TN: 15+ years 95+ RP Bordeaux dinner at Ruth’s Chris, Tysons

15+ YEARS 95+ RP BORDEAUX DINNER AT RUTH’S CHRIS, TYSONS - Ruth’s Chris, Tysons Corner, VA (2/26/2012)

RJ, Jim C and I planned the dinner only a week prior and most regulars weren’t able to join. We were joined by Scott H, a new member of the group. The last early 4 pm dinner held at Ruth’s Chris was a major success as we had ample time to leisurely enjoy the wines as they evolved and developed with air. I assumed this would be another great serious yet casual dinner until RJ pulled out a bottle of the 82 Latour which made it a bit more serious and a bit less casual, j/k. All the wines showed well and although we only had five Bordeauxs, they comprehensively covered various styles of Bordeaux. The 90 Château Troplong Mondot, extremely ripe and almost port like, the 96 La Mondotte, fully matured sensual garagiste right banker, the 95 Pichon Lalande, very fresh, slightly green traditional claret, the 05 Pape Clement, very modern, big but fresh graves and the 82 Latour, classic grand vin and quintessential Pauillac.
Whites

  • 2009 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge - USA, California, Napa Valley
    Dominant honeysuckle note upon opening. Seashell, quite mineral, bright acidity as well as jalapeno. The palate is clean, mineral, although nowhere near the Auberts, and oily and displays bright acidity. This is somewhat restrained style and especially at the moment. With time, the fruit becomes slightly more expressive, white peaches and pears. It shows a bit more balance. It is interesting to compare against the very expressive 07 which displays more ripe tropical fruits. The alcohol is noticeable for me despite the dense fruits. Impressive wine but my sensitivity to alcohol makes the wine less enjoyable. If one enjoys Kongsgaard style, the rating would be at least 2 points higher I imagine. (93 pts.)
  • 2007 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge - USA, California, Napa Valley
    This is at its peak. Very expressive nose displays mango, papaya, apple, bubblegum and ginger candy. The palate is unctuous. Very impressive fully matured Californian Chardonnay that will not benefit from additional cellaring. (95 pts.)
  • 1987 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
    Started all Sauvignon grassy nose, kiwi and bell pepper. With time more mint, lemon, lanoline and clove. It is a lovely rich wine with bright acidity. (93 pts.)

St. Emilion

  • 1996 La Mondotte - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion
    Upon opening at home for a quick double decanting, a bit disjointed, not expressive and a hint of VA which caused me to take the 05 Pape Clement as a backup bottle. I jot down violet and RJ said the same. The nose displays violet, very ripe black fruits, plum, chocolate, mocha and milk. The palate is unctuous and extremely silky. It is a sensual wine that has been drinking beautifully since the release. It is the most matured of the top 96 Bordeauxs. The nose is not as expressive as the previous bottles, 96-98 pts, as it shows a hint of VA that masks the freshness in fruit expression. Fully matured. (93 pts.)
  • 1990 Château Troplong Mondot - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
    Very port like, licorice, raisins and ripe black fruits. It seems a bit disjointed at the moment and will need additional 10 years of cellaring. The fruit is ample but the ripe port aspects need to be sort out. It is not unlike the 03 Pavie in style. (92 pts.)

Pauillac

  • 1995 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    Showing extremely youthful. Ample primary red fruits with a hint of blackberries, earth and noticeable bell pepper. The palate starts soft and ends with a hint of tannins. Medium concentration with bright acidity. Since 1980 Pichon Lalandes seem to emphasize the freshness and in this case definitely a note of green. This bottle still needs another five to ten years. (92 pts.)
  • 1982 Château Latour Grand Vin - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    Pop and pour, the nose is a quintessential Pauillac, lead pencil, cedar, leather, truffle, cassis and earth. Purchased by RJ in 1986, the color is very youthful. Extremely silky and weightless palate but also shows strong tannin presence. This particular bottle drinks very young and a great example of grand vin claret. Still a long life ahead. (97 pts.)

