Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

On Friday night we were hanging out in the room. Ed was there, he and Lisa had just flown in earlier from CA. Brendan was going to have to leave the next morning with a commitment in NYC. Michael had delivered my 5 pristine 1989 Lynch Bages from CA. What the heck…. You only live once, I uncorked one, I carved up the two remaining whoopee pies. Absolutely amazing how youthful this wine is. I really think I'm going to hold off for another 10 years at least before I touch the remaining four. These bottles clearly have had great provenance. Notwithstanding its youth, we still experienced that absolutely amazing velvet fisted elegance and strength, that ultimate, ultimate, in Pauillac balance that I look for in a wine. Well-stored bottles of 1989 Lynch BAges NEVER disappoint me: Amazing cedar, lead pencil, deep rich black fruit, classic, classic, stunning Pauillac.

Wow!

And to be able to share it with my fellow BWEers…. As good as it gets in wine, as far as I'm concerned….

1989 Lynch Bages

100+ points

The fact that it tasted like it did at that point in the evening says it all. Thanks BD!

That was a winner. The 1996 LB is just about as good - hopefully you have some of that lying around in Maine.

My BDX of the weekend was 1986 Talbot. I just love that stuff. The best wine might have been the 1996 LMHB, but it needs years to unfold.

An embarassment of riches, just like every year

SF Ed

'86 Talbot is amazing.

I do indeed have about 6 bottles of '96 LB.

I liked the Talbot the best of the 1986 Cordier stable. HM$ imperial all those years ago was the best!

Love Talbot!!! My last note with O.Bobby

1982 Talbot....
An absolute epic bottle of Bordeaux. An earthy beast loaded with secondary and tertiery notes. Initially, I'm getting slapped in the mouth by an old worn cat of nine tails, very nice...followed by earth, smoke, dusty red fruits.

On the palate, a nice gaminess, hints of (complimentary) bell pepper, tobacco, graphite, a dab of mushroom, great earthy finish, medium to full body. This is putting on an absolute clinic on what old world should taste like. Incredible showing, a poster bottle for off the charts Bordeaux


Wish I had the resources to clean up on all these 80's Talbot.

The 89 Lynch was incredible and amazingly youthful. So generous of Jim to open it at the end of a great day.

The 86 Rauzan-Ségla was great too!

I couldn't pick just one top wine from Saturday night (let alone the entire 3 days), so here are my top 5 from Saturday:

1996 Haut Brion
1986 Rausan Segla
1986 Talbot
1996 Pichon Lalande
1990 Grand Puy Lacoste

BD:

Thanks for the 89 Lynch treat.

And that fancy Amarone you brought on Fri was pretty amazing too.

Michael-P

I loved the 86 Talbot.

Been good since release.
Not expensive.
Never seemed to be covered up by 86 tannin.

I liked the 88 Climens. Not a powerful vintage for Climens so may seem weak (compared to 86).
But there's something about that little bitterness in the Climens finish that grabs my attention.

BUT it was such a privilege to drink so many great wines with wonderful folks.
I'm splitting hairs.

And thanks for bringing the old wines Michael. I preferred the Cos.

But in final analysis we get to have some really special evenings with this group.
Let's keep it going on strong!

My favorite 86 was the Rauzan Segla. It was one of the best Rauzan Seglas that I have tasted.

stefan wrote:My favorite 86 was the Rauzan Segla. It was one of the best Rauzan Seglas that I have tasted.

+1. I had a bottle of the 86 Rausan Segla in 2015, which was good, but nowhere near as good as the bottle last week. The bottle we had in NYC for the big 86 horizontal also showed really well.

But in final analysis we get to have some really special evenings with this group.
Let's keep it going on strong!

Amen, bro!

Prior to last week, the last time I had 1986 Rausan Segla was in 2002, when my buddy Steve and I drove cross country to Napa '02 and Bob and Deb pulled it out at their house in Iowa. It was amazing then and still going strong.

I'd still like to try to get a bottle of the 2010, I always liked that Suckling video tasting the barrel samples at the estate. It's awfully expensive though. I've got the 2012 in my cellar, though, and the 2014 on its way!

Michael P, it was great drinking my absolute two favorite wines with you, 1989 Lynch Bages and Dal Forno. That '08 Dal Forno is a stunner. And that '89 Lynch… When I get bottle like that, which was obviously well-stored, to me, no bullshit, it is better than anything I've ever tasted.

Let's get together on Thursday night when you're in NYC. Just give me as much notice as possible so that I can rearrange my schedule if need-be.

I was so impressed with the 86 Rausan Segla that tonight I pulled an 83 of R-S to go with Lucie's grilled quail, cauliflower mashed potatoes, and green beans. Wow! The 83 is a match for the 86. Not as concentrated as the 86, but perfectly balanced, elegant, and loaded with Margauxberries. It was much better than I expected it to be.

Another great 83! My go to vintage, it's like the 2002 of the 1980's.

I brought the 86 Rausan Segla to Dallas and it was a fantastic bottle. I have an 88 in the queue.

stefan,

1983 Rausan Segla was always a good one and a favorite of mine (sadly mine are all gone). In general, I think 1983 was a better in Margaux than 1982.

1986 Rausan Segla is a near legendary wine that is still slightly under the radar, though with all the raving about on this site it is unlikely to remain so. johnz (Gary Rust) tells me he had a spectacular bottle of 1986 RS this winter

As for wine of the weekend, I didn't have one. There were about a dozen wines of the weekend. Sorry, Jim 1989 Lynch Bages wasn't one of them. By the time I tasted the 1989 LB at the Friday night after-party, my taste buds were completely shot.

Chris Bublitz

Has anyone tried 1983 D'Issan recently?

Hard to beat 1989 Lynch or 1986 Talbot...

I wasn't there (really missed you guys!), but my favorite story of the convention was the yuuuuge score on 2002s at MacArthurs. With 2002L being Jim's favorite vintage, the alignment of a once-in-lifetime deal on just the right wines at just the right time and in just the right place was scary good karma. A cosmic pay-back for all the wonderful relationships developed through BWE.

WELL DONE, JIM. WELL DONE INDEED!

We missed you, David, it was a grew convention! I hope Peggy is doing well, tell her we said hey.