1999 LaMarque Haut Mèdoc

Tonight I'm going back to the future!  That's the lovely thing about wine, it ages much better than most of us do, and it allows us to travel back in time.  Imagine, tonight I get to go back to Bordeaux in 1999, back when the franc was still in use, the euro was a dream, the internet bubble was going strong, and airport security was a breeze...and I was enjoying the last year of graduate school, those were the days!  And to remember, I'm enjoying the 1999 LaMarque Haut Mèdoc!

As I enjoy a bottle of nice Bordeaux from the last of the 20th Century, it brings back memories, but it also provides much pleasure on its own.  I recall falling in love with Haut Medoc when I was working in Paris in 1995, and I brought back 3 bottles to enjoy, all from the 1990 vintage if I recall correctly, wonderful vibrant, dry red Bordeaux that immediately brought back memories of enjoying a glass of wine at a sidewalk cafe a few block from the Eiffel Tower, with the warm breeze...printemps à Paris, c'est le meilleur!

This wine is very interesting, particularly in how it's aged over the last decade.  The color is a bright ruby with a hint of rust around the edges.  The nose is an experience in oak, leather, Asian spice, and a bit of sour cherry.  The taste is mildly fruit forward, giving way to a good bit of earthy Asian spice mid palate, and then finishing very dry, with remarkable tannic structure.  What a wonderful wine that 13 years on is still not past it's prime!  I'm enjoying this one tonight with some aged cheeses, gruyère, parmesan and gouda, all of which complement this wine exceptionally.  I don't recall where I bought this one, but I think it was just a couple years ago on a close out of some kind.  In any case, I would rate this one a solid 8.5, a great aged Bordeaux that has certainly reached it's prime.  I'm not sure you'd be able to find this wine anywhere, but even so, this should be an encouragement to open a bottle of older vintage wine tonight and relive the wonders of the past with a glass of great wine!  Salut!