Past Issues: Tasting Bordeaux --
Pauillac Tasting Notes

These were indeed some impressive wines – and not just because of the rather sizeable dent they put in our wine-buying budget! Overall, we felt like the combined complexity and elegance that the wines exhibited – in some cases in conjunction with boldly ripe fruit flavors – was the real distinguishing and consistent factor that impressed us.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1999 Pauillac ($193). Elegant, complex aromas and flavors include spicy berry, smoke, leather and anise. Silky mouthfeel; gains complexity and depth through the generous finish. Pretty incredible now, but probably best after a few more years in the bottle. Then is should last for at least twenty years.

Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron 1989 Pauillac ($60). Thoroughly enjoyed every drop of this beautiful wine – still tasting fruity and ripe and not near finished aging. Waves of blackberry and plum fruit are layered with warm spices, delicate earth and integrated dried herb undertones. Delicious now and over the next ten years.

Chateau Pichon Lalande 1999 Pauillac ($49). Lovely red cherry and berry fruit aromas and flavors are interlaced with light spices and herbal and lead pencil notes. Subtly lingering finish. Ready to drink now and over the next three or four years.

Chateau Les Forts de Latour 1999 Pauillac ($47). Totally fell for this second wine from Chateau Latour – the appealing blend of blackberry fruit, earth, tobacco and mineral notes is hard to resist. Medium-bodied, nice finish, food friendly. Ready to drink now and over the next seven or eight years.

Carruades de Lafite 1999 Pauillac ($35). Great value, showing full-bodied, ripe cherry and cassis fruit layered with bittersweet chocolate and light spices. Ripe, generous finish. Ready to drink now and over the next seven or eight years.

Chateau Haut Batailley 1998 Pauillac ($32). Heady array of fresh red berry fruit, smoke and multi-layered spice flavors and aromas swirl together to make a lovely wine. Easy to drink and savor. Nice length and depth of flavor. Good value. Ready to drink now and over the next four or five years.

Les Tourelles de Longueville 2000 Pauillac ($27). Another great value in another second wine – this one from Chateau Pichon-Longueville-Baron. Medium-bodied and smooth, showing bold red berry and plum fruit accented with leather and cedar. Flavors stay fruity and ripe through the finish. Tempting now, but probably best with another few years of bottle age. Then drink through the following ten or twelve years.

Now, for more of the really big Cabernet-based Bordeaux wines -- from St.-Estephe!