What are we drinking in the Omicron ominous?

jal · Post by **jal** » Sun May 09, 2021 2:27 pm

Yummm! 1997 First Growths. I bought a six pack of the Mouton after my first meeting with Jim, Arv and Ben way back in 2001. Jim had found it for something crazy like $85 at the Chicago Wine Company. That Haut Brion description is mouthwatering, Ian.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun May 09, 2021 2:36 pm

I'm telling you, these so-called off vintages more often than not offer up Bordeaux enjoyment. We see that time after time, a la 1997 Ducru we had in DC a few years back.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sun May 09, 2021 3:51 pm

Do you still have your 97 Moutons Jacques? If so must be time to take one for a spin?

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sun May 09, 2021 4:21 pm

The 96 Sociando > 96 Pontet Canet recently.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Fri May 14, 2021 5:21 pm

I think we’re opening the Certan de May tomorrow.
In Cellartracker only the Figeac has any tasting notes.

Dandersson · Post by **Dandersson** » Fri May 14, 2021 10:35 pm

Taking a break from Bordeaux this weekend.
In the glass is Ridge Geyserville 2018 and an Israeli Cabernet.
I was a bit nervous that I would not like the Geyserville since I had the Ridge Three Valley wine last week and I was not impressed.
Wow this is an impressive wine. Dark fruits (Blackberries and currants) licorice, nice tannic structure with enough acidity. This is big but in a good way. I like it this is good stuff. First Zin that I really enjoy in a while.
btw I also drank a Ch Lalande 2015 last weekend that I think I did not report on. Clearly one of the best QPRs out there, hope they get more of it back in stock. Awesome wine!

Happy Friday! Best, Dan

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Sun May 16, 2021 6:35 pm

Racer Chris wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 5:21 pm I think we’re opening the Certan de May tomorrow.

We did open the 1987 CdM, and it did not disappoint. Here's my cellartracker tasting note:
"From a friend's cellar. Double decanted. Excellent cork. Color of raspberry jam, that darkened up in the glass.
Really nice herbaceous nose, that followed through on the palate overlaying flavors of raspberry and plum.
The 25% Cabernet Franc shows well.
Nice stuff!"
92 pts.

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Sun May 16, 2021 8:19 pm

I didn't think much 87 bdx made its way to America? Did this get hand carried back from Europe?

Gerry M. · Post by **Gerry M.** » Sun May 16, 2021 11:03 pm

Weekend wines were quite a surprise. For both wines I was expecting harsh tannin and austerity and while the 1st wine started out as expected it evolved over a day to a swan.

First was a 2014 Sociando-Mallet. On the 1st night it was as I expected, very tight with aggressive tannin. For five hours it was unyielding and I basically gave up after only having a single glass. Tonight I grilled some strip steaks and started back on this before dinner. WOW! with 24 hours of air it really came around, open and inviting. My future daughter-in-law and I quickly polished this bottle off. It shows great promise for the future.

Finally, tonight I opened a 2006 Ch Brane Cantenac. I was expecting a young, austere wine given the vintage, Instead I was immediately hit with a nose of blackberry, lavender and tar. It's still young but the balance was beautiful, sweet tannins framing the fruit in total harmony. I'm sad I only have one more bottle and not having bought more at the time for $33/btl. I think even now I might pick up a few more in the $60-65 price range.

Gerry M. · Post by **Gerry M.** » Sun May 16, 2021 11:07 pm

Dandersson wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 10:35 pm Taking a break from Bordeaux this weekend.
In the glass is Ridge Geyserville 2018 and an Israeli Cabernet.
I was a bit nervous that I would not like the Geyserville since I had the Ridge Three Valley wine last week and I was not impressed.
Wow this is an impressive wine. Dark fruits (Blackberries and currants) licorice, nice tannic structure with enough acidity. This is big but in a good way. I like it this is good stuff. First Zin that I really enjoy in a while.
btw I also drank a Ch Lalande 2015 last weekend that I think I did not report on. Clearly one of the best QPRs out there, hope they get more of it back in stock. Awesome wine!

Happy Friday! Best, Dan

Lol, Welcome to the 2018 Ridge Geyserville fan club! I think its the best vintage since at least 2013, just an amazing wine and for it's price I intend to get at least another case.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Sun May 16, 2021 11:53 pm

AKR wrote: ↑Sun May 16, 2021 8:19 pm I didn't think much 87 bdx made its way to America? Did this get hand carried back from Europe?

