Open Mike: 1999 Bordeaux

What is it, May 7? If anybody wants to keep track of how 1999 Bordeaux are drinking, we can use this thread, by just scrolling to this date.

If nobody else wants to do it, that's fine, I will anyway. I drank a 1999 a while back, and can't even rember which one, which was disturbingly mature. Since I have quite a few 1999s, compared to many other years, I became concerned that I would outlive them, and have to drink many of them when they were a little too mature for my taste. So I decided to hurry up, even cancelling last night's planned dinner out so that I could start. My wife, meanwhile, is concerned that I could be over-reacting; that folks on WLDG will start posting in a couple of years about how wonderful the 1999s have become after I have forced her to drink all that we had, prematurely.

I selected a Leoville Poyferre. It was at a perfect stage, in my opinion. I won't detail a hypothetical thought I had about dating women approaching middle age and discovering delightful unexpected notes that remind one of teenage girlfriends they thought they had forgotten the scent of; because some, if not many, folks on this forum are not amused by such references to women and have told me so. The very fresh young oak brought all kinds of what I would describe as blackberry smells from forest briars into the most fresh and sensual expression of where your mind can go when in a perfect natural garden. This is what Bordeaux is all about. No problem with this one for at least a couple of years.

Drank a 1999 Lagrange (St. Julien) over the weekend. This one has seen better days; although it is still elegant. The tannins are drying a bit.

Instead of continuing on with 1999s on Saturday night, my wife and I enjoyed my last 1997, a Canon la Gaffeliere. Exotic and rich with the characteristic asphalt taste that permitted Lynn to guess immediately that it was a St. Emilion. It was pretty mature, too. Glad we finally drank it. It was hard to let go of the last vestige of a vintage that gave us years of pleasure.

Back to the 1999s on the weekend.

[David M. Bueker]

I can pull one for a near term dinner. I'm drinking a 2000 Lagrange right now (to salve the wounds of a corked 2000 La Prade).

I can pull one for a near term dinner. I'm drinking a 2000 Lagrange right now (to salve the wounds of a corked 2000 La Prade).

I am looking forward to moving up to my 2000s, soon. The 1999 Lagrange was very good until last year, when it started to lose a wonderful forest earthiness it had for several years. I thought I tasted a Pauillac-like cedar last Friday, but my wife said I was hallucinating. It had classic cassis-like cab, though. Didn't mind it at all.

I've had a lot of 1999 Bdx, it's one of my current easy-drinking vintages. Just from the past year, here are my notes on some:

'99 Mouton Rothschild:

Wine # 4 - toasted wood, gravel, tar, cherry, crème de cassis, violets, cedar. There is a pronounced smokiness to this wine. Medium-bodied. Good mid-palate push/drive, but the finish is clipped with drying, woody tannins. Unresolved and young. I ranked it 4th place and it turned out to be my 1999 Château Mouton Rothschild (decanted for over an hour). (Blind; late February 2010)

1999 L'Eglise Clinet:

I had quite a difficult time choosing between this and Wine # 5 as my second favorite (Wine # 1 was an easy choice for hedonism). Deep, smoldering personality. Dark, dark, concentrated cherry, plum, cedar, violets with hints of unsweetened chocolate and "tar". Rich in texture, there is power in this waiting to be unleashed. Only my perception of better structure made me choose Wine # 5 over this as my second favorite wine of the night (a concession to personal preferred standards). It turned out to be Eric's 1999 Château L'Eglise Clinet - another impressive '99 Pomerol. When this wine was unveiled, I immediately recalled the Vigneron's 1999 Château Trotanoy that handily won him the crown not long ago at our Blind Bordeaux Challenge XIV. (Blind; 13th February 2010)

1999 Trotanoy:

The Stockbroker's bottle, the bottle that won the crown for the Vigneron at the Grand Crew's recent Blind Bordeaux Challenge XIV. My notes then were as follows:

Wine #4: This wine took the longest to open, but, when it did, it just kept gaining darkly quiet, smoldering power, depth, body and roundness. Rich, deep, complex, dark plum, cherry, cassis, violets, leather, spice - what struck me most about this wine was its astounding balance of power and elegance. I had no choice but to rank this the best wine of the Challenge. It was the Vigneron's 1999 Château Trotanoy.

