Pavie Macquin is to Rob Dayton as _____ is to you.

[JimHow]

Okay, so what is your Lynch Bages?
As I said in another thread, Rob Dayton's obsession is Pavie Macquin.
For me for many years it was Lynch Bages...

What is your favorite Bordeaux wine that you obsess over?

[Comte Flaneur]

La Conseillante

[jal]

Ian, I would have guessed Leoville Barton in your case.

Sorry not a Bordeaux for me:
Any Niellon Chassagne 1er Cru

[stefan]

La Lagune

[Musigny 151]

Vieux Chateau Certan

[JimHow]

Sigh... I was REALLY looking forward to our visit to VCC last month.

[Winona Chief]

For me probably Pichon Lalande but there are another 10 or 12 that are very close.

Chris Bublitz

[Nicklasss]

The enigmaticly great Chateau Léoville Las Cases.

Other good choices : La Conseillante, Haut Bailly and Yquem.

Nic

[DavidG]

Haut Brion and Yquem, but at their prices it's mostly a remote obsession.

Of those I can occasionally indulge, I can't really pick one. Conseillante, Montrose, Pichon Lalande

[dstgolf]

There are wines that I have loved and the pulse quickens in anticipation with Latour le grand numero uno...the King!! I can't ever remember a disappointment but like David Gs comment pricing is so far out of whack this has become a luxury out of reach for any degree of frequent indulgence. Yquem is unquestionably the Queen but has also reached the limits of my expense account. Conseillante has given untold pleasures and memories and if I could go back in time this is one estate that I should have loaded up on 25 + yrs ago. Some have taken shots at Pontet Canet but this still does it for us and I was lucky enough to buy reasonably priced cases over the years from 96-2005 until the prices rocketed not unlike through most of Bordeaux. My right bank favourite for consistency and not being over the top has been Canon la Gafeliere which never has disappointed and doesn't get too much love/notice here which is a good thing as prices have not gone as crazy as others. For daily drinking Lilian Ladouys, Belle Vue, Ville George and d'Aguihle have been staples not disappointing around our home. In general Bordeaux has become a luxury and I'm not unhappy that 95% + of my cellar is Bordeaux but buying is over going forward except for the odd thing here and there!! My drinking volume has certainly been cut way back to 1-2 bottles/week on a good week. Rare to drink on a work night anymore...times have changed when 7 days a week was the norm and twice on Sunday!

[JoelD]

Can't decide on just one and not quite as much experience as most of you, but the ones that have have consistently shown well across vintages(including "off vintages") for me thus far are:

Pichon Baron, Haut Bailly, Leoville Poyferre

Fairly certain that a few others such as Montrose, LLC, Conseillante may work their way in or above that list once I get the chance to try enough. Hopefully VCC too!

Planning to open an 89 Lynch Bages next weekend in your honor Jim. But I'll have one more bottle..

[JimHow]

Well done, Joel, very well done!
Give it plenty of air.

[JoelD]

Well done, Joel, very well done!
Give it plenty of air.

Decant or Slow Ox? How long do you think?

David, I know you just had recently, thoughts on how much air?

[DavidG]

Joel, you should be in for a treat. The '89 Lynch I had a few weeks ago was killer. It was a secondary market purchase and more open than bottles that have been in my cellar since release:

1989 Lynch Bages A 2007 purchase, perfect cork and fill. Dark red to rim. Initially a bit tight but left it in the glass for 90 min and WOW! Intense nose of cassis, dark berries, tobacco, cedar, clean moist earth. Full body, great concentration and balance, ripe fruit offset beautifully by a hint of vegetal green. Long finish. This is a strapping young adult, not showing true aged complexity but plenty going on. Bottles I’ve cellared since release show younger than this and need more time. This is kicking butt and likely has decades of great drinking ahead of it. Outstanding.(3/31/2020)

I see a few mentions of Haut Bailly above. Have to say this has become my go-to favorite Pessac-Leognan in light of Haut Brion's cost.

[JimHow]

Yeah if it were me joel I would just open t and let it sit there an hour or two before dinner with a nice fatty steak.

[sdr]

Pétrus

Maybe because I very rarely get to taste it, it’s so freakin’ expensive and because it’s usually not that great but when it is, it’s sublime. Gotta have some pain with my pleasure.

Stu

[Comte Flaneur]

Ian, I would have guessed Leoville Barton in your case.

