The wine-related highlight of my year returned once again, thanks to the incredible generosity of Mark Taylor and his wish of sharing the Bordeaux in his collection with like-minded wine lovers around the country. Another incredible event, perfectly hosted - as always - by Judith as ‘head of hospitality’.
This year we had a few newbies to the group as some of the core membership couldn’t make it, so it was great to see new faces among the crew. Because Don Cornutt couldn’t make it, nor Roy Hersh (at the last minute, I understand), this might be the only set of notes you’ll receive on the tasting, and for that, I apologize in advance for the lack of value that is my feedback/notes.
The focus of our theme this year was to revisit 1982 Bordeaux, as we did 5 years prior, and hopefully again 5 years from now! The second day featured mini-horizontal flights of each of two vintage years - 1995 and 2002. As always, flights were served single blind, and we were to write our notes, guess the wines, and share our findings. Each of us at the tasting on Saturday were assigned a specific wine, with two individuals per wine. We rank the wines as well, and do a group ranking with that data - useless, of course, as almost without fail, any of us would be ecstatic to drink ANY of these wines at ANY time.
March 18th: (1982 Vintage - 15 tasters)
First Flight: (Beychevelle, Cos d’Estournel, Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Gruaud-Larose, La Lagune, Leoville-Poyferre)
Wine 1 - Hints of classic Bordeaux nose profile - graphite, leather, touch of olive oil, very slight hint of TCA (though nobody would agree with me, so I didn’t mention it, as typically only Roy Hersh and I agree on the slight TCA-tainted wines), nice weighty mouthfeel, sweet red fruit profile on the palate, good acid, tannins mostly resolved, probably at or around peak but not yet in decline. I guessed La Lagune and was correct. Ranked it 3rd, group ranked 3rd.
Wine 2 - Coffee very strong on the nose, even after a swirl - not much fruit coming off, Merlot-like qualities dominating, wouldn’t guess this as a cab-heavy blend, very silky, good sweet fruit on the palate. I guessed Grand-Puy-Lacoste (apparently not taking my own advice re: Merlot) and it was Leoville-Poyferre. My 4th ranked, group’s 4th
Wine 3 - Strong saddle leather nose on this one, a little bretty, blue and black fruits, beautiful roundness to the mouthfeel, builds throughout the finish, very beautiful wine overall. I guessed Gruaud-Larose, was correct. My 1st, group’s 1st.
Wine 4 - A bit shy but fresh nose, bright red and blue fruits, very ‘clean’ aroma. Palate seems still young, but at the same time mature - the freshness of this wine really dominates. Very long finish as well, well made. I guessed Cos, it was Grand Puy Lacoste. My 2nd, group’s 2nd.
Wine 5 - Stereotypical nose - cherries, graphite, leather, herbs, rose petals. Seems a bit lighter on the palate than others, lost a bit of its fruit or perhaps closed down yet, finish is fruit-centric and long. After some time in the glass, fruit started to emerge more on the palate, as was the case with several of these wines, as they were not decanted or double-decanted, therefore were open for probably 90 - 120 minutes in total, in bottle. I guessed Beychevelle, it was Cos. My 6th, group’s 5th
Wine 6 - Some greenness, herbal notes on the nose predominantly, not giving much fruit. Very soft but lightweight, silky mouthfeel. Dusty tannins still strong, mostly near the finish. Finish is long and elegant as is the wine. Has the lightest edges of the group, but tons of life left. Fruit profile was a bit tart rather than sweet - strawberry, pomegranate, tart cherry. I guessed Leoville-Poyferre, was Beychevelle. My 5th, group’s 6th
Second Flight: (First Growth - Margaux, Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut Brion, Mouton-Rothschild, Latour, Cheval Blanc)
Wine 1 - Smoky cedar nose, red cherries, gorgeous sweet red fruit that just explodes on the palate - great weight and supple texture. Changing to some greenness after a bit of air time. I guessed Cheval Blanc, was correct. I did not rate any of these wines 1-6, abstaining from that part of the tasting, as I couldn’t choose other than a least favorite. Group’s 3rd
Wine 2 - Leather, olive oil - even with a swirl not doing much but a hint of blue fruits, cassis. Elegant mouthfeel but athletic as well, builds to a really bold tannic finish. A powerful yet elegant wine, seems still so young. I guessed Latour and was correct. Group’s 5th (likely as it was far from ready, as with many of these wines, amazingly)
Wine 3 - Spices, licorice, cherry, pine, good satiny weight, predominantly red cherry palate, finish strong but fades quickly. I guessed Haut-Brion, was Mouton. Group’s 2nd
