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Experience the finest and rarest wines in the world through the eyes and palate of Acker Chairman and globally renowned master taster, John Kapon (our “JK”).
“Vintage Tastings” is a written journal chronicling the incredible bottles opened at some of the most exclusive tastings, wine dinners, and events all over the globe. These entries represent JK’s commitment to capturing and sharing the ephemeral nature and ultimate privilege of tasting the world’s rarest wines.
Although ratings are based on a 100-point scale, JK believes there is no such thing as a 100-point wine. Point scores assigned to each wine are his own personal attempt to quantify the quality of each experience.
…otherwise knows as ’66 Bottles of Mouton on the Wall.’ 11 Madison and Per Se were the settings, and one of the greatest wines ever to grace man’s lips was the case study, every vintage from 1945-2011 to be precise. I would give more of an introduction, but with 66 notes to summarize, let’s just cut to the chase.
We started with those ‘lesser’ vintages, which can often be the more exciting ones, if you ask me. A great vintage is supposed to be great; it can only live up to expectations or disappoint. An ‘off’ vintage has less expectation coming with it; it can only exceed its pre-conceived status. This first flight was a perfect example, with almost all wines showing well, and two vintages really well.
The View from Above at 11 Madison
The 1977 Mouton Rothschild had a nice nose with pleasant fruit along with some wax, cedar and mineral, someone even said ‘incredible,’ given the context of the vintage, that is. Its palate was smooth, soft and mature, pleasant but light, simple yet elegant. ‘Good nose but dry,’ commented one guest, although there were 3-4 votes for it as wine of the flight. Hamburger noted, ‘cedar, herbal, old school’ (89).
The 1976 Mouton Rothschild had a nutty nose that was much fuller bodied, ‘smells young’ as one put it. Its palate matched its fullness with touches of caramel. It had a creamy palate, with a solid foundation, and an enjoyable, round finish (93).
The 1974 Mouton Rothschild is one of those vintages that would fall under the ‘lowest of expectations’ category. Its nose led us in that direction, showing a funky, ripe and tangy nose that was wild and woolly, with tomato and tobasco aromas. The palate was much better than the nose, but it still had sour cherry flavors and that overmaturity that said, ‘if you only saw me twenty years ago’ (85).
The Unseen Ones
The famed ‘Picasso’ label graces the 1973 Mouton Rothschild. It lived up to the label’s reputation, showing a nice side of vegetal green, dark fruit and ‘eucalyptus.’ There were nice chalk flavors and tender fruit to its long palate. It held and actually gained in the glass (92).
The 1969 Mouton Rothschild was the least of the least, so to speak, the least elegant, the least classic, but with solid richness. It was all about the coffee, completely one dimensional in that regard (83).
The next flight began with the renowned 1968 Mouton Rothschild. Just kidding. Its nose was light with some windex, cardboard, cinnamon and light strawberry. It was clearly weaker but ok. Mr. 47 called it ‘a horrible vintage.’ It wasn’t horrible, despite being light and simpler. Ed found it ‘Burgundian with gorgeous tangerine peel.’ It was a 15 minute wine, for sure, but I enjoyed its citrus and tangerine flavors (86).
The 1972 Mouton Rothschild had a musky, nutty nose that I liked. There was citrus on its palate to go with its tangy flavors and touch of tomato. It was open and ‘horseradishy’ (88).
Miro Miro on the Mouton
Hamburger purred about the ‘mocha and milk chocolate’ in the 1967 Mouton Rothschild. There was big-time cocoa for sure. Its palate was rich, tasty and long with grit, definition and depth. There were flavors of earth, tobacco and powdered sugar along with creamy bakery goodness. Someone noted, ‘hazelnut,’ and Ed found it the best wine of the flight ‘by far’ (93).
The 1965 Mouton Rothschild had sour milk and paint aromas in as good a way as possible, even Mr. 47 said it ‘wasn’t bad.’ It also had that Burgundian edge; it had flesh but was weedy and milky, about as close to the border of not recommended as any wine of the weekend (81).
There was great spice to the 1964 Mouton Rothschild. A stick of cinnamon gum and forest floor added complexity, and its palate reminded me of 1976 with its caramel and chocolate. Ed found it softer than ’67, and he was right (91).
Psychedelic Sixties
The 1963 Mouton Rothschild was quite stewed and forward with some interesting spice and stinky fruit. The palate was quite good, being chocolaty, rich and yeasty with a nice body. This was a pleasant surprise that was tasty (90).
