TN: 98 Larmande [St Emilion]

Post Reply
User avatar
AKR
Posts: 5234
Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2015 4:33 am
Contact:

TN: 98 Larmande [St Emilion]

Post by AKR »

98 Larmande [St Emilion] Label states 13% abv, and very little else. I've had this since release, and based on my scribbles on the import tag, it would have been better a few years ago (my note to self circa 1999 was 'drink by 2015'). I prepped a monster 2.5 lb Harris Ranch Tomahawk chop, put some corn on the grill, while I ran this through a double decant. Perhaps this link will work

https://goo.gl/photos/Nwi1FrG6bf8E9bnZ9

The last Larmande I've had was some time ago; I can't remember if it was the 95 or 00. Although Clive Coates loves their wines, and I do read his (prior) work, its more of a 'roast chicken' BDX than a steak mate. A bigger Medoc would have paired better. Still, polite wines like Larmande are best enjoyed alone, rather than in a situation where it gets compared to other wines, so this was a good way to reconnect. On the nose there is saddle/leather, while showing a dusky garnet/brown color. Medium bodied. After a while in the glass, one picks up sage/mint notes. It does sweeten up with time, although a drying tannic note appears. It felt resolved while eating, but of course a juicy chop and buttery grilled corn will conceal some texture. I've saved this since release, and despite a perfect cork and all that, cellaring didn't pay off here with additional complexity/interest etc. There is a full glass saved for tomorrow, so perhaps a little air might give it more body, but I'd give this a B in my ledger. Although pleasurable, it's an anti QPR, considering the money/time. I'm glad I didn't serve this to my cab loving neighbors, who are popping in tomorrow. BTW, lots of cab franc here, so perhaps enthusiasts of that varietal might get more out of this.

I've heard good things about the 90, but I missed that.

Image
User avatar
stefan
Posts: 6224
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:08 pm
Location: College Station, TX
Contact:

Re: TN: 98 Larmande [St Emilion]

Post by stefan »

IIRC, Larmande was quite good at the beginning of this decade but I didn't see any reason to store it longer. My data base says that I still have one bottle of the 2000. If I can find it I'll take it to Galveston next week when we meet our kids and grandkids.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 11 guests