| | A few friends got together to drink some interesting old wines and surrounded them with some exciting younger and middle aged wines as well. Champagne to Start - 1988 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill - France, Champagne
Big fruit with a moderately toasty start. Robust and fresh apple and pear on palate with a good amount of bready flavors as well, everything well supported and lengthened by lots of bracing acidity. (93 pts.)
- 1990 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Grande Cuvée - France, Champagne
Aromas of toasted brioche, lemon peel, roasted walnuts. Good fruit on palate with excellent concentration, but far better energy and acidity than most 1990s today. Drinking great now, can hold well going forward. (94 pts.)
Older Corton Charlemagne - 1978 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Rich and sweet tropical fruit aromas and flavors. Still quite fresh for its age, this was certainly easy to enjoy but came across a bit "one note" with slightly sweet, slightly caramelized tropical and stone fruit start-to-finish. (90 pts.)
- 1982 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
An interesting and exciting wine. Lots of big fruit also rather fresh, some modest background spice and earthy elements. Lots of acidity and minerality provide nuanced layers, length and textures. (93 pts.)
Older SQN White (Older for SQN!) - 1997 Sine Qua Non Twisted and Bent - USA, California
Ultra ripe notes of peach, butterscotch with a caramelized fruit character. A bit short on acid, giving this a slightly off kilter middle and finish for me. Easy to enjoy but probably much better 4 years ago. Others liked this more than I did today.
- 2000 Sine Qua Non The Boot - USA, California
Good lush fruit, baking spice hints. Very fat on palate. Probably better a year or two ago.
With Foie Gras - 2001 Château Suduiraut - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Moderate botrytis to start, lots of lush fruit. Great balance on palate, lovely now, with the power and substance to keep improving for decades. (94 pts.)
The Reason We are All Here - 1953 Château Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Darker color than expected with lots of fresh black fruit complementing a good brambly, fresh mushroom character. Slightly sweet black cherry and currant to start, with fruit at least as prominent as the earthy flavors, which came out in a more pronounced way on the long finish. Impressive. My Wine of the Night. (96 pts.)
- 1937 Château Latour Grand Vin - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Some sweet fruit aromas and a sense of interesting madeira on the nose. Interesting in context of its age and the flight, rather than as a glass of wine on its own. (87 pts.)
- 1928 Château Mouton Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Mid shoulder fill. Good color. Aromas of leather, braised mushroom, forest floor and black cherry hints. Palate was also earthy with some tea elements and also lingering black cherry. More interesting than delicious, but still very good. (92 pts.)
61 Bordeaux - 1961 Château Calon-Ségur - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Surprisingly fresh black fruit and good background spice. Some interesting cigarbox support. Great balance, great length. (94 pts.)
- 1961 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Mature black fruit aromas with underbrush. Modest spice. very good balance of earth and fruit on palate with moderate length. (92 pts.)
- 1961 Château Pape Clément - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Mature red and black fruit with signs of having been ripe. Nicely evolved and matured with spice hints on finish. (92 pts.)
Beaucastel's best - 1989 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Paired with the Beaucastel 1990. Black cherry and anise to start on nose and palate. More spice emerged in middle. Smoky finish with great concentration and intensity. Sensational layered and elegant. (96 pts.)
- 1990 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Paired with the sensational 1989 Beaucastel. Rich, ripe blackberry and black cherry aromas with some liqueur hints. Similarly large-scaled fruit on palate with good spice and black pepper on finish. (93 pts.)
Grange - 1976 Penfolds Grange - Australia, South Australia
An exciting Grange flight. Dark color. Black cherry, plum, cassis, dark chocolate, black pepper aromas. Powerful lack fruit on palate with the most faint hints of mature advancement. It's rare to say you'd want an older bottle of wine more evolved, but that's the case here. When will this be ready?!?! (93 pts.)
- 1986 Penfolds Grange - Australia, South Australia
An exciting Grange flight. Sensational wine, close to my Wine of the Night. Blackberry, liqueur, dark chocolate, espresso aromas with very good spice mostly on palate. While still firmly structured, this seemed more evolved and/or nuanced than the 1976 in the next glass. long, powerful and exciting. (96 pts.)
- 1998 Penfolds Grange - Australia, South Australia
An exciting Grange flight. Decanted ten hours. Huge black fruit, not very forthcoming. Blockbuster flavors, but dense and firmly structured, showing great pedigree just not providing lots of pleasure tonight. (92 pts.)
d'Yquem - 1929 Château d'Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Very dark color, good fill. Nutty aromas with some candied orange peel. Sherry-style semi-sweetness, somewhat simple.
- 1990 Château d'Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Great stone fruit aromas with plenty of botrytis, everything seeming honeyed yet fresh and exciting. Lots of concentration and power on palate, with unctuous character and long,slightly spicy finish. Better than another bottle from a few months ago. (95 pts.)
|
