Annual BWE NYC Bordeaux Review, 1982 Edition

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 2:59 pm

Patrick did the heavy lifting to organize another of what has become a BWE tradition: an annual fall gathering in New York to review a particular Bordeaux vintage/vintages. We've done 1986, 1989, "lesser" vintages of the '80s, and the decade of the '70s. Work commitments have prevented me from attending the last two reviews, but the confluence of Patrick and Ian's return to NY and the opportunity to taste a selection of 1982s motivated me to do whatever it took to get back with this group. And boy was it worth it!

The usual suspects (Patrick, Ian, Jacques & Jill, Ramon, Chris & Marjorie, and Dale) were joined by a couple of Ian's financial world friends to bring our merry band to 11. The venue was a favorite standby for this event: Fabio Piccolo Fiore. We had the front room by the window, as usual, and the food and service, as usual, were fabulous.

We began with 2 Champagnes:
2004 Aubrey Nombre D'Or Very pale, lots of mousse, minerally and steely on both the nose and palate, very dry, a bit short on the finish, this to me was the Chablis of Champagnes. Excellent. This was Dale's "geeky" Champagne contribution - geeky because the cepage contained more than the usual suspects of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meuniere and Chardonnay. There are an additional four (?) varieties allowed in Champagne, IF they were planted before the current rules went into effect, and the Aubrey contained a significant percentage of these grandfathered varieties. Here are the numbers: Pinot Meunier 5 %, Chardonnay 15%, Pinot Noir 20%, Fromenteau (Pinot Gris) 25%, Petit Meslier 20%, Arbanne 15%.

1996 Henriot Enchanteleurs Light gold color, nice bubbles, much richer nose of ripe stone fruits, fuller bodied than the Aubrey and more complex and powerful to my palate, with a bit of sweetness I don't usually associate with this wine but perhaps it's noticeable in comparison to the bone dry Aubrey. Moderately ling finish, outstanding. Many commented that this needed a food accompaniment, and indeed a bit held in reserve was a great match with lobster ravioli and crab appetizers.

Next up was the white flight (no we didn't all move to the suburbs - in fact this was the most diverse flight of the night):
1997 Trimbach Clos St Hune My first experience with this wine and I hope not my last. Very pale, minerally, bit of petrol in the nose (I like this - it adds complexity) made me think of German Riesling. Sharply focused on the palate with light to medium body and great balance, medium finish, outstanding.

1996 Pape Clement blanc Very pale, nose is a bit shy but I get more white fruits than citrus and a hint of what I call "naphtha" - a dry-cleaning-solvent-like note that sounds awful as I write it but which adds a bit of interest. Light bodied, doesn't seem to make a big impression on the palate, probably a very good to excellent wine but overshadowed by the others in this flight.

1999 Beaucastel Vieilles Vignes Roussanne This all-Roussanne cuvée has a reputation for going into an oxidized phase, only to emerge years later with great complexity. A bottle of 1995 we had at Jacque's earlier in the year was brown and totally shot. A bottle of the 1999 I opened a few days ago appeared to be going in the same direction with golden hues and some sherry-field oxidation notes that mysteriously resolved into a nice complexity. I wanted the cumulative BWE wisdom to weigh in on this, so I brought this bottle to NY. This bottle was a totally different animal. Pale gold, rich nose, great power and balance on the palate with just a touch of the oily palate feel I associate with Rhone whites. Nice complexity, no hint of oxidation, medium-long finish. Outstanding. Problem is, these wines are like a box of chocolates. Until you open them, sniff and taste, you never know what you're going to get.

Time to move on to the main event, the 1982 red Bordeaux. These wines definitely cranked up the quality a few notches. Unfortunately, the detail and legibility of my notes went in the opposite direction as we became absorbed in conversation, the food, and as we started to feel the effects of the alcohol.

