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TN 1988 Cantemerle

Last night we had my parents over for dinner before they flew back south this AM. Dry-aged NY strips, grilled sweet potatoes in a thyme vinaigrette, nnd salad. David took a break from graduation parties to join us, so I poured a wine from his birthyear, the 1988 Ch. Cantemerle (Haut-Medoc). More red than black fruit, mostly resolved tannins, moderate acidity. Sweet red plum fruit picks up weight. There's some cedar, but the dominant secondary aroma is tobacco (reminds me of a flue-curing barn). This isn't a heavyweight, and doesn't have the depth to be termed outstanding, but a nice mature Bordeaux that offers enough fruit to please those who view that as the primary attribute of wine, yet with some complex aromatics. B+/A-

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

Reply to
DaleW
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Nice, Dale: one of my favorite QPR producers from one of my favorite "recent" vintages. I confess to knowing nothing about what a flue-curing barn smells like, but I will attempt to remedy that situation at the first opporunity.

Mark Lipton

Reply to
Mark Lipton

Am I getting too fanciful? I was trying to distinguish between "tobacco" and "tobacco leaf" (which I use to refer to uncured) when I realized this was a bit in between. Sorry to be obscure, but I mostly grew up in NC.

I think the old flue-curing barns are becoming a thing of the past. Easiest way for a Midwest academc is probably to carry an old plank into a walk-in humidor in a fancy cigar store, though you'll miss out on the green tobacco. :)

I actually don't like tobacco smoke, but think cured or curing tobacco is a truly wonderful smell.

Now back to your original programming.

Reply to
DaleW

Many years ago, I found myself with a day off in Winston-Salem. Being a totalitarian non-smoker, I had an urge to visit a tobacco factory and see just how the evil weeds were produced. There was a guided tour available, and we availed ourselves of the opportunity.

It was truly fascinating to see the large leaves hanging in sheaves at the beginning and the long continuous cigarette coming out of a machine near the end, being chopped into individual pieces at some incredible rate.

Everywhere throughout the plant were large signs bearing the admonition:

NO SMOKING ALLOWED

Upon asking why, I was told that they didn't want their product contaminated by the smell of burning tobacco.

Godzilla

Reply to
Godzilla

Your notes reminded me that I have seldom tasted Ch. Cantemerle. The only one I now have is a magnum of the 1967. I should have opened this long ago. The year 1967 produced a lot of unripe grapes, but there were a few decent wines. In 1996 Michael Broadbent did not even give any star rating for Lafite, one of his favorite wines in many years. However he tasted the 1967 Cantemerle several times over the years. When last tasted in 1996 he rated it 2 stars out of 5 and found it had some fruit and charm, although it was a bit raw edged. So perhaps it still has something left, and I will not have to discard it after opening.

Reply to
cwdjrxyz

I agree. Tobacco smells nice until it's burned.

Reminds me of that oxymoron, a fine cigar.

Reply to
Joe Giorgianni

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