Another year ending, time to pick a BWE Wine of the Year.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Dec 01, 2019 6:14 am

It's that time of year....

What are some nominees?

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Sun Dec 01, 2019 2:39 pm

I'll start with a first proposal : 2014 Chateay Meyney. Clearly a good contestant for me.

The 1996 Chateau Léoville Barton we had at the Saturday lunch in Denver, was very BWE.

Nic

jckba · Post by **jckba** » Sun Dec 01, 2019 3:28 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 2016’s and as has recently become the norm, there are a plethora of worthy WotY contenders.

I think that this was a year that showcased Cabernet Sauvignon (or Cabernet Franc on the RB) and freshness and as such I think a left bank pick would seem appropriate. And while I commend the Wine Spectators WotY choice in the Leoville Barton, I preferred and rated both the Pichon’s higher despite buying all three, so, is this the year that the Comtesse finally takes the top spot?

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sun Dec 01, 2019 5:33 pm

I think Jim might be making an early play to steer us away from 2016 JC but I think your logic is impeccable, and I think it would be hard snub a vintage that in my opinion from the off - and increasingly in the opinion of others too - really has no peer.

I could make the case for several 2016s...the first that springs to mind is Montrose that knocked every other Montrose into a cocked hat at a vertical tasting we attended - including the 15, 14, 10, 9, 5 and 3. The finish was incredible.

Many estates made their best wine in 2016 in my opinion, not just Montrose. The Pichon Lalande you mention JC is epic and will rival and may even surpass the 1982. Leoville Lascases, Cos etc also made epic, best ever, wines.

But my suggestion and vote would be for 2016 La Lagune. It is a wine that many of us have tasted and some of us already own. It remains very affordable and is such a brilliant and complete wine. It surpasses the 1982 and is the best Lagune I have ever tasted and probably made.

marcs · Post by **marcs** » Sun Dec 01, 2019 5:38 pm

Comte Flaneur wrote: But my suggestion and vote would be for 2016 La Lagune. It is a wine that many of us have tasted and some of us already own. It remains very affordable and is such a brilliant and complete wine. It surpasses the 1982 and is the best Lagune ever made.

No offense, but how can you say that a wine is "the best XXX ever made" when it's only been one year in bottle? I realize that critics do this all the time but I always cringe when I see it. Bordeaux is about aging, you can't judge whether something is "the best ever made" until it has aged for something like the period it is supposed to age. Or maybe the cognoscenti can tell how a wine will age from its infancy, I never can.

Sorry to jump on out of the blue, just a pet peeve of mine when I see it with critics, so I'm venting.

I haven't tried enough 2016 to have a view on the vintage or wines, so I will stay out of the voting...I like 2015 Margaux and 2014 style and prices, but I think we already honored those in the past year or two.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sun Dec 01, 2019 5:44 pm

Marc you could turn that on its head and argue that you need to wait 30-40 years after a vintage to make that judgement.

Experts are paid to make such calls. It is what made Parker in the 1982 vintage. It is possible to recognise attributes in young wine that enable you to predict its future evolution.

Many of us here are experts too. I have been drinking Bordeaux for over 30 years and have been to three 2016 tastings. Even I could recognise the greatness in this vintage.

I made that call when I first tasted the vintage, and I stand by that 100%.

http://www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com/ ... age#p60327

The notion that these wines may be too clinical does not really cut any ice with me. It suggests more perhaps great care in the winemaking.

The Montrose tasting was proof of the pudding if you will. I have also invested heavily in the 2016s - something like 20 different properties - even though I have been in record as saying I was done with the 2010s.

P.S. Marc I was editing my original post when you posted so the paragraphs do not align...edited to be less unequivocal.,

marcs · Post by **marcs** » Sun Dec 01, 2019 6:05 pm

Comte Flaneur wrote:Marc you could turn that on its head and argue that you need to wait 30-40 years after a vintage to make that judgement.

Experts are paid to make such calls. It is what made Parker in the 1982 vintage. It is possible to recognise attributes in young wine that enable you to predict its future evolution.

Many of us here are experts too. I have been drinking Bordeaux for over 30 years and have been to three 2016 tastings.

Yes, I do think that the optimal time to make the call on the "best vintage ever" judgement would be right around when the wines are re-emerging from their shut down period, usually 15 years or so from the vintage date. Of course that doesn't align with the time that people are buying it so it's impractical in that sense.

