85 wines in four days...

[Comte Flaneur]

...and no spitting...(and I may even have missed a couple...)

Wines in Denver

Wednesday

2002 Ruinart Blanc De Blancs - 93
2013 Clivi Brazan Fruilano - 88
2010 Fevre Chablis Bougros - 93
1985 Percarlo - 94
1999 Roagna Barbaresco Paje - 89
1996 Giacosa Barbaresco Asili Red Label - 97

Thursday

Krug NV 164 - 96
Krug NV 166 - 94
2002 Pol Roger - 92
1966 Haut-Bailly - 95
1975 Giscours - 92
1982 Cos D’Estournel - 96
1982 Ducru Beaucaillou - corked, great wine underneath
1982 Talbot - 94
1982 Branaire Ducru - 89 below par could have been faulty
1982 Certan De May - 94
1983 Talbot - 93
1983 Gruaud Larose - 94
1983 Canon - 89 - good wine underneath, marred by oxidation
1983 Pichon Lalande - 95
1983 Pichon Baron - corked
1983 Latour - 92
1983 Lynch Bages - 93
1990 Pape Clement - 93
1990 Cos D’Estournel - 94
1983 De Fargues - 95
1988 Lafaurie-Peyraguey - 90

Friday

1998 Krug - 95
1999 Philipponnat Clos De Goises - 94
2015 Jacques Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Folatieres - 90
2012? Bouzereau Meursault 1er Cru ? - 93
1958 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon - 95
1961 Gordiano Barolo - 95
1974 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon - 95
1999 Clape Cornas - 93
1999 Jamet Cote Rotie - 94
1998 Jacques Prieur Musigny - 97
2002 Louis Jadot Griottes Chambertin - 95
1999 Marquis D’Angerville Volnay Champans - 90
1980 Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon - 93
2008 Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon - 94
1996 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon - 94
1998 Wynn’s Coonawarra ‘John Riddoch’ - 88 - good wine underneath, marred by oxidation

Saturday lunch

1999 Vilmart Champagne? - 92
2008 Dom Perignon - 96
2012 Girardin Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chaumes - 92
2014 Neillon Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St-Jean - 94
2006 Marquis D’Angerville Volnay Champans - 91
1978 Lynch Bages - 92
1996 Leoville Barton - 94
2000 Magdelaine - 94

Saturday night

2008 Dom Perignon - 96
2009 Dom Perignon - 92
2003 Yacuchaya - NR!
1989 Magdelaine - corked
1989 Pichon Lalande - corked
1989 Haut-Brion - if not slightly corked it would be very high 90s
1989 Haut-Bages Liberal - 90
1989 Tertre-Roteboeuf - 91
1989 Lynch-Bages (magnum) - 91
1989 Le Gay - 91
1989 Lafleur De Gay - 91
1989 La Dominique - 92
1989 Grand-Puy Lacoste - 92
1986 Pichon Lalande - 92
1995 Certan De May - 92
1986 Raymond Lafon - 92
1988 La Tour Blanche - 93
1989 Talbot - 93
1989 Montrose - 93
1989 Haut-Bailly - 93
1989 Canon - 93
1989 Rauzan-Segla - 94
1989 Gruaud-Larose - 94
1989 Vieux Chateau Certan - 94
1989 Angelus - 95
1996 Lynch-Bages - 95
1989 Lynch-Bages (bottle) - 96
1989 Pichon Baron - 96
1989 Leoville-Lascases - 96
1989 Palmer - 96
1989 Yquem - 96
1989 La Mission Haut-Brion - 98
1959 Yquem - 99
1989 Petrus - 100

So many great wines. Cheers everyone. It was great to see you all at such an epic convention. And thank you for your generosity.

[Nicklasss]

Impressive Comte. Especially with your what 7 or 8 hours jetlag.

If I count quickly for myself, same amount than you Thursday, probably around 13 on Friday (unlucky?), same amount than you on Saturday for lunch, and 23 on Saturday's dinner and 3 last sips in a room very late around 2:00 am.

