Thursday, November 2, 2023 - "Off" Vintages from Elite Producers: (Petrus, Lafite, Margaux, etc) (Charlotte, NC): Opened at 5pm and decanted for one hour. Back in the bottle until dinner at 6:30pm when cork was removed and slo-ox until serving at ~9:00pm.
Complex nose that immediately spoke of Lafite – leather, barnyard, lead pencil, and red fruit. Confirmed on the palate, this wine had all the stuffing if lacking a more mature profile one might anticipate from a “lesser” vintage. Youthful and fresh while still showing a balanced secondary profile. This wine flowed easily into a long savory finish. “A suit-and-tie wine with class and restraint” noted one commenter. Even with its elevated performance, it likely would have benefitted from an earlier decant. One vote for WOTN, fourth place overall.