On Apr 15, 9:52�am, "DaleW" > wrote:
> Bill & Jan Johnson fromTexas stopped through NY on their way to
> Scotland, and Arv organized a welcoming dinner. Near-panic ensued when
> a week or two before the night the restaurant where we had
> reservations decided to close for a private party. Corkage deals for
> groups of 10 on Saturdays are hard. But Arv resolutely worked with the
> restaurant management, which arranged for us to get the same deal at
> their sister restaurant, Calle Ocho.
>
> A very convivial group (though as always, I mainly talked to my end of
> the table- a rather loud space) and a fun evening. The food was good,
> though Nuevo Latino is a hard match for Bordeaux. The waiters clearly
> weren't used to working with wine geeks (mojitos seem to be more the
> house style), but tried. I had a good time, and enjoyed the company
> and wines:
>
> 1999 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne
> Pre-ox rears its ugly head. This wasn't totally ruined, but I would
> have guessed 15-20 years old from the nose. Light maderized notes,
> apples and honeysuckle, good acidity. You can feel the class and verve
> underneath the oxidation notes, but overall a disappointment. C+
>
> 2002 Pierre Matrot "Chalumeaux" Puligny-Montrachet
> Pear fruit with a spicy edge, good acidity but with a very broad
> Meursault-ish texture. I revisited late in the evening and found it
> more Puligny-ish, with long mineral finish and some light mushroom
> notes. I liked a lot. But even this young wine has had some pre-ox
> reports. My current plan for white Burgs is to drink young, and to
> concentrate my buying on less expensive ones and drinking them early
> (Matrot Bourgone to substitute for Meursault, Pernot Bourgogne for
> Puligny, and Clair St Aubin to fill in edges). B+/A-
>
> 1970 La Lagune (Haut-Medoc)
> This is doing just fine,thank you very much. Pretty red berry fruit, a
> real deep ferric streak on finish. Holds up fine for couple hours. B+
>
> 1981 Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac)
> Darker fruit, though not weighty. Attractive cedar and pencil notes,
> smooth and resolved, a nice wine on the elegant side. A-
>
> 1982 La Conseillante (Pomerol)
> I had just tasted some of the appetizers, between a lobster ceviche
> and some pepper-laden dishes I was having trouble getting a fix on
> this flight. But with about 14 glasses of water and some bread I was
> able to taste, and was glad I did. Beautiful black plum and cassis
> fruit, big nose of cigarbox. Got better and better through *night,
> sweet fruit but with balance and structure. No fading here. A/A-
>
> 1982 La Tour Martillac (Graves)
> Like the Conseillante, hard to get a handle on at first. Revisited it
> showed rather typical lush '82 fruit, but without the depth and
> structure of the Pomerol. Nice enough wine for the dinner table, but
> outclassed here. B/B-
>
> 2004 Martinet (St. Emilion)
> Grapey and primary, a *pleasant innocuous young wine. Probably held my
> interest less than any of the reds. B-
>
> 2005 Vieux Montagne (Montagne-St. Emilion)
> Burst of red berries, a little vanilla, surprising tannins for a
> Montagne-St.Emilion. Pretty good showing. B
>
> 1983 Gruaud Larose (St Julien)
> I've consistently loved this wine. Meaty/animal notes on the nose,
> funky but not flawed. Strong black fruit, little hints of herbs (mint,
> sage). Nice finish, got stronger through night. A-
> ,
> 1990 Cos d'Estournel (St. Estephe)
> Soft and lush, lots of power. I found a little roasted, and probably
> liked just a tad less than table (I think the Conseillante edged this
> in WOTN voting). But still a wonderful wine. B+
>
> 1990 La Grave a Pomerol (Pomerol)
> This is also soft, but without the power of the Cos. I liked, but in a
> rather anonymous style. B
>
> 2000 Pichon-Baron (Pauillac)
> Tight, tight, tight. Others seemed to get a lot out of this, but I
> found it unexpressive. You could sense the power underneath, but I
> would say don't revisit this for at least 5 years. B+?
>
> 1986 Climens
> Lots of botrytis, deep color, I felt it was a lovely wine, but a tad
> ponderous. I also felt it was fairly advanced, in contrast with others
> who felt it had a future. I'd drink up, and give it a B+ for drinking
> now.
>
> Fun night, thanks to Jan and Bill for giving us the excuse.
>
> As a side note, somehow I ended up eating "Nuevo Latino" 2 nights in a
> row. Friday Betsy and I had eaten at Pacifico in Portchester for date
> night. Nice seafood, I had shrimp tacos and softshell crab, Betsy a
> salad and tuna. I ordered a glass of Albarino (I wrote down Duque de
> Albari, but Winesearcher shows no such Albarino) and it came wafting
> aromas of TCA. I groaned, thinking that the staff would have no idea
> what I was talking about (again, a mojito place). But to my surprise
> the waiter took a sniff , said "you're right, it's corked" and headed
> for replacement. I saw him give another waiter and a busboy a sniff,
> obviously tutoring them. Kudos to the staff for being willing to
> learn, its not always the case. The replacement was fine, although a
> little softer and maybe oakier than I like in Albarino, and I got a
> glass of the dependable Basa Rueda to follow.
>
> 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.

We took the customary 3,2,1 vote at the end of the night and this was
the result:

1) Conseillante 1982 (12)
2) Cos 1990 (11)
3) La Lagune 1970 8 votes
4) Lafite 1981 (6)
5) Gruaud 1983 (5)
6) Pichon Baron 2000 (3)