1998 Right Bank Bordeaux Retrospective

My wife and I visited some friends last weekend and we arranged a small 1998 Right Bank Bordeaux retrospective tasting on Friday night. For dinner we kept it simple. Grilled ribeye steaks, marinated mushrooms in a bordeaux sauce made from the leftover sediment, baked potatoes and fresh corn on the cob. 1998 was an excellent vintage on the right bank and one that is still rather affordable in comparison to more recent vintages. None of the five wines that we opened for this tasting were the top wines of the vintage but all of them received outstanding scores from one reviewer or another. In general, they were all holding up well, were more approachable and much less tannic than the 2000 Left Bank wines that we tried earlier this year. Here are my notes:

• 1998 Château Fontenil 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Fronsac

  Opened after a 2 hour car ride. This was splash decanted. Initially a 90 point wine from WS. Moderate to heavy sediment. This had some lake water aromas on the nose. notes of tart plums at first. Later I notes tar, chocolate, wet earth and graphite. It still had a good tannic structure. It was tasting older than the previous few times I have had it and I would probably suggest drinking this if you have any. The least favorite of the 4 tasters at the 1998 Right Bank retrospective. 88 points.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1998 Château La Couspaude 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Decanted for 2 hours before drinking. Sesame aromas on the nose. Notes of black cherry and smokey red fruit burst from the glass when I first tried this. On the finish it had some underbrush nuances. The tannins were rather integrated and it was drinking quite well at the present time. As the wine sat in the decanter for an additional 2-3 hours the wine seemed to fade a bit and lost some fruit. Based on my initial tasting, 90-91 points.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1998 Clos Fourtet 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Decanted for 2 hours. This had an earthy nose. Rich texture with notes of ripe red fruit and pencil shavings. Moderate tannins on the finish. This fell right into the middle of the pack of the 5 wines. Ready to drink in my opinion. 90 points.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1998 Château Moulin Saint-Georges 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Opened after a 2 hour car ride. Decanted for 1 hour. Produced from a vineyard directly across the road from Ausone and sharing the same clay and limestone soils as well as being made by the same winemaker, Alain Vauthier. Dark red color. Approximately 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. This had firm tannins. Less fruit than the other wines. Notes of coffee and asphalt. I would hope that this wine would show better under better circumstances. I have 1 more bottle. 87-88 points.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1998 Château Pavie Decesse 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Decanted for 2 hours. Black red color. This wine was rather primary and youthful. Firm tannins and full bodied. Notes of cherry, plum and blackberries. Smooth texture and a longer finish than the other 4 right bank bordeaux at the tasting. This was the favorite of the group although the Couspade was also appreciated. 92 points.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

VM