A group of us got together at my favorite NJ restaurant the Pluckemin Inn to drink a few bottles of champagne and a bunch of bottles of La Tache. While all of the bottles of La Tache looked good to excellent, many of them didn’t show as well as they can. Still a fun night.
1981 Krug Collection Magnum was our reception wine. Lots of citrus especially lemon with a bit of minerality as well. Was less evolved than other mags of this and lacked the usual hints of more mature flavors. Not favorite mag of this. Excellent.
1969 Dom Perignon Oenotheque Black Label disgorged in '06 was lights out on the nose alone. Classic DP aromas of smoke, cream, vanilla, coffee, yeasty bread and toffee. A touch of walnuts as well. Smelled rich and tasted even richer. Perfect acidity to balance the creamy roundness. My WOTN as well as several others. Killer minus
1971 Dom Perignon Oenotheque Black label also disgorged in '06. Much more floral and feminine than the '69. Lilacs, violets and perfumed. Was drowned out a bit by the previous wine and would have surely shown even better than it did had it been served alone. Excellent plus.
On to the La Tache
’69 La Tache initially had a soaring nose of a classic La Tache. Good red fruit on the palate. In ten minutes the soaring La Tache nose fell apart and became metallic. The palate soon followed suit. Good thing the bottle was split eight ways and not meant to last over a several hour dinner. Initially
Staggering minus then faded to Very Good plus.
'71 La Tache - DOA - Ouch!!
'76 La Tache - a panalopy of baking spices and autumn on the nose. A touch of steel as well. Some fruit but the palate is a bit austere - typical of the vintage. Excellent
'83 La Tache - lots of menthol on the nose. La Tache would be the last thing I would haave guessed if served blind. This came out of a banded owc and every bottle has been a surprise. Echezeaux bottles have been fantastic, one bottle of La Tache was very diasappointing, this bottle was better but hardly earth shattering. Excellent minus
'87 La Tache - a touch dirty on the nose. Fruit is thin with a lot of acidity. Somewhat shrill. Drink up before the rest of the fruit fades and the acid totally dominates. Very good minus
'78 La Tache - Finally! Classic La Tache soy and Asian spices. Big, ripe fruit and powerful on the mid-palate. Easily the best red of the night. Staggering.
'85 La Tache - Scaled down version of the '78 except the fruit is a bit more stewed. A touch of pruniness also comes out as it sits in the glass. Silky mouthfeel. Excellent
'90 La Tache - while I like this wine I’ve never thought it warranted its reputation nor its price tag. Certainly a very good wine, but for me it lacks complexity and dimensions . Maybe in time it will develop into something more but my $ will be elsewhere. Excellent plus.
'91 La Tache - initially a touch of funk that quickly blew off revealing some classic LT aromas and flavors. Velvet-like texture. Staggering minus.
'93 La Tache - the brightest and most vivid red fruit of all the wines but this like the '90 lacked any complexity and nuance. Excellent
'86 La Tache - DOA with a capital D
'88 La Tache and '89 La Tache - By this point our discussion turned to NCAA football and which was the second best conference after the SEC. While both these wines were fine, neither was memorable. Very Good plus