La Mission 2014 at a very tempting price.

[Musigny 151]

For those of you congratulating yourselves for not buying Gruaud 2004, I have come to try and persuade you to part with your hard earned cash.
La Mission Haut Brion 2014 for $215. In the scheme of things, it is very, very tempting is it not?

Seriously, it is a very good wine, at a great price, and I have bought some. I hate to leave the rest for someone to grab. PM me if you want to know the vendor.

[JoelD]

For those of you congratulating yourselves for not buying Gruaud 2004, I have come to try and persuade you to part with your hard earned cash.
La Mission Haut Brion 2014 for $215. In the scheme of things, it is very, very tempting is it not?

Seriously, it is a very good wine, at a great price, and I have bought some. I hate to leave the rest for someone to grab. PM me if you want to know the vendor.

I felt compelled to grab 1 bottle around $200 recently. It sold out quickly. 215 is a great price at this point

[jal]

Well, really it depends on where you live. K&L seems to have it at $225 on pre arrival, Total Wine in Sarasota, Florida at $220.
Also, the 2015 in NH Liquors is below $200 though that looks like a misprice. Maybe Jim should get some.

[Musigny 151]

I thought it was a steal. In absolute terms, I still think it is.

[Gerry M.]

Well, really it depends on where you live. K&L seems to have it at $225 on pre arrival, Total Wine in Sarasota, Florida at $220.
Also, the 2015 in NH Liquors is below $200 though that looks like a misprice. Maybe Jim should get some.

Screen Shot 2021-09-17 at 2.51.03 PM.png

It's not a misprice, I picked up 2 bottles months ago and they still apparently have it.

[jal]

Well done Gerry!

[marcs]

In early-mid 2020 I got 2 bottles of this for $160 each and then 3 more for $195 each, for 5 total, so I think I'm going to take a pass on your kind offer.

2014 seems to have a weird underpricing force field around it that keeps things cheap. You can still find the 2014 La Conseillante easily for $110-115 while e.g. the 2017 is $190.

With that said, people have been thrashing this wine on Cellartracker lately, basically saying it's totally bland. I think (hope) it's just shut down

[Musigny 151]

Actually it’s a retailer in Texas. Bought a few things from him including this, but did not realize there were other offers in the market.

As for the 2015, that is actually way below the opening price of the wine.My guess is someone local screwed up pricing the Grand Vin the same as the Chapelle. If anybody local is out there, grab them. (And feel free to send some my way).Way under market, a wine one can flip easily enough.

To be honest, normally if I were in a store I would say something. But the state has no business setting up a monopoly on all things alcohol. So if they can’t be bothered to train their people, I have no problem taking advantage of any incompetence.

[marcs]

BTW I’ve noticed LMHB going wild on the alcohol lately - the 2015 is 15.1%, and even the 2014 is over 14%. I took a flyer on the 2014 because of their reputation, but was classic LMHB as big as these modern ones?

[JimHow]

We got it in the $170+ range on sale in NH.

[Claudius2]

BTW I’ve noticed LMHB going wild on the alcohol lately - the 2015 is 15.1%, and even the 2014 is over 14%. I took a flyer on the 2014 because of their reputation, but was classic LMHB as big as these modern ones?

Seems that LMHB has had hi alc levels for some time.
2009 was 14.7%, 2010, 2015 and 2020 were all 15.1% and that is too high for my palate.
These hi alc wines are often velvety and seductive when young and my experience with many high alc Australian wines is that those seductive characters are not appealing when the masses of young fruit develops over time.

The prices for the 2015 are odd. I looked up local (Singapore) importers and the 2015 is significantly cheaper than the current EP vintage - 2020. That is a red flag and frankly surprised me.
The last vintage of LMHB I bought EP was 2002 and alc was from memory 13% and good vintages from the 80s were around 13.5%.

These days before ordering EP Bordeaux I get the importer/s to outline alc levels and my rule now is that 14.5% is an absolute maximum irrespective of the variety and ideally Cab blends no more than 14%.

I fully understand that many like them better than I do but I want some freshness and balance rather than size, power and overt ripeness.

Cheers
Mark

[OrlandoRobert]

BTW I’ve noticed LMHB going wild on the alcohol lately - the 2015 is 15.1%, and even the 2014 is over 14%. I took a flyer on the 2014 because of their reputation, but was classic LMHB as big as these modern ones?

