WT101 concept help needed: Budget/Bargain Bordeaux

[David M. Bueker]

Well if you are looking for classic Bordeaux I would opt for Leoville Barton and Sociando Mallet. Granted they are not bargains, but neither is stratospheric in price (except in great vintages, but that hits everyone), they both age well, and represent what is best about Bordeaux: medium weight, food friendly wine that enhances the entire experience.

Spoofulated?

Spoofulated?

A very useful term to describe what is happening to wine and why I find that my tastes in wines are becoming more and more marginalized. Here's how it was defined to me by a character known as CMM:

"bigger is usually better
smoothness is the ultimate ideal for all wine
lower yields and longer hangtime must equal better flavor, without exception
prunes and raisins are desirable fruit flavors
acidity is overrated
any flavor not related to fruit or oak is probably better avoided"

Otto

Whaaaat? Which year did this happen in? I just recently tasted the 2002 red and white and both seemed classic Graves to me. Their second wines where however classics of what the therapists call spoofulated. But I didn't see such in the Grand Vins - though maybe it being a tasting setting made me miss that bit.

Otto

I was alerted to this by an e-mail advertisement from a merchant, which a friend forwarded to me. Apparently, starting with the 2002 vintage, Stephan Derenoncourt was in charge of the winemaking and the style of the Grand Vin may have changed as a result. The tasting note provided in that e-mail certainly didn't sound much like young DDC...

I have yet to try the '02 and what I am reporting here is rather third-handish, so add appropriate amounts of salt. I'm still hoping it's not true. But then agai, given the current climate, it probably is...

Spoofulated?

A very useful term to describe what is happening to wine and why I find that my tastes in wines are becoming more and more marginalized. Here's how it was defined to me by a character known as CMM:

"bigger is usually better
smoothness is the ultimate ideal for all wine
lower yields and longer hangtime must equal better flavor, without exception
prunes and raisins are desirable fruit flavors
acidity is overrated
any flavor not related to fruit or oak is probably better avoided"

Otto

Sounds like an exact synonym for Parkerized, international (style), and pointy.

[Robin Garr]

Wine Tasting 101

OK, I've been shopping, with the forum's notes in hand. It's a little frustrating trying to find Bordeaux in large enough production that most people will be able to find them, but I think the top benchmark, Larose Trintaudon, comes about as close as any modestly priced Bordeaux can to a good balance of decent quality and wide availability. The others ... ehhh ... let's just say that I'll taste them during the month, and if you can't find the same wines, perhaps you can find something similar from the same regions at a comparable price.

WT101 Bordeaux

As primary benchmark, a good, widely available Left Bank Bordeaux with a long track record for good quality and value near the low end of "serious" Bordeaux:

Chateau Larose-Trintaudon 2000 Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois ($19.19)
Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, NYC.
(Vineyard plantings: 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 percent each Cabernet Franc and Merlot.)

For those who want a Right Bank comparison, look for something like this similarly priced example:

Vieux Château Haut Béard 2000 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru ($20.99)
Ex Cellars Wine Agencies Inc., Solvang, Calif.

And on the lower-priced shelves, consider a "satellite" appellation from Bourg or Blaye, like this one:

Château Bertinerie 2001 Premières Côtes de Blaye ($12.49)
Ex Cellars Wine Agencies Inc., Solvang, Calif.