Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

The Saturday main event for BWE '14 in DC on 3/29 will be at Charlie Palmer Steak, 101 Constitution Ave NW. Start time is projected to be 6:00 PM.

I've put a deposit on the Alcove Room, which has served us well in the past, and it is now time to ask for payment to reserve your spots. The cost for the Saturday night dinner will be $200 per person. Please send checks to me at my office address, 6350 Stevens Forest Rd, Ste 101, Columbia, MD 21046.

That price will be all-inclusive (food, room, tax, tip, corkage, glassware) for a 1-hour reception with butlered hors d'oeuvres and inexpensive but decent NV Champagne for all (special bottles of bubbly welcome if anyone wishes to bring one), followed by a 3-course seated dinner (salad, choice of beef, salmon or tortelloni entree, and dessert), 3-4 decent wine glasses/person, and corkage for as many bottles as we wish to open.

We can do a blind tasting between the reception and dinner, or just have a suggested theme if desired. Our planning team thought "Cordier wines of the '80s" (Gruaud, Talbot, Meyney, Cantemerle) might be a topic of interest. Post your opinion.

The list of those who've expressed interest is below. I'll update it as I receive checks.

Paid
DavidG & Mrs. G (2)
Stefan + Lucie (2)
Jacques & Jill (2)
Mr. & Mrs. Vino (2)
SF Ed (1)
Timmy M + 2 (3)
Michael + Nalan (2)
JimHow +1 (2)
Tom + Gail (2)
Winona Chief + 1 (2)
Nic + Jean-Frédéric Mercille (2)
hm$ + Lisa (2)
Lori & Lee (2)
Rob & Susan (2)
Bob H and Barb (2)
Omar (1)
Steve and Jeanne M (2)

Total: 33
Limit: 40

Thanks, David. Out check is in the mail.

The suggested theme is attractive, but I don't think that we have any more Cordier wines from the 1980s. Perhaps I can find some at auctions if the theme is set soon enough.

Jill and I would like to attend.

Is there a dinner Friday evening?

David put us on the list please and I will send you a check tomorrow.

Sounds like things are shaping up nicely!
I'll get my check out tomorrow.

Jacques, I am delighted to put you and Jill on the list. There will definitely be a Friday dinner. Jay and Chris are working on it.

check out today. Thanks David. I may have some guests-how would you like their payment handled?

It doesn't matter who sends me the money Jay as long as I know the names and which group they're with.

It looks like hotels are getting pretty booked already... Is that just for cherry blossom season or something else going on that weekend?

The Cherry Blossom Festival is April 20 to May 13. We've overlapped it before without running into hotel issues. A quick check of several travel sites shows a lot of rooms in downtown DC, with a few at under $200 a night and many at $300 and up. I wouldn't hesitate to make a no-deposit or refundable-deposit reservation. But Howard is likely to find us a better deal sometime in mid-March.

Wow, this will be an amazing tasting, luv Cordier wines of the '80's

Join us, RG!

Doubtful, if anything I will be in OKC for division 1 NCAA collegiate wrestling nat'l championships, but I will be checking the site for all the interesting notes

We'll raise a glass to you anyway, even if only to curse your absence! Have fun in OKC.

To all -

Checks are starting to come in. I will be in New Orleans at our Academy meeting for a week beginning tomorrow, so if you sent a check and you don't see your name updated in the "Paid" section of the original post, no worries.

Thanks DavidG my check went out today.

We're also in "second oldest lie in the world" status as of today.

Check for Nalan and I is in the mail.

Michael-P

Looking forward to it!

Unfortunately I am not able to attend.

Disappointed, Claret, but we will see you again soon.

We'll miss you Glenn.

Disappointed but no way I can swing the time off to coordinate with event this year. I know everyone will have a great time as usual and we'll have to plan around BWE 2015. How about another trip to Bordeaux for 15th anniversary

Hey Danny, I think you need to be there to twist Jim's arm about next year's venue! We'll miss you.

I'm back and have updated the list with the checks that came in last week. If you sent one and I haven't moved your name to the "Paid" list, let me know.

I'm finally settled back in Washington and look forward to attending the Saturday dinner and other planned BWE events.

Great! Looking forward to sipping some fine northern Medocs with you in March Omar!

