Bordeaux at Per Gørans house
Stamerbakken, Bergen, Norway
Tasted October 9, 2007 by abbulf with 814 views
Introduction
After the incredible experience in march when we tasted reds from Rhone and Australia, I was really excited when I two hours before the event started got the message that there was room for me tonight as well. This time the tasting took place at Per Gørans house, and I believe we were 17 persons present. The theme was red Bordeaux and we tasted through 17 wines, starting out with a senior-citicen 1949 almost ready for the grave and ending up commiting infanticide on a few 2003s. Per Gøran also served a delicious lamb dish with what I understand is his signature nettle stew. I believe the wines were opened and decanted just before serving.
Flight 1 (1 note)
The event started with the oldest glass of wine I have ever tasted, the 1949 Château Petit-Gravet. This was an incredible experience. Clearly the wine was well on its way towards the grave, but there was still enough life left in it to make it a really memorable experience.
Red
1949 Château Petit-Gravet
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Brick red/brown colour. Despite its age the wine actually still smelled somewhat of plums. There was also aromas of old wood, cellar, moist and detoriation. The nose is very mature, but there is still life to it. Great, interesting experience. The nose however is better than the palate. On the front palate there is lots of acid. Then there is a bit of fruit and still some tannins left. Surprisingly much alive also in the mouth. There is an acidic sting towards the end that I like. A surprisingly good wine, and I feel really privileged to get to taste something so old and interesting.
Flight 2 (1 note)
The next wine was being served when we had had a few minutes to consentrate on the first glass, but while we still had some left in the glass to compare with the second. And what a wine the Franc-Maillet turned out to be.
Red
1961 Château Franc-Maillet
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Brownish colour, almost a bit muddy. Delicious nose of plums and maybe a bit of figs. The fruit is somewhat in the background and hidden behind something reminiscent of an old basement. Still this is more fruity than the Petit Gravet 49. Surprisingly primary on the nose considering the age. On the palate there is great balance and structure. There are lots of fruit still left, not too much acid and nice tannins. Pretty long. This is an incredibly fine wine and a great experience.
Flight 3 (2 notes)
After the two old bottles we had two 1975s. These were both remarkably tannic for the age, something I believe is quite typical for the vintage. Per Gøran has had quite a few of the 75 Tronquoy-Lalandes in the past, and he said that this was his best bottle so far. For me the de Pez was clearly the wine of the flight.
Red
1975 Château Tronquoy-Lalande
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Medicinal, old wood, some paprika on the nose. Alse cheese (roquefort). On the palate this is a rough wine with lots of tannins left. Still it is drinking good now. It is acidic and fresh with a fine sting in the finish. Decent length. There is a bit too much tannins, but this is a very fine wine.
Red
1975 Château de Pez
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Dark colour with some brown in it. Fruitier than the Tronquoy-Lalande on the nose. Also a bit rounder. Some plums. Appealing, complex and very delicate. After a while it showed a bit of licorice. Very fine nose. On the palate this is also very good. Great structure with lots of fruit in the midpalate. Deliciously sharp towards the finish with a long and acidic aftertaste. Quite a lot of tannins without them taking over in any way. Great structure and balance. Delicious.
Flight 4 (3 notes)
Aside from trying some examples of really old Bordeaux, the two next flights was what I was really looking forward to when I saw the program for the night. I've heard a lot about the Bordeaux 82 vintage, but never tasted any before. And the wines really lived up to the hype. The food was served with this flight, and the wines proved to go great with the lamb (not exactly a bomb though).
Red
1982 Château Calon-Ségur
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Dark, brownish colour. The least fruity nose of the flight, but quite concentrated. Intense and delicious. Complex. Lots of licorice. Licorice also on the front palate. Fruity and with tannins on the midpalate. Great structure with the palate developing towards the finish, which is sharp, acidic, long and with a bit of cherries. Delicious wine.
Red
1982 Château Talbot
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Brownish, almost black colour. The nose is fruity right away, then there is stable, barnyard and lots and lots of intensity. Also some black currant and malt. This is fantastic. Complexity, rawness, intensity. It is almost resembling a syrah. On the palate it is soft like velvet, with a great finish with acidity and tannins. Great structure. Intense and long. There is still lots of tannins, so there is no need to drink up. Wine of the night.
Red
1985 Château Cos d'Estournel
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Fruity nose with plums and black currant. Delicious. The most primary nose of the flight, but also the most complex. A bit sweeter than the two others. On the palate it is fantastic. Fruity, great balance. In great shape and drinking very good now.
Flight 5 (2 notes)
This flight was being served while we were still eating, and these were also two great wines. The Leoville Barton seemed really young, and probably still has a long life ahead.
Red
1986 Château Léoville Barton
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Nice dark red colour, a bit lighter on the rim. The nose is a bit closed, with black currant in the background. On the palate it becomes evident that this is still a young wine. There are still sharp tannins that dominate a bit. The finish is fresh with acidity and there is good length. A good wine that is a bit too young.
