Many vertical wine tastings have been reported here but fewer opportunities arise for a horizontal focus on just one vintage from several properties. A wonderful dinner event #121 by the Vancouver Group of Eight on April 30, 2024 at Blue Water Cafe did just that with eight Left Bank top classified Bordeaux Chateaux to compare from 1985 – now nearing 40 years of age. The 1985 Vintage started off with some of the coldest temperatures (-15C in January) since the infamous 1956 Bordeaux frosts with rainy cooler weather to follow until a hot July, cool but dry August and hot sunny dry September/October. Harvest at the end of September generally favoured mature ripe Merlot (and the Right Bank) but those that patiently waited till mid-October or so brought in better Cab Sauv & Cab Franc. The wines showed early charm and roundness with less weight (than the following 1986) with comparisons being made with 1959 & 1953.

This pleasurable evening commenced comparing two young outstanding 2012 LOUIS ROEDERER Champagnes – the CRISTAL Brut & CRISTAL Brut ROSE. Both were fresh with the Rose showing more vibrant explosive bubbles plus even more Pinot Noir weight & earlier flavour interest. The Cristal Brut shows a somewhat reluctant pure bouquet but has noble “dynamic effervescence” with power just needing some time to develop that renown delicate hazelnut creaminess. Liked the House description for the Rose as “the elegance of a Degas ballerina” which was shown aptly by both bubbles. Historic 1876 transparent lead crystal flat bottom bottles with gold wrapping come in impressive packaging but the contents are to be greatly admired too.

The eight Left Bank 1985 wines followed in two flights:

1985 CHÂTEAU SAINT-PIERRE: Underrated Domaines Henri Martin of Chateau Gloria is the first of 4 St. Juliens to compare in this flight. Lighter mature forward spice is charming in a more rustic way. Ready.

1985 CHÂTEAU LEOVILLE BARTON: Darker with clean fruit (no property signature “iodine” here) is supple and silky mellow. First one solely made by Anthony Barton (after his uncle Ronald). Presently on a lovely plateau of enjoyment. No rush.

1985 CHÂTEAU GRUAUD LAROSE: Mid-colour paler edge. Less Cabernet Sauvignon here than the other St. Juliens but the crop seems stretched without the concentrated depth of their outstanding vintages in 1986 and 1982.

1985 CHÂTEAU DUCRU-BEAUCAILLOU: Textbook St. Julien with graphite, cedar, and black currant fruit. Makes a statement confirming the amazing balanced longevity of top Bordeaux even in the less powerful years. Perhaps it could have more complexity and length but is so delicious. Clear impressive winner of this first flight.

1985 CHATEAU LYNCH BAGES: Lighter weight than expected from this excellent Pauillac property plus this bottle has as touch of brett. More in an elegant softer minty style than the usual cigar box cedar. Have enjoyed better bottles of this 1985. OK

1985 CHÂTEAU LEOVILLE LAS CASES: A fifth St. Julien tasted that is darkest with by far the most impressive structured concentration of lead pencil fruit. So classy with harmonious charm. Will develop even further complexity and roundness. Wow! Wine of the night.

1985 CHATEAU LAFITE ROTHSCHILD: Quite a bit lighter than expected. Admire the balance of this herbal elegant charming First Growth Pauillac. Opened exquisitely with more subtle perfumes on the bouquet in the glass but needs more fruit intensity. Approachable now. Nothing similar to their outstandingly complex 1959 or 1953.

1985 CHATEAU MARGAUX: Clear brilliant look with no fine sediment from decanting. Seductive bouquet with bright elegant satiny blend (including Cab Franc & Petit Verdot) but seems to be missing the big Cab Sauv intensity fruit statement of 2005, 2009, and 2010. Their First Growth website states 1985 as “always been very pleasant to drink” and “first struck by the delicacy and charm of the particularly round and silky tannins”. Well summed up as “is one of our most appealing vintages and it seems to be at its peak”. Prefer the higher potential of the austere powerful 1986. Enjoy 1985 now and in the near future.

Finished up with the ready 1982 CHATEAU SUDUIRAUT which is rich sweet apricot & yuzu marmalade without botrytis but a beautiful late harvest Sauternes for using now with a tasty honey quince crepe or other dessert.

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Question: Heard about the Okanagan BC cold snap in January 2024 (following the one in December 2022) that substantially damaged vineyards. What about frost this year in Europe?

Answer: Yes this is the time of year to worry about frost affecting grapevines. Recall those bad 2016 ones in Chablis. April 2024 has already seen threats in Bordeaux and elsewhere. Parts of Europe had a warmer winter which encouraged early grape bud shoots. Germany had a record very warm March followed by destructive frost last week of April 2024. Early reports of damage are quite extreme. Monitor the 2024 German crop volumes affecting even the usual hardy Riesling.

