Big Bordeaux IX featuring '82 Pichon LaLande and Leoville Las Cases and More

This was my ninth semiannual Bordeaux event that featured a couple of outstanding '82's along with a mix of other great wines and vintages. Ten of us gathered to partake in the wines and food hoping for a great night and not being disappointed. The filet mignon roast turned out perfectly for the main course and everyone contributed some wonderful sides and apps. Thanks to everyone for making this special evening.

• 2005 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume Vignoble de Vaulorent 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Light medium gold color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 45 minutes. Fairly intense green orchard fruit on the nose, with pears, apple, and citrus, strong sea breeze minerality, and hints of floral blossoms. The palate is almost steely with a wet stones minerality, very fresh, crisp, delivering pear and lemon with excellent length. This bottle, my last, was in great shape at 10 years.

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• 1999 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Light gold color. Light gold color. Drank 1 glass over 45 minutes. Tight bead with a yeasty, toasted nose, nutty, green apple, lightly floral, rich. The palate gains even more depth, fresh, toast, yeasty, nutty, marzipan, mineral, tart apple, tart pear, and tart citrus peel, rich and fuller bodied, with a yeasty, medium finish. Not quite as good or as advanced as a previous bottle 6 months ago, but very, very good. This bottle had just arrived the day before and that may have played a role. 92+ to 93pts.

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• 1986 Château Cos d'Estournel 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Very dark red-purple color, with a 3mm transitional margin of bricking. Slow-O for 2 hours, decanted for 45 minutes; drank 1 glass over 3hrs. This had a wonderful nose that featured gorgeous red fruits, some cassis, fresh pencil shavings, tobacco leaf, subtle damp earth, and pretty wood spice. The palate blows up over 20 minutes, bright red berry fruit, raspberry with a touch of darker fruit in the background, pencil shavings, tobacco, exquisite dusty tannins and a long finish. This was incredibly elegant, at 29yrs quite youthful, and in a gorgeous place to drink, just such a pretty wine. This can easily go 5+ years and probably get better. 93+ to 94pts.

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• 1990 Château Pape Clément 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Very dark red color/purple color with a 5-7 mm transitional margin. Slow -O for 2 hours, decanted for 60 minutes; drank 1 glass over 3 hrs. This had a great nose that really developed over 20-30 minutes. This had pretty violets on the nose, red fruits that quickly give way to a core of deep rich black fruits with great purity, blackberry, cassis, and black cherry; scorched earth, damp earth and some sandalwood . The palate has great depth, a great layered core of blackberry, cassis, and black cherries, scorched earth, a little tar, deep and fresh, gravelly tannins, hints of wood and anise, glycerin, and a long polished finish. There was amazing concentration of fruit with a layered complexity. Man, I just love '90 Bordeaux. My #3 WOTN and group #2. 94+pts.

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• 1982 Château Léoville Las Cases 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Very dark red/purple color, with a subtle at best margin. Slow-O for about 4 hours, decanted for 45 minutes; drank 1 glass over 3 hours. This bottle was in wonderful shape, you'd never guess its age looking at it. There's an exotic perfume on the nose, darker berry fruits, graphite, slightly savory. This is a wow palate, remarkable energy, red berries, black berries, earthy, sexy, denser. This is just seamless on the palate, silky as it glides across the tongue and envelopes the mouth. Wow, the essence of elegance with silky tannins, bright acidity and a long finish. Ooh, just a killer wine. I think this is really just hitting its full stride and can go another 20 years easily. My #2 WOTN and group #3. 96pts.

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• 1982 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Very dark red plus color with a 1cm transitional margin. Slow-O for about 4 hours, decanted for 1 hour; drank 1+ glass over 3 hours. One whiff and you knew this was exquisite, one taste and you were elevated to another place. Ethereal, evocative, insert your adjective here. An impressive nose with ground tobacco, deep wet earth, a touch of funk, a seductive perfume of potpourri, red raspberry, cassis, black cherry. The palate is just wow, wow, wow, lifted, incredibly earthy, damp, vibrant, gorgeous velvety red and blue and black fruits, sleek ultra fine grained tannins and a very, very long finish. It's hard to even put in words, it simply makes me giddy. My and group WOTN, hands down. 97+ to 98pts.

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• 1993 Château Latour Grand Vin 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Very dark red/purple color, no bricking. Slow -O for 5 hours and 15 minutes decant. Drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. This started a bit slow in glass, the nose when I initially popped this was incredible with splendid blue fruits, blueberry and boysenberry, creme de cassis and fresh cut blue flowers. That all was there again, but it took about a half an hour to emerge, along with a scorched earth, pepper, spice, and pencil lead.The palate had good concentration, blue and black fruit, scorched earth, pepper, round dry tannins. This could have used a little more decant time as I intended, but the evolution was great and those that nurtured this were handily rewarded. This is a young excellent Latour. 93(+)pts.

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• 1983 Château Mouton Rothschild 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Very dark red color, 12mm transitional margin of bricking. Slow-O for 5 hours, decanted for 20 minutes. Drank 1 glass over 90 minutes plus. This was very floral, subtle wood, perfumy, soy, creme de menthe, leather, wood spice, dry forest floor. Wow on the palate, graphite, layered silky red fruits, hints of cassis, a little leaner body, rose petals, good acid, fine tannins that are ready to drink; long finish.

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• 1996 Château d'Yquem 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Medium deep gold color. Slow-O for 6 hours; served at 52 degrees. Drank 1+ glass over 90 minutes. OMG was this wonderful. We were supposed to drink the '90 tonight , but unfortunately it was delayed so I substituted the '96, and I couldn't have been more pleased. This just lights up your senses and crystallizes your palate after a long series of great reds. An intense nose of orange marmalade, pineapple, vanilla, mango, honey, creme brulee, and botrytis. The palate is voluptuous, not at all syrupy, a perfect balance of sugar and acid; peach cobbler, vanilla bean, oranges, pineapple, mango, honey, spice cake, full bodied and totally elegant. There is no mistaking the pedigree here. Glorious. 96(+)pts.

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WOTN voting was remarkably difficult with one exception. THE WOTN was quite clear in the '82 Pichon Lalande, after that all bets were off and opinions differed as these wines all showed extremely well. Whites were not included in voting. One person abstained due to the stress of it all :)

#1 WOTN: '82 Pichon Lalande (3+3+3+3+3+3+2+2+1=23pts) My #1
#2 WOTN: '90 Pape Clement (2+2+2+1+1+1=9pts) My#3
#3 WOTN: '82 Leoville Las Cases (2+2+1+1+1+1=8pts) My#2
'83 Mouton (3+3=6pts)
'93 Latour (3+2+1=6pts)
'86 Cos (2=2pts)