2010 La Tour Carnet

[dstgolf]

A Jim H inspired purchase after sharing a bottle for dinner in Bordeaux BWE 2005 tour. Showed much better from memory back then. This reminded of Marcus's 1999 LB description. Funky stewed fruit metallic nose with some ripe fruit on palate but as wine opened in glass the stewed notes became ever present and undrinkable. Heat damaged for sure but came straight from LCBO to cellar and certainly no storage issues from time it left the store but who knows prior?? Disappointed as the bottle had some great memories and have been looking forward to reliving the moment with steak and not fish this time Nic! Poured back in bottle for return and opened 2004 Lagrange just starting to open but going to be sweet. Will report back.

[JimHow]

Great memory indeed, Danny.
I still say that wine, like Barde Haut, tastes better in its youth than with age on it.

[dstgolf]

Youth or age Jim a spoiled wine has few redeeming features and disappointing but such is life.

[stefan]

Too bad, Danny. But better that it happen to LTC than L-B.

[Nicklasss]

Too bad Danny. But I would say like stefan, better have a damaged La Tour Carnet than another more prestigious Cru Classé, especially that our monopoly will give your money back.

I think I have one bottle left of the 2010 Chateau La Tour Carnet and i will have it one day, but not with fish! I prefer dry white from Loire, Chablis or Alsace with fish or seafoods.

Depending on the covid situation, Ottawa will surely be an option this summer to spend some vacation time. But it will depend of the situation for International trip.

Nic

[JimHow]

My second shot scheduled for April 8th, Nicola, we're getting there!

[Nicklasss]

In Québec, for age 17 to 50, we should all have our first shot by June 24th. As we're dependant of other countries to get vaccine, it is a little bit slow here.

I can't understand that Canada, "the best country in the World" (roll eyes), can't produce vaccine anymore!

[JimHow]

It's like a train rolling, it starts slow, but picks up fast....
We're getting there! I wish the Continent would get its act together.

[AKR]

So after weeks/months of 'no appts available' the last few days my phone has been lighting up with text messages of 'vax available, arrive in 15 min pls'

We are at the stage in my area where my employer is now having to push people to get it done. We have some family friends who are not in normal US medicine and have - so far - refused to get the shots. Even getting them to see doctors is difficult, and at least one of the couple likely has many issues.

It's not like the old country, where in a poly theistic system, a new anti COVID god was quickly incarnated! thus assuring quick cooperation from 1bn people

God of PPE

[DavidG]

Vaxnu the Inoculater has a nice ring to it.

My 30 yo daughter got her first dose a few days ago. We are indeed making progress. Very sad that more people will die due to continuing EU administrative mis-steps and individuals with unwarranted fear of the vaccine.

[stefan]

One of the problems with the USA is that here we have only One True God.
So it is only which One True God you accept.

Probably it is illegal in the USA to worship more than one god, kinda like it is illegal to have more than one spouse. The FBI might pay you a visit, Arv.

[dstgolf]

On your heals Jim as a valued front line worker (LOL) I'll finally get second dose April 10th. Danielle got 1st dose of Astra Zenaca vaccine this week and now she's upset having driven 2hrs to my sons town and spent the night to get a shot that the rest of the world is relinquishing to Canada including the USA now because they don't want to take it with a lower efficacy and now the release of unexplained thrombotic episodes including strokes and MI's. Danielle thinks she's going to die and in greater panic mode than with covid. This hysterical reporting in the press is insane. Millions have received the vaccine and there's been 30 cases worldwide that may or may not be directly related to the vaccination or just coincidence and this leaves patients refusing a vaccine that still has great results in reducing mortality from the disease but may pose a slight increase risk of untoward side effects. For all the guys out there with erectile disfunction those cialis or viagra adds on tv that end with a long list of horrific side effects including death!! never stopped a guy from from taking the drugs to get laid!!

[AlexR]

Vaccine: I was amazed. I called my GP up on Thursday morning and got an appointment for a shot on Tuesday afternoon. As things now stand, one third of the French population is under lockdown for a month, but fortunately not in this part of the country.
My wife, Christine, has lost both her parents in the UK in the past two months. She could not attend her father's funeral because of travel restrictions, and we watched in on Zoom, which was eerie and dehumanized. She is determined to go to her mother's funeral at the end of this month, but it's a real obstacle course just to travel to England involving presenting certificates of no fewer than 5 tests from beginning to end! And the ones in England cost 300 pounds.

La Tour Carnet: Sorry I've never been a fan of this wine, red or white. As we all know, the 1855 classification is independent of appellation laws. La Tour Carnet, in the Haut-Médoc AOC, is taking maximum advantage of this. Their area under vine has ballooned up in recent years and, from what I hear, the additional plots are not always up to grand cru standard. The château now has 126 hectares (and counting...), as much as entire appellations in Burgundy! But, getting back to quality, I find the wine sort of dumb and monolithic, with clearly too much oak. That having been said, it is time I tried it again to form a more up-to-date and objective opinion.

Alex R.

[Claudius2]

Guys
I received my first Pfizer vax here in Singapore a week or so ago and get my second dose on the 6th April.
No effects at all despite the initial concern about my compromised immune system (no I don't have AIDS I have a spinal disease and I had to convince the hospital to vax me anyway).

