TN: 98 Carmes Haut Brion & Calon Segur, 00 Talbot
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 5:39 am
A few of us got together for dinner and some teenage Bordeaux. Curiously pretty much everything had been purchased EP or on release, so great looking bottles and corks. Popped and poured, maybe a shade warmer than optimal. Dinner was a corkage friendly place, for the four of us.
I can't get the picture to load but here's a link
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipN ... OOFhwKMCrx
98 Carmes Haut Brion [Pessac Leognan] One of my favorite estates. Very high percentage of cabernet franc here, probably more right banky than "Gravesy" overall. Great aromatic bouquet. All the wines had very similar coloration - dark garnet with maybe only a smidge of edge lightening. Medium bodied. Very elegant. Light sediment. Shows some grip once dinner is over. I'd consider this mature but no worries on it going another decade. I like it better than long gone vintages like 82, 89, 90 (I think?). It's an A- for me. Very small production, nice cheerful owners. An A- to my tastes.
98 Calon Segur [St Estephe] A touch "cooler" than the first wine, a bit more Atlantic. Minty, mentholy notes on the nose. Palate shows more acidity to me. Medium bodied. Feels like it will continue to keep for a long time although probably at about this same level. Its been a number of years since I've had a Calon Segur, despite Johnny Depp's exhortations. I was not very cheery about the 98 Medocs but many of them have turned out to be pretty solid, more like 88 than the charmless 94s. Might be the good slug of merlot St Estephe often folds into their wines. Everything here is still in balance, so people don't have to rush on this. A B+ for me.
00 Talbot [St Julien] On the nose one gets a hint of that old school Cordier funk so prevalent in the fine 80s wines. A little sweat, Pegau barnyard, maybe some saddle. That blows off and then a cedar closet emerges. A very popular wine with great depth and tannin. Medium to full bodied. Terrific stuff, better than the 1996, a good effort that I consumed a case or more over the years. Oak and acidity now integrated, no young grapiness anymore. Very likable wine, and enjoyable now. A-
94 Taylor [Vintage Port] Fig, coffee, fruitcake, liqueur smells, very rich in flavor and great depth. Tannins are not that big actually. From a 375ml. Not sure why, but I can hardly remember VP's from splits. A great life ahead of this. Solid A.
02 Dr. Loosen 'Special Selection' [Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese] Also from a half. Lenthy flavors of tropical fruit, but kind of blurry. Does not have that laser like crispness so many lovely 2001 German wines show. Drink up! it's B for me.
We'll be trying to have more metro Sacto events, perhaps every two months, so if interested drop me a line. They won't all be BDX, but they'll all be fun!
I can't get the picture to load but here's a link
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipN ... OOFhwKMCrx
98 Carmes Haut Brion [Pessac Leognan] One of my favorite estates. Very high percentage of cabernet franc here, probably more right banky than "Gravesy" overall. Great aromatic bouquet. All the wines had very similar coloration - dark garnet with maybe only a smidge of edge lightening. Medium bodied. Very elegant. Light sediment. Shows some grip once dinner is over. I'd consider this mature but no worries on it going another decade. I like it better than long gone vintages like 82, 89, 90 (I think?). It's an A- for me. Very small production, nice cheerful owners. An A- to my tastes.
98 Calon Segur [St Estephe] A touch "cooler" than the first wine, a bit more Atlantic. Minty, mentholy notes on the nose. Palate shows more acidity to me. Medium bodied. Feels like it will continue to keep for a long time although probably at about this same level. Its been a number of years since I've had a Calon Segur, despite Johnny Depp's exhortations. I was not very cheery about the 98 Medocs but many of them have turned out to be pretty solid, more like 88 than the charmless 94s. Might be the good slug of merlot St Estephe often folds into their wines. Everything here is still in balance, so people don't have to rush on this. A B+ for me.
00 Talbot [St Julien] On the nose one gets a hint of that old school Cordier funk so prevalent in the fine 80s wines. A little sweat, Pegau barnyard, maybe some saddle. That blows off and then a cedar closet emerges. A very popular wine with great depth and tannin. Medium to full bodied. Terrific stuff, better than the 1996, a good effort that I consumed a case or more over the years. Oak and acidity now integrated, no young grapiness anymore. Very likable wine, and enjoyable now. A-
94 Taylor [Vintage Port] Fig, coffee, fruitcake, liqueur smells, very rich in flavor and great depth. Tannins are not that big actually. From a 375ml. Not sure why, but I can hardly remember VP's from splits. A great life ahead of this. Solid A.
02 Dr. Loosen 'Special Selection' [Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese] Also from a half. Lenthy flavors of tropical fruit, but kind of blurry. Does not have that laser like crispness so many lovely 2001 German wines show. Drink up! it's B for me.
We'll be trying to have more metro Sacto events, perhaps every two months, so if interested drop me a line. They won't all be BDX, but they'll all be fun!