TN: Magdelaine and Belair-Monange
 

With the demise of Ch. Magdelaine and its incorporation into Belair-Monange, Tom and John set up a tasting. Originally set for Dec, we finally convened last night. Tom had sent a case of the younger Magdelaines and some Belair-Monange, the rest of us brought some mature wines for comparison. John hosted, and had a nice spread of cheese and pate/mousse out for us.

As we gathered
2012 Philipponnat Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut- crisp, delicious and long, I really enjoyed, but didnt know BdN till later. B+/A-. There was also a Ployez-Jacquemart I didnt try.

On to the reds

2014 Ch.Belair-Monange
Very ripe, a bit kirschy., some nice spice but hot. B-/C+

2013 Ch.Belair-Monange
Raspberry, more structured, some sandalwood and tea. Still pretty ripe. B-

2012 Ch.Belair-Monange
Raspberry, low acid, soft tannins. Vanilla. B-

2011 Ch. Magdelaine (last vintage)
Berries, floral, not so long but I like better than preceding wines. B

2010 Ch. Magdelaine
Big, but balanced, spice, needs time. B+

2009 Ch. Magdelaine
Lots of alcohol., ripe red fruit, menthol/mint, not so attractive now but Ill hope for improvement (I had 3 mags!). B- for now (some who tasted later said major improvement)

2008 Ch.Belair-Monange
Black plum, vanilla, good acids, structured. B

2008 Ch. Magdelaine
Fresh, bright, cherries and spice, I really enjoy (and happy to see I own), A-/B+

2007 Ch. Magdelaine
Red plums, barely any tannin, soft acids for Magdelaine, ready luncheon claret. B/B-

2006 Ch. Magdelaine
A bit closed, with time black plums, smoke, spice/sandalwood. B

2001 Ch. Magdelaine
Bright, lean without being austere, red cherry, delicious. B+/A-

1998 Ch. Magdelaine
Young, needs time, a bit animal, I really enjoy but dont have, will keep eye open. A-

A break while John worked in kitchen
2013 Trimbach Clos Ste. Hune (mag)
Ginger, pear, smoke, sweet fruit though dry wine. Feels like it should age well, but quite enjoyable now. A-/B+

Beef stew with Brussels sprouts and orange zest

1994 Ch. Magdelaine
Some tannin, acid doesnt seem totally integrated, a touch clipped, but nice in an austere/herby way. B/B-

1992 Ch. Magdelaine
This tasted like a nice stemmy Burg (others thought Cab Franc). Red cherry, a little coffee, herbs. Quite an achievement for the vintage. B

1990 Ch. Magdelaine
Off bottle NR

1990 Ch.Belair (Dubois-Challon)
Tannic, herby, some good black plum fruit. This must have been heavily filtered as zero sediment. Some liked less than I (and others more). B/B+

1985 Ch. Magdelaine
Perfumed, perfect balance, beautiful elegant and classic. A/A-

1975 Ch. Magdelaine
Ferric, black cherry, earth, A-

1970 Ch. Magdelaine
Corked! Luckily Tom had some there he had purchased from a mutual friend. Great replacement bottle- red and black cherries, smoke., citrus zest. Long and balanced. A-/A

Blind wine from Jayson
Victor got vintage quickly, took us a bit to get wine. Wild menthol meets garrigue nose, cocoa powder, black raspberries. Lovely. 1971 Ch. Figeac A-

2001 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese
This was fine but I really couldnt concentrate (packing up glasses to go)- a bit of a waste after all of these wines. A bit softer acids than I expected from year, but really I missed taking notes here.

Really fun night with really generous and fun group. Some varied opinions,but pretty sure no one thought the Belair-Monange were a step up from Magdelaine. Still, will be interested to see how those wines age. But will always lament the loss of Magdalaine.


Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. 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.