LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

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JimHow
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Re: LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Post by JimHow »

This was a great showing for the Baron. It was open on the nose and vibrant and velvety on the palate.
It hit hard from the beginning and pummeled the Lynch from the first round to the last in an overwhelming decision.
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Re: LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Post by stefan »

Lynch was slightly thinner than the other fighters and had a green streak, but performed well. The Pichon Pair were at the peak of their powers. Any of the three would be a star at a fine dinner.

All 15 bottles were in good shape and performed well. The two 02 Blanc de Blancs are still fresh and young. Neither will peak for a few years. The Ruinart is sharper than the Pol Roger with less precision in the bouquet but more aromas. Both are fine examples of the genre even if I prefer more age on BdB of this class. The Ruinart screamed for seafood company, but we did not have any. The 02 Pommery Louise is more advanced and with a rounder taste. I assume it has a high percentage of Pinot Noir. It is surprising that it went well with Caesar salad (the Ruinart did not).

The 66 Haut-Brion was a treat for me. Lucie and I drank it in the 1970s but only rarely in recent years. It had the deep gravelly taste that a fine Grave gets in good years and age has produced some tobacco. I got some extra of this one because Lucie was put off by a little up front oxidation.

The Ducru-Beaucaillou provided a good example of the 1983 vintage--balance, finesse, nice nose, and lingering finish. I am rarely disappointed (and rarely wowed) by a 1983 left bank wine that has had good storage.

The Conseillante and Trotanoy showed how good 1989 was on the right bank. The Conseillante is elegant and refined with a seductive nose and long finish. The Trotanoy is so different--very masculine with tannin laced licorice.

The 1999 Margaux and Palmer are excellent young Bordeaux, but neither smells of Margauxberries at this time in their development. The Margaux is more masculine and mouth fulling, although the Palmer is not exactly feminine.

The La Tour Blanche seemed very young for a 1976, especially from a half bottle. Pleasant but with less intensity than the others. The 1986 Climens, OTOH, tasted older than it is. It and the creamy, lush, young 1995 Yquem both went well with a big serving of creme brûlée (which I should not have eaten because rich desserts like that knock me out).

It is almost a shame to pick out favorites among such outstanding wines. In the flights, I preferred Pol Roger and Louise to Ruinart; Conseillante to Trotanoy; Margaux to Palmer; and ordered the Pauillacs the same as the group. The Pauillacs we drank blind and, as usual, I identified them completely wrongly. I guessed the Baron to be the Lynch, the Comtesse to be the Baron, and the Lynch to be the Comtesse. I ranked the Sauternes Yquem, Climens, La Tour Blanche.
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Blanquito
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Re: LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Post by Blanquito »

Great write up, Bill. As much as I loved the 86 Climens last night, the 95 d'Yquem was amazing and had another gear that the other 2 Sauternes lacked.
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Winona Chief
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Re: LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Post by Winona Chief »

All three wines were very good. I thought the Lynch showed very well - for me, it was a toss-up with the Baron for best wine. Surprised that the Lalande was third place on my card. All the wines (and particularly the Lynch) could have used longer decanting time.

Chris Bublitz
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Re: LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Post by dstgolf »

A fabulous night and very happy to have crashed the party!! I knew there was no way I'd ever convince my wife to attend this event after such a long day so we had an earlier dinner at Tadich grill which a landmark being the oldest restaurant in the state opened 1849 and had a real NYC feel. Wonderful fresh seafood,good service but portions crazy big. Before heading out Jim was twisting my arm to join them but wife just wanted to get back to rest....after tucking her in I found my way over to the Omni just in time for the prize fight and thanks to everyone for arranging a chair and extra glasses. Great to see everyone and catch up. This is more fun than the tasting...well maybe.

The heavy weights were poured up and maybe it was the glassware but I could get little to any nose on two out of the three. The best nose and the lightest wine for my taste was # 3. Loved it. Sexy feminine with cedar lighter red fruits and delicious. I found a green note as well through #1 as well but still preferred the resolving but present tannins. Smoother and softer than #2. I found the brooding tannins a little too youthful but the depth of dark fruit,inky purple color should have put me more on track but I wasn't thinking clearly enough with everything going on to rightly ID these babies. 0 for 3 in the ID side but if I'd thought for two seconds the wines were obvious. The sexy PLL, deep brooding Baron and well LB stumbled a bit tonight. All were great but for me the star laid out of the ring.

89 La Conseillante was heavenly sucking back the dregs of the bottle a clear winner for me. The Trotanoy was more masculine of the two and close behind. The few drops squeezed out of the 66 HB were my most memorable of the bunch with soya,asian spice and mushroom in a good kind of way. Tobacco/leather there but in the background. Loved this one.

The 95 Y'Quem was a clear standout for the desert wines. Snappy acidity/perfect balance and just leaves you wanting. The 76 La Tour Blanche came in 2 splits and both were clearly different. #1 was head and shoulders better than #2. #2 had lost its acidity and a touch oxidized by comparison. Never would have guessed them as the same wine. 86 Coutet was of a different ilk. Showing more age than the 76 and stronger boytritis notes on the finish.

Thanks to everyone allowing a party crasher and the clear winner on the night was the company by a long shot!! A little foggy upstairs this am on the morning after. A slow start on this rainy San Fran morning but looking forward to the next two events.
Danny
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Re: LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Post by DavidG »

Jimmy LB How must have been jet-lagged. I can't imagine such a result if the master manipulator had been in full voice.

