Red Bordeaux dinner with Jeanfred

[Nicklasss]

Last night, we were 6 adults having a nice dinner at our place, with sea scallops as appetizers and bistecca a la fiorentina as main meal. JeanFred was there, so it was time for some red Bordeaux.

We started with two Champagne wines, and i preferred the mineral and precise Pommery to the Beaumont des Crayères rosé. The Pommary has these very nice little bubbles, lot of minerality, light saline style, and decent white flesh fruit. The BdC was a bit more sweet, with decent red berry fruit, rounder style, but still a nice Champagne.

With the appetizers, i opened a 2020 Sancerre Monts Damnés from Pascal Cotat, that was light yellow, really ripe with lot of yellow fruits (yellow apples, apricots), something of white berries, confit lemon, and even some oily tones. Good balance of fat and freshness in mouth, with that fruity élégance of sauvignon blanc, including honey melon. None of the shell minerality or cat wiwi. Tn: 91-92.

Than, we opened two red Bordeaux to compare, the 1999 Vieux Château Certan and the 2000 Château Montrose. Both were great with very different styles. While the VCC was a nice mixture of meat, spices, violet flowers and red berry fruit, with good rasberry freshness and leather in mouth from the Cabernets, the Montrose was what you expect from Montrose, all graphite, black currants, blackberries and light soil tones. Both were long, the VCC with that iron clay and fresh rasberries long finish, while the Montrose had that perfect maturity, austere but also ripe long blackcurrants, sage, graphite final. Both respeçted what was exoected, rating the VCC 93 and the Montrose 95.

We continued with a younger but perfectly drinkable anyway 2009 Château Pichon Longueville Baron. What is amazing is the freshness mixed with lot of concentration and ripeness in that amazing Baron! Dark color, nose and mouth mixing dark chocolate, lot of concentrated blackcurrants, tar, black plums. Powerful, but delicious at the same time, with lot of ripe tannins and also some light lead wooden pen. Excellent and for a long time. Tn: 94-95.

Last red was the 2004 Château Montrose, that was clearly "lighter" than all other reds, but not light at all! Dark color, nose and mouth of dark red berries, black cherries, aromatic herbs, and again good structure and tannic side, with an earthy/sligthly woody finish. At 18 yo, drink well and can be hold some more. Tn: 90-91.

We finished with the 2009 Château Suduiraut, that i alreay wrote that i found very near of Yquem in quality , complexity and balance. Incredibly complex with vanilla, roasted botrytis, honey, peaches, apricots, quince, light spices. Mouth is balance with great power, superb complex presence in mouth, and extremely long. A must if you find it. Tn: 96.

Well a superb evening, but a harder Sunday morning...

[Nicklasss]

From that evening.

[dstgolf]

Nic,

Drinking very well and nice to get JF on site for a dinner.

I've found the 2004 Montrose evolving at a glacial pace with a lot of life left. Typical of the vintage not an outstanding but very very serviceable Montrose. Certainly the 04 pales the 2000 by comparison and the one time I tried the 1999 VCC like the 99 Conseillante not a strong vintage but enjoyable. From experience the 2000 Montrose was head and shoulders over the other two.

Thanks for the notes Nic from Collingwood where I await start of the Canadian Seniors Golf Association Championship tomorrow a three day event coming off a bit of a high winning our clubs Super Senior Division last weekend. Some perks of getting old!!

[stefan]

Excellent collection of wines you had. I see that you saved a glass of Suduiraut for today. Did you drink it with breakfast?

[jal]

Or are you putting it in your cereal instead of Beaujolais?

[JimHow]

Living well in Quebec province.

[jckba]

Nick, nice set of wines and notes and I too love the 2000 Montrose and just curious, what do the Cotat wines generally run north of the border?

[Nicklasss]

Hi jckba, i paid that one 67 $cad (or 50 $usd).

[Nicklasss]

And no stefan or jal, i'm not having Sauternes with breakfast, i don't have your experience to do so!

[Musigny 151]

Sounds like a wonderful evening. Curious the order served, why the Montrose 2000 was paired with the VCC rather than the other Montrose.

[Jay Winton]

The dynamic duo of BWE strikes again. Nice wines and company!

[Nicklasss]

Sounds like a wonderful evening. Curious the order served, why the Montrose 2000 was paired with the VCC rather than the other Montrose.

Hi musigny151. The simple answer : we were supposed to drink only the VCC and the 2000 Montrose. But somewhat, we added the 2 others...

[JimHow]

Ha you beat me to the answer, Nicola, that’s what I was going to tell Musigny151.

[JoelD]

Sounds like a wonderful evening. Curious the order served, why the Montrose 2000 was paired with the VCC rather than the other Montrose.

Hi musigny151. The simple answer : we were supposed to drink only the VCC and the 2000 Montrose. But somewhat, we added the 2 others...

That's how it always goes!

[marcs]

I also posted on the 2000 Montrose recently, my first experience with it - wonderful wine! I got the sense that it had many years (decades?) to go although it was already drinking very well in a crisp and forceful style

[JCNorthway]

Speaking of Montrose, has anyone had any recent experience with the 1995 vintage. I have a few bottles gathering dust, hoping I find them in a good place.