A very special bottle that we saved for our (dating) anniversary.
Stood the bottle up two days ahead of time to let the sediment settle.
Opened at 6 PM for an 8:30 PM reservation (but knowing we wouldn't drink it until 9:30 PM). Was a little tight, but not overly so. Had some nice dried fruits and acidity.
Debated about decanting, as it didn't feel delicate or fragile. Ultimately, decided to put the cork back in and leave the bottle in the fridge to let it open up.
Brought this to dinner at Benu and let the sommelier decide what was best.
Did the vegetarian tasting menu, which was fantastic. Ordered a Kiser Pinot for the early courses, before moving onto the mains.
The Haut-Brion came out and was lovely, the few hours of air really did it well.
Picked up blackcurrant, dried cherry, blackberry notes, alongside slight ashiness, black tea, and tobacco notes. Maybe some slight truffle, not really leather (which I expected). Also picked up some orange rind (maybe more like blood orange or clementine).
Tannins had really mellowed out, acidity was keeping this really structured.
This played really well with the later savory courses, especially those with truffles or mushrooms, pairing with the umami flavors well.
The bottle was gone before we knew it and savored every drop.
For the final verdict, I had heard a lot about how this was the best Haut-Brion from the 90s (not including 1990 itself) and consensus seems to be that it's superior to 1996, but I would disagree. Granted, I had the 1996 about 18 months ago, but I found that more austere and complex.
Still, loved the 1995 and think it's one of the best 90s Bordeaux I've had to date.
94 points.
by rnjbond
1 Comment
I’m with you on the 1996 vs 1995 argument but it’s really splitting hairs! Glad you enjoyed the bottle so much – great notes!