Again, a wine that makes one sit up and take notice. Again, very impressive in itself and especially for the vintage. (18th December 2009)

1999 Palmer:

I expect everyone is familiar with this over-performing 3rd growth from Margaux (well, it is certainly priced above its classification anyway). 1999 is, in my experience an under-appreciated Médoc vintage. Certainly the '99 Latour shows prodigious power, depth, weight and breadth, Margaux its trademark elegance, Lafite Rothschild its ethereal complexity, etc.

Naturally, one has to be selective as even the '99 Lynch Bages and Pichon Lalande have left me somewhat longing for more respective hallmark traits; and the '99s seem to be drinking sooner at all levels. Still and all, there are a few exceptions, and, in any event, '99s are very reasonably priced - a vintage of good and affordable drinking.

That said, the '99 Palmer is not what I would call a wine priced for casual drinking at US$150 and up at retail (no thanks to high scores bestowed by certain professional reviewers). It is undeniably a good wine though. This was the third or fourth time I've had this, and, excepting the first bottle which I sadly mishandled on the way to a blind competition, they have shown very well - less than stellar vintage or otherwise.

Deep, serious and broad in its well structured gravel, darkly spiced black currants and cassis, cedar, violets; I swear if tasted blind I wouldn't guess this to be from 1999. With added aeration in glass, black cherry and a bit of plumminess emerge. Admirable balance and structure, this will get even better with more age. Much as we enjoyed it, Jojo Madrid and I think that it still has a lot of room for evolution. Great to be able to have this again. Another tip of the hat need be made to Bernie for acquiring these for the Society' cellar at a virtual song en primeur. (15th October 2009)

1999 Brane Cantenac & 1999 Léoville las Cases:

1999 Château Brane Cantenac - Also from the Vigneron. Without any decanting or material aeration, it displayed an openly alluring nose of lightly truffled, smoky-sweet cedar, raspberry liqueur, plum, cassis, violets and leather. In the mouth, it was moderately muscular, decidedly masculine, the flavors mirroring its aromas but with leather more apparent, some added coffee grounds and noticeable toasty new oak as well. This, together with the following red and the likes of Latour, Margaux, Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild, Léoville Poyferré, Lynch Bages, Malescot St-Exupery, Grand Puy Lacoste and Siran serve to confirm to me that 1999 is an under-appreciated Bordeaux vintage.

While vintage rains caused many concerns regarding dilution, in my experience, however, with the mentioned châteaux, said concerns are grossly exaggerated. Although few I've tried managed to acheive their usual levels of power and concentration (a notable exception is Latour), I do not think this is a bad thing in light of the general overly (to me) modern thrust of many producers.

This is yet another well-performing 1999. Happily, due to professional reviewers' coolness to the vintage, good '99 Bdx are priced at relative bargains.

1999 Château Léoville las Cases - My bottle. Last I tried this was almost a year ago at Rene's birthday dinner; and, before that was in late September 2005 at a blind IWFS tasting. It is coming along very well. The Doc, who has recently gone through a few bottles of this, agrees with me that this is yet another very good 1999 Médoc. My notes from Rene's dinner (23 November 2008) are as follows:

Now, it is lush, powerful, intensely masculine with deep profiles of cassis, earthy dark fruit, tobacco, lead pencil shavings, leather and violets. Not a big bruiser at all, it is a suave and correct fellow, but one you definitely wouldn't want to mess with. Superior balance, elegantly smooth, finely layered, with a long, confident finish. The red of the night for me, without a doubt.

Because of Rene's bottle, I bought some of my own. Almost a year later, the '99 las Cases (decanted for around an hour) seems to have put on more weight and muscle, but is still very harmonious and balanced. It has an added nuance of gravel and a touch of warm asphalt as well. Its darkly masculine, powerful character is noticeably toned down compared to strong vintages like '96, '86, 85 and '82, and it is materially less severe and tannic as well (especially compared to the '86). The structure/power is undeniably there, however, but in a more approachable fashion.

Very nice now and, in my opinion, with many years of added complexity and depth ahead.(12th September 2009)

1999 Pape-Clément:

Later on, I had a small pour of the 1999 Château Pape-Clément. I recently had a short discussion on a local wine website with the Stockbroker about Bernard Magrez's wines, Pape-Clément in particular. For those unfamiliar, Magrez is a very successful producer in that he consistently gets high scores from Parker, Pape-Clément is certainly not cheap, and yet it sells pretty well, especially in the powerful US market. Magrez-era Pape-Clément is marked by pronounced new oak, a lot of concentration, ripeness and extraction (surely a formula that suits the emperor's palate). This 1999 is no exception. It, to me, is a designer wine.

