Thoughts on the 2018 BWE Wine of the Year....

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 5:28 pm

With the holidays upon us, it is time to start thinking about the BWE wine of the year.
And what a year it has been!

Past winners:

2000: 1996 Sociando-Mallet
2001: 1989 Lynch-Bages
2002: 1995 d'Yquem
2003: 1999 Haut Brion Blanc
2004: 2000 Pichon Baron and 2000 du Tertre
2005: 2000 Margaux
2006: 2003 Pontet-Canet
2007: 2002 Leoville Poyferre
2008: 2005 Burgundy vintage (protest vote)
2009: 1989 Lafite Rothschild
2010: 2005 Cantemerle
2011: 2008 Leoville Poyferre
2012: 2009 Giscours
2013: 2004 Smith Haut Lafitte
2014: 2010 Chasse Spleen
2015: 2012 Leoville Las Cases
2016: 2012 Barde-Haut
2017: 2014 Calon Segur

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 6:37 pm

Some of those 2015 Margaux AOC (and nearby neighbors) seem like good candidates

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 7:09 pm

That’s a hard one, as the actress said to the bishop, because Jim didn’t get along with some of the 2015s.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 7:15 pm

Brane Cantenac!

jal · Post by **jal** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 8:46 pm

1989 Lynch Bages!
Is this a (benevolent) dictatorship or not?
The 1989 Lynch Bages can win BWE WOTY as many times as Jim wants it to.

jal · Post by **jal** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 8:56 pm

Seriously, though , my top 3 wines this year were:
1986 Lynch Bages
1978 Leovile Las Cases
1989 Lynch Bages

I can't even begin to think about 2014 or 2015 Bordeaux

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 9:03 pm

jal wrote:Seriously, though , my top 3 wines this year were:
1986 Lynch Bages
1978 Leovile Las Cases
1989 Lynch Bages

I can't even begin to think about 2014 or 2015 Bordeaux

That bottle of the 86 Lynch we had in Denver was so friggin’ amazing.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 9:07 pm

I had an eye-openingly good bottle of the 2000 Brane Cantenac recently. If the 2015 Brane can do that in 2033 (is that date, which sounds so sci-fi, really only 18 years away!?), those of us who bought the 15 will be very happy campers.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 9:08 pm

The 2015 Siran is certainly my QPR of the Year.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 9:14 pm

Leoville Barton has never won.

2001, 2004, 2010, 2014 contenders.

Neither has Pichon Lalande

1996 as per JC, 2010, 2016 contenders.

Ognik · Post by **Ognik** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 9:25 pm

Rauzan Segla 2015
Has to be a Margaux in 2015.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:06 pm

Any Grand-Puy Lacoste.

Nic

marcs · Post by **marcs** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:46 pm

2014 GPL, at $50, might not be a bad candidate

.

I do think it should be either a low priced 2014 or a 2015 Margaux. We should celebrate the kind of high-level Bordeaux QPRs we've been seeing, great wines for $55 and under. 2014 Leoville Barton, 2015 Giscours, etc.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:59 pm

If it is GPL it should be the 2016 best ever or 1994: 95: 96

marcs · Post by **marcs** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 11:08 pm

The 2014 Pichon Lalande at like $90 on futures was also a very good deal considering the quality of the wine.

robert goulet · Post by **robert goulet** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 12:17 am

1997 Potensac is my bordeaux WOTY

robert goulet · Post by **robert goulet** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 12:19 am

A '98 righty is due

La Grave a Pomerol was bordeaux heaven a few yrs. back

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 1:01 am

http://www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com/ ... ane#p68283

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 1:06 am

Yeah, totally agree on the 98 La Grave a Pomerol as an awesome wine.

(btw HDH is offering the 15 La Grave a P for $42.50 until tonight or maybe tomorrow)

But I think WOTY's should be a bottling that many of us on the board have had recent familiarity with.

=========

Blanquito - agree on the 2000 Brane Cantenac. Surprisingly 1999 isn't much behind it though.

jal · Post by **jal** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 6:18 am

I remember we did a virtual tasting on the old msn board of the 1999 Brane Cantenac and I thought at the time that it was awful. All I remember is the very heavy oak treatment. I'm glad it improved with age.

