Everyday is a celebration for my dear friend DOC and there is always an excuse for him to surprise us with some of the finest drops and last Saturday was no exception. He has decided to let these 2 Titans slugged it out, toe to toe - the Old Bastard '98 Vs. Old Bastard 2001.
The wines were poured into a magnum decanter and savoured over the next 4hrs.
The density of the '98 - inpenetrable inky black, solid!!! The 2001 is the almost the same in color except with a slight translusent red rim.
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The nose is very similar...'98 being explosive & pungent whereas the '01 was piquant. On the palate the '98 is clearly more massive with glorious texture - oppulent to a degree of being obstentatious with soft ripe tannin that glued to ur mouth pumping out endless layers of flavour. Great stucture, grip with orgasmic intensity followed by a stromming homerun. A blockbuster of a wine and simply breathtaking
The 2001 was not as ripe or as concentated, slightly tannic with everything in lesser propoprtion which was completely overshadowed by the '98. My 3rd tasting of the 2001 and next to the Older Bastard it's outclassed.
Verdict: No argument here, the 2001 even with extra yrs in the btl., it will never live up to the'98. I suspected Reid Boswald has increased his production fr a miserable 50Cs to a more generous quantity in recent times. In term of hierachy, the '98 Old bastard is the 2nd best red wine that passed thru my gut after the Grange 98 which ranked supreme IMHO barred the Three Rivers & Greenock RR which I've never tasted.
Rgds,