Seems that LMHB has had hi alc levels for some time.
2009 was 14.7%, 2010, 2015 and 2020 were all 15.1% and that is too high for my palate.
These hi alc wines are often velvety and seductive when young and my experience with many high alc Australian wines is that those seductive characters are not appealing when the masses of young fruit develops over time.

The prices for the 2015 are odd. I looked up local (Singapore) importers and the 2015 is significantly cheaper than the current EP vintage - 2020. That is a red flag and frankly surprised me.
The last vintage of LMHB I bought EP was 2002 and alc was from memory 13% and good vintages from the 80s were around 13.5%.

These days before ordering EP Bordeaux I get the importer/s to outline alc levels and my rule now is that 14.5% is an absolute maximum irrespective of the variety and ideally Cab blends no more than 14%.

I fully understand that many like them better than I do but I want some freshness and balance rather than size, power and overt ripeness.

Cheers
Mark

Once of the main reasons that I have largely avoided 2015 and 2009. Even 2010 had ABV issues. Looks like 2018 is built along the same lines. I migrated toward 2014 for the restraint, not sure exactly what the ABV of La Mish is in 2014, but hopefully more in check. I agree with you, once the Bordeaux is 14.5% or more, chances are, I will not like it. I think higher ABV kills terroir.

[Musigny 151]

The 2009 and 2010 were both much more alcoholic than previous vintages. We sensed that the owner seemed to be much more involved than previously, and both the LMHB and HB were way too Californian fr my taste. Others disagreed; they did get some high scores. For me, one of the great terroir of Bordeaux had disappeared into some massive and overripe fruit.

I liked the 2014, and for the first time since ‘08 bought the wines

[marcs]

BTW I’ve noticed LMHB going wild on the alcohol lately - the 2015 is 15.1%, and even the 2014 is over 14%. I took a flyer on the 2014 because of their reputation, but was classic LMHB as big as these modern ones?

Seems that LMHB has had hi alc levels for some time.
2009 was 14.7%, 2010, 2015 and 2020 were all 15.1% and that is too high for my palate.
These hi alc wines are often velvety and seductive when young and my experience with many high alc Australian wines is that those seductive characters are not appealing when the masses of young fruit develops over time.

The prices for the 2015 are odd. I looked up local (Singapore) importers and the 2015 is significantly cheaper than the current EP vintage - 2020. That is a red flag and frankly surprised me.
The last vintage of LMHB I bought EP was 2002 and alc was from memory 13% and good vintages from the 80s were around 13.5%.

These days before ordering EP Bordeaux I get the importer/s to outline alc levels and my rule now is that 14.5% is an absolute maximum irrespective of the variety and ideally Cab blends no more than 14%.

I fully understand that many like them better than I do but I want some freshness and balance rather than size, power and overt ripeness.

Cheers
Mark

I totally agree with this, but it has gotten so much harder to avoid high alcohol in Bordeaux. I got the 2009 Trotanoy and 2015 VCC at below market prices, then found out that both of them are over 14.5%. I think the 2015 VCC is almost 15. In 2018 many left bankers were over 14. This is one reason I am gravitating to Gruaud, they continue to keep alcohol in check -- and pay the price for it in critical ratings. There seems to be a strong correlation between ratings and size/alcohol, both from professional critics and on Cellartracker. A lot of people like big blowsy wines whatever their rhetoric is. People went gaga over LMHB in high-alcohol vintages like 2009, 10, 12, 15. John Gilman was the only guy who was actively resisting this trend in Bordeaux, which is why it is such a shame that he is no longer active there and instead just covers regions where he is a much more conventional and go-along sort of critic (e.g. Burgundy where he gives uniformly high and respectful scores).

[Nicklasss]

For me, that "alcohol level" thing is clearly a false debate.

It is like saying "the color red is now off fashion for car, so i'm looking for an old turquoise Ferrari"...

Don't pay too much attention at alcohol level on bottles, try the wine without prejudices. Do a blind tasting between a 15 % alcohol Chateau La Mission Haut Brion, a 100% modern or Rolland Bordeaux, a Napa Bordeaux blend wine (any), a 13 % alcohol Médoc and a 2004 Chateau Gruaud Larose, over 3 days. Let see what will come out of that...

[OrlandoRobert]

For me, that "alcohol level" thing is clearly a false debate.

It is like saying "the color red is now off fashion for car, so i'm looking for an old turquoise Ferrari"...

