Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

If I closed my eyes I would swear you were describing Pontet Canet and not Pichon Baron. At least, that's how it goes around here.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Yeah, $15 is tough these days. Now if you young whippersnappers want to hear about buying wine 35 years ago, $15 could go a lot farther. I think I paid $16.99 for the 2016 Lanessan? I come across a few name brands at that price occasionally, and hit a couple of no-names (or to be fairer, "unkn...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

I bought four or six of these a few years after release and they were certainly were going cheaply for Montrose, something like $39 or $44. I had one at the time and your note sounds about right. I recall the wine being more fresh than full.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Seemed like textbook aged claret. Base neck fill, cork separated 2/3rds the length but the end came out in one piece. Nice dark color. Mainly cedar in the bouquet, cedar and a vinous, winey sensation. The attack was of mild yet firm, dry tannin. Well-balanced and with plenty of flavor and body. No t...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Now this is more to my liking. Nice, light medium purple color, a bouquet suggestive of talc, which is in turn suggestive of violets. This presents a typical left bank elan, with a dry attack, good acidity, good sweetness--and positively creamy tannin. This is a very easy drinker now with probably m...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

I have not been paying any attention to this, even before the coronavirus manifested, so my question is, does anyone not ITB--meaning consumers--even care about the 2019 vintage? Were there even harvest reports? I have very little interest in this vintage, but I recall that the failure of a certain ...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Love to see these formerly unheard of chateau come into energetic new hands and vault, not just to the very high standards of their appellations, but well above that to the very top of the lists. Reminds me of when Parker discovered the Rhone and then those wines became very popular.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Mark, it was representative of--maybe identical to--a bottle I opened maybe 4-6-8 years ago. Reminds me of the seemingly glacial pace of a solid 1998 right banker (though as noted, not this particular estate's--but I think Alain Moueix took over well after 1998). Arv, awkward maybe, unevolved for su...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

robert goulet wrote:1997 Potensac was a gem

I have heard (and tasted) that of Poujeaux but not Potensac.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

One of my justifications for buying right bankers, besides just outright liking them anyway, is that they are easier to approach and mature faster than their left-bank coequals. Uh, check that. I recall this wine on release and frankly it didn't seem very much changed. Some brisk tannin up front and...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

I have no idea if these producers are available overseas or not, but if I had to list the best producers across a range of varieties, I would say that they would be 1) Te Mata Estate & 2) Craggy Range. Cloudy Bay is of course the most famous producer but there are plenty of wines better than wh...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

The 2003, of all vintages, was excellent.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

I was in North Island a couple of years ago. Toured a couple of regions including Martinborough (not Marlborough) and Hawke's Bay/Napier. I really liked what I had there, including pinots, sauvignon blancs, chards, gerwurtraminers, cabernets and even a syrah. Not all of course (among the pinots espe...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Too bad about Aspen, Arv. All it takes is one look at the Covid-19 map of Colorado to see that outside of Denver cases are clustered in the counties where the popular resorts are, like Eagle and Summit counties. It's little wonder why. Now, if globalism is dead this might also make people question n...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

This was a real winner the first couple of times I tried it. Sweet, pliant, lovely. This week, something different. Intense bouquet of oak and roasted coffee. Searing tannins out of the gate and a very dark flavor profile following the bouquet, plus Goobers, Raisinets and Malted Milk Balls. The tann...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Thanks, Patrick. I'll ask about this.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

HDH wants to charge me $168 to ship two cases of wine to Colorado, standard ground UPS. When I observed in my usual understated manner that the price seemed a tad high, I got a song and dance about rates varying, etc., and an offer of a $20 credit against the shipping cost. Anybody know what's up wi...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Generally speaking, not since the 89s--points that is.

Ever notice there are no more 89-point Bordeaux anymore?

