As BWE winds down after over 23 years.... My note to jean-Nicolas.

[JimHow]

Obviously, I have received numerous emails in light of the big blow up from folks who have been very invested in BWE for 23+ years. One of those, of course, has been my friend from Quebec, who is very upset. He is wondering what can be done, but I have already moved on. it is time to bring this to an end. This is my response to my friend Jean-Nicolas Maltais. Obviously I will not post his reply, but I can assure you it was very poignant and beautiful.

++++

Hey Nic, I’m sorry that BWE blew up. I think it’s unfortunate that some decided to air their grievances publicly and make a scorched earth exit from BWE. They are not hurting me, but rather other BWEers like you, Stefan, Stu, etc., who care about BWE. And I’m sorry that other BWEers have decided not to post as a result. Those who have decided that BWE should die after 24 years are hurting only themselves and people like you. I have personally moved on. I tried to post some notes to keep activity going but nobody has joined back in, so I am done. At some point I will delete the site. Ian canceled his trip to Bordeaux. I’m probably going to cancel myself. Too much drama. I have managed BWE almost every day for the past 24 years, and now I’m tired. Jacques cancelled out of the February Stuart dinner in Florida. Too much drama for me. After nearly 24 years of running the site almost every day, I am tired. No more. Obviously you will always be a close friend and I am sure we will see you in the great state of Maine at some point in 2024. Take care my friend. Jim

[Nicklasss]

well, maybe i should post my reply, as nobody care any more, that shouldn't move the sky (sky = 1989 Château Lynch Bages).

Almost all good things come to an end :
The Beatles
Pink Floyd
Guns'n'Roses
The USA political system and democracy
Jolie and Pitt
Figeac and classic style
Lynch Bages and you

But my friendship with all the people i met in person here, will never come to an end.

[JimHow]

aww your note to me was much more beautiful. when I first met you in 2001 I honestly did not believe you were old enough to join us. Crazy! time certainly has flown.

I do not know anything about these things, but any BWEers who want to copy their notes, etc., should make arrangements to do so sooner rather than later.

[JoelD]

This is quite disappointing. As this whole debacle has been. I personally haven't been posting much to just let the dust settle. It's only been a little over a week. BWE is very important to me and I hope that you don't take it down and give it a chance. The people on here are amazing, especially in person.

I had planned to reach out directly at some point soon and still will, but thought I'd give you time at your request since you didn't seem to want to keep discussing the matter. I have a lot more to say and opinions/clarifications on both sides of things but haven't felt it was quite my place to do so at the moment.

I hope you'll take the time to reconsider, but if not then that's your choice of course. I do hope that you'll give some of us the chance to find old threads that are important to us before doing so.

[Gerry M.]

As a relative newcomer to BWE I was shocked, to say the least, at what transpired over the last week. It's sad there were apparently some long festering issues that were lingering and blew up. I was not by any means a frequent contributor but felt a kinship to people, I felt, enjoyed and appreciated great wine without pretence. Unfortunately I have not been able to attend any events but it has been a desire of mine to somehow find a way to make it happen. For health reasons I've had to significantly cut back on my consumption but the love will always be there.

Jim, I hope you reconsider your decision but I completely understand where you're coming from. I plan on getting to Maine more frequently in the future since my good friend Andy Jepeal and past BWE'r now lives in Phippsburg and is now a head chef at a restaurant in Brunswick, the name escapes me right now.

Whatever happens, I thank you for your contributions and enhancement of my personal wine experience and that of many others.

[Comte Flaneur]

I have to chime in here because what Jim wrote above is misleading, disingenuous and wrong.

The reason this has happened is because you Jim decided to go public rather than do the mature thing and remonstrate with us privately on email.

How unbelievably hypocritical to berate others for airing their grievances in public when this happened because of your public venting in the first place!

If you had been sober and mature none of this would have happened.

If BWE closes it will be 100% down to your behaviour Jim, 100% your fault, nobody else’s.

I tried to argue your corner Jim and take your point of view. But the facts - the whole story - don’t look good for you.

[Comte Flaneur]

This is my message to PM

Patrick I think we need to be 100% honest about all this. From what I understand there was an arrangement to meet in Manhattan based on a Krug 170 delivery from Jim. Is that correct or not? Did he drive down with the goods? I presume but don’t know so. Based on that it was agreed to have a BWE dinner encompassing others who might be available - JC, Jacques, Joel, Chris B…all good but if he is driving down for that purpose - not sure how far it is but I am guessing a few hundred miles - didn’t we owe it to him to be open and transparent about all the arrangements for the whole weekend given he had driven so far? Not that we owed it to him to prioritise him for two nights, we are adults and can choose what we can do and who we associate with, but maybe a bit of candour and transparency on our part would not have gone a miss? And what really pissed me off was that it was left for me to break the news to him late on the Saturday afternoon while other people were seemingly hiding under rocks. To be clear this is not to condone his bad behaviour but I was kind of surprised it took him so long to throw his toys out of the pram. To also be clear his delayed reaction antics were unacceptable and as I said that has consequences but I don’t think this is entirely black and white.

