Tasting Notes - Bordeaux, Red

1999 Quinault L'Enclos

Developing very nicely, soft, ripe, plummy, curranty fruit, with secondary smoke and tobacco notes. Rich and full in the mouth, with ripe and silky tannins, and no hard edges at all. A very pleasant wine with a long finish, that is very good value too. A lovely mouthful of wine for $37 on the bottle. (04/10)

1986 Pichon Longueville, Comtesse De Lalande

Still a very pure, dark ruby colour, with a lighter rim that showed no hint of browning at all. It had a very grand bouquet indeed, with dark fruit, cedar spice, leather, cigar box, earth, pencil shavings, and tons of graphite minerality -  a truly splendid nose indeed, which really revealed itself fully after a couple of hours in the decanter (it was still a little closed upon opening). In the mouth there was very prominent blackcurrant and cassis fruit, much more so than I expected from the nose, with the earth, leather, spice and the beautiful graphite again. It had a velvety texture and still great purity of fruit, with all the other flavours falling into place and integrating beautifully. The tannins were soft, the acidity was well-balanced, and the evolving finish was savoury very long indeed. An excellent wine, which I believe is in its peak drinking window, but will definitely keep for a while yet with good storage conditions. (04/10)

1990 Leoville Barton

Dense black purple colour, closed nose on decanting sweet blackcurrant fruit and liquorice but tight and lacking warmth - generous ripe fruit on palette great structure fresh acidity and strong integrated tannins - returned to glass 12 hrs later and nose really soaring - warm and earthy savoury complex - lovely wine obviously needs bags more time 

1990 Lafite Rothschild

Deep opaque purple - suprisingly very open nose on decanting warm dark cassis fruit smokey and complex - 3hrs later gorgeous soaring nose, savoury and cedary - smooth velvety textured palette youthful fresh ripe black fruit structured with intense graphite minerality - extremely well balanced, lovely smooth grippy integrated tannins - splendid bottle but way too young

1996 Pichon Baron

Dense dark purple good deep colour - quite appealing on opening black fruit cassis touch developed earthy leathery nose - 2 hrs on decanting nicely opened - ripe dense fruit on palette concentrated - well balanced acidity integrated tannins and very pleasant spicy finish - drinking very nicely now with good future

1961 Chateau Lanessan

This was showing much better than either the '61 Palmer or the '61 Beychevelle that it was poured alongside, which surprised not only me, it was a considerable talking point at the tasting given the fact that it isn't even a Cru Classe. The wine had a great nose of quite intense dark fruit, with smoke and leather aromas backed up by a medium/full bodied mouthful that was quite rich and dense still. There was still some good tannic grip, and excellent acidity to keep it in balance. Not as refined as the '66s, but nonetheless still a splendid wine. (03/10)

1966 Chateau Palmer

For me this was the standout wine of the morning, even more so than the '66 Latour. A wine of huge depth and complexity, it remains surprisingly youthful. A light ruby red core with a faded rim, the nose was bursting with intense fruit (cherries, plums, blackcurrants), alongside leather, cedar and cigar box notes, which, to me, defied its 44 years in its intensity. It showed great fullness and richness in the mouth, with soft, supple tannins and fine, balancing acidity, with a very long, rounded finish. This wine has many years ahead of it for certain - I would love to be able to revisit it in a decade or so! (03/10)

1966 Chateau Latour

Still had quite a dark core, surprisingly so for its age, with a lighter rim. The aromas were still quite strong - plenty of secondary leather, tobacco, earth and spice, with an underlying edge of mixed dark fruits. On the palate it was elegant and refined, with a medium body, a soft, silky texture and complex, evolving flavours that danced around the mouth. This is holding up very well and was in excellent overall condition, and a pleasure to taste. (03/10)

1966 Chateau Pichon Longueville, Comtesse De Lalande

Still in very good condition, although it had faded a touch in my opinion. A brick red colour, with a soft, delicate, complex nose of black cherries, roses and a little earth. The palate still had some good structure - the tannins were still noticeable and the acidity was still good - which has kept this wine going, though not for much longer I suspect. Still drinking very well though. (03/10)

1982 Cheval Blanc

Had 2nd bottle of the 82 tonight and had almost identical experience - warm generous lovely earthy leathery undergrowth nose on opening - though excellent bottle as body and texture more appealing and sensuous than the last - lovely and complete, excellent balance, delicate and feminine - but again after 1 hr of decanting nose closed up and went into decline - most definitely at peak and not convinced of its 'stellar vintage' status