Best buys in the 2014 vintage?

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Tue Oct 06, 2020 9:45 pm

I have been backfilling because this ‘classic’ vintage seems to be keenly priced over here relative to lesser vintages, (like 2011/12) and this market anomaly appears to be in the early stages of correcting over here as far as I can tell.

I am building up my war chest of 2014s and have or have VCC, La Conseillante, Coutet, Leoville Barton, PLL and have on order Ducru, Baron and D’Issan - what are BWE reccos? I know two favourites will be Sociando Mallet (yes) and Meyney (...wary of spoof factor)...what other hidden treasures are out there in the 2014 vintage?

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Tue Oct 06, 2020 9:49 pm

Thanks Jim and Chris .. transposing your posts to this thread:

BD:

Very well done, Comte. Very well done indeed.
Don't be afraid to go to the right bank as well from 2014.
The Malartic Lagraviere I had recently was stunning.
As I think I've said before, about the only 2014 I've found disappointing, ironically, is Lynch Bages.
I've got a case which I'll double blanquito.
JimHow

Postby Racer Chris on Tue Oct 06, 2020 4:40 pm

Other 2014s to consider:
Calon Segur
Croix Ducru
Rauzan Segla
Talbot
Meyney

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Oct 06, 2020 10:06 pm

Here's my 2014 inventory, which comprises 238 bottles and 26.9% of my cellar.
JC turned me on to the Clerc Milon, which is just brilliantly Pauillac....

Château Clerc Milon 11.8% Bottles (28) / Value $3,246 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Calon-Ségur 8.0% Bottles (19) / Value $1,701 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 7.6% Bottles (18) / Value $2,155 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château d'Armailhac 6.3% Bottles (15) / Value $663 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 5.0% Bottles (12) / Value $1,296 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Lynch-Bages 5.0% Bottles (12) / Value $1,226 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Sociando-Mallet 4.2% Bottles (10) / Value $260 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Léoville Barton 4.2% Bottles (10) / Value $817 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 3.8% Bottles (9) / Value $1,044 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Malescot St. Exupéry 3.8% Bottles (9) / Value $519 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Cos d'Estournel 2.5% Bottles (6) / Value $739 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Coutet 2.5% Bottles (6) / Value $308 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Duhart-Milon 2.5% Bottles (6) / Value $425 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Meyney 2.5% Bottles (6) / Value $267 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Lafon-Rochet 2.5% Bottles (6) / Value $212 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Rauzan-Ségla 2.1% Bottles (5) / Value $456 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château d'Issan 2.1% Bottles (5) / Value $217 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2.1% Bottles (5) / Value $326 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Langoa Barton 2.1% Bottles (5) / Value $292 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Cantemerle 1.7% Bottles (4) / Value $92 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Haut-Bailly 1.7% Bottles (4) / Value $282 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Haut-Batailley 1.7% Bottles (4) / Value $132 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Brane-Cantenac 1.3% Bottles (3) / Value $173 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Léoville Las Cases 1.3% Bottles (3) / Value $409 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Branaire-Ducru 0.8% Bottles (2) / Value $86 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Haut-Bages Libéral 0.8% Bottles (2) / Value $106 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château La Conseillante 0.8% Bottles (2) / Value $168 / Average vintage 2014.0
Domaine de Chevalier 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $56 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Phélan Ségur 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $41 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Pape Clément 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $73 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Mouton Rothschild 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $418 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Les Ormes de Pez 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $25 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Léoville Poyferré 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $106 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Larcis Ducasse 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $51 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Lagrange (St. Julien) 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $35 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château La Mission Haut-Brion 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $195 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château La Gaffelière 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $53 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Guiraud 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $43 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Gruaud Larose 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $55 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Giscours 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $53 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Franc-Mayne 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $0 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Fleur Cardinale 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $31 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Figeac 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $104 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Feytit Clinet 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $47 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Clinet 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $69 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Canon 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $81 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Beychevelle 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $89 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse) 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $73 / Average vintage 2014.0
Château Barde-Haut 0.4% Bottles (1) / Value $27 / Average vintage 2014.0

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 1:55 am

Since Jim showed you his, I'll show you mine.

