TNs: '78 Bdx horizontal Ausone vs. Margaux (right vs. left)

WINE TALK
#1

Tonight was an interesting night that saw a face off between right and left bank '78 Bordeaux. To say this was an interesting tasting would be an understatement.

The Margaux showed a great color despite the cork being in horrible shape. This opens with a nice mix of red and black fruit - still youthful and fruit forward. This was a good showing - as I’ve had mixed results so far with my Margaux bottles . The classic note of cedar meets sanded mahogany wood was just awesome. There’s a hint of tobacco and forest vegetation, but not too much . Overall, a youthful showing of a classic Bdx. The wine showed itself consistently well over several hours in the decanter. This is finesse over power with an impressive finish. 95 pts.

Next up, we had the much anticipated Ausone. I have very little experience when it comes to right bank Bordeaux, that said, I was quite surprised at how Cab Franc dominated this was on both the nose and palate. The nose started with some rubber and dried out cranberry, only to give way to the classic herbal/pine that defines Cab Franc. The color on the Ausone is slightly more advanced than the Margaux, but still in decent shape. The acidity keeps this very lively. With some air, the wine took on a nice perfumed floral note - similar to Potpourri. Although the wine shows perfectly fine with no flaws and a decent finish, I’m still left wanting more fruit. 93 pts.
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#2

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#3

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#4

Great job Mark and glad the wines shoved well :slight_smile: out of curiosity why did you serve the Ausone in what looks like the Zaalto Burgundy-glass?

#5

Where’s the food, lad? These wines deserve food and good friends!

Still, nice notes.

BTW, I’ll be in Chicago in July. :slight_smile:

#6

Good notes and photos. I like this Bordeaux vintage and don’t recall having had the '78 Ausone before.

#7

Unfortunately, the other Bdx stems broke in the dishwahser. We are getting replacements soon. The Burg stems are certainly confused as to why they don’t have Pinot in them. [grin.gif]

#8

Interesting…you both chose to have the wines in different glasses…when it appears that one of you could have had them in Bordeaux & the other in the pair of Zalto look-alikes…

Why did you opt to do it this way? (curiosity not condemnation)

#9

Great notes. The 78’s seem to be in their prime drinking window right now.

#10

I was wondering the same thing…Ausone foiled by the burg stems!

Really though, I have had plenty of Bordeaux in burg stems and they show just fine

#11

Man Mark, we have got to teach you to get those corks out in one or two pieces so that you can stop pouring your wines through filters or in this case what looks like a napkin.

#12

agreed. why do you find it necessary to use a coffee filter? I’ve never felt the need to do this.