1999 the Cinderella vintage shows well
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 11:12 pm
I remember back in those days when the sales pitch was that you had to buy 1999 as the last vintage of the 20th century...you would be mad not to because otherwise they would all be snapped up by the souvenir hunters. Of course that was a load of old codswallop.
And since the arrival of the 2000s this vintage was immediately forgotten, and de facto consigned to the status of a Cinderella vintage.
Last night we tried a few and they showed really well. This is not a trophy vintage but there are a lot of good wines, true to the Bordeaux style. If the price is right they are worth a look. In the Medoc we agreed they are a bit more consistent than the 1998s.
Here are so notes from the wines we enjoyed last night:
Domaine de Chavalier Blanc 1999
Luscious with flowers, citrus and creamy fruits. Poised, classy. One noted high on Sauvignon Blanc less so in semillon. Still a fab wine and a solid 92
Pavillon blanc du Chateau Margaux 1999
Not flawed in my opinion (as others opined) but a bit quirky, volatile and enigmatic. Fun to drink but you would lose your sense of humour if you had to pay for it. ~89
Chateau La Tour Haut Brion 1999
Interesting wine with trademark smoky tobacco and cigar smoke-filled room and scorched earth. This wine is however a bit austere and lacking on the back end. That may smooth out over time, which it could use. 90
Chateau Giscours 1999
A superficially flattering wine with modern unobtrusive oak driven style. There is a nicely minerality to it but otherwise, while very pleasant and inoffensive, it does not really challenge the intellect. 89
Chateau D'Issan 1999
The most intriguing wine of the evening. It seemed a tad oxidative on the nose but that was just its passive-aggressive defence mechanism like a London commuter. Attracted to its reticence I erroneously proclaimed it a luncheon claret, but it is much more than that. It had a dense enticing minerally mid-palate, certainly Margaux-like but enticing and mysterious at the same time. 91
Chateau Branaire Ducru 1999
A lovely resolved St-Julien drinking beautifully now. Its complex, mineral, cool fruited and well judged. This is an estate that keeps over delivering: 91
Chateau Leoville Poyferre 1999
Showed well, nicely fruity and tasty. It doesn't quite have the poise of its flight mates (the other St-Juliens) on the palate and on the finish. Slightly less complex, a little more obvious in my opinion, but still fine 90
Chateau Leoville-Barton 1999
Like all the other wines this was popped and poured. The room was cool (maybe only 63 degrees, a good thing) and the colour and rim were remarkably undeveloped. So this started slowly from the blocs but it did unfurl. It really is a class act. It is youthful, but the poise, class and complexity really begin to shine. Cool black currant fruit it has a long and grippy persistence to savour. 92
Vieux Chateau Certan 1999
Seemed to have quite a lot of oomph and density on the mid initially, but after a while it came across as a bit monolithic...a polite way of saying a tad one dimensional I guess. It probably needs a year or two but most probably the weakest link in the 1998-2001 purple patch for VCC. 90
Petit Cheval 1999
This is very pleasant and probably more merlot-driven than the Grand Vin, which is really hitting its stride. This wine is on a slow boat to China. Pleasant enough, but not worth the price of admission. 88
Chateau Climens 1999
A medium Barsac with alluring notes of rich citrus confit, very pleasant and open for business. 90
And since the arrival of the 2000s this vintage was immediately forgotten, and de facto consigned to the status of a Cinderella vintage.
Last night we tried a few and they showed really well. This is not a trophy vintage but there are a lot of good wines, true to the Bordeaux style. If the price is right they are worth a look. In the Medoc we agreed they are a bit more consistent than the 1998s.
Here are so notes from the wines we enjoyed last night:
Domaine de Chavalier Blanc 1999
Luscious with flowers, citrus and creamy fruits. Poised, classy. One noted high on Sauvignon Blanc less so in semillon. Still a fab wine and a solid 92
Pavillon blanc du Chateau Margaux 1999
Not flawed in my opinion (as others opined) but a bit quirky, volatile and enigmatic. Fun to drink but you would lose your sense of humour if you had to pay for it. ~89
Chateau La Tour Haut Brion 1999
Interesting wine with trademark smoky tobacco and cigar smoke-filled room and scorched earth. This wine is however a bit austere and lacking on the back end. That may smooth out over time, which it could use. 90
Chateau Giscours 1999
A superficially flattering wine with modern unobtrusive oak driven style. There is a nicely minerality to it but otherwise, while very pleasant and inoffensive, it does not really challenge the intellect. 89
Chateau D'Issan 1999
The most intriguing wine of the evening. It seemed a tad oxidative on the nose but that was just its passive-aggressive defence mechanism like a London commuter. Attracted to its reticence I erroneously proclaimed it a luncheon claret, but it is much more than that. It had a dense enticing minerally mid-palate, certainly Margaux-like but enticing and mysterious at the same time. 91
Chateau Branaire Ducru 1999
A lovely resolved St-Julien drinking beautifully now. Its complex, mineral, cool fruited and well judged. This is an estate that keeps over delivering: 91
Chateau Leoville Poyferre 1999
Showed well, nicely fruity and tasty. It doesn't quite have the poise of its flight mates (the other St-Juliens) on the palate and on the finish. Slightly less complex, a little more obvious in my opinion, but still fine 90
Chateau Leoville-Barton 1999
Like all the other wines this was popped and poured. The room was cool (maybe only 63 degrees, a good thing) and the colour and rim were remarkably undeveloped. So this started slowly from the blocs but it did unfurl. It really is a class act. It is youthful, but the poise, class and complexity really begin to shine. Cool black currant fruit it has a long and grippy persistence to savour. 92
Vieux Chateau Certan 1999
Seemed to have quite a lot of oomph and density on the mid initially, but after a while it came across as a bit monolithic...a polite way of saying a tad one dimensional I guess. It probably needs a year or two but most probably the weakest link in the 1998-2001 purple patch for VCC. 90
Petit Cheval 1999
This is very pleasant and probably more merlot-driven than the Grand Vin, which is really hitting its stride. This wine is on a slow boat to China. Pleasant enough, but not worth the price of admission. 88
Chateau Climens 1999
A medium Barsac with alluring notes of rich citrus confit, very pleasant and open for business. 90