I didn't think so. But I don't know the actual provenance.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Mon May 17, 2021 12:42 am

A terrific bottle of the 1990 Lagrange tonight, clearly in my book the best ever wine from this chateau. An expressive bouquet of cedar, cassis, sous bois with a regal, time-honored classicism that harkens to candlelit dining rooms with white table cloths, dry martini aperitifs, hushed service, and chateaubriand. A Mad Men wine, and it simply states ‘Bordeaux is king’. The palate can’t quite do what the nose does — showing great balance, good body, silky tannins, and a touch of the telltale ‘90 roastedness — but still terrific. Good, minty finish. Just great, and probably at peak. 94-95 pts.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Mon May 17, 2021 1:39 am

We spent at the weekend with our kids and grandkids at Mount Shasta. This was the first time since the pandemic started that we got together, and it was great.

The wines were mixed. Here is what we drank:

Thursday:
1990 Les Rosiers Cote Rotie, Domaine de Vallouit
2002 Leoville-Poyferre
2016 Jean-Luc Jamet "Terrasses" Cote Rotie

The slightly corked 1990 Cote Rotie was the most enjoyable wine. It had an assortment of peppered dark berries. The Leoville-Poyferre was so full of brett that we could drink only a bit of it. That being the case, I popped and poured the James. This is a traditional and good Cote Rotie but should be laid away for at least five years.

Things impreved er on Friday:
2004 Henri Gouges Nuits-St-George Les Pruliers
1998 Pierre Damoy Chapelle-Chambertin
1971 Coutet

The Gouges Pruliers is solid, but not as good as Chevillon's in 2004. It was nice to have a solid start. The Damoy Chapelle impressed everyone. It is in its prime, but there is no hurry to drink it up. The orange colored Coutet most likely had improper storage. It was drinkable while playing Omaha but lacked the usual precision of Coutet.

Saturday:
2006 Shramsburg "J"
2013 Thierry et Pascale Matrot Puligny-Montrachet La Quintessence
1955 Pichon-Baron
1978 Pape-Clement
1983 Lynch-Bages

The first two we drank outside on T&J's land. We are all hope they get their house built in the near future. Unfortunately, the sparkler was corked. The bubbles helped to hide the TCA, but we did not finish the bottle. The Matrot was sound and much liked by some, but I thought it too simple for a 1er Cru Puligny; authentic but unexciting.
The last three were wines for dinner. The Baron was much better than I expected it to be. The fruit was still good, the cassis and leather as one would hope to be a second growth Pauillac, and the finish was long for such an old wine. The Pape-Clement provided a good contrast
to the Baron. The fruit was sweeter and the nose had the 1978 floralness. The Lynch had a bit of funk that detracted from the bouquet, but I thought it was otherwise typical, with black currants and a hint of green pepper. stefanJr disagreed and said that it reminded him of some Oregon Pinot Noirs he had drunk.

jal · Post by **jal** » Mon May 17, 2021 6:45 am

It's so nice that you guys were able to be with family again, Stefan. It has been so long.

About the wines, the only comment I have is that Matrot is a producer that makes more affordable wines trhan others but you gte what you pay for. I have never been wowed by it. I'd take a commercialized Chablis Village from Fevre, Billaud Simon, or Louis Michel over any 1er Cru from Matrot.

Enjoy your time with the kids and grandchildren.

Winona Chief · Post by **Winona Chief** » Mon May 17, 2021 3:12 pm

Yesterday, just more Champagne on the deck - Roederer Brut Premier and Laurent-Perrier Rose. Both went well with smoked salmon and an assortment of cheeses.

Chris Bublitz

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Wed May 19, 2021 1:47 am

A tasty bottle of the Ruinart BdB NV. Really good stuff, but the price has gone up so much at this address that I think there’s plenty of cheaper bubbly out there that I like just as much.

Winona Chief · Post by **Winona Chief** » Wed May 19, 2021 10:33 pm

More Champagne with some friends across the street from a food truck - really wonderful Taittinger Prelude Grand Cru nv and a Vilmart Rubis nv that didn’t impress me as much as previous bottles.

Chris Bublitz

Winona Chief · Post by **Winona Chief** » Wed May 19, 2021 10:52 pm

Blanquito,
Ruinart dinner at Marcel’s in DC next week with 2010 Dom Perignon and Krug Grand Cuvée thrown in to make everyone happy. Only $350 per person! The one last week sold out as soon as it was announced so they added another for next week.

Chris Bublitz

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Thu May 20, 2021 12:58 am

So what is the story with the 2008 Comtes?
Did it ever get released?
Gerry, is it anywhere in the NH system?
Also, Gerry, I was looking for 2016 Lynch in NH, I don’t think it exists, do you have any inside info?

Winona Chief · Post by **Winona Chief** » Thu May 20, 2021 10:45 am

They have the 2008 Taittinger Comtes at MacArthur in DC - it’s $199. I bought 2 bottles. Haven’t tried it yet. Others who have say it’s fabulous.

