Brisket, Bordeaux, and Rhones

Tasted Saturday, May 9, 2015 by MikeATL with 746 views

Introduction

A friend hosted our tasting group with the promise of smoked brisket and a theme of aged Bordeaux and Rhones, which obviously had broad appeal as we had an unusually heavy turnout that raised the wine abundance level from excessive to ridiculous. I'm not including notes for any of the wines for which I didn't take at least some contemporaneous notes to help refresh my memory and which didn't leave a lasting impression (the 2003 Duhart-Milon, Pichon-Baron, and Pontet-Canet, which sort of ran together in my head as we tasted them together, and the 1999 Peby-Faugeres).

The brisket was fantastic and worked well with pretty much all of the wines, the company was jovial (shifting to rambunctious as the day wore on), the host was generous and gracious, which all combined to result in a very memorable afternoon. It is also worth noting that all of the wines were from single bottles, and even though there were at least 15 of us, for almost all of the bottles there was enough wine to go back and retaste at the end of the tasting. The Montrose and Krug were notable exceptions.

Flight 1 - A Sparkling Starter (1 Note)

I was a little late and didn't get notes on a couple of Champagnes I did not get notes on, so I started with a sparkling Rhone.

Flight 2 - Bordeaux (15 Notes)

  • 2004 Château Monbousquet 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

    The vanilla oak and ripe fruit on the nose shows its modernity, but the ripeness is more toned down on the palate and is joined by more savory mineral and leather character, leading me to enjoy it more than I expected at first sniff.

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  • 2002 Château Léoville Barton 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    Pretty foursquare, a little herbal which isn't unexpected from LB, and with ample structure, I think it will be more enjoyable with more cellar time.

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  • 2002 Château Léoville Poyferré 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    Brighter and sweeter than the 2002 Léoville Barton tasted with it, but with less complexity, and not nearly as complex or deep as the 2000 Léoville Poyferré tasted with it as well.

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  • 2000 Château Léoville Poyferré 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    An excellent combination of ripe and savory, and the wood has integrated well. It is drinking nicely, but still has a lot of life left.

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  • 2000 Château Lascombes 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    Very elegant and well put together.

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  • 2000 Château Sociando-Mallet 84 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

    Totally dominated by green bell pepper, to the point of being unpleasant even for a lover of Loire cab franc like me.

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  • 2005 Château La Gaffelière 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

    Very well balanced with a little coffee, fine tannin, and a bit of brightening acidity. This is the kind of Right Bank Bordeaux I enjoy.

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  • 1990 Château Montrose 97 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

    Stunning, and the first great bottle of the 1990 I've had after a number of disappointments. It shows a little of the fresh, dry hay I always seem to find in the 1990, but not the overwhelming brett that is too common. The red-leaning fruit has toned down with age, revealing more nuance, and savory leather and earth have joined the mix.

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  • 1990 Château Cos d'Estournel 89 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

    Tasted blind with the 1995, it is kind of muddled and nondescript compared to the 1995 and even more so compared to the 1990 Montrose that preceded it.

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  • 1995 Château Cos d'Estournel 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

    Open for business it has picked up some pleasant tertiary character and harmonized from aging while remaining vibrant, it has a lot left in the tank but is very enjoyable now.

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  • 1982 Château Talbot Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    Corked.

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  • 1998 Château Mouton Rothschild 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Still a little tight, but the quality of the raw materials are readily apparent and it really needs more time in the cellar to fulfill its potential.

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  • 1996 Château Pontet-Canet 87 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    It seems to be evolving slowly and is still very tight and rustic, and the comparison to some of the other wines tasted with it didn't do it any favors.

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  • 1982 Château Beychevelle 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    Expectations were modest for this wine, but the first indication that we were in for a special experience came as conversations abruptly halted as the wine made its way around the table and people took their first whiff. A list of descriptors wouldn't do it justice, so suffice it to say that it was red fruited with a little earth, leather and spice.

    I think we caught this bottle at its apogee, as the primary fruit and tertiary complexity combined to form a harmony Bach would have envied, supported by silky and supple tannin and a hint of acidity giving a sense of weightlessness without flabbiness.

    The vinous equivalent of the 1985 Villanova national championship team, this bottle surpassed other wines having greater potential because every component played in a way that maximized the performance of the whole. It's rare to taste a bottle at its absolute peak, but when one does, it is a special and memorable experience.

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  • 1989 Château Meyney 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

    The storage of this bottle was unreal, with absolutely no ullage and color that has barely faded. As a result, it was in great shape, with vibrant fruit, a bit of Cordier stink, and decent structure. Not overly complex, but rock solid.

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Flight 3 - Intermission (2 Notes)

  • 1998 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 93 Points

    France, Champagne

    A perfect intermezzo between the Bordeaux and Rhones, with the classic Krug combination of richness and precision that I love.

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  • 2006 Lucien Le Moine Clos de la Roche 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

    Surprisingly intense fruit with nice minerality, spice, and sappiness and a healthy acidic and tannic structure, it is a little riper than I often prefer but that didn't keep me from enjoying it.

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Flight 4 - Rhones (6 Notes)

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