1998 dinner - mainly Graves and Right Bank

[Comte Flaneur]

Last night at the Sun Street Hotel in the City of London

To kick off

2002 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Just loved this. Bready, beady, yeasty, lively, lithe, frisky, fresh, but at the same time rich and substantive, ever so satisfying (94)


Flight one

1998 Domaine de Chevalier - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Classical Graves leitmotifs here, starting with scorched earth, gravel/asphalt/tar, tobacco leaf and some meaty bloody notes; lifted, it has a bright sunny personality. However while its flight mates evolved in a positive way this stood still, and it perhaps lacks a tad of complexity. Initially I pencilled in 93 but I settled on (92)

1998 Château Haut-Bailly - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
This starts out more reticent and less effusive than the DDC. But as it opens and warms up it comes out of its shell to reveal a marvellously complex and poised wine with tobacco, spice and dark chocolate notes. And this is the first example of this wine which I would deem to have entered its plateau of maturity. It took a while but was well worth the wait. Exquisite (94).

1998 Château Pape Clément - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
An interesting nose with charcoal and creosote notes, this is the most evolved wine in the flight. It also becomes clear that it lacks the stuffing of its two flight mates, but it nevertheless evolves over the course of evening into a delightful and charming wine, especially upon revisiting towards the end of the revelry. Initially 91, but upgraded to (92).


Flight two

1998 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
A textbook Graves, structured for the long haul with a brooding personality as if it is just waking up from a long slumber, this did not, as might have been expected, stand out head and shoulders above the Graves crowd. But like its sibling at Haut-Brion it has a timeless quality to it and it is only going to get better and better. On the night, however, some of the other Graves wines gave more pleasure. For now (93+)

1998 Château La Tour Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
While there is a lot of like about this, I didn’t quite get the rapturous reception that others gave it. I am not sure what I was missing. Relative to the Mish it lacked a bit of mid-palate density - not necessarily a bad thing - and it is a nicely resolved, complete and satisfying Graves just entering full maturity (91).

1998 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
This was a really pleasant surprise because I did not dig this the last I tried it because I felt it lacked sufficient balancing acidity. While it does have relatively low acidity, and is soft and cuddly, this bottle I thought was gorgeous with a tad of exoticism and metaphorical lingerie lacking in the other Graves wines, with as Neil noted a twist of lemming (93).

1998 Château Clerc Milon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
A late entry into the fray and the only Medoc over the evening. There is more than a hint of a mini-me Mouton here, this wine is perfectly resolved and has entered a tertiary phase with a bewitching entry of bell pepper, cedar, cigar wrapper and warm tiles. It is however somewhat attenuated on the finish reflecting the travails of biblical deluges during harvest time. Still an unexpected treat (91).


Flight three

1998 Château La Conseillante - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
The Graves flights set a very high bar for the right bank flight, but in this flight were some big names. La Conseillante 1998 is always a bit leisurely out of the blocks and sometimes underwhelms somewhat initially. Before it begins to weave its magical charms. Last night was a case in point. It is so seamless and complete and a 98 right bank that has taken longer than most to come round. It is still on that journey. It is subtle, but mesmerising at the same time with complex truffle and tobacco notes as it gently fans out (95)

1998 Vieux Château Certan - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
The 1998 VCC has been drinking very well for at least five years now. It is ripe, rich and exotic, with plummy, berry, tobacco, autumnal and rich fruit cake notes. It is not quite as nuanced as La Conseillante but always a great pleasure to drink (94).

1998 Château Troplong Mondot - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
This exceeded my expectations and was an exotic and delicious wine, and very ripe too, but not OTT. Did not quite have the class of its two senior flight mates, but really enjoyed this (92)

1998 Château Rol Valentin - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Another generous late entry served blind. The limestone on the aftertaste screamed St-Emilion. And so it turned out to be. This wine is in the perfect place now and is drinking beautifully. All it lacked was the complexity of the other right bankers on show, but a wine I would love to own for mid week quaffing (91)


To end on

2001 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
A special treat to end on, both halves were equally good. Beautifully nuanced, complex and perfectly balanced Sauternes (93).

[AKR]

Wow we don't see that much commentary nowadays on the 1998 Graves. Looks like you picked up many of the high profile names

[Blanquito]

Great notes as always, Ian, and very useful as I have several of these in the cellar awaiting the corkscrew. Naturally, your take on the 98 Conseillante is pleasing given the 2 bottles I won recently at auction, but it sounds like the one worth hunting down is the 98 Haut Bailly (and wine I nearly purchased on the shelf back in the day but didn’t, I recall holding a bottle in my hands considering carefully what Bob Parker had to say about it).

