Notes from a dinner with friends, wines tasted blind.
1990 J. Lasalle Blanc de Blancs Brut - medium colour and a complex mature nose indicated some development and I opined that the 1988-90 window seemed likely. Good mousse, good acid. A second bottle showed just a little fresher.
2005 Drouhin Meursault Perrieres - I was the odd man out here as I could find nothing much to commend this in the nose, bar a slight waxiness and light mineral impression. Smooth mouth feel, fairly soft and a tad flat at the end. Maybe with time….
2005 Matanzas Creek Chardonnay (Sonoma) - this started out very French in style with a lightly oaked nose, though the oak became ever more forward with air. Hint of citrus, smooth and full in the mouth and better length. I asked who would choose which wine if offered a free case of either, and most went for the French while I was a hold out for the American. Interesting.
1981 Gruaud Larose - the next group, tasted over two courses, were very challenging as 1 and 4 were obviously claret while the other two were more puzzling. I like this one quite a bit, second only to the 82. It had a nice little bit of spice in the nose, fairly well resolved tannins, and good fruit in between, with very good length. This vintage is an excellent choice for fooling people as they never seem to think of 81s.
1982 Gruaud - a mature nose with a strong mint component, some tannin, medium to full body and good length. This wine opened up nicely with time and became more expressive in the nose and less minty. It seemed fully mature with lots of time left.
1983 Gruaud - sweat socks and leather made me start to think about the possibility of a French wine far to the east of Bordeaux. Medium body, very good length, tannin that cones in late but showing age and faltering in the glass. My least favourite.
1985 Gruaud - I was thinking that this might have been a little older - a 79 perhaps. It had a good fruit driven nose that we thought was Bordeaux, mature with good length, a bit soft but still in good shape. The vintage made sense when it was revealed. The 82 and 81 were the stars with 85 and then 83 in that order, for me.
2002 Black Hills Nota Bene - opened with cheese, this was difficult. Dark with a slightly hot nose, I was thinking somewhere far south of BC! Medium body, decent length, OK, but suffered in this company.
1988 Ch. Coutet - nice way to end with this Barsac. Medium colour heralded age, a nice nose with significant botrytis along with some lemon and orange notes, and a clean balanced finish, not too sweet.