Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

pomilion

very funny, and also sadly kinda true...

pomilion

Shows the impact of 100 pts. Oh well. The anti-wine consumer advocate strikes again! Is Parker so addled and jaded he doesn't realize that his constant over-hyping of various regions and vintages only hurts consumers? It's astonishing how simultaneously egotistical and clueless he is. Nineteen &quo...

pomilion

I agree, 04 Lascombes has quite a bit of potential but needs a few years to resolve. K&L was blowing it out a couple years ago for $29.99/bottle, picked up a few cases. Enjoyable now but definite room for positive evolution. I'm a fan.

pomilion

More from jaw-dropping links from Mike Steinberger's site: http://winediarist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/KurniawanBailAppeal.pdf http://winediarist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Ex-A.gif http://winediarist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Ex-B.gif http://winediarist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03...

pomilion

Mike Steinberger has posted a copy of the complaint on his blog:

http://winediarist.com/wp-content/uploa ... laint1.pdf

Pretty interesting reading...

pomilion

Seems the authorities are not only looking at the 2008 Acker/Ponsot incident but also the recent Spectrum/Vanquish auction. Hopefully this will lead to continuing and greater scrutiny of the role of auction houses actively or recklessly participating in fraud. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142...

pomilion

A few thoughts: 1. Nineteen wines in one vintage and region rated "perfect" is ridiculous. Let's compare Parker's 2009 scores with his 2005 scores: 2009 -- 19 100 point wines, with another 11 wines receiving 99 points 2005 -- 2 100 point wines, with another 3 wines receiving 99 points 2005...

pomilion

Mike Steinberger blogs that the FBI is now investigating the recent Spectrum/Vanquish London auction:

http://winediarist.com/wine-scandal-wat ... swoops-in/

pomilion

Recently bought a case of the '05, which is already somewhat approachable and in 10-15 years should be gorgeous.

Welcome Ken.

pomilion

Interesting tweet yesterday from Jancis Robinson...

"Wonder why @AckerMerrall have taken all their old sale catalogs off their website??"

pomilion

I agree that many of the wines are fairly lush and round; there's a pronounced style to the vintage, and not just from the predictably more more modern-styled estates. Wines like Figeac and Gruaud Larose are probably the most lush examples ever from those estates, and not because they've changed win...

pomilion

Wines clocking in between 92 and 97 points - probably not much change in price unless it is an increase from the upper range of the barrel score. If there's something you want, I'd buy it now. Agreed, I'm looking to pick up a few things in the next two weeks. Some of the wines I tasted at the UGC t...

pomilion

when Parker issues his latest proclamations on the vintage of which he said yesterday (on Twitter) "after 33 years of doing this 2009 is the single greatest vintage I have ever tasted..." I've been buying a few more 09s here and there (Gruaud Larose, Domaine de Chevalier) recently and am c...

pomilion

You're right that proving damages might not be the easiest thing. One would hope this fiasco hurts Spectrum's and Vanquish's reputations -- it certainly appears they deserve it. But you're right about a sucker being born every minute...

pomilion

That sounds like a logistical improbability, particularly when red flags go up just a week before the auction. The auction house has possession of the wines. How do you figure a consignor would get a court to enter a finding of gross negligence and/or force the house to return the wines prior to th...

pomilion

Can a consignor withdraw wines from auction after contractually committing to sell them at an agreed-upon reserve? I doubt it. The reserve, below which the wine wont be sold, doesn't change due to adverse publicity. Once a consignor contractually agrees to sell the wines at that minimum reserve pri...

pomilion

I agree with you that it would be very difficult to prove that one's wines sold for less than they otherwise would have. I suppose my argument would be that Spectrum and Vanquish appear to have been grossly negligent in making various decisions relating to this auction, with the result that they kne...

pomilion

If I had sold wine in this action (authentic wine, that is) that sold for less than I expected, I would be considering demanding that Spectrum/Vanquish make up the difference because of their unprofessional handling of the auction and resulting taint.

pomilion

As reported in Decanter, Vanquish (Spectrum's UK partner for the auction) has withdrawn these 13 lots because of the label discrepancies. http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/529724/spectrum-and-vanquish-withdraw-drc-lots-from-auction Spectrum and Vanquish continue to deny that the wines were cons...

pomilion

If what's alleged about the Spectrum auction is true, it's hard to imagine their reputation not taking a huge hit. What a train wreck.

pomilion

JimHow wrote: The Republicans will win because [...] they are a thousand times more ruthless politically that the pussy Democrats.