It’s interesting to me how Graves has crept up in my internal pecking order through the years — I just seriously dig the style here, when true to its traditional roots — while at the same time always noting how few standout producers Graves actually has. Is there any other famous commune in Bordeaux with only a half a dozen or so great estates? (I guess St. Estephe is similar). Or are there some chateau and domaines in Graves beyond the top dogs I am missing out on?

[Comte Flaneur]

Yes Patrick I think we under-estimate the rich source of estates from Graves, quite a few over-achieving under the radar producers

[SF Ed]

Thanks for the notes. I have a few of these and its always a good reminder to keep aging the big guns (LMHB and La Conseillante).

2001 LP Sautenes is incredibly good. I bought a bunch in 375 and they are as good as any but the big guns in 2001. Only 2 left.

SF Ed

[DavidG]

Thanks for the vivid notes Ian, and happy to see you continue to drink well! A couple of favorites in there. The Chetillons I’m happy to still have a couple of bottles. The Conseillante is sadly gone from my cellar. I wasn’t yet turned on to Haut Bailly when the ’98 was released, sounds like a winner!

[jckba]

Great notes Ian as usual on what looks like a wonderful evening of maturing clarets and that ‘98 VCC takes my breath away every time I encounter it.

[jal]

Just lovely to revisit all these old favorites Ian
Les Carmes and La Tour Haut Brion were both great in their youth.
I remember the 1998 La Mission opened a few years ago as being just incredible, more open and accessible than the 1996 in any case.
The Pape and the Conseillante gave a lot of pleasure the last time we drank them.
Well done my friend.
Jacques

[Comte Flaneur]

Thank you all kindly.

I didn’t post on it but the night before we had a 2012 Barolo and Barbaresco dinner for the summer solstice. Not the ideal wines to be drinking on a warm early summer evening - we have been having great weather - sunny and typically getting up to a maximum of 80F - 2012 is the forgotten vintage in Piedmont too. On last week’s showing it should remain so. These wines were described by one taster as ‘stolid’ which I think flattered them a bit. I found them to be stoical, austere and standoffish. It may be they are at an awkward stage, but there are plenty of better things to drink from Piedmont, like generic Nebbiolos from more recent and exciting vintages.

[Blanquito]

Denver has been super cool and wet so far this May and June, I am loving it.
"According to the National Weather Service, Denverites just experienced the second wettest stretch from May 1 to June 16 since records started in 1872 — a 8.87 inches of rain measured at Denver International Airport (areas to the west received even more). Only the spring of 1876 (!) was wetter, with 9.17 inches of rain in the same period ."

And we've had a bunch more rain in the 10 days since June 16th!

[Blanquito]

Thank you all kindly.

I didn’t post on it but the night before we had a 2012 Barolo and Barbaresco dinner for the summer solstice. Not the ideal wines to be drinking on a warm early summer evening - we have been having great weather - sunny and typically getting up to a maximum of 80F - 2012 is the forgotten vintage in Piedmont too. On last week’s showing it should remain so. These wines were described by one taster as ‘stolid’ which I think flattered them a bit. I found them to be stoical, austere and standoffish. It may be they are at an awkward stage, but there are plenty of better things to drink from Piedmont, like generic Nebbiolos from more recent and exciting vintages.

Massive thread drift into meteorology and piedmont, but is the 2016 vintage really the second coming in Italy?

[Comte Flaneur]

Patrick I would say it is equivalent in status in Piedmont to 2016 in Bordeaux.

It is recognised as the greatest modern vintage of Piedmont, like 2016 is in Bordeaux. The vintage that may challenge 2016’s status is 2021. Both 2019 and 2020 are very promising too.

[robert goulet]

Baller champagne!!
Thanx for the notes... I think the only 1998 Graves bordeau I have is the LaTour Haut Brion... I've actually never had this producer, but every time I see one I try to pick one up...I have about four bottles of different vintages

[Nicklasss]

Nice tasting, and great report Ian.

1998 has favored Right bank and Graves, and you clearly say that.

Carmes Haut Brion is great stuff to me. The 2000 i found amazing, and i would like to taste the 1998. Only vintage i have at home is 2015.

Haut Bailly has always been a favorite of mine, like 1987 G'n' R Appetite for destruction album. No real link between the two but Haut Bailly is my Sweet child o mine.