Verkostungsnotiz: 2005-05-11

Bordeaux 1945/7/9

Being vintage 1949 myself I took the steep price tag for a tasting with some 1949 vintage Bordeaux's with stoic nonchalance (maybe with some notions concerning ethics) - maybe a singular opportunity for me. Due to less than perfect experiences with older Bordeaux's the expectations were not this high despite some high praise for some of the bottles.

I find it difficult to describe and score wines of this "elevated" status

- you have to be careful not to get carried away by awe

- same time you should avoid being too cool and controlled

- some aromas and flavours of such old wines are sometimes a bit odd without being faulty

- the live span of the wines in the glass is rather short and the development over a few minutes can be quite fast and so on

but I tried my best.

We started with a glass of Dom Perignon Rosé 1988 Magnum: Rosé color, bubbles, smell of Champagne - but I did not taste it.

Next came a flight with 3 white wines including one ringer.

1988 Laville Haut Brion (single blind): Medium gold yellow, medium tears. Hint of dry sherry in the nose, slightly spicy. Slim body, sleek acidity, hint of fruit. No finish. Wine of interest only for aficionados.

1988 Haut Brion blanc (single blind): Red golden color, medium tears. Heavy oxidized, strong sherry note - of a very good sherry. Slim body, strong acidity, thin, some tannins. Short finish. Bad bottle but kind of interesting due to the oxidized nose even if faulty.

2001 Gouges, Les Perrières, Nuit Saint George 1er Cru blanc, Cote d'Or, Burgundy, France (ringer, double blind): Light yellow, low viscosity. Sweet smoky nose. Medium body, tartish grape fruit, fine tannins, note of lemons. Persistent tannins in the finish. Curious wine - white Pinot Noir due to a mutation.

Then came the first flight of four red wines (Single blind. Decanted shortly before tasting. Riedel Vinum Chardonnay glass):

1971 Petrus, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France (ringer): Medium garnet, some brick, high viscosity. Lovage in the cool nose, soft vanilla. Medium body, melting fruity acidity, very soft tannins, fully mature. Beautiful finish, persistent tannins, soft mouth impregnating. Score: 50 + 3 for optic + 14 for bouquet + 18 for taste + 8 for overall = total score of 93.

1949 Calon Segur, St. Estephe, Bordeaux, France: Light garnet, some brick, medium tears. Decent lovage note, pine, lemon. Medium body, beautiful fruity acidity, velvety tannins grip, bit vulgar. Long finish, good grip. Score: 50 + 3 for optic + 14 for bouquet + 17 for taste + 7 for overall = total score of 91.

1949 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France: Medium garnet, brick note, good viscosity. Bloody Mary in the nose, lemon. Medium body, melting fruity acidity, fine tannins, well balanced. Long finish, slightly tartish note in the end. Score: 50 + 3 for optic + 14 for bouquet + 18 for taste + 7 for overall = total score of 92.

1949 Latour, Pauillac, Bordeaux , France: Medium garnet, some brick, high viscosity. Slightly alcoholic kitchen spices note in the nose, bit sweet, lemon, tobacco. Medium body, tartish fruity acidity, tannins bit hidden behind, slightly bitter, touch of blood. Medium long finish, fine tannins. Score: 50 + 3 for optic + 14 for bouquet + 17 for taste + 8 for overall = total score of 92.

Overall I was very happy with the remarkable vivid wines of this flight with Petrus 71 as favourite. All wines showed a nice fruity acidity, the best ones with some nice melting character - this is a feature for me for a great wine.

Second flight with another four wines (Single blind. Decanted shortly before tasting. Glass&Co Chardonnay glass):

1947 Talbot, St. Julien, Bordeaux, France: Light garnet, brick, dense tears. Decent red fruity nose, bit caramelised. Slim body, massive fruity acidity combined with intense sweet taste - echo of a top ice wine, strong tannins. Long finish, persistent tannins. Score: 50 + 3 for optic + 12 for bouquet + 17 for taste + 8 for overall = total score of 90.

1947 Leoville Poyferré, St. Julien, Bordeaux, France: Dark ruby, light rim, fat tears. Decent spicy nose with a hint of lemons and lovage. Thin body, massive acidity. Bit tannins in the finish. Score: 50 + 4 for optic + 13 for bouquet + 15 for taste + 4 for overall = total score of 86.

1982 Latour, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France (ringer): Dark ruby, dense tears. Very intense dark fruity nose, cool liquorice, some barnyard, emulsion paint. Plump body, fat fruit, slightly mouldy tannins. Long finish, slightly off note, persistent tannins. Score: 50 + 4 for optic + 13 for bouquet + 17 for taste + 6 for overall = total score of 90.

1949 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux, France: Medium ruby, light rim, medium tears. Slightly fat nose, bit spicy, fine velvety. Medium body, meaty acidity, in the middle a bit thin, overall slightly austere in a nice way. Long finish, velvety persistent tannins. Score: 50 + 4 for optic + 14 for bouquet + 18 for taste + 8 for overall = total score of 94.

This flight was with the exception of the Haut Brion quite a step down. The 1947 Talbot showed a curious ice wine character (may be of some interest for aficionados), the Leoville Poyferré was dead on arrival and the Latour 82 had a slight defect. The Haut Brion 1949 was clearly the best wine of the flight with an austere "male" character but great structure.

Third flight with 3 wines (Single blind. Decanted shortly before tasting. Glass&Co Chardonnay glass):

1945 Nenin, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: Medium garnet, medium tears. Lovage, slightly mouldy nose. Medium body, mouldy taste. Long aftertaste. Bad bottle. No score.

1945 Cheval Blanc, St. Emilion, Bordeaux, France: Medium garnet, light rim, fat tears. First smell after violets, flowers, lemon - then rapid development to glue. Medium body, melting fruity acidity, beautiful fruit, very fine tannins. Very long finish, fine velvety persistent tannins. Could be a great bottle but there is a problem with volatile aromas. I scored for bouquet somewhere in the middle to appreciate the first rather fine impression. Score: 50 + 4 for optic + 11 for bouquet + 18 for taste + 9 for overall = total score of 92.

1970 Petrus, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: Medium ruby, fat tears. Hint of barnyard, fat but decent fruit. Medium full body, decent dark fruit, massive tannins, intense acidity, slightly hot, good balance nevertheless. Very long finish, mouth impregnating tannins, melting fruity acidity. Very persistent in the aftertaste. Very nice, great wine. Score: 50 + 4 for optic + 14 for bouquet + 19 for taste + 9 for overall = total score of 96.

The Nenin was mouldy and the Cheval Blanc great in the very first minute - then it developed a nasty glue nose. Well and then the bonus 1970 Petrus: For me the wine of the evening and clearly a great bottle - everything here despite some age (even if 25 years younger than the other wines), excellent structure and balance and again this melting fruity acidity.

Menu: 3 course menu from the Coburg restaurant – not exciting but adequate.

Overall conclusion: Very interesting evening, some bad bottles but not as many as feared and some quite great bottles. And yes - the 1949 vintage is a good one. 

2005-05-12/Schriftführer e.h.