Don't pay too much attention at alcohol level on bottles, try the wine without prejudices. Do a blind tasting between a 15 % alcohol Chateau La Mission Haut Brion, a 100% modern or Rolland Bordeaux, a Napa Bordeaux blend wine (any), a 13 % alcohol Médoc and a 2004 Chateau Gruaud Larose, over 3 days. Let see what will come out of that...

Respectfully, it’s anything but a false debate. To try the wine “without prejudice” means I have to plonk down $200-$300+. If I happen to know for a fact that very often I am disappointed with wines of higher ABVs, I’d be a fool for blowing my money. I will acknowledge that some wines may be able to carry 15% just fine, but I’m not willing to blow hard-earned money on those odds. So not a false debate at all. It’s actually an exceedingly rational position.

[Nicklasss]

Spend 300 $ × 4 for bottles of Mission at 15 % alcohol. Drink one, if you don't like it, sell the other 3 in 5-7 years, no problem, you won't lose any money. I can't tell you something : the 2002 Mission Haut Brion is far from 15 % alcohol, and it is a very "ordinary" La Mission.

Vintage port are high alcohol, but when they have enough fruit,balance, and everything else to magnify the wine, after 20 years no alcohol taste at all.

Scotch whisky are between 40-57 % alcohol. When made the right way, they are smoother than some 14.5 % alcohol right bank wines... not all of them, of course.

It a matter of the choices made to grow the vines, grape ripeness level, and all details for winemaking and aging. When you have sugar in the grape, and want a dry wine (under 4 g sugar/liter), it might happens that the alcohol level will be higher. But the good producers have the team to figure out that well, and produce a superb Bordeaux anyhow.

And very worst case: a glass of 15 % La Mission Haut Brion is approximately 100 mL. Add 7 mL of pure water to bring it just slightly under 14 % alcohol, and i'm sure it will still be a great Bordeaux.

[Claudius2]

Guys
Many comments here are entirely correct that the usual suspects loved the hi alc vintages of LMHB and despite my high regard for this wine I simply cannot cope anymore with hi alc Bordeaux.

During the 90’s I saw many really good Aust wineries unashamedly make tar like reds to gain massive Parker points and I can’t blame them. They simply made what the buyers wanted. I hated them and still do. Why drink something that’s has the viscosity of molasses and smells like bitumen emulsion?

The Aust industry has wised up. I’m sipping a Yarra Valley Chardonnay (Giant Steps Tarraford 2013) which is 12.7% alc and am wondering why so many wines are now 15%+ ABV?

The warmer areas of Australia used to make dry reds with 12-13% alc and somehow during the 90’s we started seeing monsters with 18.5% alc. luckily many producers have seen the error of their ways and are going back to making wine that tastes, well, like wine……

The 2010 Haut Bergey Pessac Leognan last week was 14% ABV and even at that level it was pushing the boundaries of being over-ripe. We opened a Ch du Pape 2015 on the weekend and it was 15.5% ABV and Wendy, after one sip, proclaimed that it is too hi in alc and tastes burnt and spirity. Oh well.

[OrlandoRobert]

Spend 300 $ × 4 for bottles of Mission at 15 % alcohol. Drink one, if you don't like it, sell the other 3 in 5-7 years, no problem, you won't lose any money. I can't tell you something : the 2002 Mission Haut Brion is far from 15 % alcohol, and it is a very "ordinary" La Mission.

Again, why on earth would I do that when there are many dozens of Bordeaux that I know I like very much, just to try one that is like OTT for me, and very expensive. And I'm not in the business of selling or flipping wine, not my thing. Referencing 2002 is not fair, there are many other vintages of La Mish that are excellent, and in balance. I'm drinking a 1982 in a few weeks.

Vintage port are high alcohol, but when they have enough fruit,balance, and everything else to magnify the wine, after 20 years no alcohol taste at all.

I generally do not like Vintage Port, which sorta tells you why I do not like high ABV dry reds either.

Scotch whisky are between 40-57 % alcohol. When made the right way, they are smoother than some 14.5 % alcohol right bank wines... not all of them, of course.

[b]Now I love love whisky, but then we are drinking alcohol, right? Now that said, I must be a heathen because I add some ice to cool the whisky and bring down the ABV

[/b]It a matter of the choices made to grow the vines, grape ripeness level, and all details for winemaking and aging. When you have sugar in the grape, and want a dry wine (under 4 g sugar/liter), it might happens that the alcohol level will be higher. But the good producers have the team to figure out that well, and produce a superb Bordeaux anyhow.

