TN: End of year tasting
Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 2:38 am
1995 Château de Chamboureau Savennières Roche aux Moines Chevalier Buhard Cuvée d'Avant Doux
Served double blind. I immediately get honey and orange blossoms, and it makes me think of Baumard. Chenin blanc? Yes. This is flat out terrific, quite sweet but showing some of that mellow aged character as well. Plenty of acid and a somewhat bitter, medicinal note on the finish keeps this real. With air, florals and a soapy note come out. There's plenty of acidity to spare and this holds up open for 2 days just fine. More of a dessert wine in my book, but a really good one. 92-93 pts. 92 pts
2001 E. Guigal Ermitage Ex-Voto
Wow, this was stellar. The youngest and deepest of the Guigals, with a great smoky core of dark fruit. Long and layered with great balance, I like this one the best because it showed the most sauvage character. 94-95 pts.
1998 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis
This was flat out killer. Beautiful nose of lavender, tapenade, wood. The palate was resolved and smooth with good depth and concentration of fruit. In a great place. 93 pts
1985 Château Mouton Rothschild
A really pristine bottle with the fill into the neck. However, when I took off the capsule, the top of the cork smelled a bit of TCA. Uh oh. I decanted the wine and none of us got any TCA on the wine, but this could have been an ever so slightly compromised bottle... The wine was still quite good, really the quintessence of an elegant and effortless wine. It has sneaky depth and some classic claret cigar box and cedar. The bouquet was just a bit dialed down in volume though. Fully mature and a treat, but a bit of a let down. 92 pts
1997 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
This was a lovely, somewhat understated Cote Rotie. The bouquet showed some sweet new oak, floral notes, the sweeter and gentler side of syrah. The palate was seamless without a note out of place, and it drafted towards the elegant end of things. More pretty than powerful, this was quite seductive. 92-93 pts. 92 pts
2001 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard
I liked this a lot. Very Cali cab, but in an older school gear, showing minty, cool fruit and very pretty sweet and floral notes. Smooth, resolved, long. In a great place right now, I see no reason to hold this further. 92 pts
1982 Château Prieuré-Lichine
A nice, fully mature Bordeaux, still going strong. There is a good core of cool fruit with plenty of acidity. It actually got deeper and longer with a bit of air. Silky smooth. Showing more of the earthy side of Bordeaux, without any Margaux florals. I would drink soon, it can't get any better. 91 pts
1983 Château Gruaud Larose
Another fantastic bottle of this. Perfectly mature, even tertiary with all of the rough edges pretty much gone now. Lots of complex, earthy, cedary Bordeauxness here. The fruit is quite bright for claret, with top notes of cranberries mixed in with sweeter black cherries. Indeed, the fruit is still intact in a lovely secondary role, but I wouldn't push it too much longer. Man, was Cordier on fire between 1982-1988 or what? 93 pts
1986 Château Climens
Beautiful, classic, understated, balanced, integrated. This is by no means a flashy Barsac, at times it even tastes dry, but what a wine. I get tons of orange and ginger here, and it's only by itself that the sneaky sweetness is really on display. Good acids, good depth and length, this is another wine tonight that doesn't show any chink in its aristocratic armour. 93 pts
Served double blind. I immediately get honey and orange blossoms, and it makes me think of Baumard. Chenin blanc? Yes. This is flat out terrific, quite sweet but showing some of that mellow aged character as well. Plenty of acid and a somewhat bitter, medicinal note on the finish keeps this real. With air, florals and a soapy note come out. There's plenty of acidity to spare and this holds up open for 2 days just fine. More of a dessert wine in my book, but a really good one. 92-93 pts. 92 pts
2001 E. Guigal Ermitage Ex-Voto
Wow, this was stellar. The youngest and deepest of the Guigals, with a great smoky core of dark fruit. Long and layered with great balance, I like this one the best because it showed the most sauvage character. 94-95 pts.
1998 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis
This was flat out killer. Beautiful nose of lavender, tapenade, wood. The palate was resolved and smooth with good depth and concentration of fruit. In a great place. 93 pts
1985 Château Mouton Rothschild
A really pristine bottle with the fill into the neck. However, when I took off the capsule, the top of the cork smelled a bit of TCA. Uh oh. I decanted the wine and none of us got any TCA on the wine, but this could have been an ever so slightly compromised bottle... The wine was still quite good, really the quintessence of an elegant and effortless wine. It has sneaky depth and some classic claret cigar box and cedar. The bouquet was just a bit dialed down in volume though. Fully mature and a treat, but a bit of a let down. 92 pts
1997 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
This was a lovely, somewhat understated Cote Rotie. The bouquet showed some sweet new oak, floral notes, the sweeter and gentler side of syrah. The palate was seamless without a note out of place, and it drafted towards the elegant end of things. More pretty than powerful, this was quite seductive. 92-93 pts. 92 pts
2001 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard
I liked this a lot. Very Cali cab, but in an older school gear, showing minty, cool fruit and very pretty sweet and floral notes. Smooth, resolved, long. In a great place right now, I see no reason to hold this further. 92 pts
1982 Château Prieuré-Lichine
A nice, fully mature Bordeaux, still going strong. There is a good core of cool fruit with plenty of acidity. It actually got deeper and longer with a bit of air. Silky smooth. Showing more of the earthy side of Bordeaux, without any Margaux florals. I would drink soon, it can't get any better. 91 pts
1983 Château Gruaud Larose
Another fantastic bottle of this. Perfectly mature, even tertiary with all of the rough edges pretty much gone now. Lots of complex, earthy, cedary Bordeauxness here. The fruit is quite bright for claret, with top notes of cranberries mixed in with sweeter black cherries. Indeed, the fruit is still intact in a lovely secondary role, but I wouldn't push it too much longer. Man, was Cordier on fire between 1982-1988 or what? 93 pts
1986 Château Climens
Beautiful, classic, understated, balanced, integrated. This is by no means a flashy Barsac, at times it even tastes dry, but what a wine. I get tons of orange and ginger here, and it's only by itself that the sneaky sweetness is really on display. Good acids, good depth and length, this is another wine tonight that doesn't show any chink in its aristocratic armour. 93 pts