Chris Bublitz

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Thu May 20, 2021 12:07 pm

Thanks for the information WC, I’ve got the 2007 in my cellar for when you guys come up.

s*d*r · Post by **s*d*r** » Thu May 20, 2021 4:13 pm

Winona Chief wrote: ↑Thu May 20, 2021 10:45 am They have the 2008 Taittinger Comtes at MacArthur in DC - it’s $199. I bought 2 bottles. Haven’t tried it yet. Others who have say it’s fabulous.

Chris Bublitz

The ‘08 Comtes will be superb eventually. For now, chase each teaspoon of Comtes with a tablespoon of Maalox. It’s really shrill and acidic. Need 1.5 Blanquitos at least.

Lots of whining by others about the marked price increase from the ‘07 and previous vintages. But honestly it had been underpriced compared to most of the other Têtes de Cuvées.

Dandersson · Post by **Dandersson** » Fri May 21, 2021 10:44 pm

Ch La Garde 2015 Pessac, 52% Cab, 45% merlot, 3% Petit V. Classic Pessac/Grave nose with dark fruit (Cassis/black berries) with hints of smoke, damp earth, tobacco. Medium body, Clear fresh good Cab fruit mixed with a large portion of Merlot. First impression is I like this. A lot of classic notes smoke, oak, tobacco, earthiness. Good acidity keeps it fresh and plenty of tannic backbone. To early for a score, but clearly a very good wine so 85-89p will be the range.
Side note: drinking this with two Italian wines one Marche and one Montepulciano de Ab, they are not bad wines, but not at all up to the La Garde.

Dandersson · Post by **Dandersson** » Sat May 22, 2021 1:41 am

So the La Garde is ending up at a 87-88 point, still could change or narrowed down tomorrow. Really a very good wine, not great (90-). These are my kind of more normal Bordeaux drinking wines. I would say it is good (not great for me) QPR, great if you like the style.
Best, Dan

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sat May 22, 2021 10:39 pm

2017 Frog’s Leap Napa Cab, popped ITNOS after lots of buzz. Picked up in the low $40’s, my first try with this producer and I must say, I like! Lots of pure black raspberry fruit woven with a sappy acids and vinousness. Nice cranberry finish. Nothing heavy or overly polished here. In many respects, this reminds me of a Ridge Geyserville but with a touch less sugar and ETOH (and no obvious oak). For me, that all says delicious in any lexicon.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Sat May 22, 2021 11:14 pm

Afternoon dinner at my brother’s place in Poland ME today.
1986 Gruaud Larose - This bottle was as good as any I’ve had before
1982 Sociando Mallet - great bottle, only a short distance behind the G-L
2014 Labegorce - People loved this. Not surprised, as I do too.
2012 Haut Bergey - This was my last bottle, and probably the best one.
2011 Capbern Gasqueton - nothing wrong with this but underwhelmed after the first 4 bottles.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sun May 23, 2021 12:35 am

Good bottles of the 82 Sociando are soooo good.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Sun May 23, 2021 11:28 pm

I double decanted both the old wines at home in the morning so they wouldn't travel on the sediment and I was very happy with the result. Both needed only a short time in glass to open fully, and both gave everything I could have hoped for.

The night was still young Saturday after dinner. Mary and I went to the fireworks store up the road before they closed at 8. I like keeping some 500 gram and some 200 gram multi shot, all-in-one displays on hand for special occasions at home. Then we checked in at our motel only a few minutes from Charley and Sheila's farm, and promptly headed back to socialize a bit more. We were down to six at this point as youngest brother Neal and his wife had left right after dinner so they could get back to their farm on the coast an hour and a half away and tend to their animals.
I had two more bottles with me, and I was a little surprised that everyone participated in polishing them both off. My dad and his wife both drank more than I expected. I think they tasted every wine.
The 2009 Marsac-Seguineau was Sheila's favorite of the night.
2008 Lilian Ladouys brought up the rear admirably. Its a solid Cru Bourgeois from an unheralded vintage.

All 7 bottles were near perfect examples of that wine in my opinion.

Dandersson · Post by **Dandersson** » Mon May 24, 2021 12:10 am

Sounds like you had a great weekend, thanks for posting about it Chris.
Ch Gruaud Larose is awesome.
Is Ch Haut Bergey a good representative for Pessac? Reasonable priced, potential good QPR?

Best, Dan

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Mon May 24, 2021 11:59 am

Dandersson wrote: ↑Mon May 24, 2021 12:10 am Is Ch Haut Bergey a good representative for Pessac? Reasonable priced, potential good QPR?

2012 is the only vintage I've had. When I started accumulating wine it was available to me for under $20 and reviews were good so I bought 9 bottles.
At that price it certainly represents good QPR.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Mon May 24, 2021 6:27 pm

Haut Bergey is a good value Graves. The only vintage of it that I tried and did not like is the 2010, and I think that is just because it needs more aging.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Mon May 24, 2021 6:32 pm

1983 and 1985 La Lagune. I opened the '83 because stefanJr declared that the '85 was corked. Later he recanted, but it definitely had an off putting nose. The '83 was similarly damaged but not as much. These I bought at auctions within the past year. I wonder if someone is dumping this rotgut.

