TN: Older Bordeaux Dinner (VIDEO INCLUDED)

FIRST GROWTH DINNER (PLUS SOME LA MISSION) - Ruths Chris - Washington, DC (2/15/2011)

I was really happy to be able to attend this dinner. The assembled group has an incredible wealth of knowledge when it comes to wine…and as a relative newcomer, it’s nights like tonight that provide me with the perfect environment to soak up incredible information. I walked away from tonight’s dinner having tasted my first Krug, and my first First Growths, but more importantly with a far deeper knowledge base.

We dined at Ruths Chris in DC and were taken care of by their expert team. Big thanks to the organizational efforts of Panos and the incredible generosity of all who attended. A truly memorable evening!
Welcome Whites
An incredible start to the evening with two wonderfully deep and complex chardonnays.

• 1988 Krug Champagne Brut - France, Champagne
  Incredibly deep nose of sweet mousse, baked bread and roasted almonds. Darryl compared it to being in between a boulangerie and a patisserie on a street in Paris - the yeasty component was relatively balanced by a wonderful sweetness on the nose. Could have easily sniffed this wine for hours…it continually ebbed and flowed between yeasty notes and more mousse-driven notes. Palate had great depth and considerable weight for the vintage. Thought that the freshness and acidity were close to perfect. The bead on the wine was considerably diminished, but the structure was still there. Wonderful wine. (94 pts.)
• 2002 Domaine Darviot-Perrin Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
  Thought the nose had interesting seashell and “tidal pool” tones. For me, these are classic notes for moderately aged white burgs, but this had a distinct weight to it that I found unique. The palate followed the nose and was deep, full and polished. Really nice wet rock, lemon oil, and roasted herbs constitute this robust palate. Was drinking very well tonight. (91 pts.)

Flight 1
Overall, both of these wines were satisfying and displayed the value of good provenance. I thought the '81 wasn’t as complex as my last '81 La Mission, but the vintage continues to be an interesting off-vintage for my tastes.

• 1976 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  Beautifully dusty nose of cranberry, red florals and smokey minerals. The palate showed very noble cranberry fruits with subtle red-fruited tobacco and dark cherries. There was a very nice floral lift that I enjoyed very much. Many at the table commented that this wine showed the typical red fruit for the vintage (a hot one). I felt this showed quite well. (91 pts.)
• 1981 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  While not as satisfying as the '81 LMHB I had in August, I was still impressed by this bottle. The nose was like a roller coaster - shifting from iron-driven bloodiness to a more feminine dried-red-rose nose. It was hard to ignore the wonderfully characteristic smokey-mineral component that powers so many La Missions. This had a decent finish, but didn’t have the depth and concentration of some of the other wines of the evening. (90 pts.)

Flight 2
This was the “wow” flight for me. Both wines could have been the wine of the night (on any other night). Incredibly deep, complex and fresh…both exemplify what people seek in older Bordeaux.

• 1978 Château Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  Among a tasting of various first growths from varying vintages, this, in my mind, stole the show. The nose was deep…characterized by subtle aromas of brown sugar, roasted herbs, light tobacco, sous bois, cassis, and mushrooms. While sitting in the glass, the complexity kept growing and deepening - all I wish was that I had many hours to sample this wine. The palate was just, wow. Silky on entry, it coated the mouth with subtle tones of cassis, roasted mushrooms, and some bitter chocolate. Fascinating wine and my WOTN. (96 pts.)
• 1978 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  Incredible wine that I didn’t give enough time in the glass to evolve. Had a really interesting meatiness compared to the more subtle, floral driven 78 Haut Brion that was drank alongside. The palate of this wine was masculine and powerful - and probably could have benefitted from a couple hours of decanting. Nevertheless, this was an impressive effort. Palate was decidedly more rustic than the 78 Haut Brion drank alongside with a very sexy chocolate component woven throughout. Luckily, Faryan saved some of this wine to be sampled ~2+ hours after its first pour and the nose only deepened and showed more complex notes of herbs and minerals. Could easily have spent the entire night on this wine. (94 pts.)

