Fellow forumites,
I have searched high & low to find a good to excellent rating on a bottle of any red wine from this vintage. It seems that 1965 was a terrible vintage everywhere.
It would be a special treat to drink a wine that was "born" the same year as I was for my 40th. Any suggestions? Perhaps I will have to go to 1964 or earlier.

Regards,

Roy

1964 Barolo was a very good year. (My birth year)





P.S.

If you cannot find a good '65- perhaps find a wine that was released the same year you were onto the world.

1961 Latour-$1,599.00 +/-

100 points Robert Parker: "Port-like, with an unctuous texture, and a dark garnet color with considerable amber at the edge, the 1961 Latour possesses a viscosity and thickness. One of the three bottles served at the Chateau's tasting revealed a surprisingly aggressive, minty, herbaceous nose, but the other two bottles were liquid perfection, exhibiting fragrant, cedary, truffle, leather, mineral, and sweet, jammy aromatics, full-bodied, voluptuous textures, exquisite purity and concentration, and a layered, highly-nuanced finish that represents the essence of compellingly great wine. The 1961 has been fully mature for over 15 years, but it seems to get richer, holding onto its succulence and fat, and developing more aromatic nuances without losing any sweetness or concentration. An extraordinary wine, it is unquestionably one of the Bordeaux legends of the century! Anticipated maturity: now-2025." (06/2000) 100 points Wine Spectator: "A blockbuster. Amazingly youthful, yet complex andcomplete on the palate. Aromas of mint, berries,currant and minerals follow through to a thick andcaressing, full-bodied palate. Superlong andsuperripe. Got to love this. Will it ageforever?--Latour vertical. Drink now." (08/2000)

Winery: Lindemans
Wine: Shiraz Hunter Valley Bin 3110 Lindemans Classic 1965
Score: 96
Price: $95
Country: Australia
Region: Australia
Issue: Sep 15, 1989

Thick, rich and unctuous, this is remarkably complex wine with tiers of chocolate, cedar, coffee and herb flavors that are still quite fresh and lively and there is enough depth and tannin to sustain this wine another 15 years.


I have NO idea if this is still available, but...

1964 Latour, try to find a large format bottle or one stored in a very cool cellar.

Don't laugh Villa Aldige', when a friend of mine got married 10 years ago, her father presented them with a case of 1961 Latour and served another case at the rehearsal dinner. Of course I missed the dinner. Now there is an in-law I could live with.

You're right, that was a bad year. Try a Single Malt Scotch instead.

This is what I could find on the 1965 Grange:

1965 Brick red. Complex gamey sweet-fruited aromas. The palate is highly concentrated with developed gamey, soupy flavours, looseknit tannins and good length. Holding up well. AC 1999

The 1965 Lindemanns mentioned by Smeliot is widely considered to be one of the benchmark Ozwines made since the second war. There's probably still some about, but expect it to be difficult to pry out of the hands of current owners.

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The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. -Herbert Spencer

Laugh?

I was serious...

Whisky sounds a good idea or a brandy - a very good friend got me a 1963 Armagnac for my birthday.

Lady K has started the website: www.KillerB.biz

royehill, I'm a 1965 baby so I know your dilemma. I've been searching for several years for something good for my 40th. No good news.

Most everything I have seen has been priced too high for the quality. I've seen the 1965 Grange described above in online auctions for $500 -- too steep for unknown provenance.

Here's my plan. I pick up a bottle now and then of a 1965, even if I don't know the quality but can be had for ~ $100. I've done this twice so far with Louis Martini Mountain Cabernet (which was suprisingly good) and BV GdL (not tried yet). That way, I can have the experience of drinking wines from my birth year without breaking the bank. But you can bet that I'll be opening something I know is good, from another vintage, when I go over the hill.

BTW, there's a guy who seems to have a stash of the 1965 BV GdL who sells it on Wine Commune. Although I have yet to try that wine, the transaction with him went well.

Make Cab, not War.

I know my timing sucks, but I just ran across this article over at WA. Seems as if someone over there is turning 40 also. I hope it's okay to cut and paste it here:

Each New Year’s Day, my friend Paul hosts a vinous celebration. Each year, the same process is followed. We gather at 2pm, exchange greetings, and the Champagne is poured, indicating the start of the festivities.

Paul’s annual selection of wines for this function are almost always from vintages that can be found by subtracting multiples of 5 from the new year. Therefore, this year (2004) we knew going in that we’d be tasting (blind) wines that could be from 1999, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1979, and so forth. Since I’m turning 40 this year I knew that Paul would make a special effort to have wines from my birth year, 1964.

The day always begins with a Champagne being served with Chesapeake blue crab lump meat salad in pastry shells, then a white wine is served with Lobster salad, then the dry reds are served, then dinner is served, then come the sweet wines. We taste all the wines blind, discussing them, cracking jokes at each other’s expense, and having a grand time.

