These notes are mostly from fuzzy memory, as there was great amounts of consumption!
I can't figure out how to put pictures in this post. But their is a link here
https://goo.gl/photos/YrjgbGAtub53gQ4y8
00 Branaire Ducru [St Julien] A nice plummy ball of fruit. Drinking well right now, so a good choice for current consumption. I don't know how well / long these age, but I'd assume another ten years is easy for this. A-
00 Le Moulin [Pomerol] One of the very small production right banks. Picked up EP. The wife told me the day after it was her favorite and asked about it so I googled it. 700 case production. Its very sexy and fun to drink, but I wouldn't automatically be able to figure out where it was from. Weirdly long cork, yet small label. A-
00 La Tour Haut Brion [Pessac Leognan] This is no longer a separate label, as the grapes are now being put into LMHB. They only made a small amount anyways -- a couple thousand cases a year -- and I'm sure the economics of the grapes being eligible (and of the quality) to be put intp the $200 grand vin, made this an unneeded appendix. But it was fun while it lasted. Rich, dense, and tobacco filled. Not as raspy as the LTHB's of old. A
82 Ducru Beaucaillou [St Julien] Excellent texture, even smoother and silkier than the Pomerol. Fine depth of flavor. Probably my favorite red of the night. But there was a lot of good wines. This had been held since release, so good storage is a real plus for these older wines. A
88 Rausan Segla [Margaux] This is one of those years where they are spelling their name with an 's' in the middle. At some point they shifted to Rauzan with a 'z' but I'm not sure when. It has a more herbal bouquet, almost cab franc, than the others tonight. It's been a long time since I've had anything from here. B
70 Leoville Las Cases [St Julien] Cork was crumbly, but the wine was sound. A little lighter red than the others but very much intact and showing more zest and brightness than the others. Doesn't have the huge depth that later vintages showcase but still really good and interesting. B+
01 Suduiraut [Sauternes] My favorite of the night, and served very well chilled. Bright gold in color, not darkening yet. Very thick and viscous, yet awesome brightness. Long rich finish - apricots, honey, marmalade, ginger. Maybe a 90 second finish. Really awesome. Normally I like other estates more than their wines, but they sure smoked it in 2001. I'll give it an A+. It's hard to think of what more one could want than this in a sweet Bordeaux.
Thanks everyone for the lovely contributions and good cheer. It was great catching up and partaking. And of course, Premier Cru was quite the topic of conversation afterwards. Sigh.
AKR
