La Conseillante dinner

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Attended a dinner hosted by a local wine merchant tonight. The theme was Ch La Conseillante from Pomerol, and we were fortunately enough to have both the owner as well as the winemaker present. All the wines are ex-chateau so they are in perfect condition. The line up for tonight was:

2004 - actually very new world/Californian in style. Very fruit-forward and a departure from the classic Pomerol. Pretty enjoyable.

2001 - an underrated vintage and very classic Pomerol. Not as forward but I can see this drinking really well in a few years.

2000 - One of the stellar vintages in recent years, but this is still very tannic and closed. There is potential for this to develop beautifully but surprisingly not as accessible as the other 2000's.

1995 - very drinkable today...classic Pomerol and fantastic nose.

1989 - definitely wine fo the evening. This wine is soooo beautiful. The nose just hits you and very smooth on the palate. Most of us would prefer this over the celebrated '90. Served from magnum.

1982 - a close second to the 1989. Needed more time to open up, but still very enjoyable and cannot complain. Served from magnum.

La Conseillante is certainly one of the top Pomerol estates, and in recent years (perhaps since the new winemaker in 2004) has changed style to be more forward. Apparently the head table tonight was served barrel samples of the 2005, and people have compared it with Californians such as Switchback Ridge!