La Commanderie de Bordeaux à Vancouver - 35th Anniversary Spring Gala

Four Seasons Hotel
Tasted Saturday, March 10, 2012 by godx with 733 views

Flight 1 (1 Note)

With Chef’s Canapés...

Flight 2 (1 Note)

With Roasted Sablefish, Le Puy Lentils, Smoked Bacon Lardons, Heirloom Beets, Venturi Schultz Butter Emulsion...

  • 2005 Château Margaux Pavillon Blanc 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux

    Warm and waxy on the nose with citrus and tropical fruit notes with hints of oak. Flavours of citrus, stones and melon with just a touch of minerality. In the mouth it’s medium bodied with nice acidity and good length. I really like this. If I was to nitpick it would be that this could use a tad more energy on the palate. It’s not flat by any means, but it could use some liveliness. This is drinking very well right now and should continue to do so for 5+ years. Excellent.

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Flight 3 (3 Notes)

With Thyme Roasted Quail Breast, Mushroom Ravioli, Prune Walnut Compote, Sauce Perigord

  • 1995 Domaine de Larrivet 85 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Medium red in colour with some bricking at the rim. At first this had quite a pronounced nose that was very smoky and dark fruit dominant. There was also this chemical/dish soap thing going on that was somewhat distracting. Moving on to the palate with flavours of bright red cherries, almost candied, with mostly resolved structure. After some time in the glass the nose became less smoky and the dish soap note blew off but then the nose became kind of ‘fishy’ smelling—surprisingly not an awful thing, but somewhat interesting. Very weird. This showed very little Bordeaux typicity and even with all its strangeness on the nose, was actually pretty decent. Good.

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  • 1995 Château Haut-Bailly 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Medium red in colour. Nice nose that says ‘Bordeaux’ right from the get-go with notes of cedar, red fruits, gravel and hints of pencil lead and cab franc like greenness. Medium bodied on the palate with solid acidity and drying tannins that carry on through the lengthy finish. Rich red cherries dominate the palate with hints blackcurrants and oak. Soft on the entry and firm on the finish. This is drinking well right now but shows no signs of falling apart anytime soon. Excellent.

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  • 1967 Château Figeac 82 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

    This was served to us double blind as a ‘mystery wine’. Light to medium red/orange/brown at the core with a ton of bricking near the rim. This smells very mature and based on the colour this is much older than the previous two wines in the flight. Nose was interesting, but not what I would consider good, with notes of wet wood, dust, saline and dried out tobacco with very little if any fruit. In the mouth this was delicate and soft with drying fruit and no tannins. Based on this bottle this would be have been better 10 years ago. While this wasn’t the most enjoyable wine I’ve ever had, it was interesting to taste and will garner some points for that. Not bad.

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Flight 4 (4 Notes)

With Beef Wellington with Fois Gras, Truffled Potato Musseline, Red Onion Compote, Grilled Asparagus and Baby Carrots...

  • 1996 Château Haut-Batailley 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    This screamed from the glass with a pronounced medicinal nose of iodine and dark red fruits. Nose was a little off-putting and didn’t give many indications of its Pauillac origin. This was soft on the entry with surprisingly intense fruit and quite a bit of structure. Medium length. Nice concentration and well-balanced in the mouth. Drink or hold. Very good.

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  • 1996 Château d'Issan 87 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    At first the nose was quite green, stalky even, and this trend continued right onto the palate with the mouthfeel bordering on astringent. After some time in the glass notes of cedar and currents. In the mouth this was quite tannic and structured and came across quite youthfully. Based on this bottle this needs at least 5 more years. Very good. 87+

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  • 1998 Château de Sales 87 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    This doesn’t smell like Bordeaux. Modern profile on the nose with notes of coconut, American oak, red cherries with a creamy outline. Onto the palate with flavours of dark cherries and more oaky notes. There isn’t much structure here with decent acidity. Fruit is showing quite youthfully here but I’m not sure how long it will hold up based on the structure and acidity. This was a pretty nice wine but shows very little evidence of its origin. Very good.

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  • 1998 Château Gazin Pomerol 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Youthful looking wine with deep red colour. Nicest nose of this flight and showing the most Bordeaux typicity with aromas of dark fruits, plums, tobacco with hints of earth and spice. Soft entry with dense dark red and black fruit flavours with firm tannins coming in on the backend and great acidity. Well balanced. Best wine of the flight and also the best red of the night. Drinking well now but there should be many years of positive development ahead. Excellent. 91+

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Flight 5 (1 Note)

With White Chocolate Sponge Cake, Apricots and Fois Gras Ice Cream...

  • 1988 Château Filhot 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    No formal notes. Lighter in style. Nice flavours of pineapple, apricot and honey. Good freshness. Very good.

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