The spookiest thing this Hallowe’en weekend is that I went to a Bordeaux auction. A lot of good stuff at the corner table at Tru today. '85 Dominus, '94 Fleur de Gay, and '01 Rieussec were the big standouts.
HDH BORDEAUX AUCTION - Chicago, IL (10/31/2014-11/1/2014)
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NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Grand Cellier Brut - France, Champagne (10/31/2014)
This is a very apple-dominated champagne, both on the nose and the palate. The nose has just a bit of red delicious apple to it, as well as a mild bready note. This is quite light on the palate, with a slightly chalky texture and some green apple acidity and flavour. Alas, the finish comes off a bit harsh and bitter, which sadly detracts a lot from the awesomeness of this wine. (90 pts.) -
2011 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (10/31/2014)
A very lovely and pretty nose with a slight bit of herbaceousness coupled with a gentle touch of oak. There’s also a bit of a pina colada character. The palate is quite sweet and the oak shows prominently as well. Slightly buttery texture. There’s a lot of lively verve and acidity that keeps things from going overboard. Some kiwifruit and mineral on the finish. Not bad. (90 pts.) -
1988 Château Mouton Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (10/31/2014)
Light signs of bricking. Moderate intensity on the nose with relatively muted aromas of dried herbs, red fruit, and a bit of cedar. The palate isn’t too concentrated and intense either. Not giving much now, but to be honest, I doubt there’s much to give. The fruit seems to be drying out a bit, and there’s a lot of acidity and tannin to still work through. Good now, but I’m not too optimistic about its future. (90 pts.) -
2005 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (10/31/2014)
From magnum. There’s a distinctly Californian feel to this wine, with its jammy dark fruit and slight tinge of sweetness on the palate. There’s also a brick wall of tannin, of course, and this is obviously a real baby at this point. Drinking this now feels like punching yourself in the head. Despite the piles of fruit and apart from the tannins, this wine does appear to have some structure, which I hope will be in better display once the overt ripe fruit elements are shed. Not bad, especially for a wine that’s such a darling of Parker’s. (90 pts.) -
1966 Château Cos d’Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (10/31/2014)
So I’ve been watching The Walking Dead lately, and this wine really reminds me a bit of a zombie. A very musty and animale nose, which one of my tablemates described as “partially dead squirrel”. There’s a bit of a sickly sweet quality on the palate… yes, this is in good shape for an almost 50-year-old wine, but it isn’t right either. NR (flawed)
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2004 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne, Montagne de Reims, Champagne (11/1/2014)
Quite an intriguing nose with toasted bread and toasted almonds. The bubbles disappeared quite quickly. A bit of citrus and a lot of toasted elements. Feels a bit hot on the finish though. (90 pts.) -
2000 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru (11/1/2014)
Quite some bottle funk on the nose – some caramel and other weirdness going on, but I managed to swirl all of that crap away in my small pour. Beneath it all is the Raveneau signature – restrained citrus and saline. Actually this is uber salty. Delicious. I’m a fan. (93 pts.) -
2012 Weiser-Künstler Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (11/1/2014)
#03-13, 8.5% abv. A very floral nose with notes of lychee, honeysuckle, pineapple, and other stone fruit. The spice notes I detected aren’t as prevalent now as before – though the electricity is still just off the charts. Incredibly long and lip-smackingly delicious. (93 pts.) -
1985 Dominus Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/1/2014)
Exactly what a Napa cabernet should be. Tons of fruit and richness, lovely secondary characteristics, leather, stems, pencil lead, what more could you really want? A very lithe and pretty wine. (95 pts.) -
1986 Dominus Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/1/2014)
A lot more reserved – a bit of a wallflower compared to the exuberance of the '85. The nose features a lot more leather and dusty earth (a la St. Julien) with the fruit (red cherry and currant) here taking more of a backseat. Another classic, but more in the vein of Bordeaux than Napa. Not on the down trend, though drinking now might provide more fruit. (90 pts.) -
1987 Dominus Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/1/2014)
One of the more austere ones, with quite a bit of green on the nose and palate. The palate is lacking a bit of concentration but there is plenty to like here nonetheless. I love the restraint here – classical and just so well-proportioned. (90 pts.) -
1988 Dominus Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/1/2014)
Bretted up the wazoo. NR (flawed) -
1989 Dominus Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/1/2014)
Slight seepage. The nose on this guy was much better than the palate. Lovely ripe and juicy red fruit and an incredible amount of the cedar and leather. The palate comes off a bit leathery and dried out though, especially in the context of its siblings. (90 pts.) -