The first red flight was right-bankers
1982 Certan de May Dark red, lighter at rim but no bricking. Bit oh heat/alcohol on the nose at first, this blew off to allow a nice nose of earth, mushrooms, hints of blood and iodine to come forward. Medium body, nice fruit and complexity but not yet showing that sweet fully-mature profile, nice finish, excellent-outstanding, still young and should get better.

1982 L'Evangile Dark red core, minimal lightening. Dusty complex nose, almost too dusty/musty at first but soon developed into a wonderful olfactory treat, medium-full body, still tannic at first but this mellows, some iodine/blood notes, what really stands out is how this builds power and complexity through the mid palate and finish. A very "complete" wine, has many years ahead of it, outstanding to extraordinary.

1982 Canon Dark red core, lightening at rim. Sweetest/ripest nose in this flight. Fresh, young on the palate, a creamy texture, medium finish. This did not excite as much as the first two in the flight, came acros as youngest off the bunch, but still excellent. Tried a bit more at the end of the night and it had developed considerably more complexity, so it probably wasn't showing its best during the flight. This was a pop and pour, I think the others had been decanted ahead.

Patrick has the voting details but I believe that the L'Evangile took honors for wine of the flight (WOTF). It was my favorite.

Next up was a trio of St Juliens:
1982 Branaire Ducru Dark red, nice nose, medium body, good balance and finish. Still young. Excellent. My notes are sparse here as this did not make a large impact. The 1982 Branaire Dicru has a long BWE history. At BWE 2003 in NYC, it bested a stellar group, including Mouton, in a blind tasting put on by Tom Wheltle. Tim McCracken brought a bottle to the BWE event in Dubai early this year, where it showed well but not as well as the bottles Tom brought to NY in '03. This bottle was similar. Difference in provenance/storage?

1982 Talbot Dark red. Intense rich earthy funky Cordier nose but not dirty or barnyard. Medium + body, beginning complexity, excellent balance, very nice finish, still has years to go. Outstanding.

1982 Gruaud Larose Dark red. Wait, did I pour 2glasses of Talbot? The noses are almost identical with the rich earthy funk, but no, this is the Gruaud. They are twins on the nose, with perhaps a slight edge in intensity to the Talbot. But on the palate the Gruaud is richer, fuller, more powerful and complex, and with a longer finish than the Talbot. Not quite as complex and delppedvas the bottles Stuart brought to BWE Miami, this has room for additional development. Outstanding to extraordinary.

Gruaud took honors for WOTF here if i recall correctly. It was my favorite. There was some debate as to the superiority of the '82 vs '86 Talbot and Gruaud. The general feeling was that '82 Gruaud is better than the '86, but that for Talbot the '86 has the edge. We talked about the need to taste these all at one sitting. Perhaps the start of a theme for a future event?

The next flight was Margaux, and here my notes did not do the wines justice:
1982 Margaux Dark red to rim. Young and closed at first, but over 30 minutes in the glass opens to reveal a beautiful nose of Margaux-berries, great elegance and balance on the palate, beautiful finish but still really young. A great showing, will likely be better 10 years from now. Outstanding to extraordinary.

1982 Prieure Lichine Dark red care, lighter with some bricking at rim. Warm rich nose of Margaux-berries and flowers with some coffee/mocha notes were initially appealing. Softer and more diffused on the palate than the Margaux, medium finish, probably at peak, very good to excellent.

1982 La Lagune An Haut Medoc but close enough, it fit well in this flight and out- pointed the Prieure Lichine in this flight with a nice nose, good fruit, better focus and balance, and a nicer finish. Excellent.

Margaux was the unanimous choice for WOTF.

The last red flight was a pair of Pauillacs:
1982 Grand Puy Lacoste Dark red, minimal lightening at rim. Coffee and roasted notes on the nose (a detraction for some, not for me), dark fruits, blood/iron and hints of iodine. Layered full palate feel, beginning complexity but not all the way there yet, excellent balance, long finish, has years to go, outstanding.

1982 Batailley Medium red, lighter at rim. Red berries, flowers on the nose, lighter palate impression, nice finish, seemed almost Burgundy-like in comparison to the rest of the reds. But not boring... Very good to excellent if atypical in this lineup.