The last wine of the flight was a 1960 Mouton Rothschild. It had a yeasty nose with a light palate yet nice cherry flavors. It had a nice body and nice flavors, pleasant all around. Nice summed up this forgotten vintage (89).
A Lovely Pose and Another Dimension
The most interesting thing about this flight was when someone looked up some ratings for the vintages we just had, and two were in the 50-point range. Yikes. First of all, if it is below 80 points, just call it ‘Not Recommended.’ I mean is there really a difference between 55 and 72 points when it comes to wine? Also, guess which vintages had such a score? The two best. Oy.
We continued on to the rockin’ Fifties, beginning with a 1958 Mouton Rothschild. It was a touch musty with some minerals in its nose, but it was tough to get much out of it aromatically. Its palate was cinnamon and jasmine, almost incense like in character. It was another ‘not bad’ wine, still pretty with some nice tannin expressions. There was a touch of cork to its cinnamon flavors, but it was still pleasant (88).
The 1957 Mouton Rothschild had a beautiful nose full of pretty fruit with lovely red cherry and citrus notes. Its palate combined the red and citrus in elegant fashion. This was just beautiful all around (92).
The Rockin Fifties
The 1956 Mouton Rothschild had ‘sherry/caramel dry fruit,’ but its nose didn’t tell its full story. It was round, tender and fresh, with someone finding it ‘sophisticated.’ It was another pleasant surprise (89).
Another vintage of Mouton I’ll probably never taste again is the 1954 Mouton Rothschild. This also had the coffee thing going on, full of hay and the blacker side of fruits. The palate was a bit mature, possessing Madeira flavors but never losing sight of its coffee (84).
The 1952 Mouton Rothschild was another beautiful nose, more elegant than expected given the tannic nature of 1952. It was bready with red spices, and its palate was round and gorgeous with a thick finish. It was in a great spot, wine of the night so far. It was full, rich and heavy, the first wine that came close to the upper echelon (94).
Cool Labels from not so Cool Vintages
The 1950 Mouton Rothschild was the first, official (DQ) wine of the night, which wasn’t bad given the vintages and the fact that this was wine number 18. And so we ended our vintage portion of the program, or at least the older vintages.
We were back to the future immediately thanks to the 2008 Mouton Rothschild. The young bucks were indubitably here; this was a whole different category. Its nose was rich with butter, toffee and cassis along with garden notes that carried over to the palate. This was a balanced and elegant vintage with some substance and meat underneath. Someone thought it was ‘WOTN’ already, and another found it more ‘Californian.’ Asian spice and bitter black licorice rounded out the ’08 (94).
The 2007 Mouton Rothschild was more floral and purple, quite smooth for a younger vintage. A touch of fresh forest rounded out the nose, and its palate was full of black fruit flavors. It was solid up front, put together well, with the ‘best balance’ per one. Caramel flavors rounded out this enjoyable, early pleasing Mouton (93).
Whippersnappers
The next vintage had unusual aromas of ‘wet rug’ and ‘cheap lavender soap,’ although I thought there some issue with the glass accordingly. It was like chlorine or something of the sorts. The palate was solid, however. It clearly had the best finish of the flight. This was a controversial wine, or a controversial glass, but I saw the potential, and perhaps my score is low for the 2006 Mouton Rothschild (94+).
The 2004 Mouton Rothschild had some tutti frutti in the nose with baked spice, and a gamey and sweet personality. This was not like the last one I remembered having at all. Its palate was wheaty with long, dry earthy flavors and some black fruits (91?).
The last wine of this young flight was a 2002 Mouton Rothschild, which got a few ‘best drinking’s from the crowd, including the Rapmaster. There were some green edges to its nose, ‘more approachable’ with long, fresh, zippy and creamy qualities. Ed noted its ‘crabapple’ (92).
The 2001 Mouton Rothschild was a fresh start to a new flight. It was another young nose, but it had acid and a deep backside with purple, graham cracker, cedar and minerals. The palate was simpler with a dry finish, showing sandy, desert flavors (91).
The 1999 Mouton Rothschild had a big, smoky nose with waterfall and garden aromas. It was smooth, balanced and solid with a nice finish. ‘Cocoa and mocha’ came from the crowd, along with ‘vanilla bean French soup.’ This was almost a flight stealer (94).