This is my current inventory, not purchased quantity. Rather than show you what I paid, I sorted by Cellartracker average score.

Qty / Wine / CT average
3 Cos d'Estournel 94.6
6 Calon-Ségur 94.1
3 Pichon Comtesse 94
1 Montrose 93.5
3 Pichon-Longueville Baron 93.4
4 Léoville Barton 92.8
8 Léoville Poyferré 92.8
9 Grand-Puy-Lacoste 92.7
12 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou 92.5
9 Domaine de Chevalier 92.4
3 Malescot St. Exupéry 92.0
1 Rauzan-Ségla 92.0
2 Saint-Pierre 91.7
22 Meyney 91.1
13 Talbot 91.1
1 Giscours 90.9
3 Cantenac Brown 90.5
4 La Dame de Montrose 90.5
4 Grand-Puy Ducasse 90.4
2 Branaire-Ducru 90.3
2 Echo de Lynch-Bages 90.3
4 Sociando-Mallet 90.3
1 Duhart-Milon 90.3
3 Capbern 90.1
7 Les Pagodes de Cos 90.0
4 Labégorce 89.6
1 D'Hanteillan 89.5
1 Haut-Marbuzet 89.5
17 Marsac Séguineau 89.2
6 du Retout 89.2
8 Lilian Ladouys 89.1
3 Potensac 88.7
8 Lanessan 88.7
4 D'Arvigny 88.5
5 Sénéjac 88.1
1 Smith Haut Lafitte Le Petit 87.7
2 Patache d'Aux 87.6
13 Pierre de Montignac 87.2
3 La Tonnelle 86.9
7 Les Vieilles Pierres 86

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 2:10 am

Those dollar values in my list are from cellar tracker, I paid a lot less for them in NH.
2014 has it all: quality, style, price.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 3:03 am

I was quite impressed with Jim’s bottle of the 2014 Calon Segur a few years ago in SanFran.

Ianjaig · Post by **Ianjaig** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 4:53 am

Agreed - the 2014 Calon Segur is going to be something quite special in time IMO.

I’ve been wanting to backfill on the 14s as well but they are increasingly hard to find, aside from auction.

A couple of other recommendations would be Bourgneuf (an estate I'm falling for again) and one from left field - Les Hauts du Tertre 14. Had it a few times and thought it was outstanding value.

OrlandoRobert · Post by **OrlandoRobert** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 11:45 am

Wow, you guys have some serious stashes, kudos! I love this vintage, too, but don’t have 20 cases like Jim. #stud

Surprised nobody has highlighted Lanessan. The 2014 vintage is an excellent QPR, and the last year before Bouard swooped in and ruined it. Lanessan 2014 shows us that classic Cru Bordeaux spanks any other wine on the planet for the quality-price ratio.

I’m big on:

VCC
GPL
Sociando - 2+ cases
Haut Bailly
Talbot
Eglise Clinet
Dme de Chevalier
Les Carmes Haut Brion
Leoville Barton
Langoa Barton
Cantemerle
Gruaud Larose
Potensac

I also have some Figeac, Trotanoy, Conseillante, and a mix of others.

I missed the ball on Lalande and Calon Segur.

William P · Post by **William P** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 2:11 pm

My 2014 buys are certainly not as prodigious as others here but my value purchases were:

Domaine de Chevalier
GPL
Rauzan Segla
La Lagune
Branaire Ducru

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 2:33 pm

Good to hear some love for the Domaine de Chevalier. I found the 15 and 16, while clearly very well made, lacked some soul having a slick, polished feel.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 4:03 pm

Thanks for all the reccos as I know we are sometimes treading on already trodden on ground here.

