By: AJ McClellan
Bordeaux has long been a favorite wine region here at Graileys. Not only is it one of our best sellers but many consider it to be the epitome of Cabernets and Merlots the world over. That being said there has been many controversies over the hierarchical system of quality the wines established in 1855. The First Growth classification carried the highest prestige that has, for the most part, remained intact until the promotion of Mouton-Rothschild to the top growth in 1973. Recently a bread of upstarts, the “Super Seconds”, have had their eye on the throne hoping to overthrow the long held traditions and show that they can not only show as well as their big brothers, but they even have the ability to show better!
1985 Mouton – This is a great little bottle. The nose is brilliant showing still ripe fruit with sensual earthy aromas. The palate is pleasant but there is a small hole in the middle where I wish it should show some weight and a little more stuffing’s.
1985 Cos d’Estournel – This wine was the winner of the tasting by just a hair. The nose was brilliant still showing very fresh even after 28 years in the bottle. Bright black and red fruits with soft earthy aromas of dried leaves and liquorish. The palate was perfect with excellent depth and lingering floral notes on the finish.
1988 Lafite – This wine was in the running for wine of the night. It started out fairly muted but gained steam the entire tasting ending up being one of my personal favorites. This wine was so different from the others in its silky texture, drinking the wine was like laying down in a perfectly made bed and wrapping yourself with elegant fruit for a cozy night sleep outside under the autumn trees.
1989 Pichon Baron – This was another wine that really stood out for me. It was the biggest and most brutish of all of the wines. The nose was full of black fruit and spice while still capturing the rocky terrior of Pauillac. The palate was boisterous with massive tannins and rich fruit backed by loads of spice and subtle floral notes.
1996 Ducru Beaucaillou – I was a little disappointed with the Beaucaillou… When I first opened the wine it was showing beautiful ripe fruit and well integrated tannins but after a few hours in the glass the wine shut down loosing the bright fruit and accentuating the tannins. I would like to try this wine again in another few years.
2001 Haut Brion – On any other night this would probably be the best wine on the table but it was just outclassed with all the wines with more age on them. The fruit was powerful and dark with great length and the secondary earthy tones were pleasant with nice expression but all in all the wine did not show the exuberance that the other bottles around the table were showing.