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| 1 Juin June 2005 |
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(...) Price was a crucial concern back in 1855, too, for the brokers who devised the rankings. They were guided by the price each estate was able to fetch for its wines, while also taking into account the public reputations of the various chateaus. We found some correlation between price and quality, but not entirely. After all, our top wine, the Pontet-Canet from Pauillac, a great value at $30, was not nearly the highest-priced wine in the tasting. What’s more, Pontet-Canet is merely a fifth growth. How could it beat out the three first growths in our tasting, not to mention many of the other, higher-ranking estates?Anything can happen in a blind tasting. I have been impressed with Pontet-Canet whenever I’ve tasted itin the last few years, but does that mean I think it’s a better wine than Latour, a first growth and the most expensive wine in our tasting at $195? The Latour just missed our Top 10, finishing 11th. We could sense its substance, but it was so tannic and closed that we could not taste much more than that. Twenty years from now, I suspect few would prefer the Pontet-Canet over the Latour. Is that reified thinking based on what a bunch of old men decided 150 years ago? I prefer to think, with no disrespect to Pontet-Canet, that it’s simply an educated guess, taking into account a familiarity with how a Latour evolves. Tasting Report: The Old Rankings, the Wines and a Few Surprises Pontet-Canet Pauillac 5th Growth $30 *** Subtle, graceful and intense, with lots of spicy fruit flavors. (Importer: Diageo Chateau & Estate, New York) Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 1st Growth $155 *** Exotic, spicy aromas; dense, rich and complex. (Diageo Chateau & Estate, New York) Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2nd Growth $110 *** Big and intense with dense, opulent fruit flavors. (Diageo Chateau & Estate, New York) Mouton-Rothschild Pauillac 1st Growth $155 *** Rich and complex; still closed but with an elegant texture. (W. J. Deutsch & Sons, Harrison, N.Y.) |
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