Another Birthday...3/3/07
The wines from Bordeaux
The French Wines specially selected from Phuc's personal cellar.
I am a novice when it comes to wine so when I hear people talking about 1st cru, grand cru, etc.... What does it really mean?
I did my research and here is a little history on how the French rank their vines.
To make a long story short basically they go with the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 (classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines). The wines were ranked in importance from first to fifth growth (crus).
Premier cru, meaning in French "first growth" is the highest subcategory of cru classé (classed growth). Bordeaux wines that achieve this ultimate ranking may put "Premier Grand Cru Classé" on their labels. Let's visit the the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855- I highlighted the wine labels that we are having tonight!
First Growths (Premiers or 1er Crus)
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Second Growths (Deuxièmes Crus)
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Third Growths (Troisièmes Crus)
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Fourth Growths (Quatrièmes Crus)
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Fifth Growths (Cinquièmes Crus)
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Phuc's selection:
Deuxieme (2nd) crus: 2 bottles of 1989 Château Pichon Longueville Baron, Pauillac
and 1989 Château Cos d'Estournel, St.-Estephe
Cinquièmes (5th) Cru: 1989 Château Clerc-Milon, Pauillac
Talking about Phuc spoiling us with the wine selection tonight! I am including the reviews by professional like Robert Parker (see below).
Review of the wines
1989 Cos d'Estournel - Saint Estephe Deuxièmes Crus Grape Type: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot Region: Bordeaux
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1989 Baron de Pichon Longueville Deuxièmes Crus
Grape Type:
Cab-Sauv/Merlot
We had two bottles and drank it all!
By
Wine Spectator
-Rated: 98 You need to check out Phuc's comments
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1990 Château Lagrange St. Julien
Grape Type: Region: Bordeaux
The wine is sweet and delicious with heavily extracted cherry fruit at the core. There’s a little tannin to shed and the acidity is fine. It’s a balanced wine with a long finish. Seems to be very close to entering peak drinking years. Not quite as good as 2000 Lagrange but a great success on its own.
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Château Clerc Milon 1989 Fifth Classed Growth, Pauillac Grape Type: Bordeau Blend Region: Bordeaux
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Last but not least the Vintage 1994 Fonseca Port- Country: Portugal
Port is a fortified wine made by stopping the fermentation with brandy. The result is a heavy sweet wine, most often red, that is dense, rich and high in alcohol. Port is made all over the world with some great results in Australia and South Africa, but the most famous of these dessert wines come from Portugal.
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Vintage 1994 Fonseca Port
By Robert Parker: 97 points One of the most spectacular 1994s, this opaque purple-colored wine is an exotic, flamboyant, ostentatious port. Extremely fragrant and pungent, with a flashy display of jammy cassis, pepper, licorice, and truffles, this port is an attention-grabber. Awesomely rich, and full-bodied, with superb length, richness, and overall balance, it possesses a huge mid-palate, layers of flavor, an unctuous texture, and a blockbuster finish. Everything is in place, with the brandy and tannin well-integrated, even concealed by the masses of fruit and glycerin |
By Winespectator: 100 points Hold on to your hat. This is the best Fonseca since 1977, and it's probably even better than that classic vintage--more like the breathtaking 1948. Mind-blowing, with masses of color, aroma and fruit flavor. Smells like fermenting berries, boasting loads of crushed grape, violet and berry character. Big, full-bodied and very sweet, with tons of tannins and a sweet finish. Tannic and huge, it's a long-term, great Port |
This is probably the best port I ever had. Great aroma, so fragrant and it sure goes down smoothly!
Map of Wine Regions in France |
Map of Bordeaux region. All of the wines we drank are located on the upper right hand side ( St Estephe , Pauillac, and Saint Julien)
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Again, if you missed Phuc's comments in this page, here is your last chance to read it...Phuc's comments
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