2005 Godolphin vs 1996 Bin 389
Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 1:31 pm
To celebrate meeting my little nephew for the first time, I stumped up an '05 Godolphin for the dinner. My sister suggested she bring a '96 Bin 389 from her cellar (cupboard) as a comparison. Both decanted for an hour or so. Points only for comparison.
'05 Godolphin - Poured a deep purple. Some muted cassis and sweet berry on the nose. Initial palate showed impeccable balance between elements, exceptionally smooth but perhaps lacking any real 'zing'. Soft black and red berries, hints of oak and a long, soft finish with a twinge of grip. After an hour in the glass it opened up a tad, more fruit and the acid came out to play, the grip becoming more apparent. I fear it needed more time in the decanter, but overall I was quite impressed at what an elegant and balanced wine it was straight out of the box. Definitely needs a bit of time to shine. 93pts.
'96 Bin 389 - Poured a lovely aged crimson. Stronger nose than Godolphin, the cassis and cherry wafting from the glass was much more pronounced. From the first mouthful it proved a more powerful beast, more of everything but in a beautifully balanced way. Structure aplenty. The fruit was juicier and more pronounced, the midpalate longer, the acid fresher and the grip still masterfully apparent. This wine was still a baby, only just revealing its presence. Finish was very long. Will go a few years yet. 95pts.
Probably not a fair fight really, the aged 389 was going to be hard to beat, but the Godolphin was not disgraced at all. Would love to revisit this in 5 years.
'05 Godolphin - Poured a deep purple. Some muted cassis and sweet berry on the nose. Initial palate showed impeccable balance between elements, exceptionally smooth but perhaps lacking any real 'zing'. Soft black and red berries, hints of oak and a long, soft finish with a twinge of grip. After an hour in the glass it opened up a tad, more fruit and the acid came out to play, the grip becoming more apparent. I fear it needed more time in the decanter, but overall I was quite impressed at what an elegant and balanced wine it was straight out of the box. Definitely needs a bit of time to shine. 93pts.
'96 Bin 389 - Poured a lovely aged crimson. Stronger nose than Godolphin, the cassis and cherry wafting from the glass was much more pronounced. From the first mouthful it proved a more powerful beast, more of everything but in a beautifully balanced way. Structure aplenty. The fruit was juicier and more pronounced, the midpalate longer, the acid fresher and the grip still masterfully apparent. This wine was still a baby, only just revealing its presence. Finish was very long. Will go a few years yet. 95pts.
Probably not a fair fight really, the aged 389 was going to be hard to beat, but the Godolphin was not disgraced at all. Would love to revisit this in 5 years.