Stellar Night of Bordeaux

Great night in midtown Manhattan with a stellar line up of mature Bordeaux, good Italian food, and a fun convivial group. Aside from a few oxidized bottles, the quality of the wines was uniformly excellent and it was unusually hard to pick a top 3 at the end of the night. My scores are conservative, any number of these bottles by itself could have gone higher. Fabio's Cucina did a nice job with the food, including a trio of fresh pastas, osso buco and panna cotta, but our semi-private dining area got hotter and hotter as the night went on.

• 1989 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Heimbourg Vendange Tardive 93 Points

  France, Alsace

  Compelling gewurz nose of rose, lychee, and the essence of Turkish Delight. Sweet, smooth, mature yet vibrantly bright with great length. Sensational.

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

• 1989 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Turckheim 88 Points

  France, Alsace

  A bit of petrol, notes of sherry-oxidation on the bouquet, but rich and creamy to taste. Not much fruit showing, but good dry extract.

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

• 2012 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Blind, this would pass for a topnotch white burgundy. Bright and aromatic, with lemon, ginger, lanolin, even a bit saline. A touch of richness, so classy. My first Rhys, I was impressed. 91-92 pts.

  Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

We did our usual 3-2-1 voting, with 3 points for the favorite wine, 2 points for the second favorite, and 1 point for the third favorite:
70 Magdelaine 17 pts
66 DDC 7 Pts
82 Beychevelle 4 Pts
59 Beychevelle 4 Pts
95 Trotanoy 2 Pts
66 Beychevelle 2 Pt