Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Tonight, a great lesson. Had a nice dinner with my parents and inlaws, and it was time to open two nice bottles.

It was very sunny, so the guests came in early to take advantage of the pool. After a light beer, we went to the 2019 Chateau la Lieue rosé, that was quite good under the warm sun. Fruity but dry at the same time, with those pink flowers and light peaches too.

For dinner, beef filet mignon for everyone, with garlic lemon oregano Greek potatoes style and a greek salad of raw vegetables.

First wine opened was the 2016 Gilles Barge Cuvée du Plessy Côte Rôtie. An incredible wine. Medium red color, with that complex nose of violet flowers, apricots, rasberries, black peppercorns, smoke, light oak and more flowers. Perfumed, defined, powerful. Mouth is all balanced, with that strong blackberries and rasberries syrah, smoky, flowery, spicy, rocky minerals. But there so much presence and length that you almost believe it is tricked. But no, what a wine, directly aligned with what I like, correspounding to the best syrah can give at that location and price. If you have ever play to Dungeons and Dragons, this is Pegasus. Tn: 94.

Second wine opened, the 2014 Chateau Meyney. A very good wine, very dark, very concentrated, with these strong blackcurrant aromas, rich oak with light vanilla, blackberries and something sligthly meaty. Sweet creamy fruit. In mouth, after the Balançed and elegant Côte Rôtie, the Saint Estèphe is showing powerful fruit, smoke meat, tannins, with no rough edges, but even if dry, with a slightly brutish sweet fruit. More simple now, add some sweet dry tobacco tones, but the wine is warm (14 % alcohol vs 12.5 % for the Northern Rhône syrah and light viognier) finishing longly on a syrupy black cherries and oak. The Ogre in Dungeons and Dragons, unfortunately. I feel it is a very good concentrated wine, but kinda obscene and brutish vs the Barge. Tn: 90.

What to think? Did I bought too much 2016-2018-2019 red Bordeaux? Do i have to wait for them 20 or 30 years? Or do i have to get away from red Bordeaux influenced by de Bouard, and other top notch sheer power wines? After tonight, I feel puzzled...

Nic

I put away one of those C-R in the 2015 vintage. Hopefully get to it by age ten. Had a really delicious basic Pierre Le Grand Crozes from 2015 last weekend. That's some made up brand name from a producer called Mucey.

The NoRho had a good run from 2015-2018, so consider squirreling some away if one has the space, patience.

2014 meyney has powerful structure...def. a wait and see wine for me with very good potential

Haha, funny post!

Nice buy a lot of that old school Northern Rhône, it may scratch your itch. Levet. Gonon. Benetiere. Jamet. Allemand. Faury. Faurie. Champet. Clape. Etc. Great note on that Cote Rotie.

I’ve not been a fan of Meyney post-2005. It’s gone through both a major sale and them Bouard swooping in. The same way he stained some other faves of mine, including Lanessan, he has done to Meyney, IMHO. It’s just not the same wine. Bobby Goulet, you and I shared a 2005 and it was a block of wood. The 2009 is a glossy yawn of a wine. I bowed out. The props on this board about 2016 made me rethink, but then when I read Leve’s “best ever notes” on 3 of the last 4 vintages, plus his verbiage choice apropos to a modernized wine, I remain out.

Good contrast Nic.

Northern Rhone is on a hot streak. I have had mixed but mostly positive experiences with Gilles Barges Du Plessy. Interesting it is still only 12.5% it is a wine made in a traditional style.

I have not tried any of recent new wave of Meyneys that people including Neal Martin have been raving about. I must admit though that Hubert de Bouard’s involvement sets off alarm bells, and your tasting kind of found out that wine.

Fairly frank review On the 2014 Meyney by the Wine Spectator, though it also shows how 90 points is like the new floor for wine scoring:

91 points Wine Spectator
Ripe and languid in feel, with flattering plum, blackberry and black currant fruit, layered with a toasty ganache edge. Need to tighten up a bit, as the fruit is a touch gushy now despite the weight. Reveals some good acidity buried on the finish, however, so worth the gamble. (JM) (3/2015)

So funny, when I read “languid” I think “flaccid”. Yet, Gallo uses the word “virile” in his note on the Meyney - not once but twice - to describe the wine. So it is both flaccid and virile at the same time, I guess. Not sure that I have seen “virile” used in a tasting note. His notes are close to worthless.

I’m out.

Languid seems a good term for that wine.

First time I had the 2014 Meyney on it's own, i feel a little bit more positive about it. Last night, compared to the Côte Rôtie, i'm still positive that everything's there to improved with time, but the comparison with the Côte Rôtie did not helped the Meyney.

When I think i had the 1999 Meyney not long ago, this is a completely different wine.

Last night, 4 drinkers over 5 preferred the Côte Rôtie.

Nic

I think you should switch anyway. We are the cool crowd, well, apart from Robert. We just let him tag along, which just shows we are nice people.
You want to be cool don’t you?

B*tch, I am the Club!

Good one, Mark.
Great reply, too.

No thread drift yet. I feel fine.

What about you?

I'm really looking forward my next classical Bordeaux.

Nic