This year the day began on a difficult note as the cork in the Champagne broke, forcing Paul to go for the remaining piece with a corkscrew (always an unpleasant and potentially dangerous proposition). When he got it out the pop was pleasantly significant, yet the Champagne’s nose revealed clear notes of oxidation. This bottle of 1979 Krug had earth, toasted almond aromas and flavors bordering on being madeirized. In addition, it showed disconcerting notes reminiscent of peat moss. Knowing from experience the superb conditions that are enjoyed by wines lovingly cared for by Paul, anyone owning bottles of this wine should consider opening them as soon as possible.

With Paul’s signature Lobster salad he served a 1989 Meursault Rougeots from Domaine Coche-Dury. Its spicy, minty nose displayed notes of minerals immersed in honey made from bees fed mountain flower pollen (this kind of honey can be found all over Alsace). Satin-textured, lush and sensual, it revealed almond cream flavors intermingled with spices. I should have stuck with my first impression, which was Meursault, because of the distinctive almond cream notes on the palate. However, the floral element of the nose made me look elsewhere. Rich, fresh, and angle-free with air it got even broader, deeper, and more complex. My mind was confused as to this wine’s origin, it had traits of Puligny (flowers), some of Meursault (the almond cream), and some of Chassagne (the breadth). My guess was a Ramonet Ruchottes, figuring it was one of the few wines that could contain all these traits. Once again, I should have stuck with my initial impression ... once it was made known that it was a Meursault, it was crystal clear that it was a Coche, and Rougeots was the obvious choice (though the last bottle I’d tasted was dominated by lusher white and tropical fruit notes. This is a superb wine with an extensive, seamless finish. At its peak, it will easily hold another 5-6 years.

Paul’s loves a ringer — something I typically forget — and, boy did he have one this year! Amber on the edge, with brick-like colors throughout, the 1984 Caymus Pinot Noir Special Selection had a nose of sweet pipe tobacco, sea salt, herbs, and dark fruits. Otherwise typically Cabernet-like, its nose revealed a hint of Burgundian black cherry. On the palate, this wine again was Cabernet-like. Silky, fresh, and medium-bodied, it offers sweet tobacco flavors, Italian tomatoes, dark berries, and an elegant, enjoyable character. Slightly past its prime, its fruit is beginning to dry out, revealing some dusty tannin, yet it retains good focus and is expressive. While I was in a state of shock to learn it was a Pinot (and would love to know if it was 100% Pinot Noir), this is a stunning success for a mid-eighties Napa Valley Pinot. Drink up!

The next two wines were served side by side. The 1979 Latour was lighter than the black-as-night 1979 Lafleur and sported a nose that significantly evolved with air. At first it was kinky, barnyard-like, with bold black fruits. After a short time, maybe five minutes, it lightened considerably, offering red cherries and cassis with lead pencil undertones. On the palate, this medium-bodied effort had a powerful attack of warm dark berries, lead shavings, and a broad, masculine character. Its finish was surprisingly short for a Latour, particularly when compared to the one found in the neighboring glass. No 1979 comes close to the Lafleur in quality. It soars above the vintage’s other best wines, completely overcoming 1979's qualitative range. There are the finest 1979s, then there is Lafleur. In fact, I cannot think of a wine that singlehandedly set a benchmark for its region in a given vintage like the 1979 Lafleur did. It is very dark-colored, revealing just a trace of brownish amber at the rim. At first it revealed a brooding nose of dark cedar that developed quickly into sweet pipe tobacco, candied black cherries, mint, and kirsch. A great nose! Ample, wide, awesomely silky, it exploded on the palate with layers of tar, wild cherries, tobacco, and massive quantities of youthful tannin. This hugely powerful, concentrated, deep wine is complete. Broodingly muscular, it has the ability to age another 10-15, maybe 20, years. No worries mate!

The nest set of three wines were also served together ... and, sadly, the middle wine, the 1964 Latour was from a marred bottle (I’m convinced it was corked, some agreed, others said it was "flawed"). The 1964 La Mission Haut Brion (from my cellar but purchased only 2 years ago from a Swiss collector) was elegance incarnate. Medium garnet with amber at the rim, it offered a nose of spices and flowers. Soft, ripe, fully mature, its tannins has melted into the wine. This sensual, feminine, fresh, and pure wine sports a lovely entry and mid-palate of blood, red fruits, salt, spices, and sweet cedar. This supple, juicy wine’s finish, however, prevented a more exalted review as it did not have the length of an exceptional wine (a trait of many 1964s). It needs to be drunk. The 1964 Pétrus was much darker-colored and offered a nose of coffee, volatile acidity-tinged black cherry, chocolate, and hints of alcohol. Medium to full-bodied, it is like a blend of veal demi-glace, mint, kirsch, dark berries, toffee, and dark berries. Hugely powerful and sporting massive tannin, it is surprisingly youthful. Other bottles I’ve tasted have been as muscular and concentrated, did not reveal the traces of VA found in this one, and had more defined fruit. Nonetheless, this example of the 1964 Pétrus was outstanding, with loads of fruit and a long, expressive finish buttressed by chunky tannin. It can be cellared for another 5-10 years.

