Super Tasting 5 of 6 (1983 Bordeaux w/cali ringers, Hosted by Me)

Tasted Saturday, May 4, 2013 by Wine Canuck with 698 views

Introduction

It was my turn to open a few nice bottles I had set aside for just such an event. Always fun to open bottles like these side by side for comparative tasting. Food was kept simple, as much preparation as possible was done in advance. All Sauternes and Reds were served blind, except to me. I was interested to see that the Diamond Creek really stood out and to many seemed suspect that is was an '83 Bordeaux, whereas the Montelena slipped in undetected.

Flight 1 - Starters (1 Note)

Served with an Amuse Bouche of soft boiled Quails Egg with Herring caviar, Panko Bread Crumbs, and fresh Garden Chives.

  • 2006 Marc Hébrart Champagne Premier Cru Special Club 92 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

    Was still doing some kitchen prep at this point so notes are brief. Really lovely nose on first pour. Dough, toast, lemons, apple, really classic, with plenty of fruit. Dosage and acid are in check, and the finish was quite long.

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

Flight 2 - The Sauternes (2 Notes)

Very interesting to see the obvious difference in house style with these two. Many preferred the Lafaurie even more than I did, but some found them neck and neck, I guess I was somewhere in the middle. I found overall quality to be close the styles to be very different. Served with:

Riesling Poached Pear with clotted cream
Brioche, Bloc de Foie Gras, Caramelized Onions
Grilled Bread, Roquefort, Honey, Microgreens

  • 1983 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    Lighter and more elegant than the '83 De Fargues tasted beside it. Lemon, fresh baked apple pie, cinnamon, palate is light, refreshing, and invites further sips. Acid is still very refreshing.

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

  • 1983 Château de Fargues 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    Stylistically very different from the 1983 Lafaurie Peyraguey served next to it. Much deeper copper in colour. Nose appears to be more complex but is much darker. Appears to be at full maturity. Lots of explosive spices on the nose. Orange peel, tangerine, caramelized sugar. Palate is quite sweet and viscus and doesn't refresh as well as the Lafaurie Peyraguey with lower perceived acid.

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

Flight 3 - Red Flight 1 (3 Notes)

Needless to say Gruaud Larose was the Standout as expected. Served with French Onion Soup.

  • 1983 Château Montrose 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

    Nose is quite floral, with high toned notes. It is very light, with a definite note of green weedy stems. Some vanilla oak still present. Palate is fully resolved with a finish reminiscent of green beans. A bit out there but I quite enjoyed it.

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

  • 1983 Château Gruaud Larose 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    Wow! Big winner here. Nice classic stink, which I find reminiscent of modelling clay. Really beefy, leathery and rustic. Finish is very long with a smoky, tarry note and a mostly resolved palate. Still enough fruit here to keep this in balance. Really great.

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

  • 1983 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    Nice wine but probably the weakest of the lineup. Really had a unique nose. The classic aged bordeaux elements were here, but also contained aromas of rubbery pink eraser, caramel, candied notes, and a bit of a bubblegum. Finish is a touch tannic and abrasive.

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

Flight 4 - Red Flight 2 (2 Notes)

Served with a White Bean Cassoulet of Sausage and Duck Confit.

  • 1981 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain

    One of two wines I tried to slip in the lineup to see if anyone noticed. Upon first pour tasters were commenting on the amazingly dark colour and ripe nose. Don't think I completely fooled them on this one. Nose is very fresh and ripe with blackberry liqueur, sweet dark fruit, and a spice box note. Concentrated deep palate with maybe just a bit of a confected edge. Classic honest napa cab.

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

  • 1984 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Here we have a winner! Quite restrained, felt cooler climate. Red fruited with brown spice, it is on the high toned side of things. Tasted really fresh with great acid. Finish is very long.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

Flight 5 - Red Flight 3 (2 Notes)

I was hoping for a better showing from the Pichon Lalande as I've had it before and liked it much better than this time around. Served with Beef Cheek Bourguinon.

  • 1983 Château Rausan-Ségla 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    Very pleasantly surprised by this bottle. It felt quite lush with dark cherry and plummy fruit, perhaps due to higher merlot content? Nose of lilacs, tobacco, and perfumey essences. Fleshy palate goes on with a lengthy finish. Quite beautiful.

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

  • 1983 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    I've had much better bottles of this before. This was the disappointment of the night for me. This one had quite a corroded capsule and perhaps wasn't totally sound. Nose was very caramelly, quite green, and had a coffee note. The mid-palate was fairly astringent and hollow but the finish was nicely minerally and acidic. If forced score I'd be around 90 points, but have been 94+ in the past on this.

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

Flight 6 - Red Flight 4 (3 Notes)

Cheese Course; La Tur, Comte Juralore, Le Rustique.

  • 1983 Château Latour Grand Vin 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Very nice showing for Latour. Nose is dominated by baking spice and tart red fruit. Palate is fully resolved and retains refreshing acid levels. Finish turns a bit sour.

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

  • 1983 Château Mouton Rothschild 97 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Quite shocked that this outclassed the Latour and the Margaux on this night. Nose of mint, cedar, smoke, soil, and florals. High toned and firing on all cylinders. Palate is classy with mostly integrated tannins, and a long finish.

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

  • 1983 Château Margaux 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    Found this wine to be a bit tightly wound compared to the other 1st growths on this night. The capsule was corroded so it's possible that the bottle wasn't completely sound, however it was in very good condition and fill level looked good. Opened and left to breathe in the bottle for a few hours, not decanted. A very dark wine, it initially had a fresh baked french pastry note, then gave way to pine resin and sawdust, with dark blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. Palate is dense and concentrated with fresh acids. Very nice bottle showing on the young side at this tasting.

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

Closing

It was a fun event, can't wait for the next.

×
×