1994 Trotanoy

[Rer]

Would like prepping suggestions. I am planning to Andouze for 8 hours then quick double decant to deal with sediment and then bring to restaurant.

[stefan]

I would not double decant. Learn to chew the sediment; François does, you know.

[tim]

+1 I would skip the double-decanting if you are leaving it open for 8 hours before.

[AKR]

A few hours of air ought to be enough. I don't remember it being super cloudy and needing decanting.

Had truffley notes IIRC, but its been a long time since I've had one.

[Claret]

Agree on no decant. 1994 Pomerol is very good.

[JimHow]

Excellent 1994s:

Gazin
Clinet
l'Evangile
Troplong Mondot

and

Leoville Barton
Leoville Las Cases

[DavidG]

Agree that 1994 Clinet and L'Evangile were excellent. I would add Angelus. Disagree with Troplong Mondot -tannins overwhelmed the fruit on that one, even after 15 years.

[AKR]

I really disliked the 94 Trop. Every bottle was out of balance (that I had) as DG mentions. One year, my employer insisted on sending that out to clients as some kind of Christmas present / lump of coal. It fell under the $100 cap we had for that kind of stuff, and folks thought it was classy (in a Ron Burgundy kind of way) to send French wine. Being the only person who'd actually drunk a few of them, and recommended we NOT do this, didn't carry any weight, because Sherry Lehman had them in stock, and that was the preferred vendor for the firm. That's when I learned (at that employer) to never discuss wine at work, unlike at my prior shop, where 90% of the desk were oenophiles.

But the Pomerols were better than one would think that year. between 91-99 they are probably the third best year, and during that era, around about release, that were not well bid. Chunky ones like La Cabanne could be had for less than $20, and the high grade, silky ones like Clinet clocked in at $50ish. The only Lafleur (Pensees dont count) I ever purchased personaly was a 94, which when shared with some enthusiasts a decade later, failed to excite. Just too tough for all of us.

[JimHow]

Troplong Mondot is exceedingly tannic in every vintage.

[AKR]

A long time ago, some of our group bought an estate sale cellar and we opened a raft of wines from that. 89/90 Trop were in that mix. Great stuff, made people realize why the price points were warranted when ripe. The collector had fabulous taste as I recall.

[Rer]

So after an 8 hr Andouze, I simply had the wine decanted. Initially, the nose was muted and the tannins predominant, but over the course of two hrs the truffle, chocolate, and saddle leather flavors were nicely integrated. Overall, a very enjoyable wine.