'95 Bordeaux Tasting -
Saturday, Feb 21, 1998
Results of a '95 Bordeaux tasting at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. For $39, they poured 24 wines from several appellations, and I, for one, found many surprises and delights in the lineup. Nearly all of the wines were available for purchase at the store, except those with $n/a designations; those marked "*" were prearrival prices. Some words about my scoring are probably in order here. I've taken to giving an alpha score to the nose and to the taste, and then I rate the wine overall. Finally, these wines seemed to be brimming with an aroma that I refer to as "shoe polish" for a descriptor. For me, "shoe polish" is a good thing.
The wines, in the order tasted:
1. '95 Ch. La Grand Maye - Cote du Castillon. $8.99 Medium ruby garnet color. Nose of cassis, beet, asparagus, leather, and cheese. Despite the odd concoction found in this nose, I somehow found it acceptable. Taste of slightly bitter cassis fruit, with a somewhat dry mouthfeel, and a medium finish. Hmmm. Well, what do I want for nine bucks!
Aroma score: B+
Taste score: B+
Overall score: B+
2. '95 Ch. Petite-Figeac - St. Emilion. $14.99 Medium ruby garnet color. Nose of cassis, rose petal, shoe polish, and even a buttery quality. Taste of raspberry and cassis fruit, with additional floral notes and a distinct meaty quality. Slightly tart, long finish. A very nice wine for the price, tasting very similar to a Chinon. Mostly Cab Franc.
Aroma score: A-
Taste score: A-
Overall score: A-
3. '95 Ch. Lucie - St. Emilion. $23.99 Medium ruby garnet color. Nose of shoe polish, cassis, leather, and charred wood. Taste of sweet Merlot fruit, with a very fleshy and stemmy mouthfeel. Excellent balance, perceptable tannins, long finish. Here comes that old price creep.
Aroma score: A-
Taste score: A-
Overall score: A-
4. '95 Ch. Grand Mayne - St. Emilion. $29.99 Medium ruby color. Nose of cassis, sweet sawdust, and shoe polish; very deep and delectable. Slightly soft, fleshy, and stemmy, with a big mouthfeel and chewy body. Hint of bitterness on otherwise smooth long finish. Opened by mistake for the tasting (someone confused it with the La Grand Maye). Needless to say, we tasters approved.
Aroma score: A
Taste score: A-
Overall score: A-
5. '95 Ch. Larmande - St. Emilion. $29.99 Garnet ruby color. Shoe polish and fleshy fruit, with a hint of stemminess in the sweet and succulent nose. Tight and slightly tannic in mouthfeel, yet there seems to be plenty of fruit for the long haul.
Aroma score: A-
Taste score: B+
Overall score: B+
6. '95 Ch. La Couspaude - St. Emilion. $34.99 Bricky garnet color, with apparently light extraction. Nose of sweet tomato, shoe polish, sawdust , and beet. In the mouth, the fruit is smooth and fleshy, with a stemminess to the abundant raspberry and cranberry fruit. Balance is tipped a bit to the tart side, but not excessively so at this point. Considering the somewhat light and bricky color, I was surprised by the abundant mouthfeel of this wine.
Aroma score: A-
Taste score: A-
Overall score: A-
7. '95 Ch. Beau-Sejour Becot - St. Emilion. $39.99 Ruby garnet color. Nose of singed wood, cassis, shoe polish, and blackberry. Very nice. Fabulous mouthfeel. Rich and chewy fruit, with flavors that go on forever through a very long finish. Excellent balance. Lovely wine!
Aroma score: A
Taste score: A
Overall score: A
8. '95 Ch. Troplong Mondot - St. Emilion. $59.99 Dark ruby-garnet color, with major extraction. A seductive, if slightly restrained nose, with aromas of cassis, oak, shoe polish, and a slightly stemmy or wheaty note. Fleshy and stemmy on the palate, excellent fruit with flavors of cassis and raspberry. Medium long finish, with a slightly dry and tart after-palate. Killer wine; murderous price.
