California, Barolo and 02 Left Bank!

WINE TALK
1

These were drunk at a bar called Joy in Nishiazabu, Tokyo.

2008 Smoking Loon Cabernet Sauvignon: California,
Big, ripe, round and appealling, with cassis, wood, earth, nice easy drinking wine with plenty going for it, a sort of hidden depth that one wouldn’t expect from the nose. Bramble, some herbs and mint. Easy, nice and a pleasant finish. ***() or [3+3.5+3.5+4~=14+/20 potentially 15.5/20]

2004 Barolo, Serralunga d’Alba; Fontanafredda:
Deep, poised, tar, cassis, plum, a freshness with herbs and mint on the nose…very youthful and fairly heavily oaked but not oppressively so. Fresh, plum, round, big soft tannins, but with some wood tannin that really needs to drop out. A depth and poise, with a lingering finish that points to a very good future, but this needs food/is very difficult to get to grips with now. Plum, bramble, cassis, dark cherry, plum, tobacco, wood, raw leaves, bramble. Leafy, wood, oak, bramble, cedar, cassis finish. Round and rich, but the wood needs to integrate before this becomes enjoyable, but after that the tannins need to soften more… Revisit in 10+ years time. strawberry and tar starting to get through with raspberries and sandstone on the finish.*(+) or [3.5+3+4.5+3~=14+/20 potentially 16.5~17.5/20]

2002 Chateau Lagrange; St. Julien:
Round, deep, plum, cassis, herbs, Rosemary, light, balanced, youthful, restrained but intriguing and lovable. Smoke, tobacco, cedar, currants, earth, soil, iron, minerals. Earthy, and round, very st. Julien with air. Round and warm, this is really good… Round broad, balanced, deep, but already drinking and complex… Herby but not green, and a long cassis, earth, cedar, tobacco, farmyardy finish. The fruit will develop, but this is great to drink now. Very soft tannins. A brilliant effort and shows that there are good wines in this vintage… Intact, for classic Bordeaux this is probably a better vintage than 2004. this will never be the greatest wine ever made, but you can see the development and the future, so why bother with a wine that you have to wait 25+ years for and then you are still hoping? When you can have this! This is a great wine, but perhaps not the greatest, but you live in hope to drink the greatest!*****(*+) or [4+4+4+4.5~=16.5+/20 potentially 18/20]

2

JB,

THe 2002’s are starting to come to light, glad you had a good bottle [cheers.gif]

3

Mike, they sure are… D’Armailhac and LLC have been superb but in need of more time… Ducru, I didn’t enjoy so much, but not a bad wine.

I will be looking out for more 02 Lagrange, and will be cracking a Branaire-Ducru at some point soon, to check in on that as well.

I was dreading the Lagrange last night being corked, but it was brilliant. A top wine, let along of that vintage.