Pre Auction Wine Tasting w/ lots of Bordeauxs

WHITES

• 1989 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
  Medium yellow color. Barnyard nose (manure?), in a good way. Medium palate impact, but a wonderful whiplash finish of custard and creme brulee. Nice wine, at perhaps its peak. (92 pts.)
• 1985 Château de Fieuzal Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  Typical good Bordeaux. Some tobacco, minerals, and fruits. Medium finish. Drinking well now. (85 pts.)
• 1997 Domaine Guillemot-Michel Mâcon-Villages Quintaine - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Villages
  Light gold color. Lemon and flowery with a medium finish. OK. (87 pts.)

REDS

• 1986 Château Cos d'Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
  Deep, dark, and hard. Tough and yough. Tight nose, but the palate shows good concentration and balance. Will need plenty of time. (92 pts.)
• 1989 Château Cos d'Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
  Nice nose. Not a super-concentrated monster, but a pleasant wine. (88 pts.)
• 1983 Château Gruaud Larose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Silky, nice. Nothing spectacular. (85 pts.)
• 1994 Château Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
  Nice, civilized wine. Raspberries, earth, and deft use of oak. Medium finish. Very soft mouthfeel, but perhaps could use a bit more concentration. (90 pts.)
• 1989 Château Calon-Ségur - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
  Nice wine. Beautiful cedar scents. Silky texture. Ready to go! (90 pts.)
• 1986 Château Chasse-Spleen - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Moulis en Médoc
  Cherries. Medium palate. Nice finish. Pleasant. (89 pts.)
• 1988 Château La Conseillante - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
  Perhaps a bad bottle? No real fruit to speak of. Acid, tannins, and alcohol. (Scored as 60 but changed to flawed.) (FLAWED)
• 1989 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Young, tannic, and closed. Will need time to come around, but seems to have good extract. (89 pts.)
• 1982 Château La Dominique - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  Leather, cedar, lead pencil. Drinking wonderfully right now. Very nice wine! (93 pts.)
• 1978 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Interesting mature bordeaux nose. Perhaps some slight volatile scents. Smooth texture. Some cedar. Medium finish. (88 pts.)
• 1990 Château La Fleur Plaisance St. Émilion Grand Cru - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  Medium red, some brick. Dried red fruits. Some lead pencil. Nice. (84 pts.)
• 1995 Château Duhart-Milon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Good red fruit. Pleasant, middle of the road wine. Decent finish. Should be drunk young. (86 pts.)
• 1988 Château Lalande-Borie - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Nice fruity nose. Seems to be drinking quite well right now. (90 pts.)
• 1987 Château Léoville Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Stemmy, green, and short on the finish. Not very pleasant. (75 pts.)
• 1993 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Nice wine, but a bit tannic for right now. (89 pts.)
• 1981 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Dark color, very little signs of age. Nice nose. Silky feel. Nice finish. Still has some good fruit. Nice. (91 pts.)
• 1990 Château La Louvière - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  Nice red fruits. Complex, with some leather. Good. (87 pts.)
• 1986 Château Lynch-Bages - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Rich fruit, but very tight wine in both the nose and palate. Good extract, but this is too young right now. (92 pts.)
• 1983 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  Light nose. Super silky fruity. Complex earth and stones. Nice, prototypical Graves. Very nice. (91 pts.)
• 1993 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  A bit light at this tasting, but it was in tough company. Seemed a bit watery for my tastes. (83 pts.)
• 1967 Château Pavie - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  Tasted from magnum. Medium red, with a garnet rim. Funky, mature Bordeaux nose. Slight volatility? Still alive, if a bit skunky. (86 pts.)
• 1986 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Leather, complex, good fruit. Young and tannic still. (87 pts.)
• 1990 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Decent fruit, oaky, but a bit unbalanced? An OK wine, but certainly not worthy of special notice. (84 pts.)
• 1985 Château Poujeaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Moulis en Médoc
  Good fruit, but a bit simple. (84 pts.)
• 1983 Château Prieuré-Lichine - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
  Nice wine which got surprisingly better with air. At its peak now! (87 pts.)
• 1989 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Riserva Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  Dark fruit, mineral, violets. Ripe, but mature berries aromas with a wiff of tar. Velvety mouthfeel. (92 pts.)
• 1986 Château Talbot - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Skunky nose (in an interesting way). Light on the palate, but a wine of elegance, rather than power. (87 pts.)
• 1989 Château Talbot - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Rich fruit. Nice wine, but needs time. (92 pts.)
• 1997 Château Tour de Mirambeau Bordeaux Blanc - France, Bordeaux
  Medium yellow. Big floral and herb nose. Round in the mouth, with some zingy kiwi acidity. Some grassy components. Medium long finish. (92 pts.)

DESSERT

• 1991 Lamole di Lamole Vin Santo del Chianti - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Vin Santo del Chianti
  Tasted from half-bottle. Sweet, and not unlike a sherry. Interesting bitterness to it, but it tasted a bit clumsy next to the Sauternes it was tasted next to. (85 pts.)
• 1988 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
  Not much of a nose, but quite a buttery, honeyed, example of Sauternes. Excellent. (90 pts.)
• 1983 Château de Malle - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
  Sweet, but flabby, with a short finish. Needs structure. (83 pts.)
• 1988 Château de Rayne-Vigneau - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
  Good acidity. Honeyed, apricots, and a long finish. (90 pts.)