Mature Bordeaux Indulgence @ my place

Netherlands
Tasted Friday, February 3, 2012 by jkoenen with 631 views

Introduction

Cosy and informal tasting with Roel and David.

Flight 1 - Flight #1 (2 Notes)

White Brodeaux Wellcome

  • 2007 Château de Fieuzal Blanc 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Pale yellow in colour with a grey-ish hue. Opens up with an acidic (lemon juice) and oak dominated nose, but after a 2 hours decant, things get better. Wonderful herbaceous notes sprout out of the glass, fresh herbs like mint, fennel and parsley. But also hints of ginger, lemon oil and a salty seebreeze. Huge dosage of saline minerality on the palate, also grapefruit and lime. This feels very strict, austere and classical, but has a great future. Try again in 3 to 5 years... 17.5/20 for now.

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  • 2006 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Medium yellow. Very floral presentation: honeysuckle, vanilla, apricot, butterscotch, mocca, almond and asian spices. Fierce and provoking attack, due to notable acidity. Tightly knit and slightly reticent now. Extremely long and persistent finish, which is clearly marked by bitterness. Way more oily and creamy than the previous wine. Great wine in need of a couple of years in the cellar. 18/20

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Flight 2 - Flight #2 (3 Notes)

Mature Gems

  • 1982 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Wonderful, clean, cool and pure bouquet, modest and classical. Red berry fruit, cassis, antique shop, smoky sweet tobacco, sausage, cigars, distant hints of cardboard and treebark. Also on the palate very cool, elegant and graceful. Medium bodied tangy and spicy mid-palate. Dusty, powdery, convincing tannines support the long, persistent, harmonious and even refreshing finish. Great wine! 18.5/20

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  • 1988 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Clear carmine, bricking in the edge. Smoky, cigarbox, some glue, forestfloor and rustic animality. This is a masculine, powerful Pauillac which is starting to show its distinguished personality. On the palate there is grilled red bell pepper, tapenade, licorice and I somehow picked up an intriguing hearty, spicy, piquant chilli-pepper-kinda tanginess. Balance is awesome, tannines are sturdy, virile and bulky, yet ripe and nicely integrated. Wonderful stuff at its peak. 18.5/20

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  • 1990 Château Calon-Ségur 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    Charming and seducing bouquet of fresh and crunchy red fruit like cherries and pomegranate. But there are also lots of mature characteristics like earl grey tea, earth, potpourri, clay, paper and ink. Super freshness, lovely tannines, bright and also powerful. Very entertaining and interesting wines which tells a different story every 5 minutes. I feel that, from this flight, I'll still remember this particular wine in 5 years time, because of its surprising freshness and its dual character. 18-18.5/20

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Flight 3 - Flight #3 (2 Notes)

Younger Ones

  • 2001 Vieux Château Certan 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Heartwarming nuances of cassis, incense, hot cherrypie, blackberries and chalk. Fiery and racy, but also supple and soft in its structure. Seems quite primary today, with it's compact but soft tannines and creamy mouthfeel with hints of balsamico and lavender. Acidity prevails in the medium long finish. Needs to develop some extra depth and tension. 17.5-18/20

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  • 1994 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District

    Compact and slightly off nose of stewed/cooked fruit. Still very primary at 17,5 years of age. Juicy and charming but considerably tannic. Lovely nuances of ink, watercolor, grilled bell pepper, blueberry pancakes. Although I could sense the sheer class and promise of this wine, it came across as a tad clumsy and disharmonious. Maybe my expectations were a little to high... Stunning wine, though. 18-18.5/20

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Flight 4 - Flight #4 (3 Notes)

Assorted Dessert Wines

  • 1981 Château d'Yquem 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    Although this is not a vintage receiving the highest of praise, I was thoroughly impressed. Not for its complexity of concentration, but for its clean, clear and filligreed graciousness. Fantastic balance and poise. Strong and convincing. It has a whiff of peppery botrytis, mandarin, passionfruit and copper pot. Mouthwatering bitterness of orangezest in the finish. Sweetness is integrating and leaves a bright demi-sec-kind of feel. Loves the tangy spicyness of black pepper, lavender, ginger, cardamom and vanilla. The summum of finesse, a great experience. 18.5-19/20 (from .375)

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  • 1996 Château Tirecul La Gravière Monbazillac Cuvée Madame 89 Points

    France, Southwest France, Dordogne, Monbazillac

    (Tasted blind) Mature dark amber color. Steely, evolved nose of rust, hay, pipe tobacco and mocca. Very intense in the mouth, very sweet, notes of white chocolate, creme brulee, tutti frutti and Turkish Delight. Just enough acidity to counteract all this richness. Very nice wine, but IMO lacking in depth and grace. 17/20

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  • 1997 Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 92 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Bonnezeaux

    Wow, gorgeous wine. More elegant than expected, might even mistake this one for a noble rot Riesling. White sultana's, almond paste, orange zest, honey and acacia honey. Stony minerality, considerable sugar levels are tamed by lovely acidiy and bitterness. Super soft, rounded and very fruity. Has a great future, but is already delicious. 18/20

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Closing

Personal WOTN: 1981 Yquem
Other wines to look out for: 1982 GPL and 1990 Calon Segur.

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