I received an invitation from Francois Mauss, president of the GJE, to attend a special session (half day) in Paris for a tasting of two flights of red wines, blind. Although that is all we were told, it was sufficiently intriguing that Kevin Shin and I accepted the invitation to cross the pond to attend; also there were the stalwarts of the GJE including Michel Bettane, Jacques Perrin, Bernard Burtschy, Olivier Poussier, Marie Ahm, and others.
In front of us, at the venerable Restaurant Laurent, were two flights of wines–11 wines each with 22 total in front of us. The restaurant was a beautiful setting for such an event–we did it in a private room of the restaurant, which for years was a ** Michelin restaurant. For reasons I cannot imagine, it now has one macaroon, but the food I tasted at lunch after the tasting was certainly 2 star food.
The wines on the left were clearly a bit older than the wines on the right, though neither flight would be called “old wines.” I thought the wines on the left had a bit of a roasted quality and I suspected the vintage might be 2003. My first guess was Bordeaux; and I thought the vintage on the right could be 2006 because it didn’t have the weight or stature of the wines on the right.
After the blind tasting, before we all gathered for the debriefing in which we would share our thoughts and hear the identity of the wines, several of us gathered to informally share our guesses as to what we were tasting. “Merlot, merlot, merlot” said one seasoned taster. My guess is Right Bank Bordeaux. “I’m thinking Massetto” said another. I thought the wines were from a warm climate, so if not 2003 from Bordeaux, maybe another, warm region? I could believe Italy, and 3 of us thought Italy was a distinct possibility.
Here are the wines, and my notes on them, followed by the aggregate ranking of the entire GJE.
FIRST FLIGHT
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"A bit lighter but lush, round, inviting, good finish. Impressive finish. Some roasted meats on the palate. 93 points. Petrus 2001
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"A touch of vanilla and spice on the nose. A lighter style than its peers. On the palate, meaty and muscular; earthy, structured, slightly tannic on the finish. " 92 points. Ausone
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“Nice, clean notes on the nose. Strong, roasted and meaty flavours; roasted red and black fruits. Good finish. A very high quality wine.” 93 points. Cheval Blanc
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“A bit more restrained on the attack. Dark fruits, slightly tannic. Good structure; vibrant, bold, masculine.” 94 points. Haut Brion
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“Very expressive nose. Quite masculine and powerful. Impressive finish. Some smoke on the nose. On the second taste, supple, rich, well rounded, explosive finish.” 95 points. Latour
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“A bit of cedar, more feminine, not as complex as some of the other wines in the group. Rather basic finish. More of a basic wine than some of the others in the group.” 88 points. Lafite
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“Very expressive nose. Rich and textured with much depth. Smoke and cherries on the palate. Good finish; well rounded wine.” 90 points. Mouton
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"Very complex with much texture and complexity. A masculine wine that is strong on the attach. Some earth and smoky quality with the fruit. Very good finish. 92 points. La Mission Haut Brion
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“Lovely nose with flavours of roasted meats on the palate. Well rounded and masculine. Strong finish.” 91 points. Margaux
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“Rich, masculine, powerful and a bit tannic. Roasted meats and a very strong finish. Minimal tannins but well structured.” 90 points. Reignac
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“Bright fruits on the nose; dark fruits and meat on the palate. Well rounded, well structured with a fine finish.” 90 points. Angelus
2006 Vintage
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“Some vanilla, bright flavours but more light and delicate than the prior flight of blind wines. Very impressive finish. Light on its feet compared to Bibendum-style wines of the first flight.” 95 points. Angelus
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“Some vanilla on the nose, slightly out of balance, with a roasted meat quality and a good finish. A bit tannic on the finish. Fine wine.” 92 points. Lafite
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“Slightly acidic and out of balance. On the palate, some roasted meats with a good finish.” 89 points. Mouton
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“Supple, rich, bold, full, and a bit tannic on the finish. A well balanced wine with a very nice finish.” 93 points. Petrus
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“This wine is approachable and a bit of a lighter style than its peers. Still, it is full, rich with a lovely finish that lasts and lasts.” 94 points. Ausone
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“Very nice on the attack, well structured, full, rich and complex. A bit tannic; lovely finish.” 92 points. Cheval Blanc
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TCA but underneath I detected “gamey roasted meats with a bit of drying on the finish.” NR
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“Lovely nose of vanilla and some spice. A masculine wine that is full and rich and vibrant. Bright on the finish; a wine that totally coats the mouth. Good complexity.” 94 points. Haut Brion
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“Heavy use of vanilla and oak are prominent on the nose. The wine is a touch light on the attack. Minimal finish. Not as complex as some.” 89 points. Margaux
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“Minimally expressive on the nose. More straightforward than many of its peers at this tasting, fine finish.” 90 points. Latour
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“Very good complexity. Well rounded, impressive finish. A touch of oak and vanilla but the finish is very impressive.” 94 points. La Mission Haut Brion
The GJE ranking for the 2001 vintage with all 14 tasters:
Angelus
Reignac
Lafite-Rothschild
Latour
Ausone
Mouton-Rothschild
La Mission Haut-Brion
Petrus
Haut-Brion
Margaux
Cheval-Blanc
The GJE ranking for the 2006 vintage excluding Reignac (TCA):
Haut-Brion
Angelus
Ausone
Cheval-Blanc
La Mission Haut-Brion
Margaux
Latour
Mouton-Rothschild
Lafite-Rothschild
Petrus
A humbling experience but isn’t it interesting how a 15 euro wine can rank up there with wines going for up to 1200 euro or more.