Had dinner last night at the home of a generous friend whose father has a cellar full of Bordeaux stretching back to the 1960s. Her husband made mushroom salad and osso buco with pasta, and my friend had opened a bottle of 85 Calon Ségur to go with that. The other couple present brought the Cheval Blanc, giving Marcia a wonderful jolt because she's never had one (and I've only had it twice before). Before the wines were served, I had to leave to pick up my daughter, who had just arrived from the airport, so the wines had been sitting in their glasses for half an hour by the time I got back. While I was gone, there was a bit of a quarrel between my friend and her husband about whether the wines were over the hill. According to Marcia, the husband became extremely annoyed, saying that my friend thinks she knows wine just because her father has so much good stuff, but she's just a spoiled brat who only drinks Lafite, etc. etc. So, incredibly, right after I come back, he gets up from the table, goes somewhere inside and returns with a bottle of 89 Lafite just to (get this) spite her (yes, there is a God). So the Lafite was drunk right out of the bottle, without airing or decanting. The atmosphere and setting were not conducive to note taking, so these brief WTNs serve more to share the story and our good fortune and register my impressions of these wines' readiness for those of you lucky enough to have them.
1985 Calon-Ségur St.-Estèphe
Barnyard, cherry and eucalyptus nose with a touch of agreeable mustiness. Acidity still good, but has become more noticeable than the fruit. Tar and cloves creep into the mix. Fully mature, still very good, but already on the decline. Drink now.
1978 Cheval Blanc St.-Émilion
The cork was crumbly and people initially thought this was over the hill, but it was singing by the time I got to it. Wonderful cherry and mushroom nose, fresh tannins, elegant balance. Lovely and incredibly youthful for its age. Probably at the peak of its development, but will still last for quite some time. Drink or hold.
1989 Lafite-Rothschild Pauillac
Fascinating nose, including pine resin, varnish, musk and barnyard. Mouth puckering tannins, very strong fruit (cherry & cassis) backbone. Young and vibrant, this needs several more years to begin to mature. Hold.
