Right Bank vs Left Bank Bordeaux Through the Decades
Charlotte, NC
Tasted Tuesday, October 25, 2022 by kevinpatrick with 181 views
Introduction
Another gathering our our CLT Tasting group at The Fig Tree turned in another stellar night of nicely aged Bordeaux. We had a mix of one Right Bank wine in each flight which were well-served compliments to the bolder Left bank wines that dominate so much of our discussions, cellars, and palates. Some big take-aways were that the Right Bank wines held up wonderfully against their Left bank counterparts and these expertly crafted wines drank magnificently this evening yet have plenty of life still in them.
Flight 1 - Children of the 80s (3 Notes)
This was a tale of 2 wines as the delightfully complementary start with the Canon and Gruaud set the tone for the evening as we weaved back-and-forth between the Banks.
Flight 2 - In the Zone (3 Notes)
1996 Left Bank and 1998 Right Bank are drinking deliciously right now and tonight was no exception. From a comparative aging standpoint these drank like they were 20+ years younger then the 85 and 86 from the prior flight.
Flight 3 - 22 Year Old babies (3 Notes)
It's heard to believe these wines are still only now beginning to enter their drinking window ... very slowly. From a comparative aging standpoint these drank like they were 10 years young then the 96 and 98 from the prior flight.
Closing
Wine of the Night voting was fittingly spread across seven different wines. The two real stand-outs even among this wonderfully performing line-up were the 1996 Pichon Lalande and the 1986 Gruaud Larose. In third place was the Chateau Montrose with the Clos L'Eglise trailing closely behind. One final take-away was the non-linear aging of the wine flights -- it was staggering how little age showed on the 90s and 2000s wines relative to the 80s wines. All drank wonderfully so find the profile that suits you and drink up!
1985 Château Canon
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Slo-ox for 90 minutes prior to serving. Aromatic nose of rustic strawberries. Soft and fully resolved tannins on the palate – velvet mouthfeel. Delicious red fruits, richly aged cherries. A tasty, elegant and gentle wine. Savory finish. This is a wine to be consumed in more isolation to really enjoy the many nuances. Stellar showing.
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1986 Château Gruaud Larose
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
6am decant for 45 minutes, back in the bottle, recorked, and placed in the refrigerator until dinner at 6:30pm. Slo-ox until served at 7pm.
Rich structure on the nose – powerful but measured.Delightful barnyard and cedar aromas. The structure was confirmed on the palate with gentle grippiness from not-yet fully resolved tannins. Great mouthfeel. Dark cherry flavors with rustic blackberry notes. Plenty of primary flavors remain while the secondary notes of tobacco begin to show. Drinking wonderfully tonight with decades of life in this bottle. Finished a very close 2nd in WIne of the Night (WOTN) voting. One vote for WOTN.
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1995 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Double decant 2 hours prior to dinner and recorked; slo-ox for 30 minutes before serving. Intense barnyard on the nose but somewhat shut down. Full-flavored on the palate rich dark fruits enveloping your mouth – a big and delicious wine. Still a bit tight but flavorful. While still excellent, this wine lacked the finesse we saw in the other bottles in this flight. Medium + finish.
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