1990 Bordeaux Dinner

These notes were taken during an amazing dinner where a friend built an event around a collection of 1990 Bordeaux wines that he wanted to drink.

Paired with Gougeres

• 1990 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  The nose reminds me of an excellent tarte tatin. Baked apple blends with light pastry crust and great vanilla notes. The scent alone is a fantastic experience! On the palate, the baked apples are gorgeous, tart, with flavors of buttery pastry crust rising to work brilliantly with the tartness. Throughout the experience, tart flavors, and full rich flavors take turns in the foreground, always complimenting each other. Age shows a bit, and there's a touch of caramel flavor around the edges. The flavors and bubbles last long on the palate. This is fantastic!

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• 1990 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  Scents of caramel, a touch of hazelnut, some mineral elements, and an interesting bit of red cherry skins show on the nose, while a ghost of Madeira scent suggests the age of the wine. Juicy apples start things out on the palate, with the age bringing caramel flavors along with it. The bubbles feel round like soda bubbles, but the flavors are delicate across the entire palate. A slight herbal edge adds complexity from the mid-palate onward. Drink it with intent. There's complexity here that I think would be easy to miss with too much food or conversation.

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Paired with Dungeness crab accompanied by cucumber, yuzu, and meyer lemons, and paired with main lobster served on carnaroli rice with Oregon black truffles.

• 1990 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Reserva Viña Tondonia 91 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  The nose is heavy, showing scents of wax, quince, and applesauce, all spiced with some smoke. This wine delivers tons of complexity on the palate. Grapefruit and dragonfruit work together to provide electric flavor and structure. I don't taste red fruits, but the acidity reminds me of cranberries. Good length on the finish, and the flavors make this wine intellectually engaging. 91+

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• 1990 Château Haut-Brion Blanc 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Heavy scents rise from the glass here, with notes of scotch (without the alcohol), a dark cigar, smoked trout, and popcorn coming to mind. The age is readily apparent on the palate, with smoked apples and dried fruit coming through. The acidity gives these fruits a juicy texture with a faint note of green apple showing on the mid palate. A bit of candle smoke shows late, and the texture is enjoyable throughout. 90+

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Paired with seared foie gras accompanied by brioche, black garlic, huckleberry gastrique, butternut squash, and jus de veau.

• 1990 Château Margaux 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Lots of complexity on the nose here. At various times, I noticed scents of cherries, venison, and grapefruit all surrounded by deep and delicate blackberry, dark earth, and a hint of dried brambles. The complexity and suggestions from the nose deliver on the palate. Lovely cherry and blackberry flavors are supported by tannins that give earthy texture and flavors. Bramble flavors sit on the edge of the plate, and linger for a very long time, while cherries sit in the middle under a layer of dark earth. Citrus zest livens the mid palate. With food, the fruit seemed a little more juicy in character. In all cases, the finish was very long. 93+

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• 1990 Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse) 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  The nose reminds me of dusty, dry field corn, dried cherries, and a sense of deep forest green. Brambles show all across the palate along with lots of acidity. The fruit shows great depth and clarity under the brambles, and the wine has a tart character in general. It still feels a bit young to me, with the brambles and acidic structure so evident in the foreground.

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Paired with Moulard duck breast, japanese sweet potato, salsify, baby carrot, and jus de viande.

• 1990 Château Haut-Brion 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  DEEP blackberry scents explode from the glass, backed by a hint of molasses and a bowl of dark fruit. Hibiscus scents give a floral note, and cinnamon and nutmeg give some spice character. This is a gorgeous nose! Blackberries, dust, and a touch of candy hit the palate right away, with the candy flavors lingering long. There's a touch of green in the center accompanied by some light acid. Gentle tannins sit on the palate for a long time, while blackberries linger through to a late finish along with nutmeg and cinnamon.

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• 1990 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Green pepper scents partner with tobacco and dark earth on the nose, while light chocolate cake scents linger in the background.
  
  The structure is lovely on contact. Raspberry and bramble flavors show glorious evolution into pure and deep blackberry flavors. The structural balance between acid and tannins is brilliant here, and it complements the fruit very well. Blueberries make a quick appearance on the mid palate. On the finish the acidity dries things out long and slow while lovely blackberries linger in the foreground, and some dark earth subtly supports from underneath.

