Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

stefan wrote:Modern style? Then Giroud has completely changed its style since I drank Girouds. But that is good news for drinking these soon.

So I don't know, Nic. We'll see.

Yep definitely under winemaker David Croix, a thoughtful young man. I think it is American owned.

The 2011 Chambertin is mind blowing.

I had previously picked up 6 2014 Ch Meyney for $30 ea but today I couldn't help but add a few more:

2- 2014 Ch Pichon Lalande@ $103
2- 2014 Ch Pichon Baron@ $98
3- 2014 Ch Calon Segur@ $62
2- 2014 Ch Malescot @$45
2- 2014 Ch Poyferre@$63
2- 2014 Domaine de Chevalier@$54
3- 2014 Ch Grand Puy Lacoste@$54 (Jims' favorite)
2- 2014 Ch Haut-Bailly@$72


Still considering some Lynch Bages but that was enough for today

Gerry M.- Where'd you get the GPL for $54 out of curiosity?

jckba wrote:Gerry M.- Where'd you get the GPL for $54 out of curiosity?

Total Wine, $60 less 10% buying 6 or more bottles (mix)

That's a great price after mix and match!

1 2011 Baccinetti "La Saporoia" Brunello di Montalcino
1 2011 Poggiarellino Brunello di Montalcino
1 2013 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Vergers"
1 2013 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "Champs Gain"
2 2013 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "Clos de la Maltroie"

All for drinking in the fall.

Picked up a 6er of the 2011 Siro Pacenti BdM for $39.99/per on a closeout offer from Gordon's as I have really been enjoying the 2011 Brunelli I've tried thus far in both the ail Poggione and Lisini.

1 2006 Cos d'Estournel $101.06
1 2005 Hudelot-Noellat Nuits-St.-Georges 1er Cru "Murgers" $99.35
1 2010 Hudelot-Noellat Nuits-St.-Georges 1er Cru "Murgers" $99.35

2016 Bordeaux: I have added cases of Leoville-Barton, Smith Haut Lafitte and Haut-Bailly

I just received the first case we bought at Via Vinum in St Julien:

3 Leoville Poyferre 2012
2 Fiefs de Lagrange 2010
2 Lagrange 2010
2 Branaire Ducru 2012
3 Pichon Baron 2012

I'm not sure it's any cheaper than buying them in the US.

1 2012 Domaine Alain Chavy Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "Champ Gain" $48

2 2005 Haegelen Jayer Clos Vougeot Grand Cru $106

2 2009 Coufran, Haut-Médoc $22

2 2013 Domaine Philippe Colin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "Morgeot" $44

(TBC)

I bought a mixed case and a half of 2014 Bordeaux, that will be the extent of my 2014 investment.

Picked up a mixed case of wine from Suburban Wine & Spirits yearly inventory closeout which included 4 btls of 2010 Beychevelle @ $89.99/per, 4 btls of 2011 Voge Cornas VV @ $44.99/per, 2 btls of 2009 Quintarelli Valpolicella CS @ $67.49/per and 2 btls of 2009 Quintarelli Ca del Merlo also at $67.49/per. Also picked up a case of the 2005 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva for $33.25/per from Max at the Wine Connection.

2014s came in a couple of weeks back.

6 Pichon Baron
6 Pontet Canet
6 Malescot St Exupery
6 Barton
12 d'Aghuille
6 Monbousquet
6 Lagrange
12 du Tertre
4 Gruaud Larose

Lots of enabling went on over in Bordeaux BWE 2015. Similar lot will arrive next year with 2015 futures order that was a little deeper. Can't even remember what I ordered. It won't go to waste!!



b

1 1999 Vieux-Château-Certan, Pomerol $141

1 1995 Domaine Faiveley Corton "Clos des Cortons Faiveley" $116

1 2005 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir $71

1 2010 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir $71

2 1986 La Lagune, Haut-Médoc $73

2 1989 d'Armailhac, Pauillac $58

2 Billecart-Salmon "(RED) Cuvée Brut Reserve" $36

2 2000 Giscours, Margaux $74

2 2007 St-Pierre, St-Julien $45

2 2010 Poggio dell'Otto Brunello di Montalcino Riserva $30

I sold a case of Pichon Baron 1996 and bought a case of Pichon Baron 2010 with the proceeds. I had to chip in a small amount for the vastly superior wine.

