Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Jeff Leve

Not sure the Trolong Mondot oak trend is isolated to 2002....and I know it's not! This is the modernized style they have been putting out since at least 2000...over extracted and oaked. Hi David It's OK not to like Troplong Mondot. More for me! But the oak program has not really changed since 1990....

Jeff Leve

2009, 2005, 2010, 2000, 1996, 1990, 1982, 1989, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2001, 2004, 1985, 1998, 1995, 1986, 1988, 1983, 2002, 1999 & 1994. The remaining years are for me not worth thinking about today, most of those wines were not that interesting on release and the years have not been kind, I imagine...

Jeff Leve

Tom... I look at them as different wines because Le Plus comes from a different, specific terroir, the blend is always different and the winemaking and aging program are different.

Jeff Leve

JimHow wrote:I'm just asking.

What vintages are you asking about?

With the exception of 2003, which is good, but not great, starting with the 2005 vintage, I think Pontet Canet started making wines that competes with the best Second Growths. 2009 and 2010 took it to an entirely new qaulity level again.

Jeff Leve

The regular bouard is great quality for the price...i am not sure the plus is worth the xtra tariff...probably just higher extraction and longer oak treatment....i recently tasted the 07 la fleur bouard and it was drinking very nice No. They are completely different wines. Le Plus... http://www.the...

Jeff Leve

IMO, when you look at the last 20 years, which is what the classification was based on, it was the right choice, especially for Angelus which was stronger than Cheval and Ausone on a more consistent basis for 20 years. Pavie has been exceptional since 2000 and with its terroir, why not grant it Fir...

Jeff Leve

There were several classifications preceeding the famous one in 1855, and there were shifts up and down along the way. The first semi-complete classification was noted down by Thomas Jefferson when he was US ambassador to France. Far be it from me to prove you wrong. I would never want to that. But...

Jeff Leve

In the 18th and 19th centuries, I think we're talking about quality leading to price in a much more gradual way, with reputations established over many decades. Compare that to a Parker score of 100 a wine no one had ever heard of beforee, and that didn't exist 5 years previous! You are so antiquat...

Jeff Leve

I've not heard one of my friends in the wine trade agree with the promotion of Angélus and Pavie.... I have no idea who you know in the trade, but I can assure you, there are numerous chateau owners and and wine makers in St Emilion and in other appellations that agree with the promotion. There are...

Jeff Leve

If you were aksing me... Sell or trade 96 & 04... Keep the 03. http://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bor ... tet-canet/

Jeff Leve

That's interesting. So his antipathy to those 2005s Jeff listed does not extend to the whole 2005 vintage - only to a few - unless he thinks the decade is a disaster. To get an idea on how Gilman views 2005 Bordeaux... These are direct quotes from Gilman "...The sad fact is that twenty or thir...

Jeff Leve

For a good look at Gilman on Bordeaux... Here's a few of his scores for 2005 Bordeaux 05 Pape Clement 72 Pts 05 Angelus 84 Pts - He called the wine scrawny! 05 Canon La Gaffeliere 69 Pts 05 Larcis Ducasse 80 Pts 05 Conseillante 87 Pts These scores show someone that does not understand Bordeaux. That...

Jeff Leve

If a critic trashes wines whose style he does not prefer, how can the critic be useful for people who appreciate that style? Jeff Leve considers a all Burgundy to be watery plonk (OK, I exaggerate, but not by much) and likely does not bother to try to differentiate Burgundies on the rare occasions ...

Jeff Leve

Critics get critiqued. That is part of the job. A think skinned critic needs to find another job. Critics that call wines road kill, rate wines that I personally find stunning, as do others, in the 60 Pt range have earned equally harsh criticism. Fair is fair and that is the game. You can repeat unt...

Jeff Leve

As a friend of John's, and as someone who tastes with him frequently, I think your post deserves a little examination. It is amazing to me that so many people criticize him without having read one of his newsletters. He is an extremely good taster, and does not define himself by anything other than...

Jeff Leve

Jeff, I've really had my fill of nitwits like you, so am starting my own blog. It will be online by the end of the month. I am sure your reader will enjoy it. Now, if you are going to have a blog, you might want to check for typos. " so am starting my own blog" is not exactly perfect Engl...

Jeff Leve

Jeff, You are very useful in that you epitomise the spoiled, easily-manipulated foreign journalist. It is good for the rest of us to know what we're up against. Now Alex... Once again, you have it all wrong. OK, most of it wrong. However, you are correct on one point. Bravo! Yes, I admit, I am a fo...

Jeff Leve

Musigny 151 wrote:Three times in the same thread!

Wow... Of course we know it's wrong. But it is so easy, and so much fun to play with Alex

And if we didn't do it, Alex would just play with himself. Right?

Jeff Leve

It is *so* tiresome to see people rabbit on about “the greatest Bordeaux vintage I had ever tasted”. Why? It is their opinion. And in the case of paid critics and writers, opinions are what people pay for. Oh what the hell; I find myself agreeing with Jeff twice in the same thread. It's probably be...

Jeff Leve

AlexR wrote:It is *so* tiresome to see people rabbit on about “the greatest Bordeaux vintage I had ever tasted”.

Why? It is their opinion. And in the case of paid critics and writers, opinions are what people pay for.

