Community Tasting Note

• cousteau wrote: 89 points

  July 23, 2006 - We put this 99 Comtesse side by side with the 99 Baron to see how they would fare against each other. While the Comtesse de Lalande showed a slight purple hue the Baron showed a more evolved brownish one. You could see they had different styles already by their color intensity but no advantage for any so far. The nose was the first victory for the Baron, more intense and open with lot's of cassis and secondary notes. The Comtesse was more shy and only showed some of her dark fruits, more like plums and blackberries. On the palate things got tighter, now it's more a matter of personal preferences. The Lalande much more soft, round, seductive, with much finess and elegance. The Baron with more power, opulence, a much firmer backbone and fresher acidity. I would still give an edge for the Baron though. The finish gives the Comtesse a nose ahead, more elegant, softer and rounder while the Baron left a more austere note.
  With the food (Filet de Manzo) the structure and acidity of the Baron fared much better than the softness of the Comtesse and overall we gave the Baron a declared victory on the 99 vintage.

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