Lots of experience monitoring and posting on this Blog about those warmer twin Bordeaux wine vintages of 1989 & 1990. Just reviewed 1989 again this October 1st linked here, variable at 25 years old on February 24, 2014 here, and compared with 1990 on February 22, 2016 here. In the latter report some 8+ years ago the 1990 Leoville Barton had “that iodine noted deep fruit”, 1990 Montrose was “coming around with big fruit but more charm than I expected”, and 1990 Lafite “superb but still closed needing another 5-10 years to blossom out”. Another more recent review by your scribe of top 1990 Bordeaux was on June 22, 2020 linked here. The Vancouver Group of Eight at meeting #125 over dinner at Blue Water Cafe enjoyed and studied 9 Left Bank Bordeaux wines from 1990 in two flights including a revisit of Pichon Lalande, Leoville Barton, Montrose, Margaux, & Lafite. Some brief impressions:

The evening started with a rather unknown but most exciting Champagne of 2013 SUENEN “LE COCLUETTE” a Lieu-Dit in the village of Oiry BLANCS DE BLANC CRAMANT GRAND CRU EXTRA BRUT. Old low yield 94 year vines planted in 1925 north facing (80%) vinification & elevage for 9 months in foudre, concrete eggs & demi-muids followed by nearly 6 years in bottle before disgorged 12/06/2019 with only 2g/l dosage. Pinpoint consistent mousse with impressive youthful precision and lemon oil minerality finesse. What vibrancy and potential that uniquely emphasises the unique terroir of this site. The detailed map on the label also appropriately focuses on the specific place. Congrats.

1990 CHÂTEAU LA LOUVIÈRE PESSAC-LÉOGNAN André Lurton value property well situated between Haut Bailly & Carbonnieux is fresh herbaceous simpler ready now showing the Graves style. Drink up.

1990 CHÂTEAU DE FIEUZAL PESSAC-LÉOGNAN The lightest colour with palest rim of all but showing sweeter bright lift yet mature fruit with more interesting flavours and rounded tannins but for current enjoyment.

1990 CHÂTEAU LEOVILLE BARTON SAINT-JULIEN Darkest and deepest of first flight and a really perfect bottle. Often shows medicinal notes (plus Brett & TCA in 2020 tasting) but pure clean intense cassis with depth and firm balance. So structured and stylish with an impressive spicy long very St. Julien cabernet sauvignon (70%) statement and 50% new barrels. Coming around as smoother but still no rush. Like the 12.5 abv level. Excellent bottle.

1990 CHÂTEAU LEOVILLE POYFERRE SAINT-JULIEN Good dark red look but tad less depth and much more development. Very attractive black currants but softer seduction with less mid body than Barton. Drinking exquisitely now on a lovely plateau. Delicious tonight with ris de veau & wild mushrooms course. Enjoy.

1990 CHÂTEAU LYNCH BAGES PAUILLAC Starts off a brilliant second flight of the night. Wonderful Pauillac bouquet definition here. Been somewhat in the shadow of the deservedly acclaimed fuller structured 1989 but this 1990 bottle is close with a great showing tonight. Round silky cedar flavours impressive. Surprise of the night.

1990 CHÂTEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE DE LALANDE Even talented May de Lencquesaing was self-critical of her 1990 vintage for 3 reasons as husband General died, winemaker changed, and no press wine was added. Always underappreciated because of the lighter fruit and more Merlot in the blend. However, with bottle age it has continued to improve, showing very well the terroir in a more delicate and elegant way. Nick Wright felt “they didn’t capture the vintage” but Ian Mottershead commented “sophisticated”. Less can sometimes be more – especially with the lighter moist local pheasant dish.

1990 CHÂTEAU MONTROSE SAINT-ESTÈPHE Another wine that sometimes shows bottle variation. This one is clean and pristine but still a rather big concentration with harder tannins. Lots of fruit 64%CS 32M and 4CF remains. Old style compared to easy fruit accessibility style from another iconic vintage 2009 Montrose just tasted and written up this October 14th here. Still an outstanding future ahead yet to be fully realized.

1990 CHÂTEAU MARGAUX, MARGAUX Darkest of the nine wines. Exquisite nose with so many complex components including violets. Taste has balanced structured textures with smooth opulence and subtle class. Wine of the night for me but the group vote was evenly split with Lafite. The Margaux website captures their 1990 well as “charm and great finesse”. In 2018 they commented “Today, all aromas and flavours already mingle sweetly together into this wine, whose perfect HARMONY conceals a power comparable with 1989”. Outstanding already but with a long future as well.

1990 CHÂTEAU LAFITE ROTHSCHILD, PAUILLAC Good colour but not that deep. Best wine for an open complex bouquet of coffee, chocolate, mocha, cedar, lead pencil, tobacco leaf and black currant/cassis. So velvety and elegant with 64CS & 36M blend. Too much Merlot? Perhaps the cool elegant Lafite style is not ideally best suited for the very hot years like 1989 & 1990. What about global warming? Did sensationally in 1959. Much better than 90 Mouton. Fresh and lovely top claret but not a heavyweight. To each their own.

1963 DOW’S VINTAGE PORT (Charles Kinloch English bottling) Carefully slowly decanted at 5 pm for dinner to follow resulting in an amazing clear shiny brilliant perfect glow. Not a grain of the heavy sediment appeared in the double decanted bottle. Beautifully served. Isn’t dark but has an enticing look. Dow is known for their lighter, more acidity character vintage ports – the opposite end of a Graham jammy style. Clean, fresh, and delightful so full of charming flavours – seeming less high alcoholic than 20 abv. Stilton, great with bigger younger vintage ports, is almost too strong for this rare old beauty. Simple roasted walnuts or pistachios probably would have matched even better. Lots of subtle complex pleasure is a real joy here at 60+ years!

