Dropping in to thank everyone for their great generosity and the warm atmosphere on Tuesday. Anyone who gets the chance to meet up with any member of this week’s Houston crowd should jump at the opportunity.
@Corey.H’s champagnes were delicious and the sort of thing that I would not have sought out for myself, so those were very much appreciated, even if we couldn’t give them the same deep dive that the Bordeaux got.
The Jadot white that @JustinP was a funny case—large-scaled and expressive from the jump, but revealing some more nuanced herbal characteristics when we returned to it later in the evening.
The Conseillante interlude was a blast, with the 2011 and 2014 showing especially nicely for my tastes.
It’d be hard to add to Justin’s initial summary regarding the Leoville Barton, but I’ll add my voice to the chorus of praise for the 1973. I found the 1988 to have an interesting combination of bell pepper and char/ash on the nose while still being concentrated and punchy on the palate. The 2002 was a surprise for me, as recent ‘02s had been a little lackluster (Calon-Segur was just a bit wimpy, and Pontet-Canet was a bit more savory than I’d like Bordeaux to be at this stage). The 2002 L-B was fresh, pleasantly grippy, and had lots of friendly red fruit and caramel. The 2004 was very satisfying—darker in its fruit profile than the 2002, and with soft, plump tannins that would make it a great steakhouse wine. The 2009 was very big, and I have hopes that it will eventually resemble the 1996.
My notes slipped in quality by the time we got to the 2016 and 2017, but the 2016 managed to be structured and powerful while retaining a brightness and elegance to the fruit profile. This is a wine that I’d like to sit with for a while to get a better read on. The 2017 was lighter and more delicate, but I think that this is still a good buy at the right price, which seems likely to remain/become possible given 2017’s reputation. Brandon of AOC was especially generous opening these for a group that included very few actual members of AOC, so I want to shout him out.
I’m polishing off the leftover 2009 Guiraud while typing this up, and Justin’s note is spot on, including his mention of VA, which I didn’t notice until he pointed it out. The VA doesn’t stand out now, but I think that’s helped by my current pairing of smoked blue cheese. Next to a more delicate food, the VA might detract a little. The 1988 Guiraud capped a night of incredible generosity from @Myles_Lup, and it was a fun comparison to have next to the 2009.