Chateau Patris 1986 Grand Cru

P.S. it is from St. Emilion.

Salut/Hi snipped-for-privacy@xtc.com,

le/on Sun, 12 Jun 2005 12:37:04 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

Yup, it exists, Lichine calls it a "principal growth", but not a "great growth". Not an enormous property (some 5 Ha). From what I've seen, it's a reasonably serious well made wine. If well stored a 1986 will be at full maturity, if not a little too old. Drink soon.

The 1999 is being retailed at £19 on line, Call it $30

Duijker & Broadbent describe it as "... a fine wine, extremely well made ..". That is not surprising since Michel Querre has owned it since 1967. All new wood is used now but in the '80s and 90's it got about 30% new oak depending on the vintage. It is 9.25 ha. in size, planted with 88% merlot, 8% cabernet franc and only 4% cabernet sauvignon on a sandy top soil on clayey sand. It benefits from a micro-cliate on the slope of the Cote to the south west of the city about half a mile from Matras and nearer to Fonrazade and Roylland. Vines are on average 40 years old. Manual harvesting has always been practised there and cagettes are now used - though that is of little use to the OP for an '86! I have drunk the '85 but not the '86 the latter of which I would not have expected to keep as well. the '85 still had plenty of life in it but I woudl not be inclined to keep the '86 much longer.

Timothy Hartley