It's not that I shun this style, though - Pape-Clément was actually on my list of recommended 2004 Pessac-Léognans. My most memorable Pape-Clément was the 1985. Though Bernard Magrez already started managing the estate that year, I do not believe he had implemented his decidedly modern style that early. The 1985, which I opened at the farewell dinner of good friend, Hervé Pourcines, showed no sign of it anyway. (8th September 2009)

1999 Latour:

Wine #2 - Initial rusty topnotes in the nose gave way to dark minerals, herbaceous, touch of green pepper over dark fruit laced with asphalt. In the mouth, it was the most commanding, deeply fruited, lush and powerful. Notes of black coffee, dark chocolate and a bit of tar underpinned the blackcurrant, cassis, violets, cherry, dried tamarind, bit of cedar. Not a great nose, but, in the mouth, it was, to me, the best by far. I ranked it 1st Place. It was my 1999 Château Latour (double decanted: just under 3 hours at home and poured back into bottle for transport to the evening's venue). (Blind; 20th August 2009)


1999 Lynch Bages:

1999 Château Lynch Bages - My bottle. I opened another of these a week before at Gerhard Kropp's dinner at Tosca. My notes then are consistent with last night's bottle save that the latter's cedar notes were a bit more pronounced and it was marginally less creamy in texture:

"Classic Bordeaux nose of cedar, cassis, pencil shavings, violets, hints of tobacco and a mere whispers of asphalt, licorice and minerality. A few notches below full-bodied, this is open, with an approachable character to its smooth, curved, somewhat creamy-textured mirrored aromas. Noteworthy balance. Already very enjoyable but can improve and gain more depth. Very good show, everyone enjoyed this bottle." (17th June 2009)

Nb: Some other notable 1999s that come immediately to mind are Margaux, Haut Brion, Lafite Rothschild, Malescot-St-Exupery, Siran and Branaire-Ducru.

while I'm generally a believer in "drink now" for 1999, surprised the Lagrange is fading. I don't have, but thought it fairly structured.

Noel, 'nice notes. I think the 99 Palmer is a great wine for vintage, but now pricing is stupid. Just had the Brane-C last week, a very pleasant surprise

I forgot to mention a 1999 Leoville Poyferre that I also drank over the weekend. It was beautiful, and not the least bit tired. I would say at its absolute prime. Very St. Julianish, with a perky finish and all. Lovely.

Edit: Of course I didn't forget to mention it, I just forgot that I had mentioned it; I started with it. But I will let this stand instead of creating a blank page.

I've had a lot of 1999 Bdx, it's one of my current easy-drinking vintages. Just from the past year, here are my notes on some:

'99 Mouton Rothschild:

Wine # 4 - toasted wood, gravel, tar, cherry, crème de cassis, violets, cedar. There is a pronounced smokiness to this wine. Medium-bodied. Good mid-palate push/drive, but the finish is clipped with drying, woody tannins. Unresolved and young. I ranked it 4th place and it turned out to be my 1999 Château Mouton Rothschild (decanted for over an hour). (Blind; late February 2010)

1999 L'Eglise Clinet:

I had quite a difficult time choosing between this and Wine # 5 as my second favorite (Wine # 1 was an easy choice for hedonism). Deep, smoldering personality. Dark, dark, concentrated cherry, plum, cedar, violets with hints of unsweetened chocolate and "tar". Rich in texture, there is power in this waiting to be unleashed. Only my perception of better structure made me choose Wine # 5 over this as my second favorite wine of the night (a concession to personal preferred standards). It turned out to be Eric's 1999 Château L'Eglise Clinet - another impressive '99 Pomerol. When this wine was unveiled, I immediately recalled the Vigneron's 1999 Château Trotanoy that handily won him the crown not long ago at our Blind Bordeaux Challenge XIV. (Blind; 13th February 2010)

1999 Trotanoy:

The Stockbroker's bottle, the bottle that won the crown for the Vigneron at the Grand Crew's recent Blind Bordeaux Challenge XIV. My notes then were as follows:

Wine #4: This wine took the longest to open, but, when it did, it just kept gaining darkly quiet, smoldering power, depth, body and roundness. Rich, deep, complex, dark plum, cherry, cassis, violets, leather, spice - what struck me most about this wine was its astounding balance of power and elegance. I had no choice but to rank this the best wine of the Challenge. It was the Vigneron's 1999 Château Trotanoy.

