Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

AlexR

Stefan, In a nutshell, the main culprit in premoxed wines is soloton http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotolon Glutathione (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutathione) provides a natural defence mechanism against the premature ageing of white wines. Eight measures have proved useful in fighting premox 1- E...

AlexR

Sorry, there's a TYPO in there. I meant to write: 1985 Montrose.

Alex

AlexR

Yesterday was my birthday: 2005 L'Esquisse de Château Nairac: the sort of Sauternes that is much loved in France. Not heavy, but fruit forward, primary and pure. Like more traditional Sauternes it will age well, but it is perhaps best at this stage IMHO. People offended at the thought of having Saut...

AlexR

This is NOT a troll. My post is in 2 parts. The first part has to do with the pricing of the 2009 great growths. This is a quote from an article by César Compadre in today's Sud-Ouest (the Bordeaux newspaper): "Certes la qualité du millésime 2009 est reconnue et le marché chinois tire la demand...

AlexR

Subjective, knee-jerk answer (the kind I do best :-): La Gaffelière. Lord knows I've tried... The other de Malet Roquefort cru classé, Tertre Daugay, was downgraded in 2006 (then re-instated). This was widely perceived as a warning shot for La Gaffelière. The owners have since had a miracle worker (...

AlexR

Thanks for sharing Nic, and I have also very much appreciated some of your other recent notes, even if I did not reply specifically.

I trust that Marie-Claude and Julien are dong well.

All the best,
Alex

AlexR

I'm not buying either, but it is largely because of my age and my existing cellar. There is strong resistance to 2009 pricing... but not from all quarters. My friends in the trade tell me the great growths are selling like hotcakes. When stocks of the last "vintage of the century" with 5 y...

AlexR

Hi Richard, >>>Hope we meet one day. Me too. I go to England on average once a year to see my wife's family in Bedfordshire. >>>That are property prices like in the Bordeaux villages? Am vaguely and probably vainly considering leaving UK. There has been a slump the past couple of years, and prices h...

AlexR

I've not often had Citran (owned by the Merlaut family of Gruaud Larose, etc.) and decided to see if this wine was ready to go: (decanted 2 and a half hours before serving) Color: remarkably dark, so much so that you can hardly see through it. Showing only a little age on the rim. Nose: plum and a l...

AlexR

I would rather do just about anything than watch the World Cup...

Glad you enjoyed the 02 LP Richard.

Alex R.

AlexR

I think this wine is a benchmark for red Carbonnieux. The last time I had it was at the estate when CdP Harry came to visit. It was showing extremely well. I have one bottle in my cellar. For years, white Carbonnieux overshadowed the red. I think that careful attention to the latter is changing the ...

AlexR

Ah, LB was superior to LP for many years.

But, perhaps the tide has turned.

Michel Rolland was consultant for a brief while, but he was not kept on.

In recent vintages (take the 2009), I find the two to be pretty much on a par.

For older vintages, I definitely prefer LB.

Best regards,
Alex R.

AlexR

Napoleon said "Quand la Chine s'éveillera, le monde tremblera"... Truer words were never spoken! The journalist who wrote the Agence France Press dispatch is a friend. Like so much to do with a study of Bordeaux, it is very hard to get hold of reliable statistics. For instance, a lot of wi...

AlexR

A new classification of the Graves (because, paradoxically, although all the great growths are in the Pessac-léognan appellation they are still called "crus classés de *Graves*) has been talked about for years. There is little doubt that La Louvière would be promoted if this ever saw the light ...

AlexR

Chris,

Did you taste the 09 Saint-Pierre?
I thought it was really good: chunky, rich, upfront Cabernet. This is definitely a wine to follow as it's much less expensive than the other great growths of St. Julien.

Alex

AlexR

Hi, Yeah, the writing is on the wall. I would need to be much younger and to have much more disposable income to go in for the 2009s. What's most cruel is the bad name such increases give to "Bordeaux" - when the producers of modest Bordeaux (reminder: great growths = less than 5% of produ...

AlexR

You've also tasted a piece of history because Labégorce-Zédé was bought by Labégorce, and the former will cease to exist.

All the best,
Alex

AlexR

What a fright that must have been for all of you!

Congratulations on the birth of your son!!!

All the best to you and Marie-Claude.

Alex

AlexR

Hi Michael, This is a question of some concern to me too... more so than many of you because - I'm in my late 50s. - neither of my two children are interested in fine wine - not surprisingly, most of my wine is Bordeaux - and fine Bordeaux, as we all know, can take 20 or 30 years to come around! Man...

