WTN: '75 Prieure Lichine

Took this to a new restaurant in St. Louis last night and found it most interesting with rather an abbreviated taste profile of older Bordeaux. The wine was not decanted but poured into some nice large glasses. The color was very vibrant with no hint of oxidation. The nose was typical Bordeaux. The first taste was very muted with cotton mouth tannins present. In 30 minutes fruit came forward, med bodied, tannins slipped into the background. For the next hour it was a good, although not a great wine. At about 2 hours acidity started coming through and this wine was heading down hill fast. This was an average wine but a very intellectual experience. Reinforces not decanting older wines. Had this wine been decanted for 2 hours the first taste would have been acid. Also adds to the mystery of '75; the race is on between tannins and fuit and you never know who will win.
Walt

Walt, I have been debating with myself all morning whether to gamble $75 to buy a bottle of '75 Giscours. Not yet had the intellectual experience of any '75. I'll flip a coin.

Covert

Walt, I have been debating with myself all morning whether to gamble $75 to buy a bottle of '75 Giscours. Not yet had the intellectual experience of any '75. I'll flip a coin.

Covert

Covert,
I have one bottle of '75 Giscours in the cellar and would expect it to be better than the Lichine even though the Lichine was enjoyable. I love '75's, it is just somewhat of a crap shoot. If you have never had a '75 it would probably be worth the money, anything for the sake of science.
Walt

'75 Bordeaux, huh?

You like to live dangerously, don't you, Walt?

I had an intimate acquaintance with the 1975 vintage in Bordeaux. Sold an awful lot of them, and drank an awful lot of them. And much of the lot was awful.

Although, sure, I've had some good ones, if it comes down to the bet on whether tannins or fruit would win, I'd almost always go with the tannins to outlast the fruit in that vintage. Just a tough, tough vintage for tannic structure, and the fruit, while promising, was usually unable to get past it. Eventually, in most, the fruit just gives up, and all that's left is tannins.

But yeah, there are ponies in there. Occasionally.

I have one bottle of '75 Giscours in the cellar and would expect it to be better than the Lichine even though the Lichine was enjoyable. I love '75's, it is just somewhat of a crap shoot. If you have never had a '75 it would probably be worth the money, anything for the sake of science.
Walt

Done. Thanks.

I had to go back and reread the TN to make sure I didn't misread the vintage. 1975, and it sounds like it's still a baby!

I'm envious, no doubt about that. Thanks for sharing the note!

Bill Wilson

The next time we go out to dinner, let's try a couple of 75s that I have in my cellar. Leoville Las Cases, Pichon Lalande. All in the name of science naturally.

I have one bottle of '75 Giscours in the cellar and would expect it to be better than the Lichine even though the Lichine was enjoyable.

Dammit, the bottle is gone. Shouldn't have hesitated. My wife doesn't like old Bordeaux, unless it is in the '61 Ducru-type category; that's why I hesitate. If it is like the average old claret, with tired fruit and maybe a touch of oxidation, she doesn't like it. I love it, but am not in the position to drink alone, unless I am on the road; but then I can't afford 1975 wines and such in restaurants - and I'm not going to travel a bottle like that.

I bought a bottle of this on release and gave it to my wife's great uncle as a 75th birthday present in late 1977. He lived into his 90's and it sounds like the wine has survived longer still. I also bought a bottle for myself, though it wasn't my birthday, drank it about 1985, and it was a most enjoyable '75. IMHO better than the more expensive '75 Lascombes, which was also owned by Alexis Lichine at the time.

Charles,
from somewhere down Memory Road