Tasting Group Dinner - Graves
Heidi's, Minneapolis
Tasted July 30, 2008 by Siggy with 555 views
Introduction
While dining at Heidi's the previous Sunday I learned that Chef Stewart Woodman would be cooking steak frites this week. Our wine group was partially responsible for this menu inspiration, seeing as how we were incessantly pestering the staff during our last meal there. Chris, Dave, Craig and I decided to stop by for dinner and several bottles of Graves, and we had a blast. The 2003 La Mission Haut-Brion, young as it was, was my WOTN.
Flight 1 - Starters (3 notes)
We enjoyed these in Chris's kitchen while talking Twins baseball and decanting the reds.
White
2005 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis
France, Burgundy, Chablis
Ripe, plump citrus/tropical fruit flavors. Fat, full-bodied, and creamy. A faint touch of heat on the finish. This is good, although it verges on New World in character and doesn't have the cut and minerality of a typical Chablis.
Flight 2 - Dinner @ Heidi's (5 notes)
Paired with de-constructed (not "decomposed" as Chris initially said) steak frites: filet mignon with Bernaise sauce, broccolini, and roasted potatoes. The steak was fantastic, but the frites were more like lightly roasted rectangular potato chunks. Not bad, but real frites (such as at La Belle Vie Lounge or JP's) would have been even better.
White
2005 Château Carbonnieux Blanc
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Consistent with prior TN. Crisp flavors of bitter melon and white flowers, framed by tight, almost steely minerality. Complex and layered. Delicious but very young.
Red
1983 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Dark maroon color. Terrific aromatics: caramel, dark fruit, tobacco, and scorched earth. On the palate, this is ripe and low in acid, and while there is plenty of concentrated dark fruit and earth, the flavors are mature-tasting and the overall impression is one of heaviness. This is interesting but tiring out, and it lacks the finesse, minerality, and freshness that I associate with La Mish.
Red
1998 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Similar to the bottle I tasted a few weeks ago. Very impressive. Youthful purple/ruby color. Fresh dark fruit, blueberries, and flowers, framed by smoky scorched earth. Finishes with a wall of ripe tannin. Delicious but very young.
Red
1998 Château Smith Haut Lafitte
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Much younger and oakier than the 98 LMHB, tasted side-by-side (see TN). Complex smoke, earth, and cassis flavors. Tannic finish. Quite a bit of oak left to integrate.
Flight 3 - Nightcap (1 note)
We stopped by my house to load up on water, and Dave wisely suggested cracking into a virgin case of 2003 La Mission.
Red
2003 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Popped and poured while hanging out in my cellar after dinner. Fantastic aromatics that lead to a full-throttle, expansive palate of blackberries, smoke, licorice, and scorched earth. Still very tightly wound. Great texture. The oak and tannin are formidable and nowhere near integrated, but do not obscure this wine's terrifically pure fruit and layers of secondary flavors. This is beginning to be approachable but should really reward 5+ more years of cellaring. My WOTN.
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