My bottles of 1989 Lynch, cellared since release, have often seemed young, requiring hours or even the next day to really blossom.
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Re: LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Post by JimHow »

I even recorded the vote results David as Patrick announced them, a perfect opportunity for voter fraud and I passed on it in my benevolence.

The problem I had was that I knew wine #1 was the Lynch, but I also knew that it was the wine showing least impressively.
So I just hoped I was wrong and ended up voting the way the group did as a whole, with Baron first, Comtesse second, and Lynch third.

That Lynch is SO backward. It really does need 24 hours of air, which is pretty amazing when you consider it is a 28 year old wine.
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Re: LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Post by Nicklasss »

I did not wanted to be so mean with the Lynch, and was astounished like other that the Poor man Mouton finished third. But like I said to Jim, the Baron won over the Lynch for the first time last night, in 4-5 official fights... I preferred The Baron and was my favorite wine of the night! I put the Lynch second and Comptesse third, but all three were great. The Comptesse was just a bit less concentrated, a bit greener and having less of the strong cassis/graphite flavors I love so much in Pauillac. The Lynch was tasting a bit more it oak than all previous time I had it. The preparation of the wine (opened only and hour before) did not helped the Lynch.

A fun dinner, with all 1989 wines showing clearly well. The two Pomerol were different but so good in their ways, Conseillante having the most interesting and complex nose with the 1966 Haut Brion, but the mouth was stricter than the 1990 Conseillante. Trotanoy, with it masculine profile for a Pomerol, can't be understanded quickly. But like the Baron screemed "Pauillac" last night, the Trotanoy screamed "Pomerol" by it's dark fruits, iron, truffles, earthy, licorice character, a very strong Trotanoy to me.

I did not had enough pour of the two Margaux to judge them fairly, and not enough time, but their nose were quite similar, like a half closed Margaux nose without berries blossoming, but in mouth, the Chateau Margaux was full of fruit, elegance, length, magic. palmer was ok, but with a harder tannic charecter, less fruit, less integrity.

The 1966 Haut Brion was having a magic nose: incredibly perfumed, with smoke, blackcurrants, rocks gravel, light touch of vegetal, prune, roasted red pepper, spices with hickory, and more smoke and rocks! Wow. The mouth was quite good, but did not fallow the nose sheer power, more restrained mouth, but very gracious in it's precision, but only medium to short length. But a nice bottle.

For the Champagnes, I liked them in their order presented, being more seduced by the saline/dry yellow fruit/light candy/light oxydation nuts of the Ruinart. Pol Roger was more severe and mineral on the nose, but the mouth was thicker and flavorful. Pommery Louise was very elegant, less bubbly, confit lemon with very light red berries.

The Sauternes were dominated by the King, with again it's blooming complex precise aromas and tastes, balanced power sugar botrytis and very long finish. The 1986 Climens was very good, but seemed older than it age, with lot's of confit orange skin. The 1976 Tour Blanche was very good considering it age, but the ligther of the three. Sweet white peaches and apricot mainly in La Tour Blanche.

These comments are the best I can make, with the speed that night went on and limited analysis of the wines, as I took advantage of the company more than the wines. On ly the blind tasting, where we took more time, is maybe better quality notes.

Nic
Last edited by Nicklasss on Fri Mar 24, 2017 11:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Post by Comte Flaneur »

Thanks for the notes chaps. Enthralling stuff!

Last two outings I had with Lynch 89 it was similarly backward but clearly a legend in the making. Just think it needs another 10-20 years...

Of the two Pichons were they backward too? And how about the two 89 Pomerols? Last time I drank it a year ago the 89 La Con was very evolved.
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Re: LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Post by stefan »

The Conseillante is fully mature, Ian. The Trotanoy is not exactly backward but has not yet peaked. Both Pichons are in their prime but will only get better for some years to come.
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Blanquito
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Re: LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Post by Blanquito »

The 89 Conseillante was my red wine of the night, and I think we all agreed that it was fully mature but not fading in the least bit. The 89 Trotanoy was served too cold (my fault) and it suffered next to more exotic Conseillante, but boy was it good as it got air and warmed up. As noted by others, the Trot was quite masculine and firm still.

I really loved both of the 89 Pichons, it was a coin toss to pick my top of the two. The Baron was more reserved and classic and showed Cabernet Sauvignon profile of cool mint and cassis, whereas the Lalande had a sexier palate, riper and more round, quite compelling in my book
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Re: LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Post by RPCV »

Sounds so wonderful, I really must attend one of these and soon!

To pile on Jim and, in keeping with my famous quotes busting your chops....

"In a post-tasting interview, the Comtesse was overheard quoting the great Margaret Thatcher.... If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman".

Enjoy all.
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Re: LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Post by Comte Flaneur »

Thanks for the feedback folks...Bordeaux Nirvana in San Francisco - I think I am muddling my metaphors - but keep reporting, posting and the more pictures the better...
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DavidG
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Re: LYNCH vs. BARON IV: EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Post by DavidG »

So many great wines. Loving the reports. Sounds like you are having a great time.

We opened a 1989 La Tour Blanche Sauternes Thursday night in sympathy with your theme and it was outstanding over 2 nights.

Looking forward to the Friday and Saturday night dinner reports, and of course the extracurricular shenanigans that round out every BWE convention.
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