Obligatory Food Shot
There was more yeast and bakery in the nose of the 1998 Mouton Rothschild. Cassis and black fruit came across in this elegant Mouton. It was surprisingly lighter and lesser than the 1999 that preceded it (92).
The 1997 Mouton Rothschild was all about the waterfall, smokehouse and cinnamon in the nose. Its palate was soft and easy, green beany in a nice way, light and simple, clinging on to getting into the 90-point club, but probably not for long (90).
The 1996 Mouton Rothschild got lots of ‘best’ for wine of the flight, including me. Aromas of cedar and caramel laid on top of strong acid. Ed interestingly found it ‘more Cheval Blanc than Mouton,’ while Mr. 47 commented that the 1996 had the best of new and old. Its acid continued to flex in strong manners (95).
The 1995 Mouton Rothschild that followed and ended this flight didn’t keep up with the 1996. ‘Plastic pamper’ came from the crowd, along with ‘crushed gavel, saran wrap and milk.’ It had a grainy nose but a soft finish. It was a nice wine, but a letdown after the 1996, which is clearly distancing itself from its oft compared and similarly priced sibling (92).
Flight in Motion
One of the best comments came from Peter, who noted that there was ‘more personality from vintage to vintage.’ Mouton is very diverse in its expressions.
There was one last flight to go, all the big-time young bucks, and what better vintage with which to begin than the 2000 Mouton Rothschild. Its nose was deep and meaty with nice cabinet spice and pepper, paprika and more herbs. There was cassis, nut and black forest in its majestic nose. The palate was a bit square, but its finish was long and sensual. This Korean BBQ edge let a little bit of excitement into the glass (95+).
The 2003 Mouton Rothschild had a sweet, ripe style typical of the vintage and was almost psychedelic. Its palate was round with flavors of coffee grinds, pleasant and easy, not as rock n’ roll as I have come to expect from this overheated vintage (93).
Last but not least
2005 was a watershed of a vintage, but I’ll stay off the record why. The 1995 Mouton Rothschild had a deeper and thicker nose with great raw materials and coffee aromas. While its nose was rich and deep, its palate was more shut down. Its nose was intoxicating, much better with its thick, full-bodied, big boy impression. Ed noted, ‘fresh herbs, tarragon and resin’ (95+).
I didn’t have much left in the tank, but enough to tell you that the 2009 Mouton Rothschild was much more forward in the nose but even more shut down than the 2005 (94).
The 2010 Mouton Rothschild was the real deal, so long and so deep. It was the wine of the night for sure, and a vintage that will outdo every other since 1982 (97+).
The Happy Recap
It was an epic first night, but it would only get better the following day.
The Super Bowl came to New York City, and the wives went out of town. Friday night saw five married men and one bachelor gather at Craft for an evening of good wines and good times. We like to keep our celebrations at the dinner table, and since it was Friday, we were still able to celebrate the soon-to-be buckling Broncos. It’s hard to believe it was only two weeks ago; it feels like months already!
Bad Boy led things off with an original bottle of 1976 Krug. It was wheaty with white fruits, along with honey and caramel. Its palate was solid, lean and elegant with nice orange zip and a smooth, soft finish (94).
Big Boy’s 1985 Krug Clos du Mesnil took it up a notch. There were more vanilla flavors and richness, ‘like a laser.’ This had much more body, Jessica Rabbit style, and its acid was super and duper, both related to long. Rich, heavy cream flavors complemented this big, blonde and ‘big-tittied’ baby. Who dat (97)?
Kruggerands
Twin Coches loomed like towers, and a great 1999 Coche-Dury Meursault Perrieres took no prisoners. Its nose was full of toast and kernel, ‘Coche city,’ according to one, and ‘sick’ per another. There were lots of oohs and aahs for this big, masculine and buttery wine. This was a sunny yellow in the nose, and a creamy rich honey in the mouth. It played perfectly into the strength of the vintage. ‘Compact and intense’ summed it up (97).
The 1996 Coche-Dury Corton Charlemagne that followed didn’t quite live up to its reputation, although The Inspector confirmed that this wine was starting to mature quicker than most people realized. Its nose was more elegant and cleaner with a gorgeous, yellow core. There were waterfall flavors to its ‘fat’ palate. This was a pretty wine, sneakily long with lingering acid and ‘apricoty’ goodness. The Perrieres was mintier over time, and better (95).
