Bacchus is NOT dead, yet!

God is NOT dead either, don`t worry dear reader there are no real facts, there are only interpretations. As you already know, everything is simply just too big for us to comprehend.

However, if last night`s dinner was not a dream, I must warn you, as some wise-man once said to me `be careful with what you wish for`. In this case, I had always wanted, wished to, firstly drink some 1989 Ch.Haut Brion (Graves Rouge) at some stage in my life, and in a quiet place with good company. I did buy some in the `èn primeur` campaign back in 1990 but the company that I purchased all my 1989 Clarets from went belly-up, and I never received a drop of anything, including of course my lovely case of H-B`89, dratt! Secondly, one always needs a back up wine on a night like this and so it happened to be another of my `wish list` reds.

In this case the 1989 Cuvee Celestins from Henri Bonneau (Chateuneuf du Pape). So, breeath! Now that I have drunk both of the greatest red wines I have ever had the privilege of drinking to date, I can tell you that having 1989 H-Brion`s DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in my veins, is the closest thing I have ever come to having finally spoken with Bacchus direct. For those of you who are following this from a Spanish speaking country, it is ADN (el acido desoxirribonnucleico) that I am banging on about okay! You know the rest of course.

Anyway, wise-man explained to me, and with reason, that if you actually get what you want, rather than what you actually need, it does not leave you a lot of room for much else to dream about wanting in the future. I am happy to report that in this case I am now totally free of a vinous want or two, and in this instance I am not going to cry over it, as I will now definitely be drinking more of this heavenly mixture and both of them, if I can find dam bottles at the right price that is. (Market price for H-B`89 is around 2.000 pounds + all the Govt`s Duties & Excise on top and Herr Bonneau`s Cuvee Celestins will always hover around 1k. I am in no way in a situation to afford such pleasures at this price but if you do have the necessary at your disposal, I would highly recommend forking out for both, without any question).

I shared a story with the wise-one that I had also always wanted to meet Bootros Bootros Gali, and for some reason, Rachel Hay-Ho-Flint. If you don`t know either, the former was the UN General Secretary back in the day and the latter, the Hay-Ho was England`s Captain of Hockey (or was it Cricket). Guess what? I did meet them, and both in one go. Strange story, but I was in a lift going to a wine tasting in some posh London hostelry, and there they were in the lift with me all the way up to 7th floor, and gathering my big jaw up from the lift floor I asked them politely if they were going to the wine tasting? Bootros Bootros shrugged his shoulders as if he did not understand what a wine tasting was and said nothing, and Rachel H-H-Flint asked if she could come with me as she was due at a boring meeting of the Olympic committee on the 13th floor? She would join later. I gave her my invitation and said, see you there. I remember her joining the tasting table at one of the Australian importer`s stand, and she seemed to know the owner of the vineyard rather well, so I bid my farewells very happy to have had a word or two with her, and a glass of Ozzie Shiraz a la Penfold`s stable. So, I now have no one that I am hankering after to meet, who is alive of course. The deceased list, however, is quite long. What a shame.

Well dear bloggy reader, if you are still with me that is, I am now going to leave you with two tasting notes here. I cannot remember who penned either of them, but it sure as hell was not me, as I will never have to write about either wine, or write as well as they have done so here, as both of these vinous treasures have been firmly tattooed on my little vinous-soul.

The 1989 Chateau Haut-Brion commenced one of the most spectacular dinners that I ever attended, this representing one of the best bottles of a dozen tasted over the years. Deep in colour with thin bricking on the rim, the haunting bouquet has heart-rending delineation – as profound as it has ever been. Scents of black olives intermingle with graphite, clove and cherry liqueur, underneath subtle gravel scents becoming more vocal with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied and maybe not as powerful as it was a few years ago. Yet it is ineffably complex with layers of pure dark berry fruit, black olive, cloves and crushed violets. This particular example was one of the most youthful that I have encountered. The finish is so effortless and yet it changes constantly in the glass, revealing new facets, some attendees noticing a touch of greenness after 30 minutes although I could not detect that myself. It is an awe-inspiring Haut-Brion that is only just beginning to demonstrate the ethereal heights it can achieve.  (WPH = a truly amazing wine, and I agree with all you have managed to write here)

1989 Cuvee Celestins Henri Bonneau Full ruby. Huge, room-filling bouquet of blackberry compote, cherry, potpourri and cured tobacco, along with an intense spicy quality and a hint of orange zest. Palate-staining dark fruit flavors are braced by a strong mineral component and complicated by star anise and candied lavender nuances. Refuses to let up on the finish, which emphatically echoes the dark berry and lavender notes. There are tannins lurking in here but they’re buried beneath this wine’s powerful fruit. (WPH = knockout stuff, I was totally speechless and yes I agree with everything this fellow has penned also.)

Well there we go for now. “Evening All“… and I was reminded at the dinner, which consisted of Bread and Beef (but really dam good bread n`beef)  that if you actually added up the R.Parker Junior points of the above two wines, it comes to exactly: 199/200

What next eh? ufffffa!