To start things off, we tasted through a vertical of Pichon Lalande. The 2006 Pichon Lalande was by far the youngest wine of the tasting, and was striking for showing a side of Pichon Lalande one normally does not encounter—almost searing tannins accompanied by slightly drying tannins on the finish, with more than a touch of new oak showing. The wine at this stage is dominated by reduction, with a faint herbal note one of the few signs that we were tasting a Pichon. Certainly this needs quite a bit of bottle age to integrate its powerful individual elements. Could this be a response to those lackluster reviews from earlier years where the elegance of Pichon Lalande came up short?
Next in line was the 2000 Pichon Lalande, a wine that gave me a chance to recall some of the early comments about bell pepper and almost vegetal greenness. But then there were others who claimed it was a great wine. Well, this bottle performed beautifully, and I can safely say that bell pepper is possibly the last descriptor one would come up with for this wine. Signature Pichon Lalande aromas of aged brown tobacco, cassis, and with a high toned menthol note that contributed to the wine’s striking aromatic development and complexity given its young age. I’d say (and I think others agreed) that this is a great Pichon Lalande in the making.
Next to the right in the glass was the vaunted 1996 Pichon Lalande, which I had the chance to taste with my sister-in-law while in South Africa recently. Our bottle there was given a good six hours of air and it helped—this bottle began a bit reserved, but opened nicely in the glass. The aromas here were more muted than they were in the case of 2000, with dark cassis fruit and tobacco hinting at the great depth of material here. In the mouth, sweet on entry, but then giving way to an intensely spicy finish, with the same complexity and nuance emerging here as inner mouth perfume. This is another great Pichon Lalande, although it really needs a few more years to hit its full stride. Individual bottles now would probably be judged as early to mid-adolescent.
The 1986 Pichon Lalande was perhaps the closest we came to an “off” bottle. The aromas here are subdued, with the signature tobacco notes mostly missing and the cassis notes decidedly in the background. In the mouth the wine is more impressive, with a healthy acidity balancing an otherwise surprisingly sweet and round mid-palate.
The 1975 Pichon Lalande showed well given the controversial vintage. On the nose, faint menthol and tobacco aromas suggest dark, dusty juice rather than anything green. The tannins here are well under control, dominated as they are by the very dark fruit that gives a powerful mid-palate impression (a vintage signature?). Very good for the vintage, even if it cannot compete with a 1975 Haut Brion that we had a month or so earlier (but that is another story).
Last of the PLLs was the 1966 Pichon Lalande, one of the stars of the tasting. Showing a beautifully aromatic nose of great freshness and vigor, this was strikingly sweet and round in the mouth, while preserving all of its considerable inner mouth detail. A spectacularly long finish to this wine, with a touch of red fruit (the first of the vertical?) emerging at the very end. Beautiful wine and a spectacular showing.
Having completed the Pichon Lalande vertical, we moved on to Bordeaux Miscellany. Next up were two older wines, the 1966 Palmer and the 1953 Calon Segur. Others found the Palmer a bit tired, or at least not quite up to its vaunted reputation, but I myself was pleased to find a delicately fragrant, floral nose of dark flowers. In the mouth, there is healthy acidity that maximizes the very intense, vibrant cassis fruit. Certainly a Margaux treat. The 1953 Calon Segur was perhaps the biggest surprise of the tasting, since no one really expected such its lively and youthful character. I would have guessed blind that this wine was 18 years old. A touch of volatile acidity on the nose, but spicy bright flavors dominated by dark fruit in the mouth. Not the most complex wine of the tasting, but remarkably energetic and bright given its advanced age.
The 1975 Pichon Lalande showed well given the controversial vintage. On the nose, faint menthol and tobacco aromas suggest dark, dusty juice rather than anything green. The tannins here are well under control, dominated as they are by the very dark fruit that gives a powerful mid-palate impression (a vintage signature?). Very good for the vintage, even if it cannot compete with a 1975 Haut Brion that we had a month or so earlier (but that is another story).
