1961 Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

Incredible levels of density and intensity, with a beautiful purity fruit that seems as though you were eating the berries in a cigar lounge. There is richness, silky tannins and a finish that leaves you breathless.

5,363 Views   Tasted Feb 2, 2020

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Intensity, vibrancy, concentration and complexity, what more could you ask for? OK, I'd ask for another glass of this smoke-filled, earthy, spicy, luscious, rich, full-bodied wine with its endless finish please.

If you ever want to experience what great Bordeaux, fully mature is all about, and if you either recently won the lottery, or have very, wealthy friends, this is the wine to buy! That should be enough of a tasting note. But for those that want details, intensely, or is that insanely concentrated, there is enough smoke, tobacco, cigar wrapper, rocks, truffle, campfire, and dark red fruits to open the first combination cigar and fruit shop. Lush, silky, deep and long this just gets better in the glass. Save your great vintages, because those should be even better at the same age.

When a wine leaves you speechless, that should be the end of it. There is so much concentration, intensity and richness going on here, frankly, this wine is off the charts. Blind, you would never guess this was close to the 50 year mark. The remarkable finish is still expansive.

Heart stopping from start to finish. The nose reminded me of walking into a store that sold only flowers, spice and Cuban cigars. The texture felt like spun silk. This is purity and elegance at its best, with a sweetness of fruit, concentration of flavor and a smoky, spicy, pure, fresh cherry finish that demanded you take another sip. The finish must have remained in your mouth for at least 60 seconds. Popped and poured, this was an incredible tasting experience!

1961 Haut Brion explodes from the glass. The powerful aromatics are filled with truffle, Cuban tobacco, earth, herb, rhubarb, cigar, leather and smoke sensations. This Bordeaux wine is huge, but perfectly in balance. Soft, sweet, structured, elegant and graceful is what this feels like on your palate. The long spicy, cassis and earthy finish is pure harmony. About a glass remained in the bottle overnight. The bottle was simply left on the counter and a cork was placed back in the neck. In the morning, while some of the fruit had faded, the textures and fragrance remained. Well stored bottles will easily last another 20, 30 or 40 years!

This was a pristine bottle that has been stored at the chateau since the wine was first bottled. 1961 Haut Brion is riveting. This Bordeaux wine captures your attention. Grabbing you like a great piece of music, each sip compels you to focus on the experience. The smells, the feeling and the flavors last long after the bottle is empty. Wines like this make memories. Smoke, tobacco, cigar box, earth, cassis, truffle, tar, crushed stone, spice, ash and wet forest floor aromas pour out of the glass. And that's just the opening act. In the mouth, the wine drenches your palate with waves of opulent, sweet, smoke filled cassis and dense, rich ripe cherries. The texture is pure silk and velvet with the weight and feel of motor oil. This elegant, concentrated, suave, regal wine is balanced, harmonious and ends with a seamless finish that lasts at least 60 seconds. 100 Pts

This deep colored, smoky, jammy wine had additional notes of cedar, caramel and earth. Extremely concentrated, almost dense. This had so much sexy, ripe, sweet, black fruit, I thought I was losing my mind! The finish was absolutely seamless. The palate presence was similar to silky motor oil. When you see the descriptor “Port Like” the 61 Haut Brion should be pictured next to it!

1961 Haut Brion tasted from two different bottles. There was a slight difference between the bottles. One bottle displayed more concentration with deeper, darker more intense flavors. The better bottle yielded an exotic perfume of spice box, tobacco, fresh leaves, truffles, soy, leather, smoke, tar and earth. Richly colored for a wine this old makes it look like a wine from the 70's. The purity, freshness and depth discovered in the wine was off the charts. Very concentrated with plush, opulent andsilky textures. As good as bottle wine was, the next wine was even better! 1945 La Mission Haut Brion out of magnum. Trust me, this was a hard act to follow. With glass in hand, I was ready.

This is stunningly thick, rich and dense on the palate. On the nose, this bottle was not as fragrant as other bottles.