After a thoughtful Veteran’s Day remembering those who served for our freedom, we gathered at Trio with our host Maître de Table Restaurateur Gregg Pancero to celebrate fruits of the vine. Our Vice Eschason Gordon Hullar had again put us to the grand work of tasting through several vintages from one of the great chateaux, Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande.
After the first growth Grand Cru wines of Bordeaux there are known several with the unofficial “Super Second” moniker. These are second growth vineyards that in some vintages can equal the big boys at a fraction of the price of their more famous brethren. Counted among these may be Leoville Las-Cases, Cos d’Estournel and a scant handful of others. We were very fortunate to be met with six vintages of Pichon-Lalande and one of the adjacent Pichon-Baron. These vineyards were under one ownership until 1850, finally separating all winemaking in 1860.
Starting with some Champagne to get in the spirit of the evening, we commenced to the highlight of savoring, comparing, and sharing opinions on the wines. It can become an endeavor of diminishing returns to criticize wines of such exceptional quality, but this writer did show a bit of preference for the 1999 and 1989 vintages. Simply put, they were all great!
We concluded the evening with a elegant dinner of salad, beef, and haricot vert with a finish of several cheeses to complement an additional Bordeaux provided by our Vice Echanson. Of course we returned to the Pichon-Lalande again to better appreciate its change with time in the glass. To a memorable evening well spent with friends, we say Vive l’Ordre!
J.T. Mayer, Vice Chargé de Presse