2006-11-07 @ Peninsula Gaddi's Part 2

Memorable 1953 Bordeaux & Mysterious 1961 Petrus

1953年是Bordeaux在50年代兩個靚年之一，另外一個年份是59。
以下的英文TNs是來自Parker的。

1953 Pichon-Longueville Baron RP89
This is one of the finest old vintages of Pichon-Longueville I have tasted. The wine is robust and fully mature.

作為二級莊的Pichon Baron，新年份的Baron都相當出色。這瓶53酸度高了些，而且開首有點皮革、泥土物味。不算討好。Breathe了二小時以後，皮革味才散了少許。**/*

1953 Beychevelle RP92
For unexplainable reasons, Beychevelle does not frequently appear in my tasting notes of older vintages. A 1953 was terrific, the second-best Beychevelle I have ever tasted. Last tasted 1987

曾經有人說過，舊年份的Beychevelle是很正的，未知53是否屬於Beychevelle正的舊年份？酒的酸度也高，但有充足果味去balance。Full bodied而且乾淨，唔錯。***/*

1953 Petrus RP???
A Medoc-like nose offers subtle, restrained, menthol, blackcurrant, and caramel-scented aromas. Medium-bodied, with politely elegant, sweet flavors, and a rich, well-balanced finish, this is one of the most restrained and subtle Petrus offerings I have tasted. The wine is in excellent condition and should last for another decade.

香味比較收斂，沒有Petrus應有的香氣。酒的顏色很深，像80年代的酒多於50年代。Medium - Full bodied，不算很complex，有truffle，mineral的味道。***/*

1953 Chateau Latour RP???

Parker 並沒有評分，這瓶53酸度頗高，使它感覺較薄。Tannin已全融掉，但酒頗為簡單，但勝在乾淨。***

1953 Mouton-Rothschild RP95
Tasted 7 Times With Inconsistent Notes

I remember a friend of mine decanting a magnum of the 1953 and sticking it under my nose to share with me the incredible bouquet. In addition to the exotic aromas of soy sauce, new saddle leather, cassis, herbs, and spices, the 1953 offers a deep ruby color with some amber at the edge. Sweet and fat, with voluptuously-textured fruit, this low acid wine has no noticeable tannin. While it may be living dangerously, it is a decadent treat if it is drunk immediately after decanting.

雖然沒有45 Mouton咁正，它風格上很相似。Complex而且有layers，微甜但酒仍然balance，是五瓶53酒之冠！****

1961 Petrus RP100
An estate only needs to produce a handful of wines such as the 1961 Petrus to garner an international following. Not surprisingly, the 1961 Petrus was pure perfection. This fully mature wine possesses a port-like richness (reminiscent of the 1947 Petrus and 1947 Cheval Blanc). The color revealed considerable amber and garnet, but the wine is crammed with viscous, thick, over-ripe black-cherry, mocha-tinged fruit flavors. Extremely full-bodied, with huge amounts of glycerin and alcohol, this unctuously-textured, thick wine makes for an awesome mouthful. Imagine a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup laced with layers of coffee and cherry, and encased in a shell of Valrhona chocolate!

The notes for this wine are taken from the description of Series III - Flight D of the 1995 tasting conducted in Munich by Helga and Hardy Rodenstock.

這是一瓶世紀之酒的Magnum版本。可能decant的時間不足關係，酒比較收斂，沒有很多的香氣，少許Port-like character，complex，layered而且長aftertaste。唯一無乜Petrus應有的香氣。但已經很正，比53那瓶高一班。****/*

2006-11-07 @ Peninsula Gaddi's Part 1

2006-11-07 @ Peninsula Gaddi’s

1981 Krug Collection Champagne X2
1997 DRC Le Montrachet X2
1988 Domaine Dujac Clos Saint Denis
1969 DRC La Tache Magnum
1953 Chateau Pichon Baron, Pauillac X2
1953 Chateau Beychevelle, Saint Julien X2
1953 Petrus, Pomerol X2
1953 Chateau Latour, Pauillac X2
1953 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauilllac X2
1995 Chateau Rayas, Chateaneuf-Du-Pape, Rhone X2
1961 Petrus, Pomerol Magnum
1950 Maccahipa, Massandra, The Crimea, Pink Muscat

