Category Archives: Bull & Bear

2013-1 Ron’s Favorite Wines When You Only Have $3000 to Spend

Bull and Bear

February 2, 2013 at 6:00 pm

The Wines

Ron provided a fabulous series of flight from his cellar. Wine of the night was the 1966 La Mission Haut Brion, ,followed closely by the Chateau Rayas. Other favorites were the Jacques Selosse Substance, 2005 Araujo Eisele and 1959 Aloxe-Corton. The only wine that was slightly disappointing was the 1994 Dominus, which despite a great Bordeaux-like nose mysteriously lacked structure and fruit. I thought the Suduiraut (a great year) was slightly more balanced than the Yquem, although the nose of the Yquem was quite complex.

I added a couple of wines to the flights. My 2010 Aubert Ritchie wasn’t as complex as the Lauren, and my 2000 Raymond Usseglio CDP was much less chewy than the Deux Freres, although at one fifth the price a good buy.

Flight I (Ron’s favorite Champagne producers)

96 Krug – toast, bread, pronounced lime, sharp finish that mellowed with an hour of air, 96 pts.

NV Jacques Selosse Substance – toast, orchids, meat, stones, oxidative nose, incredibly long and mouth filling. My favorite Champagne, 98 pts.

Flight II ( Ron’s favorite Chardonnay producers Old and New World)

10 Aubert Ritchie – bacon, butter, ash, 94 pts.

09 Aubert Lauren – lavender, floral, more complex on the tongue than the Ritchie, sharper finish, growing complexity with 30 minutes of air, 98 pts.

09 Raveneau Montee de Tonnere – intense anise nose, marine slat, soft on the tongue, a bit disappointing next to the new world chards, 92 pts.

Flight III ( Southern Rhone / Chateauneuf du Pape)

00 Pierre Usseglio Deux Freres – berries, meat, well structured, 93 pts.

00 Chateau Rayas – light ruby, cherry, mint, rhubarb, herbs, like a great Burgundy, 99 pts.

00 Rudolph Usseglio CDP – dark color, animal scents, simple on the palate, but chewy, good buy, 90 pts.

Flight IV (California Cabernet battle served blind) The Araujo beat some very high end Cali’s including Dominus at Andrus’s blind tasting.

94 Dominus – big dark fruit nose but a disappointing hollowness on the palate. Bottle variation or over rated or over the hill or awkward stage? 93 pts.

05 Araujo Eisele – tons of fruit and chocolate mint, big long vanilla mint finish. A monster of a new world wine. Cultish. 96 pts.

Flight V ( Bordeaux: Ron’s favorite 82 and my favorite Bordeaux Producer)

66 La Mission Haut Brion – redwoord, huge fruit, very fruity on the palate, earthy finish, easily WOTN. 99+ pts.

82 Pichon Lalande – intense dark mushroom, forest floor, perhaps the best 82 I’ve had, but slightly thin on the palate. 95 pts.

Flight VI ( Burgundy: Ron’s favorite vintages)

59 Domaine F Thevenot Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru – youthful bright cherry, bacon, wood smoke, big, sweet and fruity on the palate, ever so slightly musty. I love old Burgs! 99 pts.

78 Leroy NSG Boudots – cherry and herbal, thin compared to the Aloxe. Reinforces my NSG opinions. 92 pts.

Flight VII ( Ron’s favorite dessert wine )

97 Yquem – surprisingly off balance for Yquem, but a great complex nose. 89 pts.

01 Suduiraut – best Suduiraut ever, really balanced finish, but a much simpler nose than the Yquem. 93 pts.

Acquisitions

1970 Petrus!	$1287 (we stole this from JJ Buckley’s year end sale)
Wines from Ron	$3000

Upcoming Events

April 20

Syndicate

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	1454
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	-4287
Dinner	-2586
Balance	-419

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple to the event.

2012-3 Margaux Babies

Margaux Babies

at Bull & Bear

September 29, 2012 at 6:00 pm

Climbing back out of the hole Margaux was in during the 70s to taste some of the greatest vintages of all time.

