Alvear Pedro Ximenez solera 1927. I have very little experience with PX, and even had to google to see if this was actually sherry.
This was unexpectedly lovely. It’s like drinking caramelized brown sugar mixed with browned butter and hazelnuts out of a just-emptied cup of espresso. $30 at K&L, and I’m getting a couple more for my cellar.
WB: Are you sure you want to continue this old conversation? Jim: Sure, why not.
2015 Chateau Coutet Barsac.
Opened last night with a pear frangipane tart dessert. A just okay pairing for me. A glass today by itself was much better. Mannered sweetness with strong “other” components of burnt sugar, cinnamon and oak. I like it. Recommended.
I have learned to never fully judge a Chinato on day 1, as I have often seen them evolve over several weeks, but this is off to a great start.
A more translucent red than I expected, and a brighter profile. It still carries the coziness of the more dense and opaque Chinatos, but with a more welcoming openness. Red cherry, licorice, with of course a wide range of herbs, but that nuance the wine, rather than dominate it. Impeccable balance. This is lovely.
I am excited to see this evolve over the next 2 weeks+
PS - this is not listed as a Barolo Chinato, though I believe it is 100% Nebbiolo. I haven’t yet confirmed the details, but my guess is that this experienced a shorter duration of oak aging, although the grapes may simply come from a plot outside of Barolo.
This was a week ago, but in case people didn’t see my notes from the other thread. Definitely opened some dessert/sweet wines that night, just not for dessert!
Another wonderful all-sauternes dinner. It had been a few years since our last one, but the wines all showed spectacularly, the food was an excellent match, and the company was fabulous. Apologies if my notes are not as thorough as they typically are... at a dinner with 12+ wines this becomes quite challenging.
Appetizer combo + Birds Nest soup
2007 Château Doisy-Daëne - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac (12/3/2023)
From 375mL. Aromatic, honeyed white flowers, slight mint and herbal; balanced, sweet but balanced, elegant, white flowers; finish is medium to medium-plus. I like this more than my previous bottle from 2020. 90 Day 3: Still nicely balanced with more tropical fruit, pineapple. Lovely sauternes, but definitely an unfair comparison with the other wines we had on the table. (90 points)
2010 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (12/3/2023)
Opened the morning prior to dinner. Lovely light golden color; aromatic, honey, white fruits, peach, a hint of tropical; youthful, sweet but balanced, medium-plus acidity, great complexity, a bit of citrus grapefruit pith but not as much as in some vintages, some lemon verbena; long finish. Youthful but perfectly balanced. 94++ Over the evening and on retaste, and in context with some other wines, this was just rocking. Complex, balanced, not too young or awkward. Really spectacular wine that ended up the best of the night for some participants. 95++ (95 points)
Wok-Fried Supreme Broth Maine Lobster
2009 Château d'Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (12/3/2023)
Opened 24 hours prior to tasting and double-decanted. Youthful, a bit of vanilla and oak, tropical fruit; palate is full bodied, rich was but also elegance, some pineapple, lovely complexity; long finish. Really lovely Yquem, still in its youth. In my opinion not quite at the level of ‘01 and it needs decades, but it will eventually be great. 97 (97 points)
Sea scallops & beef tenderloin cubes with cantonese XO sauce
2004 Château d'Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (12/2/2023)
Very light golden-yellow color, lighter than expected for its age, perhaps evolving slowly; aromatic, acacia flowers, slightly honeyed, slight baking spices; palate is medium bodied, some white flowers, alcohol is showing a bit strong right now, medium-plus acidity; finish is medium length, some grapefruit/citrus pith. It's been over 5 years since my last taste of this wine and it doesn't seem to have budged. Last time it showed some improvement on day 2. 93-94 Day 2: A bit more spice on the aromatics, still elegant and floral, white flowers; palate is better balanced though still showing a bit of excess (14%) alcohol; medium-long finish. At dinner (24 hours after opening, including 6+ hours in decanter): Elegant, refined, hard to compare against the 2009 Yquem but beguiling and definitely worth drinking even with some stiff competition. Day 3: Full 48 hours after opening. Color hasn't changed; aromatics continue to flesh out but remain elegant, floral, still some notable botrytis on the nose; palate is showing substantially more spice and elegance than it did when first opened, still showing relatively higher alcohol (14%); finish is getting longer as well. The way this has evolved over days leads me to believe the best days are a decade or two in its future. 94-95+ Day 4: The last bit, possibly just starting to fade from its peak. (94 points)
Peking Duck
2001 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (12/3/2023)
Golden-orange; aromatic, saffron, spices, great complexity; palate is medium-full bodied, lovely complexity, some tertiary but still with plenty of freshness; long finish. 96+ In comparison to the '01 Suduiraut, the Fargues was showing more maturity, more interest for drinking now, though the Suduiraut showed more stuffing for future growth over decades. (96 points)