Patrick I think DDC rather lost its soul/sold its soul when Stephane Derenoncourt was brought in as a consultant around 2002, the same school of winemaking as Monsieur Rolland.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 9:42 pm

This note from NM gives me pause on Calon-Segur:

The Château Calon-Ségur 2014 is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 19% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot cropped at 41hl/ha and aged in 100% new oak for what is intended to be 20 months. The alcohol comes in at 13.8%, which would have been higher if more Merlot had been retained. The first impression is one of the oak because coming straight after the Montrose '14 (élevage in 60% new oak) the wood element is more pronounced here. It is relatively opulent and high-toned compared to its Saint Estèphe counterparts, developing floral scents with time but never quite extricating itself from the winemaking. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannin that lend this more chewiness than either Montrose or Cos d'Estournel. There is a lot of backbone to this wine, well focused with a good line of acidity, but again, I believe a more moderate use of new oak would have allowed the terroir to be expressed in what is a terroir-driven vintage. It is an impressive, you could almost say ambitious Calon Ségur, though I am seeking more personality via the terroir to be articulated. Tasted three times with consistent notes. Drink 2020-2040. 91-93 pts.

William P · Post by **William P** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 11:10 pm

Ian, you can't trust NM because he also said:

The 2014 Domaine de Chevalier has a classy, quite sophisticated bouquet with blackberry, boysenberry, graphite and brine aromas that feels very well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, quite saline in the mouth with a brisk, lightly spiced, white pepper sprinkled finish that lingers long in the mouth. Olivier Bernard has crafted quite a sublime 2014 Pessac-Léognan. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. 2021 - 2050

jckba · Post by **jckba** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 11:46 pm

I own all three of these (Calon Segur, DdC and Montrose) and in case quantities and have absolutely no regrets. I will however add that in NM’s subsequent note on the Calon which is still in line with his barrel score, all the talk of new oak and winemaking has disappeared.

"The 2014 Calon Ségur has a much more reticent bouquet than either the 2014 Montrose or Cos d'Estournel. There is blackberry here, a hint of cassis and violets, fine purity but bolshie and withdrawn at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, more red fruit than the Montrose with a smooth, quite silky Merlot-like, graphite finish. Tasted on two occasions in Bordeaux, the second bottle exuded more panache and joie-de-vivre, coming across a little more spicy with a longer aftertaste." - Neal Martin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (3/31/2017, Interim Issue), Rating: 92, Drink from: 2021-2045

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 1:37 am

Here's another extract from my Cellartracker account. This is the top twenty-five 2014 Bordeaux I've consumed, with my personal (average) scores.

Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste 94
Ch Calon-Ségur 94
Ch Léoville Poyferré 94
La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou 93.3
Ch Talbot 93
Ch Léoville Barton 93
Dom de Chevalier 93
Ch Saint-Pierre 93
Ch Malescot St. Exupéry 92
Ch Langoa Barton 92
Ch Meyney 92
Ch Branaire-Ducru 92
Les Pagodes de Cos 91.3
Echo de Lynch-Bages 91
Ch Labégorce 91
Sarget de Gruaud Larose 91
La Dame de Montrose 91
Château Grand-Puy Ducasse 91
Château Capbern 90
Clos du Marquis 90
Château Lanessan 90
Château Cantenac Brown 90
Château Smith Haut Lafitte 90
Château Tour Saint-Christophe 90
Château Lilian Ladouys 89.6

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 12:42 pm

Chris
Based on current bases for points the 2014 vintage must be awful!!!
You mean the highest rating of the wines you mention is only 94 points!!!
In 2020 any wine even vaguely drinkable has to have at least 97 points.
Okay I am being ironic. Must have listened to Alanis Morissette too often.

marcs · Post by **marcs** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 6:35 pm

If I had it all to do over I would have bought a lot more of the 2014s when they first came out. The values was amazing then. Leoville Barton and GPL at $50, both Pichons and Conseillante under $100, Cos d'Estournel at $120, LMHB at like $150, really something.

Unfortunately I only bought three cases, a lot for me in a single vintage but not fully taking advantage of the value that was available. At current refill prices there is still value but it is no longer knock-you-dead value, especially since on a percentage basis 2014 has inflated a lot more than 2015 and 2016.

