On Sep 11, 10:28�am, Bobchai > wrote:
> On Sep 10, 11:33�pm, "JT" > wrote:
>
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> > Solihull Fine Wine Society September Tasting
>
> > A vertical of Barton, put on by Kaivan, and on a rare occasion for the
> > society, not blind. You got what was on the label.
>
> > oldest first, another interesting variation and created some discussion..
>
> > 1985, bright hint of brown, expressive cassis, mint organic nose, complex,
> > true claret. What an entry of soft fruit tannins acidity, all in harmoinous
> > balance with pepper and spice. Wonderful. 3rd WOTN
>
> > 1986, youthful, full extract, very dumb with a bit of tobacco at a pinch,
> > then a mouthful of puckering tannin, there is fruit but will it ever come
> > round? reminded me of 1975 Lascases.
>
> > 1988, deep ruby, no age, a dumb nose of oak and leather, and then a suprise,
> > wonderful palate of berries spice, long, most unexpected after the nose..
>
> > 1989, viscous and deep, looks magic, textbook claret, cigarbox, cassis,
> > vegetal, leather, big soft tannins with layers of mature fruit, a rich wine
> > and a textbook claret, will still evolve.
>
> > 1990, deepest wine of the night with 1996, sparkles, another magic nose as
> > the 89, but even more layered and complex, superb balance, all spice and
> > fruit, very rich and so long, magnificent WOTN
>
> > 1993, quite pale ruby but good legs, a simple claret nose which revealed
> > nowt, soft with some tannins and good fruit, a perfect luncheon claret. Not
> > bad for a fair �only year.
>
> > 1994, please be good as I have bottles left!!, deep ruby, shines,
> > marshallows and old dusty cupboards, sweaty saddles sweet violets, grip,
> > soft with still some unresolved tannins, good acidity and mature fruit and
> > cinnamon, needs food.
>
> > 1996, huge extract as 1990, dumb, but opens up in time to reveal muted
> > layers of immature claret, but what a palate, intense fruit and firm
> > tannins, liquid blackcurrants, good now but will be superb, a wonderful
> > Barton.
>
> > 1998,Looks like cherryade, smells like cherryade, a fruity alcopop,
> > overextracted and in the old days a few bags of sugar, awful.........much
> > discussion, duff bottle or the style of the vintage, I hope for the former.
>
> John:
>
> Sounds like a wonderful tasting! �I'm living in a bubble in Napa
> Valley, because all of the local merchants stock mainly the local
> product, but I remember Leoville Barton and Leoville Lascases quite
> fondly. I even had a barrel tasting at Lascases many years ago,
>
> Pauillac and St. Julien tend to be the more tannic wines of the Medoc,
> but all that is changing with the newer styles of winemaking. I'm
> impressed that you found the 1985 still vibrant, because we are
> reaching the outer range of maturity for most of these wines. The
> 1982's survive, but unless someone wants to keep bottles as trophies
> under impeccable storage, they are probably going south. � eBay might
> be a solution.
>
> My personal love affair is with the cantons of Margaux and Cantenac,
> Chateau Palmer and Brane-Cantenac, but I'm also a devotee of Pomerol
> and St. Emilion. �Tasting Pauillacs today is a rare treat, because we
> just don't fine them locally. I have a Napa Valley palate, although
> I'm disgusted with so much of the local high alcohol, heavily
> extracted monsters. �I see wine as Audrey Hepburn, not Jayne
> Mansfield. Yet I can appreciate a Bordeaux with power and finesse,
> character which is elusive in this part of the galaxy.
>
> I wish I had been there at your tasting. I am intrigued by your
> remarks about the 1998. That wine should be coming around by now, but
> your comments suggest that it's still a "mewling, puking babe" (as the
> poet said). After ten, eleven years, that is not a good sign.
>
> Because most of my experience is with tastings from barrel, my focus
> has shifted to young wines now. �Tannin management in young reds has
> become the winemaking phenomenon of this decade, and we are starting
> to see powerful wines which are drinkable in youth. �Anything beyond
> four years of age for me is now becoming a curiosity.
>
> --Bob- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I found a number of Bordeaux at Dean and Deluca during my last trip to
Napa...I didn't buy them as I was visitng Napa for a reason..:-)..but
they did have a fairly extensive selection of Bordeaux.