Wine 4 - Very complex nose of graphite, spring water (outdoors, as in the smell of fresh water over a rocky stream), forest floor, blue bramble fruit, bit of everything, all over the place really, but in a good way. Fresh, bright red fruits, strong build to the finish. I guessed Mouton, it was Margaux. Group’s 1st
Wine 5 - Funky nose on this one that sort of reminds me of the uniqueness of Heitz Martha’s, with some ripe fruit showing through. Rustic, a bit more brooding and less elegant on the palate than the other wines, until the finish which is very long, very fruit-centric. I guessed La Mission Haut-Brion and was correct. Group’s 6th, likely because it was just in a clunky phase
Wine 6 - Loads of saddle leather that absolutely dominates the nose, touch of red fruit and some light hay/straw notes (which I liked), good bit of brett, light rose petals (like white or yellow, not the darker roses which are more musky), beautiful nose overall. Sudden burst of black and red fruit, but it descends quickly to the finish - finish is long, however. I guessed Margaux, was Haut-Brion. Group’s 4th
Third Flight: (yes, we did THREE this time!!! WOOT! Figeac, L’Evangile, Pichon Longueville Comtesse-de-Lalande, Ducru Beaucaillou, Lynch Bages, Leoville Las Cases)
Wine 1 - Rustic, black cherry, coffee on the nose, sweet red and black brambly fruits, a bit clunky compared to the previous flight (as one might expect), a bit astringent on the finish. I guessed Lalande, was correct. My 4th, group’s 2nd.
Wine 2 - (first bottle was lightly corked - generously replaced by Mark on the spot) Beautiful color, nose reminded me of a fresh cherry pie, really beautiful nose. Soft, weighty mouthfeel, some charred wood over more dark fruits, touch of brett. I guessed Figeac, was Lynch Bages. My 2nd, group’s 1st
Wine 3 - Smoky, beef bouillon, color looks a bit off, with some amber tones, fruit is much fresher on the palate than the wine would appear to be, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this was just slightly damaged. Finish is abrupt as well. I guessed L’Evangile, was correct. My 5th, group’s 5th (because there was a corked bottle, which obviously came in 6th)
Wine 4 - Corked. One surprise, however, was that the fruit was still so present and delicious. Normally a wine this corked has zero fruit but this wine had quite a decent sweet fruit profile, if you could get past the musty basement smell. I guessed Lynch Bages, was Figeac. Group’s 6th, of course, by default.
Wine 5 - Shy nose, can’t get much from it, nice silky mouthfeel, great structure, red fruited, long, big finish, best wine of the flight in my opinion. Guessed Ducru, was correct. My 1st, group’s 3rd
Wine 6 - Fresh spring water, fruit a bit shy, slightest hint of cocoa, nice blast of sweet red fruits immediately on the palate - bramble like raspberry rather than blackberry, doesn’t seem to transition very smoothly to the finish, but the finish is quite long. I guessed Leoville Las Cases, was correct. My 3rd, group’s 4th
Day Two, March 19th (30 tasters, two bottles each, so some variation inevitably occurs)
Flight 1: 1995 Vintage (Cos d’Estournel, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Haut-Brion, L’Evangile, Margaux, Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande)
Wine 1 - Beautiful nose, sweet red and blue fruits, lilacs, touch of salinity, palate has a quick blast of fruit but rapidly turns astringent. Tight, no real finish. I guessed Ducru, was Pichon Lalande. My 4th, group’s 5th
Wine 2 - Earthy nose, truffles and graphite, slightly perfume, still shy overall. Tons of structure, wow - full of acid and dusty, fine tannins, finish is a bit clumsy and abrupt, however. I guessed Haut-Brion and was correct. My 6th, group’s 4th
Wine 3 - Flinty nose (could smell from a distance as all the glasses sat there before me), savory, cinnamon on the nose, tart red fruit on the palate, very fresh fruit profile, amplified by the acidity, still tannic which overrides the finish. I guessed Margaux, was correct. My 5th, group’s 3rd
Wine 4 - Cherry kringle nose (buttery baked goods with cherries), pleasantly floral, delicate and expressive, fruit profile on the palate seems to match the nose well, decent weight, long finish, the most ‘ready’ wine of the flight but not yet ‘ready’. Closed up after a while in the glass. I guessed l’Evangile, was Ducru. My 3rd, group’s 6th
Wine 5 - Very perfumed, more classic Bordeaux profile than others with red fruit, leather, cedar on the nose. Sweet fruit, great transition to the finish, which is quite long - fantastic wine. I guessed Cos, was L’Evangile. My 1st, group’s first, by a long shot.