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Jim Robertson & his wife Milena are longtime leaders of the Vancouver Branch of The International Wine & Food Society. They are also knowledgeable aficionados of the wines of Portugal including Porto and generously share this among their wide circle of friends. April 24, 2024 was an inspired port tasting showing an amazing collection of Taylor Fladgate six top Tawny Ports plus six Classic Vintage ones. Host Jim Robertson led this memorable event assisted by Cynthia Opsal The Fladgate Partnership Brand Ambassador & Key Account Manager with Pacific Wine & Spirits Inc. and the most insightful Leagh Barkley, a true Master of Port winning a challenging Canadian competition in 2022.

Your scribe also has been fortunate to attend many extensive Port tastings especially during the eighties and nineties hosted in San Francisco by the incomparable Haskell Norman, President of the Marin County IWFS usually assisted by Barney Rhodes. Remember well his horizontal of 1945 Vintage Ports held on January 24, 1988 where the unanimous winner was a drier powerful classy Taylor (Bottled by O.W.Loeb, Imported by Esquin) over a sweeter rounder second place Graham both having the most depth of colour in the grouping. Most nostalgic for me were the glorious memories of sixteen Taylor Vintage Ports in two flights from 1967 to 1947 and 1945 to 1896 (1927 slightly ranked ahead of 1945). The First Flight had the complex 1948 as unanimous winner followed by 1963 & 1955 and interesting to note that 1966, 1963, (both imported by Corti Bros.) and 1960 (imported by Connoisseur Imports) were all bottled at Taylor (not always the case in those early days).

The Robertson extravaganza started off with six exquisite delicious Tawny Ports with detailed notes attached. A few bonus comments:

10 YEAR OLD TAWNY: Red, lots of fresher fruit left, not nutty
20 YEAR OLD TAWNY: Amber pale, popular age, lovely mellowness
30 YEAR OLD TAWNY: Similar but more viscous, nutty, curry notes
40 YEAR OLD TAWNY: Surprising dark sediment, dried fruits, softer
GOLDEN AGE 50: Toasty rich smooth textured balanced flavours
VVOP – VERY VERY OLD PORT: Smoky cardamom spice, elegance and finesse delivered in an awesome cherished decanter!

Very impressive flight indeed and you are likely to find the style you appreciate most. No volatile acidity issues. Surprising sediment thrown in the 40 which didn’t expect after that long time in wood and being racked before bottling. Admire all the differences. Can Tawny be aged too long in wood? Will we see 60 or 75 next? Leagh made a smart point that Tawny Port is influenced by the House style but relies mainly on the “by hand blending” of components compared to Vintage Port based on the “Terroir” and early bottling of big fruit after two years.

Six Classic Vintage Ports followed:

1960 VINTAGE PORT: Very pale, stylish balsamic notes, medicinal, mature. Also was mature in 1984 at 24 years but still is holding on 40 years later at 64 years of age. Amazing longevity of Vintage Port.

1963 VINTAGE PORT: Red middle aged rim, fragrant open lovely tertiary bouquet but high acidity with an edgy fiery finish. Showed even better in 1984 and since. Spirit is starting to dominate the fruit?

1966 VINTAGE PORT: Much darker red tones than 1963 but with a rather reluctant nose at first. Has deep fresh rich fruit opening with time in the glass. Smooth and balanced & so complex. Clear winner of the Flight. Amazed how these 1966s continue to improve and admire their slow advancing development in the bottle. Same result recently with 1966 Fonseca & Graham both showing well against their more hyped older sibling 1963.

1970 VINTAGE PORT: Younger very dark deep look. Big bruiser but a touch of cardboardy VA musty fruit that clears somewhat. Good structure. There are better cleaner bottles.

1975 VINTAGE PORT: Pale light year shows. Not a classic year but a lovely more delicate style for drinking now.

1977 VINTAGE PORT: Dark but less red colour than 1970. Disappoints with corky TCA – surprising as I thought Portugal kept all their best corks for Vintage Port! Classic concentration of excellent fruit shows through nonetheless. Bad bottle. Experienced excellent 1977 Taylor Port on other occasions. On a plateau of enjoyment.

All these ports showed even more spectacularly when paired with roasted pistachios and warm toasted walnuts. A joy. Leigh suggested because of the sweetness Port matches really well with dishes containing chicory, radicchio, arugula, or other bitter lettuces. Try it. What a treat.

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Question: Would you please give me your best wine definition of the word Terroir?

Answer: Yes this has been quite difficult to get a definitive unanimous all-inclusive correct answer. OIV (The International Organization of Vine and Wine) has the best one I have seen and suggests this:

Vitivinicultural “terroir” is a concept which refers to an area in which collective knowledge of the interactions between the identifiable physical and biological environment and applied vitivinicultural practices develops, providing distinctive characteristics for the products originating from this area. “Terroir” includes specific soil, topography, climate, landscape characteristics and biodiversity features.