The GPL was the runaway favorite of this flight.

Patrick kept us focused enough to vote for WOTN before too much Sauternes had been drunk. Margaux took top honors. Gruaud and L'Evangile took the next two spots but Patrick will have to step in with details because I didn't write it down and was too immersed in the Sauternes to remember.

The Sauternes
1986 Lafaurie Peyraguey Light honey. Crime brûlée nose including a hint of scorched sugar, rich ripe fruit, hint of bitterness on finish. Excellent.

1988 Climens Light- medium honey. Rich sweet nose, white fruits and some botrytis. Rich palate-coating entry and mid-palate, ripe and sweet and perfectly balanced through to a long finish. I can almost still taste it this morning. Has many years to go. Extraordinary. A good thing we don't count dessert wines in WOTN voting as this would have given the Margaux a run for its money.

The end to another great BWE event. I know some shared my take on the wines but there were several alternate opinions as to which showed best. But all agreed that it was an excellent showing for almost all of the wines, without a single dud or corked bottle.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 4:04 pm

Sounds great, David.

Too bad Lucie and I missed out--we would have come if we had known about the dinner.

Harry C. · Post by **Harry C.** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 4:54 pm

Thanks for the notes. I'm salivating.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 5:12 pm

Beautiful wines! Sounds like all the beautiful people were there in this exclusive dinner!

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 5:27 pm

I wish you all had been there. I assumed you all knew about it. Was this not posted or emailed to all the usual suspects at some point during the early planning stages?

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 6:10 pm

I think a little bit of pespective is necessary here - this get together was never designed to be a formal "BWE' event...it basically happened because Patrick and I were in town simultaneously and we always like to get together when that happens...some times in a group of 3-4 only. When I was living over here I used to organise these annual themed Bordeaux events FOR BWE and they always happened around mid-October. Now that I no longer live here I cant really do that. Neither can Patrick, because of work commitments. Patrick was itching to try his 82 Gruaud so we decided on the 82 theme, then reached out to a couple of people locally whom we thought might have 82s in their cellars - Ramon, Jacques and Dale being the obvious candidates - plus another friend of mine Sandy who lives in NY who often comes to these informal get togethers. When we decided we might want to take it up to 10 we reached out to David and Chris, whom we knew was celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary and had a lot of 82s burning a hole in his cellar. The thought of advertising it as a formal BWE event never really occurred to us because some of the participants were non-BWErs and one was an ex-BWEer. Some times when you do that you dont always get a first best outcome. In no way were we trying to exclude anyone, but unless someone can take over the mantle, or unless I move back to NY (possible), then those October events will remain happy memories.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 6:38 pm

They are indeed happy memories, Ian. Thanks for your work in organizing them.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:03 pm

Thanks for clarifying Ian. My apologies if I was a bit insensitive in posting or titling this as a BWE event.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:27 pm

Yeah, yeah, whatever.
So Squireslike of you. Gross.
God, I hate clicques.
Ah well, I wouldn't have gone anyway, I don't have any 1982s, I've drunk them all with BWEers at events where everyone is invited.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:45 pm

Ah yes, it's all coming back to me now. It's been a few years since Ian did this and back then there was an annual dustup over how big the party should be. The fact is that some tastings are more pleasurable when done in smaller groups, so everyone can taste the same thing. My personal sweet spot is about 6-8 people for an ideal compromise between enough people to try a decent number of wines, but few enough to keep the group intimate and be able to spend a little more time with the wines and drink them rather than just tasting them. I still enjoy big tastings like our annual BWE convention, but not all the time. Too many wines, not enough time.

