So I finally tasted the first of the 6 bottles that I bought the other day at Morrell for a very cheap price (http://tinyurl.com/6j49a7).

The wine was a Chateau Longueville from the Baron Pichon Longueville (usually called Pichon Baron to distinguish it from the Chateau Pichon from the Countess of Lalande…) 1988.

I was a bit weary of what to expect since 1988 is clearly not a great year in the Bordeaux area, far less known than 1990 or even 1989. It’s a Pauillac (Medoc area).

Well, I have to say that Julie and I were blown away by the quality and texture of it.

With 20 years of maturing, the wine had a very soft, silken texture on the first mouth. But then the wine was very powerful after a couple of seconds in the mouth, with a long finish of red berries, some flavors of licorice and even gingerbread. First nose was very discreet but after 30 to 45 minutes, it opened dramatically.

Overall, it is probably in my top 20 of the past 12 months at a very reasonable price. Parker gave it a 90 and referenced it as a Past Glory of Pichon Baron.

Looking forward tasting the remaining 5 left…