Flight 3
The '66 Mouton was impressive. Mr. Bublitz commented that of all the '66 Mouton’s he’s had recently this bottle was in the best shape…and it certainly showed. Despite the damage to the cork the Mouton was kicking like a donkey…what a wine!

• 1976 Château Latour Grand Vin - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Distinct carmel notes on the nose with a nice dried rose lift. Wasn’t as fresh as the 76 La Mission that was drank earlier in the night, but did have more earthen tones woven throughout. In addition to the earth tones, there was a very nice cherry fruit core with subtle herbs. Didn’t think the nose was overly complex or deep, but the palate was quite enjoyable. Extraordinarily silky, I thought the mouthfeel really carried this wine. The noble red fruit took over on the palate for me, and combined with nice, subtle, sous bois tones. Not a “wow” wine for me, but that was probably more to do with its company this eve. (89 pts.)
• 1966 Château Mouton Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  So the quality of this wine surprised many people at the table. The process of extracting the cork was the most dramatic of the night…and it emerged in many pieces. Luckily, the wine proved to be a show-stopper. I was really impressed (and surprised) by the meatiness of the nose. From time to time, bacon seemed to ooze from the nose - eerily reminiscent of many Hermitages I’ve tasted. In addition to the animale characteristics, I thought it had lovely brown sugar, roasted herbs, dried coffee, and soy sauce tones throughout. The easily could have captured my attention for an entire night…my biggest mistake with the Mouton was not pouring enough! (95 pts.)

Flight 4
Had high hopes for this flight, but the wines were a bit off. It happens with older Bordeaux. Luckily, we had some backups.

• 1970 Château Mouton Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  General consensus was that this bottle was oxidized. The palate wasn’t totally awful, but no question that this was a flawed bottle. Shame. NR (flawed)
• 1970 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  Cork city. NR (flawed)
• 1970 Château Latour Grand Vin - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Many at the table didn’t think this bottle was correct - wasn’t flawed, but wasn’t where it should have been. Having no previous experience with the wine, I figured I’d give it a go anyways. I thought that the nose was delicate with nice cranberry and red floral components. Palate had a nice cherry tobacco edge to it with roasted herbs and mushrooms. I found the palate to be quite nice (I think I was an outlier in this regard). (89 pts.)

Flight 5
An impromptu flight after the issues with the '70 Mouton and '70 La Mission. I was in the minority ( i think ) with my thoughts on the Las Cases, but the Pavie was a surprise for me!

• 1979 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Felt this was slightly corked. While not perfect, I thought the palate was far better than the nose suggested. Palate was driven by cranberry, red florals, dried cherry tobacco and some smoke. Might not have shown its best stuff tonight, but again, I think I enjoyed this more than most. (89 pts.)
• 2002 Château Pavie - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  Compared to the elderly wines from Bordeaux drank alongside this, it’s easy to consider my perception of this to be flawed. I did however, find it to more enjoyable and restrained than I had imagined it being…so that’s a good thing. Very deep nose of cherry tobacco, cassis, smoke and vanilla. Palate was concentrated was bright with there was a freshness to it that seemed to hold any overblown fruit or alcohol in check. Overall I was impressed. (90 pts.)

Flight 6
What can I say about the Dal Forno? It was incredible.

• 1995 Romano Dal Forno Nettare Veneto IGT - Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT
  I was blown away by this wine. Shockingly good. Agree with other tasters that this has distinct creme brulee tones and the intensity of molasses in the mouth without the viscosity or cloying nature. I probably should have taken more notes on this, but I drank it too quickly…it was so bloody good. Safe to say that everyone at the table was incredibly impressed with this offering from Dal Forno. Simply incredible. (95 pts.)
• 1975 Château Coutet - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
  Sadly, this was tasted alongside an incredible Dal Forno Nettare Veneto IGT that stole the show. Despite its company, this was a very enjoyable Sauternes. Great freshness on the palate with lovely apricot and peach juice on the palate. The fresh juiciness was augmented by a great acidic backbone. Thought this was drinking incredibly well…god, aged Sauternes is so satisfying! (92 pts.)