Again, a wine that makes one sit up and take notice. Again, very impressive in itself and especially for the vintage. (18th December 2009)

1999 Palmer:

I expect everyone is familiar with this over-performing 3rd growth from Margaux (well, it is certainly priced above its classification anyway). 1999 is, in my experience an under-appreciated Médoc vintage. Certainly the '99 Latour shows prodigious power, depth, weight and breadth, Margaux its trademark elegance, Lafite Rothschild its ethereal complexity, etc.

Naturally, one has to be selective as even the '99 Lynch Bages and Pichon Lalande have left me somewhat longing for more respective hallmark traits; and the '99s seem to be drinking sooner at all levels. Still and all, there are a few exceptions, and, in any event, '99s are very reasonably priced - a vintage of good and affordable drinking.

That said, the '99 Palmer is not what I would call a wine priced for casual drinking at US$150 and up at retail (no thanks to high scores bestowed by certain professional reviewers). It is undeniably a good wine though. This was the third or fourth time I've had this, and, excepting the first bottle which I sadly mishandled on the way to a blind competition, they have shown very well - less than stellar vintage or otherwise.

Deep, serious and broad in its well structured gravel, darkly spiced black currants and cassis, cedar, violets; I swear if tasted blind I wouldn't guess this to be from 1999. With added aeration in glass, black cherry and a bit of plumminess emerge. Admirable balance and structure, this will get even better with more age. Much as we enjoyed it, Jojo Madrid and I think that it still has a lot of room for evolution. Great to be able to have this again. Another tip of the hat need be made to Bernie for acquiring these for the Society' cellar at a virtual song en primeur. (15th October 2009)

1999 Brane Cantenac & 1999 Léoville las Cases:

1999 Château Brane Cantenac - Also from the Vigneron. Without any decanting or material aeration, it displayed an openly alluring nose of lightly truffled, smoky-sweet cedar, raspberry liqueur, plum, cassis, violets and leather. In the mouth, it was moderately muscular, decidedly masculine, the flavors mirroring its aromas but with leather more apparent, some added coffee grounds and noticeable toasty new oak as well. This, together with the following red and the likes of Latour, Margaux, Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild, Léoville Poyferré, Lynch Bages, Malescot St-Exupery, Grand Puy Lacoste and Siran serve to confirm to me that 1999 is an under-appreciated Bordeaux vintage.

While vintage rains caused many concerns regarding dilution, in my experience, however, with the mentioned châteaux, said concerns are grossly exaggerated. Although few I've tried managed to acheive their usual levels of power and concentration (a notable exception is Latour), I do not think this is a bad thing in light of the general overly (to me) modern thrust of many producers.

This is yet another well-performing 1999. Happily, due to professional reviewers' coolness to the vintage, good '99 Bdx are priced at relative bargains.

1999 Château Léoville las Cases - My bottle. Last I tried this was almost a year ago at Rene's birthday dinner; and, before that was in late September 2005 at a blind IWFS tasting. It is coming along very well. The Doc, who has recently gone through a few bottles of this, agrees with me that this is yet another very good 1999 Médoc. My notes from Rene's dinner (23 November 2008) are as follows:

Now, it is lush, powerful, intensely masculine with deep profiles of cassis, earthy dark fruit, tobacco, lead pencil shavings, leather and violets. Not a big bruiser at all, it is a suave and correct fellow, but one you definitely wouldn't want to mess with. Superior balance, elegantly smooth, finely layered, with a long, confident finish. The red of the night for me, without a doubt.

Because of Rene's bottle, I bought some of my own. Almost a year later, the '99 las Cases (decanted for around an hour) seems to have put on more weight and muscle, but is still very harmonious and balanced. It has an added nuance of gravel and a touch of warm asphalt as well. Its darkly masculine, powerful character is noticeably toned down compared to strong vintages like '96, '86, 85 and '82, and it is materially less severe and tannic as well (especially compared to the '86). The structure/power is undeniably there, however, but in a more approachable fashion.

