Learning about Bordeaux with the Astorettes

Well as we roll into the holiday season it's time to become serious about staff education. To that end I rounded up a group of my co-workers and proceded to regale them with trivia about vintages and appelations as we tasted our way through a bit of Bordeaux.

From a recently unearthed stash of 75's I culled a few bottles that were representative of their respective lots to see how they had held up. We were not disappointed and this was a great lesson in aged Bordeaux for everyone.

• 1975 Château Beychevelle 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  (10/9/2007)

  Opens with a very fine tobacco and scorched blackberry nose with layers of leather and chalk and subtle hints of iodine and tea. Good bright sour cherry up front, strong acidity and lots of dusty tannins keep this fairly big in the mouth and while it is texturally fresh the flavors tend toward leathery and tarry. A touch lean and very savory leading to a drying finish that is a bit astringent. So a bit of a conflict here as I really like the lovely balance and the bracing dignity of the wine but wish there was a bit more buffering fruit. Drink em if you got em.

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• 1975 Château Gloria 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  (10/9/2007)

  The nose here is soft and fine with some spicy clay and notes of old cut grass and talc. In the mouth this is much softer than the Beycghevelle with resolved tannins and adequate acidity supporting a balaced core of raspberry tinged fruit that remained taut and focused in a haoppy way. Finishes on the short side with just a touch of astringency. Very friendly and while lacking the aromatics of the Beychevelle this offers up a bit more fruit and structural compaonents that are a bit more in proportion to the remaining fruit. Drink em if you got em.

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• 1975 Château Haut-Bages Libéral 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (10/9/2007)

  Lovely nose here with direct cassis that offered nuances of gravelly dust, smoke, charred ashy wood and a very intense floral top note. This turned more savory with notes of rye bread and subtle caraway with hints of black pepper and a lovely cedary quality. This offers a great integration of fruit and structure. Up front there is a nice smokiness followed by almost liquory fruit that is cut by clean mineral notes. This offers up lovely bottle sweetness and while it is a touch coarse at first that element softens with time and the somewhat simple but sweet core of chewy fruit really carries through to the finish. this improved all night and is just excellent mature Bordeaux with plenty of life left. Drink now- 2015

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I started a vertical of Cos here as sort of a control to begin an examinaton of vintage traits and ageing cycles. The Cos in particular gave a good picture of a mature "classic" vintage.

• 1981 Château Cos d'Estournel 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  (10/9/2007)

  Classy and bright on the nose with ripe herbaceousness that offers up nuances of medicinal and earthy notes over a base of deep cigar box and cedar. Medium full in the mouth with lovely integration. Good intensity of leafy cassis yet a bit 4 square though not lacking focus or tension in the mouth this remains a bit of a one trick poney. Still impressively well preserved and while in no danger of falling off a cliff it does not exacly overachieve. Now - 2015

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• 1981 Château L'Evangile 85 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  (10/9/2007)

  This had a damaged cork and high shoulder fill. The nose was decidely musty with an earthy, beet-rooty core. Lovely bottle sweetness up front that competes with the earthy, musty midpalate. there is some purple pudding sweet fruit lurking deep down across the palate but this bottle ultimately ends up being short and shallow though with an appealing licorice tinged finish. Drink em if you got em

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This pair offered up a good contrast o illustrate the character of marguax and the quality of 83 for the region

• 1983 Château Cos d'Estournel 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  (10/9/2007)

  This offerers up a meaty, roasty nose that is a bit hotter than the 81 and retains a decidedly roasted cherry fruit aspect that pairs well with the predominant cigar wrapper nose. A bit tough and even hollow on the midpalate. Big and loosely knit with lots of soft tannin supporting an earthy, woodsy core of fruit. This lacks the focus of the 81 and seems to have had the freshness cooked out it by the vintage. Drink em if you got em

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• 1983 Château Lascombes 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  (10/9/2007)

  The nose is fresh and delicate with fine leather, fresh vibrant flowers and bright red berries all tinged with subtle cedar. The mouthfeel is light and fresh, lithe with excellent integration and a soft juicy texture that supports sweet red berried fruit that finishes with just a hint of astringency that works to give the wine a touch of mouth grab. Classic margaux in all it's perfumed, medium bodied, red fruited glory. 2007-2015

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An interlude.

• 1985 Château Cos d'Estournel 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  (10/9/2007)

  This opens very herbaceously with a gentle touch of cotton candy, a bit of peppery spice and subtle oak. In the mouth it offers up a gently aged sweetness balanced by good acidity with no tannin to speak of. The midpalate is a touch diffuse at first but this ultimately grows on you with it's layered delicacy and gentle nature. At peak or maybe in gentle decline. 2007-2011

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What the 75's were a decade ago.

