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The image associated with this post comes from my review of the 1990 Chateau Angelus, which I was fortunate enough to taste last Friday. A one Jeff Leve was hosting a Angelus vs. Troplong-Mondot wine dinner at Campanille on La Brea Ave in Los Angeles. At the  last minute, he called up Juan Centeno and asked him to bring him a bottle of the 1989 Troplong from his wine locker. I guess I was in the right spot at the right time since Juan asked me to deliver the bottle to the restaurant. When I arrived, I passed the bottle off to the Sommelier, and Jeff very generously invited me to sit down and taste the wines with the group.

I arrived after the first course and wines were served and therefore missed, but was still  able to taste a little of a 1947 Charles Krug Napa Cab, which was still surprisingly alive. Then came the first flight of wines: 1995 and 1998 Chateaux Angelus and Troplong-Mondot. The four glasses were expertly placed in front of us and numbered for us to taste blind. 1998 being one of the great right-bank vintages, the ‘98 Angelus was spectacular with vivid, rich, and dark berry flavors. However, it was a bit closed down. Like a beautiful, massive New York Skyscraper at night. You could feel the energy left over from the work day and you could feel the energy that would come again the next morning with the influx of workers. But, for now, the wine has great structure and beauty. I’d say it was fairly easy to differentiate between the Troplong and the Angelus, even though I had never tasted these vintages before. The ‘95s were both beginning to develop a little sediment and signs of their age despite the fact that these wines will continue to show well for another couple of decades or more (depending on how they have been stored).

The next flight was easily the best flight of the evening: 1990 and 1989 Angelus and Troplong. Again these were poured blind and expertly served.  Wine number 5! Oh, wine number 5! Man, that was a special wine. I think that my Chateau Petrogasm review says a lot more than could be said here. But, if you ever have a chance to try this wine, please do! The 1990 Troplong-Mondot was a bit too exotic and ripe for my taste, but the ‘89 Troplong was delicious and helped to make this flight the best of the evening.

The next flight consisted of 2004’s and 2003’s, followed by a flight of 2000’s and 2005’s. Actually, it was quite hard to differentiate between the 2000’s and the 2005. The 2005 Troplong was drinking well, but will quickly shut down for a couple of years and will then last for many many decades. I have had the 2005 Angelus on a different occasion and can say the same about that bottle as well. I cannot wait to try these wines again in a few years.

All in all, it was a beautiful dinner and I am really grateful to the hosts for inviting me to attend.

Cheers!

Tags:   Chateau Angelus · Krug · Review · tasting · Troplong MondotNo Comments