Well, this was a very disappointing tasting. Very little great wine was made in the 1970s in Bordeaux, and Margaux made none of it. But while the other first growths were releasing knockout after knockout during the 80s, Margaux was still struggling. It was not until 1989 that things really came together. The tasting was not helped by the fact that two of the better vintages–the 1978 and potential 100 point 1990–were corked. Overall a very lackluster group.

Fortunately the members brought some great wines, so we drank well during a fabulous tasting dinner that featured an octopus sort of crepe thingie, amazing mussels, and cod that was laboriously prepared using locally gathered pine needles(!) The new Italian sous chef was in charge, and really knocked it out of the park.

1977	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	241
1978	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	377
1979	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	285
1980	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	342
1981	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	340
1982	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	1017
1983	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	582
1984	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	198
1985	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	445
1986	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	543
1987	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	335
1989	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	483
1990	Ch. Margaux	Red	Bordeaux	1077

				6265

Wine Notes

1977 – classic Bordeaux nos, iron, coffee grounds, smoke, meat, thin, short, 88 pts

1978 – corked. some underlying fruit and tannin, coffee grounds, no score

1979 – a bit of caramel, medicinal, iron, meat, wax, vanilla, tannin, 87 pts

1980 – chalk, dust, decent structure, spice, coffee candies, 86 pts

1981 – spicy, coffee, refined fruit, 90 pts

1982 – coffee, curry, big structure, simple, 94 pts

1983 – tannin, not a lot of fruit, salty, 91 pts

1984 – chalk, soft, short, 82 pts

1985 well-structured, tannic, iron, 89 pts

1986 – mint, tannic, thin, short, 91 pts

1987 – gamey, mint, thin, 85 pts

1989 – smoke, earth, gamey, lead pencil, 95 pts

1990 – corked, big fruit, no score

Other Wines

2000 Pavillon Rouge by Margaux – Dick – big fruit, long, blackberry, ocean, 95 pts

2007 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon – Steve – vanilla, pepper, meat, mint, shell, herbs, chocolate, coconut, chewy, long, 99 pts

2008 La Cigare Blanc – Andy – interesting Rhone blend, nutty, balanced, butter, 91 pts

2005 Domaine Weinbach Clos des Capucins Cuvee Theo – Ron – petrol, armpit, elegant, 93 pts

2008 Evans Ranch Chardonnay – John – butter, toast, big, balanced, long, 91 pts

2010 Bonny Doon Sparkling Albarino – Andy – caramel, butter, high acide, fascinating, 90 pts

1967 Nuits-Saint-Georges “Les Boudots” Georges Noellat – Ron – Cigar, sweet cherries, 89 pts

2002 Clos de Vougeot Maison Champy – John – closed, cherries, short, 84 pts

2004 Evans Ranch Lone Oak Pinot Noir – Andy – vanilla, spice box, baking spices, 92 pts

2000 Segla – Dick – 2nd wine of Rauzan Segla, tannic, not much fruit, 88 pts

1986 Laurel Glen Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon – Ron – chewy, tannic, vanilla, cherry, peppers, acid, old style CA that will age well, 90 pts

2007 Ch. de Fonsalette Rhone by Rayas – Ron – cherries, anilla, chalk, herbal, kirsch, raspberry, young, 92 pts

2004 Noon Eclipse GSM – Ron – great structure, long chocolate finish, 92 pts

2003 Henry’s Drive Reserve Shiraz – Steve – extremely aromatic, wood, vanilla, intense mint, 94 pts

1969 Beerenauslese Osterreich Assmannhauss – Steve – balanced, good acid, wax, 92 pts

1975 Ch. Les Justices Sauternes – Steve – botrytis, simple, 88 pts

2007 Argyle Minus Five Cryo Cluster Riesling – Andy – petrol, varietal, 90 pts

Acquisitions

none

Upcoming Events

November 17

Syndicate

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	-4856
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	0
Dinner	-1860
Balance	-1756

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple to the event.