The bright spot was 2014 Louis Michel Montee de Tonnerre Chablis. Crisp and delicious with boiled shrimp it was.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Thu May 27, 2021 1:57 pm

2015 Ch. Larose Trintaudon. This bottle is the best one so far. Oak is barely noticed, and well balanced with the dark fruits. Tannins are still grippy without being drying. Nice smooth lightly spiced finish.
I opened this on the heels of a 2015 Sheridan Vineyards Crossfork Creek Cabernet Sauvignon from Yakima Valley. The WA wine is actually pretty good if you let it breathe a while. However the same vintage L-T is clearly more appealing, and one I'm tempted to call Excellent.

JoelD · Post by **JoelD** » Fri May 28, 2021 12:15 am

Opened an obscure 2000 Beau Soleil Pomerol turned out to be corked. Oh well, on to the next one 15 minutes later.

2000 Malartic Lagraviere. Perfect cork and bottle. Had all the same good bones of some of the younger(modern) vintages i've had recently (2005,2012). However this was much more my style. Fairly classic claret, not much modernness going on here. 13% alcohol. Very good wine. A little fruit left. I can tell this used to be a very fresh wine, although it seems to have come down from that. Not sure if it will improve with more time and tertiary notes or if it recently passed its peak. I enjoyed this very much, even at the relatively high price I paid compared to other vintages (70$ all in). 93pts if scoring it.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Fri May 28, 2021 2:26 am

With pan cooked (strip?) steak I drank some 2009 Gomerie. This is a wine that I know so well that I think I thought it was a Pomerol when I bought it. It is a modern leaning supple and almost flabby St Emilion. Like the steak, it tasted and smelled fine, but I could not discern quite what it is from the taste.

jckba · Post by **jckba** » Mon May 31, 2021 5:06 am

A label-less 1966 Pichon Lalande that had drop dead gorgeous aromatics and really displayed the marvels of a fully mature Bdx.

: 1966 PLL

Dandersson · Post by **Dandersson** » Mon May 31, 2021 9:10 pm

A good weekend with some wines that made me very happy.
Ch Lilian Ladouys 2018, dark dense black currant and black berry fruit, great concentration, great balance and structure. This one will likely evolve nicely for at least ten years. The biggest Lilian I have had. Now on a roll, this is the 5th year in a row that they produce wines of high quality. 90p
Ch Ormes de Pez 2018, Similar dense dark fruit, also great concentration, I give this one a slight win over Lilian just as with the 17. It appears a bit more complex. Both very St Estephey 90p+
Ch Camensac 2014, Very typical for 14, nice cold dark fruit with classic structure. This will continue to get better with a couple of more years. It could have been more complex and had longer after taste. But still a very good wine 88-89p.
Sarget de Gruaud Larose 2015, Clear classical St Julien dark fruit, good balance. It is a very good wine but somehow it did not impress as much as other wines this weekend. 87p.

Ianjaig · Post by **Ianjaig** » Tue Jun 01, 2021 5:05 am

Held a small tasting over the weekend with some friends. In order of preference:

1) Giscours 2014 - Unlike my previous bottle, this took time to open up and in hindsight would have benefited from a decant. Still hints at being something special in time.
2) Branaire-Ducru 2012 - elegant, smooth, soft tannins. Just didn't 'wow' me.
3) Château les Cruzelles 2017 - impressed initially but became somewhat austere with a hint of greenness.
4) Monbrison 2005 - port like, syrupy and somewhat glossy.

JCNorthway · Post by **JCNorthway** » Tue Jun 01, 2021 12:53 pm

Some of the recent Ridge notes got me curious about the few remaining Lytton Springs and Geyservilles in my cellar. So for American Memorial Day picnic menu (hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, corn on the cob), I opened a 2005 Lytton Springs. This still has lots of fruit and good structure, and it opened nice over the afternoon. My only nit is that it had just a tad more acidity than I would prefer. Otherwise, it was quite an enjoyable wine - probably the best of what we opened.

Winona Chief · Post by **Winona Chief** » Tue Jun 01, 2021 4:36 pm

On Sunday, another bottle of 2007 Dom Ruinart Blanc des Blancs - best Champagne I’ve had this year and a lot better than a 2006 Taittinger Comtes that I had earlier in the month.

The other bottle on Sunday brought over by a friend was a 2015 Aloft Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Cold Springs Vineyard. This had a very rich fruit flavor but was pretty one dimensional. A big Cal Cab that lacked complexity.

Chris Bublitz