Very nice now and, in my opinion, with many years of added complexity and depth ahead.(12th September 2009)

1999 Pape-Clément:

Later on, I had a small pour of the 1999 Château Pape-Clément. I recently had a short discussion on a local wine website with the Stockbroker about Bernard Magrez's wines, Pape-Clément in particular. For those unfamiliar, Magrez is a very successful producer in that he consistently gets high scores from Parker, Pape-Clément is certainly not cheap, and yet it sells pretty well, especially in the powerful US market. Magrez-era Pape-Clément is marked by pronounced new oak, a lot of concentration, ripeness and extraction (surely a formula that suits the emperor's palate). This 1999 is no exception. It, to me, is a designer wine.

It's not that I shun this style, though - Pape-Clément was actually on my list of recommended 2004 Pessac-Léognans. My most memorable Pape-Clément was the 1985. Though Bernard Magrez already started managing the estate that year, I do not believe he had implemented his decidedly modern style that early. The 1985, which I opened at the farewell dinner of good friend, Hervé Pourcines, showed no sign of it anyway. (8th September 2009)

1999 Latour:

Wine #2 - Initial rusty topnotes in the nose gave way to dark minerals, herbaceous, touch of green pepper over dark fruit laced with asphalt. In the mouth, it was the most commanding, deeply fruited, lush and powerful. Notes of black coffee, dark chocolate and a bit of tar underpinned the blackcurrant, cassis, violets, cherry, dried tamarind, bit of cedar. Not a great nose, but, in the mouth, it was, to me, the best by far. I ranked it 1st Place. It was my 1999 Château Latour (double decanted: just under 3 hours at home and poured back into bottle for transport to the evening's venue). (Blind; 20th August 2009)


1999 Lynch Bages:

1999 Château Lynch Bages - My bottle. I opened another of these a week before at Gerhard Kropp's dinner at Tosca. My notes then are consistent with last night's bottle save that the latter's cedar notes were a bit more pronounced and it was marginally less creamy in texture:

"Classic Bordeaux nose of cedar, cassis, pencil shavings, violets, hints of tobacco and a mere whispers of asphalt, licorice and minerality. A few notches below full-bodied, this is open, with an approachable character to its smooth, curved, somewhat creamy-textured mirrored aromas. Noteworthy balance. Already very enjoyable but can improve and gain more depth. Very good show, everyone enjoyed this bottle." (17th June 2009)

Nb: Some other notable 1999s that come immediately to mind are Margaux, Haut Brion, Lafite Rothschild, Malescot-St-Exupery, Siran and Branaire-Ducru.

Thanks very much, Noel. These are great notes; but, alas, I am not a billionaire, or even a multi-millionaire, so most of these wines are presently out of my league. The Chinese have driven the prices up so, since so many of them are now multi-millionaires and need to have well stocked Bordeaux cellars for entertaining. But I very much enjoyed reading about your wonderful wines. And I am presently selling hard into the exploding China market and have high hopes for my company to go public so that I can be rich, too; and will then enjoy the First Growths once again!

[Jenise]

Covert, I changed your subject title to add "Open Mike": we invented that convention for just this kind of post. I'm dying to see if my Leoville Bartons (not useful to you, I realize, since this isn't a house you care for) have come around--I thought they were fading a year ago, but others said oh no, they're still going up. Anyway, come the weekend, I'll contribute.

Covert, I changed your subject title to add "Open Mike": we invented that convention for just this kind of post. I'm dying to see if my Leoville Bartons (not useful to you, I realize, since this isn't a house you care for) have come around--I thought they were fading a year ago, but others said oh no, they're still going up. Anyway, come the weekend, I'll contribute.

Even at my doddering and forgetting age, I indeed noticed the transportation. And while for some crazy reason Leoville Barton has always stood out as communicating something to my soul I didn't want to look at, I will wade in again with the 1999 and see if I have indivduated to the point of accepting, and even appreciating, what the property is trying to say to me, and likewise report back.

[David M. Bueker]

Time for me to drag out a '99 Barton as well.

Time for me to drag out a '99 Barton as well.

