| | I grabbed a dozen Bordeaux, with a focus on the older stuff that was easy to find, that I'd not tried before and dragged them home to try over the course of a few days... Friday night - 2010 Château L'Arrosée - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (7/13/2018)
From Coravin. Savoury plum, cedar, quite spicy on the nose...On the palate it's juicy, savoury and spiced with plums a little bitter chocolate and a softly tannic breadth to the mid-palate. Finishes a little warm. Hmm. Time will help I think.
Sunday afternoon - 2007 Château Saint-Pierre - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (7/16/2018)
From Coravin. Brambles and blackcurrant, a little earthy as well as some toasted oak backed by sweet spice. Initially it's quite sweet fruit - cassis especially - with chalky, slightly drying, tannins and a little alcohol warmth. This is still quite primary so I think I'll tuck this away for quite a few years...Hmm
Monday night there are worse ways to spend a Monday night. - 2004 Château Lynch-Moussas - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (7/17/2018)
From Coravin. Cassis and cherry, violet, slight red berry, herbaceous notes and dusty sweet spice. With time a little leather & wet earth. In the mouth it's juicy with subdued cassis fruit and initially tightly tannic, a little alcohol heat pulls the fruit along. Pleasant enough.
- 1988 Château Duhart-Milon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (7/17/2018)
From Coravin. Smells like mature Bordeaux. Earthy, herbaceous, chalky minerality, leather. On the palate it's savoury, leathery, slight brambles, soft and easy though has some breadth to the mid palate. Quite lightweight but travels long. Nice
Thursday night - St Emilion - 1983 Château Pavie - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (7/19/2018)
From Coravin. Meaty, spicy, slight toast and a touch of VA on the nose...On the palate it's quite tired, a little red currant and plum, no discernible tannins. Not flawed just a bit old.
Thursday night - Lafon Rochet I really need to start trying these wines blind. I just really like them and that makes me a little nervous that it might just be the sight of the bottle is producing a Pavlovian response... - 1979 Château Lafon-Rochet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (7/19/2018)
From Coravin. Savoury spice, biscuit, muted wild blackcurrant, cedar, earthy. In the mouth it's juicy and fresh with subdued and slightly sour blackcurrant brambles, tannic grip on the front of the mouth and a little mid palate burr. All travel long. It's very 'Claret' and exceedingly enjoyable.
- 1996 Château Lafon-Rochet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (7/19/2018)
From Coravin. Brambles, blackcurrant, toast, roasted meat, a little leather, cedar, sweet spice. In the mouth it's juicy and fleshy, similar fruit with a little leathery plum joining. Talc textured, integrated tannins. Medium plus length. Nice.
- 2000 Château Lafon-Rochet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (7/19/2018)
From Coravin. Almost peppery spice married to brambles and blackcurrant, cream, leather, sweet spice and cedar. On the palate it's quite fruit forward with grippy, slightly drying tannin that is chalky textured. After the previous wines this tastes quite youthful! Very nice.
Thursday night - Prieure Lichine After visiting last September I've (very slowly) started to pull some into my cellar. The 81 was very impressive considering the vintage... - 1981 Château Prieuré-Lichine - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (7/19/2018)
From Coravin. Gamey, savoury, warm biscuit and pretty though muted black & red currant and plum. A little volatility, some sweet spice and a smidge of cocoa powder. On the palate more of the same with juicy acidity and slightly drying flour textured tannic grip. Finishes slightly sour and very long. Good.
- 2011 Château Prieuré-Lichine - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (7/19/2018)
From Coravin. Blackcurrant tending to Cassis, gamey and herby notes, sweet spcie and a little toast. In the mouth it's exceedingly juicy and the fruit is a little muted and less sweet. Tannins are on the gritty side of chalky. Time required for me.
Thursday night - 2011 I let the Prieure Lichine guide me to pull out a couple of near at hand 11's to look at. In the end the Cap l'Ousteau was the one that filled my glass to go with dry aged lamb chops for supper - 2011 Château Smith Haut Lafitte - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (7/19/2018)
From Coravin. Plums, toast, blackcurrant and cream. Slight vanilla and caramel as well as a lick of sweet spices...polished nose. In the mouth it's juicy with fresh plum and blackcurrant fruit, silky tannins do dry things out a little and the fruit struggles to persist. Hmm
- 2011 Château Cap l'Ousteau - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (7/19/2018)
From Coravin. Meaty and gamey, a little cream and leather, fruit wise it's black hued and a little wet though, with time, some jubey blackberry and black currant notes come through. On the palate if freshly juicy with similar wet fruit and surprisingly course and slightly monolithic tannins that sit like a solid block on the mid-palate. Protein required.
Of the oldies, well, the Pavie was a bit of a disappointment. But, contrariwise, the Prieur Lichine was good. And the Duhart Milon and Lafon Rochet are both the kinds of wines to make me a very happy chappy. |