Here are my holdings:

6*Pichon Lalande
6*Pichon Baron
4*Grand Puy Lacoste
4*Leoville Barton
4*Cos d'Estournel
3*La Mission Haut Brion
3*Domaine de Chevalier
2*Calon Segur
2*Conseillante
2*Vieux Chateau Certan

So it's something, but the right move was to take advantage of the Leoville Barton and GPL pricing for a case lot, which I didn't do.

jckba · Post by **jckba** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 7:33 pm

I bought my Barton and GPL upon release, after having tasted them and subsequently paid a little more but it is hard to argue with that general value sentiment that this vintage offered.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 9:04 pm

2014 was so good that even I liked the Grand Puy Lacoste.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 5:10 am

Guys
I have tried picking up a few cases of 2014's over the last year or so, and luckily, the Singaporean currency was quite strong (a bit softer now) and prices were well below those for 2015, 2016 or 2018.
2017 seems to be a rather forgotten vintage but from 2014 to 2019, it is arguably a lesser year.

Yet I have a different question.
If you look back at vintages since say, 2000, what would you have bought more or less of in relative terms?
Checking my storage units, I have a LOT of 2009 and 2010 Bdx, and quite a lot of 2016.
Part of the reason was that when arriving in Singapore (Jan 210) I left most of the cellar back in Sydney and then progressively sold them off.
It was just too risky (heat damage in particular) and expensive to bring them here, particularly after paying the taxes and import duties already in Australia, and I would have been taxed all over again.

So in my case, I have a rather odd assortment of vintages.
A few cases of 2005's, a few odd bottles of 01, 02, 03, 04, 06, 07, 08, and then a pallet load of 09 and 10.
Then nothing much until 2016 (I have 2 cases of 2014's and no more than a few odd bottles of 15).
My Burgundy vintages are mainly 05, 09, 10, 14 (mostly whites) and 15.

If there is one vintage I may not have been so long on, it would have been 2009, as the few I have tried so far were not "bad" in any way, yet I have found them to be less typical of Bdx than say, 2010.
Not sure what others think of 2009, but the 2010's I've tried seem to be a more typical Bdx style.

JoelD · Post by **JoelD** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 1:19 pm

Blanquito wrote:Good to hear some love for the Domaine de Chevalier. I found the 15 and 16, while clearly very well made, lacked some soul having a slick, polished feel.

personally, I wasn't that impressed with the 2014, or the 2010. Although the 2014 is a good bang for buck if you can get it for under $50. For my money, I would choose some other wines from this vintage. Although it may come out of a slumber and show much better in 1-2 blanquitos

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 1:21 pm

Weird that Cellartracker has my 28 bottles of 2014 Clerc Milon valued at $3,246, that has to be some sort of mistake.

jal · Post by **jal** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 1:28 pm

It must think you have magnums

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 1:38 pm

Yeah I thought that. I got them in NH for like $34 each.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 2:17 pm

JimHow wrote:Yeah I thought that. I got them in NH for like $34 each.

Its your typo. You can edit the purchase data to enter the correct value.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 2:21 pm

Ah ok thanks.

Antoine · Post by **Antoine** » Thu Oct 22, 2020 3:57 pm

Funny but nobody mentions the 1st growth in the best buys. Any reason?

OrlandoRobert · Post by **OrlandoRobert** » Thu Oct 22, 2020 5:57 pm

Antoine wrote:Funny but nobody mentions the 1st growth in the best buys. Any reason?

Because we are poor country folk!

I mean really, look at Jimbo. He’s a local criminal defense lawyer in Maine, taking his stock in trade for chickens, lobster and Canadian wine.

We can’t all eat cake!

jckba · Post by **jckba** » Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:31 pm

Antoine wrote:Funny but nobody mentions the 1st growth in the best buys. Any reason?

I’ll take a crack at this and I think the main reason is that the pricing of the first growths over the prior decade rose by a larger percentage more than doubling and in some cases closer to tripling (with the exception of Latour as the 2014 has yet to be released) when compared to the uptick in prices of the second growths which more or less fell short of doubling.

Inserted below is a 2004 TCWC futures offering with turn back the clock pricing which kind of supports my thinking, and all I can really add is boy do I miss those kinds of entry prices!