That completes my hit list from the BWE Grand Tour of 2015: Du Tertre 2012 - tick; couldn't get the Figeac 2011 so bought the 2012 instead; Pontet-Canet 2011 - tick; Pavillon Rouge De Chateau Margaux 2004 - tick; Leoville-Lascases 2012 - tick; Pichon Longueville-Baron 2010 - tick. Upon reflection the Ten Baron is the must have of all of these. Can sleep well now.

Ian - well done; selling off the mediocre '96 Purple Baron to fund your purchase of the '10 was a very savvy move and one that probably brought your acquisition cost per bottle way below the $150 I paid on Black Friday a couple of years back ...

In the past few months, I hardly purchase any of the wine. If anyone has a new option, please suggest.

Stefan,

Great price on that 2000 Giscours. I drank a bottle a few weeks ago - very nice wine. It's in a good place right now.

Chris Bublitz

The wine fridge in the condo is bursting but I couldn't resist a bottle of 2010 Greysac for $23 at Total Wine

That's a little steep for Greysac.
I drank 3 bottles of the 2010 last year and found it uninspiring, although it was probably still in a dumb phase.
I'm enjoying the 2011s right now though, and just ordered my first 3 bottles of 2012.

2 Charles Ellner "Grande Reserve" Brut $34.99

2 2006 Charles Ellner "Séduction" Brut Champagne $49.99

1 1979 Certan de May, Pomerol $102

1 2012 Domaine Bruno Colin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "La Truffière" $49.99

1 2013 Domaine Bruno Colin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "La Garenne" $39.99

1 2011 Domaine Bruno Colin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "La Truffière" $49.99

Jacques computed that I have enough (102 bottles) for our first couple of months in Berkeley, so I am inclined to quit buying for a month. It is a pain to buy when you need the wine for near term drinking.

Great prices on the Pulignys, Stefan

Arrived today from Budget Bottle, the place that sent me 2012 Segla that was advertised as Rauzan-Segla. They gave me free shipping as promised.

4x 2011 Ch Larose-Trintaudon - A bottle I drank last week was really nice, definitely in the drinking window now. I will buy more of this vintage.
3x 2012 Ch Greysac - I'll try one soon and see if it's worth getting more of this vintage.
2x 2014 Ch Bellegrave (Medoc) - never had anything from this Chateau before
1x 2007 Ch. Fombrauge - $30 seemed fair enough for this
1x 2005 Ch Fougas Maldoror - I'd never even heard of this Chateau
1x 2012 Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - at a fair price of $56 versus what I paid ($68) for a bottle in a quarterly club shipment.

Used up a few $25 New Hampshire gift cards that were burning a hole in my pocket

3x 2013 Ridge Monte Bello

Racer Chris wrote:Arrived today from Budget Bottle, the place that sent me 2012 Segla that was advertised as Rauzan-Segla. They gave me free shipping as promised.

4x 2011 Ch Larose-Trintaudon - A bottle I drank last week was really nice, definitely in the drinking window now. I will buy more of this vintage.
3x 2012 Ch Greysac - I'll try one soon and see if it's worth getting more of this vintage.
2x 2014 Ch Bellegrave (Medoc) - never had anything from this Chateau before
1x 2007 Ch. Fombrauge - $30 seemed fair enough for this
1x 2005 Ch Fougas Maldoror - I'd never even heard of this Chateau
1x 2012 Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - at a fair price of $56 versus what I paid ($68) for a bottle in a quarterly club shipment.

Fougas is probably the 2nd best of the Cotes du Bourg. They can age a little too.

I have not seen one in a long time, but I thought they also had a luxe cuvee

2014 Côte -Rôtie Jean-Michel Stephan
2014 Cornes Brisecailloux Domaine du Coulet
2014 Côtes du Rhône blanc Domaine Jamet
Barnaut Authentique rosé Champagne
2011 Chateau Laribotte Sauternes

Nic

Gerry M. wrote:

jckba wrote:Gerry M.- Where'd you get the GPL for $54 out of curiosity?