Nic

[JimHow]

Yeah, that was one of the epic four-day periods in the history of BWE.
That 1989 Petrus was one of the greatest wines I have ever tasted.
And that '59 d'Yquem was as sensuous a wine as I've ever experienced.

[OrlandoRobert]

Yeah, that was one of the epic four-day periods in the history of BWE.

And that '59 d'Yquem was as sensuous a wine as I've ever experienced.

Ditto. I've had the pleasure of having it twice, full bottle shared with a close friend over a long dinner with our wives (and gracefully, they dont drink red! ).

An exceptional, exotic, hedonistic wine. I do not normally use that latter descriptor, but this wine so perfectly pulls off hedonism. I have a '98 almost ready to go, to be shared with my friend, who is now also my business partner. His 50th is in August.

[Blanquito]

Well done, Ian. You covered a lot more ground than I managed to, but our scores are remarkably similar for what we both tried. I’ll post some notes and impressions later today.

[Blanquito]

Wednesday
2002 Ruinart Blanc De Blancs - 93
2013 Clivi Brazan Fruilano - 87-88
2010 Fevre Chablis Bougros - 92
1985 Percarlo - 95
1999 Roagna Barbaresco Paje - 92-93
1996 Giacosa Barbaresco Asili Red Label - 95 now, 97-98 when fully mature

Thursday
Krug NV 166 - 93, served too warm but has that irresistible Krug-ness.
2002 Pol Roger - 92+
1966 Haut-Bailly - 95+
1975 Giscours - 92
1982 Cos D’Estournel - 94
1982 Talbot - 95
1982 Branaire Ducru - 87-88, off bottle, maybe heat exposed?
1982 Certan De May - 94
1983 Talbot - 93
1983 Gruaud Larose - 94
1983 Pichon Lalande - 93
1983 Latour - 92
1983 Lynch Bages - 93
1990 Pape Clement - 93
1990 Cos D’Estournel - 95
1983 De Fargues - 94
1988 Lafaurie-Peyraguey - 90

Friday
1998 Krug - 93, again served too warm for my tastes, but wow this was good.
2014 Jadot Batard-Montrachet - 97, too young, but a yellowy nirvana in a glass. So classy, so seamless, OMG.
1995 Chave Hermitage Blanc - 95, fully mature, fantastic.
2015 Jacques Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Folatieres - 90
1958 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon - 95
1961 Gordiano Barolo - 95
1974 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - 94
1999 Clape Cornas - 94+
1999 Jamet Cote Rotie - 92, really delicious and if not at peak, then not too far away... but it had a carmelly expression (from some new oak?) on the bouquet that I am not a big fan of with Syrah.
1980 Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum) - 92+, classic, button-downed, showing a tighter than in 750.
1985 Dominus - 95, my red WOTN by a hair
1996 Tollot-Beaut Corton-Bressandes - 93
2002 Schoffit Pinot Gris VT - 94
1985 Huet Le Mont Moellleux - 94

Saturday lunch
NV Vilmart Grand Cellier (that's what I recall) - 91
2008 Dom Perignon - 93, 95+ when fully mature. So young still, but classic. Will be super great someday.
2012 Girardin Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chaumes - 92
2014 Neillon Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St-Jean - 94
2006 Marquis D’Angerville Volnay Champans - 91
1978 Lynch Bages - 94, fully mature, with that resolved old wine charm combined with the power and austerity of a Pauillac. My kinda wine.
1996 Leoville Barton - 92, still early days here. Terrific bouquet and attack, but quite stern and dry on the finish still.
2000 Magdelaine - 94, lovely, early maturity

