SURVERY OF BORDEAUX - Our House – Philadelphia (5/16/2009)
The goal here was to sample a wide variety of Bordeaux, new and old. We made a point to add in the 75 birth year wines (for a few of us). We enjoyed a great catered meal by DiBruno Brothers. We had the dry whites with appetizers and dinner. We then enjoyed the Reds and Sauternes with a great array of cheese . Red Hawk (creamy), Carles Roqefort, Bayley Hazen (an American blue) and Ossau Iraty. The Roquefort was outstanding. The creamiest blue I’ve ever had. Great cheese selection, although they did not pair perfectly with the reds.
We paired mostly according to age. After tasting through the reds, we tasted the Pontet Canets and Cos d’Estournels against each other.
We finished with a late late late night J Sparkling Cuvee 20.
Dry White Bordeaux
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2008 Château Turcaud Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Entre-Deux-Mers
Very nice. Pale yellow. Crushed wet stone, minerals, some tropical fruit. Good crispness. A touch of acidity which is a major plus. Good medium finish. Excellent value at under $15. (87 pts.) -
2007 Château Guiraud ‘G’ Sec - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Contrôlée
I enjoyed the Turcaud Blanc better than this. This had a good bit more tropical fruit, pear and some apricot. Good acidity. Not a bad wine and good enough value at $17.50. Very different wine than the Turcaud, which featured minerals and crushed stone, which this had a fruitier profile and a better finish. Good, not great. (86 pts.) -
2006 Château Carbonnieux Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Good white Bordeaux, but I’d pass on this as it is double the price of the other quality dry whites we had. Good acidity. Nice lemony citrus, a bit of honey on the nose. Good tropical fruit and citrus. Average finish. The class is there, but for half the price, I’d prefer the Turcaud Blanc or the Guiraud G. (87 pts.)
70s Red Bordeaux
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1973 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Bricking. See through. Surprisingly nice nose. Secondaries coming through. Leather, tobacco, tar and a touch of spice. There may be some dark fruit in there but it is hard to tell. The palate is relatively flat and sweet. Medium finish. This did not show well in a second taste later in the night in a makeshift Pontet Canet vertical flight. All in all, a surprise, especially on the nose. Drink 'em if you’ve got 'em. (85 pts.) -
1975 Château Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Tasted as wine number two in the flight. The 79 HB was three, so the comparison was very interesting. This showed very well. Bricking around the edges, but some nice color. Nose of leather, mocha, currant, chocolate and maybe a touch of cloves. Smooth on the palate, but the tannins were there and I’m not sure they will ever completely integrate, which would be consistent with other notes I’ve read about the 1975 vintage. Very nice building finish. This still has years ahead of it, but there is no reason to wait any longer. (93 pts.) -
1979 Château Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
This was tasted third in the flight, right after the 75 HB. Darker color than the 75. Bricking around the edges. Surprisingly bright red fruit and minerals on the nose. Far younger nose. The palate was substantially brighter than the 75, but this did not have the same complexity and I am not sure how much more development is ahead of it. Not the same tannic structure as the 75. Finish is decent, but pales in comparison to the 75 finish. On its own, this is a nice bottle of older wine, with a young profile. Tasted right after the 75 hurt it on this night. (91 pts.)
Late 80s/90
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1986 Château Cos d’Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Good bottle of Cos with time left ahead of it. Nice dark color. Bright and spicy nose augmented by some earthy tones, dirt and chocolate. Still rather tannic on the palate with the darker fruit and spice blending well. Very good finish. This should drink well for the next 5-10 years, at least. It showed better than the 96. (90 pts.) -
1989 Château La Lagune - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
I found the 89 and 90, tasted next to each other, to be very similar. The 90 was slightly better, but both wines are drinking very well right now and should continue to hold for another 5 years, with the 90 possibly having a slightly longer life ahead of it. Lighter red color. Minerals, grassy, dirt and light fruit on the nose. Very earthy. Dirt and grass on the palate. The fruit is there as well. Brighter red fruit and some sweeter tannins. Medium finish. (88 pts.) -
1990 Château La Lagune - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Very nice wine. Deeper color than the 89. Young nose. Bright fruit, floral and less earth and dirt than the 89. Some secondary nose poking through. Very nice palate. Good fruit and nice sweet tannins. Good finish. (89 pts.)
Late 90s
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1998 Château Pavie Decesse - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Very impressive at the tasting. Nice deep dark reddish-purple color. Ripe blue right, red cherry liqueur and sweet oak on the nose. Smooth palate with great combination of fruit and oak. This had the hedonistic pedigree, though it was not quite there. Great finish. This held up very well against some big left bankers (96 Cos and 96 Pontet Canet) in this flight. This is an excellent wine which is drinking very wel right now. I do not see it with a particularly long life ahead of it – drink within the next 10 years. (90 pts.) -
1996 Château Cos d’Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Not sure what was up with this wine. It may have been a flawed bottle, but the I did not think so, and the consensus was that it was not flawed. Dark color. Big hamster cage nose. Wood chips. Funk. Never blew off. Really off putting. Much more enjoyable on the palate with red fruit, but it lacked the spice and complexity that I expect from a Cos. Medium finish that petered out. For a wine of this pedigree and a wine that still should have a long life ahead of it, this was disappointing. (86 pts.) -
1996 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Deep dark color. Still young on the nose. Red and blue fruit with some underlying tar. Framed by oak. Very nice on the palate. Good tannic structure. Nice and smooth and good finish. This was the 3rd wine of a flight. The 2000 Pontet Canet was the first wine of the next flight. Tasted side by side, this appeared to have a much younger profile but I do not see it lasting as long as the 2000. The 2000 was a bit better on this night. (92 pts.)
