Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Time is running out!
What was your wine of the year?
What was your best wine experience?
What was your favorite from a recent vintage?
What was your favorite "BWE kind of wine"?

WOTY: 1969 La Tache (thanks to Tim).
The dinner with Tim & François at which we drank the above.
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1988 La Lagune.

JimHow wrote: What was your wine of the year?

Tough call, no doubt one of the wines being poured at BWE '14 but I didn't keep track of them all. The 2000 Leoville Poyferre was the best of those I took notes on, but there were others that were even better. I wish I could remember. I also had memorable bottles of Krug, Screagle, Shafer Hillside and Sine Qua Non.

JimHow wrote: What was your best wine experience?

Easy call: BWE '14.

JimHow wrote: What was your favorite from a recent vintage?

I don't really drink young Bordeaux, and I'm sure you don't want to hear about my favorite recent Californian

JimHow wrote: What was your favorite "BWE kind of wine"?

2000 Leoville Poyferre and Smith Haut Lafite
1988 Talbot
1989 Lynch Bages
All consumed during some portion of BWE '14

So many choices!
My personal favorite wine of the year was probably the 1982 Grand Puy Lacoste.
My best wine experience was undoubtedly drinking the oldest bottle in my cellar and, to my great surprise - after having decided its twin was all-but-moribund when i drank it 15 years ago - finding it to be lovely: the 1959 Chateau Lascombes.
My favorite wine from a recent vintage was the 2007 Klein Constantia Vin de Constance.
My favorite BWE Kind of Wine? I must go with one of DavidG's nominees: the 2000 Leoville Poyferre.

What was your best wine experience?

Penfolds Grange 1985, Penfolds Bin 90 A, Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Asili 1996, Noël Verset Cornas 1990, Louis Jadot Chambolle Musigny Amoureuses 1985, La Conseillante 1990, Couche Dury Meursault 2007, Coche Dury Meursault Genevrieres 2009

What was your favorite from a recent vintage?

From 2010 Bordeaux: Haut Brion, Lafite, Margaux, LLC, Montrose, Pichon Lalande, Rauzan Segla...and Calon Segur

What was your favorite "BWE kind of wine"?

2010 Calon Segur. The 2010 vintage is the best left bank vintage ever. The two communes that over-achieved to the greatest extent were St-Julien and St-Estephe. The absolute must have wine, taking into account price point, is in my opinion Calon Segur. It is pretty much neck and neck with Montrose, and the 2010 Montrose is arguably as good as/ better than the 1990.

Final thought, a left bank 2010 would be a worthy contender. I had only one experience with Cantermerle. Very impressive, I wonder if it is a tad overwrought? Prieure Lichine is brilliant, and Rauzan Segla even more of a step up. It was an embarrassment of riches on the left bank in 2010.

At a budget level the Poujeaux 2010 is an absolute cracker...and remarkably approachable. I just bought a case at $32 a bottle.

As for the wine of the year, no question, my personal favourite is 2008 La Fleur de Gay, closely followed by 1999 Cheval Blanc, and 2004 Pape Clément.

Considering the evolution and turnaround made under the management of Tesseron, for me, 2010 Lafon Rochet is worthy of BWE honor. Not to mention the pleasure a bottle of this wine can offer under 50 bucks in a great vintage like 2010...

Tough questions.

What was your wine of the year? Reading what is written here, it is true that the 2000 Château Léoville Poyferré made a very good impression at the 2014 BWE convention blind tasting, and for me this wine meet all criterias for a WOTY: right price, quality, availability, many BWEers tried it and somewhat memorable.

What was your best wine expérience? Of course BWE 2014 (1990 Château Pichon Longueville Baron, 1989 Chateau Lynch Bages, 1979 Chateau Pichon Lalande), but that duo last week, 2000 Guigal La Mouline and 1999 Insignia, with my friend JF, was also in my best.

What was your favorite from a recent vintage? 2009 Château Lafon Rochet, 2009 Château Brane Cantenac and 2010 Château Cantemerle.

What was your favorite "BWE kind of wine"? Definitely the 2010 Château Cantemerle.

Nic

I haven't had it, but the 2010 Cantemerle is sounding like a good candidate: lots of positive impressions from BWEs, a recent vintage, a BWE kind of wine in style and cost and availability. What's not to like?

2010 Cantemerle would be a hands down favorite in my book.
Unfortunately, the estate is a victim of its own success.
The 2005 Cantemerle is a past BWE wine of the year.