In continuing my attempt to thin out my cellar before I move I invited a few friends over for wine last night. I decided to make it a game and pour the wines blind and see if anyone could guess what they were. The only info I gave was that there was a common thread between the wines. Thanks to board member Brad and his lovely wife Pauline for stopping by and my friends Chris and Angie for making some excellent lasagna. Great wines are TRUELY about sharing the experience with friends, even if you are watching the Ravens get their asses handed to them by the Colts!
But first a little starter wine. Brad was upset that I opened one of these without him on Wed, so I figured I would pop a second one for him to try.
2002 Trimbach Frederic Emile - Similar to the bottle I had on Wed with a little less lush and tropical. Petrol, minerals, lemons. Medium weight with late hitting acid. A little disjointed, I think it will hit its stride in 4-5 years and then stay at that peak for a while.
Since I was already opening an 02 from Alsace Brad brought a bottle to compare it with. It was a Zind-Humbrecht and though the label didn’t mention anything, the cork said Vendage Tardive on it. So we weren’t sure what to expect as we poured a few glasses.
2002 Z-H Clos St. Urbain VT - Petrol and dried apricots on the nose with a Gewurz-like spice to it. Showing a lot of late-harvest quality on the nose and the front of the palate with a big mouthfull of orange blossom and white pepper. However once that initial burst hit it quickly became minerally and dry on the finish. Blossomed with air and was a beauty.
Then for the main event I poured four reds blind for everyone. Guessed ranged from Burgundy to Italy with Brad guessing mid 80s left bank Bordeaux. Was he right???
The bags came off and much to everyones suprise…BRAD NAILED IT! (for the most part) excellent work Brad.
The theme was 1985 BDX and all came from a perfect cellar. the capsules on two of the wines were still spinning and ullage was great.
1985 Haut-Bailly - Initially thin and high acid. Hence the Burgundy guess. Fresh cherry, some earthy funk, raspberry and a touch of graphite on the finish. It was still tannic at first and seemed dilute. Air was very kind and turned this into a silky and perfumed expression of Graves. Excellent!
1985 Figeac - Funky, floral nose with mint, rose pedals and red fruits. Classical styled Bordeaux with moderate acid and some graphite. I thought that this was the weakest one, though by NO MEANS a dog. It was lacking the charm of the others, but clearly well made and I think Pauline was very high on this.
1985 Mouton - Deppest color with a tobacco, cedar box nose. Very sweet fruits with some pepper and roses. Big red and black fruits on the palate with impeccable balance and very layered and nuanced. Shows its elegance and class right away and kept improving over the few hours that it lasted. This bottle was showing extremely well. A nice treat!
1985 Montrose - Rich on the palate and funky/ A little polarizing but in great balance if you like a wild ride. Blackberry, mint, cedar. Fullest body with deepest fruit and still some tannin grip on the end. Showing very well and stacked up quite nicely vs the Mouton. It was splittling hairs between these wines.
We all sat around a tasted/re-tasted the wines over and over and had a good time comparing them. They were all so different but exceptionally well made. The Haut-Bailly was Burgundian and soft with charm. The Figeac more stoic but inviting. The Mouton was finesse and layered. And the Montrose wanted to make love to you on a pile of dog shit.
Of course the fun wasn’t over yet. 2 more blind wines come out of the fridge.
1983 Hugel Riesling VT - Brad said Band-Aid, I tasted paper. So…mercaptans or corked…you decide. Either way a flawed bottle.
1979 Weinbach Gewurztraminer VT - Very low ullage so I was worried. Hence the choice to open the Hugel as well, we can all see how that worked out. Luckily this bottle was just divine! Deep gold color with spices, apricots, rose pedals, hazlenut, caramel, lemons, wet stones, etc etc etc. Fruity on the palate but finished spicy, stoney and dry. Quite a treat, the nose on this wine was pretty special.
Anyway, we all had a good time tasting some older wines. I am happy that everything showed so well except the Hugel. Great provenance on the Bordeaux really made for a special treat. I have had a few other 85s recently that were no where near this level.