2012 SHL... Parkerized.

[JimHow]

Sipping on this puppy in anticipation of a historic visit of two BWE emissaries to the Lewiston, Maine, back deck promised land....

We absolutely LOVED Mr and Mrs Cathiard when we visited them at SHL in 2015, the late afternoon that Singapore president Danny Fan was there with his motorcade and French soldiers with automatic rifles on rooftops were abound.

What a magical late afternoon that was in their garden. My friends Tony and Jennifer still talk about that afternoon to this day, certainly one of the highlights of that magical 2015 trip to Bordeaux, during what seems like a simpler, easier time, an ancient eon ago.

Is it true that they met on the legendary 1968 French Olympic ski team featuring Jean Claude Killy, or am I imagining that....

This wine is Parkerized. It is the least favorite of the 2012s I've been drinking lately. It is "too perfect." Really, did we really need to come in at 14% in 2012? I think this was Parker's last year, no? I suppose he came in at 95 points or some such thing.

Don't get me wrong, I don't blame the owners one bit for doing what they gotta do. But this wine is SO internationalized, so Parkerized, there is an unexciting "sameness" to it. It is just so "perfect," not a stem out of place. I thought matching it with a nice medium-rare tenderloin would bring out some magic, but no. It is still very young, obviously, but I don't see it getting better. It is "too" good. "Too" Parkerized, too California wannabe.... Omg, nothing approximating the SHL's of 1996 through 2005, the Golden Era of SHL. Something started to go VERY wrong in 2005, and what should have been the harmless vintage of 2012 does not alleviate one's concerns. I have three bottles of the 2015 with the fancy anniversary label that I got at a fancy low price en futuro, I'll let them sit for at least another decade in hopes that at least SOMETHING interesting develops out of them.

Rating: 89 points.

[OrlandoRobert]

SHL is on my gross list. Your score is generous.

[JimHow]

Yeah, you’re probably right OB. So unnecessary. Total subjugation to the Parker god. Kind of grotesque, actually.

[Comte Flaneur]

I tried it last year. It was just a sample, not a whole bottle, and seemed good to me, but not in the same league as the 2009 and 2010.

https://www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com ... tte#p85084

[jal]

I liked it the two times I had it. I found it glossy and that doesn't bother me. It wasn't ripe, overly extracted or alcoholic. It was definitely not as complex or structured as it should have been but was pleasant to drink.

[jckba]

I own 6 btls of the 2012 and based off your note, think that sitting on it at this stage is the right move.

[Racer Chris]

I enjoyed the 7 bottles of 2012 Le Petit Haut Lafitte I drank thru late last year.

[JimHow]

Without question, everything was in place.
There just seemed to be a sameness to it, an internationalization.
Maybe I just drank it too young.

[JimHow]

Sometimes those second labels drink better young than the first labels. Thus the second wine of 2014 SHL Blanc, and that 2004 Margaux second label we had at the estate in 2015.

[jal]

I think you were turned off by the glossy texture. You prefer more tannins and structure.

[Antoine]

You worry me... I have 2 bottles of the 2004 and a full 12 case of 2005 and have not opened any of them. Should I worry about the 2005? Is it ready for drinking? Is it some kind of international no personality stuff oir did that trend come later? Should ~I further wait?.. or just sell the whole stuff?

[JimHow]

Ha ha, Antoine, 2005 is, um, big.
2004 is a beauty.

[robert goulet]

I hope to revisit '04 soon...first time I had it was from Orlando Bobby's cellar...it was really nice...then I had it about 4x after that...in fact the one I popped on my 40th birthday was incredible. '96 and '01 of recent have been quite enjoyable...'12 is def. a bit too glossy....'05 is a disaster... I have a '98 to pop soon too, my first time with this vintage

[Musigny 151]

Like you, I enjoy the Cathiards and their stories of when Daniel skied with Jean Claude Killie. SHL is beautiful, bucolically set in almost perfect countryside, with a few random Flanagan rabbit sculptures that show they don’t take themselves too seriously. The problem is that I don’t like the current crop of red wines, way too modern for my taste. But plenty of people adore them, and they have been wildly successful recently. I mean God, making a good business of the leftover pips for beauty salons. Brilliant.

But I do like the whites. Well made, gently extracted and delicious. I don’t often drink white Bordeaux, but when I do, this is one of my favorites,