WTN: Santa Duc, Clarets and Port

November lunch notes:

2001 Larrivet Haut Brion – lots of colour, given the age. Decent nose, decent flavours, and medium length. Pleasant but not outstanding. Nice to get a decent white Bordeaux.

1991 Ch. Musar – the white Musar is Serge Hochar’s favourite even over his red. Lots of colour, an intense and interesting nose with some pear and spice, big flavours, and long finish. Only a hint of oxidation.

1995 Dom. Santa Duc Gigondas ‘Hautes Garrigues’ – snagged this one out of the cellar at the last minute, sitting up among some others waiting for tasting. Plums, iron/blood spice and (surprise) garrigues in the nose, medium body with excellent flavour depth, long and fresh. No rush.

1997 Terra d’Or Cote d’Aix en Provence – this Chapoutier wine was quite dark and dense with cassis and spice notes in a fairly ripe nose, quite a sweet entry and good length. Interesting. Drinks well now.

1982 Ch. Phelan Segur – this St. Estephe surprised me when the label was revealed – it was batting above it’s expected level. A slight pong in the otherwise typical Bordeaux nose, smooth on palate with a bit of green impression, and a slight sweetness at the end. Not bad.

1999 Ch. Malescot St. Exupery – must have been a full moon, we were turning this into a claret fest! This Margaux offered up a funky sausagey nose with some cocoa, but it seemed strangely flat in taste in the middle, smooth in feel but a bit monolithic and without any complexity.

1999 Ch. Barde Haut – a St. Emilion that I’d never tried before. .Rich sweet nose with plum and cedar, mellow and smooth on palate, very tasty and ready to roll.

2004 Van Zeller – sweet multi-vitamin nose simple wine without great length , a bit cloying at the end.

1987 Fonseca Guimaraens Port – I recall with delight meeting Bruce Guimaraens several times, but had never had this Port. Unlike other houses that take grapes from a specific vineyard and make single quinta ports (Vargellas etc.) this is a vintage Port made from blended grapes from their properties, made in a lesser vintage. Sweet nose with coffee and chocolate, and maybe a hint of anise, very ripe but not too sweet in the mouth. Very pleasant.

[Jenise]

[quote="Bill Spohn"]November lunch notes:

2002 Larrivet Haut Brion – The Larrivet was an '01 I thought? But yes, lots of color, but all that's showing now is the waxy semillon secondary development with an oxidative almond nose and no original fruit. For those reasons, as you say, pleasant but not outstanding. Would have been better a year or so ago.

1991 Ch. Musar – Now here's outstanding. Apricot colored, with an incredible nose of dried apricot, lemon and orange blossom. What a gorgeous, gorgeous wine. And the first truly mature Musar I've had--I own some 96's but they're in no way ready to drink like this was.

1995 Dom. Santa Duc Gigondas ‘Hautes Garrigues’ – Neat wine, Bill. Initially, for me it had the sweet jammy nose of an old vine zinfandel, which is a black raspberry note, but it was dry on the palate so I didn't actually think it would be a zin, more likely French. Then the grenache showed up, but more strawberry and spice than pepper. Really a good wine.

1997 Terra d’Or Cote d’Aix en Provence – Loved this one, and I can't add to your description. Funny that we groped all over Southern France before anyone thought of suggesting Provence.

1982 Ch. Phelan Segur – No doubt we had a Bordeaux here on first sniff. Not quite so funky as some St. Estephes, but very good and showing well now.

1999 Ch. Malescot St. Exupery – On the nose I initially got funk, cement and cocoa, and it was a pretty big nose indeed, lots going on. There was a bit of powdered sugar-cherry that caused one participant to wonder if it wasn't a right banker. But on the palate--almost nothing. Very tight; the palate will eventually show the same complexity as the nose but it's not there right now.

1999 Ch. Barde Haut – It was a total thrill for me to bring a Bordeaux so excellent that most of you had never even heard of. I can think of no more a delightful way to 'stump the chumps' than that. I've had two bottles in the last six months and each has shown as well as this one did: very perfumed nose (someone's first guess was Margaux appellation) with plum, black cherry, cedar, violets and spice. A very complete and satisfying Bordeaux experience.

2004 Van Zeller – I think we should mention that this is Portugese. And I did guess that: never mind that it's owner is also Portugese, it had that plush, raisiny fruit that is so typical for me of Portugese wines. Not an intellectual wine, but in the most positive sense possible it was big, sweet and effortlessly enjoyable, the kind of wine we all need in our cellar for Burger Night and other mish-mash food occasions.

1987 Fonseca Guimaraens Port – the fact that this was a lighter port from a lesser year made it in fact all the more pleasurable because it was so feminine and delicately nuanced.