So true, sadly.

pomilion

Depressing article on Republican redistricting strategy/efforts:

http://www.thenation.com/article/165976 ... ting-south

pomilion

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.co ... per-month/

pomilion

Buffalo chicken wings (which is the annual pairing - homemade, naturally), with of course the buttery hot sauce and blue cheese, plus of course carrots and celery, and ... drum roll ... Sauternes. never would have thought of that combination... but it sounds great!! We usually have chips, salsa, gu...

pomilion

I had this a week and a half ago at a pre-event before the UGC tasting and agree with your notes. Definitely a winner. It and 00 Giscours were the most enjoyable wines in some heavy-weight competition, both drinking beautifully.

pomilion

Blanquito -- yes, they absolutely taste like Bordeaux. (Would you rather have angular, harsh tannins and little fruit? Just kidding, mostly... ;) ) You would be able to identify virtually all of 09s, I'm certain, as unmistakably bordeaux in a blind tasting including some Napa cabs. The overall style...

pomilion

DavidG wrote:... I've always liked Gruaud. Should I reconsider? [...] Is this a wine I'll be able to enjoy in 2019?

Yes and Yes (see my longer response in the UGC thread)

pomilion

David -- when I first got into bordeaux, I was somewhat right bank-centric but have long since broadened my horizons... I bought a few right bank 09s when futures were first released (Pavie Macquin, Clinet, Tertre Roteboeuf, Beausejour Duffau) and will pick up a few more I'm sure. But after tasting ...

pomilion

I used to buy and enjoy Pride's Cab Franc; drank one (might have been an 03) six months ago that was pretty tasty. I've experienced a fair amount of bottle variation in the Prides I've had.

pomilion

My first two post-UGC purchases have been Gruaud Larose ($63 at PJ's) and Domaine de Chevalier Rouge ($70 at Winex, $70-75 elsewhere), both fantastic wines and the two least expensive of my favorites at the tasting. I already have long-standing futures orders on some of my other UGC favorites, and m...

pomilion

Well done, pomilion. Very well done, indeed. Thank you for the enablement! Glad to be of service, Jim... It's a seriously good wine, every bit as impressive as virtually all of my other left bank favorites at the UGC tasting, including Lynch Bages, Pichon Baron, GPL and Pichon Lalande, all of which...

pomilion

I still have never heard an explanation why wines have to sit 5 years someplace before shipment. Is it a cash flow problem? Did they take all this money to fund their expansion? Whatever the reason, I don't know of ANY retailer who takes so long to fill futures orders, and, especially now that PC p...

pomilion

The problem is that a store that goes under can seem "definitely reliable" until it's not... I thought Sam's was solid/reliable until they went under -- I got my last futures out of them just in time, but only because I relentlessly called and emailed them (literally dozens of times) for 6...

pomilion

Jim and Jon -- thanks, very helpful. I've always had a vague but positive impression of PJ's based on general reputation and some in-stock transactions I've had with them, but I'm always a little nervous trusting someone new with futures given recent events (I've given up buying futures from PC, and...

pomilion

I've bought in-stock wines from PJ's but not futures. Any thoughts on reliability, delivery time, etc.?

pomilion

Look forward to your impressions, Mike. Jon -- I tried to taste the T-M after you mentioned those impressions at the tasting, but it had already run out. In general, both from my own bottles and at tastings, I've found T-M to be somewhat hit or miss, sometimes tasting a little stewed or overripe, ot...

pomilion

The event definitely could have been better organized. I didn't experience first-hand all of the difficulties some of the posters in that thread describe getting in because I went to the pre-tasting and was already inside before the main event started (though I went to the restroom just before 7pm a...

pomilion

Another general observation I would make based on Friday's UGC tasting -- for me, as a gross generalization (with many exceptions): 09 is a slightly better vintage than 05 on the left bank 05 is a slightly better vintage than 09 on the right bank It's really splitting hairs, though, since both vinta...

pomilion

Is it too soon to declare the 2009 Leoville Poyferre BWE's 2012 wine of the year? Just asking. (I know, I'm going to burn). Leoville Poyferre has upped their game a notch the past few years. It was the wine of the 09 UGC (narrowly edging out Clinet), in my opinion, and was the best left bank wine a...

pomilion

This very ripe wine is not unlike the other 09s. This may be a bit controversial but this show the similar ripe fruit characters as the 09 Pavie. A critic rated this 93-94+ vs 70-75 for Pavie. Crushed blueberries, cassis, licorice, crushed rocks and lavender. This is a big scale, voluptuous wine. T...

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