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Reinterpreted Paris Tasting 'Best Bottle Circle' Style

Emmen, Switzerland

Tasted August 1, 2015 by Wine_lvr with 637 views

Introduction

Some idea than in the original Paris Tasting but focusing more on comparing the great Napa vintages with the great Bordeaux vintages. Also the wines were mature to see how both of them age. The overall verdict was clear. Both Napa Cabs and Bordeaux are amazing wines...

The event was organized by the Best Bottle Circle (www.bestbottle.ch) and took place at the end of May 2015. All wines were served blind and were double decanted.

Flight 1 (3 notes)

Rosé - Sparkling
N.V. Jacques Selosse Champagne Brut Rosé France, Champagne
93 points
Bottle deg 2014. Salmon in color. Nose shows yeast and sherry. Quite oxidative in style but sill fresh. Nice sweetness and acidity. Generally I like this rose would prefer it though as a zero-dosage wine. Drink now
White
1999 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
90 points
Golden in color. Nose shows a lot of flint stone and sulfur aromas. The taste is much better and the wine has a great balance. Still quite youthful, good power and length. Overall for a price of this pedigree a bit disappointing. I love Leflaive but this Batard Montrachet did not do it for me. Maybe an off-bottle.
White
1999 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
92 points
Golden in color. Nose is quite 'perfumed'. Honey and gooseberries. I was surprised how buttery and fat this wine was. Did not really fit my expectations of a Bordeaux white. Overall still a nice wine which is now fully mature.

Flight 2 (4 notes)

Red
1989 Château Palmer France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
96 points
Mature but still intensive red. Nose shows Coke, leather, coffee and barn notes. Very balanced, multilayered and long. Smooth tannins and complex structure. Very pleasant to drink. Now fully mature and in a perfect drinking spot. Normal bottles should likely be drunk in the next 5-10 years.
3 people found this helpful Comment
Red
1991 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard USA, California, Napa Valley
92 points
Clear garnet in color. Sweet strawberries, chocolate and yoghurt in the nose. Nice balance, sweetness and a great balance. Elegant but lots of power and a long finish. Great classical Cab..drink now
Red
1991 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23 USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
94 points
Translucent red showing some bricking at the edges. Nose reminds me of Plum jelly, mint and coffee. Lots of sweetness, complex and long. Now fully mature. Nice Cask 23
Red
1990 Château Pape Clément France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
93 points
Clear garnet in color. Nose of leather and wet soil are dominating the berry flavors. Still plenty of juice here. Nice sweetness and good balance. Very hedonistic and long. Drink now over the next decade
1 person found this helpful Comment

Flight 3 (4 notes)

Red
1994 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard USA, California, Napa Valley
95 points
Clear red showing some first bricking at the edges. Nose shows ripe plums, chocolate and coffee. Nice depth and enormous power. Very long. This is a stunning wine to drink now over the next 10-15 years. After some weaker Dominos 1994 I was happy to taste a good bottle once again.
Red
1994 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
96 points
Clear deep red. Nose shows dark berry marmalade, chocolate and fine plum notes. Enormous power and complexity. Sweet, long. A true beauty. After tasting this one I had a big smile in my face.
Red
1990 Château Montrose France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
95 points
Deep color. Nose shows coffee, strawberries, leather and Early Grey black tea. Nice sweetness, power and VERY long. Tannins are smooth as Cashmere. Surprisingly there was some dryness and maturity to this wine. This was a good but not a perfect bottle of Montrose 1990.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
1990 Château Léoville Las Cases France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
95 points
Clear red with first bricking at the edges. Nose shows sweet raspberries and leather. Very long finish and great complexity at the same time highly elegant. Tannins are a bit dry...but this is trying to find the hair in the soup. Overall a great LLC to drink now and over the next decade
1 person found this helpful Comment

Flight 4 (4 notes)

Red
1994 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
97 points
Deep garnet in color. Nose shows black licorice, dark berries, black currant and coffee. Nice sweetness and lots of power. Perfect balance and very hedonistic. Close to perfection...
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
1996 Château Mouton Rothschild France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
95 points
Garnet in color. Nose shows leather, barn and dark berries. Very smooth tannins, lots of power and very long finish. This is a classical Bordeaux beauty. Still on the young side but already amazing stuff. Wait 5-10 years or decant
2 people found this helpful Comments (5)
Red
1996 Château Latour Grand Vin France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
98 points
If I look at my scores from this wine they started at 95 in 2013, the 97 in 2014 and are now at 98 in 2015. This is a legend in the making and I am sure it will hit triple digits in a few years.

Still dark garnet in color. Nose shows exotic herbs, dark fruit and coffee and berry notes. Very classic, elegant and balanced at the same time shows perfect harmony and elegance. Multifaceted with all the components fitting perfectly together. The only piece missing for 100pts is another 10 years in the bottle. Amazing stuff.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
1994 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb USA, California, Napa Valley
98 points
Deep ruby color. Nose shows eucalyptus, dark berries and milk chocolate. Still quite a rich wine, powerful and long. Despite being quite a big wine it still shows some elegance. Very multifaceted and keeps on developing in the glass. Now fully mature but can be kept for many more years. Great wine

Flight 5 (5 notes)

Red
1999 Hartwell Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
94 points
Deep clear ruby in color. Nose shows tar, coffee and ripe berries. Powerful, balanced and elegant. Nice sweetness and still a young Napa beauty. Drink now over the next 15 years. A wine that performed very well next to all the legendary bottles
Red
2003 Château Mouton Rothschild France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
94 points
Deep clear garnet in color. Nose shows smoked bacon, sweet berries and coffee. Typical for a 2003 it show lots of sweetness. Nice balance and elegance. Very long. Still youthful
Red
2000 Château Léoville Poyferré France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
96 points
Deep color. Nose shows leather and strawberry yoghurt. Nice sweetness but at the same time very classical and highly elegant. On the chubby side but not too much. This is now at the beginning of its (long) drinking window. Great stuff which actually needs to go on my buying list. Drink now - 2035
5 people found this helpful Comment
Red
2000 Château Lynch-Bages France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
96 points
Still dark in color. Nose shows coffee, chocolate and sweet berries. Hints of tar are also present. Very balanced and elegant. Lots of power and enormous length. A true classical Bordeaux beauty which is now at the beginning of a very long drinking window. Amazing...
3 people found this helpful Comment
Red
2001 Abreu Madrona Ranch USA, California, Napa Valley
96 points
Still very dark in color. Nose show black berries, dark chocolate and exotic woods. Rich, powerful and deep. All at the limit but not overdone. Very hedonistic. The tannins are not yet fully integrated. This wine is still too young and I expect a lot more to come in the next 10 years. A legend in the making...
2 people found this helpful Comment
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