2001 Château Suduiraut - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (12/3/2023)
Youthful, spices, tons of fruit, fabulous depth, youthful tropical and peachy fruit; palate is full bodied, and richly textured, incredible depth; finish is incredibly long. Perhaps less ready than the 2001 Fargues, but I think higher quality. 96-97 (97 points)
Steamed/Roasted Sea Bass
1988 Château Climens - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac (12/3/2023)
Lighter color; aromatic, white flowers, acacia, honey; palate is medium bodied, elegant, lovely complexity; finish is long. This is quite nice and in an elegant style. 93 On retaste and over an hour in the glass, this continued to improve and ultimately I thought this was better than the '86 Climens and the '88 Coutet. Rating up another two points. 95 (95 points)
1988 Château Coutet Barsac - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac (12/3/2023)
Light color; aromatic, minerals, elegant, light; balanced, elegant, not the longest length but nice. 91 (91 points)
Braised virginia ham with tender greens
1986 Château Climens - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac (12/3/2023)
Incredibly youthful golden; aromatic, white flowers; balanced, elegant, incredibly well balanced, medium-plus acidity; long finish. Not quite as complex as the 88 Climens. 94 (94 points)
Crispy Skin Chicken
1989 Château d'Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (12/3/2023)
From 375mL. Darker golden-caramel; high intensity aromatics, caramel, burnt sugar; palate has richness, absolutely crazy complexity, caramel; long finish. One of the better bottles of this that I’ve opened. Some mentioned that perhaps this was advanced, but I think that's the vintage more than this particular bottle. It's definitely far along the maturity curve, but showing tons of complexity and depth even if it doesn't has as much fruit as the '89 Suduiraut Cuvee Madame. 96 Day 2: Still rich, aromatic, complex, with plenty of toffee and caramel; unctuous but balanced with medium-plus acidity, vibrant throughout the palate. This held up quite well a day later for a wine at this age, but it's no better than when it was first opened. (96 points)
1990 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (12/3/2023)
Golden-orange; aromatic, grapefruit citrus, orange; palate is medium bodied, lovely balance, grapefruit pith, orange marmalade; finish is long. Really lovely, not the most complex but very classic. If this was the only wine served all night, I would have been happy. 93 (93 points)
Salted Egg Crab
1989 Château Suduiraut Crème de Tête Cuvée Madame - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (12/3/2023)
Aromatic, figs, dried apricot, some toffee and caramel; palate is full bodied, rich, toffee, figs; finish is long. I think less complex than the ‘89 Yquem but still rich and very good and showing more fruit. 93 (93 points)
Braised Longevity Noodle with Abalone Sauce
1959 Château Coutet Barsac - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac (12/3/2023)
From 375mL. Toffee and caramel colored; aromatic, nutty, orange marmalade citrus; palate is still slightly sweet but drying out now (Hudak stage 4), nutty, some caramel, some dried fruits; long finish. Really a unique experience to taste a Sauternes at this age. Reminds me of a dry sherry, but not that oxidative. 93, perhaps rating a point higher for the rare experience of tasting a sauternes at this age! Day 2: Alive and interesting, but it has lost a bit of spark compared to yesterday. (93 points)
Tonight we continued checking out nice pairings for a small glass from the Quinta do Infatado 10 year Tawny that we have been sipping at for a couple of weeks. Probably our most enjoyable match yet was tonights performance with a Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffle. The port showed a surprising, but delicious, lightness and delicacy. Definitely quite a chameleon of a drink.
We took our time and paired with savory food, so it wasn’t too bad. Pours were small, 1oz was plenty, and most were spitting. Can’t do it all the time, but nice to do every once in a while. That said, any of these bottles would have worked with almost all the courses, so having one bottle of sauternes with this type of meal would be very reasonable.
. . . Two Tawny Ports opened in the last couple of weeks. First time ever for me.
Tonight I am drinking Ramos Pinto 20 Year Tawny Quinta do Bom Retiro. Delicious. Complex flavors both sweet and spicy. Zero heat or finishing ‘bite’ which leads to no regrets.
Extraordinary and I very recommend giving it a try.
P.S. What a yummy experience pairing this with a slice of homemade pecan pie!!!
2013 Müller-Catoir Haardter Herzog Rieslaner Auslese, a half bottle purchased from Premier Cru (and delivered!) some time ago. A fruit bomb that changed little over the three nights I drank it. I will open my last bottle in another ten years.
Yquem 1936 . Excellent color and fill ( it was recorked at Yquem ). Michael Broadbent did not like it that much , comparing it to Madeira . However , this bottle was super . We were all amazed .
I had 2 other Yquem’s from the thirties ( 1937 and 1939 ) but this one was the best .
For anyone wondering. I have some information here now. After hearing from Alan Manley on this, the wine is 100% Nebbiolo coming from within the Barolo area, and vinified the same way. Some of the juice was from earlier work he did before he was registered as Barolo, and some as declassified Barolo, for the ease of paperwork.
