2010 Bordeaux Buying Plan?

[OrlandoRobert]

Ok boys and girls, I'm new here, so disavow me if another thread exists on this subject. I searched, but alas, found nothing.

Reading what the esteemed critics write, and I think I may prefer 2010 to 2009. The 2010s are about to be scored by Uncle Bob and will start hitting the shelves soon.

So what's the buying plan for the 2010 - i.e., recommendations (especially if you have had the fortune to try them)? Are there certain wines to be as futures/pre-releases?

Think of it in three categories:

The Whoppers (the 96+ point must-haves within reason price-wise)

The Middle-Weights (the sub-$75 crowd that wows you)

The Daily Drinkers ($30 and under)

I buy in all these categories, but obviously, the higher on the scale, the less the volume 'cause I'm poor like that.

Cheers all.

RA

[Chateau Vin]

Am not into 2010s unless the prices come down...But I will be attending UGC on the 21st and I can give my 2 cents after that...

[Tom In DC]

BWE'ers are still operating under the BDB (benevolent dictator ban) on 2010 purchases, brought on by outrage at the EP opening prices. I am also going to UGC here in DC next week and will report back soon thereafter.

[Comte Flaneur]

OK, to get the ball rolling...

Having tasted this, the greatest vintage since the Jurassic era, if I had a large budget I would not hesitate the buy the following (in descending order of price):

La Conseillante
Pape Clement
Leoville-Barton
Gruaud Larose
Branaire Ducru

If more cash constrained I would limit it to the latter two (or three).

These five producers made their greatest ever wines in 2010. I am sure several others did too.

[robertgoulet]

I will be looking at the Margaux appellation and from what I understand is more consistent this yr than '09...if that's true then go long

Looking at reasonably priced offers..Alter ego will be a must...Giscours, Kirwan, Rausan Gas, Malescot, D'issan and Cantenac Brown could all be great options.

I will also look closely at Pessac, most likely the la mish second label la chappelle and of course SHL.

Maybe my good buddy Mr. Litwar can chime in on his thoughts

[OrlandoRobert]

OK, to get the ball rolling...

Having tasted this, the greatest vintage since the Jurassic era, if I had a large budget I would not hesitate the buy the following (in descending order of price):

La Conseillante
Pape Clement
Leoville-Barton
Gruaud Larose
Branaire Ducru

If more cash constrained I would limit it to the latter two (or three).

These five producers made their greatest ever wines in 2010. I am sure several others did too.

LOL, some of my fave BDX listed there!!!

The Branaire Durcu is $59 and Brane Cantenac is $55 at Premier Cru. Been eyeing those.

[pomilion]

Going to the UGC in Los Angeles this Saturday and will post some thoughts afterwards. 2010 Grand Puy Lacoste (widely available under $100) is intriguing to me. Parker gave it a solid but not spectacular score (93-96, which ought to be high but for RMP these days is middling...) but other critics, including Neil Martin, have scored it higher -- it's Neil's second highest bordeaux score (97-99 pts) for the vintage, tied with Chateau Margaux and bested only by Mouton Rothschild.

[OrlandoRobert]

Really interested in seeing everyone's take from the UGC. Please post details impressions. Will be really helpful.

GPL is a winner in most years. An archetype for left bank.

Thanks!

[DavidG]

The '10s are a total pass for me, because:

Prices are too high.
Wines will require too long to come around given the high tannins and acids and my preference for aged wines plus my advancing years.
Got enough (too much?) Bdx in the cellar already.

[OrlandoRobert]

David -

Mind if I ask how old you are? I'm 47, and curious when you guys think we hit that age where buying classic years is a pass given the time to full maturation.

I used your rationale on the '09s, in part. Taking a pass on the big guns because of price, and actually bought a small cache of '82s and '86s for prices that were comparable to the '09s. Bought GPL, Talbot, Sociando, La Lagune, Gruard Larose and Ducru. An easy decision, eh?

Mature wines appear to have shot up in price in the last 12 months now that the pricing for the '10s were set and U.S. economic conditions appear to be firming up.

I would love to backfill on the 2000 vintage, which I largely missed due to life issues. I am loaded on '05s.

