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Bordeaux 1996 Left bank versus 1998 Right bank (more or less)
By SK In Vught Aan het Fornuis
Tasted October 10, 2020 by Zweder with 538 views
Introduction
I was extremely happy to be invited for this great tasting!
A well deserved feast during Covid19 with all its limitations.
We knew all the wines that would be in the tasting.
The Champagne and the two whites were served not blind.
We got the red wines blind in pairs. Generally a 1996 beside a 1998 wine.
Flight 1 (1 note)
White - Sparkling
N.V. Champagne Lallier Champagne Grand Cru Zero Dosage
90 points
No formal notes. Some brioche and nuts in the bouquet as well as the mouth. Some lemon citrus and fresh acidity. Nice and dry.
Flight 2 (2 notes)
White
2009 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc
98 points
What a feast again to taste this wine! Beautiful and exclusive, luxurious bouquet with bees wax and impressions of fireworks. On the palate the same impressions, very full bodied and buttery, but also good mineral impressions. I love it now and probably 10+ years from now.
White
2009 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
95 points
In the bouquet stone, minerals and flint stone as well as fresh citrus. On the palate a lot of mineral impressions, fresh white fruits, beautiful acidity and bitterness. An elegant wine.
Flight 3 (2 notes)
Red
1998 Château La Fleur-Pétrus
95 points
Beautiful bouquet with earth, mushrooms and also still some dark berries. On the palate dark berries, bell pepper, graphite, round acidity and soft tannin. Great length. Beautiful wine and ready now. No extreme hurry though.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
1996 Château Cos d'Estournel
93 points
The bouquet is more youthful than the previous wine in this tasting. It has red berries and bell pepper. On the palate still powerful with bell pepper, red berries and a lot of red berry acidity. Slightly disappointing for Cos. I have a few bottles, so there will be a follow up on this note.
3 people found this helpful
Comment
Flight 4 (2 notes)
Red
1996 Château Lynch-Bages
92 points
Green herbs, dark berries and bell pepper in the bouquet. On the palate herbs as well, red and dark berries, good acidity and slightly sticky, unripe tannin.
Red
1998 Château L'Evangile
96 points
Beautiful bouquet which is still a bit locked but shows beautiful dark berry fruits. On the palate a lot of dark berries, red berries, bell pepper, some autumn impressions, a bit dusty in a positive way. Beautiful acidity and a lot of beautiful tannin. This wine is still in its youthful stage and has a future of at least another decade. 96+
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 5 (2 notes)
Red
1998 Château Angélus
94 points
Dark berries in a slightly locked, classical bouquet. Also earth, mushroom and autumn impressions. On the palate also a very classical wine with a lot of bell pepper, dark berries and good acidity and tannin. Probably a long future ahead. The score might go up.
Red
1996 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
95 points
Beautiful bouquet with dark berries, luxurious oak, smoke and barnyard impressions. On the palate a slight touch of development, but beautiful fruits and a lot of good acidity. Beautiful wine.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 6 (2 notes)
Red
1998 Château Pavie
97 points
Beautiful bouquet with some barnyard, forest floor and autumn impressions. On the palate dark berries and graphite, some dark chocolate, beautiful acidity and round, still powerful tannin. A great beauty! 96 – 97
2 people found this helpful
Comment
Red
1996 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
98 points
Deep and restrained bouquet with dark berries and some mint. On the palate beautifully round dark and red berries, some sweet licorice, chocolate, cedar and oak and beautiful acidity. A very luxurious and beautiful wine with a great length. Still a great future ahead.
3 people found this helpful
Comment
Flight 7 (2 notes)
Red
1998 Château Trotanoy
98 points
In the bouquet dark berries, a lot of herbs and spices and green bell pepper. On the palate creamy and round with beautiful acidity and tannin. Great length. Beautiful wine with a great future of at least another decade (or two).
2 people found this helpful
Comments (4)
Red
1996 Château Léoville Las Cases
98 points
Beautiful bouquet which shows some barnyard but is for the rest quite locked. On the palate a classical wine with dark and red berries, graphite and a lot of bell pepper. The luxurious elements are still quite hidden. This is in fact still a baby and it might need another 15 – 20 years of ageing before it shows all of its merits. Great wine! 97 – 98+
2 people found this helpful
Comment
Flight 8 (2 notes)
Red
1998 Château Cheval Blanc
97 points
Black berries in the bouquet. On the palate juicy black and red berries, graphite, good acidity and still youthful and sticky tannin. Great wine with a great future!
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
1996 Château Margaux
95 points
In the bouquet red berries and quite much bell pepper. On the palate dark and red berries, herbs and spices as well as bell pepper again. Classical style. In this bottle there was less refinement as I recall from several other vintages. But certainly an excellent wine.
Flight 9 (2 notes)
Red
1996 Château Mouton Rothschild
97 points
Complex bouquet with dark berries, graphite, cedar and some cinnamon. On the palate the same impressions. Beautiful acidity and still slightly sticky tannin. Beautiful wine with a good concentration. Might show even more finesse over the next 10+ years.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
1998 Château Mouton Rothschild
96 points
Beautiful and luxurious bouquet with dark berries, oak and cedar. On the palate juicy dark berries and some chocolate. Still slightly sticky tannin. Not extremely concentrated, but certainly a delicious wine with a future of at least another decade.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 10 (2 notes)
Red
1998 Château Haut-Brion
I did not make many notes about this wine because I was not sure what to think. In the first sniff I smelled some “glue” and that thought did not leave my mind. It can happen sometimes when wines are much too young and/or extremely concentrated. Behind the glue there were luxurious impressions and good acidity. But maybe it was just me.... I don’t score the wine in Cellartracker.
Red
1996 Château Latour Grand Vin
98 points
In the bouquet a true Pauillac with stable smells, leather, dark berries, luxurious oak, graphite and smoke. Same impressions on the palate. Some chocolate as well. Good acidity and round tannin which still hold a promise for many years to come. Truly great wine! 98+
Closing
Thank you very much Stephan for this treat!
It was a lesson again! Blind tasting is soo hard ;-)