First of all, let me say Joe Perry is a prince among men. He was heading for a jeebus in NYC, took some extra time to deliver some bottles that I had purchased long ago from a friends of his. Nice favor from someone I'd never met before. Sadly, we didn't get to share any wine, he was meeting in midtown, I was attending a St. Emilion offline on the UES.
Nice night at East River Cafe, good to see old friends and meet a couple new ones. Setting was nice, if a bit loud. I enjoyed our table appetizers (carpaccio, calamari, melon and proscuitto) and my gnocchi (w/veal ragu) starter; they need a hotter grill- I ordered rare to medium rare lamb chops, they were rare but a light tan color on outside. A little sear, please.
Overall wines showed quite nicely:
1970 Soutard
Nice mature Bordeaux nose, lots of forest floor and cedar. Red fruit on the palate, surprisingly low-acid. It's showing its age, a tad short, but nose continues to evolve, with menthol and leather over the soft cherries. Not quite as vibrant as another bottle couple years ago. B/B+
1988 Troplong-Mondot
Maybe the surprise of the night- very different from the exotic 1989 and 1990. Good acidity, bright cassis fruit, cedar. Good length, tannins firm but ripe, not as hard as some '88 RBs. Classic St Emilion. B+
1990 Pavie-Decasse
This pre-Perse wine was another nice surprise. Young, with ripe '90 cassis fruit,lovely and fairly long. Lots of cigarbox aromas. A-
2000 Corbin
Tight, not showing a lot. Some red plum fruit and mineral notes with time. B
1999 Peby-Faugeres
Lush, ripe, exotic. This is a new-wave St. Emilion I can like. Kirsch and cassis, I'd be more inclined to sip through an evening than serve with dinner. Fun slutty wine! B+/A-
2000 Monbousquet
Others liked this far better than I. I found it just a little too hot, a little too tannic, a little too extracted, and too oaky. Maybe time will help. B-
1998 Angelus
Really showing nicely, big black plum and berry fruit over a backdrop of
tobacco and sandalwood. Distinct mineral note on the finish, modern without being internationalized. A-/A
2000 Figeac
Such a distinctive nose, herbs (thyme, chervil) and green tobacco leaf. Good blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, nice length, not quite as big as the Angelus but with plenty of power. A-/A
2003 Fombrauge
Nose is a little lifted, yet not especially aromatic. Concentrated sweet fruit, actually a bit too sweet for me. Might be ok by itself, suffers greatly from following Figeac and Angelus. B-
2004 Quinault l'Enclos
Showing a lot of oak and tannins, but nice solid body of fruit.Tasted late in the evening, would have liked to seen if it evolved. B?
We did our usual 3/2/1 favorites votes, votegetters were:
Angelus 1998. Votes: 1st (3), 2nd (2), 3rd (2): Total 15 points
Figeac 2000. Votes: 1st (2), 2nd (2), 3rd (1): Total 11 points
Monbousquet 2000. Votes: 1st (1), 2nd (1), 3rd (1): Total 6 points
Pavie-Decasse 1990. Votes: 1st (1), 3rd (2): Total 5 points
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. 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