Our wine group with the same name as Bill Spohn’s group, “The Wine Tasting Group” met Saturday night at what I consider one the best, if not the best, dinner club in St. Louis. The theme was Bordeaux, no area or vintage specified. We started the evening with a Champagne (forgot the name) and some tasty apps as we gathered and prepared to get serious.
Served with Green Lentil Soup with Pheasant Dumplings:
’03 Ch Lascombes - A nice wine with good forward fruit but not much complexity, rather what you would expect from the vintage. It went well with the soup.
Served with Grilled Elk, Short Rib Ravioli and Root Vegetables:
’82 Ch Cheval Blanc - This wine was as close to a perfect wine as you can get. It was soft, totally integrated, medium body with a great mouth feel and everyone’s WOTN. If you had to find a fault it may be that it was too perfect. I am not a fan of any wine where one flavor dominates the taste but this wine was so balanced it bordered on a little boring. It drank beautifully at the first glass and 1 ½ hours later had not changed. I do not think it will get any better with more age but indeed a wonderful drink.
’90 Ch Lagrange - This wine had a difficult time next to the Cheval Blanc. At first sip it was somewhat tight and not showing much. After about 45 minutes it really opened up and rewarded patience. It became a full body wine with good balance, some tobacco and a touch of the St Julien stink that many refer to. If there ever was a wine that argues against small samples of lots of wine at large wine tastings this is the wine. If you tasted the wine early you would not have been impressed. By the end of the evening I enjoyed this full bodied bold wine as much as the Cheval Blanc. Would definitely benefit from a few more years, at least based on this one bottle.
Served with a Cheese Course
’00 Ch du Tertre - I was expecting a fruity wine close to drinkability. I am not familiar with this wine and could not have been more wrong. It was tight and unyielding and remained that way even though decanted for 2 hours before serving. You could tell there was something under this hard exterior but it was definitely not going to reveal itself on Saturday night. Hard to judge but for sure it needed more cellar time.
Served with a great Chocolate dessert with more components than can be remembered:
’77 Wares Port - Have had this many times and it did not disappoint. A medium body port with a sweetness that is hard to describe as sweet. I think it has been drinking well for several years and has many to go. Such an easy drink that if left by myself I would drink more than should be allowed. A great wine to finish a great meal with wine and friends.
Walt