BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

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JimHow
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BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by JimHow »

Agent How reporting from Johnson Base in College Station, Texas.
Arrived yesterday along with the Daytons at the beautiful home of Stefan and Lucy.
Will report back soon...
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JimHow
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by JimHow »

....
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Nicklasss
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by Nicklasss »

Have a great time! I hope I will make it to Texas one day.

Nic
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Chateau Vin
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by Chateau Vin »

University Drive, Texas Avenue, Kyle Field, TTI, Dixie Chicken....Brings back memories of my college days in College Station....Have a great time in Aggieland....
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Blanquito
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by Blanquito »

That's an OMG lineup pictured there, guys.
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robertgoulet
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by robertgoulet »

I lived in Dallas for 18 years...enjoy
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jal
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

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Have a great time, guys.
Best

Jacques
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Nicklasss
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

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I did not check the picture the first time... You're having my favorite wines number 1, 3 and 11...

Nic
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JimHow
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by JimHow »

Wish you guys were here!

A video of our big dinner out on the back deck last night at Bill and Jan's house:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LvL2-YzWa ... load_owner
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Nicklasss
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by Nicklasss »

Say hello to RDD, Stefan, Lucie and Sue. If I would had known ahead, I could have planned for it. But could have been a nightmare as I caught Béatrice's cold this week, and actually, can't smell ar taste anything since Thursday...

And there will be others, I'm sure!

Nic
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jal
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by jal »

Nice video, great to see you guys
Bill, you look great, sorry about the break, hope to see you soon
Jim, you need to give some hair to Rob (and to me) unfair that you have so much, buddy. You can complain about aging, but it's all about the looks.
Best

Jacques
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JimHow
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by JimHow »

Lunch wines....
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JimHow
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by JimHow »

Wines consumed so far:
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JimHow
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by JimHow »

Bollinger Special Cuvée
2002 Champagne Delamotte Blanc de Blancs
1961 Leoville Poyferre
2002 St. Innocent Seven Springs Vineyard
2008 St. Innocent Momtazi
2006 D'Angerville Champans
1997 Dominique Laurent Clos St-Jacques
1999 Champagne Billecart-Salmon
Champagne Charles Heidsieck
2005 Dom Perignon
1996 Chevillon Nuits Saint Georges Les Vaucrains
1995 Michelot Nuits Saint Georges Les Vaucrains
1990 La Conseillante
1989 La Conseillante
1989 Lynch Bages
1982 Mouton Rothschild
2003 de Fargues
2005 Champagne Paul Goerg
1998 Pape Clement
1989 Palmer
1994 Chave Hermitage
1998 Lafite Rothschild
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SF Ed
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by SF Ed »

But how did they show, especially BWE legends like 1989 Lynch Bages and 1982 Mouton? 1989 Palmer and La Conseillante probably didn't suck either.

Looks like a great time!

SF Ed
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by stefan »

Both Conseillante were excellent, as were the '89 Lynch and the '82 Mouton. Everyone other than Jim preferred the Mouton to the Lynch, but both were great. The fruit in the Mouton was still fresh and the precision of the Lynch was admirable.

The '89 Palmer was slightly corked and maybe heat damaged as well. The taint was at a low enough level that we might have drunk it anyway on a normal day, but not when we had '98 Pape Clement as a back up.

I loved the Chave, which was peppery and full of raspberries. The '98 Lafite is too young for my taste, but the nose is already inviting and the class of Lafite shows.
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by Blanquito »

That 89 Lynch that Jim opened in DC was like a barrel sample. Crazily young.
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by Blanquito »

How was the 03 Fargues? A mini d'Yquem?
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

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Burgundy night...
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

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Seem to me like a pre-Thanksgiving....

How was the 2002 Hudelot-Noellat Clos de Vougeot? This is one of my favorite producer and the 2001 Clos from Hudelot was just great!

