LUMBER COMES TO MINNEAPOLIS - La Belle Vie Lounge, Minneapolis (9/3/2009)
I had the great pleasure of joining Brad England, Brad Weiss, Mike Wigley, Brian Jackson, and Bill McGuire for an evening of (mostly) Bordeaux at La Belle Vie in Minneapolis. In the spirit of Brad’s “lumber” tastings (go big or go home), we uncorked a bunch of legendary stuff. What an education it was for me to taste through a lineup like this – featuring some of the greatest wines made during the past 50 years, all with impeccable provenance. My WOTN was the otherworldly '61 La Mission Haut Brion, and the '88 La Turque was unreal too. Thanks to Brad for arranging a unforgettable evening, and to everyone in the group for sharing so many treasures.
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1996 Lanson Champagne Brut - France, Champagne
A tasty Champagne showing ripe citrus fruit and nutty flavors. Smoothly textured with nice supporting acidity, this is moderately complex and nicely mature. I would tend towards drinking these up relatively soon. (89 pts.) -
2003 Château Haut-Brion Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Intense gold color. This was a bit slow to unravel at first but constantly improved in the glass, and was in terrific shape by the end of dinner. Very ripe stone fruit, lemon curd, apricot, and honey flavors, with a touch of petrol that grew stronger with air. Full-throttle, dense, and silky-textured, with low but balanced acidity. (94 pts.) -
2004 Lur-Saluces “Y” - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur
A big contrast to the '03 Haut Brion Blanc, this was crisper, lighter, grassier, and much more classically proportioned. Flowers, lychee, and orange blossoms. The palate is fresh and clean, with a long minerally finish. (90 pts.) -
1955 Château Cheval Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Third time tasted; another Vandermeulen bottle from Brad’s collection. A lovely, texturally soft Cheval, well into the tertiary stage of flavor development. Spice cake, black tea, figs, brown sugar, enveloped in mellow red fruit and silk. Moderately long, smooth finish with fully resolved tannins. Really enjoyable; drink up. (92 pts.) -
1966 Château Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Riddled with VA and totally dead. NR (flawed) -
1961 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Second time tasted. A hint of mint/menthol on the initial nose. Gorgeous expansive perfume. Dynamic and full of energy. Beautiful layers of scorched earth, cherries, berries, olives, smoke, and spice cake. Graceful, unbelievably silky texture. Elegance in a bottle. A hauntingly great, utterly captivating, enchanting wine. My WOTN. (99 pts.) -
1985 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Tasted side-by-side with the '88 La Turque. What an amazing duo. More feminine than the '88, the '85 is an ethereally perfumed wine dripping with silky layers of black olives, smoked meat, red fruit, and truffles. Stunningly complex and long on the palate. A beguiling, awesome wine. A great example of the debut vintage of this legendary wine. (97 pts.) -
1988 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Third time tasted. Tasted side-by-side with the '85 La Turque. Initially slightly horsey and reduced on the nose, this quickly pulled itself together in the glass. Stunning dark fruit, scorched earth, bacon, and spice, wrapped in velvety smooth caressing tannins. Explosive and energetic, and considerably more youthful and powerful than the '85, but just as elegant and complex. A fantastic bottle; the best '88 La Turque I have been lucky enough to taste so far. Wow. (99 pts.) -
1986 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Second time tasted. Double decanted approximately 7 hours. Still very young, but nowhere near as closed as the bottle I tasted (from the same source) in early '06. The '86 Lafite is a prodigiously structured, classically proportioned wine with layers of intensely concentrated red fruit, pencil lead, cedar, and sparkly minerality on the long, ripely tannic finish. Power and intensity without weight - a strikingly elegant wine that no doubt will continue to improve for many more years. (97 pts.) -
1970 Château Latour Grand Vin - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Someone at the table described this as an “English claret personified,” which perfectly captures this wine’s personality. This has a more soil-driven than fruit-driven personality – there is plenty of complex red fruit here, but it doesn’t jump from the glass. Layered secondary and tertiary flavors of saddle leather, smoke, and earth in a seamlessly integrated package. Mellow tannins (which no doubt were fierce in this wine’s youth). Really delicious and interesting. (95 pts.) -
1990 Château Montrose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Third time tasted. Single decanted about two hours. Luscious, intense dark fruit, leather, soy, and smoky meat flavors. Slutty, hedonistic and buttery smooth, with a super-long finish framed by ultra-fine, suave tannins. Another beautifully clean, brett-free bottle. (97 pts.) -
1996 Château Latour Grand Vin - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Brief note: gorgeous red/plum fruit, classic Pauillac cedar and pencil lead, already elegant at 13 years of age. -
1994 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
My palate was shot by this point. Showed great, but no detailed notes. -
1989 Château Trotanoy - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
My palate was shot by this point, so no detailed notes. Showed very well – coffee and dark fruit. -
1983 Château Gilette Crème de Tête - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
My palate was shot by this point, so no detailed notes. Big and spicy, with white raisin fruit and good supporting acidity.
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