Second wine night in Fort Lauderdale

[jal]

After a crazy first evening where the 1982 First Growth were all represented along with various other amazing wines, seven of us met again, this time in restaurant 3030 Ocean for an encore. Stuart and Kathy our amazing hosts, Stefan and Lucie, Jim, Jill and I found ourselves in another private room with another great array of wines.

We started with a bottle of 2002 Dom Perignon P2, as great as the 1996 Krug, the 2008 Cristal and the 2008 Dom were the evening before they all paled before this extraordinary bottle. Just released a year or two ago, it is pale yellow and looks like any regular bubbly but it is rich and layered beyond any other Champagne I've ever drank. A true delight and proof of the heights great Champagne can attain. 97

With appetizers of Stone crab for some and oysters for others, as well as the first two courses (I had a poached pear salad and a grilled octopus with polenta and romesco sauce), we opened some white Burgundies:

2000 Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Pucelles smells funky and advanced but relaxes a lot after about fifteen minutes. It is what older White Burgundy should taste like if it survives all the premox; rich, concentrated with layers of flavors from the best parcel in Puligny imo, the color is rich yellow and the flavor is more of pears than stone fruit. The finish is long 96

2010 Lefaive Puligny Montrachet Pucelles is much more typical of the kind of White Burgundies we've been drinking lately, pale yellow, minerals, very pure and laser focused but intense and concentrated. The finish goes on and on 95

2014 Jadot Batard Montrachet has a darker yellow color than the first two, it is a rich and powerful wine with a complex nose of ripe fruits. The balance and structure here are incredible and if this avoids the dreaded pox it can attain incredible heights. What a fantastic bottle 96

2014 Servin Chablis les Clos obviously has a hard time competing with the heavy hitters but it is a classic Chablis, clean, pure, vibrant with delicious fruit and minerals. A good match with oysters while the others paired much better with the crabs and the octopus. 92

Now to the reds, I ordered a delicious skirt steak and by this time, my palate is tiring from the great wines of yesterday and the wonderful whites so here are very brief impressions of what we opened:

1998 Angelus; smells funky, bretty and weird, doesn't improve I can't get past it. I loved that wine the one or two times I had it in the past, but this is just weird. Stefan says it's a modern ugly Angelus and always tasted like that.

1998 Clinet; much better but a bit closed, I get a vibrant wine with a good structure but the fruit is hiding.

2005 Sociando; concentrated and with a good backbone, good fruit.

1994 Haut Brion; The tannins are more resolved than the last time I had this but the fruit is still hiding and not coming out to play.

2000 Pichon Baron; Dark, inky, concentrated, great fruit and structure, long finish, I don't get much Pauillac character but tbh, after the great Pauillacs of the night before, I am spoiled. Still my favorite red of the evening until Stu pulls out of his bag:

1982 Cheval Blanc; and obviously by far and away the best red wine of the evening for me. Great nose of cherries and earth, resolved fruit, mature and complex, not in the same league as the Mouton or Latour of the evening before but up there! Wow!

To finish with a meringue and tropical fruits Stu opens a half bottle of 2003 Yquem; dark gold, nose of ripe pears and botrytis, concentrated and complex on the palate. A delight.

We obviously closed down the place, having so much fun we all just kept going way past the normal bedtime of most South Floridians. A huge thank you to Stuart and Kathy for their hospitality, their graciousness, the seamless organization and obviously their generosity. We had a terrific weekend and a great time with old friends. Can't wait to see you all again soon.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Xq79fMqwWa5EhmtX7

[Nicklasss]

Again, what a line up, especially the white Bourgogne. I guess Leflaive rarely disapoint. And the Grand Cru also seem to never let you down.

Happy to read that the 1982 Chateau Cheval Blanc was great. I had a bottle with JScott at his place in 2007, and then, it was super but needed a bit more time. seems like it is ok now.

I'm just a bit sad that I won't see you and Jill in DC in 2 weeks and a half.

Maybe I can look for Florida or New-York later this year? Simone wants to go back to NY.

Nic

[jal]

Maybe I can look for Florida or New-York later this year? Simone wants to go back to NY.

Nic

That will be great Nic. Maybe we could also meet in Montreal, we have not been there in decades.

