A Classic Pair...

Not food and wine, but wine and wine... Two of the great bottles of my life came yesterday... Both of which I have tasted before, but neither had ever been like this... The 1982 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, tasted half a dozen times before, was at its most aromatic opulence... dusty, cedary, cigar box, spice box, leather, dried leaves, mushroom - all on the nose. The palate was a fruit wonderland, balancing out the tremendous earth that can only be Lafite. Latour is power... Mouton is graphite and black plums... Lafite is the lady... she is pure elegance. The 70+ second finish on this still evolving wine is stunning... I tasted this several times over the course of 3 hours and the wine continued to improve each time. First, it was earth. Then it was fruit and tannin... finally... it was a glorious combination. Stunning bottle, really... more aromatic and complete than the others I've tried. I didn't want to taste anything else after this, but then... an amazing bottle of 1955 Chateau Haut-Brion appeared. I opened - cork in one piece, completely soaked through, somewhat soft, but still firm. Stamped correctly, etc. I poured it into a glass... orange/brown rim going towards a ruby red center... beautiful. The wine is still youthful. The nose on this was a bit muted compared to the other bottles of this I've had, but the palate was special. Cassis with the wonderful bacon-fat, stony/rocky minerals that I expect from this wine. A long, long, long finish... the wine is still young! The best 55 HB? Doubtful, but certainly #2...