Birthday/Going Away Dinner
Chicago, IL
Tasted August 25, 2013 by MatthewF with 414 views
Introduction
A group of 6 (sometimes 7 or 8) of us try to get together for dinners at least twice a month. Unfortunately one of the couples is moving out of state, and it was one of their birthday's, so we decided to have one more big, blowout dinner together.
The wines were all opened and placed on the table so that everyone could help themselves as they wanted instead of trying to course everything out. I think it worked out great as by taking small tastes at a time, we could really keep watching the wines evolve all night long. (Well, all except for the Yquem which was served at the tail end)
Flight 1 (7 notes)
Chris prepared 3 courses (salad, pasta, rib roast) to go with the assortment of Bordeaux tonight.
Red
1966 Château Haut-Brion
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Opened (not decanted) and followed for roughly 4 hours. Started off a little lean, musty and showing its acidity, but after an hour it really began to flesh out and shine. Aromas of red currant and cranberry with dried rose petal, cedar and dried tobacco leaves. Medium body with a medium plus finish. Fantastic balance and showing good power for its age. A really great showing and only got better as the night progressed.
Red
1989 Château Margaux
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Opened, decanted and followed over roughly 4 hours. Highly aromatic right from the start. Red berry and plum, earth, and lighter tobacco tones on the nose with a slight tomato leaf note (in a good way). Lighter wood notes as well. The same red fruit and earth came through on the palate. Medium bodied with a long finish. Great balance all throughout. What struck me the most about this one was the highly perfumed aromatics tonight.
Red
1990 Château Lafite Rothschild
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Opened, decanted and followed over roughly 4 hours. Started off very shy and perhaps a little thin, but fleshed out quite nicely with time in the decanter. Red currant and plum with cigar box, graphite and tobacco leaf aromatics. The same red fruit came through on the palate with a nice earthy quality as well. Medium body with a long balanced finish. Not a super powerful Bordeaux, but quite delicious.
Red
1999 Pétrus
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Opened, decanted and followed over roughly 4 hours. Black cherry/berry and plum on both the nose and palate with a healthy dose of bitter chocolate and coffee bean as well. Very powerful both aromatically and flavor-wise. The fruit on the palate was very giving and lush and the wine didn't really seem to be holding anything back tonight. Medium plus body with a long gripping finish. Only got better as the night progressed. A great treat!
Red
2001 Château Margaux
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Opened, decanted and followed over roughly 4 hours. Tasted for the first time right after the '89 and seemed shockingly youthful. Powerful black and red raspberry aromas intermixed with cedar and new leather. Espresso and cocoa bean as well. Lush and fruit forward on the palate, but you can still feel the structure buried underneath. Medium plus body with a very long, seamless finish. In a really great spot tonight. I'm going to have a hard time not drinking my bottles now after tasting this one.
Red
2003 Château Barde-Haut
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Opened (not decanted) and followed over roughly 4 hours. Powerful, ripe black fruit on both the nose and palate. Some earth and asphalt notes as well. A very hedonistic style of Bordeaux. Full bodied, tannic, and medium finish. Lots of grip on the backend.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1983 Château d'Yquem
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
From 375ml. Virtually identical to the bottle had from the same case two weeks ago. A delicious way to cap off a great dinner.
Closing
Thank you everyone!
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