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Default TN: 1985 claret at Mortons, plus 82, a mystery wine (still amystery), CA, etc.

On Feb 3, 8:36*pm, DaleW > wrote:
> On Feb 3, 11:28*am, "Bi!!" > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Feb 3, 9:48*am, DaleW > wrote:

>
> > > Last night Matt organized a 1985 Bordeaux *horizontal at Morton's in
> > > midtown. I was looking forward to this as a fan of '85, but still was
> > > amazed how well these showed overall. Incredibly solid lineup, even
> > > though many aren't the pricier wines of the vintage.

>
> > > Morton’s is great for me location-wise (6 minute walk to Grand
> > > Central),. and certainly the meat works well with Bordeaux. The issue
> > > is always the appetizers, none very red friendly, so I just went ahead
> > > with scallops in bacon (scallop, water, bacon, wine- rinse and
> > > repeat). Since I had just had steak at Pratt's Sunday I went with lamb
> > > chops- ok, but bone in filet for me next time. Waitstaff was attentive
> > > and generous with stems, though I thought John was going to have a
> > > coronary watching them tilt and twist bottles on opening (a couple of
> > > wines were double-decanted in advance, but this time I had no time
> > > between work and train to do the Talbot and Gruaud).

>
> > > We started with a mystery wine, even though it was not blind. I had
> > > recently acquired cheaply a bottle of Zilliken that was believed to be
> > > 1990, but *had no vintage, *pradikat, AP # , or vineyard on label..
> > > Just the Zilliken Forstmiester Geltz name/emblem, old Skurnik import
> > > strip, nothing else. When I removed capsule it seemed to be real lead,
> > > which makes a little older than 1990 likely. Wine was mature but quite
> > > alive, *softer acids, peachy fruit, some slately minerality. I'd guess
> > > Spatlese based on sweetness, obviously from a softer vintage.. John
> > > thought maybe it was something like an 82, and maybe from a vineyard
> > > other than Rausch, as it lacked a bit of grip. Enjoyable wine, and fun
> > > way to drink blind with the label showing. B

>
> > > On to the reds. A really solid showing, and I'm probably grading a
> > > little tougher than usual, to provide gradation in a tight field.

>
> > > Flight 1
> > > 1985 Talbot (St Julien)
> > > Surprise of the night. A solid Cordier funk on opening, but more
> > > horsey than horsedung. Open and ready, a strong iron filing note and
> > > some tobacco, good length. Classic ripe St Julien, and just edged the
> > > Poyferre for me this night. A-

>
> > > 1985 Leoville Poyferre (St Julien)
> > > Real earthy notes on nose, sweet cassis fruit, good acids, tannins
> > > still present but smooth. *Nice length. Nice wine with a future. While
> > > I preferred the Talbot side by side, in 10 years I think this would
> > > rule. A-

>
> > > Flight 2
> > > 1985 Gruaud Larose (St Julien)
> > > Minty/herby, just a bit of barnyard, black currants and plums. Really
> > > a nice wine, though maybe a bit rough/blocky compared to its immediate
> > > predecessors. B+

>
> > > 1985 Ducru Beaucaillou (St Julien)
> > > Earth and mushrooms, slightly stewed edge to the black fruits, with a
> > > little musty note that I didn't think was TCA. This was a recent
> > > acquistion, and consensus was it had seen some warmth at some point.
> > > NR

>
> > > Ben's Mystery Wine #1
> > > Nice wine, soft acids, some wood tannins, cassis with spice and
> > > cedar.
> > > Guesses were all over the place, though solidly centered on Bdx
> > > varietals. We had guesses of Left and Right Bank, Tuscany, etc. My
> > > guess was 1983 Margaux AC, but it was actually the 1982 Grand Puy
> > > Lacoste. B+/A-

>
> > > Flight 3
> > > 1985 Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac)
> > > Much more open than a bottle John served a couple years ago, though
> > > still *a little tight. Black currants, lead pencil, cigarbox, powerful
> > > and elegant. Very long finish. A-/A

>
> > > 1985 Lynch Bages (Pauillac)
> > > Full and ripe and exotic, really giving and open wine. Dark fruits,
> > > spice, a little saddle leather and coffee. A-/B+

>
> > > Flight 4
> > > 1985 Canon (St Emilion)
> > > I was alone in finding it my WOTN, but I just loved this. Heady mix of
> > > red and black fruits, wonderfully balanced acids and tannins, fresh,
> > > herbal, long. A/A-

>
> > > 1985 L’Evangile (Pomerol)
> > > Minty/eucalyptus notes (a bit of a theme for the evening), soft, lush..
> > > Really quite a nice wine that I would love to have on my table, but
> > > slightly overshadowed by some of the others that were showing more
> > > structure and grip. B/B+

>
> > > Ben's Mystery Wine #2
> > > There was a funny caramelly note to the nose here, less apparent on
> > > palate, but somewhat clipped. He said he got at auction, and the guess
> > > was a little heat sometime along the way. 1986 Montelena

>
> > > 2001 Coutet (Barsac)
> > > Apricot, peaches, and toffee. This is softer than I expected. I always
> > > think of 01 Sauternes as being a great combination of powerful fruit
> > > and zippy acids, this has the former but not the latter. Softest
> > > acidity of any 01 Sauternes I remember. Not a bad drink by any means,
> > > but less lively. B

>
> > > Really excellent evening, with nice group and an amazingly consistent
> > > lineup of wines. Special thanks to Matt for organizing. Other than the
> > > couple that showed provenance issues, any wine last night could have
> > > easily stood proudly as the centerpiece of a dinner. Viva la '85!

>
> > > 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.**

>
> > Sounds like a great night. *'85 Bordeaux is always a favorite vintage
> > of mine. *Good fruit, great balance and structure. *The 1985 Lynch
> > Bages and Ducru are both perennial favorites of mine and I'm glad to
> > see that they are both drinking well.

>
> actually this Ducru wasn't drinking well, bad storage likely, but all
> reports are that sound bottles are very very good/- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -


Yes, I read your notes. Too bad, I had a bottle recently and it was
terrific.