Total Wine, $60 less 10% buying 6 or more bottles (mix)

TW is running their occasional 20% off European wines, if you buy six, currently.
Coupon code is 4783 for either online or in stone.

It can make buying BDX there acceptable.

Picked up a few bottles of 2015 Château Fage Graves, a Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend. It's probably the best sub-$20 bottle of white I've had in a long time.

AKR wrote:

Gerry M. wrote:

jckba wrote:Gerry M.- Where'd you get the GPL for $54 out of curiosity?

Total Wine, $60 less 10% buying 6 or more bottles (mix)

TW is running their occasional 20% off European wines, if you buy six, currently.
Coupon code is 4783 for either online or in stone.

It can make buying BDX there acceptable.

Thanks for the heads-up!

6 bottles of Coutet 2014
1 bottle of Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato 2010
12 of Mark Haisma Bourgogne Rouge 2010
1 bottle of Lynch-Bages 1978
2 bottles of Clos Floridene Blanc 2007

3x 2010 Château La Cardonne
1x 2012 Château Lilian Ladouys
1x 2014 Château Lilian Ladouys
3x 2014 Château Marsac Séguineau
4x 2014 Merryvale Sauvignon Blanc

1 bottle 1975 Beychevelle
-I've had good luck with 70's Beychevelles

2 bottles Chasse-Spleen
-fully tertiary, but still drinking wonderfully

5 bottles 1989 Le Gay (Pomerol)
-A good price, excellent fills and this remark by Jeff Leve sealed the deal for me: "Lovers of old school Pomerol, that are convinced the world has gone to hell in a hand basket after Parker are going to go bonkers for this wine."

The Ch. Le Gay were tantalizing to contemplate. I'll be interested in your notes.

Oops, auctions are really dangerous, the scale-back of my buying took a holiday. The main consolation (besides receiving the wine in the mail and drinking it, of course) is that I put in low-ball bids on a bunch of lots and won these:

1982 Canon -- 3 bottles
1986 Duhart Milon -- 3 bottles
1999 Felsina Rancia Riserva Chianti Classico -- 1 bottle
2001 Ridge Lytton Springs -- 1 bottle
1990 Lafaurie Peyraguey Sauternes -- 2 bottles
2001 La Tour Blanche Sauternes -- 3 bottles
2001 Ridge Essence Petite Sirah -- 5 bottle (one of the best red dessert wines I've had)

Party at my place.

What's that Ridge Essence? I've not heard of it....

AKR wrote:What's that Ridge Essence? I've not heard of it....

These are basically a late harvest dessert wine that they only make in the right vintages and then only from a few blocks that get ripe enough. What I like is these aren't too sweet, do not get fortified in any way, and usually have lots of acidity and structure (especially when Petite Sirah is the primary grape; usually though, most of Ridge's Essence wines are made primarily from Zinfandel). The 2001 Petite Sirah Essence is 75% Petite Sirah and 25% Zinfandel with a natural alcohol of 14.2% and 10% residual sugar.

Here's what Paul Draper says about Ridge's Essence wines:
"To produce an essence, the vines must remain vigorous late into the season, with green leaves for photosynthesis. To intensify color and sugar, the grapes are left on the vine for additional weeks... During this added length of time, the grapes concentrate the flavor and sugar by on-the-vine dehydration. Typically the sugar, when picked, exceeds 35 Brix. The fermentation typically stops naturally at an alcohol content between 10.5–13% with substantial residual sugar remaining (generally 6-10+%). The palate tends to be amazingly thick, heavy, viscous-syrup, dense exotic fruit definition, and spicy."

Ahh. I've had some late harvest Rieslings from various CA producers that sounds like the white analogs of those. They can last a long time, but they seem to get goopy to me.

Picked up cases of the 2014 Domaine Philippe Colin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er 'Chenevottes' and the 2015 Domaine Faury Cote-Rotie via wholesale (Fedway and Winebow) along with a case of 2015 Julien Pilon Cote-Rotie 'La Porchette' @ $56.95/per after case discount as I kind of feel oblidged to buy when it's a great vintage and one finds worthwhile deals as otherwise I find myself living in the past tense ... should have, could have, would have

Lucie and I drank the 2012 Domaine Philippe Colin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er 'Chenevottes' at lunch yesterday. It was very good and true. I wish I had bought more.