Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

JonB

I would like to share an experience with you all about drinking and driving. As you well know, some of us have been known to have our brushes with the authorities on our way home from the odd tasting session over the years. A couple of nights ago I was out at a tasting/seminar at a local retailers a...

JonB

More discounted pricing from Premier Cru indicates it is not, most likely directly caused by the BD's edict. What was the price ceiling? I see splits of 2010 Smith Haut Lafitte for $29.99, splits of Malescot St. Exupery for $32.99, splits of Lynch Bages for $49.99, splits of Leoville Poyferre for $4...

JonB

Yes, they are buying Bordeaux in more ways than one....from Wine Spectator: • The Chinese spending spree in Bordeaux real estate continues at a brisk pace, with more than a dozen châteaus either recently acquired or in the final stages of closing. On Nov. 30, movie star Zhao Wei and her real-estate ...

JonB

I tried both (along with 80 or so other wines) at Union de Grande Cru tasting in L.A. this past January. My preference was for the Poyferre, but that was a personal taste issue rather than trying to assess inherent "quality". As I recall, the Poyferre was more black currant and the oak sor...

JonB

Thanks for the data point on the 2003 QC Cab. I've been opening a 2003 QC Red every 2 years or so, and from a bottle in November they are just now beginning to open and show well (previously the fruit was muted and the classy Tuaransaud oak is dominant) . I'm sure the Cab has a few years before peak...

JonB

Hey Rob. Are you still riding at all, or did you totally lay off after P-B-P?

JonB

This was a much different experience than my last two bottles of this wine. Light ruby, minimal bricking, leather and light cigar box on the nose. Subtle yet concentrated flavors of earth and sour cherry. Still a lot of freshness and life in this bottle. A. The previous bottles from the same source ...

JonB

The 2009 aroma comes forcefully out of the bottle, and then calms down. This is ripe, warm, seems like a fair amount of glycerin. Showing mostly dark plum flavors, This is a nice young QPR. Very little tannins poking through. The 2005 is open. With a mix of purple and red fruits. Young and vibrant, ...

JonB

Nice note on the 2005 Carbonnieux, Blanquito. This is one '05 I didn't buy.

From cellartracker notes Haut Bailly seems to be still shut down. I'm still awaiting prearrivals from Premier Cru of a couple cases of this.

JonB

While being a spectator at a wine tasting isn't my idea of excitement, I've watched about half this long video of a recent 2009 Bordeaux tasting in Hong Kong featuring RP. It is a great primer on wine enthusiasm and Bordeaux. http://www.winefuture.hk/ RP makes two category distinctions between great...

JonB

I've almost worked through a case of the 2005 Ampelia (Cotes de Castillon). My first bottle (2008) was ripe and thick.....now, either my palate has evolved or this has thinned out slightly, gained complexity, and the fruit is a nice range of red and black fruits, and a good balance of acidity. The t...

JonB

My purchases were:

Duhart Milon
La Croix St Georges (hard to resist this at $22)
Leoville Poyferre
Montrose
Pavie Macquin
Pontet Canet

I may buy more after tasting, but have scaled back from the last vintage of century purchasing.

JonB

I am not a Pichon guru by any stretch, but had the 2005 Lalande twice not long after it appeared on shelves and found it a pretty, feminine, red fruited wine --- very atypical for the vintage. The nose was also attractive and pretty. The 2006 tasted at a similar release stage was darker, slightly mo...

JonB

I bought a half dozen of the Laurene after trying it last weekend. A very different expression of pinot than St. Innocent, but both very good. I generally don't splurge for the Laurene as the normal domaine bottling is about half the price at the local Costco, and the wines are very similar, but in ...

JonB

Claudius2 - thanks for posting your observations. What other vintage characteristics did you observe for the 2008s? (or perhaps you want to wait on this until the left bank tasting). Many of the wines seemed to have bitter acidity when I tasted them at a UGC event back in January, and I haven't trie...

JonB

I still have too many 2005s that appear to have quite a bit of life to them to buy heavily into 2009 Crus Bourgeois, but have dipped my toe in with small quantities, and if you like the lower acid style there are some good ones. I'm paying slightly more attention to 2009 Bourgognes, just to try a br...

JonB

From today's (10/4/2011) Wall Street Journal, "Overheard": Take it or Lafite. That was the sentiment Sunday at Sotheby's fine wine auction in Hong Kong. For the first time since 2009, the auctioneer failed to sell every bottle. Among the 59 unsolds lots were bottles of Chateau Lafite Roths...

