Saturday 4th February 2012, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong
Tonight
was all about putting a very top tier flight of Bordeaux on the table, offering
a few comparisons in vintage and chateau, but essentially, providing an excuse for
the ten of us to drink far too much of a good thing. My hosts, good friends
from the UK, now living in Hong Kong, pulled these from their cellar, and they
were accompanied by home-cooked goodies that included mushroom risotto, beef
wellington, fine cheeses, and Grand Marnier soufflé. Decadence defined!
1998 Château Figeac, magnum
Clear,
still a deep shade, with a touch of development at the rim; youthful still,
with fine quality showing on the nose, still quite fruit-led and a touch of
vanillin oak in the background; velvety-textured and fleshy on the palate,
seamless, quite spicy, the Cabernet Sauvignon component gives a ‘blue’ quality
to the finish, some floral notes, with truffley notes in the finish. Still very
young, but really delicious. 94+/100
1998 Château La Conseillante, magnum
Still
deep in appearance; fragrant, spicy nose with a leafy herbal edge; fleshy on
the palate, mouth-coating with a ‘mulchy’ complexity to the cool but ripe
concentrated fruit, a savoury complex finish. A very good La Conseillante,
still very young. 93/100
1982 Château Figeac, magnum
Deep
garnet with a broad developed amber edge; spicy, cedary nose, a little hint of
TCA that reared its ugly head over time, but for the most part stayed in the
background as a grubby note – the spicy rich, singed fruit pushed through long
enough for the glass to be emptied. A pity as this seemed otherwise a point.
N/R
1989 Château La Conseillante, magnum
Bright
garnet, developed amber rim; an exuberant singed ripe nose, spicy and cedary, a
little leafy; fleshy, with quite present but melting tannins laden with
sensational oozing extract and a salty umami edge, a hint of ginger, long
finish. This is an exuberant La Conseillante, but nothing over the top and it
keeps its composure right through. A point and a real pleasure. 97/100
1989 Château Haut-Brion
From
a bottle with pristine appearance. The cork was intact but very dry and
brittle, suggesting storage at too low humidity. The fill level was good –
around 1.5cms, but one way or another, the wine was spoiled – dull, a bit
oxidized / flat. Drinkable, but such a pity to do so in this condition only to
reflect on what it should be. N/R
1983 Château Margaux
A
substitute for the ’89 HB. Still a fresh garnet in appearance, and a very pure
expressive nose of primary Margaux fruit, violetty Cabernet in expression,
perfumed; lovely, fine Cabernet-led flavor, touch of cedar, mineral-edge
tannins, floral at the end. Very pure, with the clear varietal fruit shining
through. Lovely Margaux, not the most complex, but one of the most pure,
florally expressive examples. 94/100
1971 Penfolds ‘Grange Hermitage’
A
bottle from Mr A’s cellar which he submitted to Penfolds ‘Clinic’ last year in
Hong Kong. It got the nod and was re-corked with properitary cork and capsule.
Opening it tonight, it seemed to have survived that quite intact and seemed not
especially ‘refreshed’ (i.e. altered by the addition of young Grange to top it
up). Deep garnet with a borad mature amber edge; a soaring nose of candied
raspberry and blackberry, a touch of brûlée-like caramelized sugar points to
the South Australian sunshine in this flight of Clarets; a rich palate, candied
ripe fruit, a nice juiciness, boysenberry, blackberry and that brûlée character
again. The overall weight and balance is top notch, and it holds its line to a
very long fragrant finish. A really good ’71 Grange and Mr A and I quietly
raised our glasses to the late great Max Schubert. 93/100
1966 Château Latour, magnum
For
me, here was the central cause for excitement tonight. Some recent bottles of
this wine have fallen very much short of the memorable first bottle I had in
2004. On that occasion, as part of two nights of Latour verticals spanning over
100 years, the ’66 stood out for me as one of the true greats of this estate.
Tonight, at last a pristine magnum that reconfirmed that early impression. The
wine is still a deep pure looking ruby-garnet with only a little development at
the rim – a real Peter Pan; very pure Latour nose, utterly classic,
blackcurrant and blackcurrant leaf, floral, fresh and pure and still so
youthful; the immediate impression on the palate is that it is still so fleshy
and plump, bursting with fruit – very curranty Cabernet, with a brooding,
youthful structure – its body underpinned by firm, muscular ripe tannins with a
slightly salty edge to them. For all that, this is not exuberant or showy at
all, it is understated, with moderate weight, alcohol and acidity. It is the
essence of Latour. Sensational. 98/100
1982 Château Margaux
A
classic compare-and-contrast with the youthful and variety pure ’83 which I
saved from the previous flight. A more mature appearance and more complex on
the nose – cedary, truffley, and with a sun-kissed candied and singed edge to
the aromatics and expression on the palate. A very melting texture, wonderful
blue-black fruit and a long seductive finish. Delicious, a point. 96/100
1982 Château Pichon Longueville
Comtesse de Lalande
A
mature healthy appearance; immediate bliss on the those – this is very complex,
currant fruit, truffle notes, cedar, and black olive; sensual and seductive on
the palate, so very soft there is hardly the sense of tannins at all, just
plush, fine velvety-textured, very complex and mouth-filling fruit that slips
down to the long sensuous finish. Irresistible. 97/100
1982 Château Gruaud Larose
Not
unexpectedly, a real contrast to the ’82 Lalande next to it, this is firmer in
style, and with an aroma and taste of a much older style of Claret. A fine
garnet still – holdng colour well; cedary, leafy nose, very Médoc, with a hint
of brett giving an appetizingly savoury edge; on the palate, very Médoc, with
taut ripe acidity and tannins giving a somewhat strict impression after that
languous Lalande. This is less polished, almost burly, but a real fleshy
mouthful, and the slightly dusty tannins are rich with flavoursome extract and
buffered by a little glycerin from the warm ’82 summer. A great, classic, very
old school Gruaud. 95/100
1967 Château Suduiraut
Fine
old gold, fairly bright, not especially deep shade of colour; lovely low-key
Sauternes nose, waxy botrytis, a touch of mint, candied peel – orange marmalade,
caramelized ginger, but all quite sublte, low key and fine; mid+ weight, very
fine ripe fruit, a candy / brûlée overlay, tangy baked apricot, candied peel,
and a touch of ‘hokey pokey’ / ‘Violet Crumble’ flavour. The overall impression
is fairly youthful and proportionate, with a long finish. Drinking very well,
an effortlessly long future still ahead of it. 95/100
Many
thanks to Mr A and Ms S for hosting so generously. I am still recovering!
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