Red
1986 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Nice dark red colour. Impressively dark considering its 21 years. Delicious, delicate, subtle nose. Almost etherical complexity. Incredibly good. This is a wine that needs full consentration, but then it is just stunning. Black currant and dark cherries. On the palate the style is a bit warm and fruity. The tannins are polished. The finish is acidic and a bit bitter, and goes over in a long and acidic aftertaste. The warmness on the palate is surprising after the delicate nose. Good, but the nose is best here.
Flight 6 (3 notes)
In the next flight there were two really good wines, with the Cos Labory not doing it for me. The Clos du Marquis was great by any standards, and with it being just the nr. 2 wine of the Château I would love to know what the 95 Las-Cases tastes like.
Red
1995 Château de Fieuzal
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Dark colour. The nose is intense, opulent, very rich and fruity. Also some blood. With air it shows some barnyard. If I were to taste this blind I probably would have taken it for a Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Very young. With even more air it shows more typically secondary Bordeaux aromas like brie. Delicious. This clearly needs more time. On the palate it is intense and with lots of tannins. Rather sharp, acidic and long aftertaste. "Big" and more Rhone than Bordeaux in style also on the palate. Young, the tannis really dry out the mouth.
Red
1995 Château Cos Labory
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Very dark colour. More complex on the nose than the de Fieuzal. Also less fruit and more secondary aromas. Some brie, a bit of black currant. Good nose. On the palate it is very acidic. The fruit is a bit thin, and there is a wooden dryness to it that is disappealing. It is also a bit tannic, and there is a bitterness in the finish I don't like. The poorest wine of the flight. It is ok, but does not do much for me.
Red
1995 Clos du Marquis
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Incredibly appealing nose. Hard to put words to it. Fruitiness meet secondary aromas. Black currant, camphor. Delicious complexity. Fantastic, and clearly the nose of the flight. On the palate there is great fruit and a fine balance. The fruit is very appearant on the front palate. Great wine. Some bitterness in the finish. Long and acidic. Delicious wine and clearly the best of the flight.
Flight 7 (1 note)
I believe the next wine could be bought at the local wine monopoly last winter, and after tasting it now and knowing the price I really regret not buying at least half a case of it.
Red
1999 Domaine de Chevalier
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Very dark colour. Incredible nose. Black currant, barnyard, chocolate. On the palate it is smooth, with great fruitiness on the front palate. Fine structure. It is deliciously pointed and with some bitterness in the finish, which is long and acidic. The tannins are surprisingly polished. Great wine.
Flight 8 (4 notes)
Here I clearly prefered the 2000s over the 2003s. Whether it's a merlot/cabernet thing (the 00s being merlot based and the 03s cabernet based) or a vintage thing I am not sure, but I am willing to guess that the vintage is the problem here. It would have been interesting to have one 00 cab and one 03 cab versus 00 and 03 merlots.
Red
2000 Château Villemaurine
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Rich nose with lots of plums. Opulent and clearly very young. Lots of frut and great intensity. Good nose, but this is infanticide. On the palate it is fruity and big. Powerful and sharp finish with acidity and good length. Nice structure. The tannins are quite polished. I like this wine.
Red
2000 Château Gazin Pomerol
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
More complex on the nose than the Villemaurine. There are plums also here, but in a more discrete way. It is very good. There is some sweetness to it, but I still like the nose. On the palate it is fruity. The tannins are quite polished also here, and the structure is nice. The finish is pointed and acidic. These 2000 east side wines are realy appealing.
Red
2003 Château Talbot
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
When I saw the program for the night I was really looking forward to tasting this one, as I just bought a bottle of this in Houston (that's a lot of co2 wasted on transporting a bottle of wine from Bordeaux to Norway). My expectations were also increased by the great showing of the 82 Talbot earlier tonight. I was however a bit disappointed. I can't say I think much of the 03s I've had from Bordeaux, and this is no exception. Generally they are way too sweet for my taste. Anyway, this was powerful and rich on the nose. A bit too sweet, but still good. Black currant and some barnyard. Intense and good. A babykilling. The palate is sweet and powerful. A bit too much at this moment. This clearly needs cellaring, and hopefully will lose some of the sweetness with time.The tannins are however surprisingly polished. Neither is it very long or acidic, so I am a bit sceptical to the cellar potential. Still, not much else to do than wait and hope.
Red
2003 Château Lynch-Bages
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Almost black colour. Delicious nose. Fruity, barnyard, stable. Really good. On the palate it is fruity and with good consentration. But too sweet and there could be more tannins. Quite acidic though. It improved somewhat with air, but overall I am not very impressed with 03 Bordeaux.
Closing
This was an incredible dinner/tasting and one of the greatest experiences I have ever had with wine. The night ended with me and Otto getting a tour in the house cellar, and it was really inspiring to see all the great bottles stacked up down there. I would like to thank Per Gøran once again for arranging this event and for letting me take part in it.
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