A dinner where none of the wines showed well

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AKR
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A dinner where none of the wines showed well

Post by AKR »

We had some of the local PTA parents over for dinner last night and I opened a bunch of wines. Unfortunately nothing showed well, although that didn't stop anyone from guzzling, since everyone's kids were at a babysitters, and we all live close enough to walk. The bulk had been held since release, and stood up for a week.

96 Lafon Rochet [St Estephe] This was the only one to be decanted. It came across thin and weedy. 2 of the last 3 bottles I have had of this in the last year have been only ok, which for a cru classe, cellared properly isn't a strong vote for the aging process. At least the tannins are now smoothed out, but this example's fruit had slunk off. B- I guess.

95 Croix du Casse [Pomerol] First underwhelming bottle from the case. Lots of leafy, forest smells here. Medium bodied. I didn't expect others to like this kind of wine. I opened it more for me. I'd give it a B.

99 Barde Haut [St Emilion] Bigger and fruitier than the other two, and more popular. It's still going strong and the estate seems to be making even better wines now. A B+ tonight. Probably the best of the bunch.

04 Nairac [Barsac] Chilled, with a fruit tart, and little wine candied jellies. Coconuts, tropical flavors. Golden, medium - full bodied. People liked this, even one lady who was originally not planning on imbibing. Last bottle of this, and I thought the earlier one was better though. B+

One of dads brought over a bottle and that was opened too.

11 Raymond 'Reserve' CS [Napa] I see this producer around a lot locally (K&L, Costco, my market etc.) but had never tried anything from them. This example seemed to have some herbal, celery notes to me. I don't know if that's the vintage or producer. There's still a splash or two left in the bottle so perhaps we'll have it with dinner and see what happens. Maybe a B-.

I think going forward I'm going to stick with younger California wines for dinners like this.
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Comte Flaneur
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Re: A dinner where none of the wines showed well

Post by Comte Flaneur »

Just one of those days Arv. Been there...
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Nicklasss
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Re: A dinner where none of the wines showed well

Post by Nicklasss »

Well, you need medium night like that, to appreciate the great one.

When that happens, you focus on the company instead!

Nic

P.S. i had a very bad restaurant night with some friends Friday : food and wine (a Smoking Loon California pinot) were so pour. Well we had a great time anyhow, but not due to the restaurant.
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stefan
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Re: A dinner where none of the wines showed well

Post by stefan »

Yeah, these nights happen, though more often with Burgundy than with Bordeaux. Last night my son in law preferred a slightly corked but still fruity 2003 Chevillon 1er Cru NSG to a 1995 Faiveley Corton Grand Cru. What's worse is that I also thought that the Chevillon is a better wine.
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Blanquito
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Re: A dinner where none of the wines showed well

Post by Blanquito »

It might be considered heretical in some quarters (and surprising coming from me given my wait-5-more-years reaction to most post-1990 Bordeaux), but I think the 96 Lafon Rochet peaked 5-6 years ago. I’ve drunk nearly a case of this wine from 2004-present, and while still good when on, there’s been a steady decline in the freshness and fruit since circa 2011 when it was truly glorious.
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AlohaArtakaHoundsong
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Re: A dinner where none of the wines showed well

Post by AlohaArtakaHoundsong »

Too bad about the 95 CdC because if I recall correctly you have liked this wine consistently in prior encounters. And that was my experience through my three bottles.

I bought a couple of 96 Lafon Rochet and based on memory alone I don't recall being impressed by anything about them. They seemed to be all structure and not much else.
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AKR
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Re: A dinner where none of the wines showed well

Post by AKR »

AlohaArtakaHoundsong wrote:Too bad about the 95 CdC because if I recall correctly you have liked this wine consistently in prior encounters. And that was my experience through my three bottles.

I bought a couple of 96 Lafon Rochet and based on memory alone I don't recall being impressed by anything about them. They seemed to be all structure and not much else.
It was the first 'ok' CdC out of the case - all the rest have been very good. I guess at age 20+ even well stored stuff will have variation due to corks.

I'm thinking the Lafon Rochet might have been better younger too.
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Claudius2
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Re: A dinner where none of the wines showed well

Post by Claudius2 »

Arvind,
The only wine I have had of that line up is the 96 Lafon Rochet, and I think your notes were similar to mine.
I have now had it several times since ordering a case en primeur, and I kept thinking that with time, surely, it will be better.
Not so as the wine never showed any depth or intensity of fruit.
The wine was like a bony kid young, and just never developed into much.
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