1943 Canon

Belated 65th birthday dinner for mom at Paris 1930 in Taipei.

1943 Canon - the first pour into the glass showed the youthfulness of the wine. Unlike the 1940 Haut-Brion we drank 6 months ago, this wine isn't on its last legs. Mom's first comment was that the wine was very "young" (compared to the 1940), and that she would expect a lot less sediment at the bottom. She would be proven right.

Of course the wine isn't "young", not in the way you would describe a wine being drunk within 10 years of its vintage. But it's neither vinegar nor water, and showed a lot more body than I had expected. After an hour or so, one can even extract a certain amount of sweet fruit in the nose after swirling. While the palate is still a little acidic, it is to be expected from a wine like this. Overall we were quite happy with the wine, especially mom of course.

Full post on the dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - Petrus

MNSC dinner at Petrus, hosted by me. Theme was Ducru-Beaucaillou vertical.

1996 Philipponnat Clos des Goisses - I opened this on the recommendation of the maître de restaurant, since I asked for something other than the usual suspects of Krug and Dom Perignon. Despite being from a young vintage, this was much more mature than we expected. The palate was very yeasty, with nose of pain grillé. It went very well with the caviar.

First flight:
1988 Ducru-Beaucaillou - this was a classic left bank Bordeaux, with a very smooth palate. Thoroughly enjoyable, and the wine of the evening going by the scores given around the table.

1986 Ducru-Beaucaillou - this was even better than the '88, and certainly one of the best wines of the evening for me.

1995 Ducru-Beaucallou - this was obviously put with the first two to mix things up. It was much younger and the tannins were all there. In fact, if I didn't know the identities of the wines, I would have guessed this to be a New World wine due to the ripeness of the fruit. The least favorite wine of the evening.

Second flight:

1996 Ducru-Beaucaillou - like the 1995, this was much younger than the others and the tannins showed. The wine clearly could use more years in the bottle.

1989 Ducru-Beaucaillou - another classic Left Bank Bordeaux, and the guys still had no idea what this was.

1982 Ducru-Beaucaillou - this should have been a blow-out...but it wasn't. It was good, and I did love it, but incredibly it was overshadowed by the '88.

Full post on the dinner is here.