2012-1 Four Decades of Margaux

Four Decades of Margauxat Bull & Bear

March 31, 2012 at 6:00 pm

It had been many years since we did a vertical of a first growth. Linda and I have been collecting Chateau Margaux for almost 30 years, and decided it was time to give them a try. I split our collection into two tastings. This first batch begins in the middle, a tough time for Bordeaux and Margaux in particular.We tasted the wines in reverse chronological order, from 1975 to 1949. Margaux was a property in decline during the 60s and 70s, and the first seven wines really reflected this. Even the 70 and 75 were uninspired. The 75 is probably the worst price performance ration of the bunch. The 66 and 64 were the first wines I would actually have consumed!

The reward was at the end While the most famous Margaux is perhaps the 59, it has never blown me away, but this was an excellent example. However it was eclipsed by the other three. 62 is an often overlooked year, having occurred in the shadow of the great 61s. This 61 did not disappoint. Despite an extremely low shoulder, it was a beautiful wine with many flavor profiles. But the stunner was the 1949, an extraordinarily fresh, feminine and complex wine that evolved in the glass for hours. A real treat to end on.

In September we’ll complete this tasting with vintages from 1977-1990.

1975	Ch Margaux	Smoke bacon, tart, sour finish	84pts	432
1973	Ch Margaux	Overripe fruit, stewed, sweet finish	85pts	175
1972	Ch Margaux	Sawdust, oak	88pts	286
1971	Ch Margaux	Face powder, cherry, balanced, coffee	89pts	225
1970	Ch Margaux	Bug spray, ashes	88pts	212
1969	Ch Margaux	Candy, funky, chemicals	83pts	220
1967	Ch Margaux	Madeirized, bacon	84pts	158
1966	Ch Margaux	Eucalyptus, mint, dust	89pts	188
1964	Ch Margaux	Big fruit, wood finish, much disagreement about mildew, chocolate, caramel, the group was vehemently split on this wine, with some hating it	90pts	293
1962	Ch Margaux	Fruity, young, violets, red fruits	94pts	629
1961	Ch Margaux	Extremely low shoulder yet beautifully fresh, roses, sawdust, soy, earthy, waxy	97pts	910
1959	Ch Margaux	Young and fresh, smoke, waxy	93pts	1,167
1949	Ch Margaux	Cherries, bright fruit, light color, cinnamon, crisp, apple	99pts	1,643
				6,538

Other wines:

2008	“Y”	Steve	botrytis, very fruity, dry but doesn’t seems so, semillon	99pts
1981	Alzeyer Sybillenstein Spatlese	Ron	medium amber, mint, floral, surprisingly sweet	89pts
2006	Adobe Road Pinot Noir	Steve	Varietal, cherries, leather	90pts
2006	Chateau Beaucastel CNDP	Dick	Cherries, vanilla	92pts
2000	Clos de Papes	Ron	Menthol, tar, cherries	94pts
2001	Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova Brunello di Montalcino	Dick	tar, chewy, black fruits	95pts
2006	White Oak Syrah	Andy	Vanilla, meat	90pts
2001	Marquis Phillips S2	John	Syruppy, canilla	90pts
1999	Pride Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon	Ron	Wood, a bit uni-dimensional considering its pedigree	95pts
2002	Torbreck “The Factor”	Ron	Black fruits, vanilla, bacon	92pts
1992	Hacienda Henline Conquistador Port	John	This wine was made in 1992 by John Henline from grapes from a vineyard at Martin’s old house that were planted by Steve, Linda and Martin. It is no longer a port, although I don’t know where the sugar and alcohol went. It’s now a medium weight fairly dry red. Amazingly, the Conquistador has retained its color, and the wine was quite drinkable, an impressive feat for such an old hybrid.	83pts

Upcoming Events

June 9

Luma

Acquisitions

1964	Pierre Ponnelle Chassagne-Montrachet “Clos de la Boudriotte”	Red	Burgundy	95	Bonhams 12/2011
1967	Pierre Ponnelle Fixin	Red	Burgundy	95	Bonhams 12/2011
1967	Pierre Ponnelle Fixin	Red	Burgundy	95	Bonhams 12/2011
1972	Pierre Ponnelle Vougeot Clos du Prieuré	Red	Burgundy	95	Bonhams 12/2011
1966	Remoissenet Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Avery’s Bottling	Red	Burgundy	95	Bonhams 12/2011
1966	Remoissenet Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Avery’s Bottling	Red	Burgundy	95	Bonhams 12/2011
1966	Remoissenet Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Avery’s Bottling	Red	Burgundy	95	Bonhams 12/2011
1970	Remoissenet Père et Fils Corton Diamond Jubilee	Red	Burgundy	95	Bonhams 12/2011
1971	Remoissenet Père et Fils Corton Diamond Jubilee	Red	Burgundy	95	Bonhams 12/2011

