33 1988 Bordeauxs

Two of my local wine heroes held a wonderful tasting of his 1988 Bordeauxs. It was a fantastic experience and a great deal of interesting and experiential wine was enjoyed.

On the whole the wines were similar in appearance, medium bodied, and on the lean side. I’ve mostly left out the repetitive parts. With so many wines, these are obviously brief impressions.

Flight One

Chateau Cheval Blanc
St. Emilion
Musky Nose of herbs and bitter chocolate. Medium bodied, moderate acidity with great balance and length.

Chateau Haut Brion
Pessac
Slightly darker than the Cheval Blanc. Nose of tar, violets and fruit. Perhaps some earthy minerals. Ripe, moderate acids, medium-full bodied, elegant.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Paulliac
Similar deep color with slight clearing at the rim. Not much nose. Dry, marked acidity. Full bodied with flavors of rust, dusty earth, cherries. Simple. Lean.

Chateau Latour
Paulliac
Velvety, rich smell with some dry leaves. Decent acidity, medium-full bodied with a long finish. Lean, but tasty.

Chateau Margaux
Margaux
Cedar Cabernet nose. Smells rich of currants and candy. Medium bodied, long finish. Nice cherry fruit.

Chateau Mouton
Paulliac
Distinctive nose compared to the other first growths. Rusty mushrooms? Ripe palate, fairly tart, medium bodied. Pleasant.

Chateau d'Yquem
Sauterne
Golden color. Nose of asian spices and apricots. Sweet, ripe, long, spicy. Simply delicious. Liquid gold. Fantastic juice.

Flight Two

Chateau Cos d'Estournel
St. Estephe
Potent herbal-menthol nose. Dry with high acidity. Thin, harsh. Disappointing.

Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou
St. Julien
Grapey nose with earth. Smells rich. Medium bodied with fair balance. Rich, young tasting. Nice if lacking nuance. My favorite of the flight.

Chateau Gruaud-Larose
St. Julien
Lighter than its cohorts with more clear at the rim and a tawny touch. Funky mushrooms, truffles, and raspberry in the nose. Brisk acids, medium body. Harsh finish. Somewhat lean and thin. From magnum.

Chateau Leoville Las Cases
St. Julien
Cinnamon and soap nose. Sharp acids, decent fruit but somewhat simple. Others liked this more than I.

Chateau Montrose
St. Estephe
Cardboard, resin nose initially. Deemed not corked though. Medium bodied, medium fruit. Decent balance. Very well crafted but not exciting.

Chateau Pichon-Lalande
Paulliac
Neat nose of pepper, Asian spices and cigar box. Ripe, full bodied, balanced. Interesting wine.

Chateau Pichon-Baron
Paulliac
Pencil lead and iodine nose. Ripe, medium bodied leaning slightly toward the acidic side. Long finish. Nice.

Flight Three

Chateau Beychevelle
St. Julien
Dusty, medicinal cinnamon and pencil lead nose. Balanced palate. Smells a bit riper and richer than is tastes but has nice complexity.

Chateau Calon-Segur
St. Estephe
Pepper, cigar box, plastic and horse sweat nose. Ripe medium bodied with good length and balance. Ripe fruit.

Certan de May
Mineral earth, tar and a touch of funk in the nose. Ripe palate with too much acidity and a short finish. OK.

Chateau Clinet
Pomerol
Light but distinctive nose of coffee, cough syrup, and green herbs. Ripe fruit, great acid balance and a lengthy finish. Nice. Best of flight.

Chateau Lagrange
St. Julien
Soap, sour cherry. Ripe but with too much acidity.

Chateau Lynch Bages
Paulliac
Darker at the rim than its companions. Coffee, funk, cigar box, mint, marjoram? Floral, menthol dust. Complex nose. Ripe palate with dusty, peppery fruit. Pepper finish is tight. Interesting nose and a nice ripe palate.

Flight Four

Chateau La Fleur de Gay
Corked? Medicinal, thin smell. Some fruit in the palate.

Chateau L'Eglise Clinet
Pomerol
Ripe fruit, somewhat brisk acidity, but otherwise balanced. Hint of chocolate. Good length.

Chateau Le Pin
Pomerol
Inky, funky nose. Complex with variously, earth, tar, cumin, coriander, dust. Smells deep? Ripe palate, sweet, balanced, and floral. Long finish. Very nice. Delicious. Best of flight. Maybe WOTN.

Chateau le Tertre-Roteboeuf
St. Emilion
Wins the best nose award from me. Sweet candy, baby powder. Candy cigarettes. Captivating. The palate doesn't live up however. Tight and acidic.

Chateau Petrus
St. Emilion
Dusty, floral, powdery, candy nose. Swirling reveals more mint and possible other flavors. Ripe, sweet palate. Medium-full bodied. Good concentration. Cherry and strawberry fruit. Lots of potentional, but I found the palate somewhat simple.

Chateau Sociando Mallet
Haut Medoc
Inky pencil lead and funk nose. Palate got lost amid the competition.

Chateau Trotanoy
Pomerol
Nice balance, sweet fruit, pleasant balance and good length. I think I missed the nuances in this one.

Flight Five

Chateau La Mission Haut Brion
Graves
Coffee and menthol nose. High acids. Okay.

Chateau l'Angelus
St. Emilion
Smells ripe, a little cheesy. Ripe palate, pleasant acidity, good balance. Tart finish. Others at the table were more critical.

Chateau Figeac
St. Emilion
Pencil lead along with new shoes…complete with leather, and rubber. Menthol-Irish Spring soap. Ripe palate, medium-bodied. Falls out of balance on the finish.

Chateau Franc Mayne
St. Emilion
Ripe nose that could probably pass for new world. Hint of menthol. Fruity, well built. Slightly leaning toward the low end of the pH spectrum. Good length and concentration.

Chateau Troplong Mondot
St. Emilion
Dusty nose. Acidic palate and a short finish.

Mystery Wine #1
Podere Il Bosco
1997
Syrah
Toscana
Nose is redolent of coffee. This was served as a mystery wine with the challenge "guess the varietal." The wine is distinctive but I didn't really care for it. Treads a strange middle ground between ripe, cooked, and unripe.

Mystery Wine #2
Whitehall Lane
1995
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Napa Valley
Sweet and extremely ripe and lush tasting next to these Bordeaux. Ripe, long. American oak likely?

Lastly we wound down with some delicious Ports that I simply enjoyed

Shafer 1998 Port Napa Valley
Smith Woodhouse 1977 Port

Cheers!
James

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