[brodway]

Another phenomenal BWE get together...Stu and the Florida crew really know how to live it up

The Jadot Batard is a real treat....when its not oxidized

[DavidG]

Wonderful report, thanks Jacques. That 2000 Leflaive note brings back memories of great aged white Burgs. And the 1982 Cheval Blanc - had it once about 20 years ago and it was awesome then as well.

[Comte Flaneur]

Sounds like another fabulous evening Jacques, glad the Leflaive’s were singing for you.

I tend to agree that the top three wines in the 1982 vintage are Latour, Mouton and Cheval Blanc in that order.

[stefan]

Jacques gave a great report of a second fantastic dinner except for one thing:

>>
Stefan says it's a modern ugly Angelus and always tasted like that.
>>

That was a misunderstanding. This bottle was flawed by Brett. Previous bottles I have drunk were sound fruit bombs that many people love but I do not. My taste runs toward more traditionally styled St Emilion.

The Cheval Blanc had great balance and is fully mature. My guess is that it will stay as it is for five or ten years. It was my favorite red even if I liked all the wines other than the flawed Angelus. The 2002 Dom P2 was a special treat. It was the deepest Champagne I have ever tasted, which is why is was my WOTN.

It was fun to try the two Leflaive Pucelles side by side, with the 2000 showing what the 2010 can become if it avoids the pox. But the 2010 was so good it is probably not worth the risk. Indeed, even the 2014 Batard was great already. Sure, it will gain greater depth if it stays unboxed, but the bouquet is amazing and the flavors hold a long time. Actually, the les Clos will probably benefit more from aging than the Batard, although the Chablis did come out strongly with the oysters.

The other reds will all benefit from further aging. The Clinet was my favorite, followed by the Purple Baron, the Haut-Brion, and the Sociando-Mallet. Maybe I would have pushed the Baron ahead if I had been able to get the taste of 1982 Latour out of my mouth. All are steak wines for now and did not go well with my fish. Each is excellent within its respective class.

The young Yquem was the fitting end to a great night of visiting, wining, and dining. Lucie, who normally skips Sauternes, took a second small pour of it.

Thanks, Stuart and Kathy, for a memorable weekend. It was great to see you and the others and we are looking forward to seeing you at BWE-DC in a couple of weeks.

[jal]

Come to think of it, that may have been a 1983 Yquem, not 2003. Stu, Jim, can you verify?

[jckba]

Come to think of it, that may have been a 1983 Yquem, not 2003. Stu, Jim, can you verify?

According to the picture you posted above, it looks like it was indeed the 1983 . And Ian, where does the 1982 PLL fall for you?

[JimHow]

Yes, Jacques, it was the 1983 d'Yquem.
Outstanding!

I'm on the road right now but we will report on that great second night of the BWE Fort Lauderdale weekend!

Great times!

[dstgolf]

Another magical Stuart & Kathy encounter in South Florida. Thanks for the wonderful notes Jacques. Always nice to experience vicariously through the web and sorry that we couldn't join you but we certainly were with everyone in spirit. Looking for to our next rendezvous.

[sdr]

Another enjoyable evening which somehow started out way too quiet with half the troups missing but gradually became more lively as the juice flowed. Much to my consternation the restaurant only had a few stone crabs left but at least the foreigners got to try one. Food at 3030 Ocean leans toward seafood so I thought it was a good time to try a few whites before the reds. I’m afraid the BD was near comatose with boredom but luckily we had a good sprinkling of folks who enjoy the pigment-challenged stuff. And none of them showed any trace of the pox. The comparison of the two vintages of Pucelles was especially interesting to me and was a great demonstration of the evolution of white Burgundy. The Dom Pérignon was too young for me but certainly very good.

I must have been suffering from palate fatigue because my memory of the reds is vague although I recall the Cheval Blanc was one of the better examples of that wine.

Great notes from Jacques and stefan and sorry the others had to miss the Sunday event but it was a relatively late add on to the weekend.

Onward to DC.

Stu

[Blanquito]

I still think about that 2014 Jadot Batard Montrachet you brought to Denver, Stu. Truly epic stuff. It vanished faster than any wine I've seen!

[Comte Flaneur]

Come to think of it, that may have been a 1983 Yquem, not 2003. Stu, Jim, can you verify?

According to the picture you posted above, it looks like it was indeed the 1983 . And Ian, where does the 1982 PLL fall for you?

