It's not just that a few people game the system. The fact is that the final blends may not even be determined by the time of the primeur tastings. Nothing nefarious need be involved. I know it's done all the time, but I find it hard to understand how anyone can tell how a wine will turn out based on...

This has been a concern for years and a pretty well-known "secret" that doesn't get talked about. It's a question of judgment and trust: are the samples shown during primeurs representative of what will end up in the bottle? It's also a reason I have tended to wait until a year after harve...

Piling on here, maybe superfluously as Jim's already said he'd try these... Jim, you have been lamenting the modernization of some of your old favorite Medocs. Here's a low-cost opportunity to see if a Loire Cab Franc would make a worthy substitute for some of those historical favorites. I get that ...

3 guys, 5 bottles, nice lunch!

Cripes Ian you're still just a kid compared to some of us old farts here. Lessons can be learned from cellaring and drinking older wines that are applicable to maintaining one's youth and vigor over the decades. Key among them is preserving the integrity of one's cork. Moderation is paramount: neith...

Was the '05 perhaps just shut down? It wasn't exactly a drink young year...

Not bad at all. But don't let Figeac catch you or there may be he'll to pay.

The thrust of the article was that there are more Brett strains and attendant byproducts than generally realized. And that some of them produce positive, non-barnyard or bandaid aromas. I'm ok even with a bit of the barnyard as seen in some of the wines mentioned above. Talbot, Gruaud and Beaucastel...

Opened a 2009 Cambon la Pelouse last night. Uncomplicated, not complex, but a solid daily drinker I'd score mid/high 80s for $21.

Bordeaux does still offer excellent value. I'll put up a selection of $20-40 Bordeaux against anything California can come up with in that price range.

Tuesday's Washington Post had an interesting piece on Brettanomyces.

Give me a little "good Brett" any day.

Wow, that was the longest spam-embedded post (now deleted) that I've ever seen.

Hey Jay who does corkage in Rehoboth?

In OC, Horizons has a low $5 or $10 corkage fee, and they've got some well-stored great aged Bordeaux at great prices.

Hmm, Bobby G's recommendation of the '08 Poyferre is looking pretty good right now...

Yup. You guys convinced me after the first few posts.

Looking at the website, they do list amounts for excise and state tax, duty and VAT, so you can make the calculation yourself. I suspect that will eat up most or all of your savings. Then depending on what province you live in, the cost or hassle of getting the wine from the US to Canada will more t...

I haven't tried this. I have heard that it can be a hassle to get wines cleared through customs entering the US, but that there are companies that can do this for you. I would be check out whether this company will do that, and if there will be additional costs for getting the wine through US custom...

Nice report Izak. I'm seeing some people picking right bank as outperforming left bank. But these all seem to be generalities. With variable quality on both banks, it looks to be an estate by estate buyer beware sort of vintage.

Have you any photos of your prize winning people, cellars and estates?

Wow what a great bunch of wines!

This is good to hear Bacchus. I have yet to crack any '05s but have some resting in the cellar. BWE has a long and positive history with d'Issan. Emmanuel and crew have been to BWE events, and d'Issan was one of the first chateau visits made by the BWE gang in the spring of 2005, when that wine was ...

Wish I could offer advice but I've never done any winery visits in Piedmont. I know we've got some Italophiles on board. Tom, you out there?

I'm buying for consumption, not investment. And I'm fine with modern Bordeaux as long as it develops that magic complexity when mature. I'm on record as believing that will happened with '09s, just like it did with '82s, '90s, and is now starting with '00s. But there are good reasons posted above to...

Thank you all. I was hoping you would convince me to put away the plastic and step away from the keyboard.

I think this thread may mark a milestone in BWE history: the first time the group has DIS-enabled the purchase of a bottle of Bordeaux.

No argument from me, Stefan. Just putting it out there in case anyone feels differently.

This is what HWSRN says. Emphasis is mine. It sounds like the epitomy of everything traditionalists despise about modern Bordeaux. Anyone here tried it? Robert Parker— 100 Points : "One of the more flamboyant and sumptuous wines of the vintage, this inky/purple-colored St.-Julien reveals thrill...

Omar, I hope to see you next year, in DC or wherever... If we do DC, it will be hard to match the quality/price formula that Howard and Lisa pulled off in Dallas. Charlie Palmer has a great room and they are very accommodating but it was close to $200/person all in (room, meal, corkage, tax, tip, gl...

I'm with you Jim. I think that there are probably a lot of wines on CellarTracker that are listed as "corked" which were showing poorly due to some other reason. I'm not so convinced that everyone on CT who flags a bottle as corked actually knows what that means. Stefan, that's really disa...

The prevalence of corked wines appears to be decreasing from a high of 8% or so to around 2-4%, even less according to some. We've generally been very lucky at BWE events, but our luck ended with this one. I present as State's Exhibit One the badly corked 1982 Haut Brion. I wasn't aware of a second ...

Ian, Neal mentioned the tasting on eBob and promised notes in his online Wine Journal. No details yet but should be interesting to compare.

Great to hear from you Jacques. I hope the move is as seamless and easy as such a thing can possibly be. I'm sorry I never made one of your pool parties, but loved the evening we spent at your house with Papa Doc and Jackdaw. Manhattan will actually be an easier destination for me than Chappaqua, so...

Wow, a historic look back, and a reminder that no wine is immortal. A fun read.

Ian, was Neal Martin at that tasting? Did you have a chance to compare impressions?

Danny my impressions mirrored yours on the reds. I wasn't a big fan of the Ermitage Blanc either but I loved both of the white Beaucastel VV Roussannes. What did you think of those?

Holy crap. Guns aren't toys. What happened to the good old days when the most dangerous thing in the room at the after-party was this?

Happy Birthday Alex! Hope you remain as youthful and bubbly as a just-bottled Krug. And that your cork remains intact!

jmccready - Pearson's is still there. Don't know Skinflints.

Tom -"folks who've been drinking for hours pointing a gun at your head"
WTF?!? What was that all about?

The surgeons and pathologist who took care of JFK that fateful day published a series of articles in JAMA definitively confirming it was one shooter from behind. If you limit yourself to the facts, there isn't a shadow of a doubt.

I wouldn't expected much based on that pic and price, but I'd drink it. You might be pleasantly surprised (doubt it), but I can guarantee you it will never be better than it is now. As for displaying purposes, it will look better empty.

Nice report, Alex. I wonde how much of this will be bought by consumers. I'm also curious abut the choice of Margaux de Chateau Margaux as the name for the third wine at Margaux. Sounds like it could be easily confused with the first wine by the uninformed.

Yes, a great time reconnecting with many good friends and meeting a few new ones. Howard, you did a fantastic job arranging multiple outstanding venues. Everyone's generosity was prominently on display and camaraderie was running high. Thanks to all for making it such a great event.

It's probably archived somewhere on the Squires board Matthew, likely strung out over dozens of posts over the several months of the en primeur campaign last spring.