WTN: 1995 Rion Chambolle 1982 La Lagune

Notes from an anniversary dinner with friends:

With steak tartare:

1995 Daniel Rion Chambolle Musigny ‘Les Beaux Bruns’ – love Rion, but haven’t had much of this particular wine before. Good colour and some mustiness in the nose, which passed away fairly quickly, leaving fairly deep pure fruit. Still showing soft tannins, decent midpalate fruit and decent length. Not bad.

With rare lamb chops:

1982 Ch. La Lagune – I have been holding this ever since release, testing a bottle out every few years. This one was a definite wow! The best so far and an indication that the wine is at peak. Very good depth of colour, and a good pure fruit – cassis, and raspberry, with undertones of vanilla and on palate more cherry in nature, so sweet and tasty that we both looked at each other and smiled, and went ‘Oh yeah!’. Smooth across the palate, good weight and long sweet finish, not drying at all. My only regret is that I didn’t lay down two cases on release instead of one!

[Jenise]

Congratulations on the anniversary and the Lagune.

Thanks Jenise!

I am going to an event where the organizer specified that the level of the wine brought (not necessarily Bordeaux) should be equivalent to a 3rd growth claret or better.

I emailed him saying that I got his instructions and had so far eliminated my choices of 1982 Talbot, Beychevelle, and Grand Puy Lacoste as being beneath the line set by him but that I'd be hauling out a 1978 Kirwan because it met his criterion (all actual examples from my cellar). I told him he should be careful what he asked for as quality wasn't always proportional to either price nor a 150+ year old rating scheme! Thought you'd get a kick out of that!

Bill,
While I can certainly sympathize with someone trying to ensure an appropriate level of quality for a tasting, I agree with you that 1855 cru classifications are at best a crude guide to quality. I'm sure that your host wouldn't be too thrilled if I brought along a 1967 Pichon Lalande (also a real example -- now deceased -- from my cellar) to his tasting, either.

Mark Lipton

I learned long agoi not to set specific goals like that lest it come back to haunt me. I recall one guy that specified that no wine should have cost less than $50. A guest opined that he would have brought the 1970 Latour, but had bought it on release and it cost less than that.