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Question: Do you prefer the 1990 or 1989 Vintage for Margaux?

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Question: What grape variety was thought to be extinct?

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The 2009 Bordeaux were released with great fanfare as an outstanding vintage because of record sunlight hours resulting in grapes of high sugar ripeness. The resulting expensive at the time wines generally showed this open forwardly extra ripe opulent style with easier lower acidity levels and supple tannins. They continue to carry this reputation which was reinforced by the also excellent twin but more classic 2010. The very attractive voluptuous seductive early appreciation of 2009 Bordeaux is key. How are they developing in bottle?

Jane Anson has just released on her site some insightful assessments on 2009 & 2010. Vinous (Neal Martin) did a thorough review at 10 years and has a tasting of 2009 set in Miami on November 23. Lots of interest in these.
Our Vancouver Group of Eight held their 124th dinner event at Blue Water Cafe on October 8 tasting nine top 2009 Bordeaux. Some impressions:

Liked the mature creamy toasty fruit and honey in this bubbles of 1990 BOLLINGER GRANDE ANNEE BRUT CHAMPAGNE with a Bagel Lobster starter. This quality Champagne is only produced in exceptional vintages from Grand & Premier vineyards of Pinot Noir & Chardonnay with first fermentation in oak casks with a minimum aging on lees of 5 years.

2009 CHATEAU LE GAY Pomerol 90% Merlot & 10% Cab Franc

Open plummy sweet fruit that is deep and intense and very Merlot ripe. Softer and less concentrated from the lower yields (25hl/ha) than expected. Prefer to see more definition. Approachable. Easy drinking now.

2009 CHATEAU MALESCOT ST. EXUPERY Margaux 51CS 35M 8CF 4PV

Good depth of colour. More reluctant aromas. Smooth ripe attractive style showing the vintage more than the AC. Enjoyed recently the juicy cherries and acidity of the 2006. Value property.

2009 PAVILLON ROUGE DU CHATEAU MARGAUX 67CS 29M 4PV

Fragrant with more Cab Sauv. A bit herbaceous with concentrated tannins from 14% added press wine. Good depth (first year of third wine “Margaux”) for a second wine of excellent balance with charm and some delicacy. Prefer complexity of 2000.

2009 CHATEAU PALMER Margaux 52M 41CS 7PV

Darkest of First Flight. Best textures and structure. Loads of big fruit and classy 60% new oak. Youthful exuberance improved in the glass with airing. Bigger more alcohol but not as elegant as 1989 or other worldly 1961 (and 1966). Should develop well. Delicious with an outstanding duck tortellini dish.

2009 CHATEAU HAUT-BAILLY Pessac-Leognan 60CS 37M 3CF

Really admire the elegance, finesse, and balance here. Outstanding terroir of Pessac-Leognan really shines through helped by the riper vintage. A new book of their 25 years: 1998-2023 “Haut-Bailly On The Move” captures well the mission statement of Robert Wilmers & Veronique Sanders. Quote Jean Sanders: “Nothing to excess, Balance” and Gabriel Vialard Technical Director on the style: “The ideal, perfect balance between power, freshness, and softness, without any aggressiveness with a silky smooth texture.” A healthy restraint seeking true harmony is certainly accomplished here (and in the more classic 2010).

2009 CHATEAU DUHART-MILON Pauillac 63 CS 37M

Made one of the best 2003s and improved again here. Pauillac classic definition with black currant/cassis notes. Lovely forward accessibility with no rush. Improving property to watch of still good value.

2009 CHATEAU GRUAUD LAROSE Saint-Julien 68 CS 32M

Your scribe is fortunate to drink frequently the remarkable 1982 & 1986 and memories of that 1961. Pleased to see this property returning to form with power in almost a Pauillac concentration in 2009. This will age well as lots of clean fruit and structure to develop.

2009 CHATEAU DUCRU-BEAUCAILLOU Saint-Julien 85CS 15M

Harvest September 23-October 9. Big fruit and noticeable oak. Powerful fresh St. Julien statement too. Noticeable cloves and sage. Bruno Borie and team working the excellent terroir to best advantage. Bigger spicier more refined wine than elegant lighter exquisite 1970 enjoyed at 50 years.

2009 CHATEAU MONTROSE Saint-Estephe 65CS 29M 5CF 1PV

Very dark and concentrated with big impressive fruit but not the usual strong tannins. A new fresh almost Pessac-like style not picked too late by Jean Bernard Delmas? Thought I knew this terroir from monitoring the 1990 but don’t recognize it here. Michael Broadbent in Wine Tasting describes St. Estephe as follows: “Deep colour; stark raw fruity nose, cabernet less marked; full, firm tannic. Slow developing. Solid wines from heavier clay soil.” That was the old style St. Estephe (first published in 1968) and not the new one that is evolving. An outstanding wine nonetheless that will age well.

2005 CHATEAU COUTET Sauternes-Barsac

Finished up with this Barsac and the developing 2009s airing in the glass with a unique baked camembert with candied pecans. Seems bigger sweeter and more powerful than many Coutets and pairs nicely with the honey & nuts.

Summary: These top 2009 Bordeaux are developing very well with a seductive voluptuous nature plus buckets of ripe fruit still remaining to continue on a lovely drinking plateau for some time into the future. Impressed.

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