Cochy Cochy Koo
The first red was a 2002 Fourrier Griottes Chambertin, which had great, fresh red fruit up front. Milky and strawberry aromas saw cedar and wood join the party along with menthol. It was a bit all over the place. The palate was a touch medicinal, not in a bad way, but its sweet fruit flavors were flirting a lot with cherry cough syrup. Smooth and silky, a few comments included, ‘1er Cru weight’ and ‘before he hit his stride.’ It was smooth and silky, yet ‘before he hit his stride,’ one noted. I should add that there is no question from about 2005 on, Fourrier has been as good as it gets (93).
It was my second bottle of 1990 Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes this month, and the first one was corked. The second one was weird. Cat box was the first thing that came to mind, followed by milky, minty and black fruit. The palate was rich, heavy, big and broad, impressively so, but there was this ‘farm/barnyard’ quality (94?).
The Inspector pulled out a 1966 Clair-Dau Chambertin Clos de Beze, which was slightly musty at first but opened up nicely. It stayed on the earthy and dirty side of things, but red cherry and citrus fruit slowly took equal footing. It was big, earthy and round with nice spice, brothy and staying dirty (93).
A surprisingly fabulous 1972 Rousseau Chambertin stole the show from the other reds. Its nose was open and soupy, with that ’72 alley cat action. Rich tomatoes prevailed in the nose, and its saucy palate had me commenting that this was the best 1972 that I have ever had. I drank it like catnip, finishing it first (95).
Chambertins Activate!
1990 DRC La Tache. It was all there, but it was a little shy. It was a supermodel for sure, with great mint and a whiff of cedar. Its palate was mouth-coating and delicious. It still possessed elegance to its length and thickness. Red fruit and cedar were its reticent and brooding flavors. We could thank The Duke for this beauty, and he also noted its mouth-coating qualities (97).
Bad Boy brought a perfect bottle of 1959 Lafite Rothschild. Everywhere I go, this wine seems to follow me, as it should as it is about as pleasurable a Bordeaux to drink in the world right now. What a wine, especially when Bad Boy was its third owner, knowing the entire history of the wine. There was so much fruit here, like grape meeting sexy back. Cedar and carob complemented its fruit perfectly, along with vitamins and cereal. This was so fresh, and I was stunned to learn this was decanted 2 _ hours ago. Wow. It was so young and so delicious, it got the highest rating from one of our distinguished six guests, ‘PP.’ I asked, ‘PP? What’s that?’ I should have known better. ‘Pure P****,’ I was told. I’ll let you channel your own inner Match Game and figure out the ‘Blank’ (98).
Although it wasn’t universally accepted as such, the 1989 Petrus was my wine of the night. Look, I get the Lafite being the best wine at that time on that night, but that doesn’t necessarily make it the best wine. The 1989 Petrus will go down as one of the Big John Studd wines of all-time. We’re talking Secretariat on his farm, wearing his wreaths the year after he won the Triple Crown, collecting checks for filling the fillies. Yeah, that kind of good. Its nose was Deep Purple, as in the fruit and the rock stars. Big, rich and creamy, this wasn’t rich, this was wealthy. Its acidity could not be denied as the longest and strongest, and anise added just the right amount of kink. Of course, The Inspector was the one who couldn’t deal with this young behemoth, even though I know he is a secret Bordeaux lover lol (99).
Stealing the Show
We were nearing the end, mercifully, so we changed it up to Rhone with a 1966 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle. This was a great Rhone in a perfect spot, long and full of coffee and menthol flavors. It felt like it had a tattoo which read ‘animal’ (95).
I should add that we had two completely DQ‘d wines, a 1953 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle and a 1985 Meo-Camuzet Richebourg. Ouch.
Lastly, we curled up with a 1949 Henri Gouroux Clos Vougeot. There weren’t much notes left in me, other than tasty, classic, earth and early birdie (93).
Thanks to Tom Terrific for gathering us all together, but more thanks go to the ladies that love to leave us alone for a weekend, so we can eat, drink, be merry and be good .
2014 has been a happy new year, full of great wines. I’ve been tasting a lot, and Hong Kong started the year off on the right foot, not a lucky Rabbit foot, but a strong Horseshoe. It was only fitting that the first truly great tasting of 2014 would be with the Emperor.
