Matjet

Tasting Notes

• 2014 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

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  6/11/2022 - Matjet Likes this wine: 99 Points

  Ducru Beaucaillou, 2014:
  My third bottle of this fantastic wine. It has not closed down, still open for business. Absolutely delicious. It has a luxurious texture like liquid cashmere. Gorgeous perfume bouquet which is present as soon as the bottle is opened. Complex, deep rich flavors of cherry, plum, anise, cedar, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, cinnamon, cassis, blackberry. Perfectly balanced, fresh, excellent structure, very long finish. There is no tertiary aroma or flavor yet, but it is so good now, why wait?. 99+

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• 2018 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

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  6/4/2022 - Matjet Likes this wine: 98 Points

  Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2018:
  I compared the 2018 to the 2016 last week over several days and found the comparision so fascinating, I did it again. My note for last week's comparison can be read in the Pichon Lalande 2016 review page. This is a repeat comparison of two new bottles of the 2018 vs the 2016 just one week later over a period of seventy two hours.
  Texturally, in the mouth, both the 2018 and the 2016 feel like high end luxury products; silky smooth, velvety rich with a very long mildly saline finish. Maybe the 2016 is slightly silkier, but that's splitting hairs, they are neck and neck in texture character. Both have great structure, freshness and energy. The similarities end there.
  The 2018 is more masculine, more muscular compared to the gorgeous, opulent, feminine 2016. Both have great aromatics immediately evident upon opening the bottles. In both cases the bouquet improved over twenty four hours and held up for seventy two hours. Aromatically the 2018 opens with blackberries, lots and lots of blackberries front and center. But it is not a soloist, it is like a great piano concerto, with blackberries playing the major role supported by the rest of the orchestra; cassis, cherries, anise, exotic spices, plums, leather, chocolate, coffee, cinnamon, vanilla, tobacco in the background. The blackberry concerto theme persisted throughout the three days of tasting both on the nose and palate. While the 2018's major aromatic blackberry component is bold and up front, the 2016's components are not so easy to discern. The 2016 resembles a symphony where each aromatic element plays a precise and equal role to form beautiful, elegant perfume. Aromatically, it is a perfectly balanced blend composed of roses, lilacs, oriental lilies, crushed dried flowers, sandlewood, ocean breeze, exotic spices, cherries, cassis, chocolate, mint, coffee, cedar, strawberry twizzlers. It is easily recognized as gorgeous floral perfume, but requires some thought and time to understand what is there because it is so incredibly well balanced. The 2016's amazing perfume is an accomplishment that can be achieved by using only top quality perfectly ripened grapes. Both wines are great and very complex but reveal their complexities in different ways. The 2016 is horizontal, it has tremendous breadth. The 2018 is vertical where the blackberry soars above all other players, grabs our attention and shouts, “Here I Am!” Neither wine has shut down. This bottle of 2018 seemed to open up a bit quicker than the first bottle consumed last week. The 2016 performed the same as the prior bottle. Although both wines can be enjoyed now, they will improve with age. The 2018 in particular needs time to settle down. There are no significant tertiary notes yet other than very subtle hints of what's to come buried deep in the background. It is impossible to determine if these wines will soon shut down. At this time they are both open for business for those who wish to explore their current virtues.
  2018=98++
  2016=100

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• 2016 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

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  5/27/2022 - Matjet Likes this wine: 100 Points

  2016 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande:
  This wine is delicious. Please see my note dated 12/7/2019 for detailed description. The bouquet is still beautiful but does not require 36 hours to make itself available. Gorgeous floral perfume is immediately apparent when the bottle is opened. Aromatics are easily accessible, very rich, complex, lovely, no 'coaxing' is required. Only primary and secondary aromas are present at this time with a subtle hint of what's to come in another 15 years. The flavor profile is also unchanged and improves over 24 to 48 hours. Structure, freshness and acidity are excellent. The finish is slightly saline, lip smacking and long.
  This wine is not closing down, at least not yet.
  I compared this directly to the 2018 Pichon Lalande. I found the aromatics in the 2018 difficult to access, even after three days. Clearly, it is a complex, well structured wine with lots going on, but just not as enjoyable to drink as the 2016 at this stage.
  
  ADDENDUM:
  Day four tasting of the 2018: Pulsating with energy. Extremely well structured. Classic aromatics of cassis, cherries, plum, cinnamon, chocolate, coffee, leather with some floral perfume elements displayed by the 2016 in the background finally appear. In this tasting, the style of the 2018 is very different than the feminine, opulent, voluptuous 2016. The 2018 is currently masculine and angular. Like Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, or the art of Jackson Pollock and Vincent Van Gough, it is beautiful and a bit on the wild side. It needs time to come together and settle down. I would currently rate the 2018 98+.
  It appears the style of wine making at Pichon Lalande is evolving. I wonder if others agree with my observation?
  
  ADDENDUM #2:
  I repeated the comparison of Pichon Lalande 2016 vs 2018 with two new bottles one week later and posted the note in the Pichon Lalande 2018 page on 6/04/2022.

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