1990 Dominus Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/1/2014)
A fantastic nose with tons of spice and red fruit. This one definitely veers towards the Californian side of things with more plush red fruit. This has great balance between the fruit and secondary, though it is showing a bit young. (93 pts.) -
1994 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (11/1/2014)
I’m not wholly sure what happened here. The nose is certainly very perfumed, but I don’t think the palate is quite right – there’s absolutely nothing here. Seems a bit sickly sweet and lactic on the palate though – or it’s very tight. Heaps of tannin still… NR (flawed) -
2001 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, Washington (11/1/2014)
“Oh my god, this is gross.” Served blind, but I knew it was a cabernet. I couldn’t place this as a cabernet as all (it was more grape juice than wine), though I estimated based on the age of the decaying and rotting blueberries and black cherries that this was probably around 10-15 years old. No acidity, but there’s plenty of oak and residual sugar to make up for it. My initial reaction was generous, and calling this “wine” is a charitable endeavour. Certainly not fair to blind someone on a “wine” that has no sense of terroir, place, or even grape! (60 pts.) -
1979 Vieux Château Certan - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (11/1/2014)
Funky and musty on the nose but quite alluring nonetheless. Unfortunately, this completely fell apart into disjoint elements of manure, vinegar, and dirt. NR (flawed) -
1995 Château Pape Clément - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (11/1/2014)
Stinky as an outhouse. NR (flawed) -
1994 Château La Fleur de Gay - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (11/1/2014)
Lovely cherry and a bit of cough syrup on the nose. The palate is refined and aristocratic, with a good amount of stem, leather, tart cherry, and bell pepper notes. Classic and well proportioned in every area. Ready now, but definitely will hold for a few years more. (93 pts.) -
2000 Château Laville Haut-Brion Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (11/1/2014)
Smells like a patisserie that just finished baking something that had an egg . The palate is really, really eggy and ripe. Doesn’t seem like sauvignon blanc at all – this is incredibly rich but there’s a lot of acid to go along with it. Quite good if not exactly what I would expect. (90 pts.) -
2003 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (11/1/2014)
From magnum. Definitely some of the confected ripe fruit from the hot vintage, but this is not over the top. The structure and body leaves something to be desired though, as this comes off as a bit soft and unshaped. Ready to drink now. (88 pts.) -
2005 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru (11/1/2014)
So this has a very pale colour that really isn’t representative of its age. Neither is its red fruited nose, which would evoke '07 more than '05. So lithe and pretty, and somehow, very accessible. Very bizarre, in the context of the vintage. Nonetheless, very, very pretty, as all Lambrays wines are. (93 pts.) -
2009 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (11/1/2014)
Cuvee de Napa? This is more new world than the Dominus we’ve been having. A very offensive nose of coconut and oak, as well as a bunch of overripe fruit. The palate is stripped and empty, and there’s a lot of that oak character showing (and not much else). Some of us thought this might be an off bottle; I’m not convinced there was anything wrong with it – apart from the overripe grapes. (80 pts.) -
1975 Château Montrose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (11/1/2014)
Dead. NR (flawed) -
1998 Château Cos d’Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (11/1/2014)
This is a really austere one, with very little fruit, but more of a herbal and tobacco thing going on. The palate’s like that as well. The attack and midpalate are quite light, but then come the wave of tannins. It will be interesting to see if these things evolve at the same rate, as what freshness remains may well dry out before the tannins come around. (90 pts.) -
2003 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Auslese - Germany, Nahe (11/1/2014)
From half bottle. Nothing overripe about this wine at all. This has plenty of spice on the nose, with a massive bouquet of tropical fruits as well. Perhaps a bit more on the fruit side, as opposed to structure, there’s definitely nothing to worry about in the context of ripeness and this wine. Perhaps a bit more gilded and exuberant than what I’d expect from Doennhoff, but the signature is spot on. An immense vein of acidity (where did that come from?) holds everything together. Wow! (93 pts.) -
2001 Château Rieussec - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (11/1/2014)
From half bottle. So, apparently, I need to buy more 2001 Sauternes. This is incredibly rich, with lots of delicious tropical fruit. There’s something almost Yquem-y with the coconut that goes on here. A bit of a brute, but not in a bad way, this is a giant of a wine that lacks the mineral finesse of a Barsac, but makes up for it in its power. Yes, it’s delicious, but come on, wait the 30 years it needs to become a legend. (95 pts.)
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