This was an exciting night for me. I was able to try some first growth wines for the first time in my life. Had some incredible highs (Krug, Haut Brion, '66 Mouton, Dal Forno) that will always stay with me.
Posted from CellarTracker

Matt’s notes are fairly spot on and summarize a spectacular evening of older Bordeaux. I’m a bit too inundated with work to flesh out my own notes but I will add that the true pleasure of drinking these wines at such an age is seeing the singular character that emerges into the bottle. The La Missions had the same elements of floral lift married with Graves smoke and earthy minerality. The HB has a different take on that smokiness, one which really sang masterfully last night. I also noted iconoclastic mint/eucalyptus from the Mouton that I had witnessed in other aged vintages.

In short, the opportunity is perhaps the most singular method of truly understanding Bordeaux terroir and vintage characteristics. Fabulous company and fabulous wines. More later.

It was another educational evening.

The 88 Krug was a good but not great example (92 pts).

2002 Domaine Darviot-Perrin oily wine, excellent concentration but the fruit expression seemed not too complex (91 pts)

It was interesting to note that all La Mission Haut Brions had very similar nose, ash, scorched earth and tobacco was present, perhaps less so on the 76 (90). The 81(88) was angular but would have done well with a simple fatty stew. Both the Latour (90) and the LMHO (90) showed the warm vintage characters of sweet caramel with fully integrated tannin. The Latour showed some cedar and a bit more tannins.

The 78 HB drank beautifully, fully matured claret with every component in balance, very harmonious wine. (93pts) A perfect example of not a perfect wine drinking perfectly. The 78 LMHB is a beast and all of us were surprised by the youthfulness (93 pts). IMHO the HB is like a Chevalier Montrachet where the LMHB is like a CC.

The 66 Mouton was very nice, youthful big scale wine perhaps tannins slightly sticking out. 93 pts.

Unfortunately all three 70s had some issues.

The 79 LLC was corked. The 02 Pavie showed the typical vintage characters, excellent concentration but straight fruit expression (92 pts).

The Dal Forno Nettare will last for awhile, still sticky but not cloying. Typical Dal Forno wine, a hippo ballerina (96pts).

The 75 Coutet was fresh, sweetness had subsided and gave almost dry impression. Dry fruit, fresh but not complex (90 pts).

I believe just about everyone loved the 78 HB, the 78 LMHB, the 66 Mouton and the 95 Dal Forno.

It was a great night of wine drinking with great company.

Great dinner with a couple disappointments.

'88 Krug is always a great way to start, but as noted this was good and not great. At frist I thought it was a tad cold, but even with time it never totally unfurled. Very tasty and very Krug, but never really flexed it’s muscle. Many thanks to Chris though for opening this- not everyday I get to drink aged Krug from a great vintage. 92 points is about right.

We then had a single white burg, the 2002 Domaine Darviot-Perrin Meursault Charmes. Tons of gunflint and bright white fruits on the nose and a fat oily texture. Kevin and I had a brief discussion about this and he commented that if this was in a Comte Lafon bottle people would have raved about it. I agreed- the comment was a summation of our discussion. I liked it a bit more than him as it had weight, power, great nose and good finish and while not the most complex, there was plenty going on. 93 points.


