Your Right Bank hierarchy

[Blanquito]

My winning 3 bottles of the 98 VCC got me thinking about the past and current Right Bank pecking order.

Here’s my list, excluding wines I don’t know (eg La Fleur Petrus), in order of gravitas:
-Cheval Blanc (only had 4 times)
-Le Pin (only had once, but so epic)
-Lafleur (only had twice)
-Trotanoy
-VCC
-Figeac
-Magdelaine
-l’Evangile
-La Conseillante (this would be higher if only considering ‘90 and older vintages)
-Canon (based mostly on ‘89 and older vintages)
-Petrus* (only had 4 times and it’s never really spoken to me like it’s supposed to)
-La Dominique (strictly based on ‘90 and older vintages)
-Certan de May
-l’Arrosee (strictly based on ‘85 and older vintages)
-Le Gay
-Grand Mayne (strictly based on ‘98 and older vintages)
-Gazin

[JimHow]

Petrus never really spoke to me until that '89 Stuart brought to Denver.
Then I said, oh, oookkaay...
It may be the only time in BWE convention history I begged for a second pour.

[Blanquito]

Yeah, that 89 Petrus was awesome and gave me pause on where to rank this chateau (hence the asterisk I added), my only quibble was it showed almost primordially young compared to nearly every other ‘89 that night, even the LLC seemed mature!

Ian’s 90 Petrus — served double blind at Alex’s house just over a year ago — also seemed too young, especially against the singing 96 La Tache, the otherworldly ‘90 Le Pin, and the wildly complex and ethereal ‘71 Haut Brion. At least in this company, the ‘90 Petrus seemed a little clunky and “port-like”, which, despite Parker’s hosannas, is not usually a feature I prize in a table wine

Happy to be disabused of my Petrus ambivalence if anyone is planning a vertical.

[Comte Flaneur]

That is an interesting and tough one Patrick

I would say

1 Le Pin
2 Cheval Blanc
3 Petrus
4 Lafleur
5 Ausone
6 La Conseillante
7 Figeac
8 VCC
9 Trotanoy
10 Lafleur Petrus
11 Magdelaine/Belair/B-M
12 Canon
13 L’Evangile
14 Tertre Roteboeuf
15. Troplong Mondot (post 2016)

[Blanquito]

Nice list, Ian. I’ve never had Ausone.

Interesting how comparatively low you have Trotanoy and l’Evangile down on your list.

[SF Ed]

Fun exercise! Not nearly enough experience to properly create a list, but I would have Angelus somewhere on there, especially the '88 to '98 versions of them.

I would put Cheval Blanc on top from the ones I've had. I'd also rate Trotanoy very highly, along with Ausone and Figeac. Petrus is its own thing - I've had it twice and both times didn't appreciate it nearly as much as others did.

SF Ed

[AKR]

It will be intriguing to see where Belair Monange and/or Quintus fit into these leaderboards after there is some history with them.

[JimHow]

Tour St. Christophe got elevated this year.

[JimHow]

I now have 11 bottles of 2015 Figeac in my cellar, I’m going to try one in the name of science to see if it is as bad as the Orlando Bobbies say it is. Right now it has become the highest rated Cellartracker wine in my cellar at 96 points.

[Blanquito]

Yes, Angelus (pre-2005 at least) needs a spot, good catch Ed.

[Nicklasss]

Very good ang tough question Patrick. Without doing a real ranking, let say that...

Top for me:
Figeac and Conseillante: i liked every bottle i tried.
Cheval Blanc and Lafleur: awesome the few time i had.
Lafleur-Petrus and Trotanoy: two very different Pomerol made by the same owner. Both are normally genious.
Canon : all the 80's. But i felt in love with the 2015 at first sip.
Évangile and VCC: austere, concentrated, take some years but convincing and great.
Ausone: like a "super Magdelaine".

Middle of the pack:
Beauséjour Bécot, Clos Fourtet, Pavie Macquin and Beauséjour-Duffau: all excellent, even if they can feel modern.
Magdelaine: kind of the opposite Tertre Roteboeuf or Angélus, traditional, long aging, can be difficult to like before 15 yo, but when on it right spot, very unique.
Clinet: concentrate and very good, while not the most evident wine.
Bélair: no compromise, not parkerized, traditionnal medium concentration that age well.
Tertre Roteboeuf and Angélus: ripe and a bit sweet, oaky, but still well made and complex style.

Bottom:
Troplong Mondot: overconcentrated to me, no finesse at all. Too big.
Gazin : i never been convinced...