AlexR

A warm glow after reading this thread...

Alex R.

AlexR

Thanks Ian, I'm sure you've read that NY Times article saying that Bordeaux has become "irrelevant". Not that I believe that for a moment, I still have to admit that when a 15 year-old wine that costs a fortune is still way too young, its gives pause for thought... As for Lafite, I've been...

AlexR

Nic, Thanks for sharing your notes. I have served Dominus on a couple of occasions in Bordeaux. 1994 vintage both times. In a series of wines served blind, including some "name" Bordeaux wines, this was found to be the best! In both instances, no one at table (8 of us each time) guessed th...

AlexR

Excellent notes Ramon.
Thanks for sharing,
Alex

AlexR

Robert,

Right on!!!

Yes, and a couple of those wines you named are favorites of mine.

"Second best" in Bordeaux can be a tiny fraction of what the "grands vins" cost - and represent very good quality.

All the best,
Alex R.

AlexR

Interesting. Both articles were written by the same person, but the latter one, in the Diners Journal, is much less provocative and one-sided. A few comments here :-). For a start, Asimov is talking about Bordeaux in the US, and many of his comments do not really apply to other markets. I also find ...

AlexR

Gosh, and look at Sauternes!

They have one especially well!

Pretty s***** spring weather. I think Bordeaux may no longer be on a roll.

Alex

AlexR

Alch,

Great to see you back on the forum!

You write:
"Down to my last 200 or so Really Good Wines"
A very sobering comment...
What I wish you is a very long life, and that you will find the need to buy many more!!!

Best regards,
Alex R.

AlexR

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010 ... f=homepage

Alex R.

AlexR

Hi Nic,

Your Chateau Laffite-Carcasset should be OK to drink in the very near future.

It is a "vin de terroir" with a slightly rustic side in my experience.
Some vintages are a touch herbaceous. I'll be interested to read your notes.

All the best,
Alex

AlexR

I had two bottles of this wine and the first one I opened was rather disappointing: rather tired and a bit rubbery.

If given a choice between the 2, I'd go for the 2000 - but then again, my experiece is apparently not universal

.

All the best,
Alex

AlexR

David, you've HAD the '61 Margaux at the château poured from magnums by waiters with white gloves.

Do you really, really need to experience this again????

)))))))))))

All the best,
Alex R.

AlexR

Thanks for sharing your excellent (as always) notes.

It was certainly a wonderful evening - what wines!

All the best,
Alex R.

AlexR

I'll be sure to go there next time I'm in the City of Light!

http://www.sudouest.fr/2010/05/08/la-bo ... 43-788.php

All the best,
Alex R.

AlexR

Looks like a wonderful line-up!

La Fleur is now sold at astronomical prices.

I visited there for the first time with Izak Litwar alias LaFleur last year. It is indeed a special wine.

All the best,
Alex R.

AlexR

Jonathan, As everyone on this board knows, it warms the cockles of my little heart to see people find pleasure in affordable Bordeaux :-). I have visited this estate. The Maldoror cuvée is Parkerized, but the Cuvée Prestige (40% less expensive) is no slouch either, and arguably better in its youth. ...

AlexR

Tom, You wrote: "I'd still wait until the wine was in a bottle to judge how far the wine lands from what's expected. I vaguely recall a vocal BWE opponent to judging any Bordeaux wine 6 months after the harvest...." At 5 months, the en primeur tastings were not far off that 6-month mark. B...

AlexR

Tom, Quality and terroir: Ultimately, you are right, quality trumps everything else. But, I would venture to say that the higher you move up the quality scale, the more disappointed you become when wines (European wines in any event) taste as though they could come from anywhere. I did say that the ...

AlexR

Tom, I have tasted a certain number of the wines. Were I a better organized person, I'd have posted my notes, but life has been very busy lately, so I only posted on the 1st growths. After the briefest of looks, what strikes me most about the Parker notes is: - the rating for Cos d'Estournel, which ...

AlexR

Seems like a VERY good price to me.
If I saw it for the euro equivalent, I would surely buy some.

Alex R.

AlexR

I came across this wine in the Centre Leclerc in Léognan. This supermarket is very well-known for their wine section and the manager warmly recommended Clos Manou. He says it has a loyal following and he sells out very quickly during the "Foires aux Vins" at Easter and in September. I boug...

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