After the generous ‘top Bordeaux” nights of 2006, 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2022, Gordon once more raids the cellar to put on a night of unaffordably legendary wines. We have generally been blessed by the cork gods in past years at these events, but probability theory will not be denied, and sadly we did have one certain casualty tonight, and a couple of other suspects that seemed just a little compromised by their tree-bark seals. All wines were carefully decanted into flasks just prior to dinner (after a week standing up at the venue!). All wines have rested since original purchase in Gordon’s cellar; this cast iron provenance over 30+ years rules out the poor storage risk that’s often present with older wines. Most of the corks came out pretty well (nothing was recorked over the years) although Pennies’ Bin 920 cork disintegrated even under the gentlest of ah-so applications and needed something of a mop-and-bucket to get it cleanly in the decanter. Wines were mostly served in pairs: Margaux/Haut Brion together, the pair of Lafites, the two 2nd growths, Bin 920 as a solo, then the two Granges.
- 2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - France, Champagne
{cork} [Gordon] Developing nose dominated by rich bakery aromas, with lemongrass too. Majestic palate of medium-full weight, bone dry but with plenty of pear and citrus fruits. Small, creamy and persistent bubbles, great balance along the palate. Autolysis effect is subtle. Long finish. A wine with everything. My champagne notes always seem a bit cursory, but this was truly a special wine. Wow. - 1986 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
{cork, 12.5%} [Gordon] Still a surprisingly deep garnet. Developing, powerful nose of smoked meat, cigar, perfume, floral notes. It’s enchanting stuff. The palate has just about everything; a velvety texture, but still with decent acidity and medium, finely dusty tannins. There are soft brambly red fruits, roses, dry but generous. An even presence on the palate translates into an endless finish. Just a fabulous wine, and still with another decade ahead of it – no sign of this falling over. Triumphant. None of the remarkable table wines we drank following this tonight exceeded it, and I think it probably emerged as the group favourite in the face of some remarkable peers. - 1989 Château Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
{cork, 13%} [Gordon] Among the highlights of my drinking life have unquestionably been repeated tastings of this transcendent wine. Not all have been quite the same level, but the dreaded bottle variation is inevitable at this age now. The first thing to say is that the richness of the preceding 86 Margaux didn’t help this wine at all. Putting that aside, it presented a slightly brick-like appearance in the glass, with its trademark cigar-box and herb nose. It really is a bouquet to wallow in. The palate was consistent with the nose, with a medium-bodied presence, low/medium powdery tannins of great subtlety. The balance is impeccable, the finish endless. It’s a little more earthy than its northern neighbour and in comparison looks just a little gaunt. Objectively though, this is just wonderful, fully justifying the wine’s reputation. That said, on the basis of the last couple of tastings, this is at peak, and longer cellaring may be risky (provenance, ullage, etc) - 1986 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
{cork, 12.5%} [Gordon] Sommelier Mauro was a bit suspicious of cork taint immediately on opening. It seemed a little bottle-funky shortly after to me, but by the time we got to it at table forty minutes later there was no question this was compromised by TCA. It wasn’t a lot, because the quality of the underlying currant and blackberry fruit shone through, and indeed it was drinkable enough, which I rarely find to be the case. But inevitably, the presence and finish were a bit clipped and the nuance was gone. Such a shame. Previous tastings in ’22 and ’15 have confirmed the greatness of this; and beyond the packaging catastrophe I reckon this would have done the same. NR (flawed) - 1988 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
{cork} [Gordon] A powerful blackcurrant ripeness cuts through the nose of this. Cigar-box, smoke; but it seems astonishingly young for nearly forty years old. There’s a savoury dryness on the palate; blackberry fruit dominates, but it remains consistent with the nose. There are low/medium chalky tannins, medium acidity, and a subtle polished oak character. It all fits together like a blue-printed engine; it has such tightness and integrity. This is medium weight only, but is very persistent on the palate. There’s no rush to drink this, and it may even be short of its peak. - 1982 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
