Saturday night dinner at the 2018 convention

[Nicklasss]

I started a different post as writing on my telephone is weird. I have to write short part at a time.

Everybody were ready for the main event, and like always tried to discuss a bit with each attendee, but time go quickly. But this is the best part, talking a bit to the regular and their guests. For the wines in presence, just a top notch selection, reflecting the eternal generosity of BWEers.

[Nicklasss]

The Champagne were a great start, the Krug being rich fruit, gingery, sparkling and saline. Very good concentration. The 2006 Taittinger comtes was a bit lighter, but with good candied yellow fruits, good zest and a bit sweet yeasty style. Both were excellent.

[Nicklasss]

For the reds i'm drinking at a much slowlier pace than most BWEers, always letting the wines breathing a bit in the glass. CabFan poured the 1982 Figeac first, and it was one of the wine i preferred during that night. Great Figeac Cab signature, with dark berries, gravel minerals, concentrated red rasberries and a good core of spices. First time for me and a great 1982 Saint Émilion. The 1998 Figeac was poured shortly after for comparison. Same basic signature, more primary, concentrated and long. A treat now and for 20 more years!

[AKR]

Nice to see Figeac showing the flag

[Nicklasss]

The 1990 Léoville Poyferré was extremely good, in a 1990 concentrated red/purple berries, slightly smoked and roasted. Some spices too. Very very good, still tannic. The 1982 Lynch Bages was excellent, but that bottle was not as good as one i had with JeanFred one year ago. Good old red berry flavors, with a strong graphite Pauillac character. Cherries too. Lighter body, very resolved tannins.

After, i had the 1998 Haut Brion and Mission side by side. I'm on the side of those who preferred the Mission. Great balanced, body, smoky spicey style. Great berries and long medium mouth feeling. The Haut Brion was a bit more oaky to me, with less Pessac character. Was still strong also on flashy fruit and spices, but more one block to me.

I tried the 1982 Gruaud Larose after and probably one of the most powerful nose of the night, with asian spices, roasted berries, soya, sweet smoke, and Cordier funky notes. Powerful in mouth, perfumed, very long, this just a great Saint Julien. Wow.

[Nicklasss]

After, I tasted a bunch of 1998 right bank wines. Clearly a great vintage on that side as I thought the wines were extremely good, and some even still a little closed. The 1998 Pavie Macquin is a big wine, with lot of rasberries, tannins, herbal, blackberries. In mouth, great concentration, pure concentrated fruit, good acidity, and long way to go. The 1998 Vieux Chateau Certan was also a monster. Closed, concentrated, but you could smell and taste the light green pepper of cabernet, but lost in a concentrated darkberries and tobacco. Powerful in mouth, long way to go too. The 1998 L'Évangile was probably one of the more complete 1998 that night, with The 1998 La Fleur-Petrus. But both in their own way. Two tremendous Pomerol, and my favorites 1998 that night. The L'Évangile was having that strong blackberries, truffle and clay earthy character, while the La Fleur-Petrus was rich in plummy fruit (kinda some Conseillante great vintages), concentrated red berries, oaky spices and still that great mineral clay earthy finish. Wow. The 1998 Pavie was not the monster i was expecting. This was my first "Perse" Pavie, i thought it was a brilliant earthy mineral fruity St-Émilion. A real joy to drink, with some angular parts in mouth but the precision is there. I don't know if 1998 Pavie look that way because I drank it at the same time as the super lush 1998 Angélus. Sweet dark red berries, vanilla, invasive in mouth, silky abundant tanins, with a sweet smoky and fruity finish. I don't have any 1998 in my reserve and I'm a bit sad about that.

[Nicklasss]

After, I switched back to the "bigger" Cabernet Sauvignon that night. Bob poured me some 2000 Abreu Thorevilos, a big black berries wines, polished by the years, elegant, just slightly warm at the end. Black prunes, licorice, but not as balance or elegant compared to the Bordeaux. Nonetheless, an excellent Napa style red. Next was a highlight, the 1982 vs 1986 Mouton Rothschild. I tasted them side by side, after they spent 30 minutes in the glasses, and i preferred the lush complex fine perfumed style of the 1982 vs the strong blackcassis structured concentrated 1986. I agree this 1982 was not a 100 points wine, but you can just love the lush sweet purple cassis style, rich spicy oak, elegant perfumed very long caressing finish. Some Pauillac mineral lead on the final. A 98 rating for me. The 1986 is a beast, and my european palate will probably like it more in 15 years. This 1986 was just a more complete, more powerful, longer blackcassis style than the Abreu, with some spices, graphite, rich ripe tannins, with a power that is amazing in mouth. I feel it was as young as the 1986 Pichon Lalande, another big and young 1986. I rated that bottle of 1986 Mouton a 96-97. I guess the room was splitted 50-50 between the two Mouton. A tough call.

[JimHow]

Man that is impressive, Nic, I could barely keep track of what wine was in each of the six glasses before me, especially while socializing with 24 other people. I do agree that the 1998 right bank vintage is an immense vintage. I've always said 1998R is one of the epic vintages of the last half century, and this dinner more than corroborated that. They were all brilliant. If I had to guess at three wines of the night they were the 1982 Figeac, 1986 Mouton, and 1998 La Fleur Petrus. But I also drank 1998 Angelus, 1998 VCC, 1998 Haut Brian, 1998 LMHB, 1998 l'Evangile, 1998 La Conseillante, 1998 Pape Clement (really unfolded nicely), 1998 Pavie (brilliant), and 1982 Lynch Bages, and 1982 Mouton, and the three d'Yquems, and on and on and on....

[JimHow]

We bring great wines every year but we really outdid ourselves this year.
Anyone who is missing these events should really try to get to one soon before we stop doing them.
I predict the 2020 convention, when we celebrate 20 years with the 2000 vintage, will be epic.
It will be in late March/early April 2020. You have been given plenty of notice, I don't want to hear excuses.

[Comte Flaneur]

Thanks for taking the time to record your detailed impressions Nic. Very useful, it really was an embarrassment of riches.

[Nicklasss]

Thanks comte. I'm not totally done with Saturday night. I'll do the same with Thursday and Friday, just give me a bit more time.

I can see I missed some 1998, they were so many.

Nic

[DavidG]

Great notes Nic. I’m with you on the 82 vs. 86 Mouton, but we were in the minority.

The broad range of 1998s was a lot of fun. Enjoyed reliving them through your report.

[Nicklasss]

The three Yquem on Saturday night were all different, and each glorious in it own way. The 1970 was an evolved yquem, but with still so much live and apricots and white honey in it. Light roasted peaches too and old vanilla. Great.

The 1976 was an elegant power type of wine, with the complexity that only Yquem get. Not concentrated or rich, but incredibly balanced and complex, with apricots, acacias flowers, botrytis, mixed with lot of different citrus and a waxy almond, with crisp acidity, excellent amout of sugar, long long long final. Epic.

The 1995 was the same as always, quite rich for the vintage, honeyed peaches, apricots, vanilla, medium botrytis. Thick, rich, but stay medium light in mouth in that long kinda vanilla apricots creme brulée.

A great way to end up a superb dinner.

I did not take any note of what I enjoyed later that night in our room (before we were throw out because of the noise) and in Jim's room, but I confess that the two 1970, Giscours and La Gaffelière, were perfect matured red Bordeaux from that excellent vintage.

Nic

[Musigny 151]

The 1998 might have been a Perse wine, but the consultant at the time was Alain Raynaud not Michel Rolland. I have consistently liked this wine and on one occasion it was so profound I bought a case of it. This wine is atypical of the Perse era, and will surprise you if you are expecting a typically modern Pavie.