Figeac vs Las Cases: the big guns

Washington, DC
Tasted Thursday, January 20, 2011 by Faryan with 1,054 views

Introduction

First of all, hats off to everyone's superb generosity in this dinner. What a magnificent showing of top wines and great company. As a whole, I think Figeac stole the show, besting Las Cases practically every flight. It had more interesting verve and character to it, while the Las Cases often felt a bit more ordinary. I have enjoyed Las Cases in the past but haven't historically been bowled over by it. This confirms my general sentiment of the wine and my preference towards Montrose (esp given the disparity of price!)

Flight 1 (2 Notes)

Flight 2 (2 Notes)

  • 1996 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Maltroie

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

    There was some discussion as to whether this bottle was corked at first. The aromatics were muted upon opening. Wet sock and sweaty aromas were picked up faintly, but I thought we simply needed to be a bit more patient with the wine. With some more time, the nose began to emerge, albeit quite muted. very mineral focused with very light hints of peach and lime. The palate was more expressive but not in any sense soaring. The mouthfeel was refined and quite lush, but nevertheless, it is hard to rate as such.

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  • 1993 Château Laville Haut-Brion Blanc 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    The third of a set of these that I've been drinking lately. The first was past; noticeably darker and sherried on the nose. The second was a touch flabby. This bottle was à point, a textbook example of aged Semillion with Graves character. A lovely, delicate and lithe nose of beeswax, chamomile and honeycomb (not sweet though). The wine dances in the glass and continues to expand with more air. Relatively pail in color, the palate is silky and quite lush, but the finish is a touch abrupt. Perhaps it is a vintage characteristic or maybe the wine is past. Several knowledgable tasters wondered if it is past (drank from 375) or in an awkward phase, a la N. Rhone blancs that are in mid-age. Only one way to find out...

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Flight 3 (1 Note)

  • 2000 Château Figeac 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Vintage Figeac but also classic 2000 BDX. Brooding, large in scale and very distinct in terms of its delineation of cepage. You can begin to feel the Cabernet Franc emerging from its adolescent slumber, offering wonderful notes of ripe bell pepper and exotic verve. It adds crispness and alacrity. The Cabernet is also present, asserting itself with solid tannins that aren't obtuse nor flabby but round notes of cassis. Classic seminal Bordeaux that demands patience and rewards accordingly. The merlot is a bit more reticent; the bottle lacks the exoticism that one finds in the 98 and 05 but that is likely down to vintage characteristic. This wine is built for the long haul but has been kind enough to show us what it is made of. Classique.

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Flight 4 (4 Notes)

  • 1998 Château Figeac 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Double decanted for 1.5 hours and it really hit its stride in glass. Exotic and simply beautiful with such freshness and verve. It has soaring notes of merlot driven raspberry married with cassis and boysenberry. So different in style compared to the 2000, but still true to Figeac in its "alter ego" take on what a right bank wine should be. Shows hints of the sheer beauty that the 82 showed. A showstopper that will continue to trend up.

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  • 1998 Château Léoville Las Cases 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    A brawny wine but unexpectedly accessible. With more time we get really lush notes of wild berries, mulberry and cassis married with mocha and cedar/cigar box. Pauillacian in many ways but it was neverthelss outshown by the Figeac. This has a hidden floral element that the left bank successes of the vintage seem to have. I think in time it will emerge as a wonderful aspect of the wine.

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  • 1995 Château Léoville Las Cases 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Surprisingly open for such an airtight vintage (at this stage in its evolution) showing a lot. Classic St Julien with that dense, unyeilding nature that demands respect from the taster. Lovely notes of berries, mocha and fruits. Give it time to unravel a bit more.

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  • 1990 Château Léoville Las Cases Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Merde! Corked...

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Flight 5 (3 Notes)

  • 1979 Château Latour Grand Vin 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Opens diffuse at first, but seems to really put the pieces together with more time in the glass. Lovely aged BDX notes of cedar, plummenaire, and some light cassis that marries the finely grained tannins which gives the wine a receeding structure. With time, a lovely nose of mocha and caramel espresso (dcwino nails it) emerges to the nose which makes the wine all the more lovely. Great stuff.

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  • 1979 Château Léoville Las Cases 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    This was a quite lovely wine that requested a bit more attention from the taster than the more voluminous wines of the night. Definitely more delicate and more diffuse than the 79 Latour. It still has a really perfumed cherry and candy aspect along with a light and transparent mouthfeel. It lends itself to being a wonderful wine to drink with duck or a rustic chicken, as it still has Las Cases quality and essence but has been stripped of its layers of structure and left with a beautiful core.

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  • 1975 Château Léoville Las Cases 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    75 has been a tough vintage for me with Bordeaux but this Las Cases seemed to be in a right spot for consumption. It isn't as angry as some of the other 75s; has shed a lot of that structure but the angular tannins still persist on the finish! The wine which will never be ready (wait, that is 82 las cases)! Sous bois, mushrooms and saddle along with a lovely robe of cherry and berry driven fruit. Has a lot of structure to it Good stuff.

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Flight 6 (2 Notes)

  • 1982 Château Léoville Las Cases 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    This is 29 years old? Sacre merde, it is still tight and unyeilding. I believe this was decanted for several hours prior but only really began to emerge and give more from the nose with about an hour in glass. This shows the depth and power of Bordeaux but still retains the aristocracy and nimbleness of seminal wines; the duality which is so often found in the very best wine in the world. This bottle has a perfumed nose of lavender, cedar and cassis. Such a pure cassis but so reluctant to give what it has! On the palate, the density and lushness is married so brilliantly but leaves one wanting so much more from the wine. Give it another 5 years before checking in or a decade prior to polishing off your remnant bottles. The gift and the curse!

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  • 1982 Château Figeac 98 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    An OMFG wine. Such a rapturous nose, it passes the Faryan "involuntary smile" test that used to be delegated to sex, drugs and burgundy, but now includes old Beaucastel, Guigal Lalas, Chave and 82 Figeac ;) Just an absolute explosion of exotic olive, cardamom tapenade, truffles and mouthwatering lillacs. The palate is pure silk; Burgundian, lacking any angularity or overt polishing. It is like the flowing marble of Bernini. This could be mistaken for the finest northern rhones one could possibly drink. An absolute splendid delight. Bottle was perfect provenance. We are not worthy!

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Flight 7 (1 Note)

  • 1986 Château d'Yquem 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    We are still not worthy! This bottle was served entirely too cold (popped from the icebucket), so we let it warm up in our hands and it benefited the wine as it needed air to begin to open up. While the aromatics weren't as complex as what I hope for from seminal Yquem (granted I don't have the privilege of drinking a lot of Yquem), the mouthfeel is classic. So weightless but so lush and concentrated. Like a ballerina turned heavyweight boxer. With more time and temperature, the nose reveals acacia honey, pineapple, hazelnut oil and such a beautiful pitch of apricot driven fruit. What a capper!

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