Birthday Wines

Every year I try to celebrate my birthday with a wine from the year that I was born. It is fortuitous that this was 1961 but unfortunately no one had the foresight to lay down any Claret at the time! Instead I have a small stock of Rioja and Port from the said year and this year I added  Red Burgundy from the fine 1990 vintage (just in case the other wines were a let down):

Vina Pomal 1961, Bodegas Bilbainas ***

Still retaining good colour, garnet centre, tawny-brown rim; old fashioned woody, casky aromas, leathery with some fruit underlying, recognisably Rioja in style; retaining some strawberry sweetness, firm, fully mature and quite elegant though delicate, dry and rather dusty on the finish, a good bottle (others have been more brittle and dry) which survived until the next day.  15   

Pommard, Grand Clos des Epenots 1er Cru 1990 (Domaine de Courcel) ****

Good, bright mid-deep colour; fine, seductive aromas, ripe fruit refelecting the heat of the vintage, still holding together very well, just a touch gamey; fine, firm, dry tannins and tight-knit fruit underlying, well structured, verging on austere towards the finish (I think it was ever thus) but standing up very well. 17.5  

 Quinta de Vargellas 1961

Posted on 8th July 2009 |