Denver BWE OFFLINE...88 Bordeaux

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dstgolf
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Denver BWE OFFLINE...88 Bordeaux

Post by dstgolf »

After a week with fever and chills with a flu bug that won't quit it's time to say thanks to everyone that helped make our visit to the Denver region a special one. It's great to have an extended network of friends to help with travel plans as well as arrange a warm welcome/departure to the region.

Botanical Gardens were beautiful and the Chihuly display by day and the by night was amazing. I must say that I preferred the daytime version since you could also see the gardens. The night lights on the exhibits was great but once we had seen it earlir in the day it had lost something. The crowd of people for the night show was also a little much with nowhere to park. Still glad to have seen both but wish that I hadn't bought the advance tickets prior to leaving but still happy to have been forced to attend.

Followed this with Barolo Grill for dinner. Thanks for both suggestions Tom. I can see why it's a favourite. Great service and everything we ordered was delicicious. Wine list a bit of an expensive tomb. Settled on a 2010 Tenuto San Guido la Difese. Reasonably priced and it didn't matter what we drank as Danielle had/s such a bad cold/flu she couldn't smell or taste a thing. Loved the place and would highly recommend if in the area.

Saturday night we were so looking forward to gathering with a new group of friends at il Posto for dinner. Patrick(aka Blanquito) kindly put forth the offer and rallied a group of similar wine buddies for another amazing evening of camaraderie, drinking and good food. BYOB unfortunately in Denver is VERBOTTEN but unlike in Maine they have their ways around it with connections.

On arrival Patrick was already seated with Ted,Tim and Steve with bottles previously opened,decanted and at the perfect temperature. These guys were serious with a great lineup and multiple bottles as backup.

First up 2000 Frederic Emile on ice to crack the ice after quick intros. Classic German Reisling..dry with diesel/petrol notes on the nose but not off putting as yet. Citrus,crisp and good way to start getting the saliva flowing and the lips loose.

First round 83 Gruaud Larose vs 88 Rausan Segla.

Gruaud was a pointe with persistent dark purple colour and no sign of bricking. Nose showing a little Cordier funky brett and black cassis. I loved this one and this is still showing very young with refined black fruits,long finish and soft but present tannins. Superb length that lingered on the back palate. Hard to move on to the next with this drinking so well. Unfortunately the 88 Rausan -Segla did not fair so well. This was so unMargaux like. Overoaked,lots of extraction with some tar/rubber notes on the nose. A little disjointed with strong unripe tannins with lack of fruit and length. Least favourite of the night at the table.

Next up 88 Lynch Bages vs 88 Angelus. A little unfair fight with the Lynch being opened and double decanted 2hrs prior/at perfect temperature. It scored an early first round knockout showing all the classic cassis,lead pencil,cedar etc and ripe tannins still very present but lots of fruit to keep this going for some years to come.....but the Angelus initially disadvantaged by pop and pour/a little warm and quite disjointed out of the gate. Put aside and within the hour this started to sing in the glass and chilling the bottle. This was a wonderful transformation with rich black cherries,cedar and resolved tannins. Became a lovely balanced wine right in its wheelhouse. Still has some time but not getting better.I'd say the Angelus took the Lynch into back ally and put him down!!

85 Lynch vs 88 Leoville Las Cases was an epic battle and too close to call a true winner as both were beautiful. 85 Lynch a little more refined than the 88 with riper softer tannins and ahead by a nose. Again classic Lynch with cassis, graphite and cedar...what can be wrong and lovely length but not as long as the las Cases. las Cases was right in its St Julien wheelhouse showing its darker fruit,slightly more depth and extraction than the lighter more elegant Pauillac. A matter of taste which is better but both beautiful wines.

With the eve coming to a close it was time for a toast with an always dependable 99 Dom Perignon. Great palate cleanser and so refreshing after the flights of Bordeaux. A nice way to bring things to a close....but no desert is just coming so out comes an 88 La Tour Blanche to finally bring the night to an end. Delicious way to end and matched perfectly with the beignets.

