8 years apart – when the age difference between bottles is relatively far apart, I find that I tend to focus less on the finer differences and more on the bigger picture and on the supposed progression of these wines as they age.
We opened the ’96 first as we thought it would take more time to fully evolve than the ’88. The color of the ’96 was a viscous pale red, visibly on its way to turning into the brick-like color of the ’88.
The biggest difference for me was the way the wines evolved with time in the glass. The ’88 started off very spice and earth forward, whereas the ’96 was relatively more fruit-forward to begin with.
The ’96 began with notes of dark cherries, smoke and a hint of black teas, both in the nose and on the palate. With time, it built up weight and added depth supported by soft tannins. It became more and more viscous and layered, with secondary and tertiary notes of forest floor, asian spices, licorice and minerals. This was followed by a lingering plum like aftertaste.
In contrast, the ’88 revealed its notes of cherries and dark berries only after the hour mark. It wasn’t as ‘dense’ in flavor as the ’96, and had an inherent ‘marshiness’ as opposed to the 96’s fresh forest floor. It was nevertheless a complement to the ’96 on the table. Sipping between the two, it was as if both wines completed each other – though on their own, they barely lacked anything to begin with.
El_Robski
Not every day you see a couple of €5.000 bottles like that 🤷♂️
ogretrograde
Augustus MayWho when seeing those foils: “Look at that hack job!”
rnjbond
That’s amazing, I’m jealous
PsyMentalist
How do you guys get the money for that? I love wine and im poor. Fuck
couloirjunkie
Were these kept in your cellar, or sourced in? Would be interested to know how you checked provenance!
6 Comments
8 years apart – when the age difference between bottles is relatively far apart, I find that I tend to focus less on the finer differences and more on the bigger picture and on the supposed progression of these wines as they age.
I did a [write up on the ’88](https://www.reddit.com/r/wine/comments/13kke97/a_vintage_close_to_my_heart/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) a while back so I’ll focus on the ’96 and how it was in contrast.
We opened the ’96 first as we thought it would take more time to fully evolve than the ’88. The color of the ’96 was a viscous pale red, visibly on its way to turning into the brick-like color of the ’88.
The biggest difference for me was the way the wines evolved with time in the glass. The ’88 started off very spice and earth forward, whereas the ’96 was relatively more fruit-forward to begin with.
The ’96 began with notes of dark cherries, smoke and a hint of black teas, both in the nose and on the palate. With time, it built up weight and added depth supported by soft tannins. It became more and more viscous and layered, with secondary and tertiary notes of forest floor, asian spices, licorice and minerals. This was followed by a lingering plum like aftertaste.
In contrast, the ’88 revealed its notes of cherries and dark berries only after the hour mark. It wasn’t as ‘dense’ in flavor as the ’96, and had an inherent ‘marshiness’ as opposed to the 96’s fresh forest floor. It was nevertheless a complement to the ’96 on the table. Sipping between the two, it was as if both wines completed each other – though on their own, they barely lacked anything to begin with.
Not every day you see a couple of €5.000 bottles like that 🤷♂️
Augustus MayWho when seeing those foils: “Look at that hack job!”
That’s amazing, I’m jealous
How do you guys get the money for that? I love wine and im poor. Fuck
Were these kept in your cellar, or sourced in? Would be interested to know how you checked provenance!