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• 1990 Château Clinet 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Dark cherry scents show on the nose, along with full barnyard and hay scents, and a bit of strawberry. Tart raspberries and blackberries show with full barnyard flavors on the palate. The structure is brilliant though, with great balance between the acid and tannins, and a long slow fade on both into the finish. Tart raspberries and blackberries, as well as a bit of plum skins linger on the finish.

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Paired with Oregon lamb rack, grain "risotto", seared root vegetables, and red wine lamb sauce.

• 1990 Château Latour Grand Vin 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Lots of scents show in the glass here, giving the nose great complexity. Deep earth works with strawberries and deep blackberries on the dark side. On the lighter side, scents of hibiscus and nutmeg bring more character. Everything is in balance as well. It's very delicate on the start, with lovely acid giving even texture all the way across the palate. A wave of blackberries and strawberries flow across the palate with great elegance. The acidity shows some grapefruit character on the mid palate. The finish is incredibly long, with the lovely acidity creating echoes of fruit that resonate as the experience slowly fades. This is gorgeous!

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• 1990 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  The nose is very savory, with wild game wrapped in celery, plum skins, and dark tea. Juicy blackberries show quickly on the palate. Wet, dark earth lingers underneath the fruit for a long time. Hints of molasses darken up delicate acid, and a hint of bramble flavors sits in the background. The acidity has a great sense of purity to it. Dusty tannins are moderate, and they linger long into the finish.

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• 1990 Château Le Bon Pasteur 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Interesting scents show on this. I smell medium rare beef spiced with a hint of cardamom, light cinnamon, and a touch of brown sugar. Great blackberries show on the palate, along with dusty, light tannins that dry things out on the finish. A touch of green shows on the mid palate, and light raspberries linger above it all. Drinking with a bit of food makes the experience cleaner.

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Paired with Wagyu cullote and braised short ribs accompanied by gratin potato, Yellowfoot Chanterelle, fingerling puree, and short rib jus.

• 1990 Château Montrose 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  Violets, red earth, black cherries, black pepper, and a crisp grilled steak show themselves on the nose. On the palate, this wine is a killer right out of the gate, with a great sense of purity. Wet dark earth supports the whole experience gently from underneath, while violets sit above everything with style. The structure is wonderful. As the mid palate winds down, pure cherry flavors rise up behind everything, and linger long into the finish. Totally engaging. The rise of cherry flavors gets me with every sip.

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• 1990 Château Lynch-Bages 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  The nose is rich, with scents of tart cherries, dark toast, marrow, dark earth, and a hint of cow. Earthy flavors carry across the palate, giving gentle but firm structure. The fruit is light through the whole experience, with earth in the foreground even on the finish. It's noticeably smoother with food.

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• 1990 Château Montrose La Dame de Montrose 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  Green scents show in the glass, over deep blackberries, some beef, and seasoned salt. The blackberry scents show great depth. Spices show early, and across the whole palate. Blackberries and thick plum skins are backed by brambles and earth. Stems and plums linger into the finish.

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Paired with Valrhona chocolate, sorbet, and Bavarian creme.

• 1990 Dow Porto Vintage Quinta do Bomfim 88 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Dark cherry scents are paired with some syrup, cherries, and full dark cigars on the nose. It's smoky on the palate as well, with dark cherry skins showing with firm acidic texture. It still feels a bit rough, and I expect that it would settle down a bit with time and let the good fruit flavors show more.

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Paired with a house specialty, the Grand Marnier souffle.

• 1990 Château Climens 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

  Floral orange scents mingle with a hint of butterscotch and lemon zest on the nose. Tangerine flavors and icy minerality start things out on the palate. Full tangerine flavors rise in intensity on the mid palate supported by a touch of orange peel. Everything fades gently on the finish making for a very clean and pleasant experience. There's a good sense of lightness here for a dessert wine.

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• 1990 Château Rieussec 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Orange marmalade scents show in the glass with some light floral notes, and a bit of vanilla. It's light on contact, and full sweetness then rises later. Floral honey shows later, as well as a touch of limes. A cool note of candied oranges lingers high across the entire experience. It feels a bit heavy as the finish sets in, and I get a touch of heat as well.

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• 1990 Château d'Yquem 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Orange flower aromas show, along with vanilla, and lemon drops all backed by icy river minerality. This is balance and length in a glass. A wave of tart orange peel slowly breaks open to give solid gold butterscotch and honey dripping off the tongue. A perfect amount of orange zest gives structure to the sweetness. There's a full experience of evolution across the palate with great precision and depth at all times!

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