Thanksgiving wines including 1978 La Mission Haut Brion
Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 10:04 pm
Some briefs notes on wines from Thanksgiving. Glad the 78 La Mission showed well. Tawny ports are really growing on me, I'd love to give a 30 or 40 year example a shot.
* N.V. Gruet Brut Rosé - USA, New Mexico (11/26/2009)
Very pink color with quite a bit of fizz/bubbles. Strong raspberry notes on the palate, good balance, a little short and one dimensional. Good, and fairly priced under $15, but nothing to get super excited about. (87 pts.)
* 1978 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (11/26/2009)
The cork on this was entirely soaked and crumbled coming out of the bottle, which I never take as a good sign. Decanted to remove sediment and cork, let sit for 30 minutes before drinking. In the glass this showed a healthy purple color still, although the edges were turning brick red. Drinking, it showed no signs of oxidation or stewed fruit consistent with poor storage. Shows as medium bodied, smooth tannins, and good balance. Notes of asphalt and smokiness, with a hint of raspberry and dark chocolate lingering on the medium-short finish. This is still holding together, but I wouldn't push my luck any further if I had more bottles. It's always exciting when you run across good bottles of old Bordeaux. (92 pts.)
* N.V. Taylor (Fladgate) Porto 20 Year Old Tawny - Portugal, Douro, Porto (11/30/2009)
This is very nice. Shows a reddish-amber color in the glass. On the palate there's cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecan notes, finishes smooth with nice balance between acidity and alcohol.
* N.V. Gruet Brut Rosé - USA, New Mexico (11/26/2009)
Very pink color with quite a bit of fizz/bubbles. Strong raspberry notes on the palate, good balance, a little short and one dimensional. Good, and fairly priced under $15, but nothing to get super excited about. (87 pts.)
* 1978 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (11/26/2009)
The cork on this was entirely soaked and crumbled coming out of the bottle, which I never take as a good sign. Decanted to remove sediment and cork, let sit for 30 minutes before drinking. In the glass this showed a healthy purple color still, although the edges were turning brick red. Drinking, it showed no signs of oxidation or stewed fruit consistent with poor storage. Shows as medium bodied, smooth tannins, and good balance. Notes of asphalt and smokiness, with a hint of raspberry and dark chocolate lingering on the medium-short finish. This is still holding together, but I wouldn't push my luck any further if I had more bottles. It's always exciting when you run across good bottles of old Bordeaux. (92 pts.)
* N.V. Taylor (Fladgate) Porto 20 Year Old Tawny - Portugal, Douro, Porto (11/30/2009)
This is very nice. Shows a reddish-amber color in the glass. On the palate there's cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecan notes, finishes smooth with nice balance between acidity and alcohol.