Thoughts from a dinner of older Bordeaux in midtown Manhattan last night. Theme was less heralded vintages of the 80s (81, 83, 85, 87 and 88) with some really lovely wines in the lineup.
N.V. Agrapart & Fils Champagne Les 7 Crus Blancs de Blancs Brut
Nice way to start the evening, combining bright lemon and pear fruit with fresh baked bread and yeasty flavours, not overly complex but polished and light on its feet with a sense of precision and refreshment to the flavours.
1994 Château Pape Clément Blanc
Corked.
Flight 1: Right banks
1985 Château Canon
Some debate whether this was corked; I didn't find TCA but it didn't come across as a representative bottle (certainly a much worse showing than my last experience with this last year at Dale's Canon vertical) with stewed fruit, not much depth and little freshness.
1985 Château Belair
Starts out slightly bitter and awkward, showing some stewed tomato fruit framed by savoury tobacco and earth; with time it pulls itself together as the fruit deepens and gains a sense of freshness. Quite enjoyable with air, though not particularly complex.
1988 Vieux Château Certan
Drinking superbly now with a seamless combination of dark fruited flavours, cedar, tobacco and leathery funk and a faint green herbaceous element that adds a sense of freshness here. The tannins are pretty much resolved and this has a lovely polished texture that makes it all too easy to drink.
Flight 2: 83 Margaux
1983 Château Rausan-Ségla
Not a lot of depth to the aromatics which are a bit one-note, but it's another matter on the palate - lots of depth, layers of dark fruit that are remarkably youthful framed by cedar and a sauvage meaty element conveyed with a sense of power and polish. Very nice.
1983 Château Brane-Cantenac
Great aromatics with tobacco, worn leather, floral elements and gentle red fruited elements combining into a lovely scent. It doesn't show the same depth or character in the mouth though, where it feels slightly thin and tired at first, gaining some weight with air but still remaining fairly one-note to taste.
Flight 3: 85s
1985 Château Cos d'Estournel
Impressive at first, full of fresh, youthful dark fruited and cassis flavours framed by savoury earthy and tobacco flavours - but with some air it starts to fade a bit as the fruit loses intensity and a faint volatile element emerges.
1985 Château Gruaud Larose
Firing on all cylinders. Layers of rich red and dark fruited flavours, tobacco, cedar wood and that leathery Cordier funk combining into a seamless and incredibly aromatic whole. The tannins here are fully resolved and there's bright acidity underneath giving the flavours a sense of real freshness and precision. A fantastic bottle.
Flight 4: PLL vertical
1981 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
In a great place right now with a core of dark fruited flavours framed by savoury tobacco and earthy elements and a vivid forestal greenness that brings a top Loire Cab Franc to mind. There's a sense of real polish and finesse to the texture with tannins fully integrated and bright acids keeping it very lively and fresh, great stuff.
1983 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Wasn't a huge fan of this - dominated by a powerful roasted espresso note that others enjoyed, but I found it overwhelmed the fruit and developed nuances that the '81 and '88 showed.
1988 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
A really great showing - incredibly aromatic, combining forestal greennery, tobacco, fresh dark fruits and savoury earthy and graphite elements into a seamless, complex whole. There's amazing depth and balance here with the tannins and fruit suggesting there's still plenty of time ahead for this, but it's truly outstanding right now.
Flight 5: First growths
1981 Château Margaux
This doesn't have the complexity or depth I'd expect (particularly following the Pichon Lalandes) but it's all about purity and finesse and very enjoyable to drink, showing bright floral and cedary elements around a core of fresh plummy and red fruited flavours. There's a sense of real polish and gloss to the texture, tannins fully resolved and it's a lovely wine, though overshadowed for me by some of the PLLs and the Moutons.
1987 Château Mouton Rothschild
Wow, wow, wow. Incredibly aromatic; layers of fresh dark fruited and cassis flavours framed by mature cedar, tobacco and leathery notes with spicy and sandalwood elements giving it an exotic character. There's amazing depth here, but also a sense of remarkable purity and finesse - it's not a heavyweight like the '88 and it conveys its flavours with a lightness of touch and an elegance that brings a great Burgundy to mind. Fantastic wine and my favourite of the night (I think the table's overall favourite as well).
1988 Château Mouton Rothschild
Tight and brooding initially, this across much more primary than the '87 with rich dark fruited flavours framed by savoury graphite and cedary elements and a spine of firm tannins beneath. With time it really unravels to show a lot more aromatic depth as that spicy Mouton exotic quality emerges and the tannins soften a little. There's a sense of real power and density here, and I suspect it'll be quite amazing with time.
Flight 6: 88s
1988 Château Gruaud Larose
The same elements as the '85 we had earlier in the night - bright red fruit, tobacco and Cordier funk, but not showing the same depth or power as the '85 did, with the tannin making it feel a bit more austere. Very enjoyable with some air, though a bit disappointing given my expectations for mid 80s Gruauds.
1988 Château Pape Clément
Pretty much everything I look for in an older Graves - layers of red and dark fruits, cigar smoke, gravelly earth and dried tobacco; medium weight with some tannins still lurking on the back end, but very enjoyable with some air. Glad I have a few of these.
Flight 7: Mystery bagged wines that turned out to be 80s Cali Cabs
1985 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon
No idea if this was the Napa or Alexander Valley bottling, but I wasn't a huge fan - came across rather tired with the fruit listless and fading, and a patina of oak still very noticeable.
1980 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve
Overly ripe tomato and red fruited flavours that come across both stewed and roasted with a heavy vanilla seasoning. Not my type of wine at all.
Dessert:
1988 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
Very decadent and sweet with luscious apricot and ripe tropical fruits drenched in caramel, orange marmalade and vanilla. It's quite enjoyable, though coming across a little too heavy and lacking in acidity. No thoughts on the '07 Coutet that accompanied it, other than it was incredibly primary and a bit one-note right now.
Fun night with some real standouts (the Moutons, the 81 and 88 PLL and the 85 Gruaud were particularly great), thanks all.
