Ron organized this 1982 Bordeaux tasting at Bull & Bear. Words cannot express how much better a tasting this was than the 1986 Bordeaux event in New York last week. That said, I still don’t see what all the fuss is about 1982 Bordeaux. There are many better years.
There was almost unanimous agreement on the best wine of each flight; this almost never happens. The highlight for me was to have the different flights organized by region, and really be able to see the consistency between them.
It was also great to have such exceptional palates at the table. Attendees were: Ron, Bev, Steve, Linda, Keith, Parlo, Russell, Andres, Paula, Rafaelle and Audrey.
My wine of the night was the Pichon Lalande. Other standouts were the Gloria, which was way out of its class, the Yquem, and the Armagnac.
The food was, as usual, far beyond that of a normal steakhouse, and everyone chipped in with some exceptional wines. Great service by Arnaud.
35 wines, 11 people: sounds about right.
The wines and food:
Warmup Wines
96 Perrier Jouet – Rafaelle
Pleasant, high acid, 92
NV Brut Jaques Selosse Initiale – Ron
This was my WOTN from the Dominus tasting, and it came close again tonight.
Yeast, peel, perfect balance, 98
2003 Bruno Giacosa Extra Brut – Andres
Fresh, vanilla, 100% chard, 90
Flight 1
82 Certan de May (Pomerol) – Keith
Medium garnet, Smoked meat, ash, lime, red berries, oily, 94
82 L’ Evangile (Pomerol) – Keith
Chalk, restrained fruit, nuts, potpourri, smoked meat, took a few moments to open up, iron and glycerine finish, 96
82 Latour a Pomerol – Andres from Ron’s cellar
Youthful, floral, smoke, tomato leaves, not Pomerol- like, 92
Flight 2
82 Leoville Barton (St Julien) – Keith
Green vegetables, soil, mint, forest floor, rich, 90
82 Gloria (St Julien) – Steve
Lightest color, Smoke, fruity, low acid, high fruit, bacon, mocha, mint, Burgundian, coffee, elegant, really interesting wine that was easily the best bang for the buck, since it is an unrated growth, 95
82 Leoville Las Cases ( St Julien ) – Russell
Dark, Chocolate pudding, flan, chewy, very young, structured, fruitcake, pine, sawdust, wax, 97
Flight 3
82 Montrose (St Estephe ) – Russell
Plastic, slightly musty, vegetables, rust, metallic, I’m not a Montrose fan, but this seemed off even for Montrose, 90
82 Cos d’Estournel (St Estephe ) – Ron
Vanilla, meat, spice box, bacon, smoke, 96
82 Calon Segur – Andres from Ron’s cellar
Light, earthy, iron, blood, like. Rhone, soy sauce, cedar, 92
Flight 4
82 La Legune (Haut Medoc) – Rafaelle
Bubble gum, toothpaste mint, a bit short, this flight was quite different from Flight 3, into which this wine was originally mistakenly poured, a good lesson, 92
82 Pichon Baron ( Pauillac ) – Steve
Hint of the bubble gum, disappointing 91
82 Pichon Lalande ( Pauillac) – Ron
Roasted peanuts, meat, smoke, mint, WOTN! 98
Flight 5
82 Haut Brion ( Graves ) – Steve
Oxidized, Cinnamon toast, goes on forever, butter, vanilla, flawed bottle but a great wine, only Linda and I could get around the oxidation, everyone else disliked it, 95?
82 La Mission Haut Brion ( Graves ) – Ron
Tight, tar, olives, sweet soy sauce, tomato paste, meat, I expected this to be wotn, but it was disappointing, 92
Dinner & Wines
82 Laville Haut Brion blanc – Ron
Oil paint, linseed oil, pineapple, mineral finish, slightly corked, would have been a real standout without the TCA and the stiff competition, 92
2000 Ch. “Y” – Ron
Paint thinner, citrus, intense tropical flavors and apparent sweetness on the palate (elicited a long discussion about fruit vs sugar), wax, sawdust, New World style, 97
1999 Ch Beaucastel – Andres
Vanilla, restrained fruit, caramel, 89
Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle – Rafaelle
Balanced, green, vanilla, toast, great match to sorbet, 93
Marinated salmon
Red pepper sorbet – this was amazing!
Escargot with gnocchi – perhaps the best escargot course I’ve ever had
82 Giuseppe e Figlio Dardi Barolo – Steve
Oxidized, iron, vanilla, 89
82 The Magician Cantina Delatorre del Mago Aldo Barolo – Ron
Spice, youthful, figs, wood, 92
Foie Gras on brioche with orange compote – great dish
82 Feeemark Abbey Johannisberg Riesling Edelwein Gold – Steve
Medium brown, pears in syrup nose, botrytis, great acid balance, fantastic with the foie gras, this later faced the Yquem and took no prisoners, I wish I had more, 95
99 Brunello – Russell
Mushroom, Eggnog, dirt, vanilla, char, 92
Diver’s scallops with cauliflower
71 Vosnee Romanee Bouchard Pere & Fils – Ron
Fresh Pinot, pomegranate, cherries, dried out, I expected more of this since it’s a good year, vineyard and decent producer, disappointing since it was the night’s only Burg, 90
Abacus, ZD (solera) ninth bottling – Keith
Big cherries, vanilla, wood, butter, this wine is a true solera, with the new vintage added to the old each year, very interesting, 95
2004 Barbaresco Bernardot Bricco Asili Ceretto – Raffaele
Vanilla, meat, 93
1993 Chateauneuf du pape, Mathieu Pierre Anselm – Andres
Vanilla, Very Burgundian, tasted blind everyone thought it was pinot noir (although I thought it was pinot meunier), 90
Steak, carrots, potato puree, mac & chesse with bacon (amazing) and sauces
82 Kenwood Artists Cabernet Sauvignon – Steve
Cedar, cherries, better than I expected by far, 92
90 Pichon Lalande (rated 78 by Parker) – Keith
Vegetal, didn’t deserve a 78 but not a good wine considering the great year, they must have picked too early, 87
Lemon peel, cooked and cream filled – a wonderful dessert, and actual lemon that was steeped in gran marnier until the peel was an edible container.
2007 Hermitage Perrin – Rafaelle
Vanilla, Bacon, lime, an interesting wine, but should have been served with the meat to really enjoy it, 94
82 Joseph Phelps Insignia – Ron
Dried cherry, served too late to really appreciate it, it needed an hour to evolve and we didn’t have an hour, 92
82 ch d’Yquem – Ron
Very balanced, botrytis, citrus, vanilla, spice, great with the dessert, 98
82 Labordole Bas Armagnac – Steve
Chestnut, vanilla, floral, this is the armagnac we had at Robouchon, but an even better year, a great finish to a great evening, 98