Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Marisa,
No problem, we would love to have you and your friend join us on the 24th. Please send me a PM so we can coordinate.
Regards,
Chasse aka Chris

I'd like to add a guest to the waiting list for Oct 16, after winestory. Thus winestory is first on the waiting list, then my guest is second if there is an opening.

Thanks.

I will try to make it to the Italian dinner the night before, put me down for a 1974 Produttori Moccagatta

Ok Tim duly noted

I have updated the list of wines that people are bringing...as I said the aim is 2 bottles per person given the expected high failure rate

Jacques good that you can make the Italian dinner - any other takers?

RE: Friday night... I'm fighting through a disk crash...

(When folks tell you to back up your data, please, please, please, please listen to them... I'm in the IT biz, but still had enough not-backed-up data that I spent a fortune recovering data from the crashed disk.)

...but I know we'll have a Barolo and a Barbaresco from the decade in question, as well as a few elder statesmen...

Ciao,
Tom

PS - I hate breaking in a new computer, when it identifies things like"Barolo", "Barbaresco" and "BWE" as misspellings...

I know what you mean, Tom. I have to buy a new unit before the end of the month. Probably it will sit in the box for a month before I can bear the pain of switching to it.

All I have to say to you guys is Mac+1tb External HD+Time Machine. Saved me last December.

Just got hold of a 71 Latour A Pomerol. Will sub it for the 79 Du Tertre, we can pair it with Toms 70 Trotanoy.

75 Montrose and something else. A kind BWE has offered me an additional 70s vintage unless I come across another bottle.

As I said earlier we are aiming for two bottles per person

Why? For two reasons

1) At the last two events - 1986 and 1989 - we had two bottles per person and everything was drunk - there was not a drop left and no faulty bottles
2) We wont be so lucky with these 1970s vintages - I estimate one bottle in three with be faulty to the point of not being drinkable

So if we bring one bottle per person or two per couple - I guarantee we will run out of wine and we will have to order stuff off the restuarant's (very modest) list.

We should therefore have a minimum of three bottles per couple...if I bring someone I will definitely be bringing four bottles...there is plenty of time to source stuff

Comte Flaneur wrote:As I said earlier we are aiming for two bottles per person

Why? For two reasons

1) At the last two events - 1986 and 1989 - we had two bottles per person and everything was drunk - there was not a drop left and no faulty bottles
2) We wont be so lucky with these 1970s vintages - I estimate one bottle in three with be faulty to the point of not being drinkable

So if we bring one bottle per person or two per couple - I guarantee we will run out of wine and we will have to order stuff off the restuarant's (very modest) list.

We should therefore have a minimum of three bottles per couple...if I bring someone I will definitely be bringing four bottles...there is plenty of time to source stuff

ok, besides 1sts, what's on your wishlist?

La Mission 75/78, Petrus 70/71/75. Lafleur 75/78/79 - none of these are first growths...

No joking apart Jay there are quite a lot of reasonably priced 75s, 78s and 79s floating about - stuff for less than $100 a bottle

We are just looking for a fair distribution of contributions

Comte Flaneur wrote:La Mission 75/78, Petrus 70/71/75. Lafleur 75/78/79 - none of these are first growths...

No joking apart Jay there are quite a lot of reasonably priced 75s, 78s and 79s floating about - stuff for less than $100 a bottle

We are just looking for a fair distribution of contributions

To me, 78 is a better vintage OVERALL than 79 or am I offbase?

I agree, Jay.

stefan

I'm trying to source a well-stored 1978 GPL, and I think can get it, so put that down as my 2nd bottle.

Ah...excellent Patrick...GPL 78 that was my unsung hero of the Pauillac tasting...

You're right Jay, 1978 is a better vintage than 1979, but 1979 shouldn't be sniffed at. The best vintage of the 1970s was 1975 and the best appellation was Pomerol, which scored 94 points in that vintage

In terms of overall rankings of the vintages, including all eight major appellations equally weighted, this is the pecking order, including score:

1975 87.9
1970 86.5
1978 84.9
1979 84.4
1971 83.9
1976 81.4

The other vintages don't even merit a ranking

It's still early and we have five more months to source some good wines. I am hoping that the 1970 Yquem arrives at Premier Cru before the tasting, and will bring the 1978 Trotanoy as well. I am also bidding on some mixed lots at a few auctions and will happily schlep whatever I can get my hands on. Too bad I drank my last remaining bottle of 1978 Palmer a couple of months ago. That was a stunner! I'm sure everyone would have enjoyed it a lot.

