Getting together with a few folks tonight to check out the 1989 vintage in Bordeaux, with a few other goodies thrown in to keep it interesting. Unfortunately, the weather out here is not cooperating, and I’ve already had one buddy back out due to concerns regarding driving on snowy roads after consumption. Picked up cheeses at DiBruno’s, cannoli at Termini, bread from Sarcone’s and sausages from D’Angelo’s, plus pork tenderloins from my butcher, to provide us sustenance through the evening. Planned flights as follows:
Champagne: 1990 Dom Perignon & an NV Vilmart Grand Cellier Brut
Whites: A flight of 2004 rieslings, as I thought it would be interesting a compare the styles; Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Spatlese, Nigl Privat & Zind Humbrecht Rangen de Thann Clos St Urbain
Red flight #1: All '89’s, Lafon Rochet, Lynch Bages & Meyney
Red flight #2:The '82 & '89 Gruaud Larose & the '89 & '90 La Dominique
Red flight #3:The '88 & '89 La Fleur de Gay and the '89 & '94 Pichon Lalande
Well, that was fun, albeit I am moving a little slowly today. Unfortunately, I was kind of busy doing introductions and other host-related duties, so to be honest, I have more snapshots as opposed to TNs on the Bordeaux.
Wines that stood out to me were the '82 Gruaud Larose, the '89 Lynch Bages, the '88 La Fleur de Gay and the '94 Pichon Lalande. It was noteworthy that all the wines were showing well, with no corked or off-bottles. Given that this group had a pretty wide disparity in terms of wine drinking experience, I didn’t bother canvassing the folks for WOTN or anything like that.
The '82 GL had one of those classic GL noses, which in this environment made it somewhat controversial. I really liked it, but if one is looking for a nose of pure fruit, then this can be a pretty divisive wine (and it was last night).
The '89 Lynch Bages was probably the youngest showing wine last night (as a note, all of these wines were opened about 30 minutes prior to guests arriving, so they were not quite “pop & pour”, but really had no discernible air). Really big, and giving no signs that it is ready for any decline in the foreseeable future - off last night, I could see this wine lasting another 20 years.
The '88 La Fleur de Gay was just rocking last night - it was my WOTN, totally seamless on the palate, fully mature and at least IMO at peak, so if you have it, I’d definitely recommend pulling a cork in the near future to check this out.
And the '94 Pichon was surprisingly tasty - last night, IMO it clearly was superior to it’s more heralded sibling from '89. Very elegant, and at least to me, none of that “green” that folks sometimes find off-putting in this wine. I think a lot of folks were scared off from buying this vintage early on (or perhaps just decided to wait on '95), but wines like this and the '94 Angelus are really performing well right now, and given the rep of the vintage, would probably be available for relative bargains today assuming you liked the provenance.
I’m sitting here with a “Day 2” glass of the '04 ZH as I type this - I didn’t have a chance to try it last night, but the nose on this wine is spectacular, sort of like petrol & honey-laced apple/white fruit cocktail. Somewhat austere and virtually bone-dry on the palate - the people drinking the the whites last night all thought that the Donnhoff was too sweet, and if they tried it after this wine, I can understand that opinion, as this wine would be a tough act to follow. Very nice, with a hint of a refreshing bitter note at the very end that sort of brings the curtain down on a great finish.
I think that the '88 La Fleur de Gay has been peaking for the past 15 years. It was so damm good, with all that fruit, very atypical for the vintage. I didn’t seeing it going the distance, but every time I see a TN, it’s of glowing praise. Wish I had bought more of those, since my stash has been long gone…
Jeff, in that regard, it reminds me somewhat of the '82 Petit Village - not in the flavor profile necessarily, but that was another wine that was so damn tasty & fruit-filled out of the gates that you’d never think it would have the “stamina” to get to adulthood, and yet it keeps on delivering the goods years after you thought it would begin to decline. Interestingly, I used to think that the '88 & '89 LFdG were neck & neck years ago in terms of overall quality, but the last two times I’ve had them side-by-side, the '88 was the clearly superior wine.
Just sipping on a last glass of the '89 Meyney. Probably a wine our Brit buddies would refer to as a “lunchtime claret”, which is not a bad accolade 20 years on for a wine that was probably under $20 a bottle on release.
Thanks for the impressions Bob. If you like that GL’ness, then the 82 can be a seminal wine experience for you. I personally love it, but understand why some people are turned off by it.
Great to hear about the 94 PLL. I’ve been hearing some nice notes about 94 Left Bank growths and they seem to be available for much less than their rigid 95/96 counterparts.
Faryan, I think '94 may be the most undervalued vintage for current Bordeaux drinking available right now - I’ve really liked both the Angelus and the Pichon Lalande, and have also enjoyed bottles of the Haut Brion. I think you can still get the Pichon for right around $100, which is a very nice price for a wine that is drinking this well.
Re: the '82 GL, I liked it a lot, although if I had to pick one, I still think I would opt for the '86 - there just seems to be “more” of everything in the '86.