1962	Corton Charlemagne, Patriarche	White	Burgundy	180
1971	Chassagne-Montrachet, A. Ramonet	White	Burgundy	180
1976	Chassagne Montrachet, Les Chenevottes, A. Lichine	White	Burgundy	180
1969	Chevalier-Montrachet, G. Deleger	White	Burgundy	180
1969	Puligny Montrachet, Clavoillon, Domaine Leflaive	White	Burgundy	180
1969	Puligny Montrachet, Clavoillon, Domaine Leflaive	White	Burgundy	180

I’ve transfered 26 bottles of Ch. Margaux from my cellar, to comprise two separate vertical tastings. The first will cover four decades of Margaux, working backwards from 1975 to 1949. They are the classic vintages of Margaux. The second, to be held after the summer, will work forward from 1977 through the famous 1990. This is the Renaissance period for Margaux.

1949	Ch Margaux	1,643
1959	Ch Margaux	1,167
1961	Ch Margaux	910
1962	Ch Margaux	629
1964	Ch Margaux	293
1966	Ch Margaux	188
1967	Ch Margaux	158
1969	Ch Margaux	220
1970	Ch Margaux	212
1971	Ch Margaux	225
1972	Ch Margaux	286
1973	Ch Margaux	175
1975	Ch Margaux	432

1977	Ch Margaux	241
1978	Ch Margaux	377
1979	Ch Margaux	285
1980	Ch Margaux	342
1981	Ch Margaux	340
1982	Ch Margaux	1,017
1983	Ch Margaux	582
1984	Ch Margaux	198
1985	Ch Margaux	445
1986	Ch Margaux	543
1987	Ch Margaux	335
1989	Ch Margaux	483
1990	Ch Margaux	1,077

		12,803

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	5924
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	-14,738
Dinner	-1892
Balance	-5706

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple to the event.

2011-5 Seven Decades of Burgundy

Seven Decades of Burgundyat Bull & Bear

December 10, 2011 at 6:00 pm

Format

We started with a seven decade Burgundy tasting, then a couple of random wines, and a Madeira. These wines weren’t poured blind. I slipped in a 1969 BV Beaumont Pinot Noir which fooled no one, and a 1983 Acacia Pinot Noir which everyone thought was old world. a 1968 BV Cabernet beat a 100-point Parker 1986 Mouton, and seemed about the same age. Wine of the night was 1955 Chambertin.

1949	Mazis Chambertin – Seguin-Manuel	Red	500	garnet, strawberry, floral, tart cherry, vanilla, mint, unbalanced. Some discussion of its authenticity, but I believe it to be real, but uninspired. 88 points
1955	Chambertin, Louis Latour	Red	390	Wine of the night. Medium brown, bacon, wax, smoke, ashes, sage, herbs. 98 points.
1964	Pommard, Grand Epenots, Leroy	Red	200	Lemon, floral, smoke. Wish I’d saved some a bit longer. 92 points.
1978	Chambolle Musigny	Red	140	Woodsy at first, coffee, youthful. 91 points.
1983	Romanee St. Vivant DRC	Red	300	Cherries, refined, balanced, long lasting. Second favorite wine of the night. 95 points.
1997	Echezeaux Reserve Bocquenet	Red	90	Wood, vanilla, balanced. 92 points.
2000	Montrachet, G. Amiot	White	260	Disappointingly one-dimensional. lemon, vanilla. 90 points.

1968	BV	Cabernet	100	Deep red, more pepper and gravel than GDLTPR. Astonishingly youthful, third most popular wine of the night. Beat the Mouton in a non-blind vote, 94 points.
1986	Ch Mouton Rothschild	Pauillac	700	I still don’t get this Parker 100-pointer. Tight, tannic, uninteresting. 93 points.

