Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Comte Flaneur

Our second visit on the first day of our Bordeaux tour in 2015 was Du Tertre. Although a comparatively lowly address compared to what was to follow that day, it was one of the highlights of an amazing trip. From the tour of the winery with our delightful hostess with fetchingly child bearing hips, w...

Comte Flaneur

Now now, tut tut

Et tu Brute?

Comte Flaneur

My favourite would be Pauillac, and as noted least favourite is St-Estephe. But everything else - St J, Margaux, Pessac, St E and Pomerol, is very closely bunched with the pecking order between these middle rankers just too close to call - for example St J has the fewest superstars but the greatest ...

Comte Flaneur

Another bird brain comment: “I was surprised to hear Ian's comments, as he mentioned that Saint Estephe was his least favorite AOC. I wonder if he considers wines such as Cos, Montrose, Calon Segur, Meyney, Phelan Segur, Haut Marbuzet, Lilian Ladouys, de Pez, Tour des Termes, and Serilhan disappoint...

Comte Flaneur

I couldn’t put down St-Emilion given how much it is improved in the last decade and given that Cheval Blanc was my wine of the year last year. So by a process of elimination the one I love least is St Estephe but I still love St-Estephe but not as much as the others.

Comte Flaneur

I was curious to pop one of the 06 Langoas I picked up at auction a few years ago. The 2006 vintage is turning out to be stubbornly backward, relative to some of its peers, and I was not optimistic that I would enjoy this wine, so resigned myself to this being a bottle opened ‘in the name of science...

Comte Flaneur

Yes like a patch work quilt. I tried both of these wines last April - I rated the 2020 Lafleur Petrus 98 points - one of the top four wines I tried from the vintage - the others were Montrose, Pichon Lalande and Ducru. I think Lafleur Petrus is really top tier Pomerol now. The 2018 Branaire I rated ...

Comte Flaneur

6 x Lafleur Petrus 2020 for £951 in bond
3 x Brainaire Ducru 2018 for £90 in bond

Comte Flaneur

Sorry about your bad experience Nic. These wines from peak Parker were the nadir of St Emilion… …which is why some canny observers have remarked that St-Emilion is the most improved commune over the last decade… …as winemakers there eschew the souped up style of yore… …as epitomised by Troplong Mond...

Comte Flaneur

3 x La Conseillante 2020, 3 x Lynch Bages 2014 My intelligence (contacts not nous) suggest 2020 could be the best ever vintage of La C, certaintly better than 2019, and even better than 2016 and 2010. I think the great WK rated it 100 points, so I now have two three packs. With Lynch I continue to l...

Comte Flaneur

Ha ha, I think that is a wise decision Marc

Comte Flaneur

Congradulations!

Comte Flaneur

Yes I agree a much more accurate assessment, a much better write up

Comte Flaneur

I think the Farr’s guy has quite a sweet tooth because he always has Poyferre as his pick of St-J’s.

Has he seriously tasted the 2014 Ducru and Leoville Barton?

My faith in 2014 is not all shaken.

Comte Flaneur

My analogy would be ‘dangling the teabag’ rather than ‘wringing the tea towel’

Comte Flaneur

You should also try the 2016 ‘gune, it is pretty good too

Comte Flaneur

The only thing I am confident on is that these recent infusion (rather than extraction) vintages like 2016, 19 and 20 will easily surpass the vintages that we obsess on here, vintages like 1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1996 etc, lovely as they are - but also the maximum Parker extracted vintages like 2005...

Comte Flaneur

Welcome to BWE esl!

Comte Flaneur

I will be celebrating it this year and am planning on opening Tarlant Cuvee Louis Champagne (2000 base)

And then Jasmin Cote Rotie 1990, one of my desert island wines.

Comte Flaneur

Alex asked: “Who counts the most these days in the English-speaking world?”

There may never be anyone to have the influence that Parker enjoyed in his hey day.

But the answer to your question Alex may be William Kelley, and from what I gather he is still a young man.

Comte Flaneur

I think we would have ended up in the same place had he not been around, but on a different path. Without him we would not have gotten so many extracted right bankers David has endured, and his influence spilled over into other areas like southern Rhone and Australia. I think it would be fair to say...

Comte Flaneur

To answer that question Jim you would have to ponder the counterfactual as to where would we be without him? I think a clue lies in what has happened in Burgundy since he came to prominence and where he was banned early on in the piece. Burgundy is thriving like never before and has never been makin...

