Seven times seven

Post Reply
User avatar
Comte Flaneur
Posts: 4863
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:05 pm
Contact:

Seven times seven

Post by Comte Flaneur »

Following on from Stuart's thread in praise of trophies...

I have had a lot of stuff on my plate outside work in recent months and as I seemed to be getting on top of things somewhat I gave the personal admin a miss this weekend and updated my CellarTracker list which has been neglected for the best part of a year... whilst sitting on my London veranda in balmy 75F early spring heat. It was great fun, but is back down to a more normal 55F today.

The producer I now own most of is now Chateau Leoville-Barton, which accounts for 5.1% of my portfolio, and reflecting my backfilling strategy: cases of 1999, 2004, 2008 and 2015 have been purchased in the last year. Chateau Lafite, my favourite wine in Bordeaux, would be third if I hadn't sold four cases in the China Lafite frenzy of early 2011. I got a great price but my overwhelming feeling is one of sadness rather than smugness for calling the top (pure luck).

It got me thinking that just imagine that if Lady Luck smiled on you if you had an amazing windfall and could choose seven cases of the five first growths, Cheval Blanc and La Mission, and you could only go back to 1978 but could not trade - meaning you would be stuck with them to drink - what would you choose (bearing in mind that none of us are immortal)? Here would be mine bearing in mind what I already have - e.g., some of the 1996 left-banks:

Lafite: 2006, 2004, 1996, 1995, 1990, 1988, 1985
Mouton: 2009, 2008, 2002, 1999, 1987, 1985, 1982
Latour: 2010, 2003, 2000, 1990, 1988, 1982, 1978
Margaux: 2010, 2005, 2000, 1995, 1986, 1983, 1979
Haut-Brion: 2005, 2000, 1996, 1995, 1989, 1985, 1982
La Mission: 2005, 2000, 1990, 1985, 1982, 1981, 1978
Cheval Blanc: 2005, 2000, 1996, 1995, 1990, 1985, 1982

Yours?
User avatar
Blanquito
Posts: 5923
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:24 pm

Re: Seven times seven

Post by Blanquito »

I really can't say as I've had so few of these wines.

I do often fantasize about what 20 cases of wine I'd buy as futures from the 82 vintage (if I had a time machine, as I was only 11 years old):
Mouton
Latour
Lafite
Cos
Pichon Lalande
Lynch Bages
GPL
Margaux
Haut Brion
La Mission HB
Gruaud Larose
LLC
Leoville Poyferre
l'Evangile
Petrus
Certan de May
Canon
Magdelaine
Cheval Blanc
Lafleur

The awesome thing is I've tried all of these except the Mouton, Lafite, Latour, Petrus and Cheval Blanc.
User avatar
stefan
Posts: 6224
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:08 pm
Location: College Station, TX
Contact:

Re: Seven times seven

Post by stefan »

I did a difficult computation and deduced that you are allowing mixed cases. Maybe a better exercise would be to allow only full cases. Then I would choose '82 Mouton, Haut-Brion, Cheval Blanc, and Latour, '83 Margaux, '90 Lafite, and '89 Haut-Brion. It is painful to pass on so many other great wines. The younger ones are less attractive for me because of my age (86 or thereabouts; I don't remember exactly...).
User avatar
Nicklasss
Posts: 6384
Joined: Tue Jan 27, 2009 5:25 pm
Contact:

Re: Seven times seven

Post by Nicklasss »

Hello Comte. i guess you already tried all these?

For my part, as my experiences with these wines are very limited, i can pnly go by "expectations" or "would absolutely want to try".

From the wines I already tried in the past:

Very limited experiences with Lafite...
Mouton: i would like the 1982 for sure, my favorite red up to now.
Very limited experience with Latour...
Margaux: i would like to get the 1983 and 1985, two vintages I liked in the past.
Haut-Brion: surely the 1982. At Winona Chief Thursday night dinner in DC a few years ago, 2 bottles were awesome (only bested by the 1982 Gruaud Larose that night).
La Mission Haut-Brion: without hesitation, the 1982 (sdr bottle in SF was something) and 1985 (a bottle I brought at NYC 03 convention, perfect).
Cheval Blanc : 1982 (JScott opened a bottle for me when I visited him around 2007. Strong wine then, should be probably better now).

From what I never tried or had tried (in red):

Lafite : 1986-1988-1996-2003-2005
Mouton: 1986-1995-2005-2006-1982
Latour: 1982-1990-1996-2000-2005
Margaux: 1983-1985-1990-1996-2004 (from my impression at the Chateau for that last one)
Haut-Brion: 1982-1989-1990-1998-2005
La Mission Haut-Brion: 1982-1985-1989-2000-2005
Cheval Blanc: 1982-1985-1998-2000-2005

Thanks Comte for making me dreaming!

Nic
User avatar
DavidG
Posts: 8280
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2008 1:12 pm
Location: Maryland
Contact:

Re: Seven times seven

Post by DavidG »

Hard to disagree with any on your list, Ian. But I would find a spot for 1990 Margaux.
User avatar
Carlos Delpin
Posts: 104
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 9:44 pm
Location: Puerto Rico
Contact:

Re: Seven times seven

Post by Carlos Delpin »

DavidG wrote:Hard to disagree with any on your list, Ian. But I would find a spot for 1990 Margaux.

And for the Haut Brion 90 which IMHO delivers more pleasure than the 89.
User avatar
Blanquito
Posts: 5923
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:24 pm

Re: Seven times seven

Post by Blanquito »

I haven't had it, but isn't the 89 La Mission Haut Brion a living legend? I guess it could find a spot too.
User avatar
Comte Flaneur
Posts: 4863
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:05 pm
Contact:

Re: Seven times seven

Post by Comte Flaneur »

Yes Patrick supposed to be first among equals with Haut-Briton 1989. However the last time I had it, about five years ago, it played second fiddle to an extraordinary bottle of Chateau Margaux 1986, from the collection of none other than Neal Martin.
User avatar
Winona Chief
Posts: 806
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:11 pm
Contact:

Re: Seven times seven

Post by Winona Chief »

Lafite: 1982, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1996, 2000
Mouton: 1982, 1986, 1988, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2002
Latour: 1982, 1983, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000
Margaux: 1983, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000
Haut Brion: 1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1998, 2000
La Mission: 1978, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2000

Note:
Left off Cheval Blanc because so little experience with it.
All vintages are pre-2003. I don't have enough experience with later vintages to have an opinion. In addition, I am unlikely to buy very many post-2002 Bordeaux trophies.

Chris Bublitz
User avatar
Comte Flaneur
Posts: 4863
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:05 pm
Contact:

Re: Seven times seven

Post by Comte Flaneur »

Nice choices Chris and all - 1982, well what more can you say?

But I reckon that our offspring will drink better than we have.

Re the 2016 thread my sense is that just as say 2005 marked and improvement over 1996, 2015/16 will be seen to have marked a progression over 2000/05 and who knows even 2009/2010?

That's why if most of us were younger we should probably be sucking up the 2015s and 2016s.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot], Google [Bot] and 12 guests