76 and 81 La Mission were both nice wines that I would be happy to drink on any given night with a steak(deathknell for points lol), but just good and not great wines. Probably never have been, and never will be. The 76 had some roasted characteristics but nice sweet fruit and a decent finish. Texturally and structurally this was sound, but the complexity and finesse were lacking and it just didn’t show that little something that you expect in a quasi-first. The '81 was actually more complex and interesting, but a bit hard and angular. Time probably served this well as what I am sure was a lot of green melded into tobacco, but still a hint of green there and not in the best way. No sweet fruit, but plenty of cassis to go with the tobacco and it wasn’t really fading at all, just a tough vintage. Still pretty good. '76 La Mission 88 points, '81 La Mission 86 Points. Note- this is in comparison to it’s peers- peers being aged firsts/super seconds- I would rather drink these than most 93 point 5 year old Bordeaux for dinner, and I consider anything above 85 to be pretty good.

Then we had the flight of the night. Out of the gate, the '78 Haut Brion and '78 La Mission both had noses that soared in the glass. On tasting, the Haut Brion was far more elegant and refined, really drinking completely a point. The La Miss was a tough harder with a bit more power, but probably not quite ready yet. Interestingly enough, both were quintessential Graves inthe best way, with that earthy, tobacco, smokey thing going on. I loved both these wines and really couldn’t believe how good the Haut Brion was having had other good '78’s, but nothing like this- if it isn’t WOTV I would like to know what is. Haut Brion 95 points, La Mission 93+ points.

Nest up was '76 Latour and '66 Mouton. Well, the Mouton stole the show here. The Latour was a bit raisiny, and roasted with a carmel-coffee taste. There was ripe fruit underneath and plenty of power and verve, but htis really tasted like an older version of a slightly stewed '03. The '66 Mouton on the other hand was fantastic. The cork crumbled all to hell, so it was handed to me and I was tasked with extracting the remnants. Using a modified manual Durand technique( corkscrew at an angle and then ah-so and pull and twist together), I was able to get the rest of the cork out without dropping any bits in the bottle. And it was worth the effort! This was a beautiful old girl, showing plenty of dark fruit,only a bit of cigar box, and a touch of mint and maybe a few other things I couldn’t figure out. But it was quite complex, silky and composed, just lacked a touch of depth. Really beautiful old wine. '76 Latour 85 points, '66 Mouton 94 points.

I don;t even want to talk about the '70 flight, but that happens with old bottles. '70 La Miss was bright, light red and cloudy, completely shot. '70 Mouton and Latour were both actually decent and drinkable, but just not what they should have been. Frankly I liked them both better than the 76 Latour and '81 La Miss, but I won’t even rate them here as they weren’t what they should be. Would have liked to have seen the Latour after a few hours of slow ox though- it was improving in the glass but night was almost over. In fact both showed considerably better after 10 minutes in the glass and a bad start, but no greatness there in the end.

'79 LLC was corked mildly.

'02 Pavie was really hard to taste at this point. Very nice of Kevin to open as a replacement for the La Miss, and I think it is a decent wine, but just not the right time to drink it.

'75 Coutet was a really pretty old Barsac. Not extremely sweet anymore, this took a few minutes to uncork and I think it suffered being served right after the Dal Forno which was super sweet and unctuous. That said, I spent sometime with this and it really had a lot going on with notes of botrytis, peach, and a touch of petrol on a light and elegant frame. I rather liked it. 93 points. The Dal Forno was a completely different animal. Basically a dessert Soave made from Garganaga(sp- please help), this had the testure of an oily Alsace Pinot Gris SGN a la Zind Humbrecht, but it’s own unique flavor set. Lots of brown sugar seemed to dominate, but in a good way, like a nice creme brulee crust as Matt mentioned. Really a fascinating wine just a tough different than any dessert wine I have had before. 94 points and would love to see what this does in another 10 or 20 years. Thanks Kevin for sharing this.

Thanks all, great evening as usual with the DCWinos. Panos- where are your notes!!!

What a great evening, guys!
I posted a video with photos and notes here: Haut Brion 1978, Mouton 1966 … and much more! – Connections to Wine