And I don't think I ever had a bad 1998 right banker.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 6:40 am

Folks
Noting the interest in Margaux in 2015, I vote for the Prieure' Lichine.
I'm suggesting this as a QPR wine which can still be had for a fair price.
This wine has always flown a little under the radar, and has had a slightly patchy time of it, but recent vintages have moved it up a notch.

Had the 2009 Giscours not already won a WOTY vote, I'd consider the 2005 or 2015.
The 2005 Giscours is a very fruity, powerful wine that walks a fine line between masses of fruit and Bordeaux structure. Best wine from anywhere I have quaffed this year.

I do however argue that the WOTY should be one that is freely available AND at a fair price.
So PL gets my vote ahead of Giscours.

jckba · Post by **jckba** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 3:09 pm

I am going to repeat my yearly opinion which is that I think the BWE wine of the year should come from the most recent Bdx vintage to be released, so for this year that works out to be the 2015’s and there are a plethora of worthy WotY contenders. I think a Margaux pick would be justifiable; I like the Prieure Lichine on the value side as Claudius mentions directly above or Brane Cantenac as Chris suggested or d’Issan or Rauzan Segla at higher price points but I could just as well vote for something from the right bank; like Clinet or Gazin in Pomerol or Clos Fourtet, Larcis Ducasse or Canon from Saint Emilion.

William P · Post by **William P** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 3:40 pm

If price and quality are a factor, I say the 2015 Gloria. I concur that from my small samples of 2015, Marguax and St. Julien deserve attention.

Bill

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 5:51 pm

I like the idea of a 2015 Margaux. Giscours came to mind first but I think I like Claudius' nomination of 2015 Prieure Lichine even better. Current release, good QPR, widely available, excellent example from a top-performing commune in an excellent vintage.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 6:18 pm

One more Margaux top performer in 2015, available for very reasonable price, is Cantenac-Brown.

Chateau Vin · Post by **Chateau Vin** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 6:50 pm

I think the honor should go to 15 Brane Cantenac. They have upped their game in recent years while maintaining their decent price point....

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 8:30 pm

I wouldn’t argue with that - Brane Cantenac has really upped its game - but so has Rauzan Segla, for which a compelling case can be made.

William P · Post by **William P** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 9:53 pm

I haven't bought or tried any Rauzan in 2015, but I thought it made large strides in 2012 and 2014 so I imagine 2015 will also be a winner. Also I agree that Brane Cantenac is a worthy candidate.

Bill

robert goulet · Post by **robert goulet** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 2:17 am

AKR wrote:Yeah, totally agree on the 98 La Grave a Pomerol as an awesome wine.

(btw HDH is offering the 15 La Grave a P for $42.50 until tonight or maybe tomorrow)

But I think WOTY's should be a bottling that many of us on the board have had recent familiarity with.

=========

Blanquito - agree on the 2000 Brane Cantenac. Surprisingly 1999 isn't much behind it though.

Newer La Grave Pom unfortunately do not move me like vintages of the paat

marcs · Post by **marcs** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 2:47 am

Rauzan Segla was too expensive. They are milking it, coming out at $70+ when Giscours, etc. came out at $50. Now R-S is $100 when its competitor 2015 Margaux can still be found at $60. Such behavior should not be rewarded when there are so many other well priced 2015s.

Ognik · Post by **Ognik** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 8:19 am

Price follows quality. Anything wrong with it?
So what...in terms of quality Rauzan Segla 2015 is an excellent value....as Canon 2015 is;-)

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 11:40 am

Ognik wrote:Price follows quality. Anything wrong with it?
So what...in terms of quality Rauzan Segla 2015 is an excellent value....as Canon 2015 is;-)

Exactly. The price relationship to Giscours was the same in previous vintages as well.

marcs · Post by **marcs** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 1:30 pm

Is there any evidence that Rauzan Segla is actually a better wine than a multitude of less expensive 2015 Margaux, like Giscours, Brane Cantenac, etc.? In such a case the prize should go the least expensive wine of comparable quality.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 2:33 pm

You’re preaching to the choir on 2003 Bordeaux.
I’ve rarely had a disappointing 2003, from either bank of the river.
I had some Clos des Lambrays back in the day when they were like $25 per bottle, they are a little out of my range now.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 2:42 pm

"Is there any evidence that Rauzan Segla is actually a better wine than a multitude of less expensive 2015 Margaux, like Giscours, Brane Cantenac, etc.?"

