Pichon Comtesse de Lalande 2007 1999 1982 Château Cos D’Estournel 2001, 1990 & 1988, Léoville Barton 2000, Léoville Las-Cases ’89, Ducru Beaucaillou 2000

A line-up of Bordeaux Deuxième Cru Classé at the Tanglin Club, Singapore, on 20 June 2022, predominantly aged 21 years or older. In spite of that, several of the wines are still surprisingly youthful. All are drinking well, proving that plenty of pleasure may be derived at this level without blowing silly money. Another noteworthy reminder from this tasting is that clarets really need plenty of time to be at their best, preferably at 30 years, especially those of so-called outstanding vintages. Many thanks to everyone for their generosity, especially to Jeremy and Kieron for organising and to Sir Bob for hosting.

2001 Château Cos D’Estournel. Deep crimson. Youthful nose of ripe plums, dark currants and haw. Considerably brighter with more red fruits after some aeration. Medium-full. Fleshy and highly supple with a sleek streamlined intensity that tapered with fine linearity and decent length. Still yet to reach full maturity.

1999 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, courtesy of Hiok. Opaque reddish brown, exuding an exuberant light fragrance of lifted rose petals. Medium weight. Softly contoured and slightly lean, the fruit having retreated along with melted tannins, coming across as somewhat distant with a dash of sweetness at its short finish.

2000 Château Léoville Barton, courtesy of Kieron. Impressive deep purple, imbued with a warm swathe of ripe black fruits and dark currants. Slightly assertive with understated velvety intensity and acidity. Well balanced and integrated, developing early secondary characters towards the end of dinner. Still far from maturity.

1989 Château Léoville Las-Cases, courtesy of Vernon. Deep garnet, opening with a refined distant glow of dark fruits and currants tinged with menthol and herbal elements. The palate is appropriately weighty with warm ripe fruit, beautifully rounded with an integral fullness that belies its understated intensity and structure, finishing with ease and confidence. At its best.

1988 Château Cos D’Estournel, courtesy of Barrie. Deep garnet with a crimson rim. Rather brooding with restraint on the nose, delivering an intense weighty palate structured with very finely-grained ferrous elements, imparting a deep austere intensity. Impeccably balanced in spite of its masculine proportions, revealing further layers of delicious dark fruits over time.

2007 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, courtesy of Jeremy. Deep purple. Attractive dark fruits on the nose, faintly delicious. Medium-full, imbued with excellent depth of darkish ripe fruit that exert very fine youthful intensity.

2000 Château Ducru Beaucaillou, courtesy of Pipin. Deep garnet. Still quite primal on the nose, suggesting an abundant depth of red fruits and dark plums with a hint of earth and bramble. Generously proportioned with smooth slick acidity, yielding fine supple intensity but this is still tight. Surprisingly masculine for Ducru.

1990 Château Cos D’Estournel, courtesy of Sir Bob. Reddish brown. Rather imposing and intense bouquet, giving the impression of a much younger wine which is further suggested by the deep vein of dark currants and black fruits on the fullish palate that seems unsettled with subtle verve and intensity, exerting superb lift. Contrary to what many would expect of a 1990 Second Growth, the Cos is still years away from maturity.

1982 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, courtesy of Sir Bob. Reddish brown. Mature Pauillac character with a hint of warm gravel, lifted with lithe agility. The palate is seamlessly open where the tannins have completely receded, leaving behind the distilled presence of mature fruit that is still amazingly fresh, perfectly balanced and proportioned within an indescribable lush feminine complex, mounting a delicious elegant blazing intensity as the evening wore on. A complete wine at its very best and likely to continue to hold.