Bordeaux speed dating with Johnny (B) Goedhuis

[Comte Flaneur]

Last night I bravely ventured to the Goedhuis Bordeaux tasting at the Saatchi Art Gallery at the top of the King’s Road in London’s swanky Chelsea district - bravely because I had encountered a lot of 40 year old Bordeaux the night before so the scope for disappointment and saturation were self-evident. Goedhuis is a prominent wine merchant here and serves many of the rich and famous.

I occasionally drive through/past Chelsea to visit my BigYell wine storage in Fulham, but just as getting off at Knightsbridge tube and walking behind Harrods a year and a half ago to go to an Italian-themed dinner was illuminating, this really was an eye opener.

Now I know where all the Bank of England’s QE funny money goes (and no doubt a lot of leakage from the US Fed and ECB’s monetary largesse too spilling over into SW3). Not all of the most interesting specimens were hanging on the walls either - welcome to the parallel universe that it is the King’s Road set.

I detected a few Russian accents and talking of which I spotted a couple of Conservative Party MPs including Angela Loathsome, more in their comfort zone than they would be in, say, liberal Islington, my neck of the woods.

As I was under-dressed in jeans and anorak, I was on the constant look for any reprobate buddies, but didn’t bump into any until Jez tapped me on the should on the home stretch in the Sauternes room.

I did have the privilege of a seven second conversation with the sharply-attired Johnny Goedhuis until he got distracted. So did I. When I was talking to him I had Chuck Berry’s Johnny B Goode ringing in my mind’s ears. But he was popping up everywhere, working the seven rooms.

There was an excellent turn out of winemakers - people like Lilian Barton, Olivier Bernard, Emmanuel Cruse, Veronique Sanders, Philippe Blanc, Marielle Cazaux and even Sandrine Garbay, many of whom politely and earnestly pretended they remembered me…but the faint frisson of panic in their expression gave the game away.

I had attended this superb event before when it turned into a bit of a scrum at the end, but this time it was surprisingly civilised based on the lack of pushing and shoving at the more popular tables.

It was like a bit of a marathon-sprint really over two and a half hours, which meant you could easily and methodically get value for your £145 outlay - a lot more than last time, of course, but I can’t even remember which year that was.

I tasted a lot of impressive wines but most of them were 2015s and 2018s the most difficult vintages to shift (apart from 2017). Many of the 2018s are hot, sweet and gooey, especially on the left bank, but there are some good ones. They will probably settle down.

Here goes:

DDC Blanc 2015 - B

Malartic Lagraviere Blanc 2010 - B+

Smith Haut-Lafitte Blanc 2018 - B+

Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2015 - B- …I remain to be unconvinced by this in vogue producer

Haut Bailly 2019 - A-/A. Plenty in common with the ‘09

L’esprit de DDC rouge 2019 - B/B+ - good for a second wine, change in style?

Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge 2018 - B

La Conseillante 2018 - A …. is for amazing

L’Evangile 2018 - A-/B+ - bit OTT lacks elegance of La C

Duhart Milon 2011/16/18…all B…did not really impress esp.the 16 should have been better

Certan De May 2016 - C+ - really disappointing

Belair Monange 2010 - A-/A … superb (sans Magdelaine)

Troplong Mondot 2018 - A- ... a welcome change of style, great potential

Troplong Mondot 2015 A-/C- …quite a ridiculously overwrought wine in a fun way

Figeac 2010 - B+ clumsy but loveable

Figeac 2015 - A- … big change of style here - borderline spoofy

Figeac 2018 - A/A- … better than the 2015, diallled back a bit

Berliquet 2018 - B … modern, not v interesting

Canon 2018 - B … likewise

Canon 2015 - A-….let others queue up for this

Canon 2010 B+ …. Like the Figeac ‘10 a bit rough round the edges but characterful

Rauzan Segla 2018 - B … so much sweet puppy fat and gloss

Rauzan Segla 2015 - A- …still primary but delicious and developing some personality

Rauzan Segla 2010 - A-….a perennial favourite I never bought because 15/16 are as good

Brane Canentac 2010 & 2015 - both A-, both good

D’Issan 2018 - B/B- … terrible time to broach this - probably will settle

D’Issan 2015 - A- …like Rauzan ‘15 no longer in nappies and developing complexity/personality