{cork} [Gordon] Still a dark garnet colour. Powerful nose of dark, malty currants, inky black iodine notes, hint of oak. Powerhouse stuff. Tiny bit of mustiness? The palate presents as a wall of black fruit, with iron-filing tannins and medium acidity. I can’t escape a background suggestion of camphor/carpet, which makes me suspect a cork issue (although my glass was thoroughly rinsed previously). Full-bodied by Bdx standards, an even palate, and a slightly attenuated finish. I’m just a bit suspicious of the cork – a suggestion this may be a fraction below ideal. There’s a great wine here – an eighty-year special, even – but I think it was just fractionally compromised tonight. - 1990 Château Montrose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
{cork, 13%} [Gordon] Proper earth and dirt here. Blackcurrants, yes, also an animal/mushroom base as well. From the ‘brett=complexity’ school of winemaking, and justifying it, to be honest. This is full-bodied by any measure, with still-evolving coal-black fruit flavours, astringently chalky medium/high tannins, medium acidity. Big, still evolving, with a feral animal character about it. Even palate, medium-long finish. The only table wine tonight that clearly needs more time to reach its peak. Head-shakingly impressive. - 1990 Penfolds Bin 920 - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{cork, 13%} [Gordon] The 17,000km shift from Bordeaux to Coonawarra was such a jarring jolt that initially all I could smell here was a mix of mint and eucalyptus! There’s some vanilla too, channelling the US oak. It’s medium weight on the palate, with a mint/violet tinge to the red fruit; medium chalky tannins and medium acidity complete the structure nicely. The palate is smeary and impressionist; it lacks the complexly assertive line of the Bordeaux reds, but as a stand-alone wine it’s commanding enough. Has a dusty, open character about it – a gentle, warm palate culminates in a medium/long dry finish. It’s soft but not weak. Perhaps something of a fish-out-of-water tonight, even as a cabernet to shiraz bridge, but it’s a very impressive wine, and not in any danger of falling over at all on this showing. - 1986 Penfolds Grange - Australia, South Australia
{cork, 13.7%} [Gordon] The standout Grange between 1971 and 1990, this is still very dark in colour, with a big, exotic nose of burnt caramel, tar, oak, coconut and black – pitch black – fruit. All the nose is mirrored on the palate, although in this case I again felt there was a slightly musty character that is a cork artefact and not part of the wine. The palate is powerful in the typical Grange style, black, tarry, ripe fruit, medium/full in weight, with medium powdery tannins and a sense that the peak of this wine is close, but still in the future. Big presence all along the tongue, medium long finish. But that corky sense nagged… NR (flawed) - 1988 Penfolds Grange - Australia, South Australia
{cork, 13.8%} [Gordon] Malt and liquorice. Lots of black fruit amongst the leather and tar. The same can be said of the palate, which also adds violets, spice and oak. Medium/full weight, medium acid, subtle powdery tannins. Big mid-palate presence, long finish. Really good, and maybe a bit overlooked coming so late in the night. I liked this better than the (compromised) ’86; I really think this is a bit of a sleeper vintage. Thirty-seven years old and still going strong, keep without worry. - NV Pérez Barquero Montilla-Moriles 1905 Solera PX - Spain, Andalucía, Montilla-Moriles
{cork, 11.5%?} [Gordon] God, what is this? Bottle 186 of a limited 1000 bottle edition, complete with authentication certificate and small coffin-shaped box. It’s not clear from the certificate when this was actually bottled, but the winery’s website indicates it’s a solera dating from the establishment of the winery (near Cordoba) in 1905. It’s still listed for sale on the website (with 15% alcohol on the tech sheet as opposed to the 11.5% on the bottle label!) but they’re obviously doing regular releases from the solera nowadays. The current releases claim an average age of 80-90 years (along with a 99-point Parker/Advocate review) – this older bottling is probably largely from the 1905 initial establishment? Hard to know – that’s not much data online.
In the glass it’s a murky brown oily syrup, like used motor oil. It absolutely clings to the glass like some kind of paint. The nose smells centuries ago, with candied figs, honey, molasses, burnt caramel. Hint of rubber too. Spices and christmas cake. The palate is thickly-textured and chewy. Palate is more like 90% dark chocolate, with a distinct bitterness that offsets the sweetness – you expect something stupidly sweet, and yet it isn’t. Oddly, perhaps, it doesn’t seem especially acidic either, so it really coats the tongue. And there’s not so much alcoholic heat – the labelled 11.5% seems completely improbable; the tech sheet figure of just 15% seems about right. The sweetness seems to flicker the full range from dry and bitter to fully sweet – it’s impossible to nail it down to just one point on the spectrum; the stats of 6.3g of TA and 520g of RS sit oddly against the palate experience. Full-bodied, with a long, endlessly long, finish. An extraordinary experience to drink, and I do wonder how they maintain consistency of style over the years. The current release from the solera seems to be available from the EU-based websites for ~€300, but I don’t know how similar it is to this relic.
