2010 La Louviere has been uncorked...

[JimHow]

I know nothing about how this wine is rated, just picked it up in NH.
My first 2010....

[JimHow]

Not doing a lot for me at the outset, let's see if it puts on some weight with dinner.
Nice Graves nose, I'll give it that much.

[JimHow]

This wine seems a little light to me, it is walking a fine line between unappealing thinness and appealing elegance.

[JimHow]

The color is lovely, a healthy ruby/purple.
Distinctively Graves like on the nose, that alone scores it a couple points.

[JimHow]

I'm definitely not getting any big bad 2010 1986-like tannins. This wine is not "big."

[JimHow]

This wine could very well be a Jean-Nicolas-Maltais type of wine, but I'm still reserving judgment.

[JimHow]

This wine is thin. I'll generously give it 88 points because it does have a nice nose and, though boring, has a touch of elegance to it. Not at all what I expected from a 2010, based on what I've read.

[OrlandoRobert]

Sorry to hear of this.

The 1990 La Louviere is my epiphany Bordeaux. I distinctly recall it being the first Bordeaux I bought out of law school. I brought it to a family gathering for Thanksgiving, and my dad, brother-in-law and I popped it with a 1992 Caymus. While all loved the black cherry goodness of the Cab, but wow, the earth and tobaccos that the Bordeaux tossed us was intoxicating. I went and bought 6 more. Didn't know enough about Bdx to hold a few back. Drank them fairly young and enjoyed all of them. Enjoyed them enough to load up on a bunch of Bdx that year ('89 Pichon Baron, '90 Lynch Bages, '90 Pichon Lalande, '89 Olivier, and some more that I cannot recall - the good 'ole days!). Recently enjoyed the 2005 quite a bit. My local retailer has some 1990 that just came in for $100 each. I may be spring for one for a trip down memory lane. Or perhaps I should just let memories be. I'm waffling.

I'm drinking another 2010 Cambon La Pelouse tonight. Popped it last night to go with some spicy grilled sausage. Just damn good stuff for all of $20.

[Nicklasss]

From what I read, my type of wine for 20$, but La Louvière is around 50$ here...

A bit dissapointing for a 2010, seem like La Louvière did not Parkerized their wine... So sad for them .

Nic

[JimHow]

I paid like $43 in NH, too much.
Curious, what does HWSRN say about this ?

[JimHow]

Looks like He did not even review the 2010 La Louviere, probably not a good sign.

[AlexR]

Jim,

Drinking a 2010 La Louvière is kind of like pedophilia...

I don't know how many bottles you bought, or how hard it is for you to restock, but I'm convinced that if you open another bottle in 10 years and look then at what you paid for it, you will be fully satisfied.

La Louvière is a great growth in all but name. The château is one of the most beautiful in the reason and they make good, very reasonably priced red and white wine. I recently had a 2000 that was in fine fettle.

When to drink your Bordeaux is always an issue but, honestly, most people would agree that it's just too damned early to drink 2010s (a great vintage).

I'll be going to a tasting of 2010 Right Bank wines two Saturdays from now and will report.

All the best,
Alex R.

[Houndsong]

Hmm.

[dan-the-man]

RP gave it 85-87 pts: "Subtle hints of olives intermixed with black currants, cherries and spicy oak are present in this medium-bodied, well-made effort. While good, it is not one of the stars of the vintage."

[JimHow]

Well of course it is young, Alex, it was consumed to determine whether I want to buy more.
I'm just a country lawyer from Maine (see Oxford County Courthouse, where I was practicing this morning), I don't just buy cases of wine based on how pretty the chateau is!
Thanks for the report, Dan, I would say He Who Shall Remain Nameless has it scored about right at 85-87 points. For the price it is not worth it.

[OrlandoRobert]

Does this DQ me from the "country lawyer" mantra?:


Orlando federal court, where I was last week.


My home away from home . . . .

But alas, country boy or no, I'd rather be here:



Ch. La Louviere

[JimHow]

Wow, you fancy big city lawyers....

[OrlandoRobert]

Wow, you fancy big city lawyers....

LOL . . . NOT. Orlando is still the "sticks"!

[Chasse-Spleen]

It's tough to find good Bordeaux these days.... But I will hopefully report with a good tasting soon.
-Chasse

[AlexR]

Of course, the photo posted isn't actually that of Château la Louvière...

Jim,

I agree, a château's architectural beauty is hardly the most important feature of a wine.... But it *does* seem part of the whole to me.
When you visit an estate or a winery, you end up having a different relationship with the wine in the glass. You relate to the site, the people you meet and, yes, even the architecture. I makes the stuff so much more than a disembodied product subject to percentage point ranking...

When I think of the first growths, for instance, the classic proportions of Margaux, the tower at Latour, the monumental cellar at Mouton are all part of my mind's eye perception of the wine. That's something that has been missing at Pétrus, for instance: no visual identity. They have, however, just built a new cellar, which I would very much like to visit one day.
With Izak Litwar ("Lafleur"), I went to Montrose last month. They have spent millions on a palatial new cellar. Grandiose.

In fact, it was the genius of Bordeaux to have invented the château concept, to make the the proctologist in Cedar Rapids imagine having a meal in that château on the label by candlelight with a beautiful woman in an evening dress and playing footsie with her...

All the best,
Alex R.

[Claret]

The 1990 was a great wine and a bargain.

[JimHow]

Hey, me and my buddy Bobby Parker think the 2010 is a mid-80-point wine....
He's The Man.

[JimHow]

I'm going to try the 2009 d'Escurac tonight for the third time at my Thursday night steak dinner with my father.
I really liked this $20 wine the first two times, I really want to examine it and see if it is as solid as it appears.

[JimHow]

Boy the 2009 d'Escurac is a nice little $20 Medoc, no? Is this wine always this good, or is this just a case of not being able to make bad wine in 2009? Beautiful left bank nose, nice depth on the palate. Tasted 3 times so far, very consistent. 90 points, excellent QPR.

[JimHow]

My limited impression of this property is that it is Lanessan-like.

[Chasse-Spleen]

I like best the 'playing footsie' part. Now, that's what wine is about for me!

[greatbxfreak]

La Louviere white is usually better then red version.