Regarding La Tour Carnet, it is owned (since 1999) by Bernard Magrez who also owns Pape Clement, Fombrauge and Clos Haut Peyreguey.
I wonder why this estate continues to be an underperformer.
I visited the property in 2000 and I simply smiled and sipped them, thanked the staff for their graciousness and left. It was truly awful - can't remember what vintages I tried (possibly 97 and 98) but it has never been on my radar since.
Okay, it is an Haut Medoc and isn't right on the river or in the best dressed part of town, but Magrez has spent a fair bit of cash on the property since 99 and it does not seem to have made much difference. It does now look pretty as a picture. Magrez likes new oak and I wonder if Alex's comment suggests that the estate is trying to add complexity and flavour to the wine that may simply over-power it?
I do hope that it is now better than the handful of occasions I have tried it (the 86 and 90 were also pretty bad).
cheers
Mark

[greatbxfreak]

Lucky guys you are - I'm 75 years old and will probably first be vaccinated at the beginning of April.

Concerning La Tour Carnet - it's OK wine, 2018 is quite a nice one, fruity, tasty and not overdone. I rated it 91p.

[JimHow]

Condolences to Christine, Alex, I had to say goodbye to my younger brother Dan via FaceTime a couple months ago, very painful.
I'm a fan of La Tour Carnet when it is released and is big, fruity, oaky, yum. To me, like Barde Haut, it just doesn't improve with time in the bottle, rather just becomes woody with flat fruit.

[dstgolf]

Alex,

Covid has been tragic for many reasons but never in my lifetime have I ever lived such a miserable period. Fortunate enough to never have lived through war etc but Covid certainly has wreaked havoc on everyones lives from birth to death. What happier times have been robbed from couples than sharing the joy of that first glimpse of an unborn child in utero by expecting parents on ultrasound where the fathers are not allowed in the hospital. Same for the birth of their child. Gatherings for birthdays, anniversaries and all of the young couples putting weddings on hold or having a less than memorable civil wedding at city hall have been major disappointments in everyones lives. Kids going to school aren't allowed to socialize/play etc and/or restricted to online learning with all of the negative connotations that we/they will all suffer the consequences in the future of a tainted generation. Most of all has been the end of life tragedy when people lose loved ones like Christine and you aren't allowed to mourn normally has been cruel and seemingly unjustifiable. Thousands of bodies have been put into storage around the world awaiting delayed burial which is another story and industry developing behind the scenes. Yes this has been NO fun for anyone and God only knows the lasting effects on society and the associated socio-economic costs rivalling any world war. Canada has now spent more money per capita during Covid on trying to support the economy than any other country in the world and any time in history. The accumulating debt will be suffocating and near to long term effects going forward are a clear unknown. Governments can't just keep printing money without any negative outcomes likely to effect generations to come. We just want this to end as everyone is going stir crazy to greater or lesser degrees certainly effecting the poor, marginalized and mentally disabled in society to a greater extent than the more well off.

Our condolences to Christine.

[dstgolf]

Jim,

I didn't mind that bottle of LTC in Bordeaux 2015 but a little too modern for daily drinking. I bought this solo bottle to keep the memory in place and each time I went through looking for something to pull when I came across this bottle it gave me that warm feeling inside. This bottle was just skunky bad with stewed prunes, rotten hay etc and I'm convinced this was a damaged bottle. If this is what happens to it with normal aging then wow then stay away as this was undrinkable.

Is there something that happens to aging lawyers aka RP et al who go over to the dark side enjoying over oaked, extracted fruit bombs?? Do the palates get numbed with time in the courtrooms having to bite their tongues with all the horse shit spewing back and forth during cross examinations!!?? LOL

[JimHow]

I was telling David this week that I'm essentially retiring in 2022 after these three murder cases and winding everything down, I'll do like a half day a week of minor stuff just to keep my fingers in it and pay for my health insurance. After 35 years it's time to close out the show.

Come on, that was a seafood restaurant in Bordeaux, and they had a list of big, young, oaky Magrez wines on their list. We tried to order another bottle but they were out of stock, and we went with a 2010 Les Grands Chenes instead. Mmmm, red Bordeaux and seafood....

[DavidG]

Grands Chenes - does that translate to big oaks?

[JimHow]

Oui.
I've actually enjoyed that wine, it goes for about $20, it is big, chunky, very oaky, but an identifiable Medoc.

[DavidG]

Hmm, rings a bell... rummaging around on CellarTracker...

Yup, drank through a half case of the 2005 Grands Chenes and it was just as you describe.

[jal]

These last 12 months have been socially crushing and I say that from the point of view of someone who had it easier than most.
Jill and I send our condolences to Christine, Alex.

[stefan]

Sorry to learn about Christine's parents, Alex. Our condolences. This year was an especially bad year to have deaths in the family.

[AKR]

I'm sorry to hear that news AlexR - my sympathies to your extended family.

We got similar news yesterday - J's uncle passed away as well - and as dstgolf painfully notes the rituals of saying goodbye will not happen this year.

=======

I will admit to happier experiences with LTC, but maybe that's because I only have the 2000 and just a few left at this point.

[Nicklasss]

Our condolences to Christine and Alex. Very sad, especially the impossibility to be there physically.

My sympathies to Arv as well.

That last year has been desastrous on life quality.

[JimHow]

I was in midtown Manhattan last week.
It is an unmitigated disaster area. Catastrophic.

[JCNorthway]

Our condolences to Christine and you, Alex. Paula and I feel pretty fortunate that we are both healthy and both still have jobs through all of this.

[DavidG]

My condolences Alex and Arv.

Which year did the Queen proclaim to be an "annus horribilis," 1992? She had no clue what was coming. None of us did. It would have been horrible enough if we’d all pulled together and relied on the science.

Apropos of that, and the next looming crisis our kids will have to face:

[rthomaspaull]

The worst red wine I ever had was a La Tour Carnet. I do not think it was a 2010 (maybe a 2012). Though it came from a reputable source, and was treated no differently than our other wines, it had an enormous amount of mud-liike sediment. The actual wine was unpleasant and was discarded. The bottle was obviously badly flawed, and it would be unfair not to allow for that, but I have bought no more from that chateau. rthomaspaull