TNs: 1989 LLC, Cos, d'Issan & PLL, plus 1988/90 Suduiraut

[Michael Malinoski]

Adam and Ann had 6 of us over recently for a delightful evening of food and wine. They did a wonderful job in the kitchen and folks really contributed some outstanding and special wines to pair with the cuisine. All in all, it was certainly a night to remember.

Flight One: Champagnes. Served with Assorted Cheeses and Dried Fruits

1985 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut Rose Vintage Reserve. Served from magnum, this bottle was disgorged in 2000. Wow, what a great showing for this wine! It is a rather healthy red onion skin color and the nose, too, is absolutely alive and vivid—with lovely and lively aromas of strawberries, raspberries, lime zest, lead pencil shavings and light caramel doing a nice dance together. In the mouth, it is absolutely immediate and fresh, popping with vibrant red fruit and zesty citrus-tinged acidity. It has a nicely vinous finishing kick, but stays electrically-charged all the way through. It seems absolutely at peak to me and is drinking wonderfully.

1990 Piper Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare. This bottle features very nice aromas of lemon and lime peel, yeast, ginger, botanical herbs and talcum powder that have a fine youthful character to them, but with interesting aged bits around the edges. In the mouth, it is quite yeasty, with flavors of baked apples, brown spices and ginger ale, but also a little interesting twist of something akin to kiwi fruit. It has a sort of sappy, sticky quality at times and shows very good persistence of flavor leading to a plush finish that features more of a white peach and pear profile. Overall, it is just very tasty stuff.

Flight Two: “Krazy Kirchmayrs”. Served with a salad of Mache & Endive with Honey Ginger Beets, Kumquats, Pears, Pistachio Dust & Champagne Shallot Vinaigrette

1971 Kirchmayr Neuburger Neusiedlersee Konig Altwein Solist. This 40-year-old wine shows off amazingly fresh and piquant aromas of grapefruit, pineapple, white peach, flint, white flowers, lanolin and gentle wisps of cotton candy that also have a little undertow of sweetness to them. It makes for a very complex and fascinating wine to sit and consider. In the mouth, it is much drier than the nose might lead one to expect. Yet, it displays limpid weight, full rounded body and tons of yellow apple, bitter lemon rind, flint and white peach flavors that have an interesting little funky edge to them. The finish is crisper than all that, and overall, one is left with a feeling of drinking a rather complex and multi-faceted wine of uniquely nuanced character that is a delight for the senses and the mind. Very impressive, indeed!

1983 Kirchmayr Grüner Veltliner Stangl Solist. This wine offers up a nose of grassy meadows, pea tendrils, chalky limestone and white orchard fruits that don’t seem all that aged, really. It is airy and gentle, yet firmly youthful in some ways, too. In the mouth, it is definitely a less-obviously structured wine, with an open-knit and easy-going feel to the soft grassy flavors of citrus and gentle tropical fruits. It has a nice twang of freshening acidity and a good long pull of flavor to it, but overall it simply isn’t as deep, complex or rewarding as the ’71 Neuburger. Still, in my limited experience, this displays impressive staying power for a Gruner and was simply a lot of fun to drink in this flight.

Flight Three: Trans-Atlantic Chardonnays.

2006 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard Sonoma Coast. Oh boy, it takes a little while to adjust to this flight and re-calibrate the senses for something completely different. In the end, though, there is no denying that this is one impressive California Chardonnay. It is aromatically full-blown and exotically-spiced--absolutely chock-a-block with expansive and virile aromas of toasted barrel spices, vanilla, anise, toasted orange peel, poached apples, hazelnuts and bright lemon oil. In the mouth, it is really full and long—with the oak right out front leading lovely flavors of butterscotch, clove, vanilla bean, spiced pears and Christmas ribbon candy. It has a ton of energy and drive, but also a tongue-coating richness to it—with a fine minerally acidity lurking in the background. I like the raw components a lot and enjoy drinking it, but am certain I would enjoy it even more with another 3-5 years of cellar time to let the oak integrate further.

