Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

marcs

2012 is a weird vintage in Burgundy. Highly touted on release but then shut down hard and has not really reemerged. One thing though — it’s not a “lesser” vintage in the sense of being light. It’s got a lot of concentration The vintage has been a (relative, for burgundy) bargain for a while now and ...

marcs

Newsom -- the Governor of California is a former winemaker, and just took a bold stand for being a functional alcoholic: https://twitter.com/justin_hart/status/1619809860052480000 Unfortunately elderly crotchety traditional French winemakers are not allowed to run for President, so he will have to do!

marcs

This is embarrassing because hot weather tertre roteboeuf is hardly a fashionable or au courant wine to be drinking, but I keep seeing amazing deals on it and I do occasionally like Port and big Napa wines and it’s better in that style than those, so…this is all to say that I saw some 2018 (!) Tert...

marcs

This is embarrassing because hot weather tertre roteboeuf is hardly a fashionable or au courant wine to be drinking, but I keep seeing amazing deals on it and I do occasionally like Port and big Napa wines and it’s better in that style than those, so…this is all to say that I saw some 2018 (!) Tertr...

marcs

Marcus... Take a deep breath. Bordeaux is so great that like NOTHING can match your expectations.... You are expecting Zeus, but you are getting "only" Achilles.... Well, okay, that's pretty good too, you know.... Standing on the slopes of Mount Olympus judging between Zeus and Achilles s...

marcs

Damn, is any even timid questioning of the Bordeaux hype train going to become a bannable offense around here? If 2019 is truly a 1961/1982/2009 combination and the newly annointed Greatest Bordeaux Vintage vintage ever, and I am sipping a first growth from that vintage, shouldn't the earth move and...

marcs

The 03 d’yquem is really quite good - how did they get the acidity to balance this richness?

marcs

The 83 is superb but a somewhat tart finish…close race between this and the 88

The 81 is madeirized. Like literally, it smells like Madeira

marcs

The 86 mouton is corked…fuck

marcs

The 88 is really good…some cigar box shit going on here…is this an underrated vintage?

The 95 is ALSO GOOD

marcs

Marcus... You need a vacation.... Take advantage of some nice airfares, and join us in London in March. Sincerely, JimHow Benevolent Dictator of Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts . You and Mr. Levy need a vacation, I think. Honestly this Mouton dinner alone is kind of a vacation I agree I gotta decide on t...

marcs

The 98 has the same poise as the 96 but is less sweet and deep

marcs

Having the 96 and 98 now…Kevin shin kind of set me straight on the 2019…he said “you can never tell about tannins when a Bordeaux is really young”…but can the soft 2019 ever become a crisp poised vintage like the 1996? I’m confident the 2016 can, but can the 2019? I have my doubts

marcs

I mean it’s good, I’m not saying it’s not good, but I’m suspicious of all these insane superlatives. Have they just figured out how to soften it in its youth?

I’m having it next to the 2009 which is also sweet and yummy but feels more weighty and structured in an interesting way…

marcs

As I post this I am drinking a 2019 Mouton Rothschild at a Mouton tasting dinner. I have to say, some kind of spooky technological magic is going on with these recent vintages. This is sweet and pretty and the tannins are so well concealed as to seem almost nonexistent. Like, I mean, WTF. I mean it’...

marcs

Very interesting article on the 2019 vintage where prominent wine critics are confirming the extraordinary quality across all appellations with Chateau Gloria being the value wine of the vintage. https://www.farrvintners.com/blog/post.php?post=1926 LOL I'm trying to stay out post-2016 but they keep...

marcs

Stefan - why don’t you come over for our London convention on 23-25 March? See the separate thread… I thought one of the most interesting observations, which I fully endorse is this: In many ways these two vintages (2016 and 2019) represent "High Definition" versions of their 2010 and 200...

marcs

As a bonus here is Chatgpt on the 1982 Branaire Ducru, the wine has aged well! "The 1982 Branaire Ducru is a mature and elegant wine with a deep ruby color. On the nose, it has complex aromas of mature red fruits such as cherries and raspberries, along with notes of cedar, tobacco, leather, and...

marcs

Fun read. To my eye, the QPR winner of the vintage is the 2019 Branaire Ducru. Side note: is it just me, or do most professional tasting notes at this point seem written by ChatGPT? Honestly, I read 3-4 notes of say William Kelley (whose opinion I value) and they morph together almost immediately i...

marcs

I just bid $300/bottle for two bottles of 1989 Lynch bages, purely for BWE related reasons, and was immediately outbid. They went for $420 each.