Sorry not a Bordeaux for me:
Any Niellon Chassagne 1er Cru

Nice one Stu, Petrus is your leitmotif

Jacques, La Conseillante is the estate I fell in love with after trying the 1981 about 30 years ago, and the label is so evocative. We had a memorable visit there in 1993 when Monsieur Nicolas opened a half of 1990 in his office, invited us to his house and then to lunch, for which he asked me to pick a bottle from his cellar. I chose the 1981 Conseillante rather than Petrus. Then later that afternoon, we went off the Figeac where our charming hostess Sophie opened a half bottle of the 1982 for us. Both halves were magical; Figeac would be my second choice.

Leoville Barton was good in the 1980s but pedestrian by comparison with Conseillante and Figeac especially in vintages like 1982 and 1986. The full glory and potential of Leoville Barton has been revealed since 2000. If it was a left bank my choice would be between Leoville Barton, Leoville Lascases and Lafite. And it would probably be the latter because Bordeaux does not get any better than Lafite.

[stefan]

>>
Bordeaux does not get any better than Lafite.
>>

Amen!

[JimHow]

Bordeaux does not get any better than Lafite.

Amen, my brother.

When Lafite is at its best, it is unparalleled.

[JimHow]

I still say the best showings at that dinner we did with Stuart and Kathy in Ft. Lauderdale a couple months ago were the Lafites.

[SF Ed]

My obsession isn't a wine, its a vintage. As many of you know, I am obsessed with wines from 1964. I've had most of the "top" '64 Bordeaux, including all of the 1st growths (many of which suck) and loads of the right bankers, which are good to outstandingly great (e.g. Trotanoy).

Its a tough vintage to get to know in Bordeaux, as the weather was great until there was torrential rain. If you picked before the rain, you have good to great wine. If you picked after (like nearly everyone in St. Julien, Pauillac, Margaux and St. Estephe except for Latour and Montrose), you generally have poor wine.

I love 1964 Barolo, see great value in 1964 Rioja, and love the few 1964 Burgundies, Champagnes and Rhones I've had.

SF Ed

[DavidG]

Ed, the 1964 Barolos a number of years ago at one of our BWE Convention Friday night dinners at your table were revelatory. Borgogno was one, don't recall the others. Made me realize what the Nebbiolo grape was capable of.

[dstgolf]

Jim,

That's where palates differ. In FLL the 82 line up most put the Lafite at the back of the pack. The 99 was a big disappointment for the price. 96 was excellent and the 2004 exceeded expectation. Too much variability vintage to vintage with Lafite to garner the heady pricing. Latour on the other hand rarely disappoints but that is for me and everyone has their favourites.

Ian,

My first Conseillante was a sublime 83 bought at auction in around 96 one of two bottles and I'd never had the wine before. It simply blew us away on the nose and the complexity/sexiness was so memorable. The second bottle drank about 10 years ago was every bit as good. The 82 that I had a few years back was very good but from memory didn't wow me like the 83s. The 89 and 90 were again in the wow category but my favourite is still the 83. 99 is still somewhat shy and I'm not sure if it will come into its own but for the most part I have not experienced anything great from the 99 vintage to date. 2004 still sleeping in the cellar and haven't dragged one out to try....waiting for the 20 yr mark.

Another star for years was the 82 Certan de May which was killer but I haven't had any other vintage that has come close to match. I know there was some chatter about this one from a recent BWE convention last or the year before about how great it was but from my experience after sharing at least a dozen bottles over the years it started to lose its shine by comparison to its highs about 10 yrs ago. Still good but no where close.

[JimHow]

The '82 Latour was the star that night. We came back to those Lafites at the end of the evening and I thought they had all really opened up and were singing.
There weren't too many slouches that night.

[dstgolf]

I'm sure the 82 Lafite on its own would have been good but I must say that I was very disappointed with the hype of a 100pt wine and the price this garners being ridiculous at the moment. I have one bottle of two left in the cellar and not looking forward to opening it. If there is one that I would sell it would be this one. The second bottle I gave to my buddy for his 60th and his son drank it!!! Must say I wasn't impressed but now not terribly disappointed that we didn't have the opportunity of sharing it.

[JimHow]

I'm telling you, Danny, Lafite should never be uncorked as part of a larger tasting, it should be drunk on its own.
Its elegance and finesse and nuance get overshadowed.
If you come over when Nicola comes over this summer I'll uncork one of my Lafites.

[dstgolf]

Jim,

Would love to but borders may still be closed??

[JimHow]

We shall see. Our governor kept some pretty stiff restrictions in place well into the summer, a lot of Mainahs not too happy with her.
I'm still hoping we'll be able to salvage July/August.