Comte Flaneur

2005 Angelus, RMP note Truly great stuff, this wine performed at a three-digit level both in the horizontal tasting of 2005s in Baltimore, as well as in Montreal at this mini-vertical. This sensational, opaque, bluish/purple wine offers up notes of vanillin, spring flowers, blueberry and blackberry...

Comte Flaneur

2005 Angelus, RMP note Truly great stuff, this wine performed at a three-digit level both in the horizontal tasting of 2005s in Baltimore, as well as in Montreal at this mini-vertical. This sensational, opaque, bluish/purple wine offers up notes of vanillin, spring flowers, blueberry and blackberry ...

Comte Flaneur

2 x 6 Gazin 2016

Comte Flaneur

You could even argue that Leoville Barton 2005 is (heavily?) over-extracted, or if not, a bit hot, bothered and unbalanced; - and not as nice as other lesser vintages like 2004 - that at least is based on my limited experience With respect to the 2005 vintage we should recognise it was a hot vintage...

Comte Flaneur

Totally fair. The ‘16 is quite good and the ‘19 better. Hope this trend holds. I have not tried the ‘20. Don’t get me wrong…. big fan…just would have liked to have seen a more risk/reward attitude toward the better past vintages where I have more experience. The 2019 St-Pierre and Gloria are suppos...

Comte Flaneur

Nicklasss wrote: ↑Sat Feb 10, 2024 3:02 am 2005 Duhart Milon. WoW!

And for Comte, I guess Latour will be ready after Keith Richards death, so in 50 more years.

Yes Nic I think the 2005 Latour will at least live as long as Keith Richards

This is the earliest known picture of Keith Richards

Comte Flaneur

2005 Duhart should be right up your strasse Jim

Comte Flaneur

I am still a 2005 optimist and I put my money where my mouth is. My portfolio is very left bank biased, though: 12 x Pichon Baron - best of the super seconds in 2005? And actually another favourite 12 x Gruaud - from three separate purchases 12 x Belair - apparently this has been drinking well for q...

Comte Flaneur

Nice. I think all of my 2005s are gone. Sounds like they are balanced at the 19 year mark, I was concerned about the acidity, or lack thereof, of several wines I had like Brane Cantenac and Grand Mayne. Is 2005 a left bank vintage, right bank vintage, or both? I have barely started on my mine, Jim....

Comte Flaneur

I had a 1978 Giscours a few months ago. It was superb, nearly as good as the 1976 La Lagune we had this evening, but close to the end of its drinking window.

Thanks for your notes on the 2005s Izak…a helpful update and snapshot.

Comte Flaneur

2 x 1975 Magdelaine

Comte Flaneur

Howard have you given any consideration to buying any 2001s and 2002s? They are classical vintages. Duhart O1 for example is sublime old school claret, likewise something like Ducru 02 or DDC 02 - wines which give enormous pleasure and should be up your strasse.

Comte Flaneur

Izak, you could have prefaced your post by saying, “Stuart, with all due respect”

Comte Flaneur

I got seduced into buying two bottles of 2018 Bruno Giacosa Barolo by this note from Susan Hulme MW - no I have never heard of her either - but I happen to think that the 2018 Barolo (and Barbaresco) vintage is very under-rated: Susan Hulme MW writes, “The 2018 Bruno Giacosa Barolo is very rich and ...

Comte Flaneur

If I had to back one of these horses, it would be 2020 not 2019 - you heard it here first - just like for 2016 Bdx: the 2015 vs 2016 vintages - the latter vintage will reign supreme and eventually overtake the 2016 mantle as the best ever Bdx vintage - you heard it it here first - the 2020s will tur...

Comte Flaneur

Just for fun here are my favourite FGs or FG equivalents from each vintage starting in 2010, with the caveat I have not tasted nearly as many as Stu and have lots of gaps 2010: Margaux - not sure how this can be bettered but not tried Latour - run up Mouton 2009: Mouton, runner up Lafite, but again ...

Comte Flaneur

Thanks for the excellent notes Stuart, you don’t seem to have much luck with Lafite. When we did a much more modest Lafite vertical in 2018 we got lucky - every wine was on top form and the distinctive theme was the poise and sophistication of theses wines’ mid-palates, which is why for me it is fir...

Comte Flaneur

That is a great line up. 1980 was a very under-rated vintage in burgundy especially for reds.

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