Post-birthday dinner with JF, including 2 PLL

[Nicklasss]

**DISCLAIMER: DON'T READ IF YOU'RE A PLL FAN, OR LIKE TO BUY MEDIUM AGED WINES ON THE MARKET**

Saturday, MC and me went to J and JeanFred place for dinner. They are always great host, and the meal was spectacular like always: tomatoes carpaccio, beef tartare and crème brulée, all made in a perfect way.

It was time for good bottles, and reading comments about the 1995 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande on BWE or elsewhere, i brought that bottle, being ready to have a great time. Even if PLL is a many BWEers favorite, it has always been an intriguing wine for me, making me having some reserves on it, but hey, the 1995! When JeanFred saw that, he chooses a young PLL, a 2014, to compare. To that, JeanFred added a Les Roses de Jeanne Champagne, a 2013 Taupenot-Merme Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Combe d'Orveau, and a 2002 Château La Tour Blanche.

Les Roses de Jeanne Champagne was a nice starter. Medium light yellow color, nice nose mixing skillfully a rich to a fresh style. Some yeast, breadcrust, very light oxydative notes, to fresh white flesh fruit. Good bubbles, zesty, fruity and rich in mouth, medium long final. Well made and convincing. Tn: 93.

The Chambolle-Musigny was next, showing how Bourgogne can be... transcendent. Nice medium red color, mixing light red with purple. Nose was one of the most surprising, with some blood oranges, white flowers, micro field strawberries, and something mineral. In a dark glass, you could think it is a white wine! The only descriptive for the mouth, it was very "Chambolle"! Chambolle to me is very unique for Pinot Noir. Mixture of perfectly ripe red berries, strawberries, rasberries, creamy, lightly sweet, with red and white flower flavors. Fine tannins, medium density, long highly perfumed final on violet things, minerals and creamy oak. An excellent to great wine. Tn: 94-95.

Next was the 1995 PLL. I bought that wine while in London this summer. The color was still young dark red, with just lightly evolved rims. Nose was slightly unperfect, corked. There was still interest as you could smell concentrated acidic red berries, black currants, porcini mushrooms. Bizarely, the mouth did not had any corked flavors. Nice power in the mouth, with acidic rasberries, blackberries, earthy flavors. Filling well, still some tannic structure, integrated oak, with a long final that is complex but lot of cedar at the very end. As an imperfect bottle, alight deçeption for me, but still enough of things to show what that wine can be. Tn: 93. There was some leftover, and JeanFred told me that the wine was better in mouth after 24 h, but still lightly corked on the nose.

Last red was the 2014 PLL. This Pauillac was young, but promising. Dark red color, with a nice nose made of fresh blackberries, red rasberries, earth and ligh vanilla oak. Hard to tell Pauillac on the nose, but not in mouth. Like on the nose, the wine has concentrated blackcurrant and red rasberry flavors, mixed with oak, but with that intense lead pencil tone. Evolved a bit during the night, adding some blackberry cream, light plums, great tannins. This 2014 was a bit more austere than the 1995, but shorter with a medium length. Will develop more in 10-12 years. Tn : 92+.

With dessert, the Sauternes was just fabulous. I had a 2010 Guiraud, a 2015 Raymond Lafon during the holidays, but this La Tour Blanche was better. Medium yellow light gold color, with a superb creamy intense nose of apricots, peaches, honey, acacia flowers, botrytis, and still some light vanilla oak, sweet spices. Mouth was also complex and intense. Well balanced, just amount of acidity (just a tad more would have been perfect), lot of peaches/apricots/mandarines, completed with complex botrytis roasted mushroom, sweet oak. Perfumed and very long, this is in a very good spot at 20 yo, and will be great for the next 20 I guess. Tn: 95.

A very nice night in great company. I worked to convince JeanFred to come to London, but i know it is not a safe bet.

