Some Fine Older Bordeaux and Cabs

Capitalle Grille, Mpls, MN
Tasted Monday, February 12, 2018 by rocknroller with 546 views

Introduction

We had a robust group of 13 at the Capital Grill's private room for a theme of older Bordeaux and Cabs pre-2005. Lots of fun wines and some real beauties to say the least.

Flight 1 (1 Note)

  • NV Claude Genet Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut 91 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    Light gold color. Drank 1 glass over 30 minutes. I have always enjoyed this cuvee. Nice citrus on the nose bolstered by wet stone minerality, fairly bright. The palate is lighter bodied, a bit leaner with citrus, tangy, citrus pith and more chalk-like minerality. I'm surprised to see no recent notes from anyone other than tasters in our area.

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Flight 2 (4 Notes)

  • 2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Vintage Brut 93 Points

    France, Champagne

    Light gold color. Drank 1 glass over 30 minutes. Boy, I loved this right from the start. This has a nice twist on both the nose and palate. Pear, pear glacé, chiffon, with a delicate creamy mousse and white roses. The palate is delicate and lacy with pear, pear glacé, lemon chiffon, a subtle almond extract, very tangy acid and great accents on the finish. Some thought this might have a higher dosage; I don't think so, this is dry with a sense of sweetness coming from the fruit and creaminess. I loved it, very harmonious.

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  • 2008 Jean et Sébastien Dauvissat Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    Light medium gold color. Drank 1 glass over 30+ minutes. This are such good QPR's. Very reliable and consistent. Spot on from note on 12/30/17. 91+ to 92pts.

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  • 2010 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    Light to pale green color. Drank 1 glass over 45 minutes. We've had this a few times now recently, and while it is always a head turner, I wasn't feeling it quite to the extent that I have at others times. Might have been the setting with the focus being on the old reds and it being in a steak house. Still outstanding and fun to drink side by side with the '11. This has that laser focus and cut, crisp and tart with great minerality and lemon lime fruits. I maybe didn't get as much of the ocean, earthiness that I adore. 94+pts.

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  • 2011 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 93 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    Pale green color. Drank 1 glass over 45 minutes. Drank next to the '10 and this was clearly a bit more youthful. Still has very good acidity, but not quite what the '10 brings. Earthy, lemon, lime , young, wet stones, subtle sea air. Does not show the focus and cut of the '10 presently. Neither of these bottles were quite as good as previous examples for whatever reason. 93+(+)pts.

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Flight 3 (4 Notes)

  • 1999 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 96 Points

    France, Champagne

    Medium gold color. Drank 1 glass over 45 minutes plus. Now lets talk about harmonious - this is truly harmonious. Everything is in its place, sheer beauty that has been firing on all cylinders now for a number of years. Siggy said he thought this was his favorite CdC over the last 20+ years. I think I agree. There are some stunning wines in the mix, but for optimum current drinking, this might well be it. Wow nose and palate with great complexity, toasty, autolytic, nutty dreaminess with silky texture, pear, citrus, sour dough, almond, elegant, lacy, lifted, with great purity, this checks every box with an exclamation point. 96+ to 97pts.

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  • 1978 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Light medium translucent bricked maroon color. PNP. Drank 1 glass over an hour. Same bottle as JCGuthrie. Yes, it's past peak, but that does not mean it was not enjoyable or interesting. The nose is complex, tertiary and shifting with celery seed, balsamic, maple, dried cherry, somewhat sherried, and a dark liqueur like cherry on the palate. Medium bodied now, some tannin remains, did hold up over the course of an hour anyway. I've had mixed results on some of these old BV GdL;s. They can be awesome. Hard to score this, suffice it to say it was still quite fun - and it never hit the dump bucket. If you're being constructive, it probably merits an 87/88, and I don't mean that to be negative.

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  • 1986 Château Talbot 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Very dark purple/red color. Decanted for 2 hours, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Amazingly youthful for a mere 31+ years old. The nose brings a lot of funk, mint, barnyard, dark fruit, rose hips and crushed flowers. The palate is rather velvety, funk, dark fruit, tar, long and deep with soil infused earthiness on the finish.

