.
The Fine Wine Experience ‘1959’ dinner, Hong Kong, 16th December 2019 98
So deep in colour; a deep nose too – sweet with cassis and black wine gums, leaf notes and camphor – a great nose; concentrated and fleshy, potent and old school in feel, sweet but bright and lively too, so vibrant and well-defined. Earth and leather coming through on the nose after a few more minutes, and after 20 more minutes, smokiness. There’s such great tension on the palate between sweet and savoury elements – sweet fresh fruits, sesame, leather, smoke and leaf – it keeps pulling you back in for more.
One vote for wine of the night.
1959 Château Mouton-Rothschild
The Fine Wine Experience ‘1959’ dinner, Hong Kong, 16th December 2019 100
Deep appearance; sweet candied blackcurrant nose, with mint and spices; sweet dark fruit and a really big attack of black sweet wine gum candy. The finish is not quite as long as the Latour, but the nose is just astonishing. ‘Mind blowing’ I wrote, and the palate turns so seductive and silky in spite of the sheer richness on offer. Tour de force Mouton.
Twelve votes for wine of the night – 1st place.
1959 Château Margaux
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 93
Fine, clear, full garnet; toasty, sweet and fine nose; good fruit on entry, a little closed at first, this is elegant, dare I say a touch light, but the elegance works, as it is seamless, long and it lingers.
1959 Château Haut-Brion
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 96
Bricked, mature colour; a sweet, cedary, smoky, lovely fragrance; sweet, mellow, rounded and caressing on the palate with melting tannins. Cuddly, comforting sort of wine. Slightly chocolaty at the end. Very good.
1959 Château La Passion Haut-Brion
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 97
Goodness me what a rarity, and a pristine bottle too. Bright and clear; fine, fresh, with a touch of sesame and some leafy notes; concentrated on the palate with lovely fruit, brighter in expression than the Haut-Brion, sesame again in the rounded finish. Superb.
1959 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 98
Deepest colour of the three HBs; rich sweet fruit, a gorgeous expression of tobacco, chocolate and dark fruit on the nose; sweet, ripe attack, round and very fresh by the mid-palate, cigar tobacco notes in the taste, richer than either of the other two HBs tonight. Lovely wine.
The Fine Wine Experience ‘1959’ dinner, Hong Kong, 16th December 2019 100
Full and deep colour; sweet nose with cigars, earth and cassis; fabulous right from the start on the palate, sweet, with lots of fruit, spice, with a concentrated effortless feel, then cigar and earth on the super long finish. Spectacular! After 20 more minutes – such a lovely wine, so much flavour and complexity, coupled with elegance. Old school tannins but they are ripe. Somewhere between the ’82 and ’89 in style, and for age this is in suspended animation. Outstanding La Mission Haut-Brion.
One vote for wine of the night.
1959 Château Pétrus
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 n/r
Sweet leathery nose; sweet on the palate – this has the richness and concentration that comes so naturally to Pétrus, but this bottle, sadly, is too tired.
1959 Château Ausone
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 94
Bright appearance; elegant and fine on the nose; sweet fruit on the palate, yet with a distinct fine grip, jellied natural concentration and ripeness, glycerine that seems to leave the wine melting slowly in the mouth.
1959 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Clos des Papes
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 96
This had a remarkable nose – spicy, earthy, wild and exuberant, with confit strawberries and tar notes, the aromas are so clear and vital; sweet, supple and intense on the palate, with an attack of wild strawberry, earth, tar and spices. A beautiful, fresh bottle.
1959 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, M. Chapoutier
The Fine Wine Experience ‘1959’ dinner, Hong Kong, 16th December 2019 90
Sweet fruit, a little raisined, with leather and spice; sweet on the palate, hefty, ripe, with leather and prune, spices, a little rosehip and tar on the exotic, spicy dark finish. Good.
Two votes for wine of the night
1959 Vega Sicilia Unico
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 94
Stylistically this stands out so clearly for its individual personality – sweet woody notes, something grilled with butter and scorched demerara sugar, wild fruit; there’s fineness on the palate, sweetness too, bright and warm, with a hint of campfire in the aromas, a little VA, and a caramel note at the end. Delicious.
1959 Château Musar, Gaston Hochar
The Fine Wine Experience ‘1959’ dinner, Hong Kong, 16th December 2019 92
Super potent and very sweet, fragrant nose, a touch dirty and leathery, but spicy and ripe, initially; the palate is pretty astonishing, Bordeaux-like in taste, but Amarone-like in potency, sweetness, and oomph. So sweet, ripe and round. The nose got clearer and clearer with air too. Lovely wine, if idiosyncratic.
Two votes for wine of the night.
1959 Zeltinger-Wehlener-Sonnenuhr feinste Auslese, Joh. Jos. Prüm
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 98
Pale and bright; a gorgeous, fresh, airy nose, lime-zest cream; elegant, pure and fresh on the palate, lime zest, amazingly fresh, elegant and long. A supreme auslese.
1959 Scharzhofberger Auslese, Egon Müller
Private dinner, Burgundy, 14th November 2019 96
Pale and bright; fine, more zesty than the Prüm, and spicier with more obvious botrytis; rounder on the palate, with more phenolic grip in the attack and a long, creamy finish. Saar grip. Fresh, and impressive.
1959 Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Schloss Groenesteyn
The Fine Wine Experience ‘1959’ dinner, Hong Kong, 16th December 2019 96
An old, brassy centre with a coppery yellow rim; sweet on the nose with dried fruits, candied citrus and smoke, loaded with botrytis; unctuously textured and sweet on the palate, liquorious, smoky and with lovely acidity, the varietal Riesling really comes through. Super long and so well-balanced.
One vote for wine of the night.
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