1995 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (3/8/2016)
Served blind as part of an overall tasting of Cabernet-based wines, this was not in the mood to play. It had been in the decanter for about 2+ hours when we go to it, and it was still very tight. Some red fruit and cedary spice showed on the nose, but that was about it. On the palate it was hollow in the middle, though it had good entry and a light yet persistent finish. I was and was not shocked when the label came off. The fact that it was Lafite surprised me. The fact that it was a 1995 then did not surprise me all that much, as the '95 vintage has been a tough one to crack. Overall a good wine, but certainly no 1st growth wow factor.
1995 Château Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (3/8/2016)
Served blind in a tasting flight with the '95 Lafite, this was just about as tight, though it showed more suppleness on the palate than its flight mate. Overall very tough to judge because even after 2+ hours in the decanter it was not giving up much on the nose. It, like the Lafite, showed a lack of mid-palate depth. I assume that was due to it being closed in, as I had more than my fair share of prior experiences with this wine, and it was never hollow any other time in my memory. Tough to see it unveiled as H-B, but that's what happens in blind tastings.