Week 5 Virtual Tasting Series - Bordeaux - Jud Reis - Kijabe Children’s Education Fund - DEC 23-DEC31

I am a proud board member of this week’s charity, the Kijabe Children’s Education Fund (KCEF) - kcefund.org. KCEF provides financial, technological and strategic assistance to some amazing educators who run private primary schools in the poorest neighborhoods in Nairobi, Kenya, primarily in Kibera and Mathare Valley. Without these schools, children would not get an education. In addition, KCEF provides partial secondary school scholarships for the most promising graduates of the schools, with a particular focus on girls, whose education has traditionally been a lower priority than boys in Kenya. 100% of the funds raised go to assistance in Kenya, as the board covers all the overhead costs for the organization.

With Covid 19, Kenya has been mainly shut down since March, forcing the closure of schools and dramatically increasing poverty in these neighborhoods, since many of these families only means of support is as street vendors. KCEF has pivoted to providing food for the schools to distribute weekly and aid to help them keep their teaching staff afloat. We are hopeful Kenya will be opening back up in January and education can start again.

For this week, I will give a $5 donation for every Bordeaux tasting note and since this is a great season to enjoy an aged claret, will donate $10 for every note on a wine from pre -2000 vintages. Let’s make it a great Christmas week and raise a lot of funds for a great cause!


Jud

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For the cellartracker crowd, here’s a list of Bordeaux region wines in your cellar.

Thanks Brig… for whatever reason, that link only showed the dry Bordeaux whites I have in the cellar!

Thanks, I had appellation as Bordeaux and should be Region. Opps. updated my post and the link in yours too.

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It’s showing up white, red, and sweet BDX for me now! [cheers.gif]

LOL who knew? Appellation or region?

My stickies showed up now. I’ll definitely open a Sauterne for the holidays.

1985 Chateau Lagrange (St. Julien)

I’m liking this - good acidity, ripe blackberry fruit, nice persistence on the finish. The nose has a note that I would vaguely describe as metallic, but I find it more interesting than off putting. As our buddies across the pond might say, a perfect luncheon claret [cheers.gif]

Jud, if you don’t mind my asking, how did you get involved with a charity in Nairobi? Certainly sounds like a worthy cause, but given how “local” the previous weeks have been, I was just curious if there was a personal story behind your choice of this charity.

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Bob - I have spent a little bit of time in Africa, both for business and as a tourist. One memorable trip included a day spent volunteering at a elementary school in Arusha, Tanzania where I experienced first hand both the challenges these kids faced and the incredible thirst for knowledge they showed. This experience, combined with the fact that many of the founders of KCEF are friends I know well from my church is what got me involved, first as a donor and volunteer and then as a board member. Thanks for the note and glad the Lagrange showed well!

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  • 2004 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (12/23/2020)
    Bottle 14 of a case of halves bought as futures in 2005. Finally starting to see some age and nuance, though the backbone of austerity is ever present. The oak is still present on the nose - it is Bordeaux after all, but with time dark fruit, tobacco and cedar emerge in a classic bouquet. It’s still tannic, but I like that. There’s enough fruit to keep it from being punishing. I think ai will speed up my roughly one bottle per year pace, and try to finish these up over the next 2-3 years.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Good thing we packed a btl of bdx!

2015 Clos Badon - young st emilion but solid acidity with blackberry and plum notes. A touch of oak noticeable but in check. Not bad for sipping on the patio in Moorea.

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Got a three pack of these for a song from an online auction. Just picked them up last week. Charity week looks like a great excuse to check them out. Pretty happy with these for $34 per.

  • 1994 Château Cos Labory - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (12/22/2020)
    Lots of depth of color still. Barely any bricking. Not opaque at all. This opens somewhat tight. A bit musty/funky. But it relaxes into a classic expression of cab with cedar, cassis, tobacco and some wood smoke. Plenty of tannin in here. It was actually pretty reserved on night one. Night two is seeing a more open expression on the palate. A nice straight forward Bordeaux. Terrific for the money I bought it for but it’s not going to make you forget the big boys. Lots in the tank here. I’m not familiar enough with '94 Bordeaux to know but given this wine blind I wouldn’t be surprised if it could open maturely in the future.

Posted from CellarTracker

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OK, we’re having lamb chops tonight, so I’ll play!
1999 Château Lestage-Simon
Opens up out of the bottle being pretty classic: tobacco, earth, dark-ish fruit, nice finish, and a nice medium body. Went pretty well with the lamb chops. It’s hard to beat aged Bordeaux from these “lesser” appellations when you can get them in the $25 range.

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I am enjoying the excuses for lunchtime wine.

2014 Château Lanessan
Lovely showing, with a smoky note riding over cassis fruit. Elegant light to mid weight frame that complements food (roast chicken) rather than dominates it. Great to have this in half bottle, but I could easily finish a 750.
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I know, I know we are twisting your arm… nice note! Keep them coming folks, for a great cause!

Going to have most of it with dinner (along with Champagne), but just opened the 2004 Leoville Barton. Another I have been following for years in 1/2 bottle, and it’s showing quite well, if a little less mature than the 2004 Pontet Canet. I love these 2004s, as they are so classic in style. Wish I had really loaded up.

More thoughts later, but have to get back to meal prep.

1971 Mouton Rothschild- Fill was not great, low shoulder, but cork came out intact. Slow oxed for a few hours and then poured without a decant. Significant bricking but still a solid dark colored core. Eucalyptus, tobacco and dark earth on the nose on a quite pleasant older nose. A little thin on the palate, with hints of the same flavors as the nose but a little worn down and watered down. Better bottles should have more punch than this one.

The Barton developed a deeper fruit over several hours. I think it’s basically ready to go from 375ml.

2003 D’yquem. Taking my time with this bottle which has been open since Thanksgiving. Still a glowing honey covered citrus fruit with enough acid to balance. My second D’yquem this year as I have been enjoying Sauternes in lockdown.
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After the swing and miss on the Mouton, went for a back up:
2000 Les Carmes Haut Brion - This is in a great spot. Popped and poured at cellar temp. Lovely dark burgundy color. Gravel, smoky black fruit, black pepper and just a hint of green pepper on the nose. Just perfectly balanced between primary and secondary flavors - tannins mellowed but still great texture and balance between chewy body, bright dark smoky blackberry fruit and fresh acidity. No danger of falling off a cliff, but really in a great spot so I would not wait to open one.

Half bottle of Leoville Barton. 1996 This one did not show quite as we
L as a previous bottle. Fresh, cassis, and just beginning to get some interesting aromatics. Finished quite short short and mono dimensional. Could be this bottle was more backward than the last one.

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