True that experts are paid to make such calls, but that doesn't tell you whether the calls are likely to be accurate. But if you have found that your predictions as to how a vintage will age based on tasting wines right after bottling have played out pretty well over the years then I totally respect that. I find it difficult personally but I am also much less experienced than you and others are, I have been drinking Bordeaux for decades but almost never attend early mass tastings of vintages.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Sun Dec 01, 2019 7:20 pm

I support 2016 Chateau La Lagune nomination, as it is a very pure, concentrated and complex Haut-Médoc. Surely a wine we'll talk about for a long time.

I did not had many 2016, but many red Bordeaux from that vintage can win the BWE WOTY in 2019. 2016 Chateau Capbern is definitely another unbelievable wine for the price. I own some, did not taste yet, but what I understand is that the 2016 Chateau Beychevelle would be a great candidate too.

Nic

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sun Dec 01, 2019 8:44 pm

Tiny bit of counterpoint: I thought the 2016 Lagune showed very awkwardly at the UGC event in January. I tried it a couple of times, and it was a head scratcher.

Hardly a definitive take (bad bottle?), but I was nonplussed. I should retry.

For me, the QPR of the tasting was the Langoa Barton, which is one of the few 16s I’ve bought (the others being the Branaire Ducru and Sociando Mallet). The Purple Baron was epic, but pricey. No Firsts, nor the Montrose and Cos were poured.

A fun thing we could do during BWE Bordeaux 2020 is have a 2016 horizontal or maybe we can get the chateau to open a few.

marcs · Post by **marcs** » Sun Dec 01, 2019 8:51 pm

Blanquito's thoughtful writeup of his trip to the 2016 UGC tasting, which I believe he has linked here before, offers a very interesting counterpoint to the views of others who rave about the vintage:

https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=40888

Includes the La Lagune review.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Sun Dec 01, 2019 10:08 pm

Nicklasss wrote:I2016 Chateau Capbern is definitely another unbelievable wine for the price. I own some, did not taste yet, but what I understand is that the 2016.
Nic

I just finished a bottle of the '16 Capbern. While it's an enjoyable wine, quite accessible now, I don't think it's really worthy of WOTY status.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Mon Dec 02, 2019 1:06 am

I’m not inclined to give extra credit for great QPR, though I’d take off points for obscene pricing.
I like the idea of picking a wine that’s currently available but can see the validity of worthy exceptions.
"Special BWE meaning," as in something many of us have shared and loved together, deserves extra credit.

brodway · Post by **brodway** » Mon Dec 02, 2019 1:40 am

not the Lafon Rochet 2016?

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Mon Dec 02, 2019 2:04 am

Racer, i understand your point about Capbern. Of course, like written, I think for the price and opened now, it is a nice 2016, even excellent and surprising, but it is not a Deuxième Cru Classé. But i did not do a big 2016 sampling so understand some other 2016 must be better, in a BWE spirit. So I'm ready to accept any 2016 recommended as WOTY by you, blanquito or any BWEer.

I liked very much the 2016 La Lagune, for what it is, clearly a class of act. By the way, the 2015 is great too. But I'm ready to accept that the two Pichons, or Montrose, or Langoa, or Grand-Puy Lacoste, in 2016, deserve also the BWE WOTY award. Probably 2016 Latour or Mouton or Lafleur deserve it also because being way better wines. But when I consider the price, the quality, the BWE spirit, the BWEers who report on the wine, the reception we got there in 2015, the wine being certified organic from 2016 (just a fact, not that I prefer or look for organic wine), the long history La Lagune has with BWE from the start of BWE, the fact that is is "only" a Haut-Médoc, the claret style of La Lagune since a long time, the never "sell it soul" style red Bordeaux, and my perception (not a fact) that the 2016 represent all that, I guess the 2016 Chateau La Lagune needs some consideration as possible 2019 BWE WOTY.

But don't worry, i'll accept any other 2016 as a winner.

Nic

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Mon Dec 02, 2019 4:10 am

Jim,

I thought that you had already declared 2016 Tour St Christophe witty??!! Great wine, incredible QPR and we'll be visiting the Chateau in the Spring for our20th. The owners son will meet and greet us in person hosting dinner in our honour and what better tribute could BWE present than the official presentation of the 20th anniversary WOTY. Hands down winner in my mind and a great wine to boot.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Dec 02, 2019 4:12 am

So much for an off line secret...

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Mon Dec 02, 2019 4:26 am

JimHow wrote:So much for an off line secret...

LOL. Leaker than the Trump White House!

Chateau Vin · Post by **Chateau Vin** » Mon Dec 02, 2019 4:29 am

All the wines mentioned are worthy of the accolade... But my leanings are towards 16 Gloria and 16 Christophe... But I might have said that I preferred 15 Christophe to that of 16...