Okay, I will await yours and Jenise's impressions. My wife, Lynn, and I opened one last night and had trouble even talking about it. Tannins were obvious and a little strong for a 1999, and a little dry. It seemed there was plenty of fruit still there, but the wine didn't seem to want to share it without a struggle, i.e., lacking generosity...like a withholding father (reaching here to descriptions that many women in my life have shared with me, which I suddenly found a topical use for). Still, with a little probing, the nose had some almost exotic aromas of cab and some nice depth. I thought the texture was gravely in the way that some Graves are true to their last. The mid palate lacked character, wanting, and we agreed that it was in some ways reminiscent of a lower class Bordeaux, - a little callous, unbecoming for a second growth. We both struggled to understand it. I said it was masculine and the opposite of elegant, and thus an atypical 1999. Lynn doesn't like such modifiers and asked me to elaborate. I pointed out tobacco and a touch of cedar like some man's private den might throw off, but without the leather chair of Pauillac, and with a touch of rubber from some project the guy was working on. She didn't buy all of that, but simply suggested we could maybe better have let it breathe a couple of hours before opening it and made me make a note not to touch the one remaining bottle for five years, just to see what happens. I should note that it had a long finish, though, characteristic of good breeding. Jenise, this property is obviously my shadow in some way. What do you think about this 1999?

[Jenise]

Okay, so I pulled a 1999 Leoville Barton to serve with dinner (a summery steak salad). I had plans to decant it as soon as I got home from errands around noon but I got delayed in town so it didn't get opened until 4:30. There was some sediment, but not a lot. I tasted it initially: found it very together on the nose but very disjointed on the palate, shy on the entry and plodding/heavy on the finish which did not tempt me to sneak a glass. Then dinner got delayed by a long phone call, and so we started in on this at about 8:30. Let me go right to the conclusion: it never entirely lightened up or smoothed out at the cost of the elegance you speak of. There's a flavor Bob and I both call 'mud' that he brought up first that anchored the finish. The first wine I ever tasted that in was a mature St. Innocent pinot noir. Another bottle a year or two later had more of it, and the last bottle had almost nothing but that. So it's a flavor that tells me that a wine is not aging well, but that could be a false signal. I do not believe it was present in the last bottle I opened, a bottle that caused me to ponder here about whether the wine was fading or merely disgruntled about being forced awake. I have never had that in another wine that I owned a lot of and could watch it progress into vinodeath--or NOT! Anyway, back to the wine, it wasn't devoid of acidity but I have to comment that I wished we'd drunk it about two hours earlier than we did, and I question whether it has enough acidity to guarantee it a good life from here. And our second glass was less balanced than the first: the tannins really started bunching up later in the bottle. Note: I bought mine in 2004, and though they've been cellared nicely since then god knows where they spent their first five years. I have about seven more.

So after dinner Bob stepped outside and said excitedly, "Honey, come here!" And there, about 20 miles away on the other side of the Georgia Strait hugging the Canadian Gulf Islands was the first cruise ship of the summer (they depart from Vancouver on Friday nights lit up like carnivals and head south on the Georgia Strait--which is the part of Puget Sound I live on--then west through the Boundary Pass to the open ocean). And not only the first but notably the largest we've ever seen--it looked 20 stories tall--AND there was a second smaller ship not far behind it. We've never seen two cruise ships at a time on the Strait before, and it's hard to convey why that is so exciting, but it is, and on top of that there was an unusual shaped barge of a shape we didn't recognize based on the distance of the nav lights from the wheelhouse heading north into the Strait out of the Lummi Pass south of us, and somehow all that maritime action revived us and suggested that more wine would help us enjoy it even more. So off I skipped to the cellar, returning with a bottle of 1999 Chateau de Thunevin from the Lalande de Pomerol to compare to the Leoville while wrapped in a blanket on an adirondack chair on the coolest patio I've ever known where even on a dark spring night there's something to do. This is our third bottle of the Thunevin--the first, about four years ago, revealed a monster that needed a lot more time. The second, about a year ago, seemed spent and tired. I hoped it was just a poor bottle, it didn't seem possible the wine I'd tasted in the first bottle could age that fast. This third bottle rewarded my faith: on the nose, a bit of powdered sugar donut and violets on boysenberry fruit told Bob right away that he had moved to the Right Bank (he's so good at this when it's just the two of us, but add a few more people and he goes mute--if you ever meet my husband, do know that he 'gets it' more than you'll think). On the palate, the entry was full of tang and promise, and it moved from there into a good finish with chocolate and some herbs. The midpalate was still closed and remained so for the duration of the bottle, suggesting it's a bit early yet to be opening this one but it sure has fruit, acidity, and balance going on just right. What a fine bottle.

