'98 Bordeaux - |
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Notes and impressions from a tasting of '98 Bordeaux - Saturday, May 19, 2001, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Twenty-one wines were poured for a tasting fee of $34. |
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Overall impressions: another look at the very nice '98 vintage. There was everything to like in this tasting, and I found nearly all of the wines flat-out delicious. In fact, it became very difficult to prioritize the rankings below -- so many of the wines were just that close to each other. This particular flight started out very good and continued to get better with each wine. So much so, that from the Clocher onward, I started to expect it each wine to be superior -- well, until we got to the Left Bank, anyway. And yet, even the Left Bank looked very good in this tasting. The Pavie Decesse was extraordinary. I had tasted this wine last month, and though just as huge, it didn't seem anywhere near this beautiful. The L'Arrosee was beautiful, as was the Monbousquet. The Pavie Maquin was a fabulous wine (price not withstanding) that would be a beautiful addition to any cellar. And, its apparent lower preference in my rankings was due only to the abundance of big approachable wines on the table. For me, the Vieux Chateau Chavin and the Clos du Clocher presented the best values in the flight. |
1998 Chateau
La Louviere (Blanc) - Pessac-Leognan. $20.99.
Slightly off-yellow color. Nose of sweet grass, hay, and toast.
Moderate body, smooth mouthfeel, lightly grassy and toasty flavors,
and a nice long finish that shows a touch of caramel. 1998 Chateau
La Vielle Cure - Fronsac. $14.99. Dark ruby color. Slightly
buttery and floral in aroma, with a touch of oak a nice plush smell,
and an overriding sense of sweetness. Slightly chewy mouthfeel,
the oak gives way to off-sweet fruit and a long finish. 1998 Chateau
Fontenil - Fronsac. $17.99. Very dark ruby color. Nose of cassis,
oak, rose petal and stems, and a hint of cheddar. Initially tannic
young mouthfeel softens a bit by mid-palate, but remains chewy throughout.
Lots of substance here, with nice long finish. 1998 Chateau
Branda - Puisseguin-St. Emilion. $14.99. Very dark garnet ruby
color. Nose of smoky cassis, with a toasty and floral aromas, plus
a hint of celery seed. Somewhat chewy in mouthfeel with cassis and
grape-skin flavors, the toasty fruit lasts through to latter palate,
yet fades a bit quicker than expected. Very long finish, with a
delicious aftertaste. 1998 Roc
du Cambes - Cotes du Bourg. $34.99. Dark garnet ruby color.
Plush and fleshy nose, with aromas of cassis, some stem and toasty
hardwoods, along with smoked cheddar. Slightly young mouthfeel,
yet very refined and smooth. Fruit softens a bit at mid-palate,
but carries seamlessly through long finish. I liked this wine a
lot, though it seemed to lack a little punch. 1998 La
Petite Eglise - Pomerol. $24.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Nose
of stemmy sweet-sour cassis, with a slight coarse-oak quality. Chewy
mouthfeel, very tasty cassis and plummy fruit, which fades a bit
sooner that desired on the long finish. The Roc du Cambes has a
slightly better nose, but the Petite is right with it in taste. 1998 Clos
du Clocher - Pomerol. $28.99. Very dark garnet ruby color. Big
dense stemmy cassis nose, with ripe and slightly burnished fruit.
Very chewy mouthfeel, with fabulous balance, beautiful textures,
and a huge long finish. 1998 Le
Carillon de L'Angelus - St. Emilion. $32.99. Dark ruby garnet
color. Nose of sweet cassis, toast, shoe wax, and a hint of black
olive. Smooth and chewy mouthfeel, very tasty sweet-sour fruit,
and long seamless finish. 1998 Chateau
Milens - St. Emilion. $34.99. Very dark ruby color. Huge and
somewhat herbaceous nose of cassis and oak, with anise, toast and
spicy notes. Big mouthfeel, very smooth texture, liberal oak and
toast act as a compliment to the big fruit in this wine. Very long
seamless finish, and a delicious aftertaste. Wow! 1998 Vieux
Chateau Chavin - St. Emilion. $39.99. Very dark, almost black
ruby color. Fantastic, sweet nose of cassis, toast, anise, and celery
seed. Big and chewy mouthfeel, tasty fruit and toast, nearly perfect
balance, with a long smooth finish. The oak gets the slightest bit
overt at the end, but what a wine! 1998 Chateau
L'Arrosee - St. Emilion. $45.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Beautifully
integrated nose of toast, cassis, anise, and vanilla. Smooth somewhat
chewy mouthfeel, very tasty off-sweet cassis-blueberry fruit, nicely
oaked throughout the very long smooth finish. 1998 Chateau
Le Couspaude - St. Emilion. $49.99. Very dark garnet ruby color.
