WCC St. Julien

Cafe Capriccio, Albany, NY
Tasted Thursday, November 7, 2013 by kenv with 701 views

Introduction

My Albany group met in the private dining room of Cafe Capriccio to taste a collection of wines from St. Julien provided by one member of our group. Andy Plummer joined Jim Rua in the kitchen for this terrific meal. Dinner started around 7:30 and ended around 10pm.

Flight 1 - Flight 1. (4 Notes)

Crispy Duck with Braised Kale, Roasted Pear, Celeriac Puree, and Blueberry Dem-Glace.

  • 1964 Château Léoville Las Cases 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    [Double-decanted at 5pm.] Big smoky red fruit nose. Dried fruit, mulch, and tannin. Not quite enough fruit, but still lovely. Some tar and licorice. Past peak, but nice.

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  • 1966 Château Talbot 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    [Double-decanted at 5pm.] Still in good shape. Color looks good. Tart cherries, quite appealing, if a bit simple at this stage.

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  • 1966 Château Léoville Poyferré 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    [Double-decanted at 5pm.] Very muted nose. Dried fruit. Lovely and long, but past peak.

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  • 1971 Château Langoa Barton Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    [Double-decanted at 5pm.] Turpentine nose. Totally dried out. Dead.

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Flight 2 - Flight 2. (4 Notes)

Seared Strip Steak with Foie Gras, Truffles, and Braised Potatoes.

  • 1982 Château Beychevelle Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    [Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] No nose. Sharp and tart in the mouth. Cooked? Or just OTH?

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  • 1982 Château Gruaud Larose Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    [Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Leather and blackberry nose. Abrasive on the finish. Should be showing better than this.

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  • 1995 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    [Double-decanted at 2:30pm. Should have been the 1982, but he brought the 1995 by mistake.] Bright black fruit nose. Tarry, rich, and tannic in the mouth. Very young.

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  • 1982 Château Talbot 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    [Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Muted nose, but bright red fruit in the mouth. Balanced long raspberry and licorice finish.

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Flight 3 - Flight 3. (4 Notes)

Sauteed Calf's Liver with Honey Cumin Demi-Glace, Golden Cipollini Onions, and Fried Prosciutto.

Flight 4 - Flight 4. (4 Notes)

Venison Osso Buco over Soft Pol-Lina with Roasted Vegetables. (Pol-Lina is a mix of polenta and semolina.)

  • 1982 Château Léoville Las Cases 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    [Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Now we're talking! Juicy red fruit and licorice nose. Still tannic, but gorgeous fruit and great length. A new WOTN so far.

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  • 1990 Château Léoville Las Cases Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    [Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Mildly corked. Sad. After putting in some plastic wrap, it does improve: Smoky red fruit. Red fruit in the mouth with cherries and minerals. Still a hint of cork, but now drinkable.

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  • 1990 Château Latour Grand Vin 98 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    [Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Served blind. OMG!!! This is a monumental wine. Black fruit in the nose and mouth. Seems much more Pauillac than St. Julien.

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  • 1990 Château Léoville Barton 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    [Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Balanced. Quite drinkable now. Ripe and appealing. Lovely.

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Flight 5 - Dessert (1 Note)

  • 1977 Graham Porto Vintage 91 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    [Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Appealing medicinal nose. Warm spiced red fruit. Nice, but not special.

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Closing

It was so generous of Bob F to provide all these classic wines. Sadly, we had a run of bad luck tonight and some of the best wines didn't show well. That, and the brilliant showing of the 1990 Latour didn't do much to help the reputation of St. Julien, at least not tonight. Still, there were some wonderful wines and lots of great food.

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