Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

DavidG

Trump's peckerdillos may be the most titillating of his misbehaviors but they are the least threatening to our democracy and are probably not the sort of criminal acts that could get him in serious legal trouble.

DavidG

Markus, I thought the 2003 Léoville Poyferre was young. I liked the 90 and 00 best but thought the 96 was also on the upswing.

DavidG

Sorry to hear about the duds but it sounds like you all made a fun time of it. Thanks for the report and especially the pictures. My tolerance for alcohol is waning with age so I’m pretty sure the cleansing ales would have taken on a different meaning for me. The other thing that is waning is my mem...

DavidG

I'll wait another 3 to 5 years before cracking another 03 Pontet Canet. I do agree with Kris about giving these time. The dropping fruit faster than tannin that Jim observes can be concerning. But I've also been surprised by wines that come roaring back in later years (thinking of a number of 86s fr...

DavidG

Well I suppose those who can afford to drink grand cru Burgundy every day would have longer life expectancies based on socioeconomic status alone. Bordeaux, maybe if you're drinking first and second growths.

DavidG

Funny you should post this today as we just popped a 2003 Pontet Canet to drink with a grilled Flannery NY Steak. I think it depends on the wine. From what I’ve heard, some seem to be drinking better than predicted back during en primeur season, while others are showing over-roasted or drying charac...

DavidG

It depends on the person doing the drinking. Large studies can tell you the mean or median effect on the study population as a whole. But they are not predictive of the effect on any given individual. I wouldn’t discard the results as worthless due to bias (though Lancet is far from the least biased...

DavidG

"We’ve cleaned up our act, so prices should be higher."

Riiiiiiight.

DavidG

Fun to read about the real vs. fake tasting. I give Koch credit for being willing to do it.

DavidG

At first I thought Jim was taking the NH outlet to task for ignorance. Then I realized that the picture is an ad for an art museum benefit and the wine glass is standing on an artist's palette. This was an intentional pun. My bad for assuming the worst.

DavidG

From a financial perspective, Parker's popularization of Bordeaux amongst Americans was very good for the owners of the top 50 or so properties. But I don’t think that’s what Jim was asking.

DavidG

A pallet /ˈpælɪt/, sometimes inaccurately called a skid (a skid has no bottom deck boards), is a flat transport structure that supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, pallet jack, front loader, work saver, or other jacking device, or a crane. A pallet is the structural f...

DavidG

Don’t forget pallet. As in a pallet of wine to please your palate while mixing paints on your palette.

DavidG

I agree with Jon. But ultimately I think the commitment to cleanliness and quality will persist while the influence on ripeness will fade. People will make the wines they want to make. So in the end a net positive.

DavidG

Bill, Rimmerman is on the PT Barnum end of the sales spectrum. Not to say that he sells crap (though I’m sure everyone has to move a loser now and then) - he’s got a catalog of many excellent wines. But he’s quite the showman. I guess there are style preferences for sales pitches just as for wines. ...

DavidG

Funny, when I read that I think of Teddy Roosevelt offering congratulations on a successful conquest.

DavidG

Mmmm, the Haut Bailly and Tour Haut Brion sound wonderful.

Thanks for the report.

DavidG

Both Barde Haut and Haut Bergey are on the ripe/polished/modern side and need some time to integrate their oak. I slightly prefer the Graves-y stony notes in the Haut Bergey. I'm waiting on the 2010 and hope with time it shows better than Stefan's experience would suggest. Tried a bottle of the 2009...

DavidG

Have a great time guys.

Patrick I hope you weren’t subjected to too much boiled beef. Probably too late for this recommendation but Steirereck was a hit when I was in Vienna a few years ago.

DavidG

Thanks for the explanation Alex. My reaction is similar to Jay's. Can promotional and environmental practices bump a wine up to one of the higher levels as another wine of equal in-the-bottle quality? If so, it would negate the value of the classification system to me as a consumer.

DavidG

I have the 09 and 10 which I’m holding as I think they’re built for a longer haul than your note suggests for the 15. At my age, though, your note tempts me to pick up a few of the 15. Except for that moratorium thing...

DavidG

Wow Stuart, quite the tour de force! 1982 Haut Brion and Mouton were the first first growths I purchased. Sadly all drunk up. Haut Brion is my favorite FG and I’ve yet to have a disappointing bottle of the 82. The Mouton sounded much more shy than the bottle you brought to DC, which was a stunner. C...

DavidG

You might sell his works in quartos, but his inspiration clearly comes in fifths.

DavidG

Kept under cover, so to speak.

DavidG

I agree it depends on what you are looking for. The Pomerols and St Ems were drinking well and are indeed open for business as Ed says. But if you want them to show off the glorious complexity for which they’re known another 5 years or more would be in order. The Haut Brion and La Miss showed great ...

DavidG

The foreign exchange rate plays a role for sure Jon. But I’m talking about wines like Canon and Pavie and Angelus being over $300 and first growths being over $600. That’s more than inflation and exchange rates alone would explain compared to the 1980s and 1990s when I was regularly buying those lev...

DavidG

LOL. I’ll just put a bed in the basement next to the wine cabinets. There are still plenty of good QPRs in France and Bordeaux but the top stuff has definitely increased in price way more than inflation. I’ve got a few 2005 right bankers to match a 2005 Canon, or something from 1995 which will be a ...

DavidG

I haven’t tasted any of these yet. My choices were based on recommendations from you guys. If you want to try a bottle of the Canon when you pick it up I could contribute a bottle of the 2005 Canon to pair with it. Of course both bottles are probably vinfanticide to drink so I can't in good conscie...

DavidG

I’d start negotiating for a second RV dedicated solely to wine storage.

DavidG

I haven’t tasted any of these yet. My choices were based on recommendations from you guys. I was lamenting downsizing a few months ago and having less cellar space. I'll just have to make room. The BWE Annual helped some with that. I realized how fortunate I am when I read a post over on WB today by...

DavidG

2x Canon 2015
4x Cantemerle 2015
2x Haut Bailly 2015
2x Rauzan Segla 2015
2x Siran 2015

DavidG

LOL. I waited a looooong time for PC to deliver 2005 futures. Learned my lesson and stayed away after that.

This was K&L. Guess I better go post in the what have you bought lately thread now.

DavidG

Thanks, Marcus. I knew my BWE brethren would come through.

DavidG

I got an unexpected and generous gift certificate for a well-known retailer in California. So it looks like I’ll be violating my buying moratorium once again to buy some 2015 Bordeaux. While I may need help with my lack of willpower, that’s not the subject of my post. I need help with shipping. Are ...

DavidG

Danny, I agree with your premise but I guess the French are pretty obsessive and rigid when it comes to the whole AOC thing. Does it prevent abuse ordilution of the brand? Or is it regulation for regulation's sake? Probably somewhere in between. I do wonder why Giscours felt it necessary to chaptali...

DavidG

Alex, I hope your lunch and holiday were enjoyable despite the wines being past it.

DavidG

JR is all salesman, no doubt. Even so, a very enthusiastic write-up. One thing that stood out to me was his disappointment with Canon. I seem to recall reading high praise for that wine, but don’t recall where. Maybe Ian?

DavidG

Great notes Nic. I’m with you on the 82 vs. 86 Mouton, but we were in the minority.

The broad range of 1998s was a lot of fun. Enjoyed reliving them through your report.

DavidG

I stand corrected.

DavidG

Sweeeeeet haul Patrick!

But what's that fraud of a Bordeaux doing on the left?

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