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Followers of this Blog know your scribe’s enthusiasm for the Paulee wine tasting experience. Many Burgundy write-ups including Chassagne-Montrachet on August 27, 2018 here, Chablis Grand Cru on September 4, 2017 here, and even some non-traditional Bordeaux ones on September 9, 2019 here and First Growths November 26, 2018 here. However, it was a first for the Vancouver Branch of Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin to present an all red wine Paulee on April 9, 2024 at Blue Water Cafe featuring a theme of Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru (or Grand Cru). It was also organized in the traditional sharing bottle pours mode with the main courses rather than our previously free for all white wine aperitif method. Pros and cons to that concept particularly the difficulty of physically moving around in tight quarters with 2 long tables close together each seating 19 persons. Your scribe & Cellarmaster Blair Curtis made yeoman’s efforts in trying many of the wines shown on the List and later speaking about them to the assembled group.

The aperitif was Champagne magnums of Millesime 2004 Jean Vesselle Brut-Prestige Bouzy Grand Cru disgorged on May 10, 2021 imported by Boutique Wines. Fresh and attractively complex but was quite sweet so checked out the back label which noted 10g/l dosage! That is a lot in these modern times of Brut Nature, Extra Brut, and lower dosage trends that work well with food but this one is on a lovely level for a celebration or cheese/dessert use.

Whites:

2005 CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET VILLAGE
2005 CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 1ER CRU CLOS SAINT-JEAN

Both from respected DOMAINE MICHEL NIELLON with Village plots (better for red) resulting in a lighter fresher surprisingly lovely style while the deeper darker richer Clos St. Jean is a bit soapy and too mature. Feel the 2005 whites are often overrated, need drinking up.

2006 CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 1ER CRU LES CHENEVOTTES
2007 CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE GRAND CRU

Second flight much superior with DOMAINE JEAN-MARC MOREY a classy nutty rich pairing with the first fresh halibut of the season beautifully prepared. The DOMAINE BOUCHARD PERE Corton-Charlemagne is balanced and drinking on an excellent complex plateau of best enjoyment.

Reds from Gevrey show 8/9 Grand Cru over 87 hectares, 26 Premier Cru over similar 86 hectares and remaining 300+ hectares (including Brochon) as Village GC. Often more structured tannins in GC than other Burgundy regions so they can be still slowly developing in bottle and less easy to enjoy young. We had a 15 year range of vintages so quite varied with my brief thoughts::

2005 classic treasures,
2006 sorting for rot issues,
2007 bad Summer weather more acidity,
2008 late harvest variable,
2009 big ripe fruit,
2010 balanced smaller crop,
2011 sometimes not ripe enough,
2012 small crop saved by September,
2013 acidity cooler year,
2014 supple charm,
2015 consistently concentrated,
2016 frost April 26/27,
2017 early harvest big crop,
2018 very hot August watch alcohol levels,
2019 less heat spikes, impressive depth, underrated,
2020 third hot year in a row, still young reds.

Benjamin Leroux is a superstar making great wines including the potential shown in his 2020 Les Cazetiers. My fav is his fantastic white 2020 MEURSAULT VIREUILS so be sure to buy some of it. Also liked the future of a red village GC LES SEUVREES in hommage to Robert Groffier.

We enjoyed two Grand Cru CHARMES CHAMBERTIN of 2015 Dominique Gallois at 13.5 abv & 2009 Rene Bouvier but the extraordinary Premier Cru CLOS ST. JACQUES in 2005 by Dominique Laurent and Louis Jadot in 2006 & 2009 also shone brightly. Only 5 producers of the 6.7 hectares of CSJ with properties having small stones running in strips from top (white marl) to bottom (brown clay). On the map you can see the lesser 1er crus around the village: LES CORBEAUX (“crows”) lowest down and LES CHAMPONNETS above it. Surprises of the night was improved Rossignol-Trapet 2007 LES COMBETTES isolated on the South end next to Grand Cru Latricieres and Clos de la Roche in Morey-Saint Denis but in a valley dip changing with climate change. A most improved region in all of Burgundy for this decade is the north hilly group of Premier Crus led by LAVAUX (or LAVAUT) SAINT JACQUES & LES CAZETIERS respectively on the West and East sides of CSJ being helped by global warming. Even higher up worth monitoring are ESTOURNELLES SAINT-JACQUES, LE POISSENET, COMBE AUX MOINES, and CHAMPEAUX. Another surprise of the night was the much improved Dupont-Tisserandot south facing late picked 2009 LSJ.

The top two picks by the Paulee speakers:

Blair: First: 2014 Les Corbeaux Denis Bachelet
Second: 2009 CC Rene Bouvier

Sid: First: 2005 CSJ Dominique Laurent: Not one of the 5 owner producers but some of that special steep SE facing fruit from friend Sylvie Esmonin turned into a very special outstanding CSJ.
Second: 2009 CC Rene Bouvier: low yields from 50-year-old vines using organic principles with more whole bunches & 1/3 new oak.

Fun event. Suggest you try a Burgundian Paulee of just red wines.

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