2008 Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. This wine shows a much lighter-styled bouquet that features lifted aromas of chopped nuts, yellow apple, lemon zest and crushed rocks. In the mouth, it is tangier and more obviously zesty—with lacy flavors of crushed rocks, apples and chalk that are pleasing but a tad narrow at times. Whereas the Aubert needs some time to rein in the oak, I think this wine needs some time to flesh out and broaden its palate presence with another 5-7 years in the cellar.

Flight Four: 1989 Left Bankers from South to North. Served with Flatbreads with Pork Sausage, Marinated Shitake Mushrooms and Aged-Balsamic Drizzle

1989 Château d’Issan Margaux. Cranberry and other dark berry aromas lead the way on the nose here, with supporting notes of chocolate paste, coffee, campfire smoke, green pepper, leather and cigar humidor aromas lending a cooler, slinkier, fresher tone to this wine than to any of the others in this impressive flight. I like it a good deal and really appreciate how it just seems to get more and more classically-toned the longer one stays with it (and into day 2). In the mouth, it is a big and brambly-sweet mouthful of mixed berry fruit flavors that don’t seem nearly so serious as some of the other wines in the flight. It is more on the fresh, tangy and fun side of Bordeaux—but with excellent balance and easy-to-like qualities up and down the spectrum.

1989 Château Leoville Las Cases St. Julien. There’s an earthy, smoky sort of nose to this wine, with aromas of peat, road tar, lead pencil and grilled meat mixing with some plum and black currant fruit. I like a lot of the notes, but the sum of the parts somehow isn’t as distinctive as the other wines in the flight, in my opinion. In the mouth, it takes a little while to warm up to, but it gets better and more enjoyable as the evening goes along. In the end, I really enjoy the sappy red currant and cassis fruit stuffing accented by fine notes of tea and earth and its classy texture, along with its fine buttressing tannins.

1989 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac. This is a delightful wine and was my favorite of the flight without question. It opens with wonderful aromas of sliced green peppers, dusty back roads, fine herbs and gorgeous red fruit that are classically Pichon Lalande and just so finely-balanced, even as the fruit turns a bit more sexified as the wine takes on additional air over time. In the mouth, it is simply gorgeous stuff, with thick ropy red currant fruit flavors accented by a bit of cherry liqueur and melted chocolate. It shows more glycerin character than any of the other wines in the flight and also displays a great streak of freshening acidity—giving it great presence, flow and heft that appeal directly to my tastes.

1989 Château Cos d’Estournel St. Estephe. This wine has such a distinctive and intensely immediate nose to it—coming across as masculine, meaty and feral—full of raw steak tartar, dried blood, pen ink, black leather, green peppercorn, scorched earth, road tar, horsehide and tobacco leaf aromas that I absolutely love and almost can’t stop sniffing. In the mouth, it is thick-boned, rather fleshy in texture, and shows a lot of black currant, tar and burnt wood ember notes that give it a bit of a corporeal, brooding sensibility most of the time. Still, it feels lush and moderately giving, with a smoky, tarry finish I like. Although I don’t sense a lot of tannins here, I do think the wine might be a bit more pliant with a few more years’ time in the cellar. Even still, it was my second-favorite in the flight, behind the Pichon Lalande.

Flight Five: A Trio of 1997 Napa Cabernet Sauvignons. Served with Grilled Top Loin with Truffle Butter and Polenta Frites with Crusty-Baked Parmesan and Spinach Tart

1997 Nickel and Nickel Cabernet Sauvignon Rock Cairn Vineyard Oakville Napa Valley. This was my favorite wine of the flight. On the nose, it just screams Cabernet Sauvignon—busting out of the glass with concentrated and dense aromas of sweet black currants, blackberry jam, blueberry compote, graphite and dark earth supported by softer, finer notes of cedar and menthol that bring it all together beautifully. In the mouth, it is lush and ripe, with classic flavors of black currant, jalapeno pepper and earth flowing out beautifully in all directions and supported by smooth glycerin. It is creamy and inviting, with the tannins and alcohol hinted at in the background but taking a back seat to the precocious, lush fruit right now. I think this is in no danger of fading anytime soon, but I happen to think it suits my tastes best in this current drinking window.