D’Issan 2010 A-/B+ … good but the 2015 will be the better wine

Calon Segur 2006 - B+

Calon Segur 2010 - A … whoa! FMSW

Montrose 2018 - B … come back in 5-10 yrs

Montrose 2015 -B … disappointing

Cos D’Estournel 2010 & 2105 … A- …I liked these more than I expected to, classy

Lagrange 2005 and 2010 - B+ …neither stood out

Talbot 2018 - B+ … fancy anniversary bottle, shows admiral restraint

Beychevelle 2018 B+/A- … one of the better left bank 18s

Beychevelle 2015 A-/B+

Beychevelle 2010 - A-

Langoa 2009 - A-/B+ … still v young

Leoville Barton 2017 A/A- … brilliant, a revelation, better than the…

Leoville Barton 2005 B+… beginning to open, but the 2001/2/4/17 are all superior

Leoville Poyferre 2010 B+/A- unnecessarily glossy

Leoville Poyferre 2014 - B-/C+ … spoofed

Batailley 2010 A- … terrific for this producer

D’ Armailhac 2010 B/B- … disappointing

Lynch Bages 2018 A/A-

Lynch Bages 2015 A-/A

Lynch Bages 2010 A … all the Lynches showed very well

GPL 2015 A….FMTG!

Pontet Canet 2018 A/A-

Ponet Canet 2015 A-/A

Ponet Canet 2010 A - like the Lynches the Ponet Canets showed v well

Pichon Baron 2015 A-

Pichon Baron 2010 A

Pichon Lalande 18 A

The Mascot 2018/2015 (Napa/Harlan Estate) - both B/B+

Suduiraut 2016 - B+

Suduiraut 2009 - A-

Guiraud 2009 - A

[JimHow]

You are an amazing man, Mr. Flaneur.

[JCNorthway]

Impressive. Just under 24 wines tasted per hour! Amazing that you can do that without your taste buds becoming numb! Any tricks for us novices?

[jal]

I like the intro even better than the ratings. Ian, you are a born story teller!

[Musigny 151]

Brilliant notes, but who is Angela Loathsome?

[Nicklasss]

Great quick pictures on many wines.

Should i open a first bottle of 2010 Calon Ségur?

Happy to have a few 2019 Haut Bailly coming.

Don't worry about winemakers no reminding you, I'm sure the blond hostess that made us tour Château Margaux in 2015 don't remember me...

[Blanquito]

Ian is a rare breed as we all know well. He has the liver of a sperm whale and the stamina of an ox. Wine events that would lay low your ordinary enthusiast are mere warm ups. Hats off, I wish I could keep up!

[Blanquito]

P.S. I googled FMTG!, even checked the urban dictionary out, but got nowhere.

[Comte Flaneur]

Ha ha Nick, she hosted us - Alex, Patrick and I - a year ago, she mellowed a lot from an impetuous young girl into a mature woman - I think she remembered me because she had a glint in her eye…

Mark Angela Loathsome is a euphemism for the Brexiter Conservative MP Andrea Leadsome who ran for the Conservative Party leadership a few years ago. The U.K. conservative Party - allegedly I heard on the grapevine - has (at least used to have) close links to the Kremlin, and hence Vlad P.

Some people say that Putin was the godfather of Brexit, as well as Donald Trump being his useful idiot.

[Comte Flaneur]

P.S. I googled FMTG!, even checked the urban dictionary out, but got nowhere.

FMTG

Fuck Me That’s Good

FMSW

Fuck Me Sideways

[AKR]

I love the expository.

[JoelD]

P.S. I googled FMTG!, even checked the urban dictionary out, but got nowhere.

FMTG

Fuck Me That’s Good

FMSW

Fuck Me Sideways

This made my night. Love it.

[Comte Flaneur]

Impressive. Just under 24 wines tasted per hour! Amazing that you can do that without your taste buds becoming numb! Any tricks for us novices?

Spitting helps Jon.

[Comte Flaneur]

Great quick pictures on many wines.

Should i open a first bottle of 2010 Calon Ségur?

Happy to have a few 2019 Haut Bailly coming.

Don't worry about winemakers no reminding you, I'm sure the blond hostess that made us tour Château Margaux in 2015 don't remember me...

If you have several Nic it might be worth trying one.

[Claudius2]

Ian is a rare breed as we all know well. He has the liver of a sperm whale and the stamina of an ox. Wine events that would lay low your ordinary enthusiast are mere warm ups. Hats off, I wish I could keep up!

Well it took only three weeks in France and Spain to make me wonder what a liver transplant would be like. Wine for lunch and dinner every day is too much for me.

Cheers
Mark

[Jay Winton]

As always, a great read. Thank you Comte!

[stefan]

Great tasting and a really fun read, Ian.

[DavidG]

Loved the local color!

I can’t possibly do that many wines, even spitting, and be able to encapsulate them so well. Great job Ian.

[jckba]

Thanks for the fun read and love the drive by notes.

[camiwine]

Hello Mr Flaneur,

I love how to introduce the tasting, what a way you have with words, and the sharpness of it

I was at the tasting serving Smith Haut Lafitte, unfortunately I did not see you, and won't probably recognize you next time I do, but if we have a chance to meet at tasting next time, don't hesitate to come and introduce to me

Camille Meyrou