30 July 2014
So I’m saving some old tasting notes I typed on my phone (need to clear memory), these from an evening I distinctly remember, except I forget the name of the restaurant...
I realize “old” TNs (got many more) may seem useless to some, but since I typed them, I figure I might as well post them, maybe one or the other is going to be useful as reference, otherwise feel free to ignore them!
La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 2000
Thanks to Remo. A blend of 58% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc. 13% natural alcohol. Opaque purple. Awesome tannin quality (what I think is most exceptional about the top 2000s, tannin with black-tea-like flavor, depth, finesse), great balance intensity, wonderful tobacco notes, not a rustic Mission at all except maybe by modern standards. Dark fruit, dill top note. Potential perfection. May well be the finest Mission of the modern era (= best since 1982?), greater depth, potential subtlety and finesse even than the 1989? dp 97+/98(+?)
Louis Jadot Chambertin Clos de Bèze 1997
Mine. Deep ruby-black. Noble blood orange, iron, cherry, red beet, forest floor and tree bark. Lively acids, flavorful tannin. With airing beef juice. Subtle oak that's barely noticeable. Increasingly more complex with airing, what a great and terroir-expressive wine. Full-bodied and very persistent on the finish. Sweet and round, pink grapefruit to the acids, complex herbs, longer and longer with prolonged airing. WOTN? First bottle to be emptied that night. But really a cellar candidate. dp 97++?
Mouton-Rothschild Pauillac 1986
Thanks to Christian. Deep, still almost opaque garnet-black, tiny watery-evolved rim. Quite fruity and nicely sweet for the vintage, one of the better bottles I've had of this wine. Reasonably mature, but not quite there yet. By far one of the, if not the best-balanced 1986 Bordeaux. Tiny volatility from the start, but uplifting rather than negative (giving the aromas that extra perfuminess). Lovely lead pencil, walnut, clay and wet earth with airing, impressive complexity, depth and length. But what's perhaps most memorable is that this is by far the sweetest and "fruitiest" (if the term applies to any) 1986 along with the LLC. Well-integrated and nicely flavorful acids. Noble tannin, flavorful, bit meaty, nicely nutty. dp 96+/97(+?)
Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 2003
Thanks to Rainer. Fresh, glossy, opaque purple-black colour. Great purity and intensity, not just the superficial perfection of other vintages but real depth. Low acidity but huge tannin. Intense lavender and thyme, softer rosemary. Lovely iron top note. Beautifully finely-grained tannin. Most youthful of the night, or then along with the 2000 Mission. Same as the awe-inspiring 2003 Chave, this should be safely locked away for many more years. dp 97++
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti