"cwdjrxyz" > wrote in message
...
On Jun 24, 11:24 am, "Bi!!" > wrote:
> On Jun 24, 11:13 am, DaleW > wrote:
>
>
>
> > Matt organized a dinner around the 1994 Bordeaux vintage last night.
> > Nice group of 8 gathered at Union Square Cafe. One advantage of the
> > recession has been some better corkage deals, and $10/bottle at USC
> > certainly qualifies as a good deal.
>
> > Ben had generously brought a starter, the 1994 Laville Haut Brion.
> > Recently I've run across several very advanced 1994-1996 white Bdx,
> > and Gilman has commented about same thing. I didn't detect any
> > extraordinary oxidation here, just a light nutty note that seems right
> > for 15. On the rounder more tropical side, a bit subdued, good not
> > great for me despite vintage. B
>
> > We moved to the reds, doing the Right Bank first.
>
> > First Flight
> > 1994 L'Evangile - this flight had some of the biggest divergences of
> > opinion. I thought the Evangile a bit tight, but pretty tasty -
> > midweight ripe red fruit, some coffee/mocha, good length, tannins only
> > thing holding it back from outstanding. B/B+
>
> > 1994 Clinet - others liked more than I (which surprised me because
> > this was one of my WOTN when we did 1994s 5 years ago). Black and red
> > berries, surprisingly short/clipped. B-
>
> > Second Flight
> > 1994 Angelus - drinking quite well now, though there's enough
> > structure to hold. Smoky, mineral, black currant and plum, very good
> > and my second favorite of night. B+/A-
>
> > 1994 Lafleur - the beast. Very solid black plum and berry fruit, but a
> > real wall of tannins. I had written needs 15 years, Paul opined 10, so
> > we settled for 12.5. 
B for now, but most room for improvement
> > of night, I voted as my #3.
>
> > 1994 Trotanoy - I liked a bit more than table. Minerally, crunchy red
> > fruit, again the tannins are holding it back, but I have doubts this
> > can age past the tannins. Drink now with steak. B
>
> > Third Flight (with main courses)
>
> > 1994 Haut Brion- this is first time I ever remember an unanimous WOTN
> > with this group. I've always liked this, but this bottle showed
> > especially well. Dark fruit, gravel, tobacco. Tannins are present but
> > riper/rounder than some other wines. Nice balanced package of acids,
> > tannins, and fruit. Smooth and elegant. A-
>
> > 1994 Mouton Rothschild
> > As much as we like teasing Frank re Mouton, I can't say this was worst
> > wine of the night. Lead pencil, cassis, the typical refrain of
> > tannins, no Moutonesque exoticism that I can note. B
>
> > 1994 Cos D'Estournel
> > My notes just read "Hard hard hard." Some blackcurrant fruit, but hard
> > tannins totally dominate. Maybe this will show well in 10+ years, but
> > I'm not sad it is my lone bottle. B-/C+
>
> > Fourth Flight
> > Brian had brought a couple bonus bottles, which we tried blind with
> > the one remaining Medoc
>
> > Blind #1
> > A little herbal, big tannins, some cedary oak. Big wine, needs food.
> > 1994 Sociando Mallet B-
>
> > Blind #2
> > I really didn't care for this, a bit weedy, hard tannins, there's both
> > green fruit and green tannins. Might have been better with meat. 1994
> > Reserve de Comtesse, C+
>
> > 1994 Leoville Poyferre
> > Some others really disliked, I thought this showed as a nice if not
> > outstanding claret. Meaty, cassis fruit, tannins just a tad tough,
> > not great but I'd be happy with it on my dinner table on steak night.
> > B
>
> > So not so different than what I would have predicted going in. Wines
> > mostly good but not great, all still with substantial tannins, lots of
> > "good steak wines" but with only a couple of exceptions not any
> > potentially stellar wines.
>
> > The appetizers were not very red Bordeaux friendly, maybe a half
> > order of pasta would have been better, but I opted for a small portion
> > of a main of softshelled crab with fennel and roasted peppers. Not a
> > match, but what I felt like eating. For main I got lamb chops, with a
> > good potato gratin and some radicchio, arugula, etc. Three out of four
> > of my chops were tasty, one tasted totally unseasoned, very strange.
> > Good cheese course (I had a Cowgirl Mt Tam, Grayson, and an Italian
> > smoked sheeps cheese).
>
> > Thanks to Matt for organizing and to all for good company.
>
> > Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
> > wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
> > drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
> > promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
>
> I'm surprised that they showed as well as they did. I have a couple
> of bottles of 1994 Ch. Cordellian Bages and 1994 Petrus....kind of the
> alpha-omega thing and the only 1994 Bordeaux in my cellar. I've been
> drinking a lot of Haut Brion lately....just a coincidence but I'm
> finding them to all have a fairly agressive tobacco note. Is it me (a
> reformed smoker who still gets the urge occasionally) or is strong
> tobacco a part of Haut Brion's terror?
I have no axe to grind, since I bought no red Bordeaux after 1990.
However I did look up 1994 red Bordeaux in a book by Michael
Broadvbent. He tasted most of the 1994s, but many just several years
after the vintage. On his 5 star scale, he rated the vintage as a
whole as 3 star(good). He rated no wines, including all of the first
growth as 5 star(outstanding). Petrus was rated 3 star. The only 7
wines rated as 4 star(very good) or that had the potential to develop
to 4 star we Cheval Blanc, Leoville-Barton, Leoville-Las-Cases,
Montrose, Pichon-Lalande, Rauzan-Segla, and L'Evangile, and all of the
first growths were tasted and did not make the 4 star cut. There were
many 3-star(good) wines and several below this level. He thought many
of the wines would mature well until about 2012. Thus for one bargian
hunting, if you find some 1994s that have been well stored and can
taste them, the mentioned 4 star wines might be worth considering if
the price is right.
-------------------------------------------------
I have one Rauzan Segla so I ought to bring it to the front. Trouble is, so
much wine and only one liver.
Graham