Aroma score: A-
Taste score: A-
Overall score: A-
9. '95 Ch. Beauregard - Pomerol. $28.99 Dark ruby garnet color, with definite purple tinge. Completely intoxicating nose of dark fruits, shoe polish, and anise. Just beautiful! Slightly young mouthfeel with apparent oak and tannins, this wine delivers a core of very nice fruit to the palate. Fabulous balance and nice long finish. My favorite for most affordable.
Aroma score: A+
Taste score: A
Overall score: A
10. '95 Ch. Puy Bardens Cuvee Prestige - Bordeaux Superior. $12.99 Dark ruby-garnet color, with huge extract. Fascinating nose of shoe polish, oak, sawdust, leather, along with some earthy notes. The leather notes smell like a pair of kid gloves in the front seat of a Citroen. Smooth and soft fruit, with a young mouthfeel due to hint of tartness and oak. Belying its level of extraction, the fruit seems slightly thin, yet still quite nice. Nevertheless, at $13, it seems like a bargain to me! About 50% Merlot.
Aroma score: A-
Taste score: B+
Overall score: B+
11. '95 Ch. Les Carmes Haut-Brion - Pessac-Leognan. $24.99 Medium dark ruby. Nose of fabulous dark fruits, shoe polish, cassis, anise, and vanilla. Mouthfeel and flavors were very similar to many of the St. Emilions in its fleshy qualities. But, the fruit also had a slightly "aged" taste on the palate as well. Nice overall balance and finish. This wine shocked me. I was sure that someone had sprung a '94 on us. I tasted this wine three times, and, although the nose is just gorgeous, I still found it wanting in the fruit category.
Aroma score: A
Taste score: B
Overall score: B+
12. '95 Ch. Canuet - Margaux. $14.99 Young purplish dark ruby color. Complex nose of cassis, vanilla, anise, black cherry, shoe polish, meat, and tomato. Smooth mouthfeel, with very succulent, if a bit austere, fruit. Nice long finish. 2nd label of Ch. Cantenac Brown. Here's another bargain.
Aroma score: A-
Taste score: A-
Overall score: A-
13. '95 Ch. Pavillon Rouge du Ch. Margaux - Margaux. $41.99 Young purple ruby garnet color. Concentrated nose of cassis, shoe polish, leather and hint of sweet tomato. Wow! What a stunner! Amazing mouthfeel. Big fruit, cigar box, and sweet sawdust flavors. Very, very long finish, with fruit showing absolutely refusing to fall off. 2nd label of Ch. Margaux (currently over $300/bottle). This just might be the perfect vintage for 2nd labels.
Aroma score: A
Taste score: A+
Overall score: A
14. '95 Ch. Poujeaux - Moulis. $24.99 Young garnet color. Nose of cassis, shoe polish, and anise. Big and fleshy mouthfeel with very nice fruit, soft tannins, and no bitterness apparent. Good balance and a meaty finish. A very solid wine - at any price.
Aroma score: A
Taste score: A
Overall score: A
15. '95 Ch. Roc du Cambes - Cotes du Bourg. $20.99 Dark garnet color. Nose of must, cassis, tomato, and meat. Smooth and fleshy fruit, though a bit undefined. Substantial mouthfeel, soft tannins and long finish. A very nice wine, and still in the right price ballpark.
Aroma score: A-
Taste score: A-
Overall score: A-
16. '95 Ch. Brainaire-Ducru - St. Julien. $n/a Dark garnet color. Nose of shoe polish and cassis, but also a bit tart or sour. Astringent and slightly thin at present, the wine nonetheless seems to possess ample fruit. Good balance and lengthy somewhat tart finish. A bit of a puzzle right now. Some wines like this seem to come around, but ....
Aroma score: B+
Taste score: B+
Overall score: B+
17. '95 Ch. Lagrange - St. Julien. $45.99 Very young ruby garnet color. Big nose of shoe polish, cassis, boysenberry, and cedar. Certainly not a shy nose, the wine jumps from the glass. Sweet big fruit, fleshy, stemmy and very large mouthfeel. Excellent balance and long finish.