JonB

....and I think Miami and Montreal are new destinations. They must have some wine to sell. The 2008s were disappointing last year, but based on the tasting reports the 2009 vintage will be more up my alley. While I thought K&L (San Francisco) hosted a better tasting (better food, free wine glass...

JonB

Here's the upcoming schedule. I saw Wally's already advertising tickets for the L.A. public event, as well as a few chateau dinners surrounding the event (e.g. Anthony Barton, Jean-Charles Cazes, Nicolas Glumineau?). Los Angeles : 20 january San Francisco : 21 january Miami : 23 january New York : 2...

JonB

I liked the '08 Poyferre, and thought it among the best at the '08 UGC tasking, so I bought a case (but didn't go long on the '08 vintage). Suckling....I get the feeling that part of his schtick is to hype a vintage....in part he'll get quoted more often by wine merchants selling their wares, which ...

JonB

I ended up with 6 2005s, but have yet to crack one open. This is the one RP rated 85?, but other reviews were more respectable.....too much oak for RP?

JonB

While I haven't noticed any re-reviewing, it sounded like the two vintages were fairly close in style, with some reviewers saying 2010 had more of everything...tannins alcohol, acidity, etc. RP noted in a thread that 2010 wasn't as great as 2009, 2005 and 2000, but in the WA he said it would be prud...

JonB

6900 EURO? He must think it is "futures". Obviously the shelf price should be much lower.

JonB

I'd say an American can taste sugar without doubling the amount that (what was the comparison species??) can taste, but that the average American palate prefers and is accustomed to sweetness (e.g. ripe fruit). Likewise, we enjoy it when our economy is sweet.

JonB

I've also read the demand for futures by Chinese consumers is low, but there appears to be demand from intermediaries hoping to sell the bottles for profit on arrival.

JonB

http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/45534 Interesting article. Not far from other reports that by value the 2010 campaign was comparable to 2009, but didn't sell as well by volume or as many labels; there's evidence of more purchasing for speculative purposes. After seeing few wines havi...

JonB

Dan - if you have any insight on what this sale signifies for PC and/or its suppliers, please let us know. David - I'm still on out on '05s from PC as well. The last communication I had with them was in June....PC said some were in their possession (a warehouse in London) and would be shipped to the...

JonB

It all comes down to attractions......there's no Father Damien in Bordeaux.

JonB

At 50% off on the PC special, a few of those 2010 Bordeauxs looked like fair value.....back to 2005 pricing.

But with several 2005s Bordeauxs yet to be delivered, and a "full cellar', I bit just on a few Burgs.

JonB

Thank you for these suggestions. It is very helpful to have this input.....I'll let you know how it goes.....

JonB

While this is not the latest news, I thought the article was interesting. a) the statement about it being a real estate investment (well it is, just that the price of the real estate is driven by the profitability of the product); b) a relatively unbiased statement about this 2nd growth's Asia versu...

JonB

Bachus.... Try www.liv-ex.com. There's a lot of free info on their webpages. Auction houses also generally report specific auction results.

JonB

I've been tasked with organizing a long weekend (3 or 4 days) trip to Burgundy next Spring for 5 to 7 couples, including some long term enthusiasts and a few not having much interest in wine. They want to go to "someplace cool", which loosely translates to being upscale and unique. Any sug...

JonB

Who cares about water. It's raining money in Bordeaux!

JonB

I remember in France seeing some high quality wines on super market shelves for reasonable values. If the producers/negociants have all this unsold product (when it is bottled), some of it must be stored for future sale (especially in a top vintage), and some dumped to markets that are insulated fro...

JonB

This was an email from retailer Farr Vintners (Great Britain): En Primeur 2010 - End of Campaign Report With Petrus and Le Pin now out (and immediately sold out), we have reached the end of the 2010 Bordeaux en primeur campaign. It’s certainly been a very successful campaign here at Farr Vintners wi...

JonB

Jim - there was an associate of Koch's that had a wine authentication service with a website (that posted a couple of times). I don't recall seeing a Koch post; seems like a busy guy with varied interests.

JonB

...and La Mission Haut Brion is out at $1025, blanc $1025, La Chapelle de la Mission $185 (all Zachys prices). The only thing I can figure is that there's enough buyers that have inelastic demand (they purchase virtually regardless of price) that it makes sense to raise prices and make huge profits ...

JonB

Mike - interesting tasting.

What year l'Evangile?

JonB

Just returning from a week in Hawaii....my son bought a $20 uke. from reading the book "bordeaux, power, pricing and politics" it sounds like the pricing is partly a game of one-upping the neighbor (who released prices before you, but you have the better wine, terroir, customer base, or wh...

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