I do not know any producer in Bordeaux that regularly turns out a 15% AVB Bordeaux that I actually like. I even avoid the ripe vintages, like 2009, 15, 18, et al.

And very worst case: a glass of 15 % La Mission Haut Brion is approximately 100 mL. Add 7 mL of pure water to bring it just slightly under 14 % alcohol, and i'm sure it will still be a great Bordeaux.

Scandalous!

Sounds like Claudius2 and I share very similar palates and thoughts here. But I did want to respond, politely of course, to your points above, as I think you are over-generalizing things when tastes are very palate-specific. Like most people on this forum, we have been doing this a long enough time to know what we like and what we do not like. I made the mistake once before buying these big ripe boozy St Ems starting in 2000 - like Claudius with his Australians - hated almost every one of them, and got rid of them, all at a loss. Meaning, I gave them away to family and friends, traded a couple, and served many at dinner parties where I knew the tastes ran modern or to California.

[Blanquito]

[There seems to be a strong correlation between ratings and size/alcohol, both from professional critics and on Cellartracker. A lot of people like big blowsy wines whatever their rhetoric is. People went gaga over LMHB in high-alcohol vintages like 2009, 10, 12, 15. John Gilman was the only guy who was actively resisting this trend in Bordeaux, which is why it is such a shame that he is no longer active there and instead just covers regions where he is a much more conventional and go-along sort of critic (e.g. Burgundy where he gives uniformly high and respectful scores).

Completely agree. Of course, Parker started this trend 25 years ago or more, but all the critics really have piled on with Jeb perhaps the most vocal (and borderline absurd) champion of big, boozy wines with little balance, charm, elegance, sense of place, terroir. Even William Kelley, whose palate and intellect I respect a lot, seems to throughly enjoy this type of wine (see his reviews of Saxum). Ditto for Neal Martin. Which is not say this sort of wine has no place or redeeming qualities, even for my palate. But sometimes I feel like a defender of print media decades after the last paper route was discontinued (to the chagrin of 15 years olds everywhere).

And yes, I wish Gilman was still closely following Bordeaux where his reviews made quite the splash (perhaps guilty of a little stunt scoring), but maybe there’s so little left there these days that’s in his wheelhouse that it’s a moot point. Plus you and I DO-NOT-BUY-YOUNG-VINTAGES anymore (said in my best mantra intonation), so it should be immaterial.

[Chateau Vin]

Every palate to his/her own, surely. But if alcohol is not a thing, why stop at 15%? Why not 16%, 18% and heck why not 25%?

Maybe someone’s palate could be fine and have a higher threshold for alcohol, but not mine. If I want a high alcohol monster, why blow money on such wines, when I simply can have a glass of scotch for a pittance? Or plenty of California wine under 10 bucks...

[Claudius2]

Guys
Maybe my palate just does not like overt alcohol?
I have never had a taste for spirits though can deal with a gin and tonic with fresh lime a few time a year. There are two bottles of Bombay Sapphire in the cocktail cabinet which have remained unopened for several years along with Chivas Regal and some cognac. I do however use the cognac in steak Diane along with either dry red or ruby port.

Earlier this year I did an online tasting with Turkey Flat which is a well regarded Barossa maker and has some of the oldest producing vines in the world dated to the 1840’s. The Shiraz 2017 was labelled as 13.5% ABV but the winemaker pointed out that the alc level is actually lower and closer to 13%.

There was some surprise among the logged in participants, one saying that they thought Barossa Shiraz was nearly always higher. The maker argued that the estate does not want to make hi alcohol wines; they want freshness and balance and asserted that the super hi Barossa wines are not what they want nor did they see such wines as having any rational connection to the Barossa. I drank a 2010 Shiraz from Turkey Flat a week or two ago and it said 14% but seemed lower on the palate with good balance and length.

Similarly a Yarra Valley zoom tasting a few months back presented Chardonnays with no more than 13% alc and one was 12.6% yet were quite full bodied and complex. The reds (mainly Pinot Noirs) were 13% to 13.5%. The Yarra is a cooler area than the Barossa (and slightly cooler than Bordeaux City) but it is good to see makers reject the hi alc styles.