I bet the last bottle out of the case was the best Jacques. Palmer 78 is a stunner. The 1996 Palmer is cut from the same cloth.

'72 was a great year - for the Stones
-Chasse

I think I also have a '78 Palmer left and will bring it. I chose the '70 because of its great reviews, but I have had better experience with the '78.

Good on you stefan.

It looks like I have located a stash of 70s wines which we can use as a pool for those struggling to source stuff. Assuming I can get them I will post the details.

Jay - or anyone else attending - I have sourced some 1975 Leoville Barton and Pichon Lalande if you are interested

Chasse-Spleen wrote:'72 was a great year - for the Stones
-Chasse

And DRC wines!

Tom,
Was it really? I'm going to have to go look that up in my Broadbent and Parker Burgundy books. I never heard of that. Of course, I believe you. Nobody ever mentions that '72 was a great Burgundy vintage, as far as I know. or a great vintage for anything, except maybe "Keep on Truckin' tee-shirts. Maybe we should ask Alex, I mean - he's VISITED DRC. That fact always brings a smile to my face.

On an unrelated topic, although it does tie into the 'brings a smile to one's face' idea, I met Fred Thomas tonight at a gig I did. I had never heard of him before. But he played bass for James Brown for 30 years, and was the nicest guy you could ever meet. He looked amazingly cool as well, even at 70, more hip than most people have a right to look at 50, and he totally kicked as on stage, singing and playing bass in his band which is very James Brown oriented. He played BEFORE us! I was scared to death.

I feel like sharing that with anyone who will listen. It was so cool.

-Chris

I have no experience with 1972 DRC but I remember enjoying many very nice 1972 Burgundies (both red and white). Don't know that it was a great year in Burgundy but there were some very good wines. Mine are long gone.

Chris Bublitz

Nothing that happens to you in your music exploits surprises me, Chasse, you are extremely talented. I gotta check out a performance live sometime.

Bill put a 76 Cheval Blanc in my hand last night and it is slumbering until October. Comte, I may take you up on your offer...I'm looking around.

Very nice story Chasse. My only James Brown connection is "Pappa Got A Brand New Bag" was recorded around the corner from my house. The JB Band had played a show at the Charlotte Colliseum and afterwards headed to the studio while they were still hot from performing..

Chasse-Spleen wrote:'72 was a great year - for the Stones
-Chasse

Yep, a good year for other bands too. The only Deep Purple albums that I bought were released in '72: Machine Head and Made in Japan. Also, the only David Bowie that I recall ever having bought was released in '72: Ziggy Stardust.

Those are some of my favorites, Ramon.
-Chris

Maybe not a "great" year for DRC, but a year for very good DRC wines that were quite affordable for the quality. Probably a result of being in the shadow of the truly great Burg vintages of 1969 and 1971. I think Broadbent in his revised edition gave 3 to 4 stars to the '72 DRC's he had tasted, which was pretty respectable in the days before grade inflation.

~Tom

Bumping this back up as we are less than two months away...

Unfortunately we have had some drop outs...Patrick and then Tom and Gail can no longer make it...that could put the kibosh on the 1970s Italian dinner too

So that leaves space for Tim and Marissa on the waiting list

if we can't find some kind of reasonable price on a hotel room, I'm not sure we will be able to make it. Ridiculously high at this point. Any suggestions welcome

Why not priceline, Jay? That is what I often do. Not this time, because I'll be there on business, but you should get something decent.

stefan wrote:Why not priceline, Jay? That is what I often do. Not this time, because I'll be there on business, but you should get something decent.

thanks, that sounds like a good idea.

if there is a wait list for the bordeaux dinner please add my name to the list. THanks

Mike

Just to confirm, it is my guest that was on the waiting list from before, so I'm confirmed for two (me and my guest).

Still need to sort out what we are bringing.

Cheers,

Tim

is the list on an above thread? Usually most offlines that I have attended have waitlists posted in an above thread

Mike, I would guess that Ian has it written down on thr back of an envelope somewhere!!??!!

Which brings me to my point.
Ian,

However much I would love to turn up for this, whether I go to Hong Kong and Beijing for work in September or after I finish what needs doing in Tokyo has not as yet been finalised, so I can't promise anything. As such it is probably safest to disregard me... However, when I do manage to get to NY, I will bring some things and we can do something impromptu.

Mike - I put you down on the bench - not promising but chances are that you will get a run out for the full 90 minutes

Marissa - let me know if you want in - there is a place now available for you - you were on the original sub list

Others - please let me know what you want to bring bearing in mind my original prediction of a high duff bottle rate

I am travelling and wont be checking the board until next week