08 D'Aighuile, 06 Brunello Nardi, and 09 Drouhin Chorey les

[JimHow]

... Beaune have been uncorked.

Several Maine lobsters about to meet their ignominious end....

The d'Aiguilhe not very charming at the outset.

[JimHow]

None of these wines really shined. They were all okay. The lobster and steamers were delish. We spent the dinner talking about my cousin, the formerly number 2 guy at GE, who just left the company and is earning $89,000 a month for doing nothing. And we wonder why the country is going down the toilet. A beautiful summer night in Maine, Obama up in the polls, fine wine and lobster. Life is good!

[JimHow]

I hadn't had a Brunello in a while. This Nardi reminded me that this is pretty much a lightweight appellation. Surely enjoyable enough, but overpriced for the level of quality. This us a $15 bottle of wine. Should be, anyway, I think I paid upwards of $40.

[Bacchus]

I haven't had any of these wines, Jim. And it sounds like I needn't hunt them down.

[Chasse-Spleen]

'08 Bordeaux seems to lack a little personality.

[JimHow]

Indeed.

[Chasse-Spleen]

It's not bad, but kind of slick and commercial. Needless to say, I didn't try that many wines.

[JimHow]

Yeah, 2006 and 2004 are significantly better than 2008. I haven't tried 2009 yet but 2006 may be second only to 2002L in overall quality of post-2000 vintages....

[JimHow]

Which begs the question, if Parker initially rated the 2008s so highly, what was his excuse, and why should we believe any initial ratings of his? Did his high 2008 initial ratings, subsequently lowered, impact millions of dollars?

[DavidG]

I've always been skeptical about the initial "barrel" scores that come out the first spring after the vintage, regardless of who is doing the ratings. So much can still happen to the wines. The cheteaux will of course present the barrels and blends that they believe will show best at that time. Often times the final blend hasn't even been determined. It's like trying to predict which babies will become brain surgeons or Olympic athletes before their first birthday. I'm much more confident in the second round of reports a year later, or of the wines once they have been bottled. Waiting often means paying higher prices for the wines that jump in score, so there's an element of chance involved. Past track record and personal experience and preference can mitigate the risk but not eliminate it.

Personally, I don't rate 2002 left bank as high as you do. Solid, yes, but in my book 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2005 left bank are all better. Of course that's just my opinion based on a limited selection of wines, perhaps different ones than those that rang your chimes in 2002. Can't comment on 2006 or younger - no tasting experience.

[Chasse-Spleen]

Jim,
You seem to be a fan of Chorey-les-Beaune, or at least of the Jadot bottling. I highly recommend the Chorey from Francois Gay. Very good producer.
-Chasse

[JimHow]

I have enjoyed the Drouhin Chorey-les-Beaune a lot Chris, we can get it for $20ish in NH, a good deal it seems to me.