Three great 1996

[Nicklasss]

Last night, diner with JeanFred and Josée, and we opened wines that we were supposed to drink 6 months ago…

It is always fun to taste wines at BWE events, but of course having a pour of a wine is ok to taste it, but it is simply not enough to understand the wine. Many (if not all) great red wines of Bordeaux deserve their moment and… lot of time to enjoy and to understand. Many wines fail to make an impression in a big marathon tasting, but are completely something else on their own. Last night, we enjoyed 3 of the greatest 1996 Médoc wines, and it was a great moment to feel, listen and understand these wines.

We started with a very nice 2008 Veuve Clicquot that was full of confit lemon, flowers, bitter mineral and something lightly sweet like crust bread and candy. The mouth was very serious, concentrated, yelling mineral, lemon and some oyster shells. Remind me a bit the 2008 Dom Pérignon but on a lower tone. It was quite good with the baguette and rice crackers with duck foie gras crème brûlée. Especially the rice cracker was a nice match with the Champagne. To : 92.

After we opened three 1996 famous Médoc wines, Palmer, Léoville Las Cases and Latour. We enjoyed them over 5 hours, small pour at a time, tasting one, tasting another, comparing, trying to understand… what a great experience. Each of the wine respected their terroir and aoc, and also that perfectly balanced Cabernet Sauvignon vintage.

The first meal was beef carpaccio and we ate it mostly with the Palmer. An excellent Palmer, starting with a lightly meaty nose, but opened quickly on sweet black currant, Margaux berries, noble oak, and light spices. During the night, the wine showed all the seriousness of Cabernet Sauvignon, balanced with good % of Merlot, with some sweet fruit, Margaux berries, black cherries, blackcurrant. There is some nice integrated oak too, adding some light exotic tobacco notes, and the wine have a decent parfumée length. Medium structure and tannins, showing an excellent Palmer but not among the greatest Palmer. Of course, it started as the most accessible wine, develop it charm, but stayed quiet on it final. Tn: 93.

After, with the rack of lamb, we had the Léoville Las Cases and Latour. Of course, they started more closed than the Margaux, but opened nicely during the diner. LLC and Latour are what I would called very classic red Bordeaux, never easy or overly seductive, always a good austerity, and lot of concentration of Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Léoville Las Cases was, what? The right word would be immense. Concentrated blackcurrants, blackberries, light spices, ink, graphite minerals, later on more spices, peanut scale and some red currants. Mouth was concentrated, flavorful, kind of massive but with a great core of freshness to balance it. The controlled thickness, with invading perfumed, some great structure and the longest final of the three. Later on you would get some black chocolate, light spicy oak and shell mineral. Serious, and convincing. Tn: 96-97. I will say something to the persons saying that LLC is not their style, or never ready… I think it is probably true that you don’t like that concentrated, classic, behemoth style of Saint Julien, but did you ever tried to really understand it? Personally, I understand it is ‘’the distinct signature and identity of LLC’’ : a wine that always delivers it goods slowly but surely. Last night, I saw a clear link between that 1996 and almost all the other vintages of LLC I had, and even a strong link with the half bottle of 1962 (was it not ready?). This the way Las Cases is and it is a ‘’tour de force’’ to keep that wine aligned with what it is, almost every vintage.

Last the Latour. It started a bit more shy then the two others, but when it opened, it was to show all it glory and First Growth status. On the nose, it got to the most complexity of the three, with blackcurrants, red berries, cherries, a roasted oak note, spices, graphite, minerals, serious but lightly sweet at the same time. Some tobacco and light blue fruits later on. I really thought the nose was like a mixture of Margaux and Lafite! It was the best nose last night, but again, fully aristocratic instead of over demonstrating. The mouth add some power, never reach the force or the full length of the LLC, but the mouth was like the nose the most balanced and complex. It was a concoction of severe austere blackcurrants, balanced by some sweet red berries, with a good core of tannins, again light roasted oak, light blue fruits. You even had some iron tones (a bit like in some Pomerol), graphite and some more fruit on the long final. So the time brought the Latour in front, and the classification was respected last night. Tn: 97-98.

So a great night of friendship, discussions, food and wines, that again made us learn a lot of stuff about these Médoc. All the wines were drinking really well and what I really appreciated is that all three were ‘’only’’ 12.5 % alcohol. What a great time!

[Nicklasss]

Great wines.

[DavidG]

Wow, fantastic notes Nic on a wonderful group of wines.

I am one of those who often complains about LLC never being ready. I have no issues with immense wines. There are times when I am more in the mood for them than more elegant Bordeaux. My issue with LLC is that it never seems to be fully open for business, like it always needs another blanquito or two.

Well, “never” is too strong a word. Because here is my note on the 1996 LLC from 2 years ago. I enjoyed it as much as you enjoyed yours. I think I finally learned my LLC lesson: when you think it might be ready, wait another 10 years. Patience, Grasshopper.

1996 Leoville Las Cases 1/28/2023
I usually drink my LLCs too soon, finding them among the slowest Bordeaux to develop. So I waited 27 years to pop my first ‘96. Glad I did.

Cellared since release, perfect fill, bottom 1/4 of cork is moist. Dark red to rim. Nose is immediately giving up tons of cassis, dark fruit, cedar, moist earth, mushrooms. Medium-full body, beautifully balanced, crisp fresh fruit with mouth watering acidity and umami, tannins apparent in background, early maturity with beginning complexity. Eminently drinkable now with anticipated improvement and increasing complexity over the next 5-10 years. Excellent-outstanding.

About 1/4 was left in the fridge overnight. Showed just as well the next night with tannins a bit more present.

[stefan]

That is a nice way to drink three outstanding Bordeaux. While it is fun to try 20 or 30 wines, IMO drinking three with wine loving friends is a better way to experience and appreciate fine wines.

[JimHow]

Of all of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate editions, his final report on the 1996 vintage was the one I read and re-read the most, he called it at the time the greatest Cabernet vintage in like 50 years. I think that would have been his April 1998 edition. It was a great left bank vintage which, I agree, needs to be consumed and analyzed one on one over an extended dinner.

[smoore4]

Excellent write-up! I was really immersed in the Palmer and Latour write-ups, but left with some questions about the LLC. And I am 100% sure I would have cracked a Sauterne at the end and had the fois gras creme brulee at that point. Steve

[smoore4]

Actually, that's a lie. 9 times out of 10 I skip dessert and go for the cheese plate. Must save a full glass of red just for the cheese. And if seafood is on the menu, a full bottle is devoted to the cheese. Goat-gruyere/thome-camembert/reblochon-blue with 1-2 others is an all-time favorite moment in life. I can't be the only one. Epicurians!

[JeanFred]

Excellent comments Nic

Nothing to add… What a diner!

Steve, we had 2 cheeses at the end of the dîner, I had a sauterne on the fridge but I didn’t open this time. More often than not, we’re Sauterne at the end of our diner.

[Comte Flaneur]

Excellent detailed notes Nick for three legendary wines. In my experience the Palmer was effectively shut down until only very recently and the LLC and Latour have been more approachable but they are all still basically on the upslope or the early stages of their arc of maturity. Hopefully will be tasting a couple of other 96s next week.