Last of the PLLs was the 1966 Pichon Lalande, one of the stars of the tasting. Showing a beautifully aromatic nose of great freshness and vigor, this was strikingly sweet and round in the mouth, while preserving all of its considerable inner mouth detail. A spectacularly long finish to this wine, with a touch of red fruit (the first of the vertical?) emerging at the very end. Beautiful wine and a spectacular showing.
Having completed the Pichon Lalande vertical, we moved on to Bordeaux Miscellany. Next up were two older wines, the 1966 Palmer and the 1953 Calon Segur. Others found the Palmer a bit tired, or at least not quite up to its vaunted reputation, but I myself was pleased to find a delicately fragrant, floral nose of dark flowers. In the mouth, there is healthy acidity that maximizes the very intense, vibrant cassis fruit. Certainly a Margaux treat. The 1953 Calon Segur was perhaps the biggest surprise of the tasting, since no one really expected such its lively and youthful character. I would have guessed blind that this wine was 18 years old. A touch of volatile acidity on the nose, but spicy bright flavors dominated by dark fruit in the mouth. Not the most complex wine of the tasting, but remarkably energetic and bright given its advanced age.
Next up was a trio of Bordeaux from the vaunted 1982 vintage. The superstar in my opinion here was the 1982 La Mission Haut Brion, a wine in some ways so distinct from all that came before that it would have stood out even if it was not a great wine. Dark and dusty, almost impenetrable fruit and charcoal aromas took me back to the 1975 Haut Brion from a few months back. In the mouth, the dark fruit is tinged by flavors of black olive underlain by its perfectly integrated mineral structure. This wine seems to have been culled from the deeper waters of the Marianas Trench, still brooding and reserved despite its advanced age. A wine of incredible length, one where the term “haunting” seems entirely appropriate.
With the spectacular 1982 La Mish was an excellent bottle of 1982 Gruaud Larose, showing a perfumed nose of faint olive, must, chalk, mint, and tobacco. Perhaps aromatically a hypothetical blend of Margaux perfume and Pauillac tobacco and cassis, or was that just what I was tasting earlier?
And a bottle of 1982 Leoville las Cases, showing very well indeed. Unlike an earlier bottle that struck me as showing an almost crème de cassis (which I took as the LLC signature, apparently even before the advent of Reverse Osmosis), this one was still probably the most “modern” in the lineup. The aromas were initially muted, but with time in the glass the menthol and tobacco notes began to emerge, although one would have to say that dark cassis was still the dominant character. In the mouth the wine is powerful beyond probably any that have preceded it, with the possible exceptions of the 1982 La Mission and the 1996 Pichon Lalande. Maybe this really is a 50-75 year wine…
The star of the tasting? Has to be the 1982 La Mission Haut Brion in my mind, although I expect a strong showing from the 2000 and 1996 Pichon Lalande in the future.
With the spectacular 1982 La Mish was an excellent bottle of 1982 Gruaud Larose, showing a perfumed nose of faint olive, must, chalk, mint, and tobacco. Perhaps aromatically a hypothetical blend of Margaux perfume and Pauillac tobacco and cassis, or was that just what I was tasting earlier?
And a bottle of 1982 Leoville las Cases, showing very well indeed. Unlike an earlier bottle that struck me as showing an almost crème de cassis (which I took as the LLC signature, apparently even before the advent of Reverse Osmosis), this one was still probably the most “modern” in the lineup. The aromas were initially muted, but with time in the glass the menthol and tobacco notes began to emerge, although one would have to say that dark cassis was still the dominant character. In the mouth the wine is powerful beyond probably any that have preceded it, with the possible exceptions of the 1982 La Mission and the 1996 Pichon Lalande. Maybe this really is a 50-75 year wine…
The star of the tasting? Has to be the 1982 La Mission Haut Brion in my mind, although I expect a strong showing from the 2000 and 1996 Pichon Lalande in the future.