Wine 6 - Flinty, graphite on the nose, no appreciable fruit. Weighty mouthfeel, cassis, bit of wood, strong, fine tannins, good finish. Wonderful nose opening up after a while, gaining some red fruit and rose petal. I guessed L’Evangile, was Cos. My 2nd, group’s 2nd
Flight 2: 2002 Vintage (Cos d’Estournel, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Haut Brion, l’Evangile, Margaux, Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande)
(a note on this flight…I was expecting, as is the commonly shared opinion on '02 Bordeaux, that this flight would be very difficult, full of greenness, thin, etc. All of us, especially me, it seemed, were pleasantly surprised, as they showed incredibly well for what expectations were)
Wine 1 - Very rocky/stony, zesty spices, heavy graphite, some plum on the nose, nice immediate blast of sweet dark fruits, quickly fading to the structure, just not ready but the bones to be good. I guessed Cos, was Pichon. My 5th, group’s 6th
Wine 2 - Baking spice, cured meats, hint of blue fruit on the nose. Nice red and black cherry component on the palate, good finish. No noticeable tannic structure but overall structured, if that makes sense - perhaps integrated a bit, making the tannins rounder, less noticeable, but the wine ‘felt’ structured. Drinkable now, very nice wine. I guessed Ducru, was L’Evangile. My 2nd, group’s 1st (my ranking on 1st and 2nd for this flight was a virtual tie)
Wine 3 - Color is off - browning on the edges, bit of stewed fruit on the nose which is highly unusual for the vintage but what would be expected of a hot vintage, baking spices, slight cured meats on the nose, palate has a big fresh blast of red fruit and acidity, opposite of what the color portrayed and nose showed, finish starts its fade quickly but lingers on. To me, clunky and awkward. I guessed Pichon Lalande, was Haut Brion. My 6th, group’s 4th
Wine 4 - The first wine of the flight with a greenness I’ve been expecting, but it was hardly offensive. Green pepper, mint, good dose of graphite again on the nose. Not much softness on the palate but good weight. Finish maintains the dusty tannic structure. This wine improved drastically in the glass as well. I guessed Margaux, it was Ducru. My 3rd, group’s 5th
Wine 5 - Beautiful color, complex nose with perfumed florals, red and black fruit, perhaps a slight touch of TCA, decent softness already on the palate, in a drinkable state now, finish is very fruit-centric. I guessed L’Evangile, was Cos. My 1st, group’s 2nd
Wine 6 - Savory, rustic nose, but not ‘dirty’ per se, red and black cherry, bit of cotton candy, cassis, some rhubarb on the palate, good acidity, strong to the finish. Drinkable now with a ton of life left. I guessed Haut-Brion, was Margaux. My 3rd, group’s 4th.
As you can see on this grouping/flight, I got a big ol’ donut - 0 for 6. I’m just as likely to get them all correct (Eric Asimov seems to think I always get them all correct, though it’s happened perhaps twice) as incorrect, but don’t think I’ve ever gone with a big ol’ zero!
I’ve learned to seek out l’Evangile through this event, as it showed well, particularly the 2nd day ('95 and '02), and was saddened to know that the only '02 Bordeaux in my cellar currently was the Pichon, among the worst of the '02 wines poured.
Again, my thanks to Mark Taylor for his generosity, and to Yves Durand for putting the event together. We also enjoyed a beautiful '82 d’Yquem, courtesy of John Hames, I believe, at the tail end of the first day’s tastings. It was quite spectacular. I look forward to next year, and just returned from this event!!!
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