Our monthly Friday Wine Group enjoyed a great lineup of 1st and 2nd Growth Bordeaux at Santa Barbara Club yesterday. Here's the report in brief.
Aperitif
2002 Ygrec - Great wine. Very complex, explodes in the midpalate on a lean, but lively frame. Lingering finish. Will age for years.
Duck Ballotine w/ Artichoke Black Truffle Salad
79 Montrose - Surprisingly good shape. Classic aged leathery and beef blood character, cedar and plum. Very good showing for the vintage.
83 Las Cases - Not much freshness to the fruit. Dry, but not tannic or puckery. Fine, but should be drunk up.
86 Gruaud Larose - Lovely wine, sweet fruit, balanced. Can go another decade or more.
Venison Medallion with Cepe Pancake & Lingonberries
78 Pichon Lalande - Very smooth, lovely, fully mature. A delight.
82 Pichon Lalande - On the mature side for an 82. Excellent, of course, but not up to the best bottles I've had.
89 Pichon Lalande - Showing better than the 82, though still on the young side. Just terrific, as this vintage is finally coming around. Lot of presence in the mouth, long and chewy, but tannins are very well integrated. Will keep improving for 15 years.
94 Pichon Lalande - The most backward wine of the flight. Still fairly raw tannins dominate the fruit. Not typical of the suave style of Comtesse, but perhaps this will come around in 10-12 years.
95 Pichon Lalande - Back on track with the house style, but another very young example. Shows better fruit compared to the 94, and the tannins are accceptable for current drinking. But still 10 years away. Like a junior 89, just not as much stuffing. Will be excellent in time.
Roast Beef Tenderloin with Marrow Bone and Foie Gras Sandwich
85 Leoville-Barton - Really yummy, very fresh tasting, hardly any tertiary character. Just pure pleasure with medium weight.
86 Mouton - Superb. This is a nicely maturing bottle, so shows the beginning of tertiary evolution, typical aged leather, cedar, cigar box, dried cherry, plum. Worthy of its status.
89 Latour - A step up from Mouton in concentration and length, but young, as expected. What the 89 Comtesse had, this has more. More meat, more masculine power, ferric minerality. A great wine in the making, will improve for 20 years or more.
90 Latour - Fantastic. Wine of the day. The 90 Latour is the best young Bordeaux I've ever had, and this bottle demonstrates that it is not in a shell. Very plush, perfect balance, really smooth despite its size. A perfect wine that will keep getting better and better.
Grilled Pear with Roquefort Souffle
90 Canon magnum - The only right bank on this day, but clearly living up to its 1st growth status in St. Emilion. Terrific flavor, great balance, sweet red fruits, nicely integrated complex flavors, on a plateau of great drinking that will go another 15 years. The aged merlot flavor married well with the subtle Roquefort flavor.
Praline Ice Cream w/ Sauternes Sabayon & Apricot Cream
90 Lafaurie-Peyraguey - A perfect match to the dessert. Medium orange color to the wine, it seems to be about at peak. Lively acids resonate, the sweetness is in harmony, and the botrytis is not over the top.