Our best friends are relocating back to our beach community, today was lunch at their club and to visit their new house reno project. My buddy and I also just had a nice little piece of business success together. So, lots to celebrate.
I happened to have maturing a 1998 Petrus that my buddy gave me like 15 years ago as a thank you for a significant business opportunity I hooked him into. I always thought to myself, I’d pop it with him at a special moment.
This was it.
A perfect sunny day on the club deck. Nice cool ocean breeze and around 76 degrees. And the best of company.
This 1998 is absolutely gorgeous. Not as hedonistic or rich as the 1989 or 90 Petrus, almost cooler climate in feel, in total contrast to some other 98s that I adore, Trotanoy for example. The aromatics on this wine are broad. Black truffles, roasted garlic, dried red cherries, spicy plums, leather and even a hint of menthol. Every swirl revealed another layer. The palate is medium weight with excellent structure, both acids and tannins. This wine is actually still a bit chewy, I’d say 5 years from optimal drinking window. Runs the fruit spectrum from reds, to blues to dark plums. Lots of earthy senses in the palate, rich wet soils, dry leafy ground cover. Long streaky finish with a sweet-tart note in the tannins. Just an exceptional bottle of wine to share over a 2+ hour lunch, watching it evolve over this period.
I kept my lunch simple: a BLT on toasted sour dough. A nice pairing.
I haven’t had enough Petrus to form strong opinions, but if I had to quibble about one commonality I’ve noticed, it would be the sense of reduction (as in boiled down/thickened, not reduced per redox reactions) they seem to have, what Parker called ‘port-like’. So a vintage that’s a little fresher at this château sounds ideal!
You definitely see that in the 1989, but gosh, it is so perfect the way it all melds together. I’ve had the 89 twice, both shared with one other person over an evening. It’s the essence of what I think about Pomerol. Now that said, the 98 is way more food friendly!
The leverage is greater if you do the double mag format. And makes for a wonderful aperitif and pairing with the requisite gazpacho soup. Hard to do BLT without that gazpacho starter. I added a dollop of sour cream as it’s more elote.
Exactly. But I did start with gazpacho soup. Got to keep those things separated. And no, I did not have Petrus with the gazpacho soup. I had sour cream with the gazpacho soup.
Hold the tomato though…