WTN: A Peek at Some 1999 Bordeaux

A few of us gathered last week to check in on a few 1999 Bordeaux. To start us off was a 2001 Bouchard Meursault Les Perrieres My last bottle of this and it has shown consistently with good acidity, a touch of citrus, displaying some butter on the finish. A lovely bottle of wine. On to the Bordeaux, all 1999.

Le Tertre Roteboeuf - earthy, wild mushrooms, and plums. Softly structured, tannins and fruit are well integrated. Hopefully, a harbinger of the wines to follow.

Pavie - a wow wine. A nose of gardenias and cherries. Lots of tannins, plump with bold fruit. I had to remind myself that I was drinking Bordeaux. Impressive, and a wine that seems to have a long life.

Pichon Baron - nose of stewed fruit. Polished, smoky with dark fruit and spices. Long finish.

Giscours - elegant, good acidity, has charm. Not as impressive as the others, but easy to drink now.

I like this vintage for current drinking, and I'm glad I have some others in the cellar.

[David M. Bueker]

Thanks for the note on the Baron. I have a few, so that's a great data point.

Turns out your Bordeaux night was the same night as my tasting group's '98 CNdP fest.

On this particular night, I preferred the Baron over the others. Let me know what you think, when you open one of your bottles.

I'm sure you had a shorter drive to your CdP tasting over one you would have had to make, if you drove to LI.

[Jenise]

Enjoyed your observations. Gardenias, huh? Dawns on me that would have been a good descriptor for the floral element I found in a pinot grigio over the weekend. Odd to think of it in a red wine, though (and I own that wine). I envy you that Tertre Rotebeouf--love that wine, or at least I loved loved loved the 97. So effusively earthy.

Thanks for the notes, Diane. Ditto re what Jenise said about the burping cows. TR has gotten so expensive that I stopped buying it after '97. But I might pick up a '99 now that you described it thus. Jenise said the '99 Barde Haut is a must, along the lines of the TR. Agree re Giscours, but you can't outdo that sexy label. Opened a '99 d'Issan a couple of weeks ago and committed infanticide. I like the '99s as a rule.

Nice notes. 1999s are generally showing well.I have one bottle left of the 01 Bouchard Perrieres, hope it shows as well, have always liked.