marcs

Alcohol percentages on the bottles are tricky because they can round off. I like when critics give the percentage in the initial en primeur tasting because I think those are usually the exact lab number. That’s where the 13.7% and “all time high” claim for 2009 comes from, Parker’s en primeur tastin...

marcs

Somebody just asked me on CT what the alcohol levels were for the 89/90 Montrose, good question, does anybody know? Per Parker, the 2009 had 13.7% alcohol and this was an "all time high" for Montrose. So we know the 89-90 had lower than 13.7%. The 2003 I know had 13.2%. Jim will call me a...

marcs

I want to correct some insinuations here about opening wines "too early". Folks, the Bordeaux "shut down" period runs from about 5-6 years past vintage to something like 12-20 years past vintage depending on the vintage and the wine. Opening a bottle three years past vintage and...

marcs

I want to correct some insinuations here about opening wines "too early". Folks, the Bordeaux "shut down" period runs from about 5-6 years past vintage to something like 12-20 years past vintage depending on the vintage and the wine. Opening a bottle three years past vintage and ...

marcs

The suspense is building!

marcs

Nice line up Patrick. One of my biggest regrets in life is not loading up more on 1983, 1986 and 1988 Lynch Bages. Of the estates that really shone in the 1980s - and I would include Pichon Lalande, Gruaud Larose and Cos D’Estournel in that group (excludes FGs) - I would say that LYNCH would be the...

marcs

I am clearly in the minority. I don't understand young Bordeaux and I can't predict its evolution this early. Opening top Bordeaux on arrival is such a complete waste for me. SF Ed Be that as it may you should still be voting for Jim to drink it as it is not your bottle. If Jim drinks it you get an...

marcs

I never had any doubt Jim would do the right thing and drink a bottle young!

marcs

Predicting an overwhelming landslide in favor of opening

marcs

Nic - I have had mixed experiences with 1995 PLL - generally an excellent wine but variable and not as soulful or as toothsome as many of the legendary 1980s PLLs. When I visited the chateau a few years ago Astrid served the 1995 vs the 2008 and I preferred the 2008 on that occasion, but there wasn...

marcs

I rarely buy wines over 25 years old, more like 15-25 year range, but I’d have to say the great majority have turned out very well. In fact, well enough to make me question why we age wine ourselves when we can just have other people store it for us and buy it 20 years later In fact I’d say my hit r...

marcs

I’ve had a lot of corked 1995s. My ratio of corked 1995s runs very high for some reason, higher than any other year I can think of. And I didn’t buy them in London, although they probably came through there as so much US-bound wine does. So it might be about 1995 more than London. I have a few 95 PL...

marcs

We should design some kind of special Hero of BWE badge or award for folks like Jim, Stefan, and Brian who are still buying new Bordeaux vintages in their 60s and up!

marcs

Portsmith and the highway stores might be good but over my way in Nashua it's pathetic. Off the top of my head the only thing Im gunning for is Krug NV. I dont know if its 169 or 170 but with the sale it would net to $133/btl. That is easily the best price in the country. holy shit that's like 30-5...

marcs

Are they still requiring face masks at the Met, Marcus? Hoping to get to La Traviata and/or La Boheme in the spring. No face masks! It’s awesome and totally open. I wasn’t asked to wear face masks anywhere in NY. I’d suggest getting your tickets early though, maybe because it was holiday week but t...

marcs

Nice to hear about the 95 and 96 PLL as I have a few bottle of each, although I’m not sure about their condition (auction buy) But as far as PLL having a down phase, I believe it’s generally considered to have been a bit of an underperformer from the late 90s through the mid 20-teens. I’m not sure h...

marcs

Your response reminds me that I should probably let the board know when I'm going to be in NYC for any length of time. I did have the Flowers Chardonnay with the strip steak. No it didn't "match" but it didn't clash whatsoever either, it remained yummy next to the steak. Whites are often r...

marcs

So I kind of splurged in Manhattan this holiday weekend, attending two operas and three excellent restaurants with friends. If you haven't visited recently, Manhattan feels all the way back post-Covid -- the streets are thronged, restaurants are humming, the feeling is festive, and about the only di...

marcs

I like the 86 Talbot (more nuance) just as much as the 82 (more power), though I’ve not had them side by side. The bottle I had at dinner a few months ago was more memorable and "better" to me than the 1986 Mouton Rothschild that I had at a BWE DC Saturday night I think in 2018. It's that...

marcs

I had it at least once and I think a couple of times in the last decade - once maybe about 3-4 years ago and once about 7-8 year ago, both tutored on behalf of Decanter by Herve Berland at the Landmark Hotel in Marylebone - and especially on the first occasion it struck me as one of those ferocious...

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