The weekend was all about other wines, but Bordeaux
resurfaced, after The Reefer pulled out a very modern international example
that could have come from one of many places in the world. I hankered for something that really spoke of
Bordeaux, and I guess the other guests did also. So The Lancer dug deep in his cellar and brought
out one that was served blind.
The initial impressions were indeed Bordeaux – that distinctive
smell of claret, and the redder fruits and lack of blackcurranty notes spoke of
Merlot. Quite elegant too, and more St
Emilion than Pomerol, and definitely with some age, around 10 years of age or
older. That was my decision before the
questions. It turned out to be Left
Bank! The Merlot made me think St
Estephe rather than Pauillac or St Julien. It was St Julien! The wine wasn’t particularly structured, deep
or firm. Maybe the bottle-age was having
its say. I didn’t think top-flight St
Julien. Wrong again, it was 1998 Ch. Leoville Las Cases St Julien. How did I not get close?
The vintage was a difficult one, with rain. The Merlot was better than the Cabernet – so I
was justified! At 16 years old, it was
maybe a little more mellow for Leoville Las Cases, possibly dumbed down. According to the critics, it was one of the
successes of the year. Was it a cork
issue? We’ll need to try another bottle…
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