Pre-Dinner Wines: 29 Jan 2009

Had a couple of long meetings and stuff in between. A bit hectic and stressful. Good thing the Doc called for a few pre-dinner drinks at the Stockbroker's wine shop not far away from my office (I didn't have a camera - so no pics). I got there at 5:30pm, the Stockbroker was already there.

The Doc's brother, James, arrived shortly thereafter and we started off with a Veuve Clicqout NV Brut Yellow Label from him. The Doc arrived from the hospital a few minutes after. With some cheese, hot, crusty bread and nice Italian butter we had:

1996 Château Tertre Rôteboeuf - The Stockbroker's, already in a decanter by the time I arrived. Initially, thick pungency of truffles held sway over some earthy dried dark fruit and cedar.In the mouth, the wine was not as rich, ripe and extracted as the bouquet suggested it would be: barely medium-bodied, a pure, sheer silk sheet of virtually seamless plum, cherry, raspberry, cassis, espresso, violets and cedar. Decent length.

After more breathing in glass, the had truffles materially faded from the bouquet, and, in its dominant position emerged sweetish, cinnamon-laced ripe plum, dark fruit compote, fig, espresso, minerals and delicately spiced/toasty oak. In the mouth, the wine held as it was earlier save that it seemed to have gained a little weight and incorporated the minerals and mentioned oak notes.

1982 Château Gruaud Larose - James' bottle. Textbook nose of smoky cedar, asphalt, mushrooms, leather, tobacco, cassis, earthy dark fruit, mere hints of anise and minerals. Mirrored in the mouth and continued that way throughout. Didn't really budge much. Readily fuller and more heft on the palate, riper in fruit and just a touch more extracted. Vibrant, youthful, belying its 26+ years - tasting even younger than the bottle I entered in our 9th Blind Bordeaux Challenge.

It didn't display the fig notes of the latter though and showed more purity.I wouldn't have guessed this (or my previous bottle of the same wine) to be an '82. Probably the most youthful '82 I've ever had. The Stockbroker and Doc said the same thing. Many, many years more in this wine.

Thanks, guys. I needed that.