Vintages of the noughties revisited

[Comte Flaneur]

I was reading this tasting of 2002 first growths today and I was surprised at Stephen Browett's vintage rankings.

http://www.farrvintners.com/blog.php?blog=136

My only observation would be aged ten the FGs are probably in a very awkward position. He criticised some of them for being too lean. In my book that is a plus.

As applied only to lefties, my pecking order would now be:

2009
2005
2000 (elevated because now I get it)
2008
2002
2001
2006
2004
2003
2007

[JonoB]

For me...

2005
2000
2009
2006
2008
2002
2001
2004
2007 (I think these will show well eventually though and in time will be above 04)
2003

[dbg]

Fun topic. So far there is agreement on the top 3:

2005
2000
2009 (could move up but the ones that "count" are still too young to be sure)
2008
2003 (admittedly based on selected wines that avoided the burnt raisin curse, otherwise this would be down there with 2007)
2002
2001
2006
2004
2007

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

2000
2002
2001

I will wait until I've drunk the others at age 10 to finish out the rankings. It only seems fair. And it gives my readership something to look forward to.

[OrlandoRobert]

2005 is tops IMHO.

[JimHow]

For me:

2002 (On the left bank, the greatest vintage ever?)
2009 (Early impressions extremely positive, may eclipse 2002.)
2006 (Extremely underrated. As Omar said above, one of the vintages of the decade.)
2000 (I'm confused.)
2005 (Coming around.)
2003 (Spotty, greatness achieved in the area around Pontet Canet.)
2004 (Midling vintage. Nothing to kick out of bed.)
2007 (Underrated, but I agree with the consensus that this is early drinking.)
2001 (Eh....)
2008 (Not very good in general.)

[SF Ed]

Jim - what 2002 FGs do you want to taste in Dallas? Seems like they won't be ready, but I gottem. How about Haut Brion? Usually the earliest drinking of the FGs.

SF Ed

[JimHow]

Sounds good to me Ed, I have three 2002 Haut Brions in my cellar sitting there, let's drink some 2002 in Dallas now at age eleven! I'll bring some 2002s as well.

[OrlandoRobert]

I need to try some 2002s.

Interesting how beloved they seem to be on this Board, yet I never purchased a single bottle from that vintage and I do not think that I have even tried one.

Recommendations on the 2002 winners (outside of FGs)?

[JimHow]

If you like traditional, stern, opposite-of-Parkerized, "the way they used to make 'em," Oxford-Cambridge claret, Roberto, the 2002L vintage is for you. Wines we have loved have included, among others:

Pichon Baron
Lafite
Mouton
Lynch Bages
Smith Haut Lafitte
d'Issan
Branaire Ducru
Lagrange
Leoville Poyferre (BWE Wine of the Year)
Leoville Barton
Palmer
Haut Bailly
Sociando Mallet
Montrose
Lafon Rochet
Duhart Milon

And numerous others from the left bank.

[Bacchus]

I'm sold on 05 and 06 and have bundles of both. I'm keeping 05 ahead of 09 because I like it's structure better. 09s are just a little too round for me. They're not as flabby as an 03 SHL, in fact the one's I've tasted so far aren't really flabby at all, but they don't have quite the edge I like. 04s are weird. There are times when I think they've been badly underrated and times when I get a real green streak and think they belong somewhere in the middle of the pack. One thing about them, they're not spoofy. 03 is too variable to say: love the PLL, like the Giscours, dislike the Clerc Milon as well as the SHL (have yet to touch any of my PC stock). I have yet to try an 07 of any sort, so can't really say. They received so much bad press I thought I'd save my pennies for safer vintages. I'm not as down on 08 as Jim is, but it's clearly not a great year either (what was that chap from Maryland thinking?). I bought a few classified growths that I normally like (Haut Bailly, DomChev, PLL), gambled on Leo-P, which I don't normally buy, but not trusting the vintage that much I bought no cheapies! Fortunately, the price made the better houses a little more affordable that year (based solely on the reviews I'm still considering picking up some Pichon Baron). I can't help but wonder if they'll improve with time.

Anyone try the 02 Cos d'Estournel?

[JimHow]

I have several bottles of 2002 Cos d'Estournel but do not recall ever trying one. I think the reviews here have been positive.

[Blanquito]

Parker really retreated on the 08s, didn't he? His barrel scores were much higher than for the final product, probably the biggest gap I can think of across the board. Glad I didn't go long on the 08s.

[OrlandoRobert]

Parker really retreated on the 08s, didn't he? His barrel scores were much higher than for the final product, probably the biggest gap I can think of across the board. Glad I didn't go long on the 08s.

I bought a decent amount of QPRs in 375 for regular drinking wine, but did not buy what I called "collectable" Bdx from this vintage.

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

I thought that several of the 08s were pretty substantial. I bought and tried a few, like DdC, that are usually at the fringes of my walletgrasp. I'm sure they will be fine down the line - maybe not in some comparative tastings, but on the dinner table by themselves. I probably won't be able to tell anyway.

At this stage, especially for someone relatively new to Bdx, (kinda like me) anything that's not the vintage of the century is bound to seem underwhleming right out of the gate. There have been a lot of exceptional wines in the last 15 years it seems to me. A lot of good ones too but good doesn't feed the bulldog anymore.

[JimHow]

"He's very good."

"He's the king out there, Father."

"He's the best."

"He's great, he's great."

--Saturday Night Fever, 1977

[stefan]

2000 both banks
2002 left bank
2001 right bank
2001 left bank
2002 right bank

Time will tell on other vintages. Some '03 left bankers are promising. '05 looks to be great across the board. '04 is OK on the left; I have not tried enough on the right to guess.

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

By the way, an 02 isn't really aged 10 until spring 13 at the earliest, right? I mean the 10-year anniversary of the 02 harvest is fall 12 but the 02s did not debut until when, March or April 03? And that's not even the finished assemblage sometimes, let alone the finished wine, unless I'm mistaken. Basically, for me this seriously undermines the credibility of the referenced panel. They can't even count 10. Not sure I'd trust their scores on a scale double that.

I suppose they could be right, but to me it seems like saying a human being is nine months old at birth. (not going there, by the way.)

I'd also add I would not trust any panel that was hatched by a commie. I also think it's weird that he was referred to as "EPR" and then you have RP, and his website is often called "E-Bob" thus ERP. The more I look into this the less I like it. I don't like it at all, in fact.

[OrlandoRobert]

"He's very good."

"He's the king out there, Father."

"He's the best."

"He's great, he's great."

--Saturday Night Fever, 1977

That movie, and American Gigolo, taught me how to score with chicks.

Chicks love a finely dressed man that man shake his tooshy!

[Blanquito]

I agree, there have really been only good-to-great vintages in Bordeaux over the last decade, including 2008 which is solid. Given such consistency, it all boils down to value, and Parker still sets the market: his hyping of the 08s in barrel drove some pretty aggressive en primeur tariffs from chateau, prices really only justifiable if HWSRN got it right.

He didn't, but at least he "admitted" it in bottle, albeit to late for those holding futures. For example, all three 2008 chateau I bought as futures had barrel scores with upper ranges of 95-97, and ended up around 92 pts. That spread means a huge difference in price, for better or worse. So we can say who cares about points, but they still control the price.

Another reason to consider futures a gamble.

[Claret]

By the way, an 02 isn't really aged 10 until spring 13 at the earliest, right? I mean the 10-year anniversary of the 02 harvest is fall 12 but the 02s did not debut until when, March or April 03.

I consider wine to be like racehorses. All of their birthday''s are January 1.