I'm sorry this rubs you the wrong way Jim but I'm not feeling the least apologetic or elitist about the fact that sometimes we like to get together in smaller groups. Your reaction above is more Squires-like than anything I've seen lately on this board, but I still give you a lot of credit for not deleting stuff and for being one of the least autocratic board managers around.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:50 pm

Yes exactly David. Cliques? Squires? How deluded. Talk about pot calling the kettle black.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:53 pm

Oh I'm not blaming you, David, you're not Squirelike at all. To the contrary, you have more BWE spirit than anyone i know. Thats why i have designated you as the heir to the BWE dictatorship should anything ever happen to me. I blame the organizers who invited their clique, I just don't know why they just don't go over and do this shit over on the Squires site, the overall philosophy there seems much more suited to this type of elite event. I can see where you might think I was responding to you but I wasn't.

I get grief for these positions sometimes, but it is my philosophy of how things should be run, I feel it's an integral part of why BWE is different from the phonyness of some of the other sites. Some people get it, some don't.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:55 pm

If you hate it here so much, Comte, you should just register on the Squires site! I'm sure they would love your reports on your elite little dinners. Oh wait... You got censored there, no? Oops.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:11 pm

I love it here and most of the people. Kick me off by all means but you will look as pathetic and small minded as Squires. And then you could end up being the 'myopic only-drinks-young left banks wine clique.'

Although i wasn't really the person organising this dinner I reserve the right to assemble - and have dinner with - whomever I choose - BWE or not. I don't need to ask your permission. Who do you think you are? President of the United States?

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:16 pm

One more thing Jims I do like you. All of you.

Houndsong · Post by **Houndsong** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:31 pm

I would have come just to meet Sandy Weill. Billionaires willing to admit failure is the nki.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:45 pm

Well done, Hound! Not that Sandy, but well done!

Let's all just chill, pull a bottle of something nice to go with the great weather and the women's US Open final.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:54 pm

I thnk I'll open my last bottle of 1995 Beaucastel VV Roussanne. This wine really has me perplexed. A completely shot oxidized bottle back in March - next to another from the same batch, bought and stored since release in my cellar - with this bottle showing a light-medium gold color. Then 2 bottles of the 1999 opened within a few days of each other - one brown and showing signs of oxidation and the other drinking beautifully last night in NY. Gonna see if I can explore the mystery of this wine.

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:27 pm

Wow! I'm enjoying the dust up read but I'll leave whatever has been said already lie.

David,

I don't agree with your impression of the 82 Certan de May. We've enjoyed about a case of this with our golf & wine group over the last 10 years.(Sorry we don't open our annual event to the world either...just 8 regulars!) We've watched this peak around 2008/9 and the last 2 bottles may have just been bad bottles but they seemed to be on the down slope rather than the upward curve. Fruit has certainly become muted and the earthy mushroom notes are taking over. I think this has past peak enjoyment but still very enjoyable.

82 Gruaud is always delicious along with the fabulous GPL.

Certainly was a great vintage and a treat to share such a cluster of wonderful bottles.

Thanks for sharing even if it caused a little controversy.

Danny

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 11:26 pm

Hey Danny, thanks for chiming in with another take on the Certan de May. You've certainly followed it more closely than i have. This was my second try with this wine. We both got the earthy mushroom stuff, but I was assuming the wine would get more complex and start showing some of those sweet tea-like flavors that I love in aged Bdx. But it may not have the fruit to make it. Would love to chare a bottle together in a couple of years to see where it's going... or has gone.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:54 am

Wow, Jim is gonna take his ball and run home. Either that or persist in infantile behavior until he's driven everyone from the site. Keep it up, the job is nearly done!

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:58 am

But back to the wines, I'll post the voting when I have my notes with me. Fantastic wines, the 82's didn't disappoint. I haven't had many before and my expectations were high, and they did not disappoint. I concur with most of David's excellent notes, though I was a bigger fan of the Certan de May.

It was also wonderful to catch up with everyone in our elitist clique.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:06 am

Blah, blah, blah, Blanquito, the old you're-driving-everyone-from-the-site argument, zzzzzzzzz, I've been hearing that one for 12 years, going on 13. Come on, you can do better than that. I think you'd be surprised if you knew some of the people who agree with me on this one, but that's okay, I'm willing to take the heat. As I said, some get it and some don't. When I started BWE 12 years ago I expected to post a few notes, thought I might have a little club of a half dozen or so tasters, and that was fine with me. It's still fine with me, trust me, if that's what has to happen to avoid the erobertparkerization of BWE....

