Monday night dinner party with Marcassin, Kongsgaard, Cheval Blanc, L'Evangile, and Pavie

WINE TALK
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  • 1998 Château Cheval Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (10/31/2017)
    the '98 CB has been a favorite of mine since release. I remember trying to drink all they had at the Wine Spectator event in New York upon release. Out of magnum, this was decanted for almost 4 hours before being poured. As it sat in the glass over dinner, it just kept getting better and better. Beautiful fragrant nose, silky tannins that seem perfectly integrated, and finish that lasts and lasts. I think it will improve, but it is darn fun to drink now. (99 pts.)

  • 2000 Château Pavie - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (10/31/2017)
    This suffered from not being decanted, and following the '98 Cheval Blanc and '00 L’Evangile. It was hard not to compare and find the Pavie outclassed, which wasn’t fair. The wine is well made, and very interesting to drink. I am looking forward to seeing it perform under better conditions. I only drank about half a glass before going back to the other two. Seemed like a lot going on, but mostly lurking beneath the surface. (94 pts.)

  • 2009 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge - USA, California, Napa Valley (10/31/2017)
    Good, not great. I can’t put my finger on it, just that it was missing that extra gear. Very well made and complete, with a beautiful golden color. Seemed more elegant than I remember other bottles being. Had two bottles pre-dinner and both were spitting images of each other. No sign of fading. (94 pts.)

  • 2008 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (10/30/2017)
    Now we are talking. I saw another note that described this as a white silk robe, and that is spot on. This is such a complete wine, with beautiful viscosity and mouthfeel. Drinking perfectly, but seems to have a very long life ahead of it. Paired with Lobster salad, which was an ideal combination. (100 pts.)

  • 2000 Château L’Evangile - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (10/30/2017)
    Really fun wine to drink. Seems to be just entering into a good window for drinking. The nose really stands out, with my first thought being Lafite. Cigar box and tobacco and tar on the nose. Long finish, with a lot going on but plenty of balance. Looking forward to watching how this develops over the year. Decanted for 4 hours before consuming with dinner. (97 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Marcassin really killed it with their Chards in 2008.

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Thanks Jim! We are taking one of our girls to a predominantly seafood restaurant for her birthday on Saturday and I was looking for a California chard to pair with the PYCM Meursault “Narvaux.” The Marcassin sounds perfect!

Cheers!
Marshall [cheers.gif]

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you better leave mine alone.

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Thanks for posting! A group of my favorite wines together. I’ve never had the '00 pavie, but I’ve loved ever other vintage from '99-'06 (except 2005 which is hard as nails and should not be touched for many years).

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So that’s a Monday night…

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Your girls, or your chard? (Sorry, couldn’t resist)

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Great notes Jim; thanks for sharing

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Ho hunk, I’m bored today, let’s pop some random wines tonight . . . .

#livinglarge

Would love to try that l’Evangile.

The 1998 Cheval is gorgeous, perhaps even better than the 2000. The Pavie, not a fan.

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What a great lineup. Any one of those Bordeaux would make for a wonderful evening. Thanks for sharing Jim.

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Jim–Thanks for the notes, as always.

I’ve never been much of a fan of modern-day Pavie; I tend to prefer a more old-school kind of Bordeaux.

Bruce

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You’re drinking well, amigo.
Best, jim

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Well done Jim. Thanks for the notes. Think its time to pop a 98 Cheval. It’s been ages on that vintage for me.