WTN: LMHB, Meyney, Tardieu-Laurent, Tre Monti, Dveri Pax

• 1988 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (12/20/2007)
  This was a rather paradoxical wine. It was at the same time attractively red toned and leafy yet very stern and masculine at the same time. Well structured, still a touch oaky, brooding - it seems very young (my guess when blind was 2001!). Very good, but at least this bottle should have been left alone for a decade or so.
• 1994 Château Meyney - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (12/20/2007)
  A very classic left-bank nose, attractively aged, but a bit simple and four-square. The palate is still somewhat tannic, red toned in its fruit, savoury, classic. Long and dry finish. I like it very much - a good example of why even "humble" Bordeaux should be left to age.
• 1995 Tardieu-Laurent Cornas Vieilles Vignes - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (12/20/2007)
  The nose is quite lovely: leafy, earthy, red toned fruit - amazingly for the producer, I don't sense much oak. The palate is full bodied, but dry and well structured. I like the wine, but it doesn't really seem liky Syrah/N.Rhone to me.
• 2005 Tre Monti Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore Riserva Thea - Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Sangiovese di Romagna (12/20/2007)
  Very oaky, dark toned nose that became rather banana-bread-like with air. Sweet palate and quite alcoholic. Not to my taste. I couldn't sense much Sangiovese character here.
• 2004 Dveri Pax Šipon Ice Wine - Slovenia, Podravje, Radgona (12/20/2007)
  A very clean and precise nose, refreshing lift, yet spicy also. The palate is sweet but has wonderful purity and acidity. The aftertaste is very, very long. A wonderful ice wine.

Posted from CellarTracker

Otto, thanks for the notes. Interesting stuff. Slovenian Icewine, eh?

I have the T-L Cornas VV from '96--that is still showing some of its oak, IMO. Interesting about the '95.

I agree with you on the Meyney--it is best with age. Here are some notes from last fall that I think support your conclusions:

1985 Chateau Meyney St.-Estephe. The nose sports very nice aromas of clean barnyard, cinnamon spice, licorice, cherry and cranberry, with tobacco notes gaining prominence with some time in the glass. In the mouth, there are round juicy flavors of currants, dark berries, bitter chocolate and spicebox, all carried along by fine acidity. It is medium-bodied with good vitality and impressive length through the mid-palate, finishing with a nice note of dark chocolate and cherries.

1986 Chateau Meyney St.-Estephe. This is a bit more richly colored at the core than the 1985. I did not find the nose to be quite as compelling as the 1985, though it does exhibit nice aromas of tanned leather, cassis, dark cherry, tobacco leaf and a hint of cedar. In the mouth, there are flavors of dark caramel and a mix of red and black fruits, though the black fruits gain dominance after some time in the glass. It sports a bit higher viscosity, brighter acids and seemingly higher alcohol than the ’85, along with showing more tannins on the finish.

1988 Chateau Meyney St.-Estephe. This is just a touch darker than the 1986 in color. The nose seems a bit darker, too, with licorice, currants, plums and turned earth. In the mouth, it shows mixed berry fruits, chocolate-mocha, and spices. It is fuller-bodied, and chewy in a good way. It has the longest finish of the flight, with plenty of spicy black fruits and toasty dark wood.

2000 Chateau Meyney St.-Estephe. Full ruby color with no fading. The nose is rather dissimilar to the previous three wines from Meyney, which all shared a number of elements in common and seemed easily to share a sense of place. This bouquet is more about intensely sweet cherries and cassis, along with some incense. In the mouth, it is big and full-bodied, with burly tannins and a thick, chunky texture with lots of ripe red fruits. It does turn more structured with sharp acidity on the dry finish, which has abundant but ripe tannins. I think most of us expected very little from this wine (given some reviews), and it delivered above expectations. Still, I doubt 20 years from now it will deliver nearly as much pleasure as these mid-80’s wines do today.

-Michael

Hello Michael,

I'm happy to read your impressions on Meyney. Some old St. Estephe Cru Bourgeois have IMO stood up very well - 1966 de Pez is a highlight for me.

Slovenia is a very interesting country. I had previously fallen in love with their dry whites, then I found a few stunning reds, and now I've had a lovely dessert also. It's a very exciting country for me. But I do find it a pity that sometimes some producers feel that if you use lots of new oak, then the wine will be good...

-Otto

I still think the 70s and 80s were the glory years of Meyney. I did think the '94 pretty decent in a '75-'00 vertical we did, probably as good as "better" vintages such as '95 & '96 (and '00 for that matter). I agree with Michael, I own the '00 but definitely don't expect that it will ever be the equivalent of what the '82, '86, and '89 are today.