[stefan]

I bought six cases of 2010 because the prices were too good, relatively speaking, to pass up. I figure my kids will drink them after I have gone to That Great Tasting Room in the Sky.

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

I admit, this thread spurred/enabled me to come up with a plan. With many 10s arriving imminently or this fall I was loathe to purchase because I have no storage here. This was beside the point that I just wasn't too interested, and the pricing wasn't so nice. But I managed to kill two of the objections in one fell swoop. I availed myself of Premier Cru's "extended storage" option and ordered a case of Talbot at what appears to be an advantageous price for delivery in 2016 or later. Of course it comes with PC's famous implied "buyer's put option" allowing me a replacement, store credit or refund of purchase price should the wine never arrive, so long as the company remains in business. Well played, sir.

[OrlandoRobert]

Awaiting BobbyGoulet's notes from last night's ABC/UGC tasting of the 2010s.

I got a few cryptic texts, last one saying "I'm in pain".

[Chasse-Spleen]

BD! Say it ain't so! Lift the ban!
Chasse

[DavidG]

Robert - turning 57 next week. Given that the "purpose" of the Bordeaux in my cellar is to be drunk once it's developed a lot of those tertiary characteristics, I'm looking at 15-20 years of aging prior to entering the sweet spot of the drinking window. That alone is not a reason to pass on the 2010s. But combine it with the fact that I've got plenty of older Bdx already in the pipeline, and the likelihood that the acids and tannins in the 2010s will mean they're likely to take 20-25 years to develop the magic I'm looking for, and it just doesn't make sense to buy this vintage.

So when's the right time to slow down buying Bordeaux due to age? Tough question! Who wants to bet against themselves? But it's not just an age thing. It also depends on how much is already in your cellar, current and predicted consumption levels, where the current stock is in its aging curve and the maturity level at which you prefer to drink them.

(OK for vintage Port it may be just an age thing. Not buying VP any more either)

[Blanquito]

My thinking, in stages...
Part 1: 2010 = insane, stupid pricing. Many 82 Bordeaux can be had today for less than the 2010s.

Part 2: Happy birthday, David! We both like 'em old and complex. I turn 42 in a few months, and I'm not sure I want to wait on 25-30 year wines either. Many 86's, while finally living up to their promise in general, still aren't as mature as I like them. We had an amazing 86 Cos at an Ian-'n'-Ramon's Fabio's dinner that was still a pup.

Part 3: Consumption. Sad truth is, I already can drink less now than when I was in my 30's and I assume that intolerance continues downward with the advancing decades. Who needs more than 2000+ bottles even in their early 40's?

Part 4: I did take advantage of the BD's-temporary-PC-weekend-pricing exemption to snap up a mixed case of 2010's: La Dominique (half bottles for $25) and d'Issan (750's for $46). Art's Talbot play has me curious, too.

[Outlier]

I'm off to the San Francisco UGC tomorrow; am so looking forward to it. I confess I have picked up my fair share of '10 pre-arrivals\futures already. I haven't tasted anything fo '10 yet, but am a little daunted by the suggested maturity window. Will see how things go tomorrow. So far, I've gone long on La Dominique and Haut Bergey on one end of the spectrum and got a little Angelus, Beausejour Duffau, SHL and Ducru on the upper end. Will share notes after I recover from tomorrow's tasting.

[DavidG]

Welcome Outlier!

Though I'm not buying, I'm still interested. Look forward to hearing your impressions. Have a great time!

[JonoB]

http://www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com/ ... f=4&t=2833

These were my thoughts from a buying trip for the company to Bordeaux in April 2011.

I tasted at the London UGC, and the wines had calmed and showed well... my thoughts remain consistent with my original opinions.

[RDD]

I won't buy at the current prices.
Have many cases of older vintages that are ready to drink.
Plus there are too many bargains from other areas.

[stefan]

>>
I assume that intolerance continues downward with the advancing decades.
>>

Err, that is not correct, Patrick, at least for Lucie and me. When our kids were young we had less leisure time for ourselves and consequently drank less wine. Now that we are empty nesters we drink wine with dinner virtually every night and when we reunite with the kids our consumption goes up because they also like wine and we are in a social situation. Also, we now have more and better wine since every $ we spent on kids when they were young went to buying wine once they were off the family dole, so we are encouraged to drink more.