One last point. Some blame climate change for hi alc in Bdx but the Barossa is a lot warmer and most makers are now reigning in the ABV. The are a few who still make the tar like monsters but they are now in the minority and makers are again focusing on balance and freshness. There are many techniques available to do this - and if anyone can recall, I wrote a few stories about how to make super hi alc reds last year, based on actual articles from the Aust Wine Research Institute some decades ago. Oh well.

Cheers
Mark

[DavidG]

I suppose global warming with higher temps will result in higher sugars and higher ABVs if you don’t change a thing in the vineyard or winery or when you pick. But why bother paying a winemaker if you’re going to do the same thing year after year regardless of conditions?

I agree, global warming is a lame excuse for high alcohol.

[Claudius2]

David & Chateau Vin
The AWRI in the 90's actively encouraged producers to make richer, denser and higher ABV wines.
I even read one of their technical manuals that outlined techniques to do so.
This is NOT climate change, it was based on the demand for such wines, and I do have to say, the love shown for them by RPJnr and a few other critics.
A few critics here did not go along for the ride and campaigned for a return to their roots.
An example was Brain Croser who founded Petaluma (which I was a shareholder in, to declare an interest) and is generally regarded as one of Australia's best winemakers.
Wherever he went from Coonawarra to Clare Valley, he campaigned against hi alcohol and overt concentration.
His term for these wines was "dead fruit", and I largely agree.
An example was a 1998 McLaren Vale Shiraz which was voted best wine in show at one of the big Aust events.
It was a dead fruit monster with high alcohol, and was only drinkable in very small glasses.
I made the mistake of buying a case and ended up giving most of it away to clients as Christmas gifts.

In relation to alcohol, I went to a (pre-Covid) wine event a few years ago and there were still several wines on offer that were 18-18.5% ABV from Australia. They were awful to my palate - I literally choked when sipping them - but others loved them and the merchant, who I know well, had no trouble selling them at quite high prices. He did however admit to me that they don't suit him either.

At Christmas, I took several bottles to a friend's place, who is a great cook but clueless about wine, and it included a magnum of Wild Duck Creek Duck Muck Shiraz 2005. This is an expensive wine and I failed to notice when I bought it that it is very hi in alcohol. Whilst initially interesting in its own way, half a glass later your palate is totally destroyed and your teeth, tongue and lips are blue/black colour. I won't tell you what effect it had on my digestive system for the next few days.

Other than Turkey Flat and Rockford Basket Press, I now rarely buy Aust shiraz.
These days the reds I drink are Cab and Cab/Merlot blends from Bdx and Australia, Burgundy and the occasional Italian and Spanish wine, and Port maybe a few times a year. I will occasionally drink Cote Rotie, St Joseph or Aust shiraz that is from cooler climates and lower alcohol, though I have not bought any more for some years as I work thru what is already in storage.

Seriously, Australian makers have for the most part learned the error of their ways. In really hot vintages, they DO struggle to reign in the ripeness and alcohol yet have learned techniques to avoid the baume' levels getting too high, and controlling the fermentation to do the same with alcohol. It seems that some Bordeaux makers are going down the hi alcohol path, which is not the style the region is famous for.

One important point about these hi alcohol wines is that they have shown to age poorly.
Okay, Vintage Port does age well (I've some back to the 90's which I'm in no hurry to drink) but that is not a reasonable comparison.
When young, these monsters show huge fruit characters, a fair bit of sweetness and warm alcohol.
They tend to impress many palates due to their size and concentration - just not my palate.
Yet with age, the fruit matures and the alcohol, sugars and tannins remain, and that it about all you will experience.
The tasting I referred to above included many Australian wines from the 2000's, and I have had several of them when they were much younger.
They were uniformly well stored as I knew their source (failed investment scheme - another story altogether) and the bottles, corks and labels were all perfect. Yet they are Mike Tyson wines. And like Mike, they don't age well.

cheers
Mark

[DavidG]

Thanks Mark. I agreed about alcohol levels being human decisions. I bought the hype of ooze monster hi-alc Shiraz and regretted a number of purchases. They did age poorly, but at least none of them bit my ear off.

[greatbxfreak]

Relax guys,

LMHB:

2015 - 15.1%
2016 - 13.7%
2018 - 14.4%
2019 - 14.5%
2020 - 14.7%

Imho, high alcohol isn't the same as over-extracted if the balance is there. These percents reflect the climatic conditions of a given vintage and not that winemaker wholly and suddenly changed his way to vinify grapes.