So I asked Bob which of the two wines he preferred, and he gave the nod to the Leoville, which made it a tie: I preferred the Thunevin.

I've had this vintage maybe 6 or 7 times, most recently last year though, when I thought it was ending its youthful stage. I still have 4 bottles and a mag, and it looks like one is in my home cellar, so I'll try to get to it this weekend and see if this is headed anywhere but down.

[Jenise]

Will be interested in your thoughts, Jim. I have to say that fan of LB though I am, this 99 is a stumper. Or at least, my case and a half has been. Loved it loved it loved it back in 2004 to maybe 2006 and enjoyed many a bottle, but the one or so a year I've opened since have not been as good as those early bottles were.

Popped and poured, and I'm a little worried. Too much bandaid and tannin and not enough fruit, but let's see if this evolves into something. I'll report back later.

Château Poujeaux cru bourgeois Moulis-en-Médoc 1999- Jean Theil – Alc.12.5%

I have had more enjoyment from 1999 than from any other Bordeaux vintage in the last 19 years. Ultimately others, particularly 95, 96, 00, 05 and 09, may yield greater wines but how long do we have to wait. This Poujeaux is a typical example of a good 99.

C: Medium density red with hints of bricking at the rim.
N: Fragrantly expressive essence of left bank claret with red fruit, wet leather, minerals and that lively edge for which “vegetal” and “green” are inadequate descriptors because generally perceived as pejorative.
P: Medium bodied at most but beautifully shaped and harmonious with good roundness, fragrance, length and structural support towards the finish. More elegant than a lot of Poujeaux and supremely moreish; I could have drunk another bottle. It went beautifully with lamb and runner beans. 16.5/20++.

Last bottles opened of a couple of 99s, which were previously similarly fragrant and elegant to this Poujeaux, have shown some barnyard (Gruaud-Larose and Labégorce-Zédé, if I remember correctly). I will look out more recent 99 notes.

Re the Leoville Barton, don't know what more to say. An interesting and enigmatic showing.

But Jenise at least had a Bordeaux night. Something about cruise ships in the distance is a wonderful backdrop. You can't beat water's edge in general, but the cruise ships make it extra special. The ocean is better than my lake for Bordeaux.

Lynn and I celebrated our 44th wedding Anniversary on Friday. We traded our lakeside vista for one on the Schroon River, at the Grist Mill, in Warrensburg, NY, which sits so close to the river if you fell from a window you would be in it. I love the ambience there. The best nights to have the best wines are ones that would be run-of-the-mill, otherwise (no pun). But we needed something a little different than a 99 which is becoming an academic exercise for me. Brought a 1995 Malescot. In my opinion, it had near perfect balance, with very good acidity, and had classic Bordeau style and flavors. A really excellent bottle, at peak, but with years to go. I am very happy to have a few left.

And Saturday evening was Preakness night. For the three legs of the Triple Crown we always go up the lake to the Friends Lake Inn and watch the race with the thoroughbred farm, Chestertown Farm, which entered their horse, Friends Lake, in the Kentucky Derby a few years ago, in view out the window. The other reason for going is that we do not have a TV at camp.

Before we trekked up, Lynn wanted to open a red and have a glass. I opened a 1999 Duhart-Milon. The bouquet was intoxicating, just spectacular. Earth, underbrush, all kinds of wonderful berries that I can never place, just as sensual and seductive as any smell I can imagine. Lynn thought it was so wonderful that she asked if we wanted to blow off the Preakness.

Luckily it was just as good when we returned. It was a tiny bit hollow, even with its lovely cassis, but in some ways it made the bottle even more elegant, letting its nose be the best part and not ruining it by competing with it. But the taste was second to nothing and the finish perfect for the wine. Elegant and sensual, if nothing further was to be said. With a touch of amber edge, it was definitely at peak, and I plan to drink my other one in a week or two.

Lynn marinated a leg of lamb in a simple olive oil, garlic, rosemary and thyme…er marinade. It was my job to cook it outside on the grill, covered. I took my time and watched closely to keep the grill from flaming, maintaining the temperature at around 300 f., and removing the lamb when the meat temperature reached 130 f. Lynn served it with orzo and chickpeas with feta cheese, dill and green onions; green beans drenched in great fake butter, and pureed cauliflower, all with plenty of ground pepper. We left one big pour for dinner. Sun set over the hills behind the lake on a balmy, oh so quiet night, and it simply doesn’t get better than that, except at ocean’s edge, sometimes.