[Nicklasss]

Like for 2009, I will buy a majority of Crus Bourgeois. But I have secured some Calon-Segur and Sociando-Mallet already.

Nic

[Bacchus]

Stefan, I like your style!

[OrlandoRobert]

http://www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com/ ... f=4&t=2833

These were my thoughts from a buying trip for the company to Bordeaux in April 2011.

I tasted at the London UGC, and the wines had calmed and showed well... my thoughts remain consistent with my original opinions.

Wow, an impressive read! An impress trip, too.

Thanks for posting.

[Outlier]

I attended the San Francisco UGC event last night - my first attendance at UGC. Let me start by saying that it was an AMAZING event, certainly for any Bordeaux lover. It's just a two hour window and one has to navigate about 80 producers, some of which are showing their whites too, so it's a lot of wine (mais, quelle problem d'avoir...) . I managed to taste about 45 wines. I wish I covered more ground, but the time flied. I pretty much missed wherever the Pauillac section was but covered good ground across most other appellations. It was particularly fun to find myself getting pours of Canon la Gaffiliere from the likes of Count Stephen von Neipperg! This was definitely a high-brow night. Dinner afterwards soaked things up a bit although one tragedy is that I left my tasting notes on the Cal-train on the way home, so I can only go by memory. I have a very good memory though (for wine only ). I attended with a close friend and fellow Bordeaux lover and both of us seemed to have similar opinions on the wines we tasted, for what its worth. Our tastes err towards valuing subtlety, finesse and elegance over power. My impressions and taste preferences generally seem to align with Suckling's too, if that's any guide.

The highlight of the night for me was Domaine de Chevallier Blanc. This was simply monumental in every way, utterly captivating and the key quality I found was one of restraint; restrained exuberance. I got goosebumps all over. Is it worth the price? Yes, and then some. The other white Bordeaux also showed very well, in particular Malartic Lagraviere and SHL. Pape Clement was a little disappointing to me - give me the Domaine de Chavallier any day. Generally, the experience reinforced to me that the Bordeaux Blancs are somewhat underappreciated, and thereby under-priced, and I'm not even that much of a white wine guy.. The Sauternes were also stunning - like liquid Creme Brulee, in particular the Suduiraut (quelle suprise ). Still, onto the main event, the reds..

The big guns were indeed very structured and I confess I'm not the best judge here of what they may evolve into in fifteen or twenty years. Consiellante, Clinet and Figeac were all particularly firm, dry and likely require a particuarly long time before they show what they have (<15 years, methinks?). To keep things short (I know this is turning into an essay), the reds that really spoke to me, especially as I'm mindful of their associated price-point were, not necessarily in order of preference:

Lafon Rochet - this was so classic, understated and elegant. Needs more time obviously, but it struck me as so civilized and polished. I wouldn't have guessed that something like this would stand out as the red wine of the night for me, but strangely it did, and for my friend too - perhaps it was very well decanted in advance? Who knows.
Clos Fourtet (Dynamic and had a modern feel to it - it was frankly scrumptious) .
Kirwan (Racy, no edge anywhere, strangely approachable now). The owner was thrilled I was able to show her a recent photo of my drinking the '66 Kirwan
Picque Caillou - I wasn't familiar with this one and only had some by chance as the station to either side was too busy. This was quite a treat and apparently is <$30. It struck me as excellent at this pricepoint (vs. the likes of Coufran, Cantemerle and Siran also tasted on the night, at somewhat similar pricepoints).
Canon - I much preferred this to the Canon la Gaffeliere next to it which seemed twangy and rustic though perhaps will appeal to some. The Canon hit me like the Clos Fourtet did - utterly compelling, wonderful and classy, though perhaps more traditional.
Lascombes - another wine that gave me goosebumps. It's a pity it's gotten somewhat pricey, but it really was excellent, better than the '05 of which I've had many.
Malescot St. Exupery - another wonder of the night, although not as sexy as the '09 which is one of my very favorites of that vintage.
Larcis Ducasse - very striking, intense, sumptuous - more lively that the Pavie Macquin next to it.