At this stage we were regaled with my friend Don’s braised short ribs and Henry’s Joel Robuchon-inspired gratin dauphinois. Here we drank the reds contentedly...

Next came Paul’s selection of dessert wines (actually cut short, since none of us were capable of assaulting his Port selection — 1963 Fonseca — after all the wines we’d just consumed). The first wine that was served was an old friend of mine, the 1971 Climens, one of my all-time favorites from one of my all-time favorite estates. It too showed strangely, however. Typically a wine that wows by its elegance, harmony, and seamlessness, this bottle seemed to be off. Its super-spicy egg custard, crème brûlée, and oak nose, in addition to its sweet/tart/oak-laden personality, was more reminiscent of a top-flight Monbazillac than the 1971 Climens. Well-balanced, it offered flavors of lavishly oaked persimmons, candied grapefruit zests, buttered apricots, and sugar-coated blood oranges. As my notes from the celebration state: "Where’s the glorious harmony and oak integration found in previous bottles of this stunner?"

The next wine was superb. Philippe Foreau, one of Vouvray’s two kings (the other being Huet, in my opinion) crafted an exceptional 1989 Vouvray Moelleux Reserve. Lemongrass-laced sweet chalk and white flowers can be discerned in its refined aromatics. Medium-bodied, resplendently harmonious and elegant, it offers a medium-bodied personality of candied white peaches, apricots, flowers, and spices. Its concentration, superb mouth-feel, and long, pure, flavorful finish are awe-inspiring. This wine is magnificent now yet may well evolve even more complexity with additional cellaring.

This was truly not my best day at blind tasting. For the first time in my life I mistook an Alsatian Riesling for a German one. Weinbach’s 1989 Riesling Quintessence de Grains Nobles Cuvée d’Or has a fresh, piercing nose of candied minerals, chlorophyl, and spice. These aromas set me on a quest to find where in Germany it had been produced while I ignored the fact that the palate screamed Alsace. Spicy, soft, harmonious, and focused, it is an "energizer bunny" of a wine, with an immensely long, burnt petroleum-filled finish.


1979 Krug Champagne ?
1989 Domaine Jean-François Coche-Dury Meursault Rougeots 93
1984 Caymus Pinot Noir Special Selection 88
1979 Château Lafleur Pomerol, Bordeaux 97
1964 Château Latour Pauillac, Bordeaux ?
1964 Château La Mission Haut Brion Graves, Bordeaux 91
1964 Château Pétrus Pomerol, Bordeaux 92
1971 Château Climens Barsac, Bordeaux 90?
1979 Domaine Philippe Foreau Clos Naudin Vouvray Moelleux Reserve 95+
1989 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Quintessence de Grains Nobles Cuvée d’Or2 92

Thanks for all the replies. It is nice to know that ohers share my plight. As for the 1961 Latour suggestion...it sounds lie an amazing wine but I think $1500 is a little steep. Perhaps I can start a "Buy Roy a 1961 Latour for his birthday" fund...hmm if each member contributes a dollar....
I also have seen the notes on that Lindemans but I have never seen a bottle on any of the auction sites.

Villa Aldige'
Thanks for the lengthy WA posting, I'll look it over carefully. The 64 Château La Mission Haut Brion sounds interesting but I am not sure of finding one & at what price.
I will be sure to post a note whenI finally pull the trigger & buy something.

I have had the fortune to taste the 1965 Lindemans Bin 3110 Shiraz. I will try and do it justice, but it has been a few months since tasting. I found the bottle for $100 and after reading the WS review decided to give it a shot. We setup a dinner at the Bay Wolf in Oakland, CA. There were 4 of us so we brought along 3 bottles, one being a backup. We opened the Lindemans first and the the WS review was right on target. There was still lots of fruit on the front and there was an amazing taste of primarily chocolate and coffee flavors on the finish. This wine was ready to drink right out of the bottle but continued to evolve over the night. The other wine for the evening was a 1989 Forman Cab. Luckily we brought along another bottle as it was corked. With that we broke out a 1985 Pavillon Rouge. I do not remember this wine as much as the Lindemans... I do however remember it being tasty though needing a few more years...

Luckily I have another bottle of the Lindemans

PremierCru has bottles of 1965 Colheita port at a reasonable price. I purchased a bottle of it for similar purposes.

Welcome, btscott!

And welcome back Zeke, whereyabeen?

I've been know to recommend a port or two for occasions such as this, but 65 was pretty much a write-off even in the Duoro.

snow sucks, cold is worse.......