TN: 2000 Barde Haut

[JCNorthway]

This producer has received a lot of respect among BWE'ers for recent vintages - I actually have a couple bottles of the 2012 based on comments here.

Tonight is about a different vintage of Barde Haut - the 2000. I bought six bottles after release for about $34 at the long ago defunct Sam's Wines in Chicago. In retrospect that price seems like overpaying. I opened my first bottle of this in 2015 at age 15 years. I thought it drank really well with just a bit of time open. Tonight I opened the first bottle in a couple of years, and to my surprise, I think this needs to be drunk now. I know it is heavy on Merlot, but it seems to have almost completely lost its structure and tannins. Drinking this with a grilled NY steak, it showed really soft and overly ripe fruit flavors, and lacked any real structure, tannins or terrior.

I know this is no first growth, but given the vintage, I expected a bit more staying power. This has been stored at 57 degrees since I acquired it in 2003, so I don't think provenance is an issue, unless it was mishandled in shipment to the US. I'm curious if anyone has had recent experiences with this wine.

Jon

[brodway]

Jon

i've had the 2000 and several subsequent vintages, and have never been blown away by the complexity or style of the wine.

Barde Haut is generally middle of the road producer, and as you noted $34 in 2000 was not an inexpensive proposition, but the Euro/Dollar conversion was not as favorable as it is today, so that may have been a contributing factor to the overall higher prices of French wine in 2003 when the wine was released.....inflation adjusted.

Interesting that you mention Sam's...Over the early years of hoarding wine, i bought a ton of Bordeaux from them at extremely reasonable prices. They were reliable and always delivered what they sold.I miss them and surprised they are no longer around

[JimHow]

Barde Haut is a wine that should not be cellared more than ten years.
In fact, it is best upon release. Same with Haut Bergey.

[AKR]

I had a bottle maybe a year ago, and enjoyed it. I do think its better when younger, but it keeps ok.

It's a style I like, and I grant that others don't always care for its sexy flash.

I actually picked up one Helen Garcin's Argentina malbecs (haven't tried it yet) based on how much I like what they do in Bordeaux.

[You might remember that region as serving as the backdrop for Madonna's riveting Evita musical.]

[AKR]

I have been enjoying a bottle of this 2000 the last two nights by myself.

It's ok, there's a touch of menthol, minty spice here.

For my tastes, the 2000 is denser than many other comparable vintages from that era.

Although it keeps well, perhaps this is one to enjoy on the younger side.

Save those scarce cellar rack spots for those who truly need time to round out.

It's not a bad thing to be a serious wine, yet drinkable young.

(Condrieu is like that)

[Ognik]

Any thoughts on Barde Haut 1998? Do you think it's on the down slope?

[danzur]

I can't help, but I have (1) '98 Barde Haut left, haven't opened one in many years, I probably should soon.

That said, I had been holding onto a few '98 Larmandes, and opened one this week-it was way down the hill, which was disappointing. I plan to post a separate thread in a bit.

[AKR]

Any thoughts on Barde Haut 1998? Do you think it's on the down slope?

I would drink it up. I finished mine somewhat recently. The 99's still have some fruit, but still I think best to enjoy now.

[JimHow]

Barde Haut should be consumed within ten years of vintage.
One exception is the 2005, which is about a point at age 12.

[danzur]

Uh oh....

[JimHow]

[robertgoulet]

This producer has received a lot of respect among BWE'ers for recent vintages - I actually have a couple bottles of the 2012 based on comments here.

Tonight is about a different vintage of Barde Haut - the 2000. I bought six bottles after release for about $34 at the long ago defunct Sam's Wines in Chicago. In retrospect that price seems like overpaying. I opened my first bottle of this in 2015 at age 15 years. I thought it drank really well with just a bit of time open. Tonight I opened the first bottle in a couple of years, and to my surprise, I think this needs to be drunk now. I know it is heavy on Merlot, but it seems to have almost completely lost its structure and tannins. Drinking this with a grilled NY steak, it showed really soft and overly ripe fruit flavors, and lacked any real structure, tannins or terrior.

I know this is no first growth, but given the vintage, I expected a bit more staying power. This has been stored at 57 degrees since I acquired it in 2003, so I don't think provenance is an issue, unless it was mishandled in shipment to the US. I'm curious if anyone has had recent experiences with this wine.

Jon

...locally they had a bin of the Barde 2010, 50% off..
had to grab one..
...went home..popped it...never returned to grab any others...the wine was a complete travesty.

Nooo, it was not a flawed bottle...just a poor excuse for bordeaux.

[JimHow]

Sigh, I guess only Bob Parker and I enjoy Barde Haut....

[marcs]

Barde Haut is a wine that should not be cellared more than ten years.
In fact, it is best upon release. Same with Haut Bergey.

For Jim's tastes, couldn't you substitute the name of ANY Bordeaux in the above?

Anyway, I am not a big Barde Haut fan, on release or otherwise, although the price is right. But Haut Bergey can definitely age. The 2000 Haut Bergey is really nice today and only started to peak in recent years. Excellent wine and a textbook example of the payoff from aging Bordeaux.

The 2005 Haut Bergey still has some time to go in my opinion, and should be held for a bit to develop secondaries. Not sure it will ever be as good as the 2000 though. It has depth/substance but lacks some complexity.

In general I have had much better experiences with Haut Bergey than BH.

[JimHow]

You guys are mad. You are madmen.

[marcs]

Should bring that 2000 Haut Bergey to the BWE DC convention this year.

Especially if I could sneak it in to something blind, it would be interesting.