The above were some standouts to me (sorry I don't have better descriptions). I regret that I missed tasting so many wines - I was looking forward to trying the likes of Leoville Poyferre, Leoville Barton, Lynch Bages and Clerc Milon and the list goes on...

Overall, this was probably the best tasting event I've ever done. It was so well organized, though crowded, one could still navigate pretty well. The pours were generous and you got to drink a lot more than $85 worth of Bordeaux (the entrance fee for the event). It was so stimulating to taste so many great Bordeaux from the same vintage and grouped together by appellation - it made it easier to discern the subtle differences between the wines and thereby provided a more educational experience compared with say a similar big Italian tasting night I was at recently where I'd be jumping from Brunello to Amarone and then onto Barolo...

Anyways, phew, what a night... Till next year...

[JimHow]

Wow!

[Bacchus]

+1

Sounds like a really great night, and most importantly, sounds like you really enjoyed yourself. Congratulations.

[DavidG]

Well done!!!

Lascombes even better than '05? Now you've even got me interested. Lots of tannin & acid structure in that one?

[Blanquito]

Crap! Cellar, make way for some 2010 Bordeaux!

[JimHow]

The one time I had Clos Fourtet was the 2006 vintage and I found it stunning. I can just imagine how greet it is from a great year. Unfortunately, it has skyrocketed in price.

[marcs]

Jim, Premier Cru has the 2010 Clos Fourtet futures for $70 a bottle...if you're willing to take that risk .

[pomilion]

Great notes, Outlier, and glad you had a great time! My wife and I went to the Los Angeles UGC this afternoon and just finished our traditional post-UGC sushi and mineral water feast at home. I will post some notes tomorrow, but suffice it to say that it was another great UGC, up there with the UGC events for the 2005 and 2009 vintages. These are must-attend yearly tastings imho for serious bordeaux fans. They are crowded, a bit overwhelming and not very relaxing, but for a modest price you can choose among 120+ wines to taste. Fantastic way to get a feel for a vintage and what you might like to buy. 2010 seems a bit more acidic and tannic than 2009 (on a few wines the tannins were a bit too grippy, chalky and drying for my taste), but many of the wines were very well balanced with great fruit, perfect acidity and nicely polished tannins. Unless you're only a few years from that big tasting room in the sky, you'll want to own some of these 2010s. Many of them will be ready to drink sooner than you might think, certainly almost all within 10-18 years. Some very impressive heavy hitters, but lots of wonderful wines at the more modest end of the price spectrum ($30-$50) too. We should all thank our BD for having the wisdom, grace and compassion to lift the BWE 2010 ban.

Will post my notes on the wines tomorrow, I'm a bit wiped tonight.

[JonB]

I'm disappointed to miss this year's UGC; it is always a great learning experience. My youngest son had the flu and we decided to not make the trip. I would have earned big brownie points for staying home with my wife but spent a lot of the weekend reorganizing the cellar, as well as shellac-ing several OWC that seemed to carry a distinct odor. Just rooting through the cellar made me realize how much stuff I have.....I'm not buying any more big guns for 2010 (I have a case of Malescot and a half case of Smith Haut Lafitte, all in halfs, from PC). Too many bottles, not enough time.

[DavidG]

Jon, this discussion made me reassess the size of our cellar and our consumption rate. We're at about steady state the past 2 years, but we need to be slowly reducing the number of bottles in there.

[JimHow]

That's almost worth the gamble at that price Marc. PJs still has the 2006 for something like $55, I think I'll pick up a couple.

[pomilion]

Here are my impressions from yesterday's UGC tasting of the 2010s in Los Angeles. First, I should say something about my strategy at UGC tastings. I usually end up tasting half or fewer of the wines -- 35 to 50 is about all I can handle, and I like to revisit a number of them and do some comparisons later in the tasting. So I'm sure I missed a few nice wines. The only white I tasted was de Fieuzal (very nice) and I didn't taste any sauternes/barsac (have a ton of 01s I don't drink often enough).

