A group of happy winegeeks got together at les Sans Culottes on the Upper East Side last night for Pauillac Fest. A nice group, and a very pleasant evening. Overall the wines showed quite well. At the end of the evening we voted for WOTN , based on 1st, 2nd 3rd votes from each person the '95 Pichon Lalande led: .
Pichon Lalande 1995 (21) Grand Puy Lacoste 1995 (20) Pichon Baron 1996 (15) Haut Batailley 1970 (6) Pontet Canet 1982 (6) Lynch Bages 1996 (5) Grand Puy Lacoste 1978 (2) Mouton 1988 (2) Latour 1994 (1)
My notes:
2004 Boudin "Fourchaume" Chablis 1er Clean and crisp, apple fruit with a chalky edge. No apparent oak, nice structured Chablis. B+1970 Haut-Batailley A pleasant surprise, lively and appealing. B/B+
1989 Haut-Batailley Maybe a little monolithic, needs some time still, but nice structure and fruit. B+/B1990 Haut-Batailley Ripe red fruit, finishes a little short, my impression is this is fading fast. B-
1975 Haut-Bages Liberal A little barnyardy (actually, I originally forgot to note what bottle this was, and told tablemates this '82 Pontet Canet was very different than others I'd had! ). Pleasant enough mature claret. B/B-1975 Grand Puy Ducasse This didn't do a lot for me, but no notes or real clear memories.
1978 Grand Puy Lacoste Too cold at first, but opens nicely as it warms. Tobacco and herb notes, mature black plum and currant fruit. B+1982 Pontet Canet Very ripe cassis fruit, resolved tannins, pencil lead. Probably a tad past its peak, but I liked. B+/A-
1989 Pontet Canet Again, too cold at first. Even as it warms it's still a bit tight. But lots of ripe blackcurrant fruit, firm tannins, good potential. B+1988 Mouton Rothschild Tannic, but good fruit. Nose is better than palate (which I often think with Mouton). Doesn't really move me though. B/B+
1994 Latour Green on nose. Big tannins, that green not as apparent on palate. B-1995 Grand Puy Lacoste Rocking. Lead pencil, cassis, warm, fruity yetr structured. B+/A-
1995 Pichon Lalande Tight as a snare drum at first. Opens nicely, big yet elegant. B+/A-1995 Carruades De Lafite Mute nose. On the palate the fruit is ripe but there's lots of oak and a weird off taste. C+
1996 D'Armhaillac Pleasant, if not as deep as the later '96s. B1999 D'Armhaillac Surprise winner of the flight over previous 2. Ready, round, red, and ripe. B+
1996 Duhart Milon Opens after a while. Nice medium bodied claret with light vanilla & graphite notes over dark berry fruit. Overshadowed by the P-Baron and L-Bages, but I'd be very happy to have this on my dinner table with some roast beef. B+1996 Pichon Baron A little tight, but lush cassis fruit and mocha/leadpencil notes over a muscular frame. I saved a bit till end of night when it was really singing. Despite the lushness of the fruit there's a refreshing acidity to make this very foodfriendly, A-/A
1996 Lynch Bages I thought this surprisingly open. Very sweet blackcurrant fruit, long finish. Excellent flight. B+/A-1996 Lynch Moussas Round, cedary, and pleasant. Not as big as the '96s that preceded, but a pleasant wine. B+/B
2000 Lynch Moussas Nothing but some rather dull fruit. Disappointing. B-2000 Batailley Weird, with a sharp acidity and a stemmy greeness. Someone calls this soft, not in my glass. C+
2001 Lafaurie Peyraguey OK, infanticide, but this is stunning. Shimmering waves of peach, apricot, and tangerines, with caramel and honey notes. Intense, long finish, A/A-Fun night with a good crew.
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.