Make no mistake: Bordeaux is alive and well.
Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 5:14 pm
I pulled out some of the good stuff for the relatives who were in town for my Dad's funeral this weekend.
(Thank you to everyone for your nice notes, by the way, there was actually a good energy at his service, we are sad of course but there was also a lot of joy because of the happy life he led. If you want to see quite a video montage of the man (with numerous photos of the cross-eyed young JimHow for your enjoyment), you can see it here, try not to laugh too hard: http://www.albert-burpee.com/current-se ... -2015.html).
I had been wondering out loud whether the wines of the past two and a half decades were going to age like those great Bordeauxs of the 1980s. Boy, if these four wines were any representation, the answer is a resounding yes.
The 1995 Calon Segur to me was just perfectly aged, even if it has probably another 10 years to go. Both the 1995 and 1996 Calon Segurs are stellar, with great balance and restraint, excellent fruit matched with just the right balance of structure. Just a beautiful wine, 95 points.
The 2001 Cos d'Estournel was stunning. Still obviously young but developing secondary traits. It was very Lafite-like. Absolutely classy wine, will last for at least another 20 years. Dark and brooding, but was comfortable in the mouth, tremendous finish. 95 points.
The 2000 Lynch Bages is truly a great Lynch. Still very young but it has everything we look for in classic Lynch, the lead pencil, the cassis, yada, yada. Great, classic, big Pauillac, tannic but tannins are sweet and smooth... Dare I say, velvety... 96 points.
2005 Lascombes: Wow! Wasn't sure what to expect from this beast, I recall how oaky and extracted that 2004 was. The message from this wine: Don't fear the modern wine making! It is black in color, it has a Margaux nose that borders on spectacular. And while it is thick and ripe, it is so smooth and Margaux-like going down. Will age for a long time. I absolutely loved this beast, I'm going to pick up a few bottles of the '09 and '10 if this is what they are producing at this state these days. 95 points.
Long live Bordeaux!
(Thank you to everyone for your nice notes, by the way, there was actually a good energy at his service, we are sad of course but there was also a lot of joy because of the happy life he led. If you want to see quite a video montage of the man (with numerous photos of the cross-eyed young JimHow for your enjoyment), you can see it here, try not to laugh too hard: http://www.albert-burpee.com/current-se ... -2015.html).
I had been wondering out loud whether the wines of the past two and a half decades were going to age like those great Bordeauxs of the 1980s. Boy, if these four wines were any representation, the answer is a resounding yes.
The 1995 Calon Segur to me was just perfectly aged, even if it has probably another 10 years to go. Both the 1995 and 1996 Calon Segurs are stellar, with great balance and restraint, excellent fruit matched with just the right balance of structure. Just a beautiful wine, 95 points.
The 2001 Cos d'Estournel was stunning. Still obviously young but developing secondary traits. It was very Lafite-like. Absolutely classy wine, will last for at least another 20 years. Dark and brooding, but was comfortable in the mouth, tremendous finish. 95 points.
The 2000 Lynch Bages is truly a great Lynch. Still very young but it has everything we look for in classic Lynch, the lead pencil, the cassis, yada, yada. Great, classic, big Pauillac, tannic but tannins are sweet and smooth... Dare I say, velvety... 96 points.
2005 Lascombes: Wow! Wasn't sure what to expect from this beast, I recall how oaky and extracted that 2004 was. The message from this wine: Don't fear the modern wine making! It is black in color, it has a Margaux nose that borders on spectacular. And while it is thick and ripe, it is so smooth and Margaux-like going down. Will age for a long time. I absolutely loved this beast, I'm going to pick up a few bottles of the '09 and '10 if this is what they are producing at this state these days. 95 points.
Long live Bordeaux!