Overall, this is a fantastic vintage -- a bit more tannic, acidic and minerally in many cases (there are always exceptions) than 09, but not in a jarring or problematic way. Many of the wines were very balanced, and many feature fruit as lush and beautiful as the 09s (if, on average, not quite as dense). 2010 as a vintage is clearly right up there with 2005 and 2009 (and arguably left bank 2003) as one of the great bordeaux vintages of the past decade. There were lots of wonderfully promising wines at every price point. I was particularly struck by how many modestly-priced winners I tasted.

Modestly-Priced Favorites (in no particular order):

Haut Bergey, Latour-Martillac, La Pointe, La Tour Carnet, Lafon Rochet, de Fieuzal. These are all very tasty wines, and all under $50 if you look hard enough. I'd be very happy to own a case or two of any of these. I don't know if we'll see as many terrific $20 2010s as with the 09s, but in the $30-$50 range 2010 is a wonderful vintage and probably the equal of 09.

Other, more expensive favorites and not-so-favorites (sketchy impressions, didn't take detailed notes):

Pauillac

Pichon Lalande -- hard to evaluate - very rich, fruity, amorphous and barrel-samply, with nice savory and smoky elements. Tasted more like a young CA cab than any of the other big-name wines. Not a hint of green. Not much tannic spine or acidic zing at this stage. Left me scratching my head -- could be great in 15 years, who knows? Didn't taste like prototypical PL.

Pichon Baron -- better than the Lalande, great fruit/balance/concentration/elegance, one of the top wines of the tasting.

Lynch Bages – large-scaled wine, but a little hollow, plasticy and disjointed. Not close to the 09 at last year's UGC.

Haut-Bages Liberal -- nice but a little watery, not as good as '09 (which is fantastic for the price).

[Grand Puy Lacoste – strangely, this appears to have been tasted at the SF UGC but was absent in Los Angeles. Too bad, was really looking forward to it.]

St. Julian

Beychevelle – nice medium-bodied wine but nothing stood out to me. Would be a very nice wine for $40-50, way overpriced now.

Branaire Ducru – medium-bodied, nice length, very noticeable dusty/grippy tannins

Gruaud Larose -- excellent, great fruit against a smoky/ashy/beefy backdrop, this will be wonderful in 12-15 years. Maybe a half-notch below the 09 but very good. One of my favorites of the day.

Leoville Barton -- excellent, brighter and less savory than the Gruaud, herb and eucalyptus notes, very tannic. Will take longer than most of the wines at the tasting to come around, should be good to go in 20-25 years.

Leoville Poyferre -- excellent, modern and fruit-forward as expected, not quite as good as the 09 but should be fully open for business in 10 years.

Saint Pierre – intense fruit but great balance and elegance, nice smoke and camphor notes, the complete package – one of my favorite wines of the tasting.

St. Estephe

Phelan Segur – not bad but preferred Lafon Rochet for the price.

Lafon Rochet – no specific notes but very well balanced, not overly tannic. One of my favorite under-$50 wines of the tasting.

Margaux

Didn't taste as many Margaux wines as I intended to, and wasn't blown away by anything I did try.

Brane Cantenac – nice but didn’t move me to take any specific notes.

Cantenac Brown – best I’ve tasted from them, nice wine.

Giscours – very nice, a little more acidic/tannic than 09 but very solid.

Lascombes – dense, large-scaled wine, tons of fruit, more acidic than usual. Easier to taste the past couple vintages because the oak treatment seems toned down a little.

Malescot -- excellent, noticeably brighter and more acidic than 09, just a smidge behind its older sibling in overall quality.

Graves/Pessac-Leognan

Domaine de Chevalier Rouge – a notch below the 09, more tannic and backward, but still a very nice wine.

de Fieuzal Rouge -- excellent for the price, attractive spicy notes, tannic – may take a while to come around.

Haut Bailly – very tasty, too bad it’s doubled in price recently. $150, really…?

Haut Bergey -- very nice, worthy purchase at $35, ready to drink.

LaTour-Martillac -- first time tasting this wine, impressive for the price point ($35-40)

Pape Clement -- intense, a little plasticy, not worth the freight…

Smith Haut Lafitte -- excellent, too bad it's 2-3 times more expensive than it was just 5-6 years ago, used to be one of my favorites…

St. Emilion

Canon – nice, not worth the freight.

