Little did you know...

[Chasse-Spleen]

On the last page of the 2011 Zagat's, there is a small vintage ratings chart. Surprise! They rate the 2000 vintage in Bordeaux as the highest of recent years - 29 points on a 30 point scale.

[DavidG]

Interesting Chasse. Is that a community-based rating like their restaurant reviews or is it the opinion of a single (named?) critic or perhaps a committee?

I don't have a major disagreement with placing 2000 above '82, '90 or '05, which would be my other contenders for best vintage of the last 30 years. It depends on your ranking criteria.

[JimHow]

I'm on board with that. 2000 is indeed the greatest ever, followed closely by 2002L.

[Chasse-Spleen]

The vintage ratings begin with '95. They only rate red Bordeaux and Sauternes, not dry whites. They give '01 a 29. The ratings are done by Howard Stravitz, and U. of South Carolina law professor. Maybe we should induct him into BWE? He gives 2005 reds a 28, and '09 gets a 27.

[Harry C.]

I believe these ratings are also based on drinkability at this time.

[DavidG]

Wait - '01 (typo?) got a 29/30 or '00 got 29/30? If the latter, I'm pretty much in agreement.

[Chasse-Spleen]

'01 Sauternes

[Chasse-Spleen]

Both '00 reds and '01 Sauternes got 29/30.

[DavidG]

Got it! Yes, '01 Sauternes are awesome. How did he rank the '88/'89/'90 troika?

[Chasse-Spleen]

They only go back to '95.

[JimHow]

1995: The year everything changed in Bordeaux.

[DavidG]

I thought 2005 was the year everything changed in Bordeaux. Right after the BWE Magic Bus Tour.

[Blanquito]

I agree with Jim, 1995 changed Bordeaux, mostly thanks to Jimmy Suckling... Of course, the trend in pricing-style-marketing-personalities took a while to reach it apotheosis (which may have been the 2005 vintage), but that's when it began...

[DavidG]

I'm interested to hear more details of this "Suckling Changed Bordeaux in 1995" theory.

[JimHow]

It all started with that edition of WS -- must have been, what, sometime in 1997, maybe '98 -- I can still see the cover now, it had a bottle of Bordeaux, divided horizontally in different colored sections -- the issue he went wild over the 1995 vintage -- the side story about 1995 Calon Segur -- the 1995 Ducru -- the "Bordeaux this young shouldn't taste this good" -- the "velvety tannins" of 1995 Lynch..... Wow! Glory days.....

[Blanquito]

Again, what the BD says... I remember that WS cover vividly, I was in San Francisco for the Xmas holidays in December 2007 and that WS edition was displayed all over wine shops from sea to shining sea. It all went to hell from there. Jimmy Suckling and the dotcom bubble giving a bunch of newly weathly folks a reason to get into wine... wine as fashion (rather than the obsession of the true faithful like us at BWE), then the rise of the Cali cults, et cetera, et cetera.

[DavidG]

Yes, I remember that. The beginning of the price spiral. I was wondering if there was an element of "Suckling convinced the Bordelais to make New World wines" in there somewhere.