[JimHow]

There were some great Lafleur Petrus back at the end of the last century, 1995, 1998, and 2000, then it got really expensive and I haven’t had it since I don’t think. Jacques and I loved the crazy 16 percent 2010 Troplong Mondot, but I think Ian was down in it in the past year. I’m planning on picking up a few more bottles this month.

[JimHow]

I still have those two cases of 2015 Canon in my cellar, they are too pristine to crack open.

[DavidG]

Never had a Le Pin so it won’t be on my list. And so few Cheval Blanc and Ausone that it might not be fair to rate them, but what the heck, the 82, 90, and 98 left lasting impressions.

1 Petrus
2 Lafleur
3 Cheval Blanc
4 Ausone
5 Angelus (for years, the 80s and 90s were my most purchased and drunk RBs)
6 La Conseillante
7 Canon
8 VCC
9 Trotanoy
10 Figeac
11 L’Evangile
12 Magdelaine
13 Clinet

[Musigny 151]

I did not expect to be so different to most of you. I am doing mine based on current wines and in no paricular order within the tiers.

Top tier
Petrus
VCC
Lafleur
Trotanoy
Cheval Blanc
Ausone
Figeac

2nd Tier
Le Pin
La Conseillante
Lafleur Petrus
Canon

3rd tier
Angelus
Pavie*
La Mondotte*
Latour a Pomerol
Certan de May
Evangile*
Troplong Mondot*
Tertre Roteboeuf*


The * is the modern types. Pavie and L ‘Evangile should be second tier based on terroir, but their recent (and in Pavie’s case non recent) have been a bit of a pig’s breakfast. Troplong Mondot is supposed to be more classic. A friend reported that the 2018 was indeed more classic but not good, so just bought a bottle to try.

[JimHow]

I'm beginning to wonder whether any conclusions about anything can be drawn from the wines of 2018.
Some of my great right bank experiences over the years have included:

1990 Gazin (Along with '82 Figeac, perhaps my greatest right bank experience.)
1994 l'Evangile
2010 Troplong Mondot (A wonderfully crazy experience with Jacques and Jill at my house, all 16% of it.)
1989 Petrus (I've had this twice, a bottle Tommy brought was tight as a witch's anus, the bottle Stuart brought to Denver was my Petrus epiphany.)
1998 l'Eglise Clinet
1995 Cheval Blanc (from half bottle with Houndsong at my house)
1995 and 1998 Lafleur Petrus
1998 Pavie
1982 Figeac
1989 and 1990 La Conseillante that Rob Dayton brought to Stefan's house.
2014 La Mondotte
1990 Beausejour Duffau that Rob Dayton brought to a dinner with me and Nicola in Charlotte.
2014 La Conseillante, BWE Wine of the Year.

[Musigny 151]

Out of curiosity, is a witch’s anus tighter than anybody else’s, and if so, why? Does it have something to do with spell activation, and if that is the case, why is there no mention of it in the Harry Potter books?

[JimHow]

Lol…
I think we have a saying that the weather can be as cold as a witch’s nipple but that didnt quite seem to fit for the backward ‘89 Petrus….

[Blanquito]

My greatest Right Bank bottles of all time (in no particular order):
82 Cheval Blanc (98pts)
82 Lafleur (97 pts)
82 Canon (95 pts on multiple occasions)
82 Magdelaine (95 pts on multiple occasions)
70 Magdelaine (95 pts on multiple occasions)
95 Figeac (96 pts)
90 Conseillante (95 pts on multiple occasions)
89 Conseillante (95 pts on multiple occasions)
90 Le Pin (100 pts)
82 Figeac (94 pts)
90 Figeac (95 pts)
82 l’Evangile (96 pts)
82 Certan-Giraud (94 pts)
82 l’Arrosee (94 pts)
89 Trotanoy (94 pts)
89 l’Evangile (94 pts)
82 Certan de May (95 pts)
82 VCC (94 pts)

Jury out but should be sensational when fully mature:
89 and 90 Petrus
14 and 00 VCC

[Comte Flaneur]

A couple of months ago I recovered some bottles of 1998 Clos De L’Oratoire from a friend’s cellar, which he held for me for since 2007 when I went to America. From the Comtes de Neipperg stable. They were modern in their day at 13.5% abv and are showing quite well, though they do need drinking up. Not the last word in complexity but the fruit held up well. But it wouldn’t get into my greatest hits of the right bank as per Patrick’s list above.