My little wine group held our 7th Blind Bordeaux Challenge last night: 8 people, a welcoming champagne, a white with appetizers, 4 competing reds and a whole lot of attitude. The venue was, as usual, Old Manila at the Peninsula Hotel.
L-R: Gerry (the Doc), Tina (Mrs. Doc), Edouard, Sevrine, Fides (Mrs. Stockbroker), myself, Catha (my wife), and Jojo (the Stockbroker).
Trash-talking began over a month ago with Edouard taunting us here in Manila via SMS all the way from Bordeaux. I knew that he had found almost 30 double magnums of 1961 Ch. Palmer in Siran's cellar (the Miailhes used to be shareholders of Palmer many years ago) and traded many of them with Palmer for (relatively) more recent vintages. I strongly suspected he would enter either a '61 or '89 Palmer this challenge and, due to his teasing, announced to all that the moment I detect an aged wine from Margaux, I would automatically relegate it to last place.
Though the night began with an outwardly relaxed atmosphere, the underlying tension was there. Both Edouard and the Stockbroker had won twice, the Doc and I only once each.
After the Doc's
'98 Dom Perignon (a decent, linear, citrus and yeast/bread dough forward champagne with moderate creamy/toastiness to the back, reminiscent of their '88), and, thereafter, glasses of
'04 Saintsbury Brown Ranch Chardonnay (a relatively subdued California chard in the model of a village Chassagne Montrachet) with my appetizer of slipper lobster salad in a lightly creamy sauce, the reds came out and hostilities began.
From my handwritten notes:
Wine#1 - Appeared to be the oldest wine; it alone had noticeable browning towards the rim. Most exotic nose of sweet jasmine tea, dark Asian spices, a touch of soy and camphor. Rich mouthfeel, good heft but not heavy, long layered finish. I guessed it was a Cos d'Estournel.
Wine#2 - Reticent nose of cedar, blackberries, cassis, bit of game, slightly truffled (which opened up and sweetened later on). Blackberries dominated the red berries in the mouth, espresso notes surface in the long finish. I found it's middle comparatively weak though; not quite hollow, but definitely threw the balance off for me.
Wine#3 - Nose took longest to open up and show bottle age sweetened blackcurrants/cassis, vaguely smoky cedar, mild dark spice and a bit of toasty oak. Confidently medium-bodied, nice structure in middle, the longest, most confident finish, you could feel the tannins through though.
Wine#4 - One of the most forward noses, eager to please. I eventually decided #1's bouquet as the best because it was more distinctive and exotic. Rich mouthfeel, bigger wine than wines #2 and #3, with notes of sweet cedar, red berries, mocha and vanilla. Good middle. Finish was longer than #2. Designed for blind tastings, I thought to myself.
The Food The Wines:
My Own Results:
1st Place - Wine#1, the Stockbroker's
1990 Montrose. I gave this my nod with a heavy heart as I knew it was not my wine. Ok, so I got the appellation right but named the wrong chateau. Anyway, as Edouard noted, Cos and Montrose are neighbors only about a mile apart.
2nd Place - Wine#3, my
1986 Lagrange.
3rd Place - Wine#4, the Doc's
1996 La Mondotte. I recall telling him that Stefan von Niepperg himself told me to make sure to try this particluar wine. Maybe that convinced him to enter this at the challenge, as we've tried the '98 and '97 before.
4th Place - Wine#2, Edouard's
1999 Hosanna.
My wife voted almost identically as I, save that her 2nd and 3rd places were my 3rd and 2nd places, respectively. Interestingly enough, her ranking was in exact accordance with Parker's ratings (not that she ever reads RP at all).
I just couldn't believe Edouard, a staunch champion of old left-bank wine, entered a '99 Hosanna. I told him the left-bank was weeping.
But Edouard certainly wasn't.
The Group Results:1st Place - Wine#2, Edouard's
1999 Hosanna with 22 pts.
2nd Place - Wine#1, the Stockbroker's
1990 Montrose with 20 pts.
3rd Place - Wine#3, my
1986 Lagrange with 19 pts.
4th Place* - Wine#4, the Doc's
1996 La Mondotte with 19 pts.
* Under the group's rules, in case of a tie in points, as in this case, the cheaper wine (going by the current market prices according to wine-searcher.com) prevails.
I was absolutely stunned with the group results. Moreso was the Stockbroker who, together with Edouard and Sevrine, voted for Edouard's wine for 1st Place. The Stockbroker previously disclosed that he intended to prove that a 100 pt Parker wine could still win our challenge (Edouard won the 1st challenge with an '82 Pichon Lalande but lost the 2nd challenge with an '86 Mouton Rothschild).
Well, as they say, the blind tastings don't lie. Perhaps it was really the night a Pomerol was destined to win. That makes it Edouard's 3rd time as king.
So, hail to the king.
For now.