My local watering hole (Pub Klemo, Vienna) kicked of their yearly special Christmas tasting yesterday, and with the line-up they have arranged this year, I had to be one of the first to get there. They pour all the wines in to 4 cl flasks and close them with Coravin argon gas to keep them fresh and allow people to come and taste throughout the week. This also allows you to sit with the wines for as long as you like and design your flights. Brilliant set-up and brilliant line-up of wines this year. If anyone find themselves in Vienna this week, I highly recommend going there. With a price of only 250 EUR for all 12 wines, it is surely the best QPR tasting I have ever attended.
They had to change 1 bottle in the line-up before the tasting, but all other bottles were in absolute perfect condition (the inside that is, not the labels) - all coming from the same private collector. I decided to taste through the line-up in pairs and make it a little competition along the way. As a small caveat on the notes it should be said that I am normally a Burgundy drinker and not that much into Bordeaux, but this was nonetheless a very pleasant experience!
Flight 1: Les Forts de Latour 1975 vs. Chateau Pape Clemant 1974
From what I gather '75 is by far the better vintage of the two, and that was also quite apparent in the tasting. The Pape Clemant was relatively simple and the least ‘alive’ wine of the night. Quite pronounced notes of damp cellar, medicine (not in a good way) and burnt green peppers. On the palate some dark fruit was still present along with some dark chocolate bitterness. Not as bad as the vintage would indicate, but clearly my least favourite wine of the night. The Les Forts de Latour on the other hand was brilliant! Very elegant and complex nose with plum, tobacco leaf, cigar box, green pepper and a hint of tiger balm. Kept evolving in the glass. On the palate it still had a bunch of bright red fruits along with some dried meats, and a perfect balance between acidity and melting tannins. Lovely drink, and clearly the winner of this first flight.
Flight 2: Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1966 Magnum vs. Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1983
Both decent vintages to my knowledge. Perhaps too much age between them in a direct comparison, but figured it would be fun to have the two Lafites next to each other, and the 1966 coming from magnum clearly helped. Was initially quite excited about this flight, but actually left a bit disappointed. Both wines were nice and elegant wines, and especially the 1966 completely transcending its age, but they didn’t wow me as I would have expected this estate to do (my first encounter with Lafite, and perhaps a faulty expectation given the vintages?). The '66 was relatively shy on the nose, but very elegant on the palate with some overripe cherries, a good deal of tobacco and some earthiness to it. Lacking a bit weight on the mid palate, and with a somewhat short finish compared to some of the other wines of the evening. The '83 was more giving on the nose with a good mix of dark cherries, casis, tobacco and a bit of smokiness/incense - however I also found this one lacking a bit of mid palate weight and length. In the end a pretty equal flight with no clear winner.
Flight 3: Chateau Margaux 1986 Magnum vs. Chateau Brane-Cantenac 1978
Probably not a fair fight with the Margaux being the bigger wine in a better vintage, but frankly the Brane-Cantenac more than held its own. Both wines were quite big and brooding on both nose and palette, with the Margaux being the more balanced of the two. The Brane-Cantenac had more overt smoke and grilled peppers with slightly faded dark fruits in the back, while the Margaux had a few extra layers with things like plums and a pleasant medicinal note. Overall the Margaux was the better wine, with a very long life ahead of it, but as mentioned the Brane-Cantenac absolutely held its own.
Flight 4: Chateau Gruaud Larose Nicolas 1961 Magnum vs. Chateau Pichon-Longueville au Baron de Pichon-Longueville 1950
The Larose was clearly past peak, with a distinct note of damp cellar (bottle was sound) and a quite one-dimensional palate with fully integrated tannins – to the extent where it was lacking a bit of grip and excitement. An OK wine, but not more than that. The Pichon on the other hand was quite nice, and very impressive for its age. Very ripe plums, dried meat and an almost ethereal quality to the nose. On the palate it was a plethora of sweet dusty tannins, cherries soaked in liquor and some tobacco. Clear winner of this flight and a pleasant surprise in general.
Flight 5: Chateau Mouton Rotschild 1955 Magnum vs. Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion 1959
The red flight with the highest expectations, and it absolutely delivered. Both wines were absolutely outstanding with crazy complex noses and powerful and vibrant palettes. The nose on both kept changing in the glass with the Mouton showing pencil shavings, plums, green peppers, medicine cabinet, tiger balm, cedar and a slight hint of dark chocolate, all in a super elegant package. Palate showed similarly well with same notes, in a very intense and long package with perfectly integrated sweet tannins. A little bit of earth on the back-end that I could have been without, but overall an absolute stunner – and in any of the other flights it would have been the run-away winner, but in this one it was bested. The La Mission was even more complex and with an extra layer of hedonism on top. So much fruit on both the nose and palette still, playful and vibrant. The palate reminded me of a dessert I had in Zagreb last week with local special sort of plums in a crumble – and then a very elegant and ethereal layer of tobacco dusted on top (this was not part of the actual dessert obviously…). My best Bordeaux experience to date, and one of the first times where I was not longing for a glass of Burgundy in the moment.
Flight 6: Port from 1946 (unknown producer) vs. Chateau d’Yquem 1943
The port was very interesting, and quite a pleasant drink – but not overly complex, and not worth a lot note taking. The d’Yquem on the other hand was my favourite glass of the evening, and probably has to make it on to my wines of the year list. Super complex nose with loads of abricot and lightly toasted caramel being the stand-out things, and a super fresh palate with perfect balance between acidity and sweetness, and with an aftertaste that lasted for what felt like half an hour. Add the fact that the grapes were harvested during WW2 and this became quite an emotional experience. I tried to make the small pour last as long as possible, and at the same time was constantly longing for that next sip. A wine that simply transcends what wine should be, and leaves you at a miss for words.
While Bordeaux will still not become my go-to region, it is impossible to not be impressed by the longevity of the wines and the opportunity to taste what feels like pieces of history that they provide!
. Would have jumped into this at twice the price.