The Emperor flew back from London just for our dinner together. I felt like a diplomat of significance, so I brought some significant wines accordingly. What I did not bring was the stunning bottle of 1976 Dom Perignon with which we started. Gil accurately noted, ‘crushed walnuts and quince peel.’ It was creamy and lush with nice apple juice flavors and a touch of burnt granulated sugar. It was tasty, round and fresh, still youthful but about as good as it will ever get (95).
Let’s Get This Party Started
A 1982 Domaine Leflaive Batard Montrachet was gorgeous, with ‘cheerio and wheat thin’ aromas. It was sweet and buttery with a honeyed nose, along with some creamed corn. The palate was round, soft and tasty, its sun just starting to set. It was smooth and flavorful, but it had just turned the corner (94).
A 2002 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet was slightly corked, unfortunately, but once past the nose, the palate still sang. This was a rich, long and sexy wine, perfect at age 12, with lush fruit and supporting corn and butter flavors. This could be an all-time classic Leflaive (95+A).
White White Baby
The 1998 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues Batard Montrachet was sweet and a bit simple by comparison to the two vintages prior. It was a touch overly sweet, and after 82 and 02, this was (89), although it might have snuck up a point if served first.
Another affected bottle was next, this time it was a gorgeous bottle of 1947 Petrus. Tant pis! Again, the nose was completely DQ’d, oxidized not corked, but the palate impressed despite the flavor handicap. The texture was so rich and unctuous, so ’47, it had amazing concentration. The plum and chocolate just wanted to bust out, but it was definitely affected. The texture and indicators all told me this would be in 98+ territory were it a good bottle (DQ).
Legends of the Fall
The Emperor pulled out a 1971 Roumier Musigny. That’s why he is the Emperor. Someone compared it to ‘God singing in the glass.’ It definitely had an incredible, wow nose. There was so much brightness here, along with amazing spice and red citrus fruits. A thick forest added complexity. There was just a hint of autumn in its flavors, along with a kiss of BBQ. There was beautiful freshness to this satiny, sexy wine. ‘Stones up’ (97).
Appropriate Backup
The Emperor started rolling – now it was a 1985 DRC Romanee Conti. There was gorgeous fruit in the nose with sweet red honey, garden and cherry. Fresh, citrus flavors and a kiss of good dirt accompanied green cedar and tobacco. There was lots of earth expressing itself more and more in the mouth, with more tobacco coming out. Some preferred the ’85 best over time compared to the Roumier, but the Roumier thrilled more initially (97).
The Full Monty
Now the Emperor was just showing off, pulling out a spectacularly good bottle of 1982 Le Pin. I have an on-again, off-again love affair with Le Pin. Some vintages are everything I could ever want, yet others I find disappointing, bordering on uninteresting. This ’82 was an exciting bottle. ‘From strength to strength,’ was said, and this was a perfect bottle. It was rich, chocolaty, chunky and lush. Chocolate merged into chocolate bar in the mouth, with more raisin and nut flavors. I never had an ’82 Le Pin this good; it was delicious (97).
The 97-point goodness came to a screeching halt with exhibit B, the 1989 Le Pin, which was flat out smoked by the 1982. The ’89 was soft and tender, easy with some classic components but very simple in the mouth. There was a touch of slate to its one-dimensional plum flavors, and I just didn’t feel this vintage at all, and this wasn’t the first time, either (91).
Dirtier Can Be Better
The 1968 Vega Sicilia Unico was a nice way to end the evening. Its unique, leathery and kinky aromas and flavors showed off that edgy Tempranillo edge, but it was still so young and purple. This was an absolutely delicious wine, classic Vega and perhaps its finest vintage ever (96+).
I Owe You One
The bottle of Vega came crashing to the floor a few minutes thereafter, as our invigorated crew began to shake their tail feathers away from the table. The bottles may fall, the bottles may break, but the Emperor still rises.
Happy New Year Everyone! May 2014 be your best year yet. Life can often be measured in extremes; good and evil, love and hate, black and white, make that red and white. And on one special night before Christmas, a group of New York’s finest wine lovers got together in the nest of its finest new restaurant, Charlie Bird, with a lineup of extraordinary wines, made all the more extraordinary by the people who brought them. This was a special group of friends and wine lovers that go way, way back, a group that has collectively accounted for many great memories. It was only fitting to spend one Christmas night with all of them, living and loving.
