'99 Bordeaux - |
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Notes and impressions from a tasting of '99 Bordeaux - Saturday, February 23, 2002, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Twenty-one wines were poured for a tasting fee of $28. The wines had been opened and double decanted 12 hours previously. |
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Overall impressions: this flight was my first look at the '99 vintage, which consisted mostly of wines from the Right Bank. But, if many of the lesser crus tasted here are any indication, the '99 vintage will be very nice - and potentially very affordable as well. The Quinault was just fabulous - and, quality-to-price issues aside, it's certainly everything you could want in a St. Emilion. Also, the Barde-Haut, and Clos de Sarpe were very impressive, as was the Couspade. But, clearly the top values in this flight of wines were the two 2nd labels of Pavillion Rouge and Petite Eglise. The Pavillion was really beautiful; the Petite Eglise had a great nose, and full and rich mouthfeel, and yet was priced well under $20. If the 2nd labels are this good, then their respective first labels ought to be something special. All of the wines in the flight were very good to excellent, with only one very mild disappointment. With so many other wines showing quite well in this tasting, the Lynch-Bages' $45 price tag came across as a poor value. Typically, Lynch comes off a bit shy out of the gate, but usually picks up more complexity with additional bottle age. Unfortunately, since the rest of the flight was so forward and accessible, the Lynch suffers a bit by comparison. |
1999 Chateau
Sainte-Colombe - Cotes de Castillon. $9.99. Medium-dark garnet
ruby color. Somewhat floral nose, with cassis, toast, and some obvious
new oak. Off-sweet mouthfeel, lots of cassis fruit, very good balance,
and long finish. Nice wine, and pretty much a bargain. The Monbousquet
winemaker is behind this project. 1999 Chateau
Gigault Cuvee Viva - Premier Cotes de Blaye. $14.99.
Medium-dark ruby garnet color. Inviting nose of cassis, cheese-toast,
and new oak. Somewhat chewy mouthfeel, lots of semi-sweet cassis
fruit, and a long toasty finish. Solid wine; very nice right now,
and will look better with a couple of years under its belt. 1999 Chateau
Fontenil - Fronsac. $16.99. Medium-dark ruby garnet color. Aromas
of cassis, new oak, and toast. Thick mouthfeel of off-sweet-approaching-tart
fruit, obvious oak, a bit astringent and harsh on the palate, with
a very long toasty finish. Always dependable, this year's version
seems a bit more tight and possibly underripe, at least compared
to others in the flight. 1999 Chateau
D'Aiguile - Cotes de Castillon. $17.99. Dark ruby color. Very
effusive nose of cassis, toast, new oak and herbs. Off-sweet mouthfeel,
very concentrated on the palate, toasty long finish. First time
I've seen wine from this Chateau. Very nice job. 1999 La
Petite Eglise - Pomerol. $16.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Beautiful
nose of cassis, black cherry, and toast, with floral background
notes. Fleshy mouthfeel, toasty black cherry fruit, excellent balance,
and very long finish. Despite its 2nd label status, this is an excellent
Pomerol - at a bargain price. 1999 Chateau
La Clotte - St. Emilion. $21.99. Medium-dark garnet color. Nose
of cassis, black cherry, toast, sweet licorice, and violets. Very
smooth mouthfeel, with almost an 'old vine' quality to the cassis
and cherry fruit. Lots of fruit and tannins on the palate; just
a bit light on acids, suggesting it might be better in the near-term.
Nice long finish. I liked the nose slightly more than the mouthfeel. 1999 Chateau
Barde-Haut - St. Emilion. $28.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Nose
of floral-scented cassis, new oak, and Philly cheese steak. Wow
- quite a mouthful of wine, with gobs of macerated fruit or newly
picked grape skins, cassis, toast and new oak. Chewy mouthfeel,
excellent balance, very long finish. The '98 was fabulous - this
might just be better. 1999 Chateau
Riou de Thaillas - St. Emilion. $29.99. Dark ruby color. Nose
of cassis, bread dough, new oak, and toast. Off-sweet mouthfeel,
excellent balance, very long finish. Very nice nose, with absolutely
delicious flavors on the palate. 1999 Chateau
Clos de Sarpe - St. Emilion. $31.99. Very dark ruby color. Nose
of beautifully spiced cassis, oak, toast, anise, and shoe polish.
