Bordeaux lunch in late April

[Comte Flaneur]

This was the line up between eight of us

2012 Alfred Gratien Champagne Blanc de Blancs Magnum
2016 Château Lynch-Bages Blanc de Lynch-Bages
2001 Château Duhart-Milon
2000 Pontet Canet
1999 Château Palmer
1998 Château Latour à Pomerol
1997 Chateau Haut Bailly
1996 Domaine de Chevalier (rouge)
1989 Château Léoville Barton
1978 Château Cos d'Estournel
2007 Château Coutet en mag

The only wine which didn’t do anything for me was the Lynch Bages Blanc! Others, including my female companion, loved it.

Most of the reds were slow out of the gate, especially the Duhart and also the Palmer, but both ended up in my top three as they came out of their shells to reveal their class.

The Haut-Bailly 1997 acquitted itself especially well having been pulled off the bench after my Cheval Blanc 1999 was corked and given the lowly reputation of the vintage. It really is in a good place, and showed plenty of exuberance and Graves character. As did the DDC 1996, which a couple of years ago was quite an austere creature, which is now singing the Graves high notes from the rooftops. Deservedly this wine just pipped the Palmer to be the group’s second favourite wine.

A good bottle of Leoville Barton 1989 would have been a contender for wotl, but both bottles were noticeably advanced in colour and tea-like on the palate. The first one we tried may have been corked.

The Latour a Pomerol 1998 was the wine I was most looking forward to trying given the reputation of the 1998 right banks. There was plenty to like about it with a lush mocha Pomerol persona, but it just lacked a bit of freshness and lift. Not a top drawer 1998 RB, next to likes of VCC etc.

The Pontet Canet 2000 was a late entrant and was an interesting contrast in style to the more classical and buttoned down Duhart, with a ripe attack, the first vintage of Pontet Canet reflecting a shift towards modernity. I like this wine very much but it was overhauled in the end by the Duhart, which had more than a whisper of Lafite.

Talking of which, the Cos D’Estournel 1978 bore more than a passing resemblance to Lafite 1978 just down the hill and was a pitch perfect example from this Indian Summer vintage. Every one who voted had this as his or her wotl. The magnum of Coutet 2007 was an absolute treat. Is Coutet one of the most under-rated wines in Sauternes-Barsac?

[JimHow]

Mmmm. That timeframe for Duhart seems to have been an apotheosis for that estate in its Lafitelikeness, no? And I rarely see bad notes from the 1997 vintage, they are always a pleasant surprise. I loved our visit to Coutet in 2015, I have six bottles of the delicious, viscous 2014 vintage in my cellar.

[Comte Flaneur]

I wine I think you would love Jim is 05 Duhart - just fab because it is a cool micro climate in a hot vintage

[JimHow]

I have an unopened case of the 2005 Duhart in the cellar, it may be time to give it an open. I know Nicola liked it last year.

[Comte Flaneur]

I am surprised you haven’t opened one already.

[JoelD]

I've been very impressed with some of these older vintages of Cos. They've been the WOTN or close to it with some stiff competition. And all quite similar. 79, 82, 85. So I shouldn't be surprised that the 78 showed well. I know many here don't like recent vintages of Cos, I wonder when this "golden era" ended for it?

I've also enjoyed the 97's I've had. So shouldn't be surprised by the Haut Bailly either. I have a 90 and 95 that have been waiting around for a while.

[Nicklasss]

Great lunch.

On these wines, i had the 1999 Palmer in 2017 that was very good, but promising more in 10 more years.

1989 Léoville Barton : dstgolf brought a bottle in 2019 at a dinner we had in Montréal, and it was the WOTN. A glorious bottle that night.

For Cos d'Estournel, i think it has always been a flashy exotic style since a long time, but always with great fruit concentration too. My memory is failing, can't remember if i had the 1978, but i think Cos ages very well.

I would consider Cos, in a select group with Pape Clement and Léoville Poyferré: these wine have all a very traditionnal terroir side, but also something modernish, they age well and are always performing better than what i expected.

[Chateau Vin]

<<I like this wine very much but it was overhauled in the end by the Duhart, which had more than a whisper of Lafite.>>




10 years back I had 2001 Duhart en magnum in Bordeaux. At that time I commented that until that moment I didn’t know how much I liked the style of 2001 Duhart. Since then, I am trying to get several vintages of Duhart into my cellar every now and then.

I also agree with you Comte that 2001 Duhart is slow out of the gate, which I experienced the same when I had it maybe two years ago...

[AKR]

The 98 La Tour a Pomerol was pretty awesome its first decade and then some. I thought Jacques split a case with me a lifetime ago?

[stefan]

The answer to your question is "yes, and it has been for a long time". I like it that way.

[dstgolf]

Some great bottles Comtes. The 2000 Pontet Canet never disappoints in a modern kind of way but in a similar ilk as Pichon Baron.

The 89 Leoville Barton we had in Montreal a ways back was singing and hopefully yours was as good.

Duhart has been flying under the radar by comparison to many surrounding gems. The 01 was good but not great. The 05 like you say is a baby Lafite in all respects and just superb. I've gone through 2/3 of my 18 bottles and I'm trying to hold off because these are so good. Hard not to drink them once that case is open Jim but you won't be disappointed because this is in a very nice place right now and has been for at least 4-5 yrs. Lots of life but why wait with a case to spread over 5-10 years or more.

The 99 Palmer that I've had a few times has underwhelmed by what we'd like Palmer to be.

[barsacpinci]

Nice notes and line up of wines. Coutet is the largest Sauternes holding in my cellar and the third largest Bordeaux. I’ve always enjoyed that wine.

[jckba]

Same here, I own more Coutet than any other Sauternes-Barsac and and under appreciated sure, but to a larger extent also out of fashion as over the last 10 years, more and more estates have started making / ramped up the production of a dry Blanc.

[DavidG]

Nice report Ian. I wasn’t turned on to Haut Bailly until 2000, when Bruce Bassin called me after seeing my 2000 en primeur order and told me I had to get some. I’m not surprised that the 1997 performed better than expected.

Haut Bailly is the poor man’s Haut Brion.