1901	Madeira, Malvasia	Madeira	260	Citrus, caramel, long and balanced, wonderful! 96 points.

			2940

Upcoming Events

March 31

Wine Syndicate

Acquisitions

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	2629
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	0
Dinner	-1705
Balance	5924

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple to the event.

2011-1 Bring Your Own Flight

Bring Your Own Flight

at Bull and Bear at the Waldorf

February 5, 2011 at 6:00 pm

Bring Your Own FlightThis was a pseduo Syndicate event, with wines provided by the attendees:

Ron & Bev
John & Debbie
Steve & Linda
Andres & Paula
Andy
Martin

Each couple was requested to bring two or three wines in bags for a mystery flight. As it turned out, they brought more! And what a great collection of wines they were:

1	2006 Tablas Creek White	Andy	Creamy, nutty chalk, vitamin soap (Viognier, Marsanne, Rousanne blend)	82
2	2007 Williamsburg Seyval Blanc	Andy	Clearly Seyval	86
3	1998 Alexis Seyval Blanc	Andy	Caramel, oily	84
4	1992 Haut Brion Blanc	Steve	Lemon, candle wax, tangerine rind	95
5	1992 Aubert Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay	Steve	Smoke, oak, ash, minerals	98
6	2009 Evans Ranch Chardonnay	Steve	Floral, pears	92
7	2009 Conundrum	Martin	spritzy, lanolin, cat box, cream, lichee, very sweet finish	90
8	1947 Chambolle-Musigny premier cru	Steve	Bacon, mushroom, iron, citrus	95
9	1993 Rex Hill Pinot Noir	Andy	Coffee, iron, meat, bacon, sweet	90
10	1995 Gevrey-Chambertin Dujac	Andy	Iron, polish, old pinot	88
11	2006 Foxen Sea Smoke Vineyard Pinot Noir	Andy	Big, ripe sweet	88
12	2008 K Syrah Northridge Vineyard	Andres	Vanilla, sweet cherries, cinammon	94
13	1997 Hermitage Les Bessards Delas Freres	Andres	Smoke, bacon, tart, seemed like Burgundy	91
14	2004 Syrah, South Africa	Andres	Lacquer, floral, geraniums	92
15	1985 Streblow Cabernet Sauvignon	John	Mint, vanilla, merlot	92
16	1985 Ritchie Creek Cabernet Sauvignon	John	Pencil lead	94
17	1985 Hop Kiln Primitivo	John	Mint, bacon asparagus, 25% Petite Sirah, shocking!	98
18	1992 Foppiano Sonoma Petite Sirah	Martin	Coffee, caramel, mint	90
19	1991 Conrad Petite Sirah	Martin	Corked, big vanilla	92
20	1988 Stags Leap Petite Sirah	Martin	Coffee, green pepper, black pepper, big, long	98
21	1992 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir	Ron	Burgundian, Rose petals, floral	92
22	2000 Ch, Rayas Rhone	Ron	Burgundian, vanilla, anise	95
23	1999 Clos de la Roche, Laurent	Ron	Young, smoke, big, bacon	96
24	1997 Martinelli Chardonnay	Ron	waxy, caramel, oxidized	86
25	1976 Ch. Montelena	Ron	Incredibly youthful	93
26	1976 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon	Ron	tired and a bit sour	91
27	1976 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon	Ron	fading, drink up	89
28	1986 Lafaurie Peyraguey Sauternes	Ron	medium amber, raisins, good acid	90

Also, chef outdid himself. Highlights for me were the Hamachi Salad, where every ingredient was an explosion of flavor; the corn and truffle soup, incredibly rich and creamy; the generous serving of huge scallops; the spinach that came with the duck; the very bacony mac & cheese; a great bone-in filet, so flavorful; all the passed desserts. Come to think of it, basically everything was my favorite!

Thanks for the wonderful wines, everyone!

Upcoming Events

March 7-9

Wine Syndicate Goes to Vegas!

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	3335
Dues Payable	0
Purchases	0
Dinner	Pay for your own
Balance	3335

No dues are due.

2010-4 Holy Crap! It’s 1961!