Saturday night
2000 Vilmart Coeur de Cuvee - 94
1989 Pichon Lalande - 93, slightly off/flawed bottle, but I got an early pour which was rocking in the green-meets-rich style PPL is known and rightly loved for.
1989 Haut-Brion - 95, I got one of the first (tiny) pours before the TCA was evident and I was enthralled by the smokey, graves-y miracle in my glass. It was gone in minutes.
1989 Tertre-Roteboeuf - 92, quite mature with a distinctly beefy, teriyaki nose that was exotic and fun.
1989 Lynch-Bages (750 ml) - 95, showed much better than the magnum.
1989 Grand-Puy Lacoste - 93+, I was higher on this than most, it didn't have the best bouquet but the palate was powerful and very Pauillac. I drank it next to the Lynch and Baron and it held its own, mainly lacking in mouthfeel refinement next to those two titans. Maybe a good deal still at auction.
1989 Montrose - 92-93, still too young.
1989 Canon - 94
1989 Vieux Chateau Certan - 92
1989 Angelus - 93
1989 Pichon Baron - 95-96
1989 Leoville-Lascases - 93
1989 Palmer - 95+, I got the good bottle, this was fantastic and still has upside.
1989 La Mission Haut-Brion - 98
1989 Petrus - 99
1986 Raymond Lafon - 92
1988 La Tour Blanche - 93
1959 Yquem - 99

[Comte Flaneur]

Nice one Patrick, overall similar impressions. How you feeling nearly a week later? I must admit still very fragile. Must be an age thing, but jet lag travelling west to east certainly doesn’t help. Haven’t touched a drop of alcohol since Denver and no plans to do so tonight or in the foreseeable future.

[Blanquito]

I needed 36 hrs to fully recover, but I didn’t have to deal with jet lag and I eased up a lot on Friday and Saturday (after paying a price for Weds and Thursday’s excesses). I think I only tried half of the wines the last 2 nights, still a lot, but much less than one could have over indulged in. There was still a lot of wine left over at the end of Friday and Saturday nights.

[Blanquito]

But piling on here — what an amazing event! I’ve never come close before to this, giving out 95 pts like cheap door prizes. Reading our posts, it’s like we were all imbued with the spirit of J. Suckling, except these wines truly deserved their accolades. I think the 89 vintage overall easily lived up to the hype and its distinct from the other great vintages of the era — more restrained and classical than the 82s, bigger and firmer than the 83s and 85s, richer than the 86s and 88s, and more balanced and refined than the 1990. I like the 82s better overall and there are many wines I love from 83, 85, 86, 88 and 90, but after last Saturday’s Grand Event I am quite comfortable calling the 1989s the silver medalist of that era.

[DavidG]

Yes, 1989 was a fabulous year for Bordeaux. I agree that 1982 was even better. 1990 vs. 1989 is a closer call. The 1990s were so lush and hard to resist young, I couldn’t keep my hand off of them. Those were the top three for me in that decade. Let’s see what you have to say after we open a few dozen 1990s at BWE 2020!

[stefan]

You young whippersnappers can taste many more than I. OTOH, when you have a limited number of days left, I predict you won't go a week without wine.

We are watching the rain from our lake house at Lake Mercer with our children and grandchildren. Last night we drank a couple of excellent Bdx: 02 Lynch-Bages and 01 Cos d'Estournel. I was surprised that these are as advanced as they are, not that they will reach full maturity in the next five or ten years. It was hard to pick between them. Judd and I had a slight preference for the Lynch, which had more overtones, including just the right amount of green pepper, while stefanJr, Lucie, T, and Irena preferred the very well balance Cos.

[Antoine]

Waoooh very impressive.... and all these Bordeaux 89s... very impressed how you can differentiate all these Bordeaux from same vintage while been obviously utterly dissolved in ethanol... Doubt I could...

I note your best non Bordeaux was Musigny Prieur 98 which is quite interesting as their terroir is in the Combe d'Orveaux and I have quite a stack of Clavelier, Taupenot... 1er. Can yo add something on this wine?

[Claudius2]

Stefan,
I get the point.
My liver blew up just reading the notes, and acid reflux is now choking me.....