A bunch of 45-year olds

Dinner at Pierre.

1964 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne Château de Beaune en magnum - this was the oldest dry white wine I've ever had, and I really didn't know what to expect even though the vintage was rated to be a decent one for white Burgundy.  This wine turned out to be the surprise of the evening. It was simply fantastic. Beautiful amber color. Initially nose of mushrooms, oxidized with a bit of sweet grass. Very, very long finish and the alcohol was very evident. A bit ripe on the palate as the acidity level has fallen. Later on notes of oxidized pear, figs, cotton candy. Hitting its peak around one and a half hours after opening, with rich, creamy vanilla ice cream, apple, straw and mineral notes. Awesome!

1964 DRC Richebourg - this was clearly the wine of the evening as we all expected. An explosive sweet nose with tons of fruit. A little bit minty almost, with some bacon fat, leather, red currant, prune and tangerine notes. Absolutely beautiful to the end.

1964 Haut-Brion - Dr. Poon kindly dug this out of his cellar to go with tonight's theme. This was a beautiful wine in its own right, with smoky, brett / medicinal nose along with notes of animal, game, pine, sous bois and a hint of grass. Unfortunately the wine followed the spectacular Richebourg, so it did pale a little in comparison.

1964 Noval Colheita - now this was also a real treat as one of the birthday boys is a real big fan of port. The colheita was harvested in 1964 and aged in cask until bottling in September 2008, and it spent more than 40 years oxidizing just like a regular tawny. Nose of hazelnut, grape, walnut, caramel, crème brûlée and prunes. Nose was initially a bit sharp but the alcohol dissipated a bit in glass. The finish was just wonderful, as the fragrance stays in your mouth long after you've swallowed the wine.

Full post on dinner is here.