TN: Pilgrimage to S. Florida- '82 Bordeaux with Stuart
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 3:39 pm
I was in Fort Lauderdale for a conference this week, and Stuart and I met up on Wednesday night for a flight of 82 Bordeaux at a terrific farm-to-table restaurant. My brother was flying in to join us, so I brought the 82 GPL, and white and a stickie, and Stuart was bringing "3 reds". I admit, the combination of "Stuart", "82 Bordeaux" and "3 reds" in the same sentence quickens the pulse and focuses the mind. I wondered if my GPL would stand a chance. As we sat down to the table and enjoyed a glass of the 2007 Carbonnieux blanc (full notes below), I received a text from the brother that his airplane had made an emergency landing in Tampa as one passengers was having a heart attack! Stuart and I realized he'd never make it to dinner in time, and seeing as Stuart's wines were already open and decanted for sediment, he graciously said I should save my GPL for another day. We moved on to the reds.
The first bottle was the 1982 Ducru Beaucaillou. This showed really well. Stuart mentioned it has been a little musty on opening, and there was still a touch of old cellar on the bouquet, but this blew off and a regal, refined, seamless claret open up before us. I really enjoyed this and I would go to 93 pts on this bottle, but it was quickly eclipsed by bottle #2, the 1982 Haut Brion. All I can say is "wow", this first growth did not disappoint. It has an utterly captivating nose, tremendous charm and pitch-perfect balance. This bottle seemed at its absolute apogee, still showing some richness and fruit but with plenty of complexity and mature smoothness. I've had Haut Brion in maybe dozen times now, and this was the best yet, surpassing the wonderful 1978. And then came bottle #3, the 1982 Lafleur, a legend, a unicorn wine, one that I had read was enjoyed in Fort Lauderdale before (10+ times before as I learned), and of which I was the very fortunate recipient of this evening. This was my first Lafleur of any vintage, so I may have been a little star struck. Stuart didn't seem quite as impressed as I was, but I fell in love. Yes, this is an exotic, sexy, perhaps singular 34 year-old wine from Bordeaux, but this bottle was also old school claret through and through. And it got better and better over the course of the dinner. Stuart mentioned that this was more flamboyant 5-10 year ago, and that was easy to imagine, but I was blown away by the depth of this wine, I could imagine it providing immense enjoyment for a long time to come, albeit in a different, quieter gear.
All in all, a great night and a real pleasure to enjoy Stuart's company and generosity. Incidentally, we polished off all 3 bottles of red, half the white and most of the stickie, and we closed the restaurant down! Like a BWE tasting of yore.
2007 Château Carbonnieux Blanc
Lovely, wide open blanc. Combines some of the grassy, citrusy style of New Zealand with Graves. Lots of meyer lemon. There was also a engaging tropical note of ginger and passion fruit. Still has good fruit but starting to show some more mature notes of almonds. Good verve and length, paired perfectly with Florida Wahoo. Not a profound blanc, but I really enjoyed it and it delivers terrific QPR as always. 91-92 pts.
1982 Ducru Beaucaillou
Lovely, refined, resolved, completely mature, perhaps just past peak in this instance. 93 pts.
1982 Haut-Brion
Quintessential Graves bouquet of smoke, warm brick, forest floor, cedar, black fruits. So expressive, complex, distinctive and compelling, pretty close to a perfect nose. The palate was resolved and silky, giving a tremendously classy and seamless display, though still a notch down from the bouquet. I kept coming back this and it seemed better each time. A real treat and worthy of a mature 1st Growth in a great year. 97 pts.