Nic
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JimHow
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

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...
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dstgolf
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by dstgolf »

Another epic weekend amongst friends. Wines I'm sure were stellar but there's nothing like getting together with like minded BWE'ers that do it up right and we're a little envious.
Danny
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JimHow
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by JimHow »

With the possible exception of the '89 Palmer, all of the wines performed brilliantly.
That Mouton-Lynch-Conseillante pairing was perfection, it was nice to drink those four wines and really have a chance to analyze them over a steak dinner.
The Lynch is so young!
The Mouton was brilliant and those 89-90 La Conseillante was amazingly seductive.
We drank large quantities of champagne.
The Jadot Musigny was stunning, one of the most unique wines I've ever tasted.
98 Pape Clement had an amazing bouquet, it was a point in my mind.
We finished up with a 96 La Lagune that really blossomed late last night.
I don't want to go home!
We experienced wonderful Texas hospitality from Jan and Bill at their lovely College Station home, and of course a weekend with Rob and Sue Dayton and lots of wine and food is always a highlight.
I got a chance to go out and explore the town and campus.
A great BWE weekend!!!
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by Racer Chris »

BTW Jim,
Chevre is French for goat and mouton is French for sheep.
When you find a bottle of Chevre-Rothschild let us know. :D
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by tim »

Wow, just wow! :o :shock:

I still remember the only 82 Mouton that I have tasted, at the BWE event courtesy of TominDC.

What a great lineup! Looks like y'all had a great time...
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JimHow
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

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Ha I just watched that video, we had a great time out by that pool.
A very relaxing little mini-vacation.
It was fun to drink "only" three or four bottles with each meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner), where we could analyze each more closely.
Yes, I have to admit that 1982 Mouton -- with the goat, wolf, and continent of Africa on the label -- was perhaps the wine of the weekend….
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by JimHow »

…But those Conseillantes were both amazing as well, so, so seductive!
The "problem" with the '89 Lynch is that it is so young!
It opened up by the end.
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by stefan »

I see that Jim did not update the list, so here is the addition.

1999 Winston Churchill
Jacques Copinet Marie Etienne Rose de Saignee
1997 Jadot Musigny
2002 Hudelot-Noellat Clos Vougeot
2008 Bouchard Clos Vougeot
1996 La Lagune
1999 Yquem 375

On Sunday after Jim left we went to a classical concert and took it easy on wine. Rob & Susan treated us to a Tex-Mex feast with top shelf Margarita. The only wines we drank that day were

2012 Westrey Pinot Noir
1990 Les Cailloux CdP
2012 St Innocent Shea PN

It was a memorable weekend with our old friends. I thought that we finished all bottles except for the flawed Palmer, but today I saw there there was half an ounce left in each of the bottles of Conseillante. They had been left open for 2 1/2 days but still smelled nice.
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by JimHow »

The 1961 Leoville Poyferre really held up nicely, it didn't "crack up" or drop off with air, it got better and was singing nicely while we consumed most of it.
The 1998 Lafite was classically styled, one of those "drinking-well-now-and-for-the-next-thirty-years" kind of wines.
We had 1994 Chave Hermitage with the spectacular array of cheeses (I haven't eaten so well in quite a while, Jan and Sue are superb chefs), it was a perfect match, gave me goose bumps.
The two St. Innocents were very young, but clear wines of class and breed. I've gotta believe that the wines from that property have great potential for age worthiness.
I have had the 2006 d'Angerville Champans on a number of occasions and it never disappoints, including on this occasion. It is a Jacques-Levey-kind-of-wine….
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JimHow
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by JimHow »

I think you missed a champagne or two in the list, Bill, no?
The 1999 Winston Churchill took my breath away.
What was the other one that I really liked, I had heard of it but never had it before.
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by JimHow »

kind of lost in the excitement was that spectacular Burgundy dinner on Saturday night, with a mouthwatering dish prepared by Jan/Sue.
Again, like with the Pauillacs, it was great that we were able to analyze the wines over the course of several hours:

1997 Jadot Musigny: One of my wines of the weekend, so profound on both the nose and palate. Just absolutely stunning, a real eye-opener for me. I kept not wanting to drinking it, just smell it.
2002 Hudelot-Nuellat Clos Vougeot: Just real fresh, youthful but the fruit really integrated nicely.
2008 Bouchard Le Corton: I was surprised at how accessible I found this wine, I just absolutely loved the style. Amazing with the food.
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by JCNorthway »

So the 2008 Bouchard Le Corton was pretty accessible now? I'm a bit surprised, but if that is the case, I may need to pull out one of the three that I have.
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by JimHow »

Of course my tolerance/enthusiasm for younger wines is quite different from the usual participant here, Jon, but it is definitely a beauty!
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stefan
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by stefan »

I think it was the Jacques Copinet Rose, Jim. It is a NV luxury cuvee. Not much is made. This was the only time I have tasted it. I think all Champagnes are listed. I liked all except the Bollinger, which is from the current release. I intend to store my remaining bottles for at least a year.

