Thursday, September 1, 2011

Tasting

Melon and chiffonade of Spanish ham, Escargot à la Bordelaise (snails) prepared by Mumu (which I picked during the August storms) and figs from Fongaban with Tahitian vanilla.

As a starter, we paired this spicy dish with a bottle of Aalto PS 2006 Ribera del Duero (94RP), very young, tannins still very present, but fine wine, concentrated, neat and visible label.

Then, blind, a wine from the right, a delight, a treat, almost too good, some here in Bordeaux obsessed with the sex of angels, would call it “putassier” (whorish). One can understand the comments like “too good, too sexy now, what about tomorrow?“. A left bank wine tasting like a right bank, a fine Pomerol, well not... It is Lascombes 2005 that ended 1st place in a blind tasting of the Grand Jury Européen. Goes to show, even professionals who are part of this grand jury can be delighted with a seductive wine. Don’t despair of geeks, who are also not always obsessed by the intellect of a wine, its history, its future, but can also enjoy a good, if not very good Margaux. I took notice as I purchased some after all the fuss with its 1st place and 95 given by Robert Parker and sold in stores for around 100 euros.

On the left, fortunately preferred by my guests all professional tasters, Valandraud 2005 which I thought would be largely defeated by Lascombes.
Goes to show, I can put other wines, at my place, against mine without looking to make them stand out from the “competition”. Actually, the last journalist who came to eat at my place with Murielle while I was away was able to take in my cellar a Pingus which has nothing to prove and especially a 1st Medoc Cru Classe from 1855, vintage 1995, which took, according to other guests, a bashing such as “it is not even a 2nd wine”, but that's the whole deal with comparative tastings. Pavie 2003, for example, passes way ahead of Valandraud, which itself, finishes way ahead of some 1st growths, and that's the way it is.

In the case of La Mondotte and Angelus which are amazing wines, blind, often end up in 1st place. Of course, I mean with people who have similar palates as I do and enjoy the styles of wine I like: ripe, concentrated, Rolland style .

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