1976 - The Paris Challenge Revisited

Bravin - Sao Paulo - Brazil
Tasted Thursday, March 22, 2012 by Flavito with 743 views

Introduction

A special event of our Wine Group in honor of baby Luiz, born on 02/28/2012, and who will hopefully drink what's left in his father's cellar in due time...

Flight 1 - The whites (2 Notes)

Flight 2 - 2001 (2 Notes)

  • 2001 Château Léoville Barton 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    Very elegant nose, but still quite tannic and unyielding, even after decanting for two hours. A very satisfying Barton, still. I really like the vintage, and should improve with a few more years. Way better than the Dominus!

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  • 2001 Dominus Estate 88 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Some bitterness and very alcoholic finish. Not my style of Dominus.

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Flight 3 - 1996 (2 Notes)

  • 1996 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    Incredibly fresh nose, and great structure, balance and elegance. Very long. Will be fantastic in a few years! Beat a very competitive Montebello by a few notches.

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  • 1996 Ridge Monte Bello 94 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Very complex and long, perfectly mature, and not a hint of heat, like almost all other Californian in this tasting. Many thought it was a Bordeaux. My favorite Californian of the night, it was a strong contender for WOTN, but the Ducru is just singing nowadays.

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Flight 4 - 1991/1990 (2 Notes)

  • 1991 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Mature, complex, velvety and long, as good, if not better, than the 94, and an equal match to the Gruaud Larose 90. Perhaps a tad better still.

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  • 1990 Château Gruaud Larose 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    My last bottle and certainly not the best of all. Great nose and smooth and long finish, but somewhat attenuated in mid palate, perhaps this bottle was slightly below what I expected from previous experiences with this wine. Still great, though.

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Flight 5 - 1978 (2 Notes)

  • 1978 Château Léoville Las Cases 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    Fantastic nose of mature claret, incredibly complex, velvety, medium body, extremely balanced and very long. Will still go strong for at least another 5 years.

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  • 1978 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 92 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

    Perfect cork, probably reconditioned or recently released by the winery. Very alive, with some fruit and lots of mushrooms and leather. Silky and light bodied, some wood and dryness at the finish. Very good wine, surprisingly strong showing, but the Las Cases was a few steps above.

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Flight 6 - Dessert (2 Notes)

  • 1994 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Trockenbeerenauslese 100 Points

    Germany, Pfalz

    Probably my first 100 points ever! There are no works to describe this kind of perfection, it is the quintessence of everything great one may find in a wine. Balance, acidity, sweetness, complexity, everything is in perfect place, and it lingers for minutes in the mouth and weeks in the memory. A true masterpiece! Sorry, Yquem...

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  • 1983 Château d'Yquem 98 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    My last bottle, and the best of a case. Just at peak maturity, this is very close to perfection. Lots of botrytis, full body, concentrated and perfectly balanced by a delightful acidity. Very very complex, perfect long long finish. It should be against the law to consume Yquem that is less than 25 years old, as I stupidly did with most of this vintage's case...

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Closing

At least for my taste, Bordeaux consistently beat California every vintage, and Germany's TBAs are really the pinnacle in dessert wines (save for the occasional Huet). A fantastic night with great friends and great wine. Oh, and the food was good too.

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