Ramon_NYC · Post by **Ramon_NYC** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:12 am

Blanquito,

Good to see that you're up and about. I too will post my notes and thoughts later.
Just wondering whether you learned more French than you cared for after we left you late last night at the nearby bar at the table with a couple of jolie jeune femme francaise.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:13 am

Hey, Jim, lighten up. People have off lines all the time. As Ian explained,this was not a BWE function. Ian did wonderful and open BWE events in NYC but sensibly limited the numbers on a first come basis, which was great.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:16 am

I'm totally fine, Stefan, I just demand an attitude from BWEers. Some get it, some don't. I think I'm going to pass on BWE '13 this year and spend my vacation budget on quiet offlines.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:21 am

Test test just tried to send a post, hope I haven't been blackballed

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:23 am

Ok great not sure what happened to my last post.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:23 am

I hope you change your mind about that, Jim. If you don't, Lucie, MichaelP, and I can pull ahead of you in the number of conventions attended.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:50 am

I'll probably just exercise my right to get together with small groups of privately invited people, Stefan, and drink wines of particular themes. Don't worry, I'll post the results here. Hey, Chasse and Nic, let's get together and drink some under $40 Bordeauxs from 2009! Why bother spending thousands to go to Dallas when I can just take a quck trip up to Quebec or down to NYC? Those annual conventions are a huge investment of time and money. Hey Chasse, you're down there in the big city, did you get your invite to the 82 tasting? Sorry nobody was there to drink with you in NYC a few weeks back, Nic, I really did want to get there but I had a jury trial that Monday morning. Too bad you weren't there this past weekend, you MIGHT have qualified for the 1982 club! Depends, of course... Do ya have any 82s in your cellar? If so, anything good? That's okay, we'll do that dinner up near the Maine/Quebec border this winter, I swear, anyone is invited to join us! I'll make a deal with you, Stefan... I'll go to BWE Dallas if just one person from NYC, Denver, or SF shows up! I mean, they should have at least invited you and Lucie, Stefan, that's pretty lame. One of the attendees says Blanquito told him/her that I was invited but that I told him I couldn't make it. Hmmm. That's news to me! I'd like to know who was on the invitation list! Who made the cut and who didn't? Was Tom invited? Jay and Peggy?Rob and Sue? Stu/Kathy? I just want to know who made the cut and who didn't? There was a time when everyone was invited to these BWE offlines. I remember the Califirnia-Bordeaux dinner we did up in Bronxville. Or the Leoville Las Cases dinner, which was the first time I met Rob and Sue. Remember that incredible Lynch Bages dinner in 2004? Or the 2000 dinner with the owners of Lagrange, d'Issan, and Corbin? The Tesseron dinner? And numerous others. I remember sitting at a dinner between Glenn and Paul North, sipping in ecstacy on a 1990 Margaux. Incredible. Those weren't exclusive dinners, the result of secret invitations. They were open invitations. And incredibly successsful events. It's why I fight with Jay about not limiting the numbers attending the Friday night dinner in DC. BWE is about in-clusiveness. Not ex-clusiveness! Eww, the Squires-ness of this 1982 event makes my skin crawl. It is the very antithesis of what BWE is all about....

Tom In DC · Post by **Tom In DC** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 2:44 am

Jim,

Tom canceled at the last minute with a 102.7 fever. I think the invite list might have been based on expectation of having 1982's in hand. I recall you on record as having consumed all of yours, right? With all of the drama lately about fake bottles, would anyone want to unleash everyone to "source" (don't get me started on how this became a verb!) questionable samples?

Shouldn't the Massachusetts guys get hammered for not inviting everyone to their poker nights? Some New England bias?

If these comments seem off base, maybe a peek in a mirror might be in order...