Nose of spiced cassis, toast, anise, Worcestershire sauce and cheddar.
Chewy mouthfeel, smooth textures, tasty ripe cassis fruit, excellent
balance, very long smooth finish, and delicious aftertaste.
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1998 Chateau
Monbousquet - St. Emilion. $59.99. Very dark ruby color. Nose
of toasty fruit, anise, tar and cheddar, with sweet oak and Cab
Franc stemminess. Huge mouthfeel, slightly sweet fruit, very integrated
toasty and spicy flavors, and very long finish. Beautiful. 1998 Chateau
Pavie Decesse - St. Emilion. $69.99. Very dark black-ruby color.
Nose of sweet cassis, tar, blackberry, and anise. Huge massive chewy
tannic monster of a wine. Slightly oaky in taste, with nicely integrated
flavors of cassis, blackberry, tar, and anise. Very, very long finish,
and a long cheesy and toasty aftertaste. What a monster! I tasted
this wine last month with A-/B+ results. I have to assume that the
double decanting of today's tasting did much to improve this wine's
appearance. 1998 Chateau
Pavie Maquin - St. Emilion. $89.99. Very dark purple-black
ruby color. Dense nose of sweet-sour cassis, blueberry, cranberry,
toast, sawdust and anise. Chewy, yet young and tight mouthfeel,
lots of sweet-sour fruit, nearly perfect balance, And very long
fruit-filled finish. A little denser and tightly packed wine, that
appears a lot less accessible in its youth. 1998 La
Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion - Pessac-Leognan. $26.99.
Medium dark ruby garnet color. Slightly sweet-sour cassis nose,
with background aromas of sawdust and cheddar. Moderate mouthfeel,
nice though slightly vegetal cassis-raspberry flavors, long finish. 1998 Chateau
Haut Bailly - Pessac-Leognan. $39.99. medium dark ruby color.
Nose of cassis, blueberry, and oak. Slightly chewy and a bit coarse
in mouthfeel, with flavors of cassis, anise and toast, and a long,
mostly oaky and tannic finish. Nice enough wine, the nose pulls
it through, and this just barely made the cut to B+. 1998 Chateau
Lynch-Bages - Pauillac. $39.99. Deep ruby purple color. Very
nice nose of cassis, tar, anise, and toast. Somewhat chewy mouthfeel,
very tasty off-sweet fruit, lots of nicely integrated oak, very
long sweet and toasty finish. 1998 Chateau
Clerc Milon - Pauillac. $31.99. Dark purple ruby color. Nose
of sweet-sour cassis, blueberry, tar, and anise. Smooth, yet young
mouthfeel, with somewhat tannic sweet-sour flavors, and obvious,
if nicely integrated, oak, and very long finish. 1998 Chateau
Pichon Longueville - Pauillac. $41.99. Dark ruby garnet color.
Slightly herbaceous nose of cassis, tar, anise and oak. Chewy mouthfeel,
tasty off-sweet fruit, toasty throughout, with a very long integrated
finish. 1955 Chateau
Romer du Hayot - Sauternes. $79.99 (750ml). Medium-dark golden
color. Nose of apple, apricot, caramel, roasted nuts and grains,
and a hint of raisin. Very smooth and slightly chewy mouthfeel,
flavors of roast pork with sweet applesauce, long fruity finish.
Amazing. |
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