Holy Crap! It’s 1961!at Bull and Bear

September 25, 2010 at 6:00 pmWow, some great wines. The 1961 Haut Brion was the unanimous first place winner, with most people scoring it 100 points. That’s the first time that’s happened. Second place, with nine votes was the 1966 Haut Brion. A great tasting; thanks to all for bringing some magnificent wines.

The WinesPullin’ out all the stop for this one.

Year	Wine	From	Notes	Score	Price
1962	Ch Pichon Baron	WS	slight browning, caramel, hazlenut, vanilla, improved as it sat for about 30 minutes	88	140
1962	Ch Margaux	WS	light garnet, spices, violets, youthful, femenin, died quickly	92	225
1966	Ch Pichon Lalande	WS	somewhat brown, iron, sweet	84	140
1966	Ch Montrose	WS	garnet, mint, stil tannic, a bit short	88	140
1966	Ch Haut Brion	WS	dark garnet, classic haut brion nose, tannic, youthful, floral	95	210
1961	Ch Lynch Bages	WS	garnet, swamp water at first, then floral	94	380
1961	Ch Lafite (tenth)	WS	light garnet, sawdust, mint, acidic, great condition for a tenth	89	600
1961	Ch Mouton Rothschild	WS	very dark garnet, very young, early pours were turpentine nosed, sawdust, chewy	91	1700
1961	Ch Haut Brion	WS	one of the greatest wines I’ve had, dark garnet, classic haut brion nose, chewy, young, spectacular, a unanimous first place	100	1950
					5455
2006	Puligny-Montrachet, Les Referts, J.M. Boillot	Alcorn	butter, ash, fruit, caramel, long finish	96
2004	Evans Ranch Pinot Noir Lone Oak	Henline	cherry	93
2003	Ch. Carbonnieaux	Siegel	Citrus, floral	91
2005	Robert Young Chardonnay	Crockett	creamy, balanced	94
2006	Adobe Road Petite Sirah	Alcorn	jammy, chocolate, mint, spice, long	93
2008	Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel	Robinson	floral, spicy	92
2003	L’Aventure Optimus	Robinson	classic syrah blend	90
1984	Dominus	Siegel	tight, very Bordeaux like	93
1984	Ridge Montebello	Siegel	gravel, very Bordeaux like	96
1984	Robert Mondavi Reserve CS	Siegel	1970 Ch. Lafit nose	90
2005	Adobe Road CS	Henline	Floral, sweet, vanilla	89

Acquisitions

Qty	Year	Wine	Price
4	1986	Ch Mouton Rothschild (100 pts)	699
			2796

Upcoming Events

December 11

Wine Syndicate

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	-257
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	-2796
Dinner	-1831
Balance	116

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple.

2010-2 Burgundy Decades

Burgundy Decades

at The Bull & Bear
at The Waldorf Astoria

directions

April 17, 2010 at 6:00 pm

The Wines

Eight decades of great Burgundies ought to do the trick.

The favorite wine was overwhelmingly the 1937, followed by the 1983, 1928 and 1959. All wines scored in the 90s, and evolved for several hours. An amazing tasting!

Col	Row	Year	Wine	Price
5	28	1928	Pommard Epenots, Barolet Given its thin, light brown color I didn’t expect this to last, but it actually held up for several hourse, increasing in complexity and sweetness. Cedar, smoke, varnish, artichoke, still very much alive and balanced. 93 points.	475
4	23	1937	Chambertin, Louis Latour Also thin and brown, but appearances can be deceiving. Clearly the wine of the tasting, with waxy, charry notes that quickly turned to classic cherries, bacon fat and smoke. Caramel, chocolate, almonds and coconut on the palate combines to create a magnificent Almond Joy! Held up four hours. 97 points.	390
5	23	1949	Charmes-Chambertin, Liger-Belair Probably not the best example of this wine. Hints of greatness spoiled by a maderized nose. Some smoke, fat and cherries. Oddly, some of the oxidation worked its way out over a few hours. 88 points.	317
4	22	1959	Gevrey Chambertin, Bouchard Aine & Fils Better color than the first three, and quite fruity, but not nearly the complexity level. Still, a great Burg. 95 points.	380
5	29	1966	Echezeaux, Doudet-Naudin Vanilla nose, still tannic, earthy, coffe. Another great wine. 94 points.	325
5	9	1978	Chambolle Musigny, Trapet Youthful, fruity, earthy, mushrooms. 92 points.	140
6	28	1983	Grands Echezeaux, Domaine de la Romanee Conti Classic for its type, mint, iron, a bit thin given expectations. 93 points.	300
3	23	1993	La Romanee – Bouchard, Pere et Fils The disappointing wine of the tasting, since it was the big name in vineyards. Very young and fresh with vanilla and tannin, but not much going on. 91 points.	190
		2000	Gevrey Chambertin, Clos Prieur Added by John. Tight mushrooms, closed and a bit thin. Needs time. 91 points.
9	28	2000	Ch d’Yquem (tenth)	213
				2730

