Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

These are the first notes I've seen / been sent

https://grandvinwinemerchants.com/2014_ ... Report.pdf

"2014 was a decidedly Left Bank vintage..."
I like when they say that.

Excellent notes added. Heard good reports from various sources too. But it will all be a matter of pricing. As usual.

The Wine House SF sent out a brief summary today. Not enough to link to.

They seem to think that buying 2012 is a better bet though.

Maybe I misinterpreted their note.

I'm hearing 2014 is notably better than 2011-2012-2013, and will be priced higher. I imagine that there are plenty of over-priced, under-qualitied 2011s and 2012s sitting in distributors' warehouses and retailers' back rooms herein the U.S. that they would love to move by getting the consumer to backfill before the 2013s show up. The "common wisdom" being bandied about in Bordeaux is that 2014 prices have to top 2012 or the earlier vintages won't sell. But just because the earlier vintage may cost less than 2014 doesn't mean it's a good value.

"Price is what you pay...

...value is what you get."

Warren Buffet

2014 Bdx isn't just 'competing' with prior vintages for spots in the cellar -- it's competing with everything else globally.

And there is a lot of good wine out there.

Yesterday I had a Spanish wine from a no name region that was terrific. Hard to find, off the run wine.

But it was the one of only 6 wines this year that SO and I both said - "we should buy more of this". (others were 3 bdx, 1 spain, 1 piedmont)

I rarely buy multiples any more without tasting them first, if its something I'm unfamiliar with.

So this was a member of a mixed case put together to see what else we should reload on.

It was 8 years old, and it might age longer.

And it was $10.

PS: DaveG thanks for the suggestion on the Chave bottlings. I tried some 09 Offerus, liked it, but it couldn't win SO enthusiasm. I don't think she likes syrah heavy wines even if she doesn't know what the grape is.

Arv, when I try a Bdx and like it, I find that I will still like it after drinking 10+ more bottles. It is not the same with wines from regions that I do not know well. Consequently, I am cautious when buying anything from Spain or most of the new world.

What I mean is that if it's a producer / vintage -- even in bordeaux -- that I'm wholly unfamiliar with, I still want to taste before buying mulitples. In that case I might buy one and have it 'jump the queue' to see if i want to get more. This year, I've only really wanted to get more of a small number of things, and now I tend to involve the SO there, unless its something I don't mind drinking myself (or expect to). I don't have the luxury of a local tasting group here (yet) where so many of the wines i enjoy, i first found through them, often blind.

It's of course easier to buy more sort of blind in bdx given that that's the region i know more about than others....but at the same time, I already have lots, so on the margin many bottles end up duplicative of tastes/flavors i already have plenty of.

So all that gets amped up another degree with other regions.

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There is some chatter on other boards of 13 pricing starting to show weakness.