Good to hear, Omar. I look forward to seeing you again.

Just thought it was time to bring this back up to the front page to see if anyone else is interested, and as a reminder for those who have yet to send checks. No rush, I won't need payment until March 15.

Chris, your check arrived yesterday.

Hi David and all.

I confirm that I will have a guest. Another winelover, that I'll be happy to introduce to you.

Nic

Excellent, Nic! Looking forward to it.

Nic, your check showed up today.

My guest will send check this weekend.

Nic

my check was mailed . . .

hm$

Check sent today - sorry for the delay. Thanks hm$ for the heads up reminder.

Is the 80's Cordier blind tasting is going on? Any theme for that night? Unfortunately, I don't have any Cordier wine from the 80's, except a lonely bottle of the 1989 Château Cantemerle that Rob will bring back from his cellar.

I plan to bring two bottles of the same Pomerol for Saturday night, + 1 more bottle of red Bordeaux and probably a Champagne or à Sauternes.

Nic

I'm game for a blind tasting if there are enough wines to support one.

We would need 2 bottles each of several different wines. With '80s Cordier as a theme, we're talking 30 years old and I'm guessing not too many are to be found in peoples' cellars. Plus there's the increased risk of bottle variation at that age which can make a multiple-bottle blind tasting a crapshoot.

As an alternative, we could encourage people to bring 'em if they've got 'em but not do an organized blind tasting. Or pick another theme if we want a blind tasting.

Maybe "2002 Left Bank: The Best Vintage of the Millenium?" Pick 2 or 3 BD favorites from 2002L and taste them blind against the same wines from any other 2000-2010 vintage. I don't know if it would be a truer measure of the greatness of the vintage or of Jim's ability to generate votes. But it would be entertaining, especially in DC in a year in which he's contemplating a run for Congress. And a chance for Jim to tune up the old electioneering jalopy.

Hmm a blind tasting involving 2002L versus 2000?
Or 2002L against the world?
Perhaps three or four different properties, two bottles each from each vintage.
Some possible wines:
Cos, SHL, Lynch, Pontet Canet, Lagrange, d'Issan, Haut Bailly, Branaire, LLC, etc., etc.
I'm sure Internationally renowned lawyer and philanthropist Jimmy L. B. How would be more than happy to advocate for "the greatest Bordeaux vintage since 1961."

Just read David's post more carefully.
Yes, we can take on any vintage in this millenium.

My humblest apologies, Jim. I didn't mean to denigrate 2002L by calling it only "the best vintage of the millennium" when It is widely known by BD Proclamation to be "the greatest Bordeaux vintage since 1961." Benevolent dictator that you are, I am sincerely hoping that you will find mercy enough in your benevolent heart to spare me from the re-education camps.

If you want to open the competition to any year from 1962 to 2010 we could do that, but it might not be fair to the 2002Ls. Not to suggest that they couldn't stand up to any challenge, oh Benevolent One.

I did note that, DavidG, but decided, in my benevolence, to let it pass. This time. Normally I would be more than happy to put up 2002L against any post-1961 vintages, but that might make it too easy for fraudulent voting against 2002L by those who, in their bitterness over being so wrong about the vintage, would identify the more aged wines and would vote against 2002L no matter what. I think 2002L against their counterparts from 2000 might be more fair: Two vintages close in age, one the darling of the erobertparker/Cellartracker crowd, the other regularly dismissed by said crowd.

I support a 2002 vs 2000 Left Bank, same Châteaux, blind tasting. To not overload our palate, I would say 3 Chateaux, choosen carefully, to have a good geographic cover : 1. one St-Estephe or Pauillac, 2. one Margaux, and 3. one Pessac Léognan.

Sélection could be:

1. Cos, Pontet, Lynch or a Pichon (Baron or Lalande).
2. Issan, Palmer (ouch), Giscour or Brane-Cantenac.
3. SHL (would make sense as the 2008 is BWE WOTY), Pape Clément or Haut-Bailly.

Looking at ratings in Mr. Parker book, If we want something really interesting to compare, choice should be:

1. Cos or Pontet (as for the other, the 2000 seem preferred by Mr P by many points).
2. Giscours or Brane-Cantenac (same reason).
3. Any of the 3 above.

Just thinking out loud...

Nic