Cellartracker data sorted by user average score:
2015 Margaux
2014 Margaux
2012 Margaux

Apart from Ch. Margaux and Palmer, Rauzan Segla consistently outperforms the other chateaux in the appellation.
Digging into the actual tasting notes, especially of those who taste lots of Bordeaux wine (Jeff Leve, Panos Kakaviatos, Motz, Nostrabacchus, and others) verifies the validity of the higher average scores.

Ognik · Post by **Ognik** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 8:21 pm

That's what i'm talking about. Rauzan Segla was reasonable priced en primeur im termes of quality, esp. for a second Cru.
Giscours, Cantenac Brown, Prieure Lichine and others are good wines in 2015....but play in a different league....
Btw Brane Cantenac was about 10€ cheaper than RS e.p. Also an excellent choice in 2015 and worth named wine of the year.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Sun Dec 16, 2018 12:03 pm

Folks
Maybe since 2005 Burgundy was WOTY then surely the 2015 Margaux appellation rather than a specific wine can be WOTY.
In any case, I think Rausan Segla is a very nice wine but over here it is hard to find and too expensive.

Ognik
Price GENERALLY follows quality but bottom feeders like me seek out wines that fly under the radar and thus give outstanding QPR.
For example, the wines of St Emilion have improved out of sight in the last 10-20 years and there has been steady (though rather uneven) improvement in the wines from Margaux.
There are now lots of smallish estates who made ordinary wine 30-40 years ago that have steadily (and in a few cases suddenly) improved.

On the other hand, I rarely even bother with Pauillac anymore. That is not to say the wines are crap, but wines such as the Pichons, LB, PC etc are to my palate poor value.
So I will seek out wines from St Julien that offer better value such as Branaire, Lagrange, Langoa Barton, GL etc which to me offer reasonable value and good quality.
When wine prices increase, I just walk away. Beychevelle is as example, and Leoville Poyferre is another though its has improved. Been some years since I bought either.

Margaux wines have with a few exceptions (notably Margaux itself and Palmer) been relative under-performers and a few still are.
Again, there has been steady improvement here and several wines are well priced for their quality - which is why I nominated Prieure' Lichine 2015 as WOTY.

The trophy wines are to me in the same class as expensive jewellery, watches, accessories, bags, even cars.
I have never had any time for show-offs and over here in Singapore, there is plenty of it (try watching crazy rich Asians).
Years ago, I could buy first growths at auction for $A50 (or about $US38).
I am talking about the 80's and early 90's and I happily grabbed lots of them.
Even bought Chambertin by the pallet (believe it or not, the auction lot was a whole pallet of Faiveley Burgs including Chambertin, GC 1er Crus, CM 1er Crus, NSG 1ers etc).

Can I tell you a Shanghaiese joke.
Two rich girls go shopping.
They meet at a club later, one says: "I bought this bag for $45,000."
The other says: "Is that all? If you went to the shop I visited, you could have had it for $50,000".

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Dec 16, 2018 2:04 pm

Appellation representation in the BWE Wine of the Year over the years:

Pauillac = 4
Margaux = 3
St. Julien = 3
Haut Medoc = 2
Moulis = 1
Graves (red) = 1
St. Estephe = 1
Sauternes = 1
St. Emilion = 1
Graves (white) = 1
Burgundy = 1

jckba · Post by **jckba** » Sun Dec 16, 2018 2:35 pm

As the clock ticks, the anticipation builds ...

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Sun Dec 16, 2018 2:48 pm

I nominate three 2014 St. Estephe's to be considered for 2018 BWE WOTY: Cos d' Estournel, Calon Segur, Meyney. All 3 represent good value for money, at three different levels.

Nevermind.