Another SF meet-up: 2000 Lynch Bages and 2006 Abreu Madrona Ranch!

/u/jersey618 and I met up again for an SF /r/wine night out at Saison Wine Bar, this time with our partners! Upped the game and brought two wines that were both in their perfect window!

Side note before tasting notes, we'll be hosting an SF wine meet-up in either July or August, so please message me if you're interested! If you already have, you're on the list when we get the details together!

Now, onto the wines!

2000 Château Lynch-Bages

Started drinking after a 90 minute decant. Jersey actually dropped this off ahead of time and had the sommelier at Saison decide what to do with it.

Initially, this was all tertiary, with notes of mushroom, tobacco, and forest floor. A little muted on the palate and I was worried this was past its prime.

Thankfully, I was very wrong.

Bordeaux, and especially Pauillac, undergoes a fascinating journey, both in the bottle and then once the bottle is open.

With a little bit of time, the fruit came back to the forefront with red cherry, red plum, blueberry notes. The tertiary notes didn't disappear, they were just more balanced.

I think this is right in its drinking window and can easily go another decade.

93 points.

2006 Abreu Madrona Ranch

Just an amazing wine.

Note, use a Durand for this. I used a normal corkscrew and cork broke in half, but was able to avoid the cork falling apart in the wine.

This is perfectly in its drinking window, but can also go decades more.

First experience with Abreu.

Powerful and bold wine.

Decanted this for 90 minutes and let it evolve over two hours in the decanter.

Notes of dark cherry, dark plum, blackberry, dark chocolate.

Tannins still pretty grippy, even after hours.

I would give this a three hour decant and then enjoy. This can go on for another two decades.

94 points.

The contrast of these wines was also amazing. Both are Cabernet-based, with Lynch-Bages at 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, while Abreu clocks at 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. I actually had no idea there was so much Cab Franc in the Abreu, but now it makes sense. Both were incredible wines and lucky to have the opportunity to share this with great company!