Last night, Saturday the 16th March 2019, was dinner out with the wife & 3 boys.
I rarely get to drink Pétrus because of its high price; and this was to be the first time I was to try out their vintage ‘99 (which just happens to be my youngest son’s birthyear). To make sure of the bottle’s soundness, I tested it at home.
Once I cut off the foil cap, I noted that the cork looked damp - not an ideal sign; but not necessarily fatal.
The cork felt a bit soft; so I extracted it carefully. Despite my added care, the bottom 1/5th broke off in the bottle. Since I’m quite used to opening old wines, I coaxed out the recalcitrant 1/5th cleanly with little effort.
A quick sniff of the cork showed no sign of TCA. Another of the wine inside revealed sweetly fresh red berries. I was greatly relieved. Although I know all too well that regularly buying bottles at least 15 years old and up brings increased amounts of risk (that’s part of the game), at this rarefied price range, taking a corked/cooked or otherwise damaged bottle in nonchalant stride would’ve been highly improbable.
Due to the condition of its cork, I thought it best not to double decant. Any aeration it may need would be done at the restaurant, the sommelier of which I trust explicitly.
After a bottle of dependable Champagne Ulysse Collin Les Pierrières Blanc de Blancs with the first 2 courses, we moved to the night’s red for the mains.
I had the Grilled Lamb Chops (as usual), which I knew would serve as a fine backdrop for the night’s red. The 1999 Pétrus was in fine form. Notably not as massive as the other/more heralded vintages of the producer that I’ve had; but I’d say that was 1999 speaking. There was also a slight astringency to the tannins in the finish (also easily attributable to vintage 1999); but it wasn’t bothersome.
That all said, everything else was decidedly Pétrus - from its purity, elegant polish, notable depth/length, considerable yet discreet power (without any cumbersome weight) & velvety texture, to its distinctive espresso and molten dark chocolate notes. Lovely wine indeed.
I shared a glass of it with one of my friends who happened to be at the next table, and he, in turn, sent me a glass of silky, mellow, properly reserved yet notably structured 1985 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon.
Thereafter, during our dessert course, the same friend sent me a glass of the undeniably charming (albeit surprisingly/seemingly rather straightforward) 2009 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Cuvée Constance - which my wife said went very well with her bread pudding.
Nice night all around. Was particularly happy that the night’s red performed well.
Generally 1999 has turned into a fine sleeper vintage for Bordeaux. Some of the bargains of the backfill market for very good wines. (Petrus, maybe not so much a bargain.)
That Constance is quite young, but I’m not convinced at all it’s “better” than, e.g., the 1er Trie Le Mont that year.
Very true re: '99 Bdx. There’s definitely good stuff to be had out there at good prices. The subject Pétrus I was lucky to have bought recently at a good price (though, yes, even then, definitely not cheap enough not to care if corked or otherwise damaged).
I must admit I have not been drinking much of Huet’s wines for the past few years. I should remedy that.
I know there is something special about drinking a Petrus, but if you put aside the fact that it is a Petrus, how would compare the wine with a top 2000 Pomerol such as Evangile or Trotanoy?
Yup, the 2 older ones are working already; and the youngest in sophomore year college. He has expressed the intent of going to law school after, much to my father’s delight. We’ll see.
I vaguely recall having had the ‘00 Evangile once (not my bottle as I’m pretty sure I haven’t bought any); but can’t remember offhand what I thought of it - meaning it was likely quite young at the time. I don’t think I’ve ever had the ‘00 Trotanoy. Though it is a fine producer, that’s another I rarely drink and almost never buy (for no real reason; it just happens). The Pomerols I tend to buy somewhat regularly are VCC, l’Evangile, La Conseillant and La Fleur Pétrus. I buy Lafleur once in a while. I’ve only ever had Le Pin twice (not my bottles). I remember liking them well enough; but thinking them not worth the price - but that’s just me.
That all said, to be able to make a proper comparison, I’d have to try the wines in question at least half blind.
Thanks. I do try. My father raised us siblings having wine with dinners (not every night though). I have done the same with my children; though I’ve tried to teach them about wine more than my father taught us. In our case, the wines were just there to be had if one wanted - he never really talked about them. Conversation about wine at my father’s table was pretty much limited to “Hey, this one’s really good!”.
N,
I hate to ask this, but was the cork branded? (In the photo, all one sees is “Pomerol”.) Even if i could afford Petrus, I’d probably be afraid of purchasing a 15 year old bottle due to fraud risk.
That said, glad you had a lovely family dinner with great wines. Count me as a fan of “off-vintage” (i.e. well-priced) 1999 bordeaux.
Regards,
Peter
Yes, the château’s name appears above the “Pomerol” over two crossed keys (I suppose alluding to the key of St. Peter who appears holding one on the label). If you look closely at the photo where the cork appears, you can just make out the tips of the crossed keys. I didn’t think of turning the cork to show the château name on the cork (as the label shows it prominently anyway).
Oh, I did personally/physically inspect the bottle beforehand (actually two of them; but I passed on the other because of apparent past leakage, low fill, depressed cork) to satisfy myself of its authenticity. I wasn’t overly concerned about it being fake as: (1) everything I looked at checked out; (2) the “run-of-the-mill” fakes are not too difficult to spot; and, (3) the “good” fakes wouldn’t be of such middling a vintage as 1999 - more heralded vintages are the ones more commonly counterfeited by the “pros” (equal risk/lower reward and all - while the 1999 Pétrus isn’t cheap, it is one of the less pricey ones due to the vintage). Upon sniffing, and, eventually, drinking it; I was very satisfied.
Lovely post as usual, and what a grand meal to share with your family. Thanks for elaborating on your sentence or two in the “what did you open” thread. I always get a kick out of your posts.
Thank you, Neal. Our “good stuff” is for family and close friends, right?
My pleasure. I don’t get to write much about wine these days; and am very happy you enjoy reading my posts (however abbreviated they may be compared to before). I remember now why I used to do it so often.
