2003 Château Lascombes (France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux)

This is really shockingly good. I pulled this out of the cellar to go with steak and I wan't expecting fireworks at all. This Lascombes really blew me away though. None of the massive oak I feared I might encounter. No overblown fruit, no elevated alcohol and hot finish. Instead, I found a rather classic Bordeaux that was round, loaded with black currant, leather, some cigar box and nice acidity. Really a lovely wine that would do equally well with fowl or pork as it did with the more flavorful beef.

2006 Château Rauzan-Ségla (France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux)

Back with a bang. This is terrific stuff. It is exactly what I expect a young, delicious Margaux wine to taste like. Black currant, cigar box, earth. Impressive structure, fine acidity, elegant fruit, finesse finish. Everything in balance. A great wine regardless of the price, but when factoring in price, this is a phenomenal buy. Can be cellared for quite some time. Highly recommended. 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, and remainder Petit Verdot.

Open a bottle evening (chez Shannon and David)

Last night, our regular group of food and wine friends was summoned to Shannon and David's abode to taste some of Shannon's delicious cooking and a lineup of fun wines. On to the wines:

Starter Whites

• 2006 Dönnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Nahe
  Was even a touch better on night 2 than the night before. Very tasty, and high acidity makes this a great cheese wine. I paired it with some Chabichou de Poitou goat cheese drizzled with honey and rosemary. Winning combination. Unfortunately, my other wine pairing of Bleu d'Auvergne and White Burgundy was a miss. I should have had some Granny Smith Apple on the cheeseplate as that would have enhanced the Riesling goat cheese pairing further. Oh well.


• 2006 Domaine Ramonet Bourgogne Blanc - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc
  This was OK, but not good. I think at the mid $20s price, this underperforms slightly, at least right now. Has a little bitterness on the palate and seems very stern, angular and four-square. Finish is long, but alcohol rears it's ugly head slightly. Acid was fine, but this never came together. Disappointing for this producer for sure.

Reds

• 1978 Clos Fourtet - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  Just like the last bottle, this one was magic. Funky, but with surprising structure and tannins. Blackberries and leather and great verve. Finish solid. I love this wine.


• 1999 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
  This was clearly a great wine. Tasted blind. I would have never guessed Bordeaux or Margaux for that matter. I did guess this as a young Barolo. It had great freshness and tar with some floral overtones. Elegant through and through. Turns out it was a Chateau Margaux. Oops. In my defense, this bottle was incredibly backward for a 1999, and the nose didn't gave up a whole lot. The palate was more generous, but it still was a little tight. Maybe a longer decant would have helped. Either way, great juice from a sleeper vintage. Thanks Shannon.


• 2005 Pahlmeyer Pinot Noir Jayson - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  Oh brother. Didn't like this. Cherry, vanilla, and cotton candy. Surprisingly red fruited for a Sonoma Coast. Cloudy appearance and hot on the finish for my taste. Really difficult for me to say anything good about this wine.


• 2006 Braida (Giacomo Bologna) Monferrato Il Bacialé - Italy, Piedmont, Monferrato
  This wasn't a half bad bottle of wine. Showed some typicity for Piemonte, had good fruit, solidly made. Good freshness and went well with food. Good everyday drinker. Just a little outgunned by some of the other wines on the dinner table.


• 1999 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna di Pianrosso - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  Although I don't think this touched the Margaux or the Clos Fourtet last night, it was clearly a very good wine. The only deduction (and a sizeable for me) is that I found it near impossible to identify this as Brunello, even after the wine was revealed. It had old world acid and structure, but the fruit and viscosity could have been from anywhere in the new world. Just a bit to too oily. That said, I still think it's very good and certainly NOT overoaked, which gives me hope that between the good acid levels, the structure, the ample fruit, and the low oak, this should gel into a very good wine down the road.


• 2001 Patrick Lesec Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rubis - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  Opened at the end of last night, this started slowly, similar to the bottle I opened last August. It did gain traction quicker though than last time, and I htink it drank pretty dang good last night. As usual, this Rubis is light in color and shows its high Grenache content by way of being ever so slightly reductive and loaded with roasted herbs. Traditional in style, but somewhat lower than usual in acidity. Drinks great and would ceratinly qualify as a real value wine in my opinion.

There were also two very nice Champagnes, one from Turgy, and one from another small producer, but I didn't pay any attention to them other than that I liked them a lot. Thanks to Shannon and David for their incredible vinous and gastronomical generosity. Next time, it will be our turn to host.

2001 Château Lascombes (France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux)

Popped and poured. Amazing wine right out of the gate. Great Bordeaux typicity and none of the spoofilation I was fearful of encountering. Soaring nose of cigar box, black currant, earth, and floral aromas. Nice and long on the palate with good grip and sturdy structure, but definitely drinking great right now. Finishes text-book. Just a pleasure to drink. Served with pan-roasted grass-fed ribeyes in a cognac peppercorn sauce, lacinato kale and beets.

1998 Château Rausan-Ségla (Rauzan-Ségla) (France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux)

Popped and poured. I like this a lot. Youthful color. Intense nose of leather, green tobacco leaf, black currant, and cedar plank. Still amazingly tannic and structured, but good fruit and earth in a medium bodied package with a very long finish. Still 5 years minimum from peak, and I believe likely 7-10 years from peak, but it's drinking well right now. A very generous gift from a fellow Austin wine lover.

2004 Château Malescot St. Exupery (France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux)

Decanted and poured over the course of 1 hour. Dark garnet red color. Comes out of the bottle completely expressionless, but develops a nose dominated by cigar box, rosewater, marzipane, and cassis. Very soft on the palate, but it gains weight with air exposure. Flavor profile is slanted toward cassis, blackberry, tobacco, and bing cherry. Finish is initially very soft and round, but gets longer and better with increased air exposure. Perfect balance and a wine that can absolutely be drunk right now, although I suppose it'll keep well for many years.

2003 Château Giscours (France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux)

Open for 24 hours in cellar with bottle corked closed. Dark garnet, opaque color with a nose that's wide open for business. Superb pencil lead, cigar box, plum, and black currant. The palate is just as good as the nose and I am shocked how sweet the fruit is without being obnoxious or overblown. I would add a blackberry confit descriptor for the palate. Has great acidity and fantastic texture. This is an incredible QPR at the original release price of $37. This drinks so well right now that although I can see how this would be better in 10-20 years, it may not last that long in my cellar. Highly recommended.

This is what I would expect the 1990 or 1982 vintage wines to have tasted young...approachable, fruit forward for Bordeaux, but still elegant and supple.