At the end, i recognize that PLL is surely a distinctive wine, an excellent wine, but did i ever had big love for it? Good question. Lately I've been prefering it's neighbour, the Baron. When i think about a great red wine of Bordeaux, PLL is not in my first 10-15 that come to my mind...

For the 1995 PLL, i bought it at the same time as other red Bordeaux in London, two 1995 La Lagune, two 1995 Haut Bailly, one 1999 VCC. One La Lagune was badly corked. The other La Lagune was drinkable only. This 1995 PLL was not perfect. One Haut Bailly was excellent (I gave the other to Comte Flaneur) and the 1999 VCC was great. BUT minimum 3 bottles over 6 were deception... so what should i buy for March event in London, that would be safer?

[JimHow]

I agree with you on the 2014. I like the Baron better. I only drank one bottle, I have about 8 more.

[Harry C.]

Welcome to the dark side, Nick!

[Nicklasss]

Welcome to the dark side, Nick!

You mean the Sauternes?

[marcs]

I’ve had a lot of corked 1995s. My ratio of corked 1995s runs very high for some reason, higher than any other year I can think of. And I didn’t buy them in London, although they probably came through there as so much US-bound wine does. So it might be about 1995 more than London. I have a few 95 PLLs will have to see how they are.

Kind of disappointing to hear about the 2014 PLL as it got sky-high reviews when it came out. We’ll see how it ages but doesn’t sound great from your description. I have a half dozen of those and a half dozen Pichon Baron from that year, as well as a ton of other 2014s of course

[Comte Flaneur]

Nic - I have had mixed experiences with 1995 PLL - generally an excellent wine but variable and not as soulful or as toothsome as many of the legendary 1980s PLLs.

When I visited the chateau a few years ago Astrid served the 1995 vs the 2008 and I preferred the 2008 on that occasion, but there wasn’t much in it. Fwiw, the 1996 seems to be going through a very awkward stage, based on my last encounter 15 months ago.

I was quite amused by the London angle to this thread. Because the trade here is rather snooty about wines which have been sourced from America!

And as for the 2014? Surely too young my friend. If you are struggling for wines for London I can offer you some options.

[marcs]

Nic - I have had mixed experiences with 1995 PLL - generally an excellent wine but variable and not as soulful or as toothsome as many of the legendary 1980s PLLs.

When I visited the chateau a few years ago Astrid served the 1995 vs the 2008 and I preferred the 2008 on that occasion, but there wasn’t much in it. Fwiw, the 1996 seems to be going through a very awkward stage, based on my last encounter 15 months ago.

I was quite amused by the London angle to this thread. Because the trade here is rather snooty about wines which have been sourced from America!

And as for the 2014? Surely too young my friend. If you are struggling for wines for London I can offer you some options.

Yeah my assumption has always been that London sourced wines are better. They’ve travelled thousands of miles less, and are in a notoriously chilly area of the world (well until recent heat waves anyway)

[jal]

Wonderful Nicolas, happy birthday again.

I love Taupenot-Merme Chambolle and the Combe d'Orveaux is a fantastic vineyard. Actually even the regular Bourgogne Rouge from that producer is excellent. Highly recommended and the prices are still (sort of) reasonable.

I have not tried either the 1995 or 1996 Pichon Comtesse in years. I remember always thinking they needed a lot of time. It seems that they still need time but this is strange, approaching 30, these wines should be singing! After all, the mid 80s PLL were great starting in the mid nineties and are still great. And yes maybe it's provenance but that seems like a cop out.

Well done on a great birthday, Nic, can't wait to see what the jubilee will bring!

[stefan]

Happy Birthday, Nic! Some really nice wines there. Combe d'Orveau from a good producer is better than many Grand Cru IMO.

[Blanquito]

Joyeux anniversaire!

[AKR]

nice notes...I too have not had the 1996 Pichon Lalande in many years.

[Harry C.]

No, Nick, preferring Baron to Pll.