Lunch group- 1st/ 2nd Growth Bordeaux 12/5/14
Our monthly lunch group met earlier in the month to enjoy another stellar luncheon in our private library dining room at the local Santa Barbara Club.
Our wine theme was 1st and 2nd growth Bordeaux and the 4 course menu was created to pair with the wines.
The menu:
FIRST COURSE-
Duck confit with lentil ragout and herbed polenta
SECOND COURSE-
Whole beef tenderloin marinated in chipotle served with faro risotto truffle and stuffed mushroom ratatouille
THIRD COURSE-
Blue cheese & goat cheese
FOURTH COURSE-
Poached pear fritter with homemade lavender ice cream and rompope sauce
The wines:
2012 CHATEAU LARRIVET PESSAC LEOGNAN HAUT BRION BLANC- although not indicated this was sweet enough to suggest some residual sugar; nonetheless, this starter wine offered some really fresh majorly fruity honey apple, peach and honeysuckle; made from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.
FIRST FLIGHT:
2010 CHATEAU DURFORT VIVENS MARGAUX- new to me, a 2nd growth that represented the youngest wine on the day and it showed such with a serious amount of fruit forwardness that was pleasing with rich, flavorful chocolate laced black cherry and black currant; the tannins were very soft and easy on the palate.
2002 CHATEAU RAUZAN SEGLA MARGAUX- this wine showed off lots of terrior with the earthy character I so often find in left bank Bordeaux, the nose gave off lots of spice and dark fruit notes that continued on throughout; it was easy on the palate and had decent length.
2000 CHATEAU PONTET CANET PAUILLAC- this was really shinning with generous gifts of cedar infused black raspberry and black currant delivered in a silky smooth texture past mid palate, then finished with some bracing tannins to suggest there`s a lot of backbone to carry this on to full maturity in many years down the line; it reminded me more of Merlot than Cabernet Sauvignon.
SECOND FLIGHT:
1982 CHATEAU GRUAUD LAROSE ST. JULIEN- we struck gold with 4 brings from this consistently fine producer and all from great vintages; this wine has shown so good over the years and thankfully this bottle carried that expectation forward; it had such fine inviting aromatics and followed up with a taste profile that begged for even more tastes; it was nicely balanced and the fruit had some spicy red cherry, red currant and blueberry which expanded and exploded during the long finish; to make it even more complete, the mouthfeel was so soft and smooth; I`m thinking WOTD, but there so many more to explore.
1983 CHATEAU GRUAUD LAROSE ST. JULIEN- for me, this was unusually evolved and already showing tertiary flavors; Ive enjoyed many 83s and not ever had one this mature and perhaps beyond; it gave up some tart, dry dark fruit with a bit of earth and must, was pretty tannic and finished quite dry.
1986 CHATEAU GRUAUD LAROSE ST. JULIEN- there was a noticeable funk in the nose that I kept hoping would blow away and not lead to the conclusion that this was corked; unfortunately, it was; the muted fruit further verified such, but there were still underlying nuances that peaked though and hinted at the magnificence this wine has without any taint influence.
1990 CHATEAU GRUAUD LAROSE ST. JULIEN- I`ve had many and loved all; this was a little more understated than previous samples; there was some very nice spicy black fruit served up in a medium body, with a soft and easy on the palate sensory input; it was more elegant and sophisticated initially; with time it moved into more complexity and depth and perhaps suggested decanting well in advance for more immediate treasures.
THIRD FLIGHT:
1986 CHATEAU PICHON LALANDE PAUILLAC- after some smoke in the nose, I got some wild boysenberry, plum, black and red currant, all of which continued on through the finish; this seemed quite atypical from previous 86 Pichons Ive tasted, but nonetheless, it was enjoyable.
1996 CHATEAU PICHON LALANDE PAUILLAC- loved the introduction from the aromatics which encouraged more exploration; there was some talc, ginger and mild white pepper spice that accentuated the nice dark fruit.
1982 CHATEAU LEOVILLE LAS CASES ST. JULIEN- early on there`s some talc, coconut and white pepper notes that join in with significant cranberry and cherry flavors riding along to the back end; a different profile than expected, but nonetheless pleasant and enjoyable.
1982 CHATEAU COS d`ESTOURNEL ST. ESTEPHE- a favorite producer of mine for many decades, I looked forward to this one; it had some nice dark fruit from the nose on; there was an earthy overtone throughout and it finish very dry.
FOURTH FLIGHT:
1995 CHATEAU DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU ST. JULIEN- this was one of the stars of the show; it was full throttle with plenty of youthful ripe, fresh fruit forwardness delivered in a smooth, silky texture; a bit of talc and spice topping added to the tastefulness; it was very complex with layers unfolding and had a welcomed long finish; fabulous wine with a long life ahead.
1986 CHATEAU AUSONE ST. EMILION- another looking forward to once spotted in the lineup, this offered some nice spicy black raspberry in a light to medium body; it was seamless and in good balance; delightful.
1990 CHATEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD PAUILLAC- the stunning artistic label done by Francis Bacon depicting a whirling dance about a wine glass only served to entice exploration which was easily obliged; the nose is redolent of toasty plum, prune and blueberry with an earthiness, all prevailing throughout; nice complexity and depth with a decent finish initially, then very dry and abrupt.
1988 CHATEAU LAFITE ROTHSCHILD PAUILLAC- nice mild fruit profile primarily of blueberry and cranberry with earthy terrior showing up yet again; this had a light to medium body, good mouthfeel and OK length; a quality experience.
DESSERT WINE:
2000 DOMAINE WEINBACH VENDANGES FURSTENTUM TARDIVES GEWURTZTRAMINER ALSACE- our prince of sweets delivered again with this delicious sweetie; the taste profile consisted of honeyed peach, pear, apricot, pineapple and honeysuckle, the texture was creamy thick almost molasses like; talk about length, this went on forever and had to satisfy any and all requiring a sweet finale.
As always, our group stepped up with fabulous brings and it is so special for me to have this monthly luncheon as part of the joy of looking forward to sharing special times and wines with others.
Cheers,
Blake