Early 2000
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2000 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Absolutely stellar wine. Deep dark color. Nose jumped out. It was like a chocolate covered coffee bean. Mocha and tar. Really interesting. Not a whole lot of fruit on the nose, but thefruit framed well by oak exploded on the palate. Dark fruit, rich and opulent. Sweet smooth tannins. This has a long time ahead of it. Incredible finish that builds and builds. One of the best finishes of the night. (94 pts.) -
2003 Château Le Dome - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion
This is a nice wine, but I was not overly impressed. Bricking ever so slightly around the edges. “Classic” Cab Franc profile. Green pepper, vegetables with a touch of spice on the nose. Somewhat watery on the palate, but only a touch. Smooth with green pepper, dirt, earth and vegetables. Good finish. Again, this is a good wine, but I’m not sure it lives up to all the attention this seems to get. (88 pts.) -
2004 Château Pavie Macquin - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
This was really nice on this night. Dark purple color, with a touch of slight reddish brown around the edge. The nose was a bit austere and required coaxing. Very nice nose. Dark fruit. Some coffee and mocha and a bit of tobacco. Opulent. Coating mouth. Great red and blue fruit. Sweet firm tannins. Nice long finish. This was very good and should only get better with more years. (93 pts.)
2005 Sampling
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2005 Château Pipeau - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Remarkable for a $31 bottle. A testament to the 05 vintage. Deep dark color. Incredible nose. Kirsch, oak, vanilla, gingerbread, cinnamon. Smooth and opulent. Brilliant fruit on the palate. Good tannins and a very good finish. This is still very young and should age very very well over the next 10-15 years. The best value of the night. (93 pts.) -
2005 Château Fleur Cardinale - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Interesting. Nose of crushed flowers. Very floral. Some red fruit. After some coaxing, there is some fruit and spice. Slight bitter note on the palate and a bit tannic. Dry and astringent. Good finish, but a little lacking. This definitely needs time. Coming right after the Pipeau probably hurt this as it did not have the same complexity or hedonistic pleasure as the Pipeau. It may age well and gain some complexity, but it was just a little disappointing tonight. (89 pts.) -
2005 Château Cos d’Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Along with 2000 Pontet Canet, this was the red wine of the night. Absolute stunner that should easily be a 96-98 point wine after all is said and done (the tasting note is based on what I tasted, but the potential is extraordinary). Deep dark color. Complex nose. Coffee, mocha, black fruit, spice. Required some coaxing. This is big and tannic right now, but is still approachable. Black fruit, spice all framed by oak. Coats the entire mouth. Brooding wine. Amazing finish that really never quits, but I had to move on the next wine. Seriously, the finish should be measured in minutes, not seconds. (94 pts.)
Sauternes
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1975 Château Suduiraut - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Wow. Deep orange color. Just amazing color. Orange and brown. Slightly nutty nose with mocha and apricot. Good balance. Butterscotch. Good acidic backbone suggests that this could go several more years. A delicious 30+ year old wine. I expected a little more on the finish, which is the only nit here. Really enjoyable. (92 pts.) -
1990 Château Rieussec - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Not bad. Sandwiched between the remarkable 75 Suduiraut and the sublime 01 Yquem, this got a little lost but was a good wine with a lot of time ahead of it. Lighter orange color. Nose of orange peel and sweet smoke. Very nice palate. Nutty almonds and smoke. A bit cloying on the finish. Not as coating and pleasing as the Suduiraut. (89 pts.) -
2001 Château d’Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
This is an absolute WOW wine. Still so young. I would love to be around to try this in 75 years. What a tremendous way to cap this tasting. Pale lemon yellow color. This nose is stunning. Creme brulee, sweet dough, smoke, sweet tropical fruits and even a touch of mineral. It is a concentrated incredible explosion on the palate. Smoky sweet dough. Amazing crushed tropical fruits. Amazingly long finish that keeps going. This is so sweet and concentrated that the finish may never end. This is a jaw dropping effort that left everyone at the table in awe. The pairing with the incredible Roquefort made it even better. Just a final note. These wines are so expensive. On a price “does not matter” basis, this is amazing. When price is considered, I’d recommend looking at either an off vintage or another highly regarded producer. It’s just hard, absent a truly special occasion, to justify the cost of this. But wow. It’s incredible. (98 pts.)
Late Late Late Night
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N.V. J Vineyards & Winery Cuvée 20 - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
A late late late night finishing touch. Really nice. I was very surprised at how much I liked this. Nice dough and yeast on the nose. Nice and crisp, although maybe a touch tart. Green apple and some citrus. Very nice flavor profile and is a definite buy again. (88 pts.)
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