Yummy Bird Food
That’s what I have tried to do, live wine and love wine, and Champagne is always a good place to start. And so we began with a spectacular 1947 Krug Collection magnum. There were only four possible people in the world that would have brought this out of magnum, and Wolfgang was still in Europe. Three of the others were at this dinner, but Big Boy will get the credit. What an incredible magnum this was, possessing a great nose full of creamy vanilla fruit and sex. The King of Champagne (one of Big Boy’s many aliases) was already finding ‘tertiary’ aromas. This was a rich, long, round and delicious magnum, with just enough fizz to make it more interesting than the most interesting man in the world. I mean, obviously the guy would drink fine wine, right? The bar had been set high, early (98M).
A trio of Bollygood started with an affected 1949 Bollinger. There was an immediate note of paint thinner, never a great sign. However, the palate had great texture, still rich with nice spritz. It was long and could have been an incredible wine, but it was an affected bottle (94A).
The 1961 Bollinger was solid as a rock. Someone noted ‘shellfish and minerality,’ comparing it to a great Chablis. It was classy and long with nice citrus flavors, ‘wine of the flight’ per BB (96).
Bond. James Bond.
The 1966 Bollinger came close to the ’61. It was rich and full with more orange flavors, but it didn’t quite have the length or acid of the ’66. It was still outstanding (95).
We segued to the reds with a couple of white magnums, thanks to Big Mike and The Punisher, in that order. These two whites made me wish more people brought white wines to events, it’s ok . Especially when the whites are like a magnum of 1949 Haut Brion Blanc…f*ck me very much, talk about rare. This was a combination of bloody rare and crime scene bloody. ‘Christmas tree’ came from the crowd. Sir Robert Bohr found it ‘waxy with lanolin.’ There was this cray cray glue-like complexity to the nose, and a ‘wow how you like me now?’ oomph to the palate. It was full of honey flavors, in a perfect spot. It was like this insane mix of potpourri and a Rocky Mountain high. Lady Agah noted, ‘little Japanese white mushrooms,’ you know, those emoji lol. It was still so sweet and so great, Big Boy contributed ‘apricots’ while another ‘white pineapple’ (97M).
The Punisher was actually a surprise guest. He was invited, but his way of confirming was ‘what time?’ I now know better. He was accordingly and mercifully left off the email chain before dinner; I am sure Big Mike would have gladly traded places. Thankfully, The Punisher always has at least two bottles and two magnums on him, one of which was the 1986 Domaine Leflaive Batard Montrachet, in magnum. It had typical 1986 to it, with sweet corn and honey oozing from its nose, make that candy corn. Its palate was rich and sweet with more honey. It had a mature finish; this wine was on a plateau, but it wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, at least out of magnum (95M).
He Went Thataway
The Red Burgundies on this night were not so starry, beginning with an oxidized 1952 Vogue Musigny Vieilles Vignes. I could see how a good bottle would be great, but this wasn’t one of them (DQ).
A 1952 DRC Richebourg was a better showing for this secretly fabulous vintage for red Burgundy. The Riche had lots of red rover fruit and fresh garden aromas. It was round, lush and creamy with a softer finish yet long acid. It got better in the glass and was fuller than the 1940 La Tache that would follow. The ’52 DRC got ‘The Empty Glass Toast’ from La Machina, formerly known as The Cardinal, but we’ll get to that a bit later. (94).
The 1943 DRC Richebourg was oxidized, ‘awkward but powerful’ (DQ).
Now for that 1940 DRC La Tache, the last bottle of red Burgundy on this night. It was an unusually short and sweet appearance for the Pinots; the original theme of ‘1940s’ probably had something to do with it. This rare 1940 had an elegant nose, but it clearly didn’t have the weight of a great vintage. There was a hint of VA here as well, but its palate was balanced and elegant with flavors of rose and red fruits. It was a lovely wine (91).
DRC Doozies
It was on to our featured attraction of Bordeaux with a 1928 Cos d’Estournel thanks to The Rev. It was a bottle that was reconditioned in 1988. La Machina noted ‘catcher’s mitt.’ That’s pronounced the Spanish way, La Maqueena or Makeena, I can’t remember exactly, but some of you may remember him as The Cardinal, and those of you that really know him, including everyone at this dinner, remember him as King Angry. He gave up the throne for religion, but he never could quite fully repent, and now he is half-man, half-machine, possibly the first cyborg of his kind. Back to the Cos, which had a nice, deep nose that was very nutty and buttery. There were aromas of cocoa butter, cedar, carob and sweet fruit. The palate had some heavy cream qualities and was tasty and smooth with a hint of citrus (93).
