The La Tache 1986 was bottle 12348 out of 20328 bottles. I bought it
shortly after release and it has been stored properly. The cork was
sound and the fill was high. It is interesting to note that this was
shipped by Leroy. It was imported to the west coast of the US, and
Leroy was supposed to sell DRC wines only in Europe back then. It
could have come by way of Switzerland as some did at the time, but
that was not specified on the label. I tasted and gave notes here on
another bottle quite a while back. At that time it was very good, but
the curtain had not completely lifted. Now it has, and the wine likely
is at the peak.

In general the 1986 DRC wines turning out to be highly successful,
although many others were so-so in this rather difficult year. The
1986 La Tache has matured more rapidly than the great 1985. I think
the 1985 likely needs at least 5 more years to peak. However the 1986
is now a better red Burgundy than many other highly rated ones from
the 1980s. The 1986 sells for much less than the 1985 now. It is
selling for about 2640 Pounds per case of 12 in the UK according to
Decanter. However the 1985 is selling for 143854 Pounds for 12
bottles. Of course this pales in comparison to the 34100 Pounds
charged for 12 bottles of 1985 Romanee-Conti. I bought my 1986 and 85
La Tache when the price was still semi-reasonable.

The color is still relatively dark for a Burgundy and there is little
evidence of age around the rim. Everything has now come into balance.
The fruit in bouquet and taste has become quite intense and complex -
perhaps red cherry, black cherry, cassis, and blackberry or mulberry.
I would not have thought of mulberry, but I read a review that
mentioned it. Many in the US likely never have tasted mulberries. One
of my grandmothers had a mulberry tree (fairly small) in her back yard
when I was very small. When the berries were ripe, hundreds of
stinging insects would swarm around it. Despite warnings to stay away,
I was stung several times. The best I remember, the mulberries were
very dark and were somewhat like blackberries, but they had a rather
funky wild taste and were extremely sweet. Thus I could see why
someone might mention mulberries in relation to a Burgundy. Then the
wine had the hints of spice usual in top DRC wines.

At the present cost quoted in Decanter, and likely much more in a
restaurant, I do not think using relative value in connection with the
1986 La Tache is justified - it is still expensive. However it is not
extremely behind the 1985 in quality, and one can have several bottles
of the 1986 for the cost of one bottle of the 1985.

"cwdjrxyz" , ?typo, made me run to my Decanter, GBP 14375 a case

However the 1985 is selling for 143854 Pounds for 12
> bottles.

If only I had the money and sense to have bought en primeur. The
retrospectorscope is a wonderful instrument.

JT

On 2008-03-23 20:59:50 -0700, cwdjrxyz > said:
> Many in the US likely never have tasted mulberries. One
> of my grandmothers had a mulberry tree (fairly small) in her back yard
> when I was very small. When the berries were ripe, hundreds of
> stinging insects would swarm around it. Despite warnings to stay away,
> I was stung several times. The best I remember, the mulberries were
> very dark and were somewhat like blackberries, but they had a rather
> funky wild taste and were extremely sweet. Thus I could see why
> someone might mention mulberries in relation to a Burgundy. Then the
>

True, most mulberry trees in the US are of the fruitless variety - much
less messy, and fewer stinging insects - I have fond memories, though
almost all my experience is with the white mulberries - definitely
sweet, but with a custardy taste as I remember... not a bramble berry
flavor.

"Ronin" > wrote in message
...
> On 2008-03-23 20:59:50 -0700, cwdjrxyz > said:
>> Many in the US likely never have tasted mulberries. One
>> of my grandmothers had a mulberry tree (fairly small) in her back yard
>> when I was very small. When the berries were ripe, hundreds of
>> stinging insects would swarm around it. Despite warnings to stay away,
>> I was stung several times. The best I remember, the mulberries were
>> very dark and were somewhat like blackberries, but they had a rather
>> funky wild taste and were extremely sweet. Thus I could see why
>> someone might mention mulberries in relation to a Burgundy. Then the
>>
>
> True, most mulberry trees in the US are of the fruitless variety - much
> less messy, and fewer stinging insects - I have fond memories, though
> almost all my experience is with the white mulberries - definitely sweet,
> but with a custardy taste as I remember... not a bramble berry flavor.

I had a mulberry tree behind my first house. It bore a lot of fruit for its
size and I liked the taste of the berries. Made a wonderful pie.

However, the birds liked them too and their droppings deeply stained
everything they touched. Almost impossible to remove from anything porous.
Jon

Zeppo wrote:
> "Ronin" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>On 2008-03-23 20:59:50 -0700, cwdjrxyz > said:
>>
>>>Many in the US likely never have tasted mulberries. One
>>>of my grandmothers had a mulberry tree (fairly small) in her back yard
>>>when I was very small. When the berries were ripe, hundreds of
>>>stinging insects would swarm around it. Despite warnings to stay away,
>>>I was stung several times. The best I remember, the mulberries were
>>>very dark and were somewhat like blackberries, but they had a rather
>>>funky wild taste and were extremely sweet. Thus I could see why
>>>someone might mention mulberries in relation to a Burgundy. Then the
>>>
>>
>>True, most mulberry trees in the US are of the fruitless variety - much
>>less messy, and fewer stinging insects - I have fond memories, though
>>almost all my experience is with the white mulberries - definitely sweet,
>>but with a custardy taste as I remember... not a bramble berry flavor.
>
>
> I had a mulberry tree behind my first house. It bore a lot of fruit for its
> size and I liked the taste of the berries. Made a wonderful pie.
>
> However, the birds liked them too and their droppings deeply stained
> everything they touched. Almost impossible to remove from anything porous.

There is a mulberry tree (with fruit) on our street, but I must admit
that I have never tasted that fruit, mostly because of the bees and
hornets that surround it most of the growing season. I'll have to
rectify that error.

Mark Lipton
--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com

Yeah, if you put honey on your face the bees will leave you alone...scare
them I heard :-)


"Mark Lipton" > wrote in message
...
> Zeppo wrote:
>> "Ronin" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>>On 2008-03-23 20:59:50 -0700, cwdjrxyz > said:
>>>
>>>>Many in the US likely never have tasted mulberries. One
>>>>of my grandmothers had a mulberry tree (fairly small) in her back yard
>>>>when I was very small. When the berries were ripe, hundreds of
>>>>stinging insects would swarm around it. Despite warnings to stay away,
>>>>I was stung several times. The best I remember, the mulberries were
>>>>very dark and were somewhat like blackberries, but they had a rather
>>>>funky wild taste and were extremely sweet. Thus I could see why
>>>>someone might mention mulberries in relation to a Burgundy. Then the
>>>>
>>>
>>>True, most mulberry trees in the US are of the fruitless variety - much
>>>less messy, and fewer stinging insects - I have fond memories, though
>>>almost all my experience is with the white mulberries - definitely sweet,
>>>but with a custardy taste as I remember... not a bramble berry flavor.
>>
>>
>> I had a mulberry tree behind my first house. It bore a lot of fruit for
>> its
>> size and I liked the taste of the berries. Made a wonderful pie.
>>
>> However, the birds liked them too and their droppings deeply stained
>> everything they touched. Almost impossible to remove from anything
>> porous.
>
> There is a mulberry tree (with fruit) on our street, but I must admit
> that I have never tasted that fruit, mostly because of the bees and
> hornets that surround it most of the growing season. I'll have to
> rectify that error.
>
> Mark Lipton
> --
> alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com