Low-key Tasting Group does Bordeaux at Lola

Tonight was the second meeting of the "Low-Key" tasting group, and we were all hoping for something a bit better than our prior "North American Syrah" tasting. I set a wide-open theme of Bordeaux, and we gathered at Lola, a relatively new Tom Douglas restaurant with a Greek theme. The menu was loaded with lots of lamb and other red friendly foods.

Alas, JasonG was unable to join us, since he, umm, realized that it was his first wedding anniversary after he agreed to the date...

While we waited for everyone to show up we started non-blind with this Bordeaux Blanc.

• 1997 Château Lynch-Bages Blanc de Lynch-Bages 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux

  Not blind. Served very cold. The nose is slightly oaky with hints of banana. The attack shows lots of citrus and seems a bit lean at first, but as it warms the palate spreads out pretty nicely with buttery smoothness. There is some astringency on the finish, but this is generally rather pleasant and drinkable, very much more in the citrus direction with a hint of roasted nut on the finish.

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There were only five of us present, so everyone was able to take healthy pours. That allowed us to follow this blind flight of four wines for about 90 minutes both with and without food. (As an aside, I would strongly recommend the Lola lamb burger as a great meal to have with Bordeaux.) This was a very consistent flight. Some of the wines were a bit understated, but they all offered a lot of pleasure as we watched them unfold. And best of all, all of the wines were fantastic with the food. Going in a knew I was a big fan of Bordeaux, but this humble tasting was a real reminder of why it like it so much.

• 1996 Château Beychevelle 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Mmm, right from the first pour there was no mistaking this as anything other than Bordeaux. Tobacco, horse, earth and mineral immediately greet you on the expressive nose. This is a gorgeous drinking bottle of claret, smooth, well balanced with a nice, silky texture. This seemed to get a bit less forgiving as it sat in the glass, but three hours later, on a fresh pour, the wine opened up even more and showed a very nice, ripe streak of cassis and black fruit. This is a nice wine with a number of years in front of it.

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• 1999 Château Lynch-Bages 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  This was the most closed and difficult wine of the night which somewhat belied its reputation. The initial nose screamed of chocolate covered cherries with some notes of pickled oak and eventually graphite. Mmm, the palate shows bright red fruit and crushed rocks, quite tight yet promising. With an hour of air this started to open more and for 15 minutes some black fruit came out to play. However, from this point it shut down and offered a lot less. I really like the direction this is heading, but it is still extremely young and tight. The finish coats your palate with dusty, spreading tannins and super minerality. I suspect this needs another 5 years to come out of its shell.

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• 2000 Réserve de la Comtesse 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Wow, this was fantastic. Initially the nose was reserved, somewhat medicinal, with roast espresso and char, a typical Bordeaux barrel profile. The fruit seems to be hiding, but there is a lot of minerality and some initial bitterness. Wow, with 30 minutes of air this totally morphed into a wine I recognized and correctly guessed double blind. The herbaceous nose shows dill and a remarkably unmistakeable note of spicy Bay leaf and green olive. This simply screams Cabernet. For some people this might sound like a negative description, but it was distinct and fantastic. Best of all, the palate picked up weight, breadth, sappiness and overall mouthfeel that clearly showed this as a 2000, far more balanced, deep and broad than the other wines in the tasting. I am very impressed!

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• 1998 Gracia 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  This wine was clearly different from the others. Violet and raspberry greet you at first, and with air increasing notes of flowers, cedar and pine resin become very distinct. Mmm, the palate is rich and is clearly a different beast. At first I wrote "right bank" in my notes but later convinced myself this was a Margaux of some sort. Mmmm, with more air this became more and more lush, a lovely treat of a wine.

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Somewhat reluctantly we moved on from the reds and finished up with one sticky and surprisingly unevolved treat.

• 1990 Château Guiraud 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  At first the nose seems a bit hot with lots of orange, almost Muscat-like in overall intensity, a bit clumsy. The palate was a different story with caramel, orange and loads of honey. This finish with a nice kick of acid to keep things fairly fresh.

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Nice tasting!