Graves

  • 2005 Château Pape Clément - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
    Although very young, impressive showing of fresh blueberries, blackberry jam, licorice, violet, ash and earth. The oak component has been nicely integrated and there is definitely noticeable grave note expressed in ash and earth. The palate displays excellent concentration, silky texture and nice integrated tannins. As expected, big and youthful. Some may love to hate this wine but this wine is very promising. It will require a couple hours of decanting but is open for business with the ample jammy primary fruits. (95 pts.)

Sauternes

  • 1988 Château Raymond-Lafon - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
    The 88 Sauternes in general are pretty fat and this is no exception. A hint of petrol, apricot and yellow peach. The palate displays impressive concentration, oily texture and bright acidity. A very good sauternes but seems a bit too fat/flat at the moment. It may still need a few more years to become more precise. It is still very enjoyable nevertheless. (93 pts.)

RJ mentioned that this is the only bottle of the 82 Latour he owned. That was one heck of generous act. When we were all done, four grown men had spent five hours drinking and talking about wines. Another wonderful dinner!
Posted from CellarTracker

You know, I know that it’s supposed to be a great wine, but I have yet to be impressed by a '90 Troplong Mondot.

Jack B and I have talked about the wine on ERP. Too port like and a hint of va. I am hoping that in ten years time, it will become more balanced hopefully like the 47 CB. A few seems to love on CT including Jeff.

RJ coming in with the big guns. Sorry I missed this.

Great notes per usual.

F

Not a fan of the '90 TM…too OTT. I don’t see the comparison to the '03 Pavie. The Pavie has much better acidity and has never displayed the heavy Port qualities that dominate the '90 TM.

Jeff,
The 03 Pavie as you know is one of the ripest Bordeauxs hence my reference. I can’t think of any Bordeaux that is as port like as the 90 TP. I was original thinking of the 47 CB but I figure that would generate even more controversy. I have a lot of the 03 Pavie and I hope it wont show like the 90 TM.

Just realized that RP 95+ would rule out the bulk of my all-time favorite Bordeaux.

I went to buy a a 1990 a few years ago but the retailer talked me out of it. Nuff said.

At our annual wine club dinner ( when we invite our wives ) , I brought the Troplong Mondot 1990 from magnum . This was a mistake : too much alcohol , too sweet , out of balance… I should have brought a Burgundy !

We had a tasting last year where the choice was between the 1990 Troplong and the 1990 Angelus. Finally, my compadre went with the 1990 Angelus, which turned out to be spectacular–floral, energetic, deep all at once. So this is at least one 1990 that is a beautiful wine IMO.

[rofl.gif]

Craig,
Which would that be? I am not a Bob follower but he was spot on in the 80s. It is important to give credit where credit is due.

Parker was never spot-on for my taste. I often felt that wines he rated 91-93 points were better bets for me than those he rated higher. In a lot of cases, my favorite Bordeaux have come from 1979 and 1985, for example I like Pichon-Lalande from those two years more than 1986 and 1996 which I think he rated higher (and also the one 1982 I had, but I was never sure if my bottle was quite right). My favorite La Conseillantes were 1970 and 1985, over 1989 and 1990, though those younger wines might get there. Gruaud Larose: 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1990 are all better than 1982 and 1986 in my opinion. I liked 1986 L’Eglise Clinet more than 1985. In almost all these cases Parker was just scoring “bigger is better” and for lots of Bordeaux it just isn’t the case for me.

There are certainly exceptions. I love 1990 LLC, though it might be interesting to have it with the 1985.

I happen to think that the 82 Gruaud Larose is the best since at least 1961. I am surprised that you don’t care for the 89 La Conseillantes and love the 90 LLC based on your post. We all have different preference. Most Bordeaux lovers I know tend to agree that Bob was spot on during the 80s, eg 86 GL, Talbot, Rauzan Segla, 1975 Giscour. I also like the 79s and the 85s but definitely prefer the 82s, 86s and 96s in general.

I didn’t say I don’t care for '89 La Conseillante. I love it. But so far I’ve liked the '85 better, and the '89 and '90 are on the edge of being too much of a good thing.



2012 - 2007 = 5

[And maybe only 4.5 if you were to assume that the grapes were harvested in the autumn, rather than in the spring.]