TN: the 1994 Clinet has been uncorked...

[DavidG]

Inspired by comments about the '94 Leoville Las Cases at the convention, I figured it was time to see what I had from that year in the cellar. Not much - a few bottles of Clinet and L'Evangile - but hopefully not too shabby. Bought as futures after the 1991-1993 Bordeaux drought, 1994 wasn't a "great" year either. But it was reviewed as a good year and it was definitely time to put some more Bordeaux in the cellar. RP said Pomerol was a highlight and the wines were tannic, so I dipped my toes back in. A bottle of Clinet opened in 2003 had tannins in spades, but was backed up by plenty of fruit, body and concentration. My note back then said to wait at least 5 years before opening another. So here it is closer to 10 years later.

1994 Clinet: Bought as a future and cellared since release. Fill just below cork, which is pristine and comes out easily. Dark red core with a little lightening at the rim. Immediately after decanting the nose is plums, currants, leather, gamey/earthy, cedar and iron. It's got some of that sweet aged Bordeaux magic going on. Palate is medium to full bodied with currants, leather, earth and iron minerality, excellent balance, with some dusty tannins poking through a bit on the medium-long finsh. Excellent right out of the gate, let's give this a little more time and see what develops.

[DavidG]

Checking out prices, I see this wine has not appreciated much in price. Purchased in 1995 for $78, it can still be had in multiple places for $80-100.

[DavidG]

An hour later, the leather and earth are coming more to the fore...

Another hour later, the nose and palate are both richer, lusher. Still showing that sweet complexity and the dusty tannins and earthy/leathery/iron notes are still there but the fruit has come back into play in a big way. This is really drinking nicely now.

[stefan]

stefanJr was always a fan of 1994s and said they would come around. I was a doubter, but the evidence mounts that he was right.

[DavidG]

I bought very few '94s but I think stefanJr may be right. I rarely finish a bottle in one evening, even with Peggy drinking a glass (or two in this case), but this one just kept improving. By 6 hours, as I was finishing the last glass, the fruit started to recede a bit and the tannins came to the fore, bt it still held that interesting complexity. Not a blockbuster, to-die-for wine, but one that was thoroughly pleasurable through and through. I still have a couple of bottles of this, and expect they will continue to drink well for the next decade or more.

[Jay Winton]

Angelus also excellent in 94. Anyone had it lately? Thanks David, this could be a vintage to look out for deals.

[JimHow]

L'Evangile and Gazin were also excellent in 1994.

[Houndsong]

That price struck me as some proof that maybe Bdx pricing has not increased that much in the past 18 years, beyond the 1sts and maybe a few other wines. I believe Clinet was still basking in the rep of a perfect score for its 1989 at the time the 1994 was released, no? Maybe the entry-level wines have also seen some appreciation too. But I have saved a few price lists or advertisements from back say on the early 2000s and at least some wines I've purchased at comparable prices lately - recent vintages of course.

[DavidG]

Jay, agree on '94 Angelus and Jim, agree on the L'Evangile. Haven't had the Gazin. L'Evangile is going for $110-115, about 50-60% above en primeur, so it's appreciated more than Clinet. Angelus is going for around $200 - a little steep for reloading at this point but indeed it's one of the good ones. LLC, one of the stars in DC a couple of weeks ago, appears to be available for $110-120. I'm not usually one to buy older bottles - mostly due to provenance concerns, but... hmmm...

[katejones]

Well, according to Time magazine, last year's grape harvests did not yield as high a volume as planned. The recession had a hand in it, as poor economic conditions led to a fair number of vineyards being shuttered and a loss of production. As a result, prices for white whine grapes rose by 8 percent and red wine grape prices rose by 12 percent. It is bad news for oenophiles in the Golden State and the Pacific Northwest. In fact, it is said that the prices are projected to rise for California wines first, followed by Oregon and Washington. Wine prices are set to rise over the rest of the year, according to an industry analysis. Prices have been kept low artificially, but increasing demand and bad harvests are forcing the cost to go up. Source of article: National wine prices set to rise.

[Mike Christensen]

I had a bottle of 1994 L'Angelus for our Super Bowl party. I thought it was drinking really nicely, but there's no hurry to drink it. Definitely had the gamey, leathery thing going on, but with really good fruit. I think I still have a couple of bottles.

I drank up all my 1994 L'Evangile's, which were all very, very nice. But, I thought the last one I opened about a year ago was on the downhill slope (but YMMV, especially if you have a colder cellar, as I tend to keep mine at about 62F).

[DavidG]

Thanks for the data points, Mike. The last time I opened a '94 L'Evangile was about 16 months ago. Thought it was at peak with years ahead of it. My cellar's at 56-57 degrees.

[Blanquito]

If you're gonna roll the dice with some older LLC, David, I say snag the 1983 for ~$100 (check wine searcher). Easily the most mature LLC I've had, which is to say, the only mature LLC I've had! Just lovely right now while we wait for the 75, the 82 and the 86 to come around, in oh, another 15-20 years.

[DavidG]

I bought a few '83 LLC on release (only 3). It was a good year in general in Bdx, but overshadowed by the magnificence of '82. I drank the first one shortly thereafter (ITNOS) and thought I better wait another 10 years. Drank another in about 1998, and thought I better wait another 10 years. Drank my last one in about 2008, and thought I should've waited another 10 years! Glad to hear it's finally drinking well, Patrick!

[Comte Flaneur]

David thanks for your notes

We did a 1994 horizontal here in London back in December...we didnt have the Clinet - nor L'Evangile - so thanks for the reference point. We did have Gazin, which was excellent, and Angelus which I didn't get on with, so I sold the rest of my case. I had both wines twice in December. It wasn't because the Angelus is a bad wine, it was because of what else you could get for the same money...I sold my bottle for 120 pounds sterling. I am pretty ruthless in disposing of wines I don't particularly like and Angelus is a wine that tries too hard in 1994. Likewise Ducru, surprisingly, though I didn't get rid of that.

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