Someone help me, I've got the 2009 itch . . . .

Is there a doctor in the house? Prices on some Cru Bourgeois and at least one 5th Growth are out, and I must say, the prices look extremely reasonable, and even if they're not quite as good as touted, they'd still be worth the price. I still have some concerns about the 2009 style, but then despite the fact that many of us prefer more classical Bordeaux, who among us would not jump at the opportunity to to taste a '47 Cheval Blanc or any '82 First Growth, just for the experience of them? Pedesclaux for $28 and La Tour de Mons for $18 are tempting me. And at the lower end one probably benefits from the depth of quality of the vintage without being super-ripe and extracted.

Have no intention of resisting the 2009 Sauternes, and those prices also look very reasonable.

I HAVE tasted the '82 first growths, that being one of the first Bordeaux vintages to come to market back when I was just getting into wine. I bought '82 Pichon-Lalande and 6 bottles of '82 Mouton-Rothschild. I sold off the remaining 5 bottles of '82 Mouton about 15 years later after a taste of one bottle led me to believe that it had matured too early and this particular emperor had no clothes. I kept the '82 Lalande. About 5 years later it was as near to perfect as I think any Bordeaux can get (well, maybe the 1945 Lafite and 1929 Mouton were superior, among the old Bordeaux I've tasted).

I thought the '82 Cos d'Estournel was exceptional, too, when first released, but I didn't buy any and so I haven't followed its progress. The '82 Margaux is distinctly inferior to the '83.

If the prices are right, I'd definitely go for the '09 lesser growths. This sounds like one of those vintages where they'd definitely give pleasure, even if they aren't structured for the long run.

I cringe to think what the first growth prices are going to be like.

-Paul W.

Step AAAWAY from the computer! Close the email accounts....slowly now...

The 2009 itch can be scratched with the reality of the 2010 pocketbook.

Ryan, Hi.....

Another 2.6 years may prove me wrong but do consider the possibility/probability that a great many the 2009 Bordeaux wines will cost less when they reach the market than they do in en primeur. My personal advice (and well I may be wrong) is simply to scratch that itch with 2009 wines from Coteaux de Provence, Coteaux de Nimes and Loire. Great drinking now at reasonable prices while you contemplate your way into the bankruptcy courts.

Best
Rogov

Ryan, Hi.....

Another 2.6 years may prove me wrong but do consider the possibility/probability that a great many the 2009 Bordeaux wines will cost less when they reach the market than they do in en primeur. My personal advice (and well I may be wrong) is simply to scratch that itch with 2009 wines from Coteaux de Provence, Coteaux de Nimes and Loire. Great drinking now at reasonable prices while you contemplate your way into the bankruptcy courts.

Best
Rogov

Always there to bring me to my senses, my good man! Indeed, I had told myself I wouldn't even consider until the wines had been released and I had tasted them. But the prices just look so much better than I was expecting (or maybe its just that the past few good vintages have shell shocked us all). And despite all the fury of activity around this time, there are always reasonably priced wines to be had after release. Okay, taking a deep breath, and going back to getting a few last 2000s before the reasonably priced ones do truly disappear.

A few things to temper the urge to buy now:
1) most reports are that it is a very good but not uniform vintage, so unless you are very very sure that your stylistic preferences match a critic, might be better to wait
2) my experience is that the even in a very good vintage and strong economy, prices might skyrocket on the top wines, but any increases at lower end tend to be smaller and gradual.
3) other than price, the other reason for futures is to secure a particular wine*. Except for the top end wines, not too hard to find most wines after the top 40 or so. Even if you couldn't find Pedesclaux, you could scratch your Pauillac itch with Duhart or Lynch Moussas or other similarly priced wines.
4) most importantly, I personally am very hesitant right now to trust ANY retailer's finances enough to become an unsecured creditor. If you do decide to buy, I'd be sure to use Amex, which seems to me to have a better record of refunding customers at least in the past (in the Sams, Carolina Wine Company, etc situations).

*Oh yeah, the other reason is to secure unusual sizes. It is much easier to order 375s, 1.5s, 3Ls, etc as futures than to locate later.

4) most importantly, I personally am very hesitant right now to trust ANY retailer's finances enough to become an unsecured creditor. If you do decide to buy, I'd be sure to use Amex, which seems to me to have a better record of refunding customers at least in the past (in the Sams, Carolina Wine Company, etc situations).

Hadn't even thought of that . . . . excellent point. If I made a futures order, it would have been from K&L or JJ Buckley, and they are, if I may employ the term, "too big to fail."

Now however, I have got myself a much worse itch . . . . there is a lone half bottle of the '98 d'Yquem a local shop for what I would consider a very reasonable price (near the bottom of the internet retail range). Various tasters have reported it to be quite a success. Don't have any real money for it at the moment, but thinking about what in my collection is liquidate-able . . . . (strictly speaking all of it of course )

4) most importantly, I personally am very hesitant right now to trust ANY retailer's finances enough to become an unsecured creditor. If you do decide to buy, I'd be sure to use Amex, which seems to me to have a better record of refunding customers at least in the past (in the Sams, Carolina Wine Company, etc situations).

Hadn't even thought of that . . . . excellent point. If I made a futures order, it would have been from K&L or JJ Buckley, and they are, if I may employ the term, "too big to fail." )

Well, if I was going to place a futures order, K&L would be up there with Zachys, Sherry Lehmann, MacArthurs etc as what I would list as safest bets- large long established stores with plenty of visible stock. JJB/Winecommune is newer, but certainly large. But it's worth remembering that Sams was established and I believe one of (if not the) largest retailers in country. And CWC was probably the biggest in the Southeast. If you aren't privy to a store's balance sheets, you're taking a risk.

...and even if you are privy to the books of the store, you will not be privy to those of the negotiants with whom they are dealing when ordering those futures.

Best
Rogov

And accidents of nature can happen. A freighter carrying a huge shipment of newly released Bordeaux sank off the Azores some years back. A large portion of the wine to fulfill futures contracts for the Eastern USA was lost. Those importers, distributors, and retailers that hadn't purchased insurance took a big hit. The conscientious retailers bought wine on the open market to fulfill their contracts, but some consumers who had bought futures contracts found out they were out of luck.

-Paul W.

No more convincing needed folks, but thanks for the very interesting perspective on the question of futures in general. Definitely some issues that had never occurred to me, perhaps because I have never bought futures before. No reason to start now.

although you are now cured, one more point. even if the prices on arrival do go up slightly, you will at least have a chance to taste some before you buy. isn't it worth a bit more to have just the wines you really like instead of the wines you think you will like. i'd be especially careful about pedesclaux.

i'd be especially careful about pedesclaux.

Really? Please elaborate. My impression had been of a previous under-performing and therefore off the radar Cru Classe that still represented good value. Is the resurrection spoofulated?