JC 10-20 years ago PLL was definitely in the top tier - top four. But it was the fastest maturing of the great 1982s - you could drink and enjoy it aged ten - but now I think it has been overtaken and it is a wine that needs drinking. One in four bottles are still really great - you probably need to drink pristine bottles which have never been disturbed or magnums. We did a 1982 horizontal last June and it showed well but was quite soft and I preferred the LLC and a very good bootle of Ducru (which is highly variable in 1982), both of which were more structured. On the other extreme I don’t think Lafite is ready to drink yet, but it has great potential. So after the top three it is difficult to articulate a pecking order of 1982s. Ausone, which I have had great experiences with, would be right up there. Margaux is very good but tends to suffer stage fright in these horizontals. Haut-Brion and La Mission are lovely but fully mature. La Tour Haut-Brion is supposed to be just as good, but I have never tried it.

My pecking order of 1982s I have tried would go something like this:

Top ten

Latour
Mouton
Cheval Blanc
Ausone
Lafite
Margaux
La Mission
Haut-Brion
Leoville Lascases
Pichon Lalande

Next ten

La Conseillante
Gruaud-Larose
Lynch Bages
Figeac
Ducru Beaucaillou
Cos D’Estournel
Branaire Ducru
La Lagune
Grand Puy Lacoste
Magdelaine

[stefan]

My ordering of the bottles of 1982 we drank in Fort Lauderdale is
Latour
Mouton
Cheval Blanc
Haut-Brion
La Lagune
Lafite
Margaux

For me the closest decision was whether Haut-Brion or La Lagune would be fourth.

[JimHow]

Boy, you guys are tough on Lafite.
I personally was thrilled by the 1982 Lafite, as well as the 1996, 1999, and the 2004.
What an amazing treat in Fort Lauderdale!

[AKR]

You guys party like Rock Stars !

[JimHow]

We are rock stars.

[Blanquito]

I had 6-7 bottles of the 82 Lagune over a period from 2008-2012, and they were uniformly outstanding and seemingly at their apogee. Then a la the 82 Pichon Lalande, they entered what seemed to be their decline phase and I stopped looking for them at auction. That and the fact that finding an 82 Lagune with an excellent bottle condition became harder and harder (I saw lots of lots with poor ullage even considering the age), unlike other vintages of Lagune from the same era. Who knows, maybe the 82s were flipped repeatedly and thus saw poor storage conditions.

At any rate, this event shows that (my) reports of the 82 Lagune’s demise were greatly exaggerated. Good to know.

[DavidG]

Bill's bottle of 82 La Lagune has a great fill. And the wine was killer.

[Winona Chief]

I participated in a 1982 Bordeaux horizontal in mid-January in the DC area with the Pichon Lalande easily topping all comers including Margaux, Leoville Las Cases and Cos d’Estournel. This bottle of 1982 PLL was not fading. Another bottle of 1982 PLL shared with with Rob & Susan down in Charlotte last May was very nice but not extraordinary. Bottle variations are not unusual at 37+ years.

Chris Bublitz

[stefan]

Jacques brought the 1982 La Lagune, David. Good bottles, like the one Sunday, are great and compete with some of the '82 Firsts; the problem is that bottle variation is too high. I have some and will probably bring one to DC since it has been discussed a lot here. Even if the bottle is only a fair one, Lucie will drink it as long as it is not oxidized.

[DavidG]

Sorry Jacques... that was a great bottle.

[jal]

Sorry Jacques... that was a great bottle.

Ha, Danny and Danielle also thought Stefan brought it. Rare to find an older La Lagune outside of Stefan and Lucie's cellars anyways.

I only bought two bottles last October in Manhattan at the Acker Merrall store (not through the auction), the first one tasted great so I had high hopes for the second.

[dstgolf]

We were very pleasantly surprised at how well the 82 LL drank last Sat night and it certainly was no slouch in the evening lineup of heavy hitters holding its own very well. For me it would likely have ranked likely have ranked 4th ahead of Margaux and +/- Lafite but still behind Latour/Mouton and Haut Brion for me mimicking Stefan's order above but I had sadly missed out on the Cheval Blanc. Thanks for treating us Jacques to a wonderful rare treat.

[JimHow]

that 1982 Latour was in a class by itself.
Two of my favorites of the weekend, though, were the '82 Lafite and '82 Cheval Blanc.
They both had a balance and elegance combined with a strong backbone, what we look for in great Bordeaux.
That little orgy of Lafite at the end of the first night when we finished off the bottles of 96, 99, and 04 was heaven.