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Well, not exactly a kosher Seder < g >, more like an excellent dinner with good
wines. Corton Charlemagne 1989 Bonneau du Martrey and Ch. Haut Brion 1970.
We had the Corton Charlemagne with the first two courses, the Haut Brion with
the rest.
Corton Charlemagne 1989 Bonneau du Martray
4/95. Bought in auction Mar-95 for $55. (imported from Chicago for $63 net).
Set in the fridge for 24 hours, opened and poured immediately. BIG MISTAKE! It
took about 20 minutes for the wine to open up. A great white (B) should be
given some time to breath, just like red, and should never be served below
12-14 C.
COLOR: Good golden-yellow vibrant color.
NOSE: Pleasant but disappointingly weak aroma. Nothing like Jadot's or
Latour's CC.
TASTE: (After it came out of its shell) Much better than the nose. Rich and
spicy taste with hints of flint, nuts, and butter. Still a bit young with a
tinge of bitterness on the finish.
LENGTH: Infinite long and complex, lingering in the mouth for ages.
BALANCE & TEXTURE: Very good acidity vs alcohol, though not particularly
fruity. A viscous wine.
OVERALL: Excellent and enticing wine, though I had better Corton Charlemagne
in my life.
MARK: 17/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Maybe.
Chateau Haut Brion 1970 Graves
4/95. Bought in auction Mar-95 for $80 (imported from Chicago for $92 net).
My experience of a first-growth Bordeaux. The bottle was not
filled to the top (they designated it 'high shoulders', though if that is
'high' I wonder what 'low' is < g >). The cork broke in the middle, though the
wine was certainly not corked. Decanted the wine out of courtesy, as not much
sediment was there. It stood decanted for about half an hour before we got to
it.
COLOR: Brownish-red though surprisingly full and quite dark. Paling only
around the rim.
NOSE: Very big and unusual aroma. I could not discern any particular fruit or
any other specific ingredient for that matter. It reminded me of some medicine
or coughing syrup (remember, I have no reference point). It was like no wine I
ever had. Very impressive, though it took some time to get used to. After a
while I found myself sniffing again and again for that smell. It faded away in
about two hours.
TASTE: Very concentrated and tasty but again, no particular ingredient can be
told apart. Mouth-filling and smooth. Totally mellow but, at the risk of
showing my ignorance, I think a bit too mellow and maybe past its peak. I wish
I had a younger version of this wine for comparison.
LENGTH: Almost no aftertaste whatsoever.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: The wine was so velvety smooth and homogeneous, that I
can't even tell its fruitiness from its acidity, alcohol etc. It had no
discernable tannins, and the only element that revealed itself to me
separately was the Merlot taste.
OVERALL: An excellent wine and a great experience. This wine was more like an
intellectual exercise. You drink this wine and think, whereas with a great
(B), you close your eyes, drink it slowly, and surrender to pleasure. This is
not my final assessment on Bx vs (B), just a first-time impression. I must
reserve judgement until I had more and different Bordeaux wines.
MARK: 17/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? No.
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