: 2004 TCWC Bordeaux futures offering; F45D439C-B8E3-4EA6-B044-C584D1FCF5A0.jpeg (101.94 KiB) Viewed 2393 times

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Thu Oct 22, 2020 8:40 pm

That’s absolutely right what Rob and JC say Antoine. The relative price of first growths has gone up so much they rarely enter much into the equation or discussion. Which does not mean that the relative price of FGs can not increase even further. Which does not mean that Lafite, Latour and Margaux 2014 are probably not to die for.

I am grateful to Jim for flagging up the Ducru 14, which I bought recently for £550ib for six here in the UK. It really is first growth quality. With my recent purchases of 2014s, including Ducru, the Pichons, GPL and D’Issan 2014s they are now up to 3.1% of my Bordeaux wine portfolio:

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Fri Oct 23, 2020 12:44 am

How about more (I have 6 bottles already) of the 2014 Leoville Barton at $68? A buy?

jckba · Post by **jckba** » Fri Oct 23, 2020 1:13 am

Blanquito wrote:How about more (I have 6 bottles already) of the 2014 Leoville Barton at $68? A buy?

It’s cheaper than every other vintage of Leoville Barton on the market, so buy, buy, buy unless that is, you are content with the 6 bottles you already have.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:22 am

You can’t go wrong Patrick.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:31 am

I am pretty happy with this lot of 2014s but it is less than half of what I have in 2016

: 749ADF5F-F7A8-4A31-A6B9-E9515DE8AD51.jpeg (251.27 KiB) Viewed 2266 times

OrlandoRobert · Post by **OrlandoRobert** » Fri Oct 23, 2020 11:16 am

Comte Flaneur wrote:I am pretty happy with this lot of 2014s but it is less than half of what I have in 2016

749ADF5F-F7A8-4A31-A6B9-E9515DE8AD51.jpeg

That’s an excellent “short-list”. You picked some major winners.

I have 6 of the LB, but at $68, i would like buy more. Bought them in futures at $50.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri Oct 23, 2020 1:50 pm

Even a poor country lawyer from Maine like me was able to snag a 2014 Mouton on sale in NH!

jckba · Post by **jckba** » Fri Oct 23, 2020 2:24 pm

JimHow wrote:Even a poor country lawyer from Maine like me was able to snag a 2014 Mouton on sale in NH!

Though in all fairness, at cost NH sales are not really indicative of the market in general.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri Oct 23, 2020 2:31 pm

True. I still need to decide whether I'm going to buy the 2014 Margaux and 2014 Haut Brion in the $330 price region.

Gerry M. · Post by **Gerry M.** » Fri Oct 23, 2020 5:23 pm

JimHow wrote:True. I still need to decide whether I'm going to buy the 2014 Margaux and 2014 Haut Brion in the $330 price region.

I'm also still debating the 2014 Margaux. I bought the Mouton and Haut Brion on the premise that it's the least expensive way to add a few 1st growths to the cellar. I also see the lowest price on Wine Searcher is $480.

Gerry M. · Post by **Gerry M.** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 6:21 pm

Here's what I ended up with, a total of 143. Hopefully these last me a while

2014 Château Beychevelle 7
2014 Château Brane-Cantenac 3
2014 Château Calon-Ségur 12
2014 Château Cantemerle 1
2014 Château Cantenac Brown 3
2014 Château Clerc Milon 9
2014 Château d'Issan 1
2014 Château du Tertre 1
2014 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 6
2014 Château Figeac 3
2014 Château Giscours 1
2014 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 3
2014 Château Gruaud Larose 3
2014 Château Haut-Bailly 4
2014 Château Haut-Batailley 4
2014 Château Haut-Brion 1
2014 Château La Conseillante 4
2014 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2
2014 Château Lafon-Rochet 5
2014 Château Langoa Barton 4
2014 Château Léoville Barton 12
2014 Château Léoville Las Cases 3
2014 Château Léoville Poyferré 2
2014 Château Lynch-Bages 4
2014 Château Malescot St. Exupéry 5
2014 Château Meyney 12
2014 Château Mouton Rothschild 2
2014 Château Pavie Macquin 1
2014 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2
2014 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 5
2014 Château Rauzan-Ségla 2
2014 Château Sociando-Mallet 8
2014 Château Tour Saint-Christophe 3
2014 Domaine de Chevalier 4
2014 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou 1