The dinner and wine created a glow that made sleeping magical for a good eight hours. Thank God I woke up two or three times to savor it.

Here are some further notes on 99s drunk over the last two years. A mixed bag with something odd going on with the bottle of Gruaud-Larose and a rather desiccated Pontet-Canet. I also have some Léoville-Barton but the notes here don't inspire me to open one yet.

I recall finding a bottle of Château Gruaud Larose 2ème Grand Cru Saint-Julien 1999 a couple of years ago to be a model of elegant and forward claret from a middling vintage. This bottle was quite different; darker, fuller and less subtle than I remembered but also laced with a bitter barnyard note which was more than my idea of claret can accommodate (OK perhaps on Cornas or CndP); was this phase of evolution, bottle variation or a bit of both? More popular with most of the company than the Chasse-Spleen 1970 but not with me; 14/20. (Jan 2010)

Château Labégorce Zédé Margaux cru bourgeois exceptionnel (suspended classification) 1999 – Alc. 12.5% was a lovely example of Médoc from this unfashionable but often elegant vintage. It was at its peak, I think, with a fragrant Margaux bouquet of fine red fruit and flowers and a gamey (veering to barnyard) streak together with a medium bodied harmonious, discreetly structured and quite long palate still showing some expressive primary fruit and fresh acidity underpinned by some secondary development including minerals and by some gamey darkness which added complexity. This went very well farmhouse chicken in a creamy sauce laced with coffee; 16/20++. (Jan 2010)

Château Moulin Pey-Labrie – Canon-Fronsac 1999 was well up to its usual dependable standard, which is at least equal to that of most Saint-Émilion grands-crus. (There is a minor mystery about its varietal make-up; my reference books from that period state Merlot 70%, CabSauv 20%, CabFranc 10% but in the last year or so Merlot is shown up to 95% with 5% Malbec; error or drastic replanting?) This bottle took some time to open up but once into its stride showed aromas of rich quite sweet red fruit and red roses with a dab of kirsch and nice mineral touches coupled with quite full body and complex fruit, caressing velvety mouth-feel, resolved structure, good length and enough acidity and grip to ward off Merlot’s besetting sins of jamminess and cloy; 16/20++. (Mar 2009)


Château Pontet-Canet – 5ème grand cru Pauillac - 1999 – Alc. 13%

1999 is considered a goodish vintage in the Médoc in a lighter bodied vein than “great” years but I have found other 99s which are drinking beautifully; this one was more austere in style than many.

The accompanying food, lamb and mashed vegetables with a Mediterranean accent, was not ideal for this Médoc and really called for a more generous Southern wine with a lot of Syrah and Mourvèdre like the Mas Jullien about which I enthused a few days ago. My comments should be taken in that context and I found that I appreciated the wine better some distance from mouthfuls of food.

C: Quite dense red with no bricking.
N: Red and dark fruit with some black currant together with hints of mint and cigar.
P: Medium/full bodied with fruit still present but receding without yet much secondary development of flavours but playing interesting variations on the aromas from the nose and showing class with marked and somewhat angular tannic structure with reasonable length. I am not sure where this wine is going; it could dry out and become more angular; 15.5+ now with this food pairing. (Oct 2008)

Had a 99 Roc de Cambes last night, I thought it didn't show as well as a couple of years ago. I liked several 99s Right Bankers early on, I thought the ripe but not big style of vintage suited the modern styled ones well, as they didn't seem overextracted. But the lack of acids isn't helping with aging.

At a 99 horizontal Matt organized last year I think my faves were Poyferre, Margaux, and Palmer.

A follow-up on the 99 LB. We finished the bottle the next day. It actually was marginally better, but the fruit and the secondary characteristics that I typically get from an older LB (granted, this is not that old) are just not there. I'm hoping the mag, which I think I will try to open before the year is out, may offer a better shot at finding something that is not headed downward in a not-so-elegant manner.

[Jenise]

Jim, sounds like a match for my bottle and that's not good news!

Jim, sounds like a match for my bottle and that's not good news!

I agree it might be good to drink these up sooner rather than later.

Jim, sounds like a match for my bottle and that's not good news!

Is it conceivable that I was somehow prescient about all of this, since Bordeaux bottles are my children?

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