TN: 1961 Hospices de Beaune Volnay 'Santenots'

This bottle was consumed last Friday to celebrate an opening of a new wine bar nearby.

bottled by Patriarche et Fils.

My friend was nice enough to make sure I was around when he opened this, and I got to sit with it over a few hours. Slowly working on glasses of Zwygelt, Vouvray, riesling, Muscadet, and Fiano in between sips of this Burgundy.

The label was torn, the ullage was maybe mid-shoulder and there was a ton of crud on the top of the cork. Looked a bit iffy. Cork came out in two pieces and poured a LOVELY murky brown color. Smelled oxidized at first.

But, behold the magic of Burgundy. The oxidized notes mostly went away and let the truffle, forrest floor, and spice notes come out of the glass. On the palate it was still rich and velvety with a hint of blackberry and orange peel. It had a long finish that was all about the earthy acidity. As time went on, the truffle aromas dominated and it actually put on some weight.

All in all, pretty nice wine. My friend enjoyed it about as much as I did. My girlfriend wasn’t a fan. Definitely a nice treat to get to try a wine that old, my oldest Burgundy by 15 years. Not a bad Friday night drink.

Does anyone have any info on this wine or on Patriarche as a bottler?

One bump…anyone have any info on this bottler?