By: Ryan Tedder
Another day another great line-up of wines at Graileys. There was a small line up but it was very enlightening to drink all of these together. One of our favorite members started it off with a half bottle of 1986 Chateau Rauzan-Segla. When Rauzan is on it shows its second growth pedigree in spades. 1986 is a GREAT vintage of this wine (possible the best ever made) and for Margaux in general. This wine was showing beautifully and full of life. The tannins were soft, seductive and luxurious. The aromatics of cigar wrapper, dried roses, cedar, red currant and minerals were intoxicating. The palate impression was generous and delightful while being complex and a finish that wouldn’t quit. What a beautiful wine.
Next up was the 2005 Lynsolence St. Emilion and this was a complete juxtaposition of styles. This is 100% Merlot done in a very modern style and the wine’s bouquet of blueberries, graphite, acacia flowers, and violets. The wine was full-bodied with exceptionally high glycerin levels, huge tannin, and good acidity. The oak is relatively obscured by high extract and glycerin, and this powerful, muscular, large-scaled wine should drink wonderfully for another decade easily. It was tight and needed coaxing in the decanter. It reminded me of a great Pomerol with the soft, round tannins of a red from the Cote de Nuits. Fascinating.
We finished with the 1994 Haut Brion to top off the good times. It is uncanny how a first growth in any year is just damned good. 1994 is an unheralded vintage but this was a pop and pour classic! The black currant, cedar, graphite, blodd, and coffee bean on this wine were hard to miss. Notes of compost, truffle, earth, spice box, dried herbs, and licorice competed with sweet black cherry and currant fruit on the palate. The wine was medium-bodied, with a relatively plump, chewy feel and a carressing, lengthy finish full of class. Bravo Haut Brion!