My good friend John flew up from Los Angeles on business and we had a wine dinner with filet mignon. I will later post the rest of the wines which included a 2001 Sassicaia and a 2004 Corliss syrah from WA state.
2004 Chateau Margaux: decanted for about 2hrs and consumed over the next 5 hrs or so. This was my second tasting of this vintage. Aromas of saddle leather, dirt, blackberries and licorice. At first it was a bit closed and slightly tannic but as it opened up, it revealed (they use that word all the time on forensic files ) the classic bordeaux/margaux characteristics. Full bodied, sweet but not ripe fruit, flowers, delineation of flavors typical of a first growth with richness and balance. Concentrated yet feminine and elegant. After several hours the aroma (as it did the first time) was like walking into a Goodyear tire store if you get my drift. Excellent wine for this vintage
Interesting note, have tried a few lowly 2004s but none of the premiers. Looking at the eP price you couldn’t go wrong. Thanks for the confirmation.
Cheers
Rainer
Bill, you’re most welcome. First, I went to an Italian wine tasting sponsored through Costco back in April. At the tasting I had both the 05’ Sassicaia and the 05’ Ornellaia (among many wines there). The Sassacaia was a monster while the Ornelllia was stunning and polished and my favorite of the tasting. If I were going to buy one, it would hands down be the Ornellia.
As to the 2001 Sassicaia, my first observation in the glass is it seemed a bit “old and worn out” in color. I did not know at that moment it was the 01’ Sassicaia and thought it was perhaps a 15-20 old wine. It was not so much that there was bricking; the color just seemed a bit old and tired. For those who may not know, it is a super Tuscan bordeaux blend with the cab sauvignon being the dominate grape along with cab franc and the 1985 though I have not had it is supposed to be one of the greatest Italian wines ever.
The wine was double decanted (with about a 2 hr decant) and at first (aside from the color) was closed down. As it opened up it showed a bordeaux nose of leather, dirt but with a bit of rasin/date thrown in. On the palate very tannic so we let it sit and moved on to the Margaux. When we got back to the Sasssicaia it had begun to change for the better and did seem to taste like a more mature bordeaux aside from the date/rasin nose and a bit drier than a bordeaux but still very much showing dirt/earth, leather and somewhat sweet black fruit with a somewhat elegant but dry finish.
From the color alone, I can’t see this wine will age a long time and while there is still a fruit showing, for a 2001, it doesn’t have oodles and oodles of fruit. I enjoyed the wine but not as much as the Margaux. I hate giving points but I would say 91-92 points once it opened . Hope this gives you some insight.
TxP, as with the first time no. Neither Shaq, John or I got anything like that. The tasting notes were exactly as I said with even the Goodyear tire store on the nose of the wine about 6 hrs after decanting it. I realize it is not as big as the 05 or 03 but dang it was a good wine. I told you that before you offered to sell it and IMO was far better than the 04’ Haut Brion we had.
Todd, do you have the 05 Pontet Canet? OMFG, while it was less than spectacular the first night, by the third it was amazing. I can only imagine how good this wine will be in 10-15 yrs…96 points (though I hate using points) or MORE!!
I realize that a point score gives us a starting point which is good. On the other hand, it makes prices go up, sometime unrealistically, it gives us expectations of a wine that might not be in our wheelhouse or a wine that was particulary good that night for whatever reason…THAT bottle, the food,the friends and so on. Personally, and you know this, I would rather read the tasting notes and hear someone say things like OMFG, seamless, precise, amazingly balanced, ect. than a numerical number alone. It’s the tasting notes that I feel is more accurate than some numerical score alone. I rest my case
It’s hard to follow points with experts, let alone average joes. Nice notes, btw.
Yes, we found a home for the mutt, at 4:45. The shelter turns off the switchboard at 5:00, when they finish the day’s ugly business of putting down the unwanted dogs. We made it by 15 minutes.
Nice notes on the Margaux or the Sassicaia?? I’ve now had 3 vintages of the Sassicia and I am not sure it’s worth the ticket. I think bordeaux style wines are best made in bordeaux…they do it soooo damn good
I almost feel guilty that you sold the 4 bottles of Margaux to Shaq and I. I could have stuck my nose in the glass the whole night…it really was that good!!!
Thank goodness you got a home for him. He really is cute and I know you will sleep much better knowing you saved another pup!!!
That and the Pape Clement and Cos d Estournel will the the other 05’ left bank non first growths (that I have had thanks to TxP) that will shine. I guess I need to look for the Larcis Ducasse. You will be happy with the half case of 05’ Pontet Canet, especially in ten years and beyond!!
Thanks for the note on the '04 Margaux. 2004 is my anniversary year and we usually celebrate with something from that vintage on the big day. Seeing as how only 4 years have passed, I have been drinking up my chards and pinots but no bordeaux yet. Maybe i’ll crack one of these this year. how long do you think i should decant?
thanks
Rich
Rich, because it was a Monday night, I only decanted it 2 hrs (though it was back in the bottle for about an hour before we started drinking it. The wine really came together about 5-6 hrs later so I would decant it 4-5 hrs. and swirl it a few times during that time. The nose of this wine after 5-6 hrs is simply amazing…if you like the aroma of a Goodyear tire and leather
) the classic bordeaux/margaux characteristics. Full bodied, sweet but not ripe fruit, flowers, delineation of flavors typical of a first growth with richness and balance. Concentrated yet feminine and elegant. After several hours the aroma (as it did the first time) was like walking into a Goodyear tire store if you get my drift. Excellent wine for this vintage ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
(aside from the color) was closed down. As it opened up it showed a bordeaux nose of leather, dirt but with a bit of rasin/date thrown in. On the palate very tannic so we let it sit and moved on to the Margaux. When we got back to the Sasssicaia it had begun to change for the better and did seem to taste like a more mature bordeaux aside from the date/rasin nose and a bit drier than a bordeaux but still very much showing dirt/earth, leather and somewhat sweet black fruit with a somewhat elegant but dry finish.![[emot-words.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/e/ebec068a33f9e1d70995418be41d69d9674a31ac.gif "words"){kind=small}
![[blush2.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/c/c69482ca0320379147926d74fed26a9debedfa0a.gif "blush"){kind=small}
I’ve now had 3 vintages of the Sassicia and I am not sure it’s worth the ticket. I think bordeaux style wines are best made in bordeaux…they do it soooo damn good