Bordeaux at Bills

[AKR]

A bunch of West Coast BWE got together at Bills for fun and merriment. Pix are below

https://photos.app.goo.gl/KoqMwBV95toZLZyL6

We started with platter of cheese, pate, crackers/boule, fruit, jams and some Champagne. 96 Duval Leroy [Champagne] and the 00 Vilmart 'Coueur de Cuvee' [Champagne] were the lead off hitters for the lineup. I've had some Duval Leroy NV in the past, but never their vintage bottlings, and I don't think I've ever tried anything from Vilmart. They were both good, but fairly nutty. I like Champagne on the young and flighty side.

Then we sat down to enjoy Linda's excellent cooking. The first course was a carrot soup with a ginger sorbet dollop, wonderfully colored and flavored for the fall. This was paired with the two 86's.

86 Haut Bages Averous [Pauillac] before there was the Echo bottling of Lynch Bages, they had the H-B-A moniker. It was quite a bit lighter than its big brother, which we'd had in the spring. There's some mushroom and forest here too. It's advanced and should be drunk up. I don't think I've ever had one from this era, just a few from the 90's probably at age 5 or so.

86 Talbot [St Julien] This is one of the greatest Talbot's ever made. I guess one could argue whether this or 82 are better, but I'd go with 86. It's still in fine shape, very balanced, with just a nip of the old Cordier funk here. Talbot has been all over the map since there great 80's era, but 1996 and 2000 are fine years too.

Then we moved on to the smoked leg of lamb, Hasselback style potatoes, and roast fall vegetables. And the next round of wines started.

90 Leoville Las Cases [St Julien] Bravo. Superb, solid A type of wine. A full, complete example. I thought it was the best wine on the table, and there weren't any slouches. We talked about an old all Leoville tasting we did many years ago, where all the 1990's were so hard to choose between.

95 Soutard [St Emilion] I've mentioned this in the past http://www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com/ ... 58&p=51799 and felt like I had to show other enthusiasts, since this estate gets very little attention. Mint, oregano on the nose, lots of cab franc notes. Traditional with a touch of tannin. Drinking well today, like so many right banks from the vintage.

00 Trotte Vieille [St Emilion] This is another AFWE right banker. I rarely drink or come across it, other than a splitting a fine case of the 1989 with some coworkers maybe back in the 90's. It's medium bodied and non descript at first. I seem to remember that AlexR had some comments on this a while back, but I can't find them. Probably would have been better younger. It improved with air, as the night went on. We drank nearly everything btw!

03 Pontet Canet [Pauillac] This is a strong, rich wine that currently tastes somewhat international/modern. It has so much fruit, viscosity, and density that the earthy notes of the region have yet to come out. But its a great example of the estate. I think in time it'll end up being on the same level as the 90 LLC. Very youthful tasting still. Darker than anything else on the table.

We took a breather as the dishes were cleared, and the cold poached pears in a saffron / cardamon sauce were presented. This went with the 01 Lafaurie Peyraguey [Sauternes] Because of the high % semillion in the cepage, this isn't the crispest Sauternes, but it has apricot, honey, and saffron notes, pairing well with the dessert. It is a delicious, golden elixir to close a lovely dinner out with. I don't think I've tried any of the post Cordier era L-P's. While we were slurping this we reminisced about the 1986 L-P, which was a surprisingly good year for them, and atypically bright.

It was great to see everyone again, and big thanks to our gracious hosts for the splendid repast!

[Nicklasss]

Nice to read.

Ok Arv, you turn me on for the 1990 LLC, but also on Linda's cooking.

The 1986 Cateau Talbot is something, i understand that. Liked it each time i had it in the past.

Seems like a very cool offline in Sacramento.

Nic

[William P]

It was a very good pairing of food and wine on Saturday. Thanks Arv for the splendid notes. Totally agree the LLC was the wine of the night but the Talbot was right there. A great showing! The other notable pairing was the 01 Lafaurie Peyraguey with the poached pears. Wow a match made in heaven. The 03 PC was just too young in this group. Nice wine but I should have gone with something older Really there were no disappointing wines.

Always great to see Glenn and Peter. Many thanks to my Sacramento winos Arv and Gene.

Also, Peter indicated he will check his calendar regarding Colorado 2019.

Bill

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

Kind of hard to get a read on the 03 PC from peoples' notes. It got trashed recently here, and not because it was too rich but because it is already in major decline. But that's what makes for fun I guess, different tastes and all that.

[Claret]

Great night of fun again. Excellent food and Linda's cold soup was off the charts!

I liked the LLC the best with Talbot a close second. The 10 Evesham Wood Les Puits Sec PN consumed before the main event was an excellent wine with a spicy nose that was very giving and my #3 bottle. The rest is kind of fuzzy although I do not see 03 PC reaching the level of LLC.

Thanks again Bill and Linda for hosting.