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  • 1989 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

    Very dark red/purple color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. This along with the '85 Gruaud Larose and the '00 Ridge Monte Bello were the standout reds tonight. We had the Dunn not too long ago, and I think this was an even better bottle. Very earthy at first, the creme de cassis and brambly berries, cherry, huckleberry, graphite, fine cigar. The palate is full bodied, velvet texture, tart cassis, choke cherry, huckleberry, dry earth, graphite, and great integrating tannins. This goes on and on. Easily a fifty year wine. Gotta love what Randy Dunn does - fantastic. 94+ to 95pts.

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Flight 4 (3 Notes)

  • 1985 Château Gruaud Larose 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Very dark red color, 5mm transition. Decanted for 90 minutes, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Wow, this was good to go, pencil, leather, sandalwood, raspberry, red berries, wet earth; a wow nose. The palate is medium bodied, feminine, the perfume carries through on the palate, flower to the gills, great purity, so well evolved and fine tobacco, layeres of red fruit and complexity, very long and integrated. This has easily got another 10 years. 95+pts.

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  • 1985 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Very dark red color. I think this was open for about 30 minutes; drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Celery, a touch of green, dried spices, dark fruits on the nose; the palate follows, herbal, green pepper, dark fruits, mint, firm tannins. This did improve over the night too.

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  • 1995 Carruades de Lafite 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Dark red color, lean and more rustic, like many of the '95's; dark red fruits, firm tannins, feels youthful. I'm sorry, it's fine, but you'd think Lafite could do a little better with their second wine. I guess they're really, really good and putting every last great grape in the grand vin and leaving nothing but scraps for junior.

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Flight 5 (2 Notes)

  • 1985 Château Trotanoy 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Very dark red color. Unknown decant; drank 1 glass over an hour. Nice, tart cherry, graphite, soil, tart plum, in good shape.

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  • 1996 Château L'Arrosée 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Very dark red/purple color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Good, dark fruits, loam, cassis, blackberry, chocolate, a very dark elixir, still youthful.

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Flight 6 (2 Notes)

  • 2000 Ridge Monte Bello 94 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Very dark red color. Same bottle as Bellissimo/Chablis28, decanted 1:45hrs, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Pretty sure I've never been disappointed by a Monte Bello, and this, in what might have been an undervalued vintage, was no exception. great fruit, ripe cassis, mint, dried herbs; silky on the palate, dark berries, cassis, boysenberry, framboise, and pencil on a long finish. It does give an old world feel with a twist of new world fruit.

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  • 2000 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for 5 hours, drank 1 glass over an hour. Brooding; dried earth, cassis, wow - thick, floral, excellent texture, slightly herbal, dark cherry, cassis, coffee. Very good, and everything is there for this to be great. But like most of the big boys in 2000, it just isn't ready yet. Very glad to have these stashed away though. I'd wait 5 and 10 if you're extra patient.

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Flight 7 (3 Notes)

  • 2001 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Same bottle as Chablis28. Decanted for a couple hours, drank 1 glass over an hour. there was a spirited discussion about this wine being potentially corked. I'm not saying, I'm just saying, this is not corked - period. It has a strong herbal, green streak that seems under ripe, graphite, some damp earth, dark berry, wood, tannin. Not showing as well as the '02 side by side. Might be the youth, might be the vintage, might be something else, but I'm not buying the corked angle...

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  • 2002 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    This bottle had been splash double decanted and was immediately recorked early in the day. This came off very young, need more air tonight, firm dusty tannins dominate, dark fruits and a rather tight palate. I still preferred it to the more herbal and green edged '01 though. 90+ to 91pts.

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  • 2002 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    And now for something completely different - as they say on Monty Python, or maybe, one of these things is not like the other. This was the last red of the night and a totally different style than anything else we'd had. Very big, lots of oak, blackberry, blackberry liqueur, vanilla, sweet and port like. This certainly has a big and extracted style with very ripe fruit - I'm sure the vintage didn't help here - though I think for what it is, it's still good. It doesn't work well after what we've had and there's no doubt this isn't what this group prefers to drink - but there's a lot of people who will love this. It will be interesting to see how this shows with some more age. I am at least curious.

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Flight 8 (1 Note)

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