Jeff Leve

Yep. The article was before any winemaking of 2012 vintage, and is not the best way to compare 2011 and 2012. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Now that I have tasted 2011s, I am eager to do the 2012 vintage UGC tasting next year and see which one I like better. Problem with that in 2012 is, the best w...

Jeff Leve

I was looking for where I read the article...Here is the article quoting Parker saying that 2011 is akin to 2008 and 2001. So can't say other than making inferences from the tidbits that I have read here and there... http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2012/03/bordeaux-2011-better-than-expected/ I am ...

Jeff Leve

Jeff, I don't know why you value 2012 higher than 2011. Especially on the right bank 2011 seems better than 2012 as tasted during primeur week this year. Izak.. Because, having tasted about 500 in each vintage, the wines are much better in 2012. They are riper, offer more depth and complexities and...

Jeff Leve

2012 is OK. Pomerol is the best appellation by far. 2011 is weak. 2013 is worse. Too early to tell with 2014, but it will not be great. Each vintage is different and appeals to a different consumer with different needs and different levels of income. So, it really does not matter to the consumer. B...

Jeff Leve

2012 is OK. Pomerol is the best appellation by far. 2011 is weak. 2013 is worse. Too early to tell with 2014, but it will not be great. Each vintage is different and appeals to a different consumer with different needs and different levels of income. So, it really does not matter to the consumer.

Jeff Leve

I have a different opinion of Clos Marsalette. I think it's one of the top value wines of Pessac Leognan for both the red and white wines. Tasty, drinks well early and fairly priced, I like it. http://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/graves-pessac/clos-marsalette...

Jeff Leve

My second daugther, Béatrice, is born in 2013, so I need a few bottle of 2013 for her 18 years old birthday. The 2013 are now sold en primeur in Québec, at high prices (WTF), but unripeness, hard vintage conditions, chaptalization, is making that a wine like Château Montrose "drink between 202...

Jeff Leve

Why is this a problem? It's much more common than you think, especially in the Left Bank. FWIW, they used this technique with some of the greatest Bordeaux wines ever made. One may not discern a chaptalized/non-chaptalized wine in tasting, but I think it's a problem in that it's pointing towards a ...

Jeff Leve

It's too early, but curious on fellow BWErs' take on buying 2013 bordeaux, now that even top chateaux, including Palmer, resorted to chaptalization in 2013 vintage... Would you buy chaptalized wine knowingly, or does it matter to you? Why is this a problem? It's much more common than you think, esp...

Jeff Leve

Reading Advocate #212. - He has written exactly four sentences describing the 2011 vintage, one of which basically says, go back and look at issue 200 for my barrel sample scores. I realize the so-called experts say 2011 is weak. So that means we can only expect an energetic effort during vintages ...

Jeff Leve

Ian... Tasted in 2013.... 1999 Latour is already showing secondary characteristics. But there is no hurry to drink it. Tasted in 2013, 1999 Cheval Blanc, ready for prime time. Stefan... Off the top of my head, no. I do not remember, You can if you're ever bored search my tasting notes. http://www.th...

Jeff Leve

FWIW, with very few exceptions, I find most 1999 Bordeaux at peak drinking levels today. Some are even already on the slow downhill slide. 1999 is not a vintage for long term aging. I'd drink almost every wine from that vintage sooner than later.

Jeff Leve

robertgoulet wrote:watched numerous video reports where the chateau's discuss how their grapes were all picked mature and reached phenolic ripeness in addition to meticulous sorting....so where is the problem?

If you do not mind sharing, which chateaux said they reached full phenolic ripeness with 2011?

Jeff Leve

IMO, no. I prefer 2009 for its style. Having tasted hundreds of 2009 and 2010 Bordeaux multiple times, there are some wines in 2010 that are better than 2009. But across the board, in all appellations at every price point, I'd give the nod to 2009. As the wines mature, the differences will become mo...

Jeff Leve

Jeff, Ah, so you were invited to the inauguration of the Pavie cellars. A real insider, I see. But please be careful not to be sucked into "the system". It is so easy to find yourself licking everyone's boots, and you end up losing all credibility. I think I have farily good credibility, ...

Jeff Leve

A lot of estates make a rose'. Only a few are offered for sale. Never tasted one.

Jeff Leve

JimHow wrote:This wine is stunning. I love it.

Well Grasshopper, you are coming along! It's a really good wine. http://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bor ... cardinale/

Jeff Leve

I need your input on 2013, as Béatrice my third child is born last year. I need a few bottles for her 18-20 years old. What else guys? So Mr Leves, I like traditionnal balanced red Bordeaux, that drinks well and are complex, If that can help to do recommandations. For the Perse wines, i did not tri...

Jeff Leve

The Perse wines were (expletive deleted) steamrollered by excessive oak and extraction in my most humble opinion. Not sure when your opinion became humble... But it's an improvement :mrgreen: Journalist friends had the 2006 Pavie at the press dinner held at Pavie. They said it was far too heavy and...

Jeff Leve

AlexR wrote:The worst? The entire Gérard Perse range. An abomination.

No surprise we do not agree... again. Pavie and Bellevue Mondotte are two of the top wines from the vintage. They have actual ripe fruit and were produced from very low yields, a good combination for quality wine...

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