It is interesting that Jim calls an Oregon PN from 2002 very young. The 7 Springs was very good, but the previous bottle we had at stefanJr's was more impressive. The '08 Momtazi, which was a Special Selection, is quite young by any standards but nevertheless drinkable. The regular bottlings of the '08 SI PN have emerged even if they won't peak for 5 - 10 more years or even more.

Jon, I think about Corton being a wine to drink around age 20 or older, but the Bouchard was definitely approachable now. No hurry, though. All the Burgundies showed well.

The biggest surprise was the 1961 Leoville Poyferre. It had low shoulder fill but was fine. I bought it from Mark Vlossak. It came from his deceased father's cellar. I think Mark said that his father had purchased it at release.
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by JonathanP »

I have enjoyed some "young" Cortons, but also found some hard and unyielding. I put it down to the fact that they go through phases, between which they close down. Generally, they show their best at 20+ years, but can be enjoyable at 5 years, although in a different way. Almost a different wine. Just my tuppence worth.
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by DavidG »

Great report, enjoyed the video. Glad to see the spirit of BWE continues to burn brightly. We'll done!
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by dstgolf »

Loved the videos as well. Jim's defending all these guys in court and he has the unibomber look going on with the long hair. Brush cut last time and now.....the NEW HOW!! :lol:
Danny
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

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Ha yes it has been a while since my last haircut, I'm too lazy to get it cut.
The court clerks and even the judges want me to keep it long.
It was one of the great BWE weekends.
I first met Bill and Jan face to face in February 2001 in Chicago, over 15 years ago, and we immediately hit it off.
And Rob and Sue not long after that.
They are old friends, practically seem like a part of the family now.
We talked at this past spring's BWE convention about getting together in Teyxasss in September, and we made it happen!
The Johnsons have a very comfortable setting there in College Station, a beautiful home and a fun place to hang out.
They've lived there since they built the place (back in the 60s or 70s?) when they started their family and Bill started teaching at the university.
I don't know how many of you realize the background of this guy, it's a little crazy, his father and other family members as well have achieved very high levels in their respective fields.
I had a chance to explore the Texas A&M campus a little as well as the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library, a lot of nerdy fun for a nerd like me.
We drank massive amounts of legendary wines, and discussed many subject matters, I had to educate Rob on why the 1970s produced better music than the 1960s, although he made a more compelling case refuting my argument that 1989 Bordeaux was better than 1990.
we listened to great music, which featured Rod Stewart jazz and a debate about whether Mozart is overrated.
Other than the '89 Palmer, the wines were immense. Yes, yes, the '82 Mouton was the wine of the weekend.
But the 89 and 90 Conseillantes were the best I've ever had from that estate, and I've had those wines before.
For four days we drank some of the world's greatest wines at breakfast, lunch, afternoon by the pool, and major evening dinner events.
Jan and Sue cooked the steaks to perfection on that Friday night Bordeaux dinner, we had great cheeses, mushroom dishes, quail, and on and on to match the wines, I haven't eaten so well in months!
It was a very relaxing little four day vacation.

Wish you could all have been there, can't wait til the next time!
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by Chateau Vin »

I am glad you all had fun...The twin cities of College Station and Bryan are cozy, and I had lot of fun when I was in college over there. I still keep in touch with my thesis advisor, who is retired now. But I wish I had crossed paths with professor stefan.

Never visited presidential library on campus or any other presidential library. I think IMO, they are just self serving and self aggrandizing, although I concede that they might provide some interesting material to know about. I think TAMU campus is the third largest in the country after Ohio State and Minnesota. When I was there it's the second largest after Ohio State with respect to enrollment. I and my SO have been there once before kids, but one day I wanna take my kids and show the campus. Great place...

Very impressive lineup of wines and must be terrific feeling with great food, wine and outstanding company. Funny you mentioned quail...I also just made quail roast and paired with 2001 Rocche Dei Manzoni St Stefano Barolo. Great stuff...Wonder how the La Conseillantes of 80s compare to those of recent vintages. It's always a pleasure discussing classical wines and classical music. It's tough to fully fathom classical music and I think it's no ordinary feat to fully understand classically made wines either...
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Re: BWE has arrived in College Station, Texas...

Post by Nicklasss »

A hard question: did the group preferred the 1989 or 1990 Chateau la Conseillante?

Nic
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