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TN: 1990 Cantemerle

Betsy took David to a college interview today, as they were on their way back I made dinner. Herb-roasted chicken, broccoli, and rice with furikake. Wine was the 1990 Cantemerle (Haut-Medoc). Good color, seems rather youthful. Tannins are fully resolved, and there are mature notes of leather and tobacco, but the fruit is reasonably lively for a 16 yr old cru bourgeois. The fruit is more red plum than black, and does have a little bit of the roasted notes that can distract in the 1990s. This is not especially deep or complex, but a nice soft Bordeaux. Blind I bet I would have guessed Right Bank (merlot), though label says it is

45% CS, 40% Merlot, 10 % CF, 5 % PV. This isn't a great Bordeaux, but a decent mature Bordeaux with roast chicken isn't a bad way to dine. B/B+

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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Reply to
DaleW

AFAIC, you never said it wasn't classified, just that it was Haut-Medoc AOC, which it most certainly is. So now you should mentally group it with du Tertre, Camensac, Clerc-Milon and Pontet-Canet -- a fine group of reliable performers in my book (then there's that Lynch-Bag or some such...)

Mark Lipton

(Just avoid that Hot Bag Liberal, or risk the wrath of Ann Coulter)

Reply to
Mark Lipton

I referred to it as a "16 year old Cru Bourgeois". You can't deny my wrongness!

Reply to
DaleW

In fact, the addition of Cantmerle to the list in December 1855 - months after the closure of the 1855 Paris Universal Exhibition where the classification was presented - was the first amendment to the 1855 classification. Mouton's upgrading in 1973 was the second.

M.

Reply to
Michael Pronay

Now, we all know that the 1855 classification is pretty different from a

2006, had there been one. Whether a wine is 5th or cru bourgeois is of no real importance, don't you agree? There's a number of chateaux that have faded away from what they were, and others that have improved immensely. Michael P. surely could provide us with a tentative list for a new classification? :-) Anders
Reply to
Anders Tørneskog

As to Lynch Bages....it's no longer priced like a 5th. And since 2000 I've not actually liked a one (2001-2003). For my tastes has gone from great QPR to poor.

Reply to
DaleW

Admit it Anders, you're hoarding Rausan-Gassies!

To me the classification isn't a big thing, but it does make a difference in some pricing. Given a choice of Mouton or LLC without knowing vintage, I'd take LLC (I admit Mouton can be spectacular, but also pedestrian). The wines I buy regularly span 2nd-5th growths (do I buy any 4ths? thinking..) and cru bourgeois. I agree the classification means little to my buying, though it does make a difference to real estate values.

Reply to
DaleW

I guess I do- quite a few Talbots. I have a bottle or three of Branaire, Duhart, Lafon Rochet , & Marquis-de-Terme too. Shows you I don't pay much attention to classifications (beyond Firsts)

Reply to
DaleW

Agreed. That's why I didn't include it in the list initially and only added parenthetically. It used to be one of our rock-solid "go to" Bdx, but the last vintage of it that we bought was IIRC the '97 (heavily discounted at a Sam's sale). Looking at the DB, I see that we have only the '89 and the '96 in the cellar. Quelle dommage! The '61 L-B still ranks as one of my all-time favorite wine experiences. du Terte and Camensac I still put a lot of faith in, but we've bought so little Bdx in the new millenium that I really haven't much experience with recent bottlings of either Clerc-Milon or Pontet-Canet.

Mark Lipton

Reply to
Mark Lipton

"DaleW" skrev i meddelandet news: snipped-for-privacy@i3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...

Then it might be a Swede thingy, because I have found out, to my astonishment, that apparently I am. Now, how did that happen?

Cheers

Nils Gsutaf

Reply to
Nils Gustaf Lindgren

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