We started the evening off with a NV rose champagne from Doyard 'Oeil de Perdrix' that I had never seen before and was pleasant enough but did not do much for me => 87 points, along with a set of 3 drastically differing whites including a 1994 Pape Clement Blanc which was a little one dimensional in its waxed state of evolution => 88 points, a 2013 Francois Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champs-Gain which was initially served to warm for my liking but still managed to pair the best with the salmon app that I had ordered but I retried a small pour of this again towards the end of the evening after it had been sitting in the ice bucket for 2 hours along with the female sommelier and we both agreed that it had drastically changed for the better => 92 points as well as a 1996 Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Reserva and it on the other hand was served too cold but opened up as it sat and warmed up in the glass with its typical oxidative and sherried profile => 91 points. Onto the reds.
The first flight was the 1986 vs the 1990. I keep hearing people complaining about '86 Bdx and them not being ready but this was another btl that was open for business and was a perfectly integrated treat => 93 points. There was something off (i.e. heat damage?) with the '90 as on the palate it had a short clipped finish that I could not get past so I did not waste my intake on this => rating reserved.
The second flight was the 1996 vs 1998. Upon being poured, both of these wines had similar noses but I had a clear preference for the '96 though as it was showing more depth on the palate with its riper black fruit, earthy, tobacco and cedar driven palate => 94 points whereas the '98 was a tad less fulfilling on the palate => 93 points.
The third flight was the 2000 vs the 2001. One of the topics that kept coming up at the table over the course of the evening was when did the Magrez / Rolland style hit full swing, and for me that was with these 2 wines as they moved towards a more full bodied style where the oak was present and certainly more present in the '01 than the '00 but it did not bother me in the least. Both of these wines were a step up in terms of intensity and concentration, and while the '00 was drinking better => 95 points the '01 had a distinct edge that pared perfectly with my deer entree which in turn made it my WOTN => 95 points.
The fourth and final flight included the 2003, 2009 and 2014. The '03 offered up a beautiful range of ripe flavor expression that I fell in love with and was closer to oaked and elegant
than roasted in any way, shape or form. I was the outlier in this group as I was the only one to rank this in their top 3 on the night and I ranked it 3rd => 95 points. I popped the '09 at 1PM while still in the office and proceeded to decant it for 3 hours before pouring it back into the btl and heading into the city. While this wine was young and ripe and dark red fruited, it showcased a seamless balance that very few wines achieve, not the best wine to drink tonight but I am sure glad I have the remaining 11 btls to track this puppy over the coming years => 95 with a big ass +. The '14 tasted like a barrel sample compared to everything else we had on this night but I kind of laughed at myself as when I tasted it at the UGC in January I liked it and subsequently bought it but as with everything, what you serve it with and alongside, always makes for a different experience => rating reserved.A dessert of blue cheese paired nicely with an 1988 Guiraud that was fully mature and relatively simple so if I were holding any, I would advise to drink up = 91 points but a great way to end the evening! I had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the company as well as the wine and food.
but more seriously, I think that my tolerance or acceptance of more modern styled wines with riper fruit and heavier handed oak treatments probably stems from the fact that I grew up drinking wines from this era, both domestic and foreign, and as a result, it is not something that I find offputting when done well, it's when it's overdone or out of balance that I have issues (think Lascombes).