Lots of small tastes of some very grand wines
Royal Academy, London
Tasted Thursday, April 27, 2006 by Rupert with 1,314 views
Introduction
A corporate entertaining bash thrown by a merchant bank for its clients and potential (!) clients featuring 80 or so seriously high end wines in a walk round tasting. I took small glassfuls and spat most of the time in order to sample as many as possible. I'm not used to tasting in such a way and in order indicate the tentative nature of the scores have only shown them in the body of the note.
2000 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Smooth, powdery, luxurious, fine [89]
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2000 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
Plump, but tight, classy [89]
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2001 Olivier Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Spicy, fat, open for business now [90]
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2003 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne Domaine
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Soft, but powerful, lively acidity, easily approachable now [90]
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1999 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Oaky nose, but skinny and tannic - will need time to prove itself [87]
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1998 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Good, true pinot character, but still tannic [88]
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1998 Domaine Prieuré Roch Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Le Clos des Corvées
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Gamey, soft, gorgeous nose, some tannin, but approachable [89]
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2002 Domaine Prieuré Roch Chambertin-Clos de Bèze
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Young, dense, tannic, serious, will be probably be excellent, but a tad too young today [89]
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1988 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru
Gamey and soft on the nose, but surprisingly grippy on the palate, nice but not special [88]
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1988 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
Lively acidity, less tannic than the La Tache and altogether more enjoyable, excellent complete mature, but perhaps no more than it should be [90]
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1981 Clos Fourtet
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Still youthful and lively, sweetish and straightforward, but very nice [89]
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1989 Clos Fourtet
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Stalky, gamey, fragrant, lovely lively fresh claret [91]
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1985 Pétrus
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Dark, ripe, concentrated, still hugely tannic, brooding and, at this point, not very complex [91]
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1997 Pétrus
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Spicy, malty, tannic but approachable, not at all light, liked it a lot [91]
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2001 Château La Fleur-Pétrus
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Spicy blackcurrant, dense, rich, complete [93]
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1998 Château L'Evangile
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Brilliant, rich, dense and spicy, so concentrated, wonderful [94]
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1995 Château Cheval Blanc
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Fresh and forthcoming, classic right bank claret, not as showy as the preceding pomerols [92]
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1996 Château Léoville Las Cases
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Surprisingly open, bracing and juicy, lovely today [92]
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1998 Château Palmer
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Big farmyard nose, but lots and lots of ripe fruit behind it, approachable, delicious today [93]
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1995 Château Palmer
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
More tannic and less characterful than the '98, but nevertheless, plenty of fruit and cedar to enjoy [91]
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1989 Château Palmer
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Deep, coffee-rich, pure, long, super [93]
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1990 Château Cos d'Estournel
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Light, mature, seemed a touch insubstantial in this company [89]
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1990 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Sturdy, deep, powerful, lots of stuffing, good now and likely to get better [92]
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1998 Château Mouton Rothschild
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Lithe, ripe, classy, substantial [91]
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1996 Château Mouton Rothschild
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Stunningly deep, ripe nose, tannic, but plenty of fruit there to make this enjoyable already [93]
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1989 Château Mouton Rothschild
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Tannic, but richly fruity, relatively straightforward [90]
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1989 Château Lafite Rothschild
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Softer than the Mouton, a very nice serious claret, but not distinctive [90]
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1960 Château Lafite Rothschild
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Pale and cloudy, but alive [86]
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1966 Château Palmer
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Classic mature claret, perfect balance of mellowness, fruit and lingering acidiy, gorgeous [95]
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1970 Château Palmer
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Sweeter and rounder than the 1966, lovely, but gentler [93]
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1978 Château Latour Grand Vin
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Big, tannic, classically proportioned, impressive [92]
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1978 Château Palmer
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Pale, weak, lacking stuffing [83]
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1983 Château Lafite Rothschild
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Lean and tannic, classic claret, not as distinctive as last year's bottle [90]
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1998 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Enormous oaky nose, sweet, floral, intriguing, confirmed on the palate, this is one hell of a showy wine and I love it [95]
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1998 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Tighter, more tannic, more conventional than the Mouline, but equally intense, very impressive [94]
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1998 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Combined the floral fragrance of the Mouline with the structure and power of the Turque, extraordinary [95]
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1962 Château Coutet Barsac
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
Soft, some oxidation, but still alive and pleasurable [87]
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1924 Château Doisy-Daëne
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
Would never have guessed this was so old - mature, but complex and alive [90]
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1890 Dow Porto Vintage
Portugal, Douro, Porto
Very pale, but strong and savoury [90]
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1900 C. da Silva Porto Vintage
Portugal, Douro, Porto
Wooded and therefore effectively a vintage tawny, this was woody, salty, tangy, lovely [93]
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1900 H.M. Borges Madeira Malvasia
Portugal, Madeira
A sensational finish to the evening, tangy, sweet, layers and layers of complexity, finish that went on and on - really exciting [95]
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