[Comte Flaneur]

PM’s message to me:

Good points, Ian... a few little tidbits (for which I have all of the emails still) that provide needed context... Jim said initially he could only commit to 1 night in NYC (and which not incidentally he repeatedly vetoed adding more people to the group... so much for “everyone is invited”)... Joel (who also got 6 bottles of Krug while bringing Jim some number of 2019 Lynch Bages from DC without any complaint) and I both repeatedly offered to pay for shipping in some other capacity... Jim repeatedly said to the effect, “Oh, I am in NYC all the time, we’ll just figure out a date when I am there, and Patrick, I can always leave it at Brendan’s if my dates don’t work for you”... Jim ALWAYS drives to NYC when he goes and he claims he goes several times a year.

So based on that, why should we feel any obligation to include him on Saturday when he would only commit to 1 night, didn’t want to invite others, offered to bring the Krug to NYC on any number of occasions, et cetera, et cetera?  It only became awkward later, once he got his act together and wanted to do more than one night (and only awkward anyway because he was such an asshole to Dale, Ramon et al), but for which he left to the last minute.

Again, I have emails that can “prove” all of this... but to a large degree, this is entirely besides the point... rather than deal with us directly, he goes on a public forum to (presumably while drunk) bitch and moan nearly 2 months later, and denigrate Dale for no reason at all

Plus, Jim has a loooong and sordid history of out right hypocrisy, the gist of which is it is only an issue when HE isn’t invited, but as long as Stu invites him, then it is just fine and dandy if it is exclusive. Did everyone or even more than a select few get invited to the “secret” trip to Bordeaux? Of course not and this was fine as long as he is included.

The arrangements in NYC developed organically over several weeks at least, and if this prima donna can’t get his schedule and wishes together far enough in advance to make plans around (and then makes a big public scene ex post facto cause plans without him were made while he dithered), he can go get stuffed. Any aspect of it that was “secret” was just to try and spare his feelings, because we all know he is crazy.

One final detail: JC also brought a case of wine (Pavelot) to give to Jim in nyc… that plus the 6 bottles of 2019, how was Jim planning to get that wine back to Maine if he didn’t drive?!

I am sure you have mixed feelings in part because Jim was leaning on you (he never emailed me or texted about a Saturday gathering) to get together the next day, and so you were put in the uncomfortable spot of having to ignore/deny/or confirm the plans.

And one final, final point: the Friday night was the planned main event around which everything was set in motion and Jim was a guest of honor. You and Chris were later invitees to the Friday night, only after the parameters were laid out with Jim, Joel, JC and Jacques. The Saturday event was only then planned afterwards and in part because Ramon had to bail out of the Saturday event. Given the size of venues in nyc, the head count is inevitably and always capped especially for a weekend night but even despite that, I am sure JC and I would have invited Jim from the get-go if we’d known (a) he actually planned to be available for both nights, and (b) he actually got along with Dale and Ramon!

[robert goulet]

Thx Jim, hate to hear this, but yes, it was a good run.
I appreciate all the hard work u and others did to bring this forum to fruition. It's always nice to meet/speak w/ people that share a similar passion, not just for wine, but Bordeaux...sorry I never got to meet any of the fine individuals that makeup this board. I have no Ill will towards anyone and wish u all the best

My God, it's sinking in....crap, now I'm just stuck down here with Orlando Bobby....Faaaak!

Much luv
B. Goulet

[RPCV]

While I don't post a lot of notes, I am forever a Bordeaux lover and read this site daily. I am saddened by all of this and hope that we can forgive and move on with happiness. Wine should bring us together. Perhaps time will soothe the souls and provide us with an opportunity to reflect on the many positives this site provided for its members. I am sorry to see the site close (hoping you will reconsider, Jim) and want to thank everyone who participated here. LONG LIVE BWE!

[robert goulet]

Yeah, no reason to shut the doors so hastily.

[Dandersson]

I am in total agreement with RPCV. This site has been the home for me to learn more about Bordeaux and wine in general. I hope that you Jim, will reconsider. Please take some time and think about how much this site has meant to so many of us, it would be a sad way for BWE to end.
All good things don't come to an end, things evolve, go through dark phases and re-emerge. I would love to stay in touch with anyone that likes talking about wines and especially Bordeaux wines. Thank you for all these years Jim.
Best, Dan

[Musigny 151]

As Ian said, Jim, if you want to go on a public forum to bitch about not being invited to a dinner, and make really nasty, disparaging comments about one of the hosts, you must expect the response to be on the same public forum. If you are going to have a major tantrum, it is strange that you would think that we would confine our anger at what you wrote to a private e mail.

I keep returning here in the hope that you would man up, and make a complete apology. Seems I was doomed to be disappointed. For some reason, you are still playing victim, still attacking those who disagree, and in the process pissing off the people who made this board fun.

Congratulations Jim. Threatening to run away with all toys shows how completely you have misunderstood the things that made this board great. Your toys are the people who come together, and sadly, thanks to your continual pettiness, many of them have already gone. The mass exodus last week should have made you question how badly you have behaved. Again I am disappointed, but not altogether surprised.

[Ingaux]

BD please don‘t give up. I am just a silent reader and have learned a lot about bdx. Whant that to be continued.