2002 Ch. Lafon Rochet

[AlexR]

Hi,

"Off-vintages" usually - but not necessarily - have at least 2 virtues

- They cost less than the media darlings
- They mature faster

You also feel less guilty about opening them .

Anyway, an unexpected guest turned up to dinner, so with hanger steak and shallots we had this 2002 Lafon Rochet.

This estate is owned by Michel Tesseron, whom I used to work with.

- The color is very deep with thick legs. Showing very little sign of age.
- Forward but undestated nose of fresh fruit, roast coffee, and forest floor.
- Fresh on the palate with up-front, satisfying fruit and the sleekness and class one would hope for from a great growth.
"Melt in you mouth" tannins made my guests think it was a Right Bank wine. Pleasant medium-long aftertaste.
In terms of its development, this wine is just fine to drink now. It will be just as good, in a different way, in 5-10 years but, frankly,
in light of its structure, this suits me just fine at the present time.

Best regards,
Alex R.

[Houndsong]

This was also good right on release. http://bordeauxwine.org/bwe/new/4/117954/

[JimHow]

Wish I could find more 2002 Medocs....

[SteveH]

I bought 18 cases of ' 02s, but I haven't opened any as yet. Maybe it's time to take a closer look.
"Melt in your mouth tannins," sounds much better than first reported when these wines were bottled.

Thanks for your note Alex, but hanger steak leaves me chewing on and on. Not my favorite cut of beef. How do you prepare it to become more appealing?

[Claudius]

Jim,
I bought quite a lot of 02s - the last year I bought the first growths - due to attractive prices and pretty good reviews.

I am not sure if you trust the auctions in the USA, but they are going relatively cheap here.
Of the vintages 00 to 06, they were the cheapest on indent and still considerably lower in price than even 01 and 04.

[Ramon_NYC]

Thanks for the TN Alex.
I tend to agree with Steve, that "melt in your mouth tannin" is something that I didn't expect at this point from this vintage, although, I've not had the Lafon Rochet nor any other 2002 since release. I like the austerity and, imho, the classic appeal of this vintage and I'll be on the lookout for some reasonably priced bottles of this wine.

[JimHow]

Yes, the "austerity" is what 2002 left bank is all about. I love it.
i don't really participate in auctions, Mark, I'm going to try some newly bottled 2006s here in the next month, I'm looking forward to see if they have classic profiles, as I've read in some quarters.

[AlexR]

Steve,

Hanger steak is what thy call bavette here and what the English call skirt steak.

It is a great French classic, and invariably served with shallots, usually slowly cooked in butter.

Hanger steak *is* chewey, but it is also tasty.
Many Americans criticize the texture of French beef and Disneyland Paris had a difficult time finding suppliers at the beginning.
I don't know if it has to do with the breed of cattle or the age at which they're slaughtered or what, but, yes,
beef is often chewier here.

I guesss it's like bread: I love the crustier, chewier variety.
Furthermore, red wine changes the eating pleasure of hanger steak and certainly the digestion of it!

It is cooked at very high temperature very briefly.

In summary, from my perspective - this is all a question of personal taste, of course - beef does not need to be tender to be good. In fact, there's something earthy and satisfying in chewing away!

All the best,
Alex R.

[jal]

Hanger steak is what thy call bavette here and what the English call skirt steak.

It is a great French classic, and invariably served with shallots, usually slowly cooked in butter.

Hanger steak *is* chewey, but it is also tasty.

It is cooked at very high temperature very briefly.

In summary, from my perspective - this is all a question of personal taste, of course - beef does not need to be tender to be good. In fact, there's something earthy and satisfying in chewing away!

I rarely eat the usual cuts of grain-fed American beef anymore. I find they have a tender texture but very little flavor. It started with fillet, where the only flavor I could get was from the sauce and now even rib-eyes and strip have very little flavor for me. I buy hanger (which I thought was onglet, Alex) and skirt or if I feel like eating a rib-eye or strip I look for grass-fed beef for flavor.

