I was fortunate enough to be able to facilitate a power lunch featuring an impressive vertical of Cheval Blanc and mini-vertical of Ausone yesterday. The opportunity to taste such great wines comes along somewhat frequently, but not always in tandem. I took a few minutes after the event to jot down some comparative notes for the archives. Here were my thoughts:
1998 Ausone: Lots of dark currant, dark cherry and cedar. Tobacco leaf with an interesting touch of olive and pepper. Youthful, but drinking well. The Cabernet Franc notes are very pronouned here in the effusive leafiness and palate prickle. Definitely in need of more time to really show its stuff.
2001 Ausone: Brighter cherry flavors with much more pronounced fruit than the 1998. The Merlot shows more dominant here with a plush texture prevailing. Nice forest floor undertones. This drinks very well today. It's not wildly complex, but I really enjoy this for the elegance it shows.
2002 Ausone: Truffled aromas with red fruits. A great blend of all the elements from both the 1998 and 2001. I think this finds a nice through-line with the plushness of the Merlot and the herbal tickle from the Franc blending very well. Very drinkable and showing lovely layers of complexity. Some chalky tannin as well. This was my Ausone of the flight, though others may disagree.
2003 Ausone: Almost New-World plushness and spice. Not overripe, but you can certainly feel the warmth of the vintage. A more forward style that some others really gravitated toward. Seemingly stronger dollop of new oak that shows in a blast of vanillin on the finish. Some grip. Delicious wine, but a little more superficial than I'd hope for.
1982 Cheval Blanc: Layers of interesting components here both on the nose and again on the palate: tobacco, black olives, mint, earthen tones, mushroom, red fruits - pure Bordeaux. A silky texture that caresses the palate. Still has some tannic grip to it, even. Layered and complex with a good deal of life left to it, methinks.
1990 Cheval Blanc: I'm not entirely convinced this wasn't a somewhat "off" bottle. It showed a little porty and weird when I first opened it, but it did find some more balance by the time I took these notes hours later. A more forward style with very vibrant, and almost sweet, red fruits and spice. Seems a bit more fruit-driven than it has earth to give. Very rich and perhaps in need of more time, yet this bottle doesn't really have a whole lot of tannin to shed. Hard to say about this one...
1998 Cheval Blanc: Youthful and dark, but with very vibrant acidity. Definitely some grippy tannin here. Silky texture with some of that Franc prickle. Primary right now, but you can taste the potential. At this moment, a little underwhelming, and particularly in this company.
2000 Cheval Blanc: Rich, plush and spicy. If the 1998 was silky, then this one is pure velvet. Gorgeous black cherry at its core that bursts with freshness. This wine walks right up to the line of being too ripe, but then grabs you by the part of you that enjoys that hedonism and makes you love it. She's a little slutty, but you're single so it's okay. This is very impressive and has great balance in its power. It will be very interesting to see this evolve.
2001 Cheval Blanc: Nice fruit, but more of a cool vintage representation. Silky texture here again, with some stronger Franc notes. This is good, but wildly underwhelming in this flight. Would probably be a nice wine in its own right at the table where it was the star. I wouldn't run out myself to grab any for the cellar, though.
2005 Cheval Blanc: Super young. But loads of potential, of course. Rich, dark and controlled fruit. Many of the same elements and similarities to the 2000, but they're subdued in the youth. Hiding under the surface. Very well put together and even drinkable now, but certainly in need of much more time to really show. Interestingly, it shows a candied cherry aroma on the nose that's fun.
We wrapped everything up with a 1947 Caillou Barsac that was interesting. A very off-putting nose, however. Some dried honey, orange peel and toasted almonds show through. Somewhat like a tawny Port. More pleasing on the palate: sweet attack with citrus, honey, dried molasses, burnt espresso and a Sherry-like salinity. This was interesting to taste, but I wouldn't really go chasing after it.
