La Commanderie de Bordeaux in Vancouver on February 11 at Boulevard restaurant held a tasting-dinner featuring nine older red Bordeaux. This was an interesting event with all red wines from better vintages of 1986, 1983, 1982, 1979 and 1975 showing different states of maturity from around 40-50 years of aging. A great experience to taste older Bordeaux plus reflect back, compare, and reminiscence about earlier days when you may have tasted these same wines. As with all old wines there was the expected bottle variation but with 3 bottles of each served you got a good feel for where they presently stand. Also an opportunity to consider whether you actually prefer drinking young or old wines – or often they are at their best in between.
The bookends of this tasting were excellent.
We started off with 2014 PHILIPPONAT BLANC DE BLANCS GRAND BLANC EXTRA-BRUT 100% Chardonnay (mainly from Vertus), 100% Premiers & Grands Cru vineyards, & 100% Premiere Press for just over 20000 bottles disgorged April 2022 with lower dosage of 4.5 g/l. The nearly 8 years on the lees added depth and elegance to the zesty citric apple-pear toasted almond notes. Good value.
We finished with 1988 CHATEAU CLIMENS BARSAC showing the superb balanced acidity of this first of an outstanding trio of top Sauternes vintages. This classy elegant year shows typical pineapple, peach, orange marmalade with higher complex botrytis prominent. Drinking well now but will ager a long time.
The nine top Bordeaux served in three flights with some brief comments:
1986 CHATEAU GRUAUD-LAROSE ST.JULIEN
This first flight all provided insight to the slower aging 1986 vintage from three different communes. This treasure from St. Julien showed dark deep open textbook cedar cigar box cassis bouquet with full rich structured palate still quite young. Great early 80s decade for legendary winemaker Georges Pauli and Cordier with delicious 1982, underrated stellar 1981 and pretty good drinking 1983 & 1985 as well. Reminds me of their early 60s success with that outstanding 1961, 1962, 1964, and long distance runner 1966. Clearly wine of the flight and your scribe’s best of the night. Very backward and tannic on release and subsequently but now starting to sing beautifully as a classic. A venerable bottle. More to give – no rush.
1986 CHATEAU CLERC MILON PAUILLAC (Baron Philippe de Rothschild)
Harvested October 2-15 with 75CS/15M/10CF early on touted as #2 of the Top 100 in 1989 by Wine Spectator. Second darkest rather closed in at first but showing more tertiary development on the nose with attractive mint as it evolved in the glass. Smooth seductive spicy softening full Cabernet fruit using only 19% new oak. Showing well on best plateau. Enjoy now.
1986 CHATEAU RAUSAN-SEGLA MARGAUX (now Rauzan-Segla)
This 77CS/23M is medium full with the lightest rim. Most delightful aromatics with stylish earthy herbal flowers. Silky elegant textures most developed but starting to dry out on the finish. Drink up with something as well paired as the picture perfect Pate en Croute shown here.
1982 CHATEAU LA LAGUNE HAUT-MEDOC
Margaux-like property first classified one you reach on the road driving up the Left Bank. Suffered in 1958 frosts with wide replanting. Followed every vintage buying 1970 at #10 Minna Street in San Francisco for only $57.50/case (less than $5/bottle). Also bought this for $95/case showing the riper pure fruit of celebrated 1982 vintage. Very perfumed and mellow integrated fruit drinking lovely now. A ready mature beauty in integrated harmony.
1983 CHATEAU LA LAGUNE HAUT-MEDOC
Browner look but some corky TCA fault in my bottle. Others are cleaner but with earthy rustic soft tannins. Enjoyed some better bottles in the late 1990s. 1982 is far superior now.
1982 CHATEAU DUHART-MILON-ROTHSCHILD PAUILLAC
Served blind as a mystery wine. Way the best dark red colour of the second flight. Open enticing bouquet with more cedar. Top year seems younger but probably an 1982 and seems like a St. Julien. Guessed 1982 Chateau Gloria. Wonderful with the handmade potato gnocchi course. Duhart-Milon is from the Lafite Rothschild family that are making much improved quality wines since their excellent 2003 D-H. Check out some current vintages.
1975 CHATEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD PAUILLAC (Le Baron Philippe)
Only First Growth with the brilliant Andy Warhol label from the controversial 1975 vintage. Big production of 241,000 bottles (plus 9245 in larger format). Bought this wine on release in August 1978 in Alberta for $21.30 Canadian. The price was cheap but Second Growth Montrose from St. Estephe was then only one third of that at $7.60. What is value? Tasted this Mouton so many times over the last 6 decades and monitored the slow progress. Started out with big grippy tannins but solid fruit. Developed with bottle age to an interesting bouquet but still somewhat out of balance for those big hard tannins. Now shows an exquisite complex bouquet with a softening palate but would like more fruit to be left (like in the 86 G-L). Difficult vintage of this wine to catch at the apogee. Still enjoyable with food like the tasty Fraser Valley local duck breast matched up.
1979 CHATEAU PALMER MARGAUX
That wonderful distinctive Palmer bouquet always is a charmer. Reflecting back on tasting this several times in the eighties with mentor Peter Allan Sichel who liked the brighter deeper red colour of 1979 (over the miracle year 1978) which he advised was because of the higher acidity. Leaner year but surprisingly still quite fresh and delightful drinking. Doesn’t have the rich fruit and complexity depth of especially 1961 but also 1966 & 1970 that all are aging longer with remarkable results.
1983 CHATEAU FIGEAC ST. EMILION
Only Right Bank example but atypical with so much Cabernet – 35CS/35CF/30M. More fruit than expected in a greener good herbal way with undergrowth. Softer entry but seems nonetheless to be balanced. Less aristocratic and a bit austere for yours truly but a fav for many of the members. Refer to more details from the Figeac vertical reported here on February 19, 2024 where this 1983 recently surprised as well. Adore their 1982, 1964, and 1949 among many other vintages.
You might also like:
 |
 |
 |