On Mar 5, 1:22*pm, cwdjrxyz > wrote:
> On Mar 5, 6:53*am, "Bi!!" > wrote:
>
> > I opened a bottle of 2001 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc last night with a
> > dinner of seared scallops and shrimp with linguine. *Initially very
> > tight, almost closed down, with a faint nose of lemon zest. *The wine
> > opened up after 30 minutes in the glass so I decanted the rest of the
> > bottle. *After decanting the wine showed pronounced minerality on the
> > nose and a bit of salinity. *The palate was quite bright with
> > grapefruit, fresh lemon and a bit of orange. *The finish was long and
> > clean with significant stone and mineral notes and a touch of
> > saltiness. *"A-/A"
>
> I am not surprised that this wine was still very youthful. This is
> often the case for the big three of dry white wines from the
> traditional Graves area -- Laville-Haut-Brion, Haut-Brion blanc, and
> Domaine de Chevalier blanc. I still have a few bottles of these wines
> from the 70s and 80s, and most are holding well. My personal favorite
> over the years has been Laville-Haut-Brion. Unfortunately these top
> wines are now very expensive and can be difficult to find in the best
> years, since production is so low. Laville-Haut-Brion 1989 is the best
> I have and is slightly better than their 1982 Creme de Tete.

Just as an aside, as of I think the 2009 vintage Laville Haut Brion is
no more. It will now be La Mission Haut Brion Blanc (which is what it
was known as 70 years ago)