Bordeaux “Left Bank Only” Vintage 1990 Horizontal Tasting
Braeburn Restaurant, NYC
05/18/2010
Matt and Paul arranged for and got 10 of us to sample a considerably wide selection of vintage 1990 from the Medoc. Braeburn is a cozy and homey restaurant located in one of the most picturesque residential part of city’s West Village area. The slightly damp night and the glistening wet streets certainly added to the gentle allure of this quiet and quaint neighborhood.
Paul arranged for access to the private dining room in the lower level of the restaurant, complete with wines in racks all around us, a very nice touch in a room that’s most conducive to a group of wine geeks on a dining and tasting mission. I liked the casual and provincial ambiance of the dining room. We were provided a customized set of menu with choices of appetizers, entrée and dessert.
Matt provided a couple of Loire whites to go with a few choice canapés that were served while we gathered.
2003 Domaine des Baumard Clos du Papillon Savennieres
It was a wet and messy day in the city and which stressed out public commuters like me. But to finally get into the cozy restaurant, albeit late, and poured some of this very good savennieres, was a solid relief. Complex nose of mineral, some petrol and sweet citrus. Quite fat but delicious mineral and high acidity that’s very complementing. Smooth and refreshing mouth-feel. Lengthy finish. B+
2003 Savennieres Roche aux Moines, Chateau de Chamboureau
Smelled of slightly more wood and confection. This wine was riper than the Baumard. Sweet, mineral notes, oily and rich. B-
As we waited for our first courses, the flights of reds commenced.
Flight 1:
1990 Ch. Gruaud Larose, Saint-Julien
No Cordier funk on this one with its sweet fruit, tobacco, and toffee nose. High acidity, sweet black fruit, and a big wine. I detected slight greenness, but imho presents the best potential, with the wines in this flight, in at least 5 years. B
1990 Ch. Pape Clement, Pessac-Leognan (my and group’s WOTF)
Very inviting bouquet featuring vanilla, confection and wet leaves. High tannin level, lots of acidity, and mint. Power. Long tart finish. Somewhat more international in style when compared to the others in the same flight. B
1990 Ch. Lagrange, Saint-Julien
Earth, funky, old wood notes. Lean and austere, medium-bodied, less fruit than the others. Short finish. B/B-
Flight 2: Drank with appetizers.
1990 Ch. Leoville Barton, Saint-Julien
Cigar and vanilla on the nose. Some discussion ensued on the storage and handling of this wine. I thought it was quite advanced, with minimal fruit and some sour acidity. C
1990 Ch. Leoville Las Cases, Saint-Julien (my and group’s WOTF)
A classic Bordeaux nose featuring secondary traits of leather, smoke and some sweet fruit and wood. Very well structured, this bottle was quite approachable with its waves of black fruit that present themselves in a somewhat subtle way throughout the tasting process. Lovely and complementary earthy notes. Will not rank up there with those powerhouse LLCs, but a well-crafted one. A-
Flight 3: Drank with Entrees.
1990 Ch. Lynch Bages, Pauillac (my WOTF)
I wasn’t as high on this during a Lynch Bages vertical that we did back in late March. However, this bottle provided a higher level of hedonistic satisfaction than the previous opportunities that I had with this producer’s 1990 vintage. The pleasant smell of cigar and pencil that I’ve come to expect was ever present. This wine showed some muscles, yet smooth and glided effortlessly in the mouth. The layers of red and black fruit was balanced within the overall structure. A-
1990 Ch. Pichon Longueville Baron, Pauillac (group’s WOTF and no. 3 WOTN)
I detected confection and smoke on the nose. Another smooth and silky wine from Pauillac. Has a slight touch of green that I liked. I was impressed with the compactness of the components and, as good as it already is, it’s potential for further refinement. B+
Flight 4: Drank with Cheese course.
1990 Ch. Cos d’Estournel, Saint-Estephe
Earthy and classic Northern Medoc nose with ripe black fruit. On the palate, it presented itself with sweet and ripe components, but did not have the tight and well-delineated structure as the previous flight’s Pauillacs, and I was not as impressed with its balance. B
1990 Ch. Montrose, Saint-Estephe (my and group’s WOTN)
The contributor stated that this was purchased and stored since release and that was further evidenced by the $38.99 (sigh) price sticker on the bottle. This is easily the best version of this wine that I’ve ever had. Finesse, balanced, sexy with power, and with a mouth-caressing long and delicious finish. This is the only instance that I will re-consider my personal impression that the ‘89 Montrose may be the better vintage. A-
1990 Ch. Haut Brion, Pessac-Leognan (groups’s no. 2 WOTN)
The wine with the most expressive nose consisting of baking spice, wet leaves, and really just all-around appealing A big, power-laden wine, but with silky approach. I detected slight bitterness, but still presented itself in an elegant manner with lean fruit and a tremendously long and satisfying finish. B+
Sticky:
2001 Ch. Coutet, Barsac
Provided for by Brian H., this was a fine example from the 2001 vintage. Good high level of acidity, honeyed but not over-the-top sweet, slight tropical, went down easy and smooth. B+
I don’t think that there were many surprises in the relative performances of the wines in general. With the exception of the Cos, which I will disclose as my contribution, the expectations by most for the wines were, I think, generally met. Besides the wines and the dinner, more important for me was that this was another enjoyable tasting with some the core of Bordeaux tasting group that Matt usually assembles, plus some very knowledgeable and new (to me) faces that I enjoyed meeting with. I certainly am looking forward to the Right Bank version of this tasting.
Ramon
edited for typos.