Sad to say all good things have to come to an end but happy to have expanded my group of drinking buddies into a new part of the world all thanks to Patrick but ultimately to BWE!! Thanks for all the help in planning this week and making this final night a reality. Until the next event....
Danny
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DavidG
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Re: Denver BWE OFFLINE...88 Bordeaux

Post by DavidG »

Great report Danny. Hope you and Danielle are feeling better. If the Denver gang is even just half as nice as Blanquito it's no wonder you had a great time. I've drunk many an '83 Gruaud and '88 Lynch and Angelus and your notes capture them perfectly. Only had the '00 Trimbach cuvée Freddie once and found it pretty hard and acidic. Glad you had a better bottle though it is Alsatian, not German (well, at least not in this century).
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dstgolf
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Re: Denver BWE OFFLINE...88 Bordeaux

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Thanks for the correction David. Not sure what I was thinking but whipping through this note from memory in the shape I've been I'll accept a small fall back in history. Not sure how I made that one after having visited Alsace and Trimbach a number of years ago.

Blanquito was a pleasure and so were his buddies. Happy to have met them all. Only disappointment that its taken this long to cross paths and hope next time is a little sooner. Great night and sad to have had to catch an early morning flight the next day.
Danny
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sdr
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Re: Denver BWE OFFLINE...88 Bordeaux

Post by sdr »

Terrific dead-on report as always, Danny, the trip and the wines. Not used to seeing "Lynch" and "elegant" in the same sentence, through, but I believe you.

For me, the eighties are the go to decade for Bordeaux. So many good/excellent vintages, so many terrific wines to drink now, mature yet lively.

Stuart
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JimHow
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Re: Denver BWE OFFLINE...88 Bordeaux

Post by JimHow »

Ah those Lynches 85 and 88, the way BWE was meant to be, those days are gone forever, I'm afraid.
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dstgolf
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Re: Denver BWE OFFLINE...88 Bordeaux

Post by dstgolf »

SDR,

Elegant is relative. The Lynch against the big bold las Cases made the Lynch a much lighter sexier wine than it would have been as a stand alone.

Yes Jim the LB's of the 80s are delicious and getting awfully pricy to backfill at this time. Certainly these small events allow one to graze across a wide sample of a given vintage amongst a small group of friends. Don't know any other environment that has been more enabling than BWE to allow these opportunities and I say thank you once again.
Danny
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Tom In DC
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Re: Denver BWE OFFLINE...88 Bordeaux

Post by Tom In DC »

Happy to have been of assistance, Danny, and glad to hear that you had a great visit.
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JimHow
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Re: Denver BWE OFFLINE...88 Bordeaux

Post by JimHow »

Is 1988 the greatest vintage ever produced in Bordeaux?
I mean, when you factor in everything we look for in classic Bordeaux.
1988 Bordeaux is like 1970s Major League Baseball, like the '75 World Series... The last show of greatness before money, steroids, free agency, greed took over to ruin everything.
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DavidG
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Re: Denver BWE OFFLINE...88 Bordeaux

Post by DavidG »

Hard for me to be objective about this - 1988 Bordeaux gets extra love from Peggy and me because it's our wedding year. But no, I don't think it's the best ever, even for that decade. I like 1982 and 1989 even better.
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Blanquito
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Re: Denver BWE OFFLINE...88 Bordeaux

Post by Blanquito »

Just stumbled across this thread, looking for old notes... forgot that I never posted my tasting notes from this night. Wow, that was a great night, everything showed so well. I had another 88 Lynch recently and it rocked my world, truly a JimHow wine, full of leather, cigarbox, depth, length, you name it. Perhaps not as fruity as the 82 or 90, and less bright than the 85, but lacking nothing in gravitas. I am a such sucker for rock'n'roll from the '60's and claret from the '80's, it seems nearly all of it speaks to me.
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AKR
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Re: Denver BWE OFFLINE...88 Bordeaux

Post by AKR »

How did you guys pull off corkage in CO?
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Winona Chief
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Re: Denver BWE OFFLINE...88 Bordeaux

Post by Winona Chief »

Arv,

Perhaps you are unaware that Blanquito (like Obi-Wan Kenobi) is a Jedi Master. He whispers the magic words - a slight variation of "These aren't the Droids you're looking for" and then corkage is allowed.

Chris Bublitz
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Blanquito
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Re: Denver BWE OFFLINE...88 Bordeaux

Post by Blanquito »

Corkage is indeed a challenge in CO. However, if you develop a relationship with the owner or manager of a wine sympathetic venue, something can be worked out. Sometimes this requires a bit of cloak and dagger to keep things on the QT. These days I have access to 3-4 BYOB friendly places that also have good food and ambiance in Denver, enough now to host offlines.
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