When asked if she was going to join Alcoholics Anonymous: “Certainly not. They want me to stop now.”
Dorthy Parker

And I’m not stopping any time soon either because now we have a comfortable place to drink our wines with our “Wine Drinking People”.  We are trying to give you lots of reasons to come out and drink with us at the new Wine Watch Wine Bar so check out the line-up of wines and the menu which changes every week based on the events that we are having.  Remember if you have special dietary needs don’t let that keep you at home for any of our events Toni is always willing to accommodate your needs when it comes to the menu, simply let us know when you make your reservation of your preferences and Toni will take care of you.

One of Bordeaux’s top critics Hugh Johnson has said, "If one had to single out one commune of Bordeaux to head the list, there would be no argument. It would be Pauillac.". Pauillac includes 3 of the 5 premier cru châteaux of Bordeaux: Latour, Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild. We will be showing all three of these and from great vintages like 1961, 1982, 2000 and more.  The wines of Pauillac are often considered the quintessence of Bordeaux wines and the longest lived of all.

Join us as we experience ten wines from the region of Pauillac going back to my favorite old vintage from Bordeaux 1959.  This event will be at the new Wine Watch Wine Bar across the street from the Wine Watch and Toni Lampasone will be making a special meal to accompany the tasting wines.  The fee for this tasting is $795 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

A study in Pauillac at Wine Watch Wine Bar
Friday, February 1st
7:30pm

1959 Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac       
Price $695.00                      Sale $590.75
Quantity in Stock: 2

This is my all-time favorite old vintage from Bordeaux!  The 1959's still have great color and still quite a bit of fruit, a classic year for Pauillac.

1961 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac

98 points) “Huge, cedary, cassis, lead pencil, menthol-like aromas soared from the glass. The black/purple color revealed no signs of lightening or amber at the edge. Full-bodied, rich, and super-intense, this was an a profound bottle of 1961 Mouton that would have stood up against the compelling 1959.:” (1/1998) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1970 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac

(96 points) Deep garnet; fragrant tar and black truffle nose; extremely concentrated; big and mouth-filling, with very dense cassis flavor; enormous, generous fruit; a voluptuous claret. (5/1993)  Wine Spectator

1971 Chateau Latour Pauillac
Price: $550.00    Sale Price: $420.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

(94 points)  Tasted from my personal cellar, the 1971 Latour is undoubtedly the wine of the Medoc, and possibly the wine of the vintage (Petrus and Trotanoy are also splendid efforts). Drinkable young, it has continued to evolve, offering extraordinary aromatic complexity as well as surprisingly deep, concentrated flavors atypical for the vintage. (RP) (6/2000) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac

(100 Points) Opaque purple-colored showing absolutely no signs of lightening, Mouton's 1982 is a backward wine. Still tasting like a 4-5 year old Bordeaux, it will evolve for another half century. At the Philadelphia tasting, it was impossibly impenetrable and closed, although phenomenally dense and muscular. However, on two other recent occasions, I decanted the wine in the morning and consumed it that evening and again the following evening. It is immune to oxidation! Moreover, it has a level of concentration that represents the essence of the Mouton terroir as well as the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon it contains. Cassis, cedar, spice box, minerals, and vanillin are all present, but this opaque black/purple Pauillac has yet to reveal secondary nuances given its youthfulness. It exhibits huge tannin, unreal levels of glycerin and concentration, and spectacular sweetness and opulence. Nevertheless, it demands another decade of cellaring, and should age effortlessly for another seven or eight decades. I have always felt the 1982 Mouton was perfect, yet this immortal effort might be capable of lasting for 100 years! Readers who want to drink it are advised to decant it for at least 12-24 hours prior to consumption. I suggest double decanting, i.e., pouring it into a clean decanter, washing out the bottle, and then repouring it back into the bottle, inserting the cork, leaving the air space to serve as breathing space until the wine is consumed 12-24 hours later. The improvement is striking. The fact that it resists oxidation is a testament to just how youthful it remains, and how long it will last. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2075. Wine Advocate # 129 June 2000

1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild 375ml
Price: $950.00    Sale Price: $799.00
Quantity in stock 4

(97+ Points)  This is a denser version of the 1990 that stylistically reminds me of what the young 1959 probably tasted like. Still backward with a deep ruby/plum color revealing only a touch of lightening at the edge, the wine offers up an extraordinary nose of caramelized herbs, smoke, cedar, pen ink, black currants, and earth. The gorgeous aromatics are followed by a full-bodied, plump, rich, fleshy wine with low acidity. With 6-8 hours decanting in a closed decanter, it will offer beautiful drinking, but it needs another 5-8 years to reach full maturity. It is capable of lasting 50-60 years. This classic Lafite is not as fat and concentrated as the 1982 Latour, nor as complex or concentrated as the 1982 Mouton Rothschild, but it is a winner all the same. Robert Parker

1995 Carruades de Lafite Pauillac
Price: $231.00    Your Price: $203.28
Quantity in Stock: 2

1995 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac

(95 Points) Bottled in June, 1997, this profound Mouton is more accessible than the more muscular 1996. A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 19% Merlot, it reveals an opaque purple color, and reluctant aromas of cassis, truffles, coffee, licorice, and spice. In the mouth, the wine is "great stuff," with superb density, a full-bodied personality, rich mid-palate, and a layered, profound finish that lasts for 40+ seconds. There is outstanding purity and high tannin, but my instincts suggest this wine is lower in acidity and slightly fleshier than the brawnier, bigger 1996. Both are great efforts from Mouton-Rothschild. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2030. Wine Advocate # 115, Feb 1998

2000 Chateau Clerc Milon Pauillac 375ml
Price: $60.00    Sale Price: $45.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

(92 points) A beautiful wine and one of my favorites from this estate, this blend of nearly two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Merlot is aging impressively. Dense ruby/purple in color, with creme de cassis, charcoal, and sweet leathery and chocolatey notes intermixed with the classic Pauillac cedar and spice box, the wine is medium to full-bodied, fleshy, with sweet tannin and a long finish. (RP) (6/2010) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2000 Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac
Price: $3000.00    Sale Price: $2300.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(100 Points) Well, well, well - Lafite Rothschild does it again. Ever since manager Charles Chevalier was transferred from his beloved Sauternes property of Rieussec (also owned by the Rothschilds) to Lafite in 1994, there has been a succession of profound wines to emerge from this noble estate. The 2000 Lafite Rothschild, a blend of 93.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6.7% Merlot (only 36% of the crop made the grade) has an opaque ruby/purple color, followed by an extraordinary aromatic expression of liquid minerals/stones interwoven with the tell-tale graphite notes, mulberry, black currants, caramel, and tobacco. In the mouth, it is remarkably light on its feet, but somehow seems to pack intense flavors into layer upon layer of fruit and richness that cascade over the palate. A compelling wine, with extraordinary precision, great intensity, and a seamlessness in spite of what are obviously elevated levels of tannin, this wine was provocatively open and beautiful when tasted in January and February, but I am sure it will soon close down. The finish lasted a whopping 72 seconds! This is utterly fascinating stuff. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2050. Wine Advocate # 146 Apr 2003

Menu

Portobello Mushroom Carpaccio Salad with baby greens by Harpke farms
Duck confit Lasagna with Currant Natural Sauce
Dark chocolate souflee with dark cherry gelato
If you have special dietary needs don’t let that keep you at home for any of our events Toni is always willing to accommodate your needs when it comes to the menu, simply let us know when you make your reservation of your preferences and Toni will take care of you. The fee for this tasting is $795 + tax for reservations e-mail andy@winewatch.com or call 954-523-9463.