Talbot, Gruaud & Lagrange

First time back in the private room since before Covid. Lovely evening.

• 1986 Château Gruaud Larose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Colour - garnet, hardly any bricking. Surprisingly fresh on both nse and palate. Perhaps a little muted but when the charcuterie comes out, the lights turn on.
• 1986 Château Lagrange (St. Julien) - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Similar colour to the 86 Gruaud which preceded it. Very attractive nose. Still fresh but broader on the palate, and an almost glossy finish. I think i liked this more than most at the table and I get the point - its finish isn't quite what its start appears to promise, but i thoroughly enjoyed this (my #2 wotn).
• 1983 Château Talbot - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Definitely the oldest looking of the first flight. On the nose, the most oomph of the flight, and at first a bit of funk - some discussion about brett, and how much is just enough. This one benefited most from the charcuterie - really filled.
• 1998 Château Talbot - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  On the nose - needed to breathe in deep to get it, but some cedar box and perhaps pine needles. On the palate - a bit of glossiness (stemminess?) with decent acidity.
• 1995 Château Lagrange (St. Julien) - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Spikiest of this flight. Someone said "grated chocolate" and i got it. Something not quite resolved about these 95s - almost like 96 in burgundy. This would, of course, be a lovely drink on its own - but in the company it struggled (and notably it was one of only two wines to score zero this dinner).
• 2000 Château Gruaud Larose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  On pouring, a bit muted on the nose but it wakes up. Classic clarety cedar box, some density of fruit, lovely gentle tannins. Evidently Parker hated this wine and one can tell why. I think of all the wines served this is the one I'd want to have a case of to lie down.
• 2009 Château Talbot - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Didn't really do it for me. A bit flabby perhaps? Maybe on its own it would be an enjoyable drink but this didn't seem refined enough or round enough to offer much pleasure.
• 2010 Château Talbot - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  This felt a bit edgy, a bit kranky somehow. Clearly the right ingredients are there - good fruit, some structure, but it didn't pull together for me. Be interested to taste another bottle in future.
• 2016 Château Talbot - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Oh wow. This is a decade younger than we would normally drink in these types of affairs - but jolly approachable, even now. Nose was awesome. A hint of lacticity on the palate which I'm sure will die down with time. There's a hint of heat to it - the 13.5% abv is not unreasonable these days, but is punchier than the older wines we were drinking at first. Really made me think about 2016 in Bordeaux and the fact that I probably need to rectify my poor holdings.
• 2005 Château Talbot - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  By this stage the palate is quite fatigued, of course, but this is still going. On the palate - concentrated, a hint of marzipan perhaps? Nice stuff.
• 2005 Château Gruaud Larose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Proper claret - this showed well. You really had to get your nose in and sniff to get much out of it, but the effort was worthwhile. Good balance, precise with decent tannin, another one I wish I had a few off in the cellar.