Re 2010 Bordeaux pricing

[David M. Bueker]

From what I have been reading the China syndrome ( ) is very selective, with the Lafite properties, Beychevelle (love that dragon boat) and now Mouton (through selective pandering) leading the way.

[Robin Garr]

From what I have been reading the China syndrome ( ) is very selective, with the Lafite properties, Beychevelle (love that dragon boat) and now Mouton (through selective pandering) leading the way.

Ah so desu ka ... I thought it was more generally the first growths.

David,

I haven't been to the US in a couple of years.
So I'm hard put to answer your question!

The wines I'm speaking from are produced in:
- the Côtes de Bordeaux
- the southern Graves
- the northern Médoc (AOC Médoc)
- the satellites of St. Emilion and, indeed St. Emilion itself
- Lalande de Pomerol

If I were to name the châteaux, it would take a while and I'm not at all sure you could find them.

I admit that not just any wine from the above appellations fits the bill.

Best regards,
Alex R.

[David M. Bueker]

Alex,

Then we are left where we do nothing but argue generalities and who is or is not to blame.

It is hard to get to any real, objective (as objective as anything in wine can be) conclusion.

I will look around & see what is available. I will then post a list.

David,

No argument here! Just an exchange of ideas.
And if blame there is, I would place it squarely on the shoulders of an unadventurous wine trade...

Were I not in the midst of completely renovating my house and coping with work, I'd sit down with a good cigar and compile a list.
But, honestly, it does seem more intelligent to respond - if I am able - to what is available in your local stores.

Ideally, high tail it over here sometime. I'd be glad to take time off to ferry your around and, it goes without saying, raid my wine cellar.

All the best,
Alex

David,

The Chinese have a well-publicized fixation with Lafite, Beychevelle, and some other estates.

But as of January of this year, they are Bordeaux's largest export market both in value and volume.

All the best,
Alex

[Robin Garr]

But as of January of this year, they are Bordeaux's largest export market both in value and volume.

And it doesn't take an MBA to discern the effect that this would have on the marketplace.

I expect this is just the opening curtain, folks ...

I found my solution to the "Bordeaux Problem". I pretty much ignore wine from that region. I somehow still manage to get immense joy out of my wine drinking. YMMV.

[David M. Bueker]

I found my solution to the "Bordeaux Problem". I pretty much ignore wine from that region. I somehow still manage to get immense joy out of my wine drinking. YMMV.

And therein lies the problem (for Bordeaux). If the Bordelaise want to put all their eggs in one (China) basket, then that's fine. If their fine China basket breaks they will have nobody left to cry to.

Therein lies the problem for the crus classés.
Not for Bordeaux.

The confustion is truly maddening!

Best regards,
Alex R.

[David M. Bueker]

Therein lies the problem for the crus classés.
Not for Bordeaux.

The confustion is truly maddening!

Best regards,
Alex R.

Nobody outside of Bordeaux seems to buy the other wines. How is their problem then solved?

We do seem to come back to the same questions over and over again.

David,

Just because you don't see the wines in the US doesn't mean they're not exported!!!

The Belgians, Swiss, Germans, Dutch, etc, buy *millions* of bottles of these wines very year.

Last time I looked, the Belgians imported more Bordeaux than the United States.
In terms of value for money, of course, it's a different story.

All the best,
Alex R.

David,

Here are some statistics about exports of Bordeaux:

http://www.lexpress.fr/actualites/1/eco ... 73496.html

It's not just the locals who drink the wines I know and love, and can afford to drink every day!
It's a pity that they are so hard to find in America.

All the best,
Alex

http://www.lexpress.fr/actualites/1/economie/reprise-des-exportations-des-vins-de-bordeaux-grace-a-la-chine-et-hong-kong_973496.html

I dislike wordy renditions of a simple chart. So, here are the data mentioned in the article:

Image1.jpg

I dislike wordy renditions of a simple chart.

That's your idea of a simple chart!! With so many missing cells

I dislike wordy renditions of a simple chart.

That's your idea of a simple chart!! With so many missing cells

Absolutely, it's simple. The author of the article left out so much.

Apparently no Bordeaux sold in Belgium .

Apparently no Bordeaux sold in Belgium .

And Hong Kong has spent a lot, but none of the orders have arrived yet. (Must have been sold by an enterprising American company famous for doing more sales than deliveries.)

I used to buy futures. By 2005 campaign prices had sent me from superseconds to 3rd and 4th growth. I skipped 06 and 07, bought one mixed case in 2008 (P-Lalande, Lagrange). 2009 and 2010 I've bought nothing (I think after first couple I've just deleted every 2010 campaign email). I'll probably buy a (very) few bottles of some petit chateaux, less Cru B, RB satellites, etc when I have a chance to taste first, but for me classified Bordeaux is something to drink from cellar now.

Dale,

My wine buying/drinking policy is much the same as yours with regard to Bordeaux.

Thank goodness I have a backlog of classified growths, because I'm priced out of the market with the most recent vintages.

Alex R.

Red China & Hong Kong between them consume how many bottles of Bordeaux? As someone wrote on another board Mao must be rolling over in his grave on a perpetual basis. Damn it's nice to see the proletariat drinking "good juice". Karl Marx never mentioned any of this in his writings.

Chinese drinking great growths and American tipping its toe into socialized medical care.

Yes indeed, whouda thunk?

By the way, I mentioned 6,000 châteaux in Bordeaux in this thread. I was way off. In today's paper they mentioned that a new database shows there are eleven thousand châteaux in Bordeaux...

There was also a photo of a bottle of Château Beychevelle... Coteaux du Languedoc sold in China!

Best regards,
Alex R.

[David M. Bueker]

Someone should work to get the Chinese into something other than Bordeaux. I wonder how the Bordelaise would react if their latest darling market started to slip away.

11,000 Chateaux? What percentage make wine that is actually worth buying versus quality wines from other regions? A huge percentage of all wine regions is plonk not worth paying attention to.

David,

>>>11,000 Chateaux? What percentage make wine that is actually worth buying versus quality wines from other regions?

At least as high a percentage!!!!!!
And even if your scepticism were well-founded, the sheer choice of finding a good buy is astronomical.

Alex R.