Drank these last night with ex-eBob moderator John Belden and his wife.
1985 L’Evangile: Expressive nose of black raspberry aromas wrapped in truffle, smoke and a bit of leather. Smooth entry with a very full and lush mouthfeel. Really harmonious and balanced and just drinking great now. Tannins are mostly resolved and what’s left are sweet and fine. Nice lingering finish. 95 points.
1985 La Conseillante: Aromas of red and black fruit. Wine is supple on the palate but could use more concentration. Finish is on the short side. Charming and attractive but leaves you expecting more. 89-90 points.
1989 Chateau Montrose: I’ve had bad luck with this wine and this is the first bottle I’ve tasted that has been a good bottle. Black cherries, cassis, violets on the nose with kind of a forresty note. Still somewhat closed on the palate with some pretty meaty tannins. It’s a huge wine and probably needs another decade to show really well. 91-92 points tonight with a lot of upside potential.
1989 Pichon Baron: Very aromatic cassis, lead pencil, and cedar on the nose. Wine shows great balance and precision. It has good concentration and a rich mouthfeel. Tannins are sweet and extremely fine. Length is moderately long. 94 points.
Interesting, we had an '89 Montrose at Leo’s blind tasting Monday (provided by the great Jay H.!). I agree, it wasn’t so impressive, has a way to go. I’m a Bdx neophyte, but years ago I had a Montrose (from the 60’s, I think) that was really something–fruit, balance, depth, power. This one (so far at least) is a long way from that one.
Just looked on eBob. The '89 Montrose gets high marks from both RP and NM:
Neal M rates 97: … delectable bouquet of blackberry, iodine, blueberry with a touch of seashells, all with exquisite delineation. … medium-bodied but stocky, very well balanced and defined, utterly harmonious with an elegant finish of blackberries, espresso and a touch of bitter chocolate. … Drink now-2020+
This one was nowhere ready to drink and lacked that harmony that Neal found. I’m seeing Neal Saturday so I will tell him he does not know what he is talking about.
Hmmm. Is he in the States? In any case, you can mention that I am a fan of his TNs–his style at a minimum, which is always amusing and informative. But as mentioned I haven’t had many Bdx (which is what he seems to specialize in) so I can’t compare his tastes with mine, except for this one wine.
Paul, thanks for the “update” - I have a mag each of the '85 Evangile & '85 La Conseillante, and I’ve figured I should probably do them mano-a-mano (perhaps also pairing them up with their siblings from '90), so it’s good to know at least one of them still impresses.
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