1997 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve Napa Valley. The nose here is considerably more toned down, with more of a classical feel to it—starting off with aromas of cool black fruit, black licorice, black smoke, leather and foresty undergrowth that have a more subdued quality to them when compared to the Nickel and Nickel. On the palate, it shows off loads of ripe and gently forward fruit flavors in the mixed currant and cassis register. The texture is a bit sticky or tacky at times, but otherwise it is open for business, despite showing the structure to age easily for some time to come.

1997 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain Napa Valley. Of the three wines in this flight, this is the only one I would say is obviously not ready to be drunk. It opens with an intense set of slightly over-ripe aromas revolving around fruitcake, figs, apricots and Turkish coffee accented by strong notes of cedar and menthol. In the mouth, it is by far the richest, pastiest and most obviously tannic wine of the flight. It is loaded with glycerol character and shows of tons of intense and rich black fruit to go with lots of wood spices and abundant tannins. It also seems to show its alcohol a lot more. It isn’t really in balance just now and needs at least 5+ years to bring the wood, the tannins and the alcohol into alignment with the impressive fruit stuffing. Those with a lot of patience will likely be rewarded.

Flight Six: The Prum is in the Pudding. Served with Three-Year Aged Cheeses, Hard & Soft

1976 Joh. Jos. Prum Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Beerenauslese Long Goldkapsel. Wow, this is just wonderful. It leads with soaring aromatics that show off notes of dried apricots and oranges, kumquat, spun sugar, iced tea, blue slate and diesel fuel that are layered and amazingly complex, yet delineated and finely-controlled. In the mouth, the wonderfully creamy texture carries along flavors of apricots, oranges, nectarine and slate that just drape across the tongue yet somehow feel gossamer-winged and lacy on the fine citrus-tinged finish. It just seems hypnotically pure and pristine and effortless—all the while delivering a denseness of sweet flavor that is truly impressive. It is just perfectly put-together and a delight to drink.

Flight Seven: Chateau Suduiraut. Served with Susan’s Apple Crostata

1988 Château Suduiraut Sauternes. The nose here is on the fresh side compared to the more advanced 1990—featuring aromas of orange peel, spun sugar, apricot, vanilla bean, soft baking spices and soft background oak. In the mouth, it is fresh and tangy, with a lifted flavor profile of oranges, apricots and crème brulee topping. It feels a bit strained at times and definitely seems a bit twangy with the acids toward the back of the palate. It has a nice fleshy mid-palate but a relatively rough finish. Overall, I would say it is enjoyable, but not great.

1990 Château Suduiraut Sauternes. The back label says this was shipped from the Chateau in 2005 via Rare Wine Company. But it is a much darker-colored wine than the 1988, and it smells considerably more burnished in character—with aromas of poached pears, quince paste, apricots, hard caramel, maple syrup and molasses coming through some smoky overtones. On the palate, it is again further along than I expected, but I actually really like the focus it has in this state on full flavors of toasted walnuts, pistachios, sweet caramel, maple syrup and baked apricots. There is plenty of tangy acidity underneath to freshen it up when it needs it, and though this particular bottle probably needed to be drunk up, I actually found it to be in a good place for my tastes.

Flight Eight: Tokay Rare. Served with Athan’s Bakery Phyllo Pastries

N.V. Chambers Rosewood Tokay Rare Rutherglen. From a bottle purchased in 2001, this wine is absolutely motor oil black in color and density. It smells intensely of burnt walnuts, blackened sugar, molasses and dark gingerbread. Taste-wise, it is massively powerful and rich—frankly too much so for my tastes at this point in the evening. Black plums, roasted nuts, figs and molasses feature prominently in the taste profile, but they are much more blunt than refined or nuanced. Also, the spirit notes are pretty forward here, in my opinion. While I enjoyed a few sips of it, I can’t say I really was savoring it or sorry to leave some behind when we had to pick up and head home.


-Michael

[billfgrady]

Michael-

Great notes. I was particularly interested in your note on the '89 Cos, which I've only had twice (both bottles approximately five years ago) and I found pretty disappointing. Muted nose, limited fruit and slightly "flabby". I suspected at the time that the bottles might have been off, but wrote this wine off based on those experiences and comparisons to others. Now, however, your note gives me some hope. Perhaps I will need to give this another chance.

Bill

[JimHow]

Interesting notes indeed. I too have not had good experiences with the '89 Cos... nor, the '89 LLC.