A Salil Birthday Month Bordeaux Dinner

Salil made duck legs, cauliflower, and stringbeans, and tiramisu for dessert! It was all delicious and went quite well with these two Bordeaux.

Photos and more details can be found on my website.

• 1985 Château Cos d'Estournel 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  [Double-decanted for 1 hour at 4pm, then back in a decanter at 5:15. First tasted about 5:30.] Muted smoky nose of dried red currants. Expansive and complex in the mouth with a long finish of mature fruit and spice.
  7pm: Nose is showing more complex aromas of red fruits, cedar, and and saddle leather. Stunningly expansive in the mouth with a long complex finish of juicy red fruits and tobacco. If you still own this, I would not wait much longer. My last bottle.

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• 1986 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  [Double-decanted for 1 hour at 3:30pm. First tasted about 5:30.] Muted nose of black currants and graphite. Thick and rich with lots of dark fruit, leather, and some chocolate. Classic 1986 still with loads of fruit and richness. These may age forever.
  7pm: Bright red and black fruit, licorice, and cigar box. This is a terrific 1986 where there is still tannin, but it's overwhelmed by the rich fruit. It's really big and powerful for a wine this old, but never goes overboard. Rich but elegant. Superb.

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Both wines were beautiful and showed the characteristics of their respective vintages. The 1986 PLL was all power and grace with plenty of life left. The 1985 Cos was fully mature and so elegant. It had an ethereal aspect that gave it a slight edge for me.