M&PD Zoom Tasting: Bordeaux

Brand new tasting group, formed just before the pandemic, no opportunity to actually get together and taste wines. Sigh. So instead we each contributed a bottle, one member decanted into small 5 ounce vessels and then delivered all of the wines to each member. And just after that we all convened on Zoom to taste and discuss.

All things considered, it worked pretty well!

Cheers, thanks all for the lovely wines!

• 1989 Château Haut-Brion Blanc

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Unreal nose. Beeswax and honey. Maybe a little grilled pineapple. Indescribably exotic. Just gorgeous. Pure. I would guess much more Semillon. Not really any acid shows up but also no heaviness. Mmm, tropical but also mineral, savory, and long. Really a truly sublime wine.

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• 1996 Château Margaux

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  From the very first sniff, this is just textbook Bordeaux. As John says, "straight down the fairway." Tobacco, cedar, some horse. I would guess that is is clearly Pauillac but also with heavy Montrose/St. Estephe elements. As it turned out, I was totally wrong. This was my 1996 Margaux, and it was a stunner! It shows an amazing interplay of mineral, earth and stern fruit. At first it seemed more black, but now it is showing more cranberry and red elements. Really clean, pure, almost austere but stunning.

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• 1982 Château Magdelaine

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Clearly the oldest wine of the tasting. I really had no idea it was right bank. My initial impressions were cedar and red fruit. Quite juicy. Resolved. Showing a lot of acid, fresh, almost citric. After the wines were revealed, I quickly put a fresh splash in the glass, and right at that moment there was more obvious plum and chocolate. I am attributing a lot of the showing to maturity, more of the tartness and acid just indicating the age of the wine. Really quite resolved and pleasing.

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• 2005 Château Montrose

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  An absolute beast. I correctly guessed Montrose but assumed it was the 2003. Tannic, young, dark, dense, brooding, mineral and beautiful.

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• 1989 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Immediately this shows some oxidized notes with soy. Cedar as well. The palate is surprisingly young, powerful and tannic. Spicy with mint and a hint of green. Sadly I think this bottle was either not right, or it suffered from the decanting and travel. I am calling it flawed.

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• 2005 Château Angélus

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Super young. My initial guess was a ridiculous 2016 just based on how primary and fruity this was. Dense. Just an absolute wall of decadent fruit. Blackberry. Super juicy. John hinted that maybe there was some coffee showing, and at that point (power of suggestion) there was clear espresso and coffee on the nose. It seemed like the clear and obvious Right Banker at that point.

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