A Kiss of Cos
The 1928 Haut Brion that followed was a bit controversial, good at first revealing signature coffee and espresso in the nose, but turning quickly sour on the palate to the point of (DQ).
A 1945 Latour reaffirmed the fact that 1945 is likely the greatest vintage of all-time. This was a spectacular bottle with a rich, sweet nose full of cassis, black fruit and walnut. It kept getting richer, deeper and blacker. There was amazing ‘fruit concentration’ per one, along with delicious chocolate flavors. Big Mike found it ‘very rich,’ while La Machina noted ‘a touch of gym socks.’ Gentleman Jim found it more like ‘panties.’ It was about that time (98).
The 1945 Lafite Rothschild was outstanding in its own right, a Shylock selection. It was another great nose, full of cedar, chocolate, cassis and other classic aromas. Its palate was elegant, long and fine, but there was still meat on dem bones. It was really tasty and classy, but no match for the Latour (95).
The Greatest of All Time?
It was coming Noah’s Ark style, two by two, and next up was a 1948 La Mission Haut Brion. It got a ‘great’ from La Machina, possessing excellent aromas of wheat, white smoke, carob and light toasted nuts. This was a rich wine, as good as the vintage gets in the Left Bank. That’s a La Mission characteristic, to exceed expectations in tougher or tricky years. Gentleman Jim noted ‘hazelnuts’ and also found it ‘rich and tasty’ (95).
Riding Dirty
The 1948 Latour was simple and easy by comparison, round and soft with tender black fruits. Easy, soft and simple reappeared in my notes (90).
Time was flying by, and it was already 1949, a 1949 Mouton Rothschild, to be precise. This was another great nose, thick with coffee grinds and a pinch of green bean. This bottle was courtesy of Bad Boy, aka Bruce The Returner. Since he was only the third owner since release, he wasn’t returning this one . This was rich and fleshy with nice grit in the mouth. There were tobacco flavors, wet, brown and green ones all rolled in one. This was right on the border of outstanding, so I rounded up (95).
Mouton Madness
Our first Right Banker was a solid 1952 Cheval Blanc. It had a great nose, full of rich spice and decidedly different. It felt heavy in a loading up for winter way, dark red in hue. Its palate was softer and easier, round with some vim. There was still some oily, meaty and gamey goodness in this tasty wine (94).
It was another winning showing for La Miss with the paired 1952 La Mission Haut Brion. Its nose was great, with lots of asphalt melting out of it. This was another rich and tasty wine that was big and black with its midnight fruit. There was hot summer sweat here, even though it was the heart of December (95).
We were almost finished with the Bordeaux, but we had to have a couple ’61s to close. 1928-1961 is a pretty good lesson when it comes to Bordeaux, and the 1961 Haut Brion was up for the final chapter. Its nose was full of slate and meaty fruit, along with tobacco, forest and mint. Its palate was also minty, and it had some good horsey to it. This was a bottle reconditioned in 1980 or 1982, I couldn’t quite read it. This was a long, smooth and satiny wine (96).
The 1961 Mouton Rothschild was up for the ’61 Challenge. It also had a minty nose, but in a different way than the HB. The Mouton felt richer and was more minty, showing flashes of ’47 and ’74 Heitz on top (96).
A 1971 Petrus from an OWC finished our Bordeaux in fine fashion, it had a similar gamey and coconutty nose to a recent 1970, although the ’70 outweighs the ’71. The ’71 was still rich and long, an outstanding wine as well (95).
OWC Me
Big Mike dropped the hammer with a near-perfect bottle of 1961 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle. This was a sick wine, with a nose more intense than anything prior. This was a city unto itself, so intricate and so complex with so many nooks and crannies. There were great roasted menthol flavors here, and hearty alcohol to match. This was a beautiful monster, as good as it gets (99).
A magnum of 1978 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle was the right idea, but unfortunately slightly corked. It was rich and solid overall, but masked. Meat, asphalt and acid stood out (95A-M).
Out With a Bang Zoom
Everyone started to stumble out one by one, but those of us that were left were treated to a perfect bottle of 1979 Salon thanks to Bad Boy. That’s what we call ‘and one’ (97).
It was the happiest of holiday parties. 2014 was starting to feel pretty good.
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