Dan's Papers - May 8, 2009 - Wine Editor's Letter: Blind Ambition

In his book A Hedonist in the Cellar, novelist and raconteur Jay McInerney recounts a story about how, late for a dinner party at a posh restaurant, he is asked by the hostess of the assemblage to identify the wine being served, which had been decanted and so had to be tasted blind. McInerney swirls and sniffs. "Haut Brion," he declares. Gasps rise from the small group. He takes a sip. "1982," he adds to the amazement and delight of the lucky diners. He later admits to having an edge, knowing that his hostess knew her vintages and that she had a penchant for First Growth Bordeaux. Still, this is an impressive feat.

The reason I know how difficult it can be to identify wines blind is because David and I began a tradition five years ago during which we decant about ten Merlot-based wines, usually five locals, two or three from France, one Cali and a ringer or two, and invite a few friends, including a couple of local winemakers, to taste them in late fall. The results are amazing - we elicit our own gasps from the crowd when the identities are revealed at the end of the tasting - with local wines always scoring in the top three, and this is against such fierce competition as La Mission Haut Brion and Cheval Blanc. In fact, first prize at the Third Annual Great Bordeaux-Style Wine Tasting, held in 2007, was the 2001 Lenz Estate Merlot, made in an Old World style, which retails for an incredible $23 at the winery.

As we have yet to arrive at a fairer way to taste wines blind - writer Hugh Johnson cites a comment from a long-forgotten winemaker in his wonderful autobiography, Uncorked, who declared that "I make my wines to go with food, not other wines" - we continue our tradition with the lineup. But last year, becoming difficult as it did with the economy in freefall at the end of summer, we decided to hold a much more informal tasting, or rather a series of mini tastings, with just two guests - us.

For our first tasting, in lieu of drinking blind, we opened a 2005 Chateau Lascombes, a second growth Margaux (25,000 cases produced in 2005) that had been in decline for decades. Wine critic Robert Parker had rated the wines in the 80- and even 70-point range during the 1980s and 90s, but since 2000 he has given it 90 points and higher. The property was acquired that year by an American company, Colony Capital, who brought aboard Chateau Reignac's Yves Vatelot to oversee winemaking along with Michel Roland to consult. The results have been impressive. According to Parker, Lascombes "has now become one of Margaux's top wines, even challenging Palmer and Chateau Margaux." The 2005, which is 52 percent Cab Sauvignon and 45 percent Merlot, received 95 points, and currently at about $70 a bottle (less than its release price) it is a very good buy compared to Palmer (97 points, $300 and up) and Margaux (98 points, $850 plus). It drinks well now but you should let it age for a couple of decades if you can refrain from opening it. Not always an easy task for us.

Our second tasting was partially blind: David knew, I didn't. He made a big fuss over surprising me, so I was immediately suspicious. I hate to pull old bottles from their horizontal perch in the cellar and crack them open - they only do this in movies where people know nothing about wine - because you are nearly guaranteed to get a mouthful of sediment. David knew better. Right? I put my nose in the glass. It had to be Chateau Clinet, a well-respected Pommerol that is one of my favorites. Okay. I'd be fine with this (he would have stood it up for at least a day, so this surprise must have been planned ahead) as long as it was the 1995, of which we have a few. Another sniff. Uh-oh. This could be the 1990 Clinet, which is much pricier and much harder to find. Not to mention our last bottle. A sip. Another sip. Yes, this is the 1990. I tried to enjoy it while I wracked my brain about where I'd find another. "Give up?" asked David. "I hope it's the 1995 Clinet, but I'm afraid it's the '90." David grinned and spun the bottle around. Surprise! It was the 2000 Lenz "Old Vines" Merlot. Great acidity, bright red fruit, long finish. This wonderful wine is no longer available, but winemaker Eric Fry believes that the 2001 "Old Vines" Merlot will be every bit its equal, given a little more time, if not superior.

Our last micro tasting was the result of a wine David scavenged from the bottom of a dusty bin at a local wine shop. "It's not extravagant, is it?" I asked. "No, don't worry," he said over his cell phone. Dinner was well underway when David walked in. I promised to stay out of the dining room while he poured, but I noticed that he had brought out the good Burgundy glasses, the first reminder that "extravagant" can be relative. I swirled the pale red wine in the gorgeous glass before catching the scent. Wow! "What do you think?" David asked. "If I didn't know better I'd swear this is from the Cote de Nuits," I said, naming my favorite (and coincidentally most expensive) wine region in the world. I took a sip. "In fact," I continued, "I must be wrong, but I believe this is LeRoy," my favorite producer of great red Burgundy. David looked stunned. "Yes! That's incredible! What vintage?" he asked. "Hmm, I'd say 1989." "Well, it's actually the 1999 Maison LeRoy Bourgogne" said David, still visibly impressed. This wine is a true bargain, costing somewhere around $40. It was a great find. The fruit had retreated a bit, and the wine was showing its age (unlike a Domaine LeRoy from a great vineyard like La Tache, which will age for decades but put you back at least a grand, if you can find one). But the unmistakable terrior of the Cote de Nuits was in every sip, and it was glorious.

I will always be impressed with Jay McInerney's story about the 1982 Haut Brion, surely the result of a lifetime's passion for great wine, and it reminds me of how far I have to go. But remarkably, one glass of LeRoy later, I am so much closer to owning it.

Susan Whitney Simm is Dan's Papers Wine Guide editor. The Wine Guides are published six times a year, next is in the July 4 issue. Email ssimm@optonline.net