2012 Barde-Haut: Stunning.

[JimHow]

I know. A wine that costs $26 can't possibly be worth 95 points. It can't from 2012 be better than the superb 2000, 2005, 2009, 2010, etc. But… I say to you… especially when you factor in the tremendous QPR price of $26.99 (at MacArthur's, Washington, D.C.), this wine is, plain and simple, a stunner. I decided to uncork one more bottle of this with a catch of the day to-die-for piece of grilled salmon on a mid-June night in Maine (heaven on earth) to corroborate, one last time, whether I like this wine as much as I have in the previous four or five bottles that I've drunk, before investing in not one but two more cases at $26.99 per bottle, which I submit to you is as good a deal as exists out there in the wine world today. At the nearly halfway point of 2016 (and recognizing that we have a loooong way to go) it is the frontrunner for my Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts (http://www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com) Wine of the Year. In the more than sixteen years of BWE's existence since February 2000, we have never gone with a right bank wine as our wine of the year. As 2016 promises to be the year of the Girl in politics, however, so too perhaps it is time to shatter the glass ceiling and acknowledge that there are some decent wines being put together on the eastern (right) side of the river. Now, when we talk about the right bank, the discussion, at least for me, focuses on alcohol percentages. Because, no matter what RMP and JL and others may say, I think sometimes St. Emilion gets overwhelmed by alcohol. Certainly not always. That's just this one man's opinion, but, hey, I'm just a country lawyer from Maine, what do I know. Now the 2012 Barde Haut says 14% on the back label. That surprises me a little. A pleasant surprise, I guess I would say. I went and checked Parker's notes. He gives it a 90 point score almost in passing, with absolutely no description of the wine. What a dink. I think it has a good deal of personality: Violets, flowery, pretty bouquet, feminine, it is a Hillary Clinton kind of wine. I can see the Hillster, daughter Chelsea, and Huma Amedin (yuck) sipping a glass of this stuff in the latest Four Seasons suite after a "long" day of (what, one, two?) telepromptered 25 minute speeches on the trail, while Big Bill is off galavanting around with girls who drink malbec and shiraz. Yuck. Four more years of Clintonville. Yuck. But I digress… On the palate, it has that obligatory Jim How appealing trait, lightness on the feet. It is a wine that will drink well now and for the next 20 years, and may not (probably won't, as a matter of fact) shut down. There's a LOT going on here. With the amazingly fresh summer catch of salmon it was a great match. The color is pure, purple, precise, unclouded: A-plus. This is a stunning effort. The other thing that bears repeating -- indeed, screaming from the rooftops -- 2012 is NOT a "mediocre" vintage, especially on the right bank. This is a sensuous, aromatic, "pure", stunning vintage with a deceptive amount of backbone. 2012 Barde-Haut: 95 solid points. Love this wine!

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

What's her name, Garcin? They make pretty wines at both Barde Haut and Haut Bergey.

[Blanquito]

Jim, it's likely another eight years of the Clintons. I'll be in my 50's when Bernie runs again in 2024.

[JimHow]

Hopefully we'll all still be around after 8 more years of the Hill and Bill Show.
Even though I'm not voting for either of them, I must say I'm enjoying the Republican leadership's angst over Trump.
You reap what you sow.

[robertgoulet]

personality: Violets, flowery, pretty bouquet, feminine

a Hillary kinda wine?? This could be the worst comparison in BWE history.....the worst!!

[robertgoulet]

Republicans reap what they sow....and it's only getting worse with leaders like Paul Ryan endorsing Trump right before He makes racist judge comments....fail!...Sad little party

Worst election ever

[william partmann]

I'm taking a bottle of this over to Arv's tonight to double check you palate. Film at 11:00.

[JimHow]

Excellent! I'll be curious to see if you guys like it anywhere near as much as I do.

[robertgoulet]

I'm taking a bottle of this over to Arv's tonight to double check you palate. Film at 11:00.

Any feedback?

[William P]

The 2012 B-H was excellent. Arv did a note today that sums it up nicely. Young but with time and air it transformed into a special bottle, especially if you can get it below $25. True it is in the modern style, but such is life in today's wine world. I suspect it is easily a 10 year ager. Good QPR at below $25.

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

We didn't nickname the 2005 "Brigitte Barde-Haut" for nothing.

[zman1974]

Huge fan of the 2012 Barde Haut, as well. Helene Garcin-Leveque, Barde Haut's manager/owner, was interviewed on Grape Radio in 2012. Pretty cool:

http://www.graperadio.com/archives/2013 ... es-garcin/

[JimHow]

Thanks for the link and welcome aboard zman, I ordered another 6 bottles this week.