Pauillac

This was  served for a friends 60th birthday.  It was decanted for sediment and allowed to breathe for 20 minutes before being poured into glasses and given another ten minutes.  I ended up letting the wine go another 45 minutes (checking in on it during that time) before consuming which seemed to me optimum.  The bottle was bought a few years ago at auction and seemed sound and looked legit.  Purple in color, a bit lighter at the core with some browning especially at the edges.  A bit flat and slightly opaque.  After blowing off some bottle stink and coming back to life, the nose is comple

This is the second wine of Pichon Longueville.  It is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, slight chocolate and a bit of leather.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, light tannins.  Tart, black raspberry fruit.  Some black cherries and a bit of chocolate.  Good acidity.  Nice balance.  Long finish.  This should improve a bit over the next five to seven years but either way should be great drinking over the next twelve to fifteen.  A Chicken and Cheddar Sou

This is the second wine of Lynch Bages.  It is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc.  Most of the 2018's tried were riper and more "modern" for lack of a better descriptor.  This seems more "old school" with less alcohol.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, graphite, slight leather and char.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, there are tart black cherries, medium tannins and just a bit of smoke.  A slightly clipped finish.  This could use a bit of time, maybe a couple years, but should drink well for ten to twelve

This is a new one for me.  Apparently, Les Griffons de Pichon Baron is one of the second wines of Pichon Baron.  It hasw been produced since the 2012 vintage.  The grapes come primarily from gravelly plots of land near to the Gironde estuary.  A blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Merlot.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is very tight, but with air, there is cassis, black cherries, spice and a hint of chocolate.  Much more open on the palate.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  Cassis and black cherry fruit with some spice.  Nice finish.  This needs another five to eight year

Wonderful wine.  Finally worth opening after waiting all these years.  Bought on release and cellared.  This was open and decanted for sediment and allowed to breather for an hour or so before trying.  Deep ruby in color, purple at the core, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is classic with cassis, pencil lead, tobacco and a hefty amount of earthy funk.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is complex and layered but still fresh and vibrant.  Cassis with underlying earthiness and a bit of coffee and mushroom.  Long finish.  Contemplative.  This drinks great on its own and will work well with

Tasted from a Magnum.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, opaque and bright.  The nose is earthy with cigar tobacco but plenty of fresh cassis.  The wine is mostly clean with just a hint of funk.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, there is tart cassis and cranberry fruit with underlying earthiness.  Showing some complexity.  Good finish.  In Magnum, this is drinking well today and probably close to peak.  This certainly could go another ten years but I doubt it gets better.  It will work better with food and went well with a tomato tart, but fatty meats would be a good choice.  

Great showing for this wine.  Drinking wonderfully at this time.  Seems fully mature, possibly, just slightly past (depending on your tastes).  Purple in color, ruby swirls, but no browning.  The nose is great with cigar box, earthy, some Bordeaux funk but still with some cassis left.  On the palate, this has faint tannins.  Very earthy with cassis, dried black raspberries some tobacco.  Complex.  The layers unwind in the glass.  Wonderful texture.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own, but would be even better with food.  Roasted veggies or duck would be great.  At this age (34) ever

This showed surprisingly well for such a young Lafite.  It was splash decanted for about 20 minutes prior to serving.  Purple in color, opque and bright.  The nose is big with cassis, graphite, cedar and spice.  On the palate, this drinks young but like a pedigreed Bordeaux (which, of course, it is).  Deep.  Plenty of energy.  Spry is perhaps a better word.  Lots of cassis with underlying cedar and spice.  Medium tannins.  Good finish.  This drinks great on its own right now and will work well with a roast or steak.  It probably need another decade or more to get to peak but should drink we

Sadly, this was corked.  It is too bad because it really seemed like a special wine underneath.  But it would be unfair to judge it.  A shame as the last time I had this, it was given a perfect score and seemed to be just getting to maturity.  

Chateau Latour probably takes the longest to come around of all of the first Growths.  Most of the time, patience is rewarded.  This showed quite well for the vintage.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is very earthy with Bordeaux funk but also cassis, black raspberries, tobacco and slight cedar.  Medium bodied with medium tannins.  At age 22, this is more of a teenager than an adult.  The palate goes from heavy cassis to cranberries and back with underlying funk and earth.  There is some complexity.  This should drink well for another fifteen to twenty years.  It drinks nice alo