Love the translucent ruby coloration. Evokes a transparency that carries through to the aromatics and the palate. A nose of dry earth and slightly decayed ground cover, garlic, spicy red fruits, and saddle leather. Not as funky as some of the Cordier stable from the 1980s, but enough hints to keep this old school aficionado with his nose in the Kane stem. Palate is lithe, medium weight - nah, somewhere between medium and light - but lovely blood orange notes, crisp red fruits, and a tangy sweet finish, tannins fully resolved. Amazing that this wine is almost 50 years of age, so lively, yet I must remind myself that I am 59 and even more lively! Granted, I like to think that I smell less funky. And carry more weight. This is a deftly balanced wine that just showcases a bygone era in Bordeaux. I have one bottle left, had one about a year ago, all from excellent provenance. But, these should be consumed. It’s not like these bottles are going to get any better.
Enjoying this home alone, wife out of town. Had a rough day at the office, tomorrow hitting the bike for a long ride with the boys. Tonight is just laying back and enjoying this wonderful bottle of sunshine.
During the pandemic, we had an internet group that met once a week, and we found a way to distribute wines, so that everyone was drinking the same wine.
I think one of the best wines we had was the 1978 Gruaud, which was very perfumed and had one of the longest finishes I have ever had from a Gruaud. An archetypal traditional Bordeaux.
I left a quarter of a bottle under a Repour cork, stuck it in the real fridge. Has taken on a lovely sweet pipe tobacco note. Really lovely. And yes, surprised how this Repour worked on such an old bottle.
It was very floral with pleasing red fruits. The tannins had some length and were pleasant, but the wine was by no means a “baby” that needed more time in bottle.
For the 2017, I could not imagine it getting any better with age, and, in fact, it would seem that with the passage of time the fruit and tannis would only diminish… is my experience different than other Berserkers?
I cannot speak to the 2017, but as Bordeaux matures, the tannins diminish (a very good thing) and the fruit fans out better, and it allows more ancillary and tertiary development. I would be very, very surprised if the 2017 doesn’t improve over time, great Bordeaux requires 15+ years for development. I’ve had the 2016 and the 2019, and I have not been given any indication from that, that this Château has moved in such a modern direction that new releases are drinkable and are what they are.
I guess a lot is personal preference. The tannins and the body in the 2017 were light-medium. I personally would not really enjoy a red wine that was even more diminished with age.
There is no doubt that wine appreciation is very subjective and whatever floats your boat is exactly what is right for your palate. What I’m saying is the purpose of maturing Bordeaux is to allow the structure and the tannins to resolve and soften as the other elements of the wine start to express themselves. For example, this 1978 that I popped had no tannin whatsoever, but it still had structure from the acids. But what it expressed were all of those tertiary, earthy elements that you would not necessarily get on the wine if you are drinking it within five years of release. For many of us, that is exactly what we want out of Bordeaux. And that is what makes Bordeaux special is that it evolves that way. Now that said, from time to time I really do like a young Bordeaux.
I would prefer to say the integration and softening of the structure, which has allowed many wines to mature for 30 or 40 or 50 years, allowing for ancillary and tertiary development. Big tannins a big structured year for Bordeaux just clamp down on the palate, coating the palate, and make it difficult to appreciate everything else, although at the early stage the fruit tends to be rather primary anyway.
If I had to rate the Gruaud L. of the 80ies + 70ies it would be:
1982 - 86 - 85 - 83 - 89 - 79 - 88 - 78 - 75 - 81 - 1970 ( bad bottle?) - but not all side by side … great were also 1961 1955 and (v.good) 1966
BTW: the 1979 was the 1st with the standard Bordeaux bottle - right?
'78 GL tastee old skool action 