1982 Lafleur
Distinctive and exotic bouquet with notes of cinnamon, Christmas mulling spices, prune, truffle, red wine reduction, and a tiny bit of old world funk and earthiness. It truly smells like a dry vintage port, in a good way. Better depth and length than the 82 Haut Brion next to it, if not quite as seamless and elegant, but this has a near endless finish and a lingering bit of old-school tannins gives this a slight ferrous note. With air, this got more and more exotic, and the depth was truly exhilarating, but at the same time, I really enjoyed how its exoticism Pomerol-ness was contained in a overall package of restraint and elegance. My first (and probably last) Lafleur and what a treat it was. 97 pts
1999 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Vendange Tardive
A sweet bouquet with scents of toffee, burnt orange, black tea, honey, ginger candy. Quite sweet and even a little viscous, yet held together by terrific verve and a refreshing bitterness. Overall, decadent and delightful. 92-93 pts.
The first bottle was the 1982 Ducru Beaucaillou. This showed really well. Stuart mentioned it has been a little musty on opening, and there was still a touch of old cellar on the bouquet, but this blew off and a regal, refined, seamless claret open up before us. I really enjoyed this and I would go to 93 pts on this bottle, but it was quickly eclipsed by bottle #2, the 1982 Haut Brion. All I can say is "wow", this first growth did not disappoint. It has an utterly captivating nose, tremendous charm and pitch-perfect balance. This bottle seemed at its absolute apogee, still showing some richness and fruit but with plenty of complexity and mature smoothness. I've had Haut Brion in maybe dozen times now, and this was the best yet, surpassing the wonderful 1978. And then came bottle #3, the 1982 Lafleur, a legend, a unicorn wine, one that I had read was enjoyed in Fort Lauderdale before (10+ times before as I learned), and of which I was the very fortunate recipient of this evening. This was my first Lafleur of any vintage, so I may have been a little star struck. Stuart didn't seem quite as impressed as I was, but I fell in love. Yes, this is an exotic, sexy, perhaps singular 34 year-old wine from Bordeaux, but this bottle was also old school claret through and through. And it got better and better over the course of the dinner. Stuart mentioned that this was more flamboyant 5-10 year ago, and that was easy to imagine, but I was blown away by the depth of this wine, I could imagine it providing immense enjoyment for a long time to come, albeit in a different, quieter gear.
All in all, a great night and a real pleasure to enjoy Stuart's company and generosity. Incidentally, we polished off all 3 bottles of red, half the white and most of the stickie, and we closed the restaurant down! Like a BWE tasting of yore.
2007 Château Carbonnieux Blanc
Lovely, wide open blanc. Combines some of the grassy, citrusy style of New Zealand with Graves. Lots of meyer lemon. There was also a engaging tropical note of ginger and passion fruit. Still has good fruit but starting to show some more mature notes of almonds. Good verve and length, paired perfectly with Florida Wahoo. Not a profound blanc, but I really enjoyed it and it delivers terrific QPR as always. 91-92 pts.
1982 Ducru Beaucaillou
Lovely, refined, resolved, completely mature, perhaps just past peak in this instance. 93 pts.
1982 Haut-Brion
Quintessential Graves bouquet of smoke, warm brick, forest floor, cedar, black fruits. So expressive, complex, distinctive and compelling, pretty close to a perfect nose. The palate was resolved and silky, giving a tremendously classy and seamless display, though still a notch down from the bouquet. I kept coming back this and it seemed better each time. A real treat and worthy of a mature 1st Growth in a great year. 97 pts.
1982 Lafleur
Distinctive and exotic bouquet with notes of cinnamon, Christmas mulling spices, prune, truffle, red wine reduction, and a tiny bit of old world funk and earthiness. It truly smells like a dry vintage port, in a good way. Better depth and length than the 82 Haut Brion next to it, if not quite as seamless and elegant, but this has a near endless finish and a lingering bit of old-school tannins gives this a slight ferrous note. With air, this got more and more exotic, and the depth was truly exhilarating, but at the same time, I really enjoyed how its exoticism Pomerol-ness was contained in a overall package of restraint and elegance. My first (and probably last) Lafleur and what a treat it was. 97 pts
1999 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Vendange Tardive
A sweet bouquet with scents of toffee, burnt orange, black tea, honey, ginger candy. Quite sweet and even a little viscous, yet held together by terrific verve and a refreshing bitterness. Overall, decadent and delightful. 92-93 pts.