Canon La Gaffeliere -- excellent, this will be wonderful in 10-12 years. CLG doesn't get as much love as it deserves, I suppose because it's somewhat modern-styled and easy-drinking and viewed as sort of a gateway drug for CA cab lovers wanting to get into bordeaux. While there may be some truth to those characterizations, CLG is a wonderful wine in many vintages, including 2010 which is perfectly balanced -- intense and light-on-its-feet at the same time, great fruit with a perfect spine, a hint of exotic spices -- a terrific wine, one of my favorites from the tasting. (As an aside, I've included 05 CLG in blind bordeaux tastings several times with other 05s 2-3 times as expensive, and CLG usually finishes at or near the top of everyone's list. This is no doubt due in part to CLG being easier to understand and drink at a younger age, but it's nonetheless in my book a top tier chateau.)

Clos Fourtet -- excellent, more tannic and a notch below the 09 but still a great wine.

Larcis Ducasse – meh, I’m still waiting for something close to the 05 (monumental) from them…

Pavie Macquin – okay, a little candied and plasticy.

Troplong Mondot -- the most controversial wine of the tasting by a mile. I don't mind modern-styled bordeaux, as you can probably tell, but this is just too much. It's delicious in a CA-styled, almost syrah or zinfandel-like, way (though slightly plasticy) -- but it just doesn't taste like bordeaux. Makes Pavie taste like Figeac... I've liked some modern vintages of Troplong Mondot (bought a case of the 05 which was mind-blowing at the UGC 5 years ago) but it seems like they swing for the fences (at the edge of over-ripeness) far too often -- maybe once in a while you'll inspire comparisons to 1947 Cheval Blanc, but more often than not you end up with a hot, CA-like monster.

Pomerol


Clinet -- very smooth, deep and savory, a little less intense than 09 but in my view at the same level. A little lighter on its feet perhaps. Very impressive - one of my top wines of the tasting.

Gazin -- excellent, unfortunately tasted right after Clinet which totally outclasses it, but at half the price worth a look.

La Conseillante -- I admit to being influenced by the label in this case. In a bad way -- I know how much it costs (second most expensive wine at the tasting after - inexplicably - Figeac) and I expect a lot. Very nice wine but Clinet blows it away for 40% less.

Le Bon Pasteur -- meh for the price, not bad but for close to $100 there are many other 10s I'd rather drink/own.

La Pointe – great for the price (especially for Pomerol). Angelus’ Hubert de Bouard consults here, and that seems to have kicked the wine up a notch.


Overall, a great tasting. This was my wife's and my sixth UGC, and it's always one of my favorite wine events of the year. There’s absolutely nothing charming, intimate or relaxing about it -- but it's always an amazing opportunity to assess a vintage and figure out what should be on my wish list.

Wines of the tasting: Clinet, Canon La Gaffeliere, Saint Pierre

Runners Up, Also Terrific: Leoville Barton, Leoville Poyferre, Gruaud Larose, Pichon Baron, Clos Fourtet

Best Modestly-Priced Wines of the Tasting (didn’t get to quite a few – just what I tasted): Haut Bergey, Latour-Martillac, La Pointe, La Tour Carnet, Lafon Rochet, de Fieuzal

Top Overall Region: St. Julian

Longest Lines: Lynch Bages, Clinet, Pape Clement, Pichon Lalande

[Bacchus]

Thanks Pomilion. Sounds like a great time -- great approach to tasting by the way. Interesting that you prefer lots of '09s to '10s. 08 was the last year I bought PLL; '09 is nuts, '10 nuttier. Looks like Haut Bergey is on a roll; nice '09 and now a nice '10 too.

[OrlandoRobert]

I bought Haut Bergey in 05, 06, 08 and 09, so will probably continue the trend for '10. Lots of punch for the price.

[JimHow]

I bought some 2009 Haut Bergey (HWSRN94) this week for $32 each, I'll try one and report in.

[DavidG]

Haut Bergey was a value play for me as well.