One way to make the hanger steak more tender, Steve, is to marinate it. And I usually marinate in a very simple red wine vinegar and olive oil mixture. My kids love it marinated in a bloody mary mix (no alcohol )

[Houndsong]

Grass-fed's the way to go. Even the best cuts have a firmer texture but they are more flavorful than their corn-fed brethren and sistren. I believe they have less fat as well. Bison I find curiously lacking in flavor. Perhaps it's too lean. Yak is very tasty though. We do have a nice custom leat locker (abattoir) in Salida and even though those animals are finished on corn I believe they are very tasty.

[JimHow]

A few yers back Zachy's had a blowout sale of 2002s, they were selling wines like Haut Bailly and Malescot for like 25 bucks each. Sadly I held off and they were quickly gone.

[AlexR]

Hi Jacques,

Your remark made me do a little research.

This is complicated by the fact that we are dealing with:
- different ways animals are butchered in France, England, and America
(you also have "bavette d'alyau" and "bavette de flanchet")
- the difference between British English and American English.

IATE, the European Terminological Database says:
- onglet = skirt steak
- bavette = flank steak

Le Grand Dictionary Terminologique (Québécois) says:
- onglet = back steak
- bavette = flank steak

Patricia Wells food glossary says what I thought (she and I may very well be wrong):
- onglet = flank steak
- bavette = skirt steak

Wikipedia says:
- onglet = hanger steak
- bavette = flank steak

So, this is all very confused...
If you could help me to see things clearly, I'd greatly appreciate it!

You say that onglet is hanger steak in the US. Than what is bavette?
Isn't skirt steak more of a British name?

All the best,
Alex

[William P]

I agree with you Jim about the left bank wines. I with I could find more 2002. I would have thought that there would be super sales of 02 and tons of inventory, but I rarely see them.

[jal]

Ok I'm pretty sure of the following:

Skirt steak = Bavette d'aloyau
Hanger steak = Onglet
Flank steak = Bavette de flanchet

Skirt steak is also the cut used for fajitas in Mexican restaurants, it is a widely common cut of meat in the US these days, found in every meat dept in every supermarket. Ten years ago it was completely unknown.

But you're right, Alex; the butchering is different in France and the US, so that complicates things.

[AlexR]

Thanks Jacques.

In fact, I've copied your answer onto my hard disk for further reference.

Now all I need is a similar reply from an English person, and I'll be all set!

As you know, I'm in the translation business, and most of my customers want British English over here.
I'm not sure what the overlap is.
Perhaps I'll ask on an internet forum.

All the best,
Alex

[jal]

I found some pics on the internet, here are the first two: skirt steak and bavette d'aloyau

bavette d'aloyau.jpg (7.57 KiB) Viewed 2651 times

Skirt.jpg (5.42 KiB) Viewed 2647 times

[jal]

Now for the flank steak and the bavette de flanchet:

Flank.jpg (4.99 KiB) Viewed 2653 times

Bavette de flanchet.jpg (9.31 KiB) Viewed 2650 times

[jal]

And finally for the hanger steak and the onglet:

Hanger.jpg (7.11 KiB) Viewed 2641 times

Onglet.jpg (8.46 KiB) Viewed 2641 times

I think the pictures show the similarities between the cuts. BTW, I made a bavette a l''echalotte yesterday as well and used skirt steak. With dijon mustard on the side , it was delicious. The wine was a very mediocre 2000 Clos du Marquis.

[Ramon_NYC]

The photos are very helpful. Thanks.
Now I know that the marinated hanger steak that I bought from my local butcher last weekend was actually onglet. It was shaped like a small alligator.

[AlexR]

Jacques,

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to post again.

Sorry to hear your 2000 Clos du Marquis was not up to scratch.
We're starting to talk serious money for a wine like that today!

I, meanwhile, had - all on my lonesome, wife's away - a half bottle of 2007 Notre Dame de Cousignac, Côtes du Rhône.
A gold medal winner at the Paris Agricultural Show.
Cost me the princely sum of 2.90 euros.
Went down a treat with good smoked ham, country bread, and cheese.

Best regards,
Alex R.
P.S.: 14.5 % alc./vol., but I still seem able to type