I hadn't tasted the 1961 Palmer for several years, and at this stage it is a little fragile, so it was an immense pleasure to drink a bottle that lived up to every bit of its legendary reputation. Offering up a complex bouquet of ripe wild berries, iris and candied violets mingled with notions of black truffle, pipe tobacco and sweet soil tones, it's medium-bodied, soft and supple, with a sweet core of fruit, melted tannins and ripe acids. Concluding with a long, intensely sapid finish, this sumptuous, impeccably balanced Palmer is indeed one of the great wines of the vintage. Incidentally, I sent the dregs to the local enological laboratory, and incredibly, the wine checks in at a mere 11% alcohol; yet such is its intensity of flavors and evident ripeness that tasters invariably guess a higher figure.

Tasted 9 Times With Consistent NotesThe 1961 Palmer has long been considered to be a legend from this vintage, and its reputation is well-deserved. The wine is at its apogee, with an extraordinary, sweet, complex nose with aromas of flowers, cassis, toast, and minerals. It is intensely concentrated, offering a cascade of lavishly ripe, full-bodied, opulent fruit, soft tannins, and a voluptuous finish. This is a decadent Palmer, unparalleled since in quality with the exception of 1983 and 1989.

Tasted from magnum. Displays a broad palette of flavors that blend and enhance the elegant, lively texture and lingering finish. In a word, it has finesse. A mouth-watering example of Palmer that outshines chateaus with higher classifications.--1961 Bordeaux horizontal. Drink now through 2005. -