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 2:51 am

Anyone can indeed do whatever they want, Tom, of course. Just post this crap over on the Squires site, where it belongs. I'm not immediately remembering any events I've organized, including here in Maine, where I didn't have an open invitation to everyone. But you are indeed right: Anyone, of course, can do whatever they want. Just as I can decide how I want to spend my vacation budget, whether I want to invest time and money in traveling to annual conventions, etc. It's a free country!

And I'm glad to hear you at least made the cut and were invited, Tom, congratulations!

Tom In DC · Post by **Tom In DC** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 3:14 am

"This crap", Jim? I thought this was where Bordeaux Enthusiasts gathered to discuss their passion? While you may have never issued less than an open invite to events you've organized, perhaps you've attended closed yet-somehow-BWE-related events from time to time?

There has been a core group for this fall dinner for quite a few years -- I don't think you've attended since the theme has strayed into the weeds of "other vintages", right? -- so when the Comte was going to be in town the call went out to those folks -- yes, via email and not an open casting call -- and the replies put us at a quorum. Perhaps a few regulars were omitted, but I think everyone wanted to make sure we didn't have another "I'm new here, so I'm going to pour a full 5 ounce glass of each wine" episode if such could be avoided.

Beautiful people? Whatever. Done and done. Travel as you see fit, Jim. I don't think it'll be a real convention without you!

Best Regards,
Tom

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 3:32 am

You tolerate cliques, Tom, I don't. We just disagree. It doesn't mean you're a bad person. Your ideas of what a wine site should be like is just closer to the Squires model. That's fine! I have a different perspective, as BD of BWE. I just happen to disagree with you. I expect people here to drink the koolaid. Because this isn't make-believe, of course, they don't have to. Everyone can choose what they want to do, as can I.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 5:07 am

Ah, how convenient a selective memory must be, dear BD! I have been at a number of off-lines with you where no "mass BWE invite" was made, and as long as YOU were invited, it was somehow okay. And there are a regular number of "exclusive" dinners during the Convention which you frequently attend with a hand-picked "clique", yet somehow you are fully tolerant of these events year-after-year. I could go on, but the pattern is evident. Your hypocritical double-standard is the most "Squires-like" behavior I have seen on this site.

Ian and Tom fully explained how and why this event developed the way it did, but I would add that you can be such a prima donna, keeping a spot from someone else while playing hard to get about actually committing to coming, it is a wonder you are ever invited at all. And sadly, it seems that you prefer it that way. Despite your holier-than-thou nonsense, we have never excluded anyone on this site, and in fact, when efforts to include everyone are made via an open thread on the site, they have gone nowhere (probably in part because there are so few left around here who can put up with your bullshit).

I happen to enjoy reading notes on great wines, whether I was invited to the gathering in question or not, that's the main point of a site like this, but you just want to end all the fun and impose some ridiculous imaginary standard all because your feelings are hurt. Geesh!

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:56 am

I can see that you just will never understand what it is I am saying in this argument, Blanquito, because of your Squires mindset, so I will just have to stop here, I'm tired of repeating myself. As for dinners I've attended, I've actually expressed reservations when others aren't invited. Again, this is all something you either get or you don't get, so I'm not going to keep repeating myself. I assure you, there are people on this site who understand what I'm talking about. And there was a time on BWE when there was less of a focus of inviting people to clique events. I've cited just a few of many examples above. As I've complained here repeatedly in recent years, this site has trended towards erobertparkerization in recent years, and away from the ideals for which it once stood. But that's just life, things change, not always for the better. As I said above, I don't think you and the other members of the secretly invited "1982 Clique" are "bad" people. I'm happy to drink wine with you guys if you happen to be in the area. Just not sure I want to travel 2000 miles to Dallas to do it! I've invested a lot of time, money, emotions into BWE over the past 12 years. I'm a busy guy. I have a lot only plate. I take care of an ailing father, I have a huge criminal law caseload with cases involving enormous consequences for people. I've been trying to get my own health back. Frankly, I've cut way back on my wine consumption, I'm in the middle of an extended fast right now. So before I start expending precious time and resources, it has to be for very compelling reasons. So that's about all I have to say. I have to pick two juries today and I have an insane week work-wise, I would love to expend more energy explaining to you my philosophy of BWE but I don't have the time. And, in this age of erobertparkerization, I'm just not sure you would understand anyway. There is an enormous history of experiences with BWE, on and off line, that colors my philosophy. It would take me days to fully articulate it, and I just don't have the time. You or anyone else can post whatever you want about your dinners with other personal invitees. It's not my cup of tea, but I'm sure many people enjoy reading about them.

