I’m having a tasting party 3/16. No wine geeks, but people that do enjoy wine.
I like to educate a little and have a little contest.
Anyway, for one of the blind “comparative” flights, I’m planning to open a 95 Arrowood reserve special Cabernet.
I’d like to match it with a 95 Bordeaux, that would show less wood (obviously), and more Bordeaux style.
Any recent experience with these 95s:
Smith Haut Lafitte
Pavilion Rouge
Mouton
d’Armailhac
Lafon Rochet
Pontet Canet
Oh, also, anyone had the Arrowood recently?
And while I’m at it, another flight will be a Paloma CS, Merlot, and palomita Syrah.
I think I’ve got 06, 07,08,09 to choose from. Which would be best now?
Interesting bordeaux list. 1995 is a difficult year – very tannic & tough, but the best have great potential. The Mouton and Pontet Canet are going to be young, young, so I would decant for a good while. I’ve had the Smith Lafitte and d’Armailhac and they are pretty simple wines and did not impress me, but should be drinking OK as should the Pavilion. I’ve not had the '95 Lafon Rochet, but the '96 is pretty decent though still young.
Gary,
95 was first year I bought Bordeaux, and I ended up with a hodgepodge.
I’m reluctant to open the Mouton, and a little worried the Pontet might be too close to a CA Cab.
I was hoping the Smith might be a sexy wine, but your experience is deflating.
I think I’ll open a Smith and a Pavillon before the party to see what I think.
Thanks for your input.
In my opinion it is Smith Lafitte that is much more like California than Pontet Canet or any of the other bordeaux on your list. Smith is making much better wines now than they did in '95. As I say, 1995 is a tannic, stern, backward year in bordeaux, and I’d hold the Pontet Canet or give it a 3 hour decant. I’d guess that all the Cali Cabs are going to “out-fruit” any of the '95 bordeaux . . . but it’s just a guess. Give a report after.
I’ve had 95 Pontet Canet a number of times over the last 5 years or so, and it drinks very well with a modest decant. Will it get better if you wait? Maybe, but it’s definitely not a crime to open one now.
Other than Mouton, I’d guess any of those others are fine as well. I think some of the biggest 95s that are still not ready, though (I just had Cos and Ducru in a blind Napa v. BDX tasting a couple of weeks ago, and both were fiercely tannic and hard, losing pretty badly before a very experienced and pro-Old World tasting group to Montelena, Dalla Valle and Mondavi Reserve 95s; there was also Pontet Canet 95 in the lineup but it was corked).