1996 Pauillac with Jane Anson

No Mouton tonight, to ensure a variety of expressions.

1996 chosen as a great left bank vintage with long slow ripening.

• 1996 Château Sociando-Mallet 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  JA chose this Haut-Medoc ‘ringer’ to test the thesis that it stands up to the classified growths (left out of the 1855 as it didn’t become well-known until the 20th century), and because its gravel terroir is similar to Pauillac’s (it’s on terrace four, and all the classified growths are on terrace three or four).
  
  48% CS, 47% M, 5% CF. Dark colour, but some browning. Soft, gentle brambly fruit on the nose, and a little mint, anise and truffle. Quite tart and defined on the palate, refreshing, and long. Ash, undergrowth and woodsmoke on the finish. A big sense of ease to this wine – deserves a leather armchair. Tertiary but still plenty of time in hand.

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• 1996 Château Lynch-Bages 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  JA chose both Lynch and Pichon Baron for tonight’s tasting because in 1996 they were both run by Jean-Michel Cazes.
  
  79% CS, 13% M, 6% CF, 2% PV. Deep ruby colour - doesn’t appear particularly aged. Really smoky and phenolic on the nose, with sandalwood coming through with air. Tasty forest fruit and plenty of truffle on the palate and a gamey, graphitey finish. The tannins have melted into something wonderful. Maybe a little too smoke-dominated, but full of character.
  
  JA thinks this wine is at peak but has the stuffing to stay on its plateau for a while.

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• 1996 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  JA says that at the time of release this was regarded as the wine of the vintage, along with Lafite, and it's still quite a bit more expensive than the 1996 Baron.
  
  75% CS, 15% M, 5% CF, 5% PV - more Cabernet than is typical for this estate, reflecting the quality of that variety in 1996. Slightly less gloss to the appearance than the Lynch. A lot softer and more reserved on the nose than the first two tonight, but fortunately lots of impact in the mouth: plenty of berry fruit, and wood and an ashy flavour come through on the mid-palate. There's some spice too.
  
  Feels a bit closed – 5-10 years until peak, JA thinks. Perhaps not the best bottle of this given the lack of performance on the nose, and it so obviously being outclassed by its sister property tonight.

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• 1996 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  80% CS, 15% M, 5% CF. Pencil lead with delightful sweet flowers on the nose, though this sadly faded a bit after about an hour. Really classic and delicious on the palate, with lots of juicy cassis and some hints of strawberry, but also some sexy, dark tertiary things to liven things up and create a sense of tension between the flavours. Really balanced and silky. This wine has undoubtedly come on since I had it a couple of years ago.

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• 1996 Château Latour Grand Vin 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Latour has gravel over heavy clay, as at Pichon Baron, but Latour more than any other property in Pauillac has its own terroir – the clay giving its power but also freshness.
  
  78% CS, 17% M, 4% CF, 1% PV. Really inky centre, although there are some signs of age on the rim. Very fine on the nose, with cigar box, leather and some minty airiness that immediately distinguishes this wine from the others tonight. Then it's hard not to moan with pleasure when you drink this... intense concentration and tannic impact, but the fruit isn't overpowered. Tobacco, black truffle and bitter black olive on the finish, but the overall feel is surprisingly elegant (partly because it’s only 13% alcohol).
  
  JA thinks this won’t be at peak for a while, and comments that the 1995 is currently more open.

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• 1996 Château Lafite Rothschild 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Lafite has the deepest gravels in Pauillac, giving aromatic complexity and finesse.
  
  83% CS, 7% CF, 7% M, 3% PV. Has the deepest colour of the wines tonight. A very detailed nose, but also somehow louche and inviting, and increasingly tertiary with air – muddy earth, lead pencils, leather. Massive impact on the palate, with fine tannins but so much flavour. There’s lots of sweet fruit but also plenty of dark liquorice and smoked meat. Really fills the mouth and goes on for ages - thrilling wine.
  
  JA thinks this the essence of the vintage and of Pauillac, and believes it will stay at this level for decades.

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Latour and Lafite both got the same number of group votes for WOTN, with the Baron coming third – same order I would have put them in (Lafite having the greater staying power meant I rated it a little higher, but they were very close).

Such a great showing from 5/6 meant I was well able to avoid disappointment from the poor performance of one of my favourite chateaux.