Houndsong · Post by **Houndsong** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:30 pm

I just want to make it clear for the record that although David G. has expressed a tentative intention of coming to Hawaii in January, EVERYONE is invited to this nonexclusive, exclusive event at Hale Ka. We will have the usual Polynesian entertainment, with persons (David) selected at random from the audience to perform with the dancers in a foolish, spastic manner (which is no trouble for the typical BWEr as evidenced perhaps once a year on this site). Beyond that this is not a themed event although we will be opening such soon-to-be legendary BWE wines like the 2003 Tour de Mons, and other "exotic" and rare(ly found in the typical BWEr's cellar) wines.

Jay Winton · Post by **Jay Winton** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:58 pm

Peace in the valley. Tell you what, it's probably about time we got the local DC BWEs together. All will be invited. The theme will be BWE togetherness. I will organize. Come one, come all.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 3:37 am

Well, the '88 Climens was soooooo good... I brought home the last couple of ounces and Peggy just went gaga over it as well. Found it for $130/btl at Hart Davis Hart. Wish I'd bought more at $50 on release, but this is well worth it at $130. I left a few bottles behind if anyone is interested.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 12:43 am

At the BWE SF event hosted by Werner and SFEd I spoke with Stuart aka SDR about doing a formal 1982 event in NYC in the fall of 2012. I didn't know then that I would be back in London in 2012. But it looks like I might be back in November, so if anyone is interested maybe we could do a formal BWE event then. It would be the second Saturday in Nov, the 9th I believe. Right now I can't guarantee I will be here, but it is better than 50% chance and I am just throwing it out there. Obviously it would be all inclusive first come first served...the only imposition would be to bring a notionally viable 82 Bordeaux.

As for last Saturday David's notes were pretty spot on and I hope Chris, Ramon and Patrick will chime in at some point. The white flight was brilliant. I loved the creme caramel of the Beau, the creamy lemon meringue of the Pape and the petrol austerity of the CSH. The right bank flight didn't wow me. Certan de May was by far the most interesting wine. But it was really uncouth with an abrasive tannic mid palate, which was really alluring and so much happening with this wine. The L'Evangile frankly was boring. Old and leathery, plenty thick and juicy, it was on a slow boat to China. The Canon was resolved and tasted like a fairly generic merlot. The next flight of St Julien was way better. The Branaire was young and taut and really poised, the Talbot had that to die for Cordier funky nose, while the Gruaud had the added beef on the mid palate. Super wines. The Margaux ran away with the next flight, and it was just a great bottle. I've had this wine several times and it has been bettered by other vintages of Margaux (83, 86 a few years back at Eleven Madison) and in April it skulked in the corner while Cheval Blanc, Haut Brion, Lafite, Mouton and Latour strutted their stuff. At that event Cheval and Haut-Brion were stand outs and I would have loved to have had this particular bottle of Margaux in the mix - the one we had on Saturday. Of the other wines the GPL was the standout. Overall I think 1982 is a good vintage for current drinking. However how often to you sit down on a Friday night with your missus and open a 1982 - say a Talbot or Branaire Ducru? I suspect most of these wines go into tastings the likes of which we had on Saturday.

Re my earlier comment I would welcome expressions of Interest for a 1982 tasting in NYC on Nov 9th. Want to make sure the process is fully above board and fair.