[Musigny 151]

We agree; 101 winemaking. Extraction and alcohol levels are different animals. Alcohol is based on sugars which is entirely a product of the vineyard. Extraction is what you do to that juice in the cellar. I did taste the 2015s, and they were not a success. Top heavy, palate clinging and not enough acidity, and unlikely to reveal much complexity with age.

As for winemaker input, it is very much a winemaker decision based on when he chooses to harvest. Haut Brion and LMHB are both picking at higher sugar levels. Even the examples here show that La Mission is normally well over 14%. Not a happy place I think

[DavidG]

We agree; 101 winemaking. Extraction and alcohol levels are different animals. Alcohol is based on sugars which is entirely a product of the vineyard. Extraction is what you do to that juice in the cellar. I did taste the 2015s, and they were not a success. Top heavy, palate clinging and not enough acidity, and unlikely to reveal much complexity with age.

As for winemaker input, it is very much a winemaker decision based on when he chooses to harvest. Haut Brion and LMHB are both picking at higher sugar levels. Even the examples here show that La Mission is normally well over 14%. Not a happy place I think

Mark, is the bolded in reference to 2015 Haut Brion and LA Miss, or 2015s in general? A lack of freshness and low acid were characteristic of the vintage but there were some successes. Depending on one's preferences I guess.

[Musigny 151]

We agree; 101 winemaking. Extraction and alcohol levels are different animals. Alcohol is based on sugars which is entirely a product of the vineyard. Extraction is what you do to that juice in the cellar. I did taste the 2015s, and they were not a success. Top heavy, palate clinging and not enough acidity, and unlikely to reveal much complexity with age.

As for winemaker input, it is very much a winemaker decision based on when he chooses to harvest. Haut Brion and LMHB are both picking at higher sugar levels. Even the examples here show that La Mission is normally well over 14%. Not a happy place I think

Mark, is the bolded in reference to 2015 Haut Brion and LA Miss, or 2015s in general? A lack of freshness and low acid were characteristic of the vintage but there were some successes. Depending on one's preferences I guess.

Both, I am afraid. The Haut Brion was slightly better than LMHB.

[greatbxfreak]

I tasted both 2015s en primeur in April 2016 and this with heaviness, destroying the palate and lack of acidity, wasn't for sure my observations. Since then, I haven't retaste both, neither after bottling. I can't understand this hatred against Delmas wines.

Neither 2018 nor 2020 vintage concerning HB and LMHB made me think of high alcohol. La Mission is never heavy stuff IMHO, always elegant and sophisticated. Both aren't modern stuff wines, never been!!

[marcs]

Izaak has always seemed to me to be a firm proponent of the Jeff Leve - Lisa Perroti Brown "Bordeaux can do no wrong" school of criticism. Every year Bordeaux wines are getting bigger and bigger and better and better. Maybe it's true, I don't drink enough young/recent Bordeaux to tell.

I did go a little long on 2015 because I liked 2009 and from reports 2015 seemed to have some of those characteristics of a "soft" rich vintage like 1990/2009. Those kind of vintages can be OK with me, I actually prefer them to tannic beasts like 2005/2010. For a while there 2015 seemed kind of underpriced because it was in the shadow of 2016.

[greatbxfreak]

marcs,

You are so wrong in your assumption related to me apparently following in tracks of Jeff and Lisa with no criticising of Bx wines.

[Musigny 151]

I tasted both 2015s en primeur in April 2016 and this with heaviness, destroying the palate and lack of acidity, wasn't for sure my observations. Since then, I haven't retaste both, neither after bottling. I can't understand this hatred against Delmas wines.

Neither 2018 nor 2020 vintage concerning HB and LMHB made me think of high alcohol. La Mission is never heavy stuff IMHO, always elegant and sophisticated. Both aren't modern stuff wines, never been!!

Let’s just say our palates are very different. Starting with 2009, I have not liked the Delmas wines, and seeing those alcohol levels you quoted, worries me. The wines of subtlety, terroir and texture have disappeared, leaving in their place the massive wines I referred to earlier. Last month I served the Haut Brion 1971. It is still, after fifty years, a wine of joy and elegance, with the taste of pure Graves, brick dust, harness leather, cedar and a band of strawberry. It began to fade after an hour, but by that time the decanter was all but empty.

I remember Delmas’ father once said, “I make wines to drink, not win blind tastings”. He made the wine we drank last month.