• 1986 Château Cos d'Estournel 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  (10/9/2007)

  Still closed, the nose offers up mineral and oak notes with tons of very cool, restrained mint tinged black fruits. Big and rich on entry with an initial burst of plushness that gives way to a wall of tannin. This is tough but ultimately seems to have the balance and stuffing to turn into something special given sufficient time. 2011-2025

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• 1986 Château Phélan Ségur 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  (10/9/2007)

  While sharing some traits with the Cos this has a much redder fruit profile, a bit more towards cooked grenadine with complicating notes of oak and licorice but ultimately returning to strong notes of crushed berries. Richer and softer in the mouth than the Cos this is just opening and while it is a bit on the tough and astringent side it offers up a good core of fresh red fruit with excellent sustain through the finish. Not alot of complexity but fresh and delicious. 2007-2020

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A better interlude and why vintage charts are not to be trusted

• 1988 Château Cos d'Estournel 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  (10/9/2007)

  Lovley nose opens with cool layers of pencil lead, burnt marshmallow, leafy herbs and coffee bean with a gentle plummy note and an edge of roast meat. Opens to reveal lots of bell pepper which I usually don't like to much but this is balanced, fresh , and attractive with more of a smoked green chili savoriness to it as opposed to a really vegetal aspect. Rich and perfectly balanced in the mouth with rich blackberry fruit balanced by dark, minerally earth that carries through to the long, firm finish. Classy bottle, very presice with excellent focus and cut and the perfectly ripe fruit really gives this an elegant softness that is appealing. 2007-2020

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A look at appelations across a very good vintage.

• 1989 Château Cos d'Estournel 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  (10/9/2007)

  Opens very green and leafy with obvious oak and a strong note of toasted sprouts and pencil lead. Medium bodied and very soft, silky soft with more than a passing resemblance to a mini 85 with it's upfront sweetness and seamless texture though less of the layered aspect that makes that wine appealing. This never wowed but has improved though the best aspect would be the gentle texture. 2007-2013

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• 1989 Château Lynch-Bages 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (10/9/2007)

  This is still so young with it's pencil lead, rubber tinged nose that offers up subtle notes of dried funghi and rich cassis extract. Big and powerful on entry with a closed, hollow midpalate that yields to a minerally finish that finishes with a lingering final of almost grapey cassis fruit. This is only the second bottle from a case bought on release. I've had more open bottles but these are ageing at a glacial pace. Absolutely pinpoint precision with the structure that offers up an airy elegance even with all this richness and power. 2012-2030

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• 1989 Château du Tertre 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  (10/9/2007)

  This was very giving with it's soft and evolved nose that is very minerally with notes of steel, eggshell and earth adding interest to the gently oak spiced fruit. A touch rustic in the mouth with dusty tannins and good acidity supporting bright fruits gently seasoned with baking spices. A bit of astringency to the pomegranite seed notes on the medium length finish. Solid yet unremarkable Bordeaux that is a perfect dinner companion. 2007-2017

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• 1989 Château de Fieuzal 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  (10/9/2007)

  Well this surpises. For years this was insipid, loose and lightly flavored wine. While not a blockbuster tonight this really shone with a vivid sappy nose that was richly fruited with strong sense of Cab Franc and smoke. Excellent in the mouth with great precision to the seamless medium bodied midpalate that was a touch soft but offered up big raspberry fruit and complicating notes of herb that pushed toward eucalyptus. Really a lovely showing. 2007-2012

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• 1989 Château La Dominique 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  (10/9/2007)

  Opens nicely with it's minerally nose offering up typical notes of espresso foam and fertile soil marred slightly by a bit of shoe polish. Noticably oak spiced with lots of tart plum and cocoa. Big rich and round with it's inviting flavors of plum and cocoa couched in a soft, plump texture. While drinking well this bottle didn't come close to the heights achieved by previous bottles. 2007-2015

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A fitting finale.

• 1975 Château Rieussec 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  (10/9/2007)

  Typical volatile nose with great depth to the honeycomb, biscuit and orange blossom nose. this features good intensity of botrytis and offers up notes of banna and coconut as well as hints of fermenting tea and a core or creme caramel. Sweet but not overly so with great bright acidity. Lush yet with the citrussy fruit that offer relief from the weight, abit hot and even spicy with a hint of pink peppercorn adding cut across the palate before finishing with lots of caramelized orange peel on the long finish. Not a huge fan of Sauternes but this was quite nice and mature. 2007-2020

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And that was that. While I had hoped that this tasting would have proved to me that I really don't like Bordeaux enough to justify having so much in the cellar what it really proved was that some examples are so good you really shouldn't not have em down there. For the rest, well maybe it is time to do a bit of cellar thinning. Good bye old friends.