Very plush and tasty mouthfeel, fabulous balance, and very smooth
long finish. Despite the smooth and plush mouthfeel, there isn't
a trace of flabbiness in this wine. 1999 Chateau
La Couspade - St. Emilion. $39.99. Very dark ruby color. Nose
of floral accented cassis, vanilla, and hardwood sawdust. Nearly
chewy black cherry fruit, fabulous balance, seamless long finish.
A little stronger finish would have made this my favorite of the
flight. 1999 Chateau
Quinault L'Enclos - St. Emilion. $69.99. Very dark ruby garnet
color. Effusive nose of cassis, new oak, licorice, grilled toast,
and bittersweet chocolate. Huge chewy mouthfeel, a ton of semi-sweet
fruit with lots of smooth toasty flavors, and a very long finish.
The chew to this wine is incredible. It's almost as if they left
skins in the bottle. An excellent bottleut for the same price you
could have both a Couspade and a Bard Haut. 1999 Chateau
Charmail - Haut Medoc. $13.99. Very dark ruby color. Very nice
nose of cassis and cherry fruit, with a moderate dose of oak, and
a toasty/stemmy background note. Chewy and flavorful mouthfeel,
off-sweet fleshy fruit, smooth across the palate, with a long finish.
A nice plush wine. Reportedly is 50% Merlot.
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1999 Chateau
Belle-Vue - Haut Medoc. $14.99. Very dark ruby color. Big toasty
and fruity nose with a stemmy herbaceous or leather component. Full
mouthfeel, nice cassis and black cherry fruit, seems almost Cab-Franc
based in somewhat herbal flavors. But, reportedly has none. I liked
the complexity of this Haut Medoc slightly more than the Charmail. 1999 Chateau
Fougas Maldoror - Cotes de Bourg. $15.99. Very dark ruby color.
Slightly herbaceous nose, with abundant fruit and toast, along with
an almost a sweet Roma tomato background note. Toasty and chewy
mouthfeel, lots of black cherry flavors, with smooth toasted finish.
I found the added herbal characteristics of the nose to be quite
attractive. 1999 Chateau
Larrivet-Haut-Brion - Pessac-Leognan. $22.99. Medium
dark ruby garnet color. Nose of cassis, toast, shoe polish, ink,
and a hint of sweet cigar. Full and chewy mouthfeel, lots of toasty
and slightly flinty flavors, touch of graphite and wood shavings
come across on the palate through the long finish. Classic '80s
style Bordeaux. I slightly favor the Larrivet, of the two Pessac's
in the flight. 1999 Chateau
Les Carmes Haut-Brion - Pessac-Leognan. $27.99. Medium dark
garnet ruby color. Nose of cassis, toast, and Philly Cheese Steak.
Big and chewy mouthfeel, with semi-sweet black cherry fruit, lots
of toast, and a smooth long finish. Fleshier and somewhat more accessible
than the Larrivet - at least for now. 1999 Chateau
D'Issan - Margaux. $22.99. Medium dark garnet ruby color. Nose
of ink, cassis, and toast, with a slightly herbaceous quality. Full
mouthfeel, slightly sweet fruit, lots of toast, with a hit of oaky
tannins in the otherwise smooth finish. 1999 Pavillon
Rouge de Chateau Margaux - Margaux. $23.99. Dark ruby garnet
color. Lovely nose of toast, cassis, wood shavings, and grilled
bread. Rich and full mouthfeel, lots of cassis and black cherry
fruit, with smooth toasty flavors through the very long finish.
Very nice! 1999 Chateau
D'Armailhac - Pauillac. $19.99. Medium dark garnet ruby color.
Nose of black cherry, cassis, toast, and fresh grape must. Chewy
mouthfeel, moderate ripe semi-sweet fruit and toasty flavors, and
a full long finish. A nice tasty Pauillac, at a very good price. 1999 Chateau
Pontet Canet - Pauillac. $19.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Fabulous
nose of toast, black cherry, vanilla, burnished hardwoods, and fresh
grape must. Big and chewy on the palate, with a ton of smooth toasty
fruit, excellent balance, and a very long finish. A beautiful Pauillac,
at a killer price. 1999 Chateau
Lynch-Bages - Pauillac. $44.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Nose
of toasty cassis, wood shavings, and a licorice/shoe polish component.
Very toasty mouthfeel, lots of semi-sweet fruit, and a long tasty
finish. A nice wine, and very much similar to previous Lynchs. But,
it seems overpriced in this tasting. |
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Mail & Comments - Eric Anderson