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

I was pleased with the local Lemberger (aka Blaufrankisch) when I was visiting Stuttgart. Somewhat like Merlot to my taste. Blaufränkisch is a dark-skinned variety of grape used for red wine. Blaufränkisch, which is a late-ripening variety, produces red wines which are typically rich in tannin and m...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Seems like January is Sociando Mallet month. This came to hand first so I cracked it open last night. This bottle was spot on. It was at times rude and overbearing and at others irresistibly charismatic, suave even. Large scale, full-bodied but not heavy, though initially quite dry with vibrant acid...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

I have not had too many 1995 right bankers but the few I have had, including the Croix du Casse (x3), have been exemplary going back 10 years or so.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

What does Martin mean by "less tertiary than previous vintages?" If we share the same definitions, I think it's pretty obvious that a three year old wine should be less tertiary than previous vintages. It shouldn't be tertiary at all.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

I don't understand Jancis' note at all. I have the advantage of not having tasted the 2016 but thick, sweet and very much pushed up the ripeness scale describes no Sociando Mallet I have ever had, young or old. And what is the ref to the 1990s? Is she referring to the decade or the vintage? I have n...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

So is there a moratorium exemption for this? I should hope so, and frankly for all vintages of SM. It would be heartless otherwise given Jean Gautreau's recent demise. LOL, how about a "moratorium exemption" for Bordeaux in general? Anything less would be uncivilized! Blanquito, I would b...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

So is there a moratorium exemption for this? I should hope so, and frankly for all vintages of SM. It would be heartless otherwise given Jean Gautreau's recent demise.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Racer Chris wrote:Should I delete my post in the SWHYBL thread before I post it here?

These rules are just advisory.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Out of respect for the rules of the 2020 BUYING MORATORIUM SUPPORT THREAD I am starting this thread specifically for the apostate. There are just two rules: 1. POST YOUR 2020 purchases here to discriminate from the "What have you bought lately?" thread. 2. NO PEEKING ALLOWED by moratoriumi...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Comte Flaneur wrote:What would be fun would be to do a 20th anniversary BWE woty retrospective either at DC or the Bordeaux conventions in 2020, bearing in mind some of the winners may be difficult to source easily.

That's a great idea.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Interesting comments. On release I found the BH and HB to be distinctly different. The BH I christened the Brigitte Brade Haut. I thought it very nice, yes in a sweet and modern way, but not what I would call overdone or anything. In fact I found it a relief compared to quite a few other wines, from...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

I purchased a case of this to try alongside my case of 16 Lagrange after seeing that cool mapping dealie (OK found it https://youtu.be/z8hn_c9v0nQ) someone posted here a while back, which was focused on St. Julien, maybe Gruaud (OK Lagrange actually) , and showed how Lanessan was just south across t...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Re-reading your note, I didn't get any over-sourness or anything like that from the Gazin. Just a very tannic and large-scaled wine leaning toward the hard and hot end of the spectrum. IIRC Parker was "strong" on this one. And if I recall it right he said something about a hypothetical ble...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Sounds a lot like the 2008 Gazin, both on release and in the past year. So if there is reason for concern we have a shared concern. My feeling is that in another 10 years it will come out OK. But I thought Pomerols were mostly ready at 10 and up. Obviously there are exceptions.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Lost control again. My downfall is always these random big lots of wine that have low per bottle prices but the total charge is a lot. This time, a case of 1998 Bourgneuf for $450 all in. A lot more Bourgneuf than I ever though I’d have but couldn’t resist less than $40/bottle for perfectly mature ...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Thanks, Bill, I will look for it next time over there.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Rarely, but had an "exceeds expectations" encounter this summer I previously posted: 2003 Niepport Porto. I drink almost nil porto but dessert was up and there was this bottle so ... I assumed, and still assume, that this will be quite different/"better" in another decade or five...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Everyone needs to get better lawyers.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

From the picks I'm guessing the Wequasett.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

It eclipsed the vintage. I don't think I've sever seen anyone here post a note on 1969 Bdx. Not even as an incident of an extensive vertical.

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

I've had the 2000 Duhart twice in the last two years and found it solid, quite smooth and ready to drink, but without much complexity. The smartest move might have been what my friend did in 2011 -- sold all for $120/btl, which is a crazy price for that wine (has it come down a bit since then?). I ...

AlohaArtakaHoundsong

Nic, I have had the 2000 Duhart perhaps three times in 10 years or so and it has impressed each time.

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