1981 Krug Collection Champagne

1997 Domaine de la Romanee Conti Montrachet RP94

Having retasted DRC's 1997 Montrachet in March, 2000, it was apparent that my earlier assessment was both conservative in judgement and anticipated maturity dates. It reveals a straw/goldish color and loads of tropical fruit, mineral, anise, and buttered aromas. This massive, medium-to-full-bodied, and dense wine displays layers of spice, creamy super-ripe pears, creme brulee, and hints of butterscotch in its opulent flavor profile. Velvety-textured and broad, it is forward yet better balanced than originally perceived. Drink it between 2002 and 2012.

1988 Domaine Dujac Clos St Denis RP92
I think that the Clos St.-Denis actually might be the top wine from this domaine. The 1988 resembled the 1985 with its extraordinary rich, sweet, expansive bouquet of flowers, plum-like fruit, and smoky, toasty oak. In the mouth, it is fabulously concentated, gorgeously rich and long, and altogether a superb glass of red burgundy. There are some tannins in the finish, and while drinkable now, this wine should be cellared for another 1-2 years in order to round out. It should last for at least a decade. All of the Domaine Dujac wines are bottled unfiltered.

1969 Domaine de la Romanee Conti La Tache RP94

PRODUCTION: 2,017 cases. A healthy, medium to dark garnet color with considerable rust and brown at the edge is typical of a 26-year old, high class red Burgundy. A pungent, smoked duck, Asian spice, sweet, red and black fruit, caramel-like bouquet explodes from the glass. If there is ever a wine that can be said to reek of terroir, it is this 1969. From one of the more structured vintages in the last 25 years (let's hope the finest 1993s turn out this well), this fully mature, medium to full-bodied La Tache still retains some tannin. It is beautifully sweet, expansive, and rich, with complex aromatics. If the flavors deliver outstanding ripeness and complexity, the tannin in the more rustic finish is obtrusive. I would not push this wine's longevity curve any further given the fact that this example was from a magnum in pristine condition. It is a terrific La Tache that proves that in some instances, great red Burgundy can last for 25+ years.

1995 Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape RP96

The 1995 is spectacular. When Emmanuel Reynaud said it was evolving quickly, in essence repudiating this vintage, I immediately drank two bottles of this glorious elixir. It does not reveal the over-ripeness of the 1990, bringing to mind a hypothetical blend of the great 1989 and 1978. Deeply-colored and still young, with black currant/creme de cassis-like characteristics, huge body, yet great structure and delineation, this is a classic Rayas that is totally different than the 1990. It should continue to improve in the bottle and may merit an even higher score. While it can be drunk now, it will be even better with 3-4 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020.

1950 Massandra Pink Muscat RP??? (below is 1940 TN)

Packaged in a thick, antique glass bottle, the 1940, which had considerable heavy sediment, revealed a slightly cloudy amber color. A spectacular nose of roasted coffee, fruitcake, spice, honey, and nuts soared from the glass. In the mouth, this wine revealed extraordinary fullness, richness, and lively, tangy acidity, which holds its considerable weight and massiveness together. The spicy, honeyed character continues in the mouth, and while there is no doubt considerable residual sugar, the zesty acidity is refreshing and uplifting. This is a provocative and compelling Muscat that must be tasted to be believed. Moreover, I suspect it will last for 20 more years. Very few bottles of this 1940 were produced, but the Pink Muscat is offered in many vintages (for example, 1895, 1914, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1931, and 1932 are still available), and I assume they would possess similar characteristics. This wine is part of the Massandra collection. Founded by Tsar Nicholas II in 1894, the Massandra Winery, on the outskirts of Yalta, on the Crimean Peninsula, supplied the royal family with fine wines while they were vacationing at their summer palace at Livadia.