Acquisitions

Acker Merrall – Feb 2010

Col	Row	Year	Wine	Price
4	16	1964	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	130
4	17	1964	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	130
4	18	1964	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	130
4	19	1964	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	130
4	20	1964	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	130
4	25	1964	BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve	130
				780

Bonhams – March 2010

Col	Row	Year	Wine	Size	Price
6	26	1958	DRC Echezeaux		675
6	28	1966	DRC Echezeaux		675
					1350

Hart Davis – March 2010

Col	Row	Year	Wine	Size	Price
3	25	1964	Pommard, Grand Epenots, Leroy		200
3	26	1964	Pommard, Grand Epenots, Leroy		200
3	27	1964	Pommard, Grand Epenots, Leroy		200
9	16	1955	Ch Cheval Blanc	tenth	320
9	17	1955	Ch Cheval Blanc	tenth	320
9	18	1955	Ch Latour	tenth	320
9	19	1961	Ch Lafite Rothschild	tenth	600
8	19	1961	Ch Mouton Rothschild		1200
					3360

Upcoming Events

June 5	Non Syndicate at Ocean Prime
September 25	Wine Syndicate
December 11	Wine Syndicate

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	1689
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	-5490
Dinner	-1456
Balance	-257

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple.

2009-6 1970 Bordeaux

1970 Bordeaux

at The Bull & Bear
at The Waldorf Astoria

directions

December 5, 2009 at 6:00 pm

The WinesIt’s been a long time since we did a horizontal. This is a fairly comprehensive tasting of Bordeaux from an interesting year, when some lesser growths produced better wines than the first growths.All of our scores were better than Parker’s. My lowest scored wine was an 84. However our scores tended to track Parker’s. Favorite wines were Palmer, La Mission Haut Brion and Latour. It’s interesting that these three wines included the two half bottles. There’s still plenty of life left in those, and I would definitely consider them good buys.

Year	Chateau	Region	Parker	Notes	Price
1970	Leoville Las Cases	St.-Julien	77	2nd growth, next to Latour	85
1970	Talbot	St.-Julien	78	4th growth	80
1970	Gruaud Larose	St.-Julien	87	2nd growth	85
1970	Margaux	Margaux	76	1st growth	Steve
1970	Palmer (tenth)	Margaux	95	3rd growth	135
1970	Figeac	St.-Emilion	90	2nd growth	145
1970	Cheval Blanc	St.-Emilion	85	1st growth	205
1970	La Mission Haut Brion	Pessac-Leognan (Graves)	94	Arguably a 1st growth	155
1970	Haut Brion	Pessac-Leognan (Graves)	84	1st growth	225
1970	Lafite Rothschild	Pauillac	79	1st growth	175
1970	Mouton Rothschild	Pauillac	92	1st growth	285
1970	Les Forts de Latour	Pauillac	84	Second wine of Ch. Latour, regarded as a 4th growth	109
1970	Latour (tenth)	Pauillac	99	1st growth	205

					1889

Acquisitions

Purchased from Bonhams & Butterfields 11/21/09:

1949 Corton-Bressandes C. Vienot $550

Upcoming Events

February 20	Wine Syndicate
April 17	Wine Syndicate

Treasurer’s Report

Previous Balance	-757
Dues Payable	5000
Purchases	-550
Dinner	-1697
Balance	1996

Please bring your dues of $1000 per couple.