Thanks to Ned again. Two bottles: one forward and sweetly perfumed, with an almost syrupy creaminess to the fruit that reminded me more of the 1996 than any other bottle of the 1996, plus there was zero bitterness. The other deeper ruby-black coloured and still fractionally closed, albeit opening up as well, with a touch of that sourness/bitterness most bottles of the 1995 Le Bourg exhibit as well, but also a very nice wine. Either way, we would recommend drinking both 1995s up. Rating: 88-?
Foucault Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg 1996
Had not really planned to open several bottles within such short order, but after one from the second batch I had bought directly from the importer maybe half a year after the first was not just cork-tainted, but also looked a bit murky/tarnished, I wanted to make sure. Good gracious was this good! And I got to drink more than half of it for once!
Nicely lively-glossy ruby-black, ruby-red at the rim. Finesseful, racy, firm, lively, long. Great grip. Terrific graphite, smoke, stony minerality, precise berry and cherry fruit, herbs, lovely Cabernet Franc leafiness. Extremely well-integrated oak, especially given this was aged in barrique for 24 months. Youthful, not too closed anymore at all, but needs ample time in the decanter (three hours plus at present), preferably a few more years in bottle. Beautiful curranty sweetness and red fruit with airing. What depth of terroir expression! Great complexity, subtlety and length. Body, alcohol, concentration and intensity, and all of it without excess weight. Shared this bottle with a great friend who thought it tight at first, “truly great wine but not too approachable”, and who insisted this would profit from at least another decade in the cellar. Extended airing brought forth an alluring superripe peachiness, just a touch, pointing perhaps to the inclusion of some surmaturité grapes – the wine’s core remains youthfully tight, even slightly hard. Extremely promising, but not easy to keep one’s paws off! Rating: 97+?Knoll Riesling Smaragd Ried Schütt 2005
Slightly underestimated this wine at release. Bright yellow-golden green. Fruity with lime and finesse notes of dried flowers, but even more minerally, with pretty, peppery Wachau spice. Nice body, sound alcohol and acidity, good length. Perfect with appetizers, attractive on its own. Very youthful, not closed nor at all going downhill as apparently some customers claim (as the Sommelier told us). Rating: 92
Château La Mission Haut Brion Pessac-Léognan 1988
Another of those perfectly stored half bottles from my collection, and perhaps the best showing of this wine yet. Fresh, glossy ruby-red with black reflections. Aristocratic scorched brick clay, tobacco, tree bark and forest floor earth and undergrowth. Half-dried blackcurrant and black cherry. Certainly a bit drier/less fruity than the 1989. Almost shares the 1996 Foucault Le Bourg’s graphite note (albeit not that wine’s fruit and sweetness). Black tea like tannin. Very long and subtle. An exponent of the now seemingly long-gone era of mouth-cleansing Bordeaux, almost gingery freshness – how much I will miss wines like these one day... Rating: ~95(-?)
Mommessin Clos de Tart 1996
Full ruby-red, black hue. Touch of beef blood/iron to firm, lightly leafy as well as lightly marzipan oak-tinged fruit. Suggestions of wet earth and dried red beet. A faint roastedness to the beef note that reminded Albino of Chave Hermitage. Pretty tannin, well-integrated acidity. A sizeable, quite powerful, complex and well-balanced wine, but I secretly kept wondering if I find it noble/captivating enough in terms of terroir expression for Grand Cru (if, to quote one of Christian’s favourite if no less vague terms, it does not lack a little in “grandesse”). Still youthful, seemingly just entering its plateau of maturity, hard to tell, but there may be yet more to this in a few years from now. Rating: 91+/92(+?)
Château Sociando-Mallet Haut-Médoc 1990
A half bottle ordered from a restaurant wine list. Deep ruby-red-black. Black truffle, blackcurrant and black cherry. Sappy, lightly meaty sweetness. Tiny sweat and pink marzipan finesse notes with airing. Medium-plus length at first, growing longer with airing. Integrated, softened tannin and oak. No more powerful, but sweeter and fruitier than the 1986, with greater purity perhaps. Rating: 93-
Trimbach Riesling Vendanges Tardives Cuvée Frédéric Émile 1990
Minerally, a bit closed fruit at first, perhaps still too young to open (this is an unusual CFE insofar as it is both ageworthy and was so much fun to drink at release). Retains terrific cut and focus, but at this stage, does not come across as quite as voluminous as the 1989, which I currently prefer (that is, again, even though that wine has through a similar phase, so I would not bet against either, ever). Depth, intensity and length are all there. Probably just needs more time now. Rating: 93+/94
Trimbach Riesling Vendanges Tardives Hors Choix Clos Ste-Hune 1989
Full, deep golden colour. Thick, botrytised, viscous, oil and mouth-filling/-coating like a Beerenauslese, if significantly fuller-bodied. Golden sultanas, pretty spring flowers and herbs, lightly aged dandelion, superripe pineapple and lightly honeyed-roasted Tarte Tatin apple. Fascinating finesse thanks to argillo-calcerous minerality (the “hallowed” Clos Ste-Hune terroir). Gained in freshness and liveliness with airing – this is no longer youthfully primary, nor has it entered its plateau of maturity. Beautiful acidity, and no little alcohol – both perfectly integrated. Hugely long. Modern-day legend that really needs a little more time in bottle. Rating: 98+/99(+?)
Van Volxem Riesling Alte Reben Wiltinger Gottesfuss 2003
What a beauty! A wine of great freshness, subtlety and harmony, perhaps surprisingly so for a 2003, that is, unless one knows this wine and has observed it since release. Lovely apple, gooseberry and more exotic fruit flavours. Pretty minerality, all finesse, not petrolly at all. Nicely medium-bodied. Lightly viscous. Very long and finesseful finish. Not sure this is improving, seems as if it has always been so good; also, there is no track record for this “harmoniously dry” (= only subjectively dry) low alcohol style. Rating: 93(+/-?)
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti