WTN: Margaux (mostly RSeg), bubbles, Y, 01 GKA

A nice small group met at Balvanera Monday for a mature Rausan-Segla and other Margaux AOC dinner. We started with bubbles

NV (2018) Georges Laval Cumieres 1er Cru Brut Nature
Tight, really needs time, all structure and acid. Good underlying fruit, elegant mousse. B for drinking now. Think I will like a lot.

2016 Pauline Collin Bereche Blanc de Noirs
Apparently Raphael Bereche’s wife, her first vintage. Very approachable compared to the Laval, Dry, apple and pastry cream. Nice length. B+

An assortment of starters - bacalao croquettes,ensalada verde, gildas (olive/pepper/anchovy) , mushrooms- as we finished the bubbles and tried a blind white

Wrapped bottle- pear, some lemon, a touch of honey and wax. I guessed Semillon, but assumed Graves (it’s actually mostly SB with only a little Semillon). Very good, and I’m surprised when it’s unveiled. 2015 Y (Ygrec) B+/A-

Some provoleta, blood sausage, lamb sausage, steak tartare, strip loin

Blind red #1- someone guessed St Julien, then another St Estephe, when that was confirmed I thought it was a midlevel like Calon or even Meyney. And I wouldn’t have thought ‘95- much less bound up than I’d expect. Cassis, tobacco, a little leather, shockingly (once unveiled) ready to go. 1995 Cos d’Estournel. B

Blind red #2 - very lifted nose, candied red fruit, licorice. Initially thought Sangiovese, later Musar. Wrong hemisphere. Calms down and gets better, in end I quite like. Would have never gotten, but all of us understood once we knew it was CA and a “REAL cult wine). 1993 Clos Saron “Once Upon a Time” Cabernet Sauvignon (originally a Renaissance). B+/B

1989 Rausan-Segla
Spice, ripe cassis fruit that almost gets to roasted, but pulls back in time to be classic if opulent. A-/B+

1988 Rausan-Segla
More restrained, still a touch of tannic bite, black cherry and smoke, a nice briar/underbrush note. I liked more than group, but then I tend to like ‘88s more than others. B+

1985 Rausan-Segla
Elegant and classic, sweet dark berries, pencil lead, cigarbox. Perfect balance, and my WOTN. A-

Finished with skirt steak,more salad, and fries (and apparently carrots I missed)

1982 du Tertre
A little musty at first, and some think corked- for one second I agree, but then can’t find TCA on revisit. Some slightly anemic black plum fruit, cigarbox heading towards ashtray, drinkable but not for long. Like many Margaux, think stronger in ‘83 than ‘82. B-

1970 Rausan-Segla (late release so actually says Rauzan-Segla)
Corked! Sad as this can be a great bottle

1970 Bel Air Marquis d’Aligre
Fully mature, red fruit, lots of cedar, moderate finish. A perfectly competent midlevel mature Margaux, but as always it seems I don’t find BAMA exciting. B/B-
(this was replacement for a 70 Giscours that was corked when I went to double decant before travel)

2001 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkapsel #9 (375 ml)
Man I love ‘01. Lovely complex fruit (grapefruit, yellow plum), floral/violets, slatey minerals. Lively and long, A-

There were generous offers of Madeira from a tasting/dinner at another table, but as I would be eventually driving , I declined to taste- even when spitting I’m wary of fortified. Nice night with good people.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

Thanks for notes. I don't drink much Bordeaux so I don't know all the ins and outs of the different chateaux. But people have opened some very nice bottles of aged Rauzan-Segla for me this past year (88 and 01). Enough to put it on my radar as a chateau to follow. I really liked the combination of full roundish fruit (the harsh angular tannins of cabernet seem to require meat) with cut focus and 'breed'. But how are the recent vintages? Did they go through some metamorphosis where the new style is different or is it still in the same mode?

Your tasting neatly dodged the Rausan Segla I have - 86 and 95 - but reminded me that I should try them.

I have found that the 82 du Tertre is giving spotty performance, one bottle very decent the next dead or TCA affected. I had my last bottle about a year ago and it was OK.

Rahsaan, I really prefer Bordeaux with some age on it (usually 30+) and am 62, so really stopped trying to taste young Bordeaux this century. I bought 2000, 2001, 2005 but not much since - a few bottles of 08, 10, 14, 15 based on recs from friends who still track. So haven't tasted any modern RS. But Jeff Leve thinks there has been enormous improvement, and that would probably keep me from buying.

The 86 was a sore spot. I think 4 people on attendee list had it(it's generally considered the best RS of the era). But the person who was supposed to bring it ghosted the group (the one person I don't know, and will now make no effort to know!)

So haven't tasted any modern RS. But Jeff Leve thinks there has been enormous improvement, and that would probably keep me from buying.

Will keep that in mind!

[David M. Bueker]

Don't say his name three times, or he will come here to berate us for being uninformed and small-minded.