Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent
Tasted Friday, May 31, 2013 by jkoenen with 1,247 views
In Bordeaux the wine of vintage 2004 tend to be overlooked. John put together this fantastic tasting to find out whether this statement is one to be justified or rejected.
There were a few white palate cleansers, which were served open label. The 34 bottles of red 2004's in the main program were served single blinded in flights of 2 wines: we knew what was coming, but not in what order. We had 13 people tasting tonight.
This was an awesome tasting, which showed us that this Bordeaux-vintage is not to be underestimated. There is a plethora of beautiful wines to be found for a relatively good price. We consider Bordeaux 2004 as the last "affordable" vintage and (when given enough air) they are drinking great now. Some of the big bruisers still require some cellar time, but they will open up within a few years' time. Tonight, although there were some disappointing bottles (Lafite, Hosanna), all wines were rated "(very) good" at least.
Personal WOTN: Canon la Gaffeliere 04 for current drinking. And Latour 04 for cellaring.
Other wines to look out for: Monbousquet 04 and Giscours 04 for current drinking. Eglise Clinet 04, VCC 04 and Leoville Barton 04 for cellaring.
2004 Château Lynch-Bages Blanc de Lynch-Bages 87 Points
France, Bordeaux
Lots of oak, not integrated very well. Hints of rubber, roasted nuts, candied lemon. Classical white Bordeaux profile, though not very attractive due to prominent acidity and emerging notes of oxidation. 16/20
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2004 Château Prieuré-Lichine Le Blanc du Chateau Prieuré-Lichine 85 Points
France, Bordeaux
Shallow, uninspiring nose. Vanilla, veggies, citric bitters in the finish. Clear notes of oxidation. Medium(-)bodied at best. Normally I'm a big fan of tertiairy white Bordeaux but this is not a very convincing example. 15/20
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2005 Château Lagrange (St. Julien) Les Arums de Lagrange 91 Points
France, Bordeaux
Unfortunately this wasn't an 04 bottling, so a there was no proper comparison.
But this wine was clearly the best of 3 white Bords today. Spicy, candied fruit, very good balance and persistence throughout the finish. Okay, this wine also got a big log of oak to manage, but flavors are pure, tasty, juicy and not muddled by any oxidation (yet). Firm body, good length. Very tasty juice. 17.5-18/20
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2004 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
This was a completely different story, of course. Enticing nose of roasted nuts, sweet vanilla, turkish bazar, mixed spice, patisserie, lemon curd and glue. On the palate the aromatics are clenched like a fist, yet in the proverbial velvet glove. Bright and supportive acidity underneath the creamy, medium-plus-bodied mid-palate provide wonderful, tangy bite and structure. Uber-sappy and savvy, this great wine is one to cherish. 18.5/20
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