The Last Tuesday of the Month Supper Club met last night for I think its seventh dinner. Last nights host with the most was Bill Lawrence, who, to go with the Bordeaux theme, prepared a delicious steak house dinner that started off with foie gras, shrimp cocktail, a fantastic Caesar salad, amazingly tender and juicy steaks with roasted multi-color potatoes, asparagus with morels and for dessert, a scrumptious apple pie with a cinnamon caramel sauce. Alas, I forgot my camera, but take my word for it; a great time was had by all!
Notes are in the order I had the wines, though there was a Ruinart Champagne and I think a Saint Aubin that I skipped.
1989 La Conseillante- Pomerol
Now this is not a bad way to start off a night. Just a gorgeous wine in every facet. Its effusive on the nose with a Sirens call of sweet cherry and strawberry fruit, earth and spicy cedar. Grace Kelly on the palate; elegant, regal, sexy and classy. Theres a wonderful harmony to this wine and it just caresses the mouth in silky luxury. Delicious sweetness to the red fruit, but its not jammy in the least. Drinking really well now, but given how nicely much older vintages have shown, theres no harm at all in leaving it be for a few more decades. My wine of the night. A+/A.
1990 Lynch-Bages- Pauillac
The La Conseillante was a tough act to follow and in comparison, this wine seemed quite a bit more reticent and clumsy. It was nowhere near as vibrant on the nose, only offering hints of black fruit and herb aromas. The palate, too, stood in sharp contrast. This wine was darker, with more of a cassis, graphite, herbal and tobacco leaf character to it. A little plump and unfocused, Im thinking this wine could use more bottle age. A-.
1990 Cos DEstournal- St. Estphe
Post 82, I havent been a big fan of Cos. I find them a bit new worldy and, frankly, rather boring. That was the case with this wine, though everyone else seemed to like the wine more than I did. The nose shows aromas of spicy cedary oak, sweet red and black fruit, mushrooms and cocoa. Soft and a bit unfocused, theres really too much bitter wood here for me to fully enjoy the wine. Black fruit with bitter dark chocolate with a touch of herb, the wine just doesnt have much of a personality to me. Solid B+.
1990 LAngelus- St. milion
This is a nice contrast with the 90 Cos because I find both a bit new world, but this wine does it much better. Perhaps my second favorite LAngelus after the stunning 89, this wine is always about, rich, decadent, sweet black fruit. Its opulent, non-apologetic in its decadence and just really fun to drink. Theres definitely some oak influenced spice and chocolate/mocha flavors and aromas, but the wine handles it well. Low acid and puppy friendly, its a wine thatll put a naughty grin on your face and theres no shame in that. A.
1982 Sociando-Mallet- Haut-Mdoc
Heat damaged. Rats! NR.
1986 Talbot- St. Julien
Classic, old school Bordeaux. Plenty of barnyardy Cordier funk on the nose, with cherry, earth and leather. Its sprightly and crisp on the palate with plenty of acidity. The wine borders on lean, but theres just enough fruit in there to stand up to the structure, though earth, leather and herb flavors rule the day. The tannins have softened a bit and Id drink up as I believe the fruit is receding. Not a wine Id really like by itself, but it was lovely with the steak. A-/B+.
1996 Grand Puy Lacoste- St. Julien
This one is still pretty closed up and not showing much development. Theres some nice black fruit, herb and graphite, but theres still formidable structure and its a bit one dimensional at this stage. Good raw materials, though. B+ now with Solid A- potential.
2002 Jo Pithon- Coteaux du Layon, Saint Lambert Les Bonnes Blanches
A stray bottle I had in the cellar. Its a surprisingly dark, coopery color. Its an intense wine aromatically and on the palate with canned peach, quince paste, hints of cardamom and other exotic spices and candied orange rind flavors and aromas. It could use a little more acidity as there is a bit of a syrupy quality to it, but theres just enough structure to prevent the wine from being cloying. It doesnt have the acidic verve and brilliant minerality that a late harvest Vouvray has, but its definitely scratches the sweet Chenin itch. Solid A-.
Notes are in the order I had the wines, though there was a Ruinart Champagne and I think a Saint Aubin that I skipped.
1989 La Conseillante- Pomerol
Now this is not a bad way to start off a night. Just a gorgeous wine in every facet. Its effusive on the nose with a Sirens call of sweet cherry and strawberry fruit, earth and spicy cedar. Grace Kelly on the palate; elegant, regal, sexy and classy. Theres a wonderful harmony to this wine and it just caresses the mouth in silky luxury. Delicious sweetness to the red fruit, but its not jammy in the least. Drinking really well now, but given how nicely much older vintages have shown, theres no harm at all in leaving it be for a few more decades. My wine of the night. A+/A.
1990 Lynch-Bages- Pauillac
The La Conseillante was a tough act to follow and in comparison, this wine seemed quite a bit more reticent and clumsy. It was nowhere near as vibrant on the nose, only offering hints of black fruit and herb aromas. The palate, too, stood in sharp contrast. This wine was darker, with more of a cassis, graphite, herbal and tobacco leaf character to it. A little plump and unfocused, Im thinking this wine could use more bottle age. A-.
1990 Cos DEstournal- St. Estphe
Post 82, I havent been a big fan of Cos. I find them a bit new worldy and, frankly, rather boring. That was the case with this wine, though everyone else seemed to like the wine more than I did. The nose shows aromas of spicy cedary oak, sweet red and black fruit, mushrooms and cocoa. Soft and a bit unfocused, theres really too much bitter wood here for me to fully enjoy the wine. Black fruit with bitter dark chocolate with a touch of herb, the wine just doesnt have much of a personality to me. Solid B+.
1990 LAngelus- St. milion
This is a nice contrast with the 90 Cos because I find both a bit new world, but this wine does it much better. Perhaps my second favorite LAngelus after the stunning 89, this wine is always about, rich, decadent, sweet black fruit. Its opulent, non-apologetic in its decadence and just really fun to drink. Theres definitely some oak influenced spice and chocolate/mocha flavors and aromas, but the wine handles it well. Low acid and puppy friendly, its a wine thatll put a naughty grin on your face and theres no shame in that. A.
1982 Sociando-Mallet- Haut-Mdoc
Heat damaged. Rats! NR.
1986 Talbot- St. Julien
Classic, old school Bordeaux. Plenty of barnyardy Cordier funk on the nose, with cherry, earth and leather. Its sprightly and crisp on the palate with plenty of acidity. The wine borders on lean, but theres just enough fruit in there to stand up to the structure, though earth, leather and herb flavors rule the day. The tannins have softened a bit and Id drink up as I believe the fruit is receding. Not a wine Id really like by itself, but it was lovely with the steak. A-/B+.
1996 Grand Puy Lacoste- St. Julien
This one is still pretty closed up and not showing much development. Theres some nice black fruit, herb and graphite, but theres still formidable structure and its a bit one dimensional at this stage. Good raw materials, though. B+ now with Solid A- potential.
2002 Jo Pithon- Coteaux du Layon, Saint Lambert Les Bonnes Blanches
A stray bottle I had in the cellar. Its a surprisingly dark, coopery color. Its an intense wine aromatically and on the palate with canned peach, quince paste, hints of cardamom and other exotic spices and candied orange rind flavors and aromas. It could use a little more acidity as there is a bit of a syrupy quality to it, but theres just enough structure to prevent the wine from being cloying. It doesnt have the acidic verve and brilliant minerality that a late harvest Vouvray has, but its definitely scratches the sweet Chenin itch. Solid A-.