Ognik · Post by **Ognik** » Mon Dec 02, 2019 1:46 pm

Sociando Mallet 2016 in memory of Mr. G.
Excellent quality and value.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Dec 02, 2019 11:56 pm

Not a bad suggestion, Ognik.
The 1996 Sociando-Mallet was our very first wine of the year in 2000.
We will be visiting the estate as part of the BWE trip in March, I'm really looking forward to it.
To me it is one of the penultimate BWE wines, everything we stand for.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:09 am

i’m It is hard for me not to vote for
La Lagune, but inasmuch as I have not even tasted a single 2016 Bdx, I am free to vote for anything. So I’ll go with 2016 St Christophe whatever, a wine I have not tasted in ANY vintage.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:52 am

I don't know when the BWE WOTY rules changed? I thought from beginning that Right Bank wines were not Bordeaux wines. But hey, times are changing, money can buy anything and any "half Parkerized New Kid on the Block" Saint Émilion can now win the prestigious BWE WOTY award.

So I guess in less than five years, a "Bordeaux style" Napa Merlot will also be able to win the BWE WOTY award.

Le cabernet sauvignon est mort... Vive le merlot!

Nic

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 1:03 am

BWE....

20 years strong.

Long live BWE.

jal · Post by **jal** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 1:15 am

stefan wrote: So I’ll go with 2016 St Christophe whatever, a wine I have not tasted in ANY vintage.

So this wine moved from being Tour St Dildo to BWE WOTY contender in two short years? Meteoric to say the least. I must taste soon.

hautbrionlover · Post by **hautbrionlover** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:27 am

The best Bordeaux I drank this year were:
Palmer 1999
Pape Clement 1986
Gruaud Larose 1986
Pichon Baron 1989

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 7:10 am

Sorry Jim. Just back from a late night event in Chicago and honestly thought you made your comment online rather than off. Can't keep anything straight anymore with the dozens of emails and phone calls back and forth over the last month on top of trying to keep things straight with work. If I screwed up my humble apologies but my recommendations for woty stand 2016 TSC +/- 2015. Best qpr in years and another rising star. Pontet Canet of the future so buy now.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 1:36 pm

Ha no big deal Danny. I'm still interested in hearing what others think as their wines of the year.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:56 pm

My pick for currently available would be 2016 Pichon Lalande.

Other worthy red Bordeaux drunk this year:
1989 Pichon Baron
2000 Pichon Baron
1989 Montrose
1982 Gruaud Larose
1989 Conseillante
2015 Canon

Jay Winton · Post by **Jay Winton** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 3:11 pm

I'm like Father Stefan but I did purchase 6 bottles of 2016 La Lagune so will vote for that wine.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 3:19 pm

I did not drink any significant 2016s this year so have little comment on this vintage, really haven't bought a lot either. The best 2016 in my cellar is a bottle of Les Carmes Haut Brion, but the word is they've gone to the dark side so I won't advance it as a contender for WOTY.
My pick for 2019 woty has to be 1986 Chateau Talbot. It's my Bordeaux epiphany wine (in 2014) and I currently have one bottle, which I'm planning to consume sometime in the next 4 weeks.
So far this year my best bottle consumed was a 2015 Prieure-lichine which I awarded 94 points, but I expect the Talbot to be more better.

brodway · Post by **brodway** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 4:18 pm

Concur on the 1989 Montrose... it's a tremendous wine....have 1 bottle left of it from a OWC which i bought from a collector that had to move from NYC to California and it was the best purchase i ever made. Each of those bottles were memorable.

William P · Post by **William P** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 4:42 pm

I don't recall previous winners, but the 2015 Brane Cantenac was a winner with a long future ahead of it.

Bill

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 5:38 pm

Indeed it was, Bill:

http://www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com/ ... f=4&t=8176

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 5:39 pm

Past BWE Wine of the Year 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
2018: 2015 Brane Cantenac

William P · Post by **William P** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 5:42 pm

Thanks Jim. A little behind the times, I guess.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 5:43 pm

To be honest I had to think for a minute as well...

Chateau Vin · Post by **Chateau Vin** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 5:55 pm

The other worthy candidate would be 2016 Beychevelle...

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 11:04 pm

Yes CV absolutely. By far the best wine ever made by that estate. In fact I would choose 16 Beychevelle over 16 Lagune.

robert goulet · Post by **robert goulet** » Wed Dec 04, 2019 8:55 am

I vote any Sociando of any vintage for every BWE WOTY vote

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Wed Dec 04, 2019 11:41 am

Chris B’s bottle of the 1990 Figeac blew me away this year.

We of course had an absurd number of amazing wines at BWE Denver.

For a young Bordeaux, I’d consider the 2016 Pichon Baron or 2014 Leoville Barton