My regular Albany area wine group met at the Fort Orange Club to taste 15 bottles of 1982 Bordeaux. The tasting was completely blind to all but one of us (who planned the tasting). We only knew that the wines were supposed to be 1982 red Bordeaux. There could have been ringers, but this time there weren’t. The tasting began at 7:30, ended around 10pm. I included decanting information where I had it. DD means double decanted.
I was able to bring home 3 bottles with a little left in each. Didn’t get to taste them until Sunday (3/1/09) with roast chicken.
Flight 1: Right Bank (plus La Lagune)
With Seared Sliced Tuna with carrot-ginger puree, orange tobiko butter croustade, piquant chili rouille, and wasabi aioli. I skipped the chili and wasabi until after tasting the wines.
Magdelaine
[DD at 6pm.] Complex nose of mulch, woods, and red fruit. Mellow and pleasant in the mouth. A touch tart. 90 Points.
Pavie
[Decanted for 24 hours.] Cedar, red fruit nose. Young, complex, tannic, delicious. Soft. Seems very right bank. Keith agrees. 93 points.
Open 3 days: Cinnamon, dried red berries. Some oxidation, but quite mellow and lovely. 94 points.
Figeac
[DD at 6:30 pm.] Stunning nose of cedar and complex cherries. Bob F says lots of Cab Franc. I think he’s right. This is drinking beautifully now. 96 points. My #3 WOTN.
La Lagune
[DD at 8am.] Musty, woodsy nose. Rich and tannic in the mouth with ripe red fruits and licorice. 92 points.
La Conseillante
Ethereal nose of slate, ripe fruits, and something exotic. Deliciously drinkable tonight! 95 points.
Latour a Pomerol
[DD at 6:30 pm.] Musty, woodsy nose. Dull in the mouth. Not bad, but doesn’t fit in this crowd. I wonder if this bottle was not well treated? 88 points.
Flight 2: St. Julien
With Duck Breast Au Poivre sliced with parsnip-apple rösti, and blackberry port au jus. Some complained this was too peppery but fortunately, mine was not. Delicious duck breast went beautifully with these wines.
Leoville-Poyferre
[DD at 6pm.] Cedar mulch nose. Tart, closed. Should have been decanted longer. NR
Ducru Beaucaillou
[DD at 8am.] Big cedar nose. Big and rich in the mouth. Loads of fruit. Young, tart, backward still! Would be very good now with a steak, but could certainly get better for 10 years or more. Very impressive showing! 93 – 95 points. Group’s #5 WOTN.
Gruaud Larose
[Decanted at noon.] Cedar and spice nose. Silky but still tannic. Rich and elegant. Classic St. Julien. 94 points. (Group WOTN)
Leoville-Las Cases
[Decanted at 2:30pm.] Ethereal nose. Super-long finish. So harmonious. I can’t believe this is this good. The WOTN so far. As good as the other wines have been, this one knocks me off my feet! (Or it would if I wasn’t sitting down.) A profound wine. 100 points. My hands-down WOTN. Group’s #2. [After I wrote this note and score and Bob confirmed that this flight was St. Julien, I guessed that this must be Leoville Las Cases.]
Flight 3: Pauillac
With Skewered Lamb Loin Medallions with ginger-mango-glazed Yukon gold-chèvre custards, and sun-dried fruited lamb glace.
Duhart-Milon-Rothschild
Red fruit and slate nose. Black fruits and tannin in the mouth. Nice length. 93 points.
Grand-Puy-Lacoste
[DD at 6pm.] Huge, tannic, backward. Way too young still! I wonder how long this was decanted? I’ve had much more forward bottles of this. 94 – 96 points.
Lynch Bages
[Decanted at 2:30pm.] Again very young. Maybe I’m getting palate fatigue. This is really good, but it’s hard to be believe it’s 27 years old. Maybe a ringer? 93 – 95 points.
Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
[Decanted for 24 hours.] Much more open nose. Very rich and silky in the mouth. Astonishing length. A wow wine! So sweet. 97 points. My #2 WOTN. Tied for group’s #3.
Open 3 days: Still has that stunning, ethereal quality I love in this wine.
Latour
[Decanted at 2:30pm.] Big cedar nose. Monster wine. Many great wines (like the one just above) build up. Somehow this one builds down. This wine is about depth. The layers go on and on, like steps into an underground fantasy. 96 points. Tied for group’s #3 WOTN.
Open 3 days: More open, showing more depth. A powerhouse of a wine!
Dessert
1983 Chateau de Suduiraut, Sauternes
Lovely, complex, mature Sauternes. It’s delicious, but I’ve reached my limit. 93 points.
Red Wines Ranked by Group Voting
- Gruaud Larose (17 points)
- Leoville-Las Cases (14)
3(tie). Pichon Lalande (9)
3(tie). Latour (9) - Ducru Beaucaillou (7)
- La Lagune (5)
7(tie). Magdelaine (3)
7(tie). Latour a Pomerol (3)
9(tie). Figeac (2)
9(tie). La Conseillante (2) - Lynch Bages (1)
Menu
- Seared Sliced Tuna with carrot-ginger puree, orange tobiko butter croustade, piquant chili rouille, and wasabi aioli.
- Duck Breast Au Poivre sliced with parsnip-apple rösti, and blackberry port au jus.
- Skewered Lamb Loin Medallions with ginger-mango-glazed Yukon gold-chèvre custards, and sun-dried fruited lamb glace.
- Stilton and Gouda with grapes.
- Chocolate Truffle with raspberries.
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}