...At the 11th Annual International Festival of Food and Wine hosted by the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel , Banff, Alberta, last weekend of October.
This event has always been a great weekend, but the Fairmont really went over the top this year with verticals of Petrus,Dominus,Tignanello, Dom Perignon, Cloudy Bay and a 1995 horizontal of Etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix including the 1995 Petrus. George Riedel also led a tasting showcasing the effects of four of his Vinum Extremes on wine appreciation.

The Petrus vertical was led by Christian Moueix and moderated by Serena Sutcliffe MW of Decanter and Sotheby fame.

All wines were decanted and poured 2 hours before the tasting, which started at 10:00 A.M.
Petrus consists of 30 acres, 28 in Merlot and 2 in Cab. Franc.Final blend is in those approximate ratios, with slight vintage variations. Soil is a variable thickness of clay over alluvial gravels.The vineyard is small enough to enable complete picking in 8-10 hours, theoretically allowing enough flexibility in avoiding the dreaded harvest rains.

Here are the wines:

1998: RP=98
No arguement with his score. This glass was the first Petrus I have ever tasted, and I was not disappointed, not having a clue as to what to expect
Nose:Rich, deep dark fruit
slight tar
Palate: Overwhelming.Super, bright black
fruits,slight white/black pepper
other spice. Tannins not as foreward
or agressive as I expected. Wine is
still slightly disjointed
Finish: Long, >30secs and full

An amazing wine.

1997: RP=91 -Way too generous - mid 80's

Nose:Much more subdued and closed than the
98 lacking in body

Palate:MUCH softer fruit, barely present
white pepper, thin tannins soft oak
notes
Finish: Average, 20-30secs

An average,light, dilute wine

1993: RP = 92 Again, way too generous. Another Mid
80's at best

Nose: Subdued,slight plum notes,some
dark fruits
Palate:Simple, no spice/pepper notes,
adequate plummy fruit and soft
tannins
Finish:Short,<20secs thin

93 was harvested in the rain after severe
crop thinning in the summer-down to 5
clusters per vine. Plum notes are a sign
of slight overripeness.
Another average, thin dilute wine.

1990: RP=100 No arguements here.

Nose:Gorgeous, soft plummy nose, touch
of white pepper
Palate: Evolved,integrated,bright plummy
fruit,wonderful now.Hint of
spice,
Finish: Long and complex:slight roasted
and mineral taste on finish,
then a bright cherry "second
taste" Amazing.
90 was the perfect growing year, hot in the
fall, harvested mid September, yielding 3.5
tons/acre.>14% alcohol, not noticable.
The best (or second best) glass of wine I
have ever tasted. If you own some, I envy
you.

1989: RP=100 I agree.

Nose: Fuller, richer than the 90,
plummy fruit, riper tannins

Palate: Not as plummy as the 90, more
brighter fruits:black cherries
riper tannins
Finish: Long>30 secs,complex. No
roasted notes,replaced by
a briary,slight juniper taste

89 was hot summer- picked end August,
yielding 3 tons/acre, a bit less than
the 90.Another amazing wine. This one
got my vote - The room was polled to
their preference 90 or 89. My choice
is the 89. The room split down the
middle. This is the best glass of wine
I have ever tasted.

1985: RP = 88 Way too generous -low 80's

Nose : Slight barnyard,soft plum notes

Palate : Plum is dominant fruit,
unlike the last 2.softened
tannins,slight mocha/coffee
side flavours
Finish: Average, 20-30 secs,drifting
to prune notes
A decent bottle now, suffers in com-
parison from the last 2.

What an amazing display of vintage variation. Sadly, I cannot see myself ever drinking the 90 or 89 again. The three most recent vintages (99,98,97) were on prominent display at Cascade Wine Merchants for $CDN 1400 (~$US950). Ihad to pass.

Cheers, Z

Fantastic notes. These will come in handy (I can hope!). Thanks.

Thanks for the great notes. And a question: how far back was the vertical of Cloudy Bay? I'm assuming this was Sauv Blanc. Usually think of drinking sauv blanc young and would be interested in how older vintages were tasting.

Hi, ttwood. The Vertical of Cloudy Bay went back to 1992. I will be posting my notes shortly.

Cheers, Z

Zinman,
Curious about one thing: What in the world did the tasting cost?
Thanks for the first expanded TNs (other than experts) I've seen on Petrus.

Zinman,

In the Dominus vertical was the 1984 and 1991 being served? Assuming you tried them, what did you think of the various Dominus bottlings?

IW

Italian Wino: The Dominus vintages tasted were:1999,1997,1996,1991,1990 and 1989.

I had been put off Dominus by most of the wines produced in the '80s - big tannic monsters with very little balance - so this tasting was a bit of a revelation to me. Mr. Moueix desrcibed a bit how he was struggling with California terroir and the demands of splitting his time at crush between Petrus and Dominus during that period.

There seemed to me to be a steady improvement through the vintages, younger= more balanced and to my palate. Highlights were the 1991 and 1997.

Tragically, my detailed tasting notes were eradicated by an errant glass of water

Cheers, Z

Hi, King.

This weekend at the Springs is a great deal. Depending on how big a room or suite you want to pay, count on $CDN1500 for the package per couple- includes 2 nights, reception and dinner Friday, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, Gala Black Tie on Saturday,all tastings - this year was Petrus,Riedel,Dominus,Moueix,Antionori Tignanello,Dom Perignon and Cloudy Bay.

There was a $CDN350 surcharge for the Petrus, maximun 60 tickets for the Petrus.
The weekend is limited to 250 people.

Next year will be Penfolds)Grange, Ch. Palmer, Phelps(Insignia) and others.

Cheers,Z