Tasting 1970 Château Kirwan

• 1970 Château Kirwan – France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (11/27/2009)
  This bottle was from the collection left to my wife and her sister by their late father, a man with excellent taste in Bordeaux. However, we’ve been running at somewhere around 1/2 the bottles being just shadows of what they must have been in their prime. We try to keep our hopes under control when cracking one. The cork broke as we attempted to remove it but we were able to extract it with an Ah-So opener. We gently decanted just a few minutes prior to serving. The color was amazingly youthful for a wine about to celebrate its 40th birthday with a pale crimson body and just slight bricking on the edge. Initial aromas reminded me of walking in to an old library full of leather bound, dusty books. After about 5 minutes, a lovely, delicate raspberry and mint showed itself with a finish of mushroom, soy, and oiled leather. The charm was short-lived with the glory fading within 30 minutes, but what a wonderful half hour that was. Aged Bordeaux may not make the biggest splash, but it definitely gives pause for thought on the intricacies of the wine and sharing memories of the vintage that was and the one who collected it. It’s like finding a good book in that old, dusty library and being taken to another place for a while. You eventually must put the book down and return to your surroundings, but for a brief time, an 88 point wine becomes a 98 point experience. (88 pts.)

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