WTN: Poujeaux and Barde Haut

[Jenise]

Two Bordeaux:

1999 Barde-Haut, St. Emilion: We blew through all five bottles that we owned in the last two or so years. The wine was remarkable at first, but each subsequent bottle gave a little less. Tonight's bottle was on trend with the wildly attractive fruity/floral/funk much subdued and a lot of new murky weight on the finish that suggests a wine about to head downhill headfirst vs. aging out gracefully. So fine enough for dinner, but if you own these: DRINK UP!

1998 Poujeux, Haut-Medoc: Interesting comparison to the first wine. More depth, more brightness/acidity, mild tannins and not a lot of fruit, probably about as good as it's going to get for this wine. Which is fairly good indeed in a high 80's point kind of way, but not better than that.

[David M. Bueker]

Yup. That's about what I would have expected from each of those bottles. The top tier '99s are drinking quite well now. Top tier '98s are still too young.

The 2000 Bard Haut I brought to MoCool a few years ago was fabulous and open for business. I was so impressed I bought a case of 2009 on futures. I have a couple more bottles of the 2000 but not nearby.

I had our last bottle of '98 Poujeaux last year, and it was better on day 2 than day 1, but nearing its peak. A bottle we had 3-4 years before that was one that had Lorena and I both saying `wow' just from the nose. Pretty impressive stuff at about a $20. I have some recent vintages which I haven't tried, but need to.

Thanks for notes. I have a couple of the 98 Poujeaux, will try one soon.
I like Barde Haut young, but not sure that they improve that much- I like a few years to get some edge off tannins, but that's about it. I do have one mag of 2000, but figure format might slow. In general my theory on low acid modern Bordeaux is if you have them, drink them. Can't think of one I thought really benefited from more than 5 years in cellar.

[Jenise]

I had our last bottle of '98 Poujeaux last year, and it was better on day 2 than day 1, but nearing its peak.

I'd bet that if we drank this bottle a year ago I'd have said exactly the same thing. But yeah that nose--it's what I remember about the first Poujeaux I had as well. Would have been a 95 or 96 (more likely the latter) tasted fairly early on. But for that and this, I'm not sure I've had any other Poujeauxs and that's pretty stupid. Especially for the price, it deserves more attention.

[Jenise]

Can't think of one I thought really benefited from more than 5 years in cellar.

I think you would have if you'd had the '99 about a year ago. It was sensual and lovely, impressing everyone I poured it for including hard-to-impress people like Bill Spohn. I have some 2001's, I should try one soon--was presuming based on the 99 I'd have plenty of time, but I should at least visit the wine. These are the only two vintages of the wine I've had.

Thanks for the heads up. I might as well start drinking my ’98 Poujeauxs. I only have ’98 Barde-Haut left, though; which, being 98 could be good, so sometime soon I will try that and see if I concur that it wouldn’t improve. I probably will. I don’t remember how I liked my ’99 Barde-Haut; I think it was nice, as I sort of remember, but not memorable, obviously. It’s all good, though.

[Jenise]

If you'd had the 99 Barde Haut at the same time we started drinking ours about a year ago, it would have been memorable. I don't know how long it's 'shining moment' as it were lasted, though.

If you'd had the 99 Barde Haut at the same time we started drinking ours about a year ago, it would have been memorable. I don't know how long it's 'shining moment' as it were lasted, though.

I stopped taking any notes and my memory is fading a little, so sometimes I need a jog to remember something. Now that you said that, I remember drinking my '99 last Barde-Haut upon your recommendation and liking it. I think I mentioned to you before that a joy of Bordeaux for us is just taking what we get in the moment and normally liking the experience for whatever it brings. My only intellectual involvement is knowing something about the property, terroir and vintage, which I can apply to my experience. Because of way the supply train works, by the time we drink a bottle it often isn't availabe at any kind of reasonable price, so it doesn't matter whether we like it a lot or not beyond the hour of drinking it. The beauty is that we are going to like lots of future bottles. Toward that end, I am stocking up on the 2006s right now. They have the promise of being earthy, I think.

A bit of a segue re some other Bordeaux of the moment: I left off a bottle of 1995 Margaux at The Wine Bar, in Saratoga, a couple of weeks ago, to rest. We are looking forward to sharing it with the owner and his wife there tomorrow night. They will supply some tasty small plates to go with it. Then I have a bottle of 1999 Margaux resting at camp for Lynn and I to enjoy by ourselves sometime in the next couple of weeks. I am guessing we will like that one a lot, but you never know. I plan on serving it to Lynn blind at first, as is usual for us to do, to see if she likes it any more than lots of other great bottles we drink there. I am hoping not, because my First Growth buying days are mostly over, unless I win the lottery. I'll report on both of them.

But...I opened a 2000 Malescot a couple of weeks ago, which we thought was wonderful and memorable. In style, it was what some folks would call New World. The sweet oak was quite pronounced, but made exquisite by the beautiful fruit of the wine. Luckily, we have eleven left, and a local store has seven more for $79 a bottle, if we drink the next one and figure we can appreciate more than a case additonally.

Have you and Bob found that it is difficult to enjoy more than twelve bottles of a certain claret no matter how good it is? I think this is our experience.

[Jenise]

Have you and Bob found that it is difficult to enjoy more than twelve bottles of a certain claret no matter how good it is? I think this is our experience.

Yes, but I chalk that up to my desire for variety and my preference for surprise. I tend, for instance, to listen more often to radio than to CD's because I get bored easily if I know what's coming next and such is my steel trap of a memory that I get very familiar quickly. I am the opposite of risk averse: I prefer the risk of being excited about something new, even though it includes the potential baggage of disappointment, to the security of knowing I'll have something I liked a lot before. The cool thing about wine is that, within the confines of a case whose bottles can be drunk over a decade or more, someone who desperately needs something to think can space things out and always have something new to think about.

Interesting that you're now into the 06's. You were so excited about 07. What happened?

I'll look forward to hearing about the Margaux. I believe I only have two, an 88 and a 98. The 98 is a magnum that I picked up for $220 at a great wine store in Orange County years back. The price had to have been a mistake.

[David M. Bueker]

Covert,

Just an FYI, my last chance with the '95 Margaux (about 2 years ago) had it very far from ready to go. You will want/need to have a decanter handy.

The '99 FGs are starting to drink quite well. I had the '99 Haut Brion during the summer, and it was lovely - showing some real cedary/leathery development while still possessing lots of primary fruit.

Have you and Bob found that it is difficult to enjoy more than twelve bottles of a certain claret no matter how good it is? I think this is our experience.

Yes, but I chalk that up to my desire for variety and my preference for surprise. I tend, for instance, to listen more often to radio