Aroma score: A-
Taste score: A
Overall score: A-
18. '95 Ch. Pontet-Canet - Pauillac. $n/a Dark ruby color. Nose of leather, shoe polish, cassis, and anise. Smooth mouthfeel, and good fruit. Good balance and long finish, but fruit falls off rather quickly. Another in a series of "fruit falls short" stories.
Aroma score: A-
Taste score: B+
Overall score: B+
19. '95 Ch. Lynch-Bages - Pauillac. $n/a Young dark ruby color. Lovely nose of cassis, cigar box, anise, shoe polish, and must. Smooth fruit and soft tannins. Long finish on the wine, but it comes up a bit short considering its lovely nose. I've always been a big Lunch Bags fan, but I fear they've priced me out for good.
Aroma score: A
Taste score: A-
Overall score: A-
20. '95 Ch. Pinchon-Baron - Pauillac. $41.99 Young garnet color. Nose of cassis, shoe polish, anise, and hint of vanilla. Huge and massive mouthfeel, with chewy fruit and perfect tannins. What a mouthfull of wine! Excellent balance and lengthy finish. Stupendous!
Aroma score: A-
Taste score: A
Overall score: A-
21. '95 Ch. Clerc Milon - Pauillac. $52.99* Young ruby garnet color. Big fleshy, shoe polish nose. Fruit seems a bit tight and sour. Long finish. This wine may just be evolving, but for me - right now - I just don't see the price or the fuss. Bummer! I was sure I was a Pauillac fan.
Aroma score: A-
Taste score: B+
Overall score: B+
22. '95 Ch. Lafon-Rochet - St. Estephe. $39.99 Very young ruby garnet color. Nose of shoe polish, cassis and anise. Just a bit restrained at present. Big mouthfeel and big on fruit, this wine has a terrifically fleshy mouthfeel, excellent balance, and long finish. Lafon, you magnificent b - - - - - - , you did it again! Oh, and nice price increase, eh!
Aroma score: A-
Taste score: A
Overall score: A-
23. '95 Ch. Haut-Marbuzet - St. Estephe. $28.99 Medium garnet color; surprisingly light extract. Very sweet and succulent nose, with just a hint of earthiness. Very different and nice. Interesting and smooth mouthfeel. There was almost a velvety sensation on the palate. Nice balance, and long toasty finish.
Aroma score: A-
Taste score: A-
Overall score: A-
24. '95 Ch. Calon-Segur - St. Estephe. $62.99* Dark ruby color, and as close to inky as it gets. Very deeeeeep nose of must, cassis, blueberry, blackberry, and a major load of shoe polish. we're talkin' shoe repair shop here. Massive mouthfeel, and excellent body. Flavors of cassis, boysenberry, anise, and black cherry. Excellent balance and a finish that just goes on forever.
Aroma score: A+
Taste score: A+
Overall score: A+
___________________
Overall impressions: very enjoyable tasting of some of the currently
available 1995 Bordeaux. Billed as their "Round II," for tasting the '95
Bordeaux, the Wine Exchange offered a nice selection of wines for this
event. In many ways it would have been nice to taste these single-blind,
which could have removed any bias toward the high $$ wines. We were able
to taste each of the wines as many times as we liked, so I tastedmany
of them twice, and several of them three times. I was sorry to have missed
Round I, which was undoubtedly the Left Bank and/or First Growths. But,
considering the quality of the wines presented in this tasting, the whole
vintage looks to be filled with some quality juice.
_____
Here is my relative ranking by tier of the wines tasted. After the top 10, no effort was made to rank the wines within each tier.
|
Calon Segur |
St. Estephe |
$62.99 |
|
Pavillon Rouge |
Margaux |
$41.99 |
|
Beau-Sejour |
St. Emilion |
$39.99 |
|
Pichon Baron |
Pauillac |
$39.99 |
|
Haut Marbuzet |
St. Estephe |
$28.99 |
|
Larmande |
St. Emilion |
$29.99 |
|
La Grand Maye |
Cotes du Castillon |
$8.99 |
|
|
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Mail & Comments - Eric Anderson
