Question for oenophiles about French wines

[TheDad]

<p>Okay, I’m in the “I know what I like” class of relatively uneducated wine drinker, with not much beyond the rudiments of terminology and application thereof. But while I’m moderately familiar with the in’s and out’s of many California wines, I’m completely at sea about French wines, save that there is a Chassagne-Montrachet that I like very much and the local French cafe has a Chateau Neuf-du-Pape that’s reasonably good and reasonably priced.</p>

<p>So last night D’s high school had a benefit dinner for the orchestra, which is taking a trip to China this year. When the dust settled at the silent auction, I had the winning bid on two bottles of French wines.</p>

<p>1) 1990 Chateau Clinet Pomerol</p>

<p>2) 1988 Chateau Longueville au Baron de Pichon-Longueville</p>

<p>Any informed comments on these wines? From the price of the first, I suspect we’re saving it for D’s graduation from college.</p>

[emeraldkity4]

<p>I think you can drink the 1990 now- what I saw was that was drinkable when bottled, but would be best after 2000.
( from robert parkers wine buyers guide)
[what to drink](<a href=“http://www.ultralab.anglia.ac.uk/pages/ultralab/team/Terje/Bordeaux_1855/Vintages.html”>www.ultralab.anglia.ac.uk/pages/ultralab/team/Terje/Bordeaux_1855/Vintages.html</a>)</p>

[dmd77]

<p>I would call whomever donated the wines and ask their advice.</p>

[lderochi]

<p>

1990 Clinet Pomerol: It is easy to overlook the 1990 Clinet given the fact that 1989 merits a perfect rating. Nevertheless, the 1990 has improved with each tasting. It started life as an outstanding wine, although unfairly overshadowed by the massive 1989. The 1990 exhibits an opaque purple color, followed by a fabulous sweet nose of jammy black fruits, violets, minerals, and toasty oak. Full-bodied and rich, with fabulous purity, outstanding extract, and well-integrated acidity and tannin, this is a large-scaled, impressively-endowed claret that is narrowing the gap between itself and the legendary 1989. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2020.

</p>

<p>

1988 Pichon-Longueville Baron. A definitive Pauillac, the dense purple-colored 1998 Pichon-Baron offers up a sweet bouquet of licorice, smoke, asphalt, blackberries, and creme de cassis. In the mouth, the wine is elegant rather than full-blown, with medium body, sweet fruit, nice texture on the attack and mid-palate, and moderate tannin in the long finish. No, this is not as profound as the 1996, 1990 or 1989, but it is an outstanding effort. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2020.

</p>

<p>Looks like they are both in early maturity, so drinkable now – but if you have a cool place to store them, I’d hold them for a few more years.</p>