WTN: Impressions from a 1995 Bordeaux and Cal Cab Tasting

[David M. Bueker]

Some quick thoughts on a blind tasting from last night:

Spencer put up an amazing line-up with all the wines from the 1995 vintage. Around the table we all thought they were much younger, but also drinking really well. Every wine was at least very good, with the top wines judged universally outstanding by all 6 tasters. Spencer’s cellar is very cold, so that likely accounts for the extreme youthfulness of the wines.

The tasting gave me a real boost of confidence in the 1995 Bordeaux. They were all very enjoyable to drink with the Batailley (my favorite wine of the night) especially impressing with the layers of flavor that were a complete shock when the vintage was revealed. None of the wines, with the potential exception of Beau Sejour Becot showed any hint of drying out. Additionally, the three California wines (Dalla Valle, Seavey and Diamond Creek) fit perfectly into the lineup. They did not stick out as “Californian” at all, just as delicious and classic Cabernet wines. While the Dalla Valle and Seavey came out at the top of the group rankings, they were only ahead of the Lynch Bages and Batailley by one or two tenths of a point on the 20 point scale. Even the lowest ranked wines were very good, at 15 out of 20 or higher. The overall range of scores and standard deviation amongst the tasters (yes, we are that geeky) was remarkably tight, speaking to the clear level of quality across all 9 wines.

I did not take notes, so I cannot really speak to specific details about how the wines tasted, but they were all, from #1 to #9, wines I would have wanted to drink with my dinner.

Wines were opened (but not decanted) about 90 minutes before we started drinking them. They continued to evolve in the glass, always to their benefit.

Group ranking:
1995 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon
1995 Seavey Cabernet Sauvignon
1995 Batailley
1995 Lynch Bages
1995 Leoville Barton
1995 Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow
1995 Calon Segur
1995 Beau Sejour Becot
1995 Clerc Milon

Thanks for notes. Not much experience with '95 Cali, but I was pleasantly surprised at a 1995 Bordeaux tasting earlier this year where almost all seemed to be drinking well (if young) after a long grumpy period. Sounds like your group concurred.

[Jenise]

Interesting. I've never done a mixed Bordeaux/Cal Cab tasting. Did it strike anyone as even mildly significant that the most California-esque Bordeaux of them all, the Lynch Bages, was the highest ranked of the Bordeauxs, given that the higher ranked wines were Californian?

[David M. Bueker]

The Lynch Bages was not remotely Californian. In fact that was the wine that when I tasted it, I knew we were mostly in Bordeaux.

And for what it's worth, the score spread between the top 4 wines was as follows (group averages out of 20): 18.4, 18.3, 18.1, 18.0.

[Jenise]

Fair enough. It's just that wen I've done Bordeaux tastings, it has been the case that if ONE wine in the group was a California ringer, the Lynch Bages would have been the suspect.

[David M. Bueker]

Even as far back as 1995?

Or course 1995 is a pretty hard vintage.

[Jenise]

Even as far back as 1995?

Or course 1995 is a pretty hard vintage.

Well, maybe not then. I haven't had a 95 Lynch Bages--the last were 88 and 89, separately, about four years ago.

[David M. Bueker]

The '89 shows quite ripe, though mostly due to the vintage. Heck, most '89s show pretty ripe. I have not had the '88.

David, what a fantastic lineup. I love 1995 California Cabs, recently drinking the Dalle Valle and Montelena. They were both beautiful, but I gave the nod to the Montelena. I have a Togni lined up for drinking soon. I have yet to open a Leoville Barton, but now I am tempted.