Dinner wine notes:
2009 Dunham Cellars Chardonnay ‘Shirley Mays’ Lewis Vd. – this Columbia Valley chard was a bit monotone in the nose with light vanilla and nothing much in the way of fruit notes. Smooth in the mouth with a bit of acidity coming in late at the end. Seemed pretty average.
1988 Drouhin Clos de la Roche – this grand cru was ultimately a bit disappointing. It wasn’t the nose, which was copybook Burg, only slightly funky, with good fruit, it was on palate where the fruit promised by the nose seemed to have gone AWOL, and in turn the existing acidity seemed to be over the top, although it was blunted a bit when taken with food. I’m going to have to say that the wine was just old – don’t know whether the bottle was the problem or if the wine in general is now in its dotage. C’est dommage!
1981 Ch. Mouton Rothschild – my expectations for this were modest given some recent reviews, but things turned out rather well. Good colour, clear at the rim, a very correct claret nose with some tobacco and a faint green hint (capsicum?). Decent on palate, with just adequate fruit levels, OK length, a tad dilute at the end. Haven’t tasted this for years so I don’t recall how it drank back in its day – maybe early 1990s.
1989 Ch. d’Arche – this Sauternes was quite dark – darker in a half bottle than a full bottle of a 93 I’d brought as a back up. Coconut and caramel nose, which was fine, quite sweet in the mouth, and fairly well balanced, but with oxidative hints that took the shine off the ultimate impression of this wine. Have a few more so I’ll have to see if it was a poor bottle or if the wine is simply now too old.
Unanimous verdict was for the Mouton, which was the most enjoyable wine of the evening.