Dinner with Ch. Margaux 34, Palmer 59, Cros Parantoux H. Jayer 89, Nuits 189

M. Andouze,
Please understand sir that this comes from one who proclaims himself as the forum curmudgeon. In another thread on this forum just today I remarked that there are some posters here who I admire and always want to read. You are one of those posters. I drink old wines from 30,40,50 or even 100+ years of age only through reading your reports. I must point out too that it is well known here on the WLDG that for some of these dinners you produce there is a charge. How could there not be? I might also note that you have never advertised one of these dinners seeking attendees. So, speaking as a curmudgeon, I will go on record as saying "Keep those reports coming" and maybe we will even get you on this side of the Atlantic for a gathering in Michigan around the third weekend of August known as Mo'Cool!

Thank you all.
In 3 hours I will be in my plane towards California.
Best wishes to all, and also for this mysterious David.

Give us a wave as you pass over Alberta! We are right on your flight path from Europe. Many west coast flights pass right over Edmonton, we see the planes every 2 minutes around 11am till 3pm!

I just want to chime in in appreciation of Francoise' posts here. I could care less if he is or is not "selling" the dinners. I enjoy reading his frank, emotional descriptions about a subject about which he is so passionate. I love the English-it is enjoyable to read and gets the point across perfectly clearly.

Ditto. I always look forward to Francois's posts. They take me to a place I have never been, and will not likely be able to personally go, and I much enjoy the vicarious thrill of these trips. I thought it a major victory for WLDG when he started posting here. Thanks, Francois, and please do stick around.

If I offered such dinners for free, this would be considered by many people as insulting.

Francois,

Yes, many people would be insulted if you were to offer tastings of wines from your outstanding cellar for free... don't invite those people. I, on the other hand, am not easily insulted and would be very happy to attend a free tasting of Petrus, Yquem, Margaux, La Tache, etc. I am more than willing to compromise my personal pride in the interest of drinking world class wines.

Just kidding. Please keep posting your tasting notes in our forum.

To Brian's post:
Ditto

I just arrived in San Francisco this afternoon, and with my wife, we have a room with a wonderful view on the Golden Gate.
During this stay, I will share wines with a Californian collector.
We have decided that we meet twice a year, once in Paris and once in SF, and every time we share our bottles.
My contribution of 6 bottles had been shipped one month ago. One 47, one 29, two 28, one 1845, and, as a gift, a kid, a 66.
I do not know what my friend will open but I trust in his sense for creating a correct balance between the inputs.
I would prefer to open my wines on a pure "share" basis, but many amateurs have not the possibility to provide wines of great age.
I will tell you what will happen.

(to my big surprise, I was able to connect to internet. All is not rotten in the Danish Kingdom)

Glad to see you made it. You should go to a baseball game and have a Bud!

[David M. Bueker]

Glad to see you made it. You should go to a baseball game and have a Bud!

Baseball season is over by the Bay Bob.

Once a year in Paris--once a year in San Francisco--not too shabby. I will be in San Francisco myself in a few days before heading out to Sonoma County to do some tasting and then Monterey County to see some friends and revisit the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Point Lobos, etc.

Francois,

I am of your mind in general as to the proper appreciation of wine, yet I find myself sucked into the occasional vertical tasting. What can I do?

I have a friend who is planning one now, and I fear several of the wines will come from my cellar. I have often told him, "Each of these wines should be a centerpiece or pillar of a great dinner, it is unreasonable to pit them against each other." And now I find myself back in the game.

Please help me stay strong....

Had a very nice '34 Cos recently. More elegant than I expected. But in the context of having the wine I looked up a few notes on '34s (and '37s, I confess that this was another occasion of verticality) in Broadbent. My friend Manuel later calculated that a large percentage of Broadbent's notes on Bordeaux of both vintages were from bottles sourced from Hardy Rodenstock that must now be presumed to be fraudulent. Tricky now, looking back and trying to figure out what's what.

Best,

Joe

Joe,
You should be confident in the notes of Sir Michael, as for 34 or 37, nobody would make fakes, as their financial value is smaller than for 45, 47 and 61, for example.
34 is a largely stronger year than 37 which can be elegant but is fragile.
I consider 34 as a very great year, in the same direction as 53.

Joe brings up an important issue Francois. Have there been instances when you have had concerns about "fake" wines you might have possibly had in your collection?

Could you explain the word "instances" ?

Could you explain the word "instances" ?

moments/times/occasions

I have had the chance to fill my cellar before the phenomenon of fakes invaded the market (or the minds).
I have certainly fakes in my cellar, but very few.
When I suspect that a bottle is too clean to be honnest, I don't make a bid.
Once, in a sale, I refused some Petrus 1947 which did not please me. The auction company took back the bottles without asking a question.
It is clear that I am more suspicious than before about bottles that I would like to buy.
I avoid all the big formats in very old years, as the possibility of fakes is great.
I am in a process of buying 2 Cheval Blanc 1947. I checked by the chateau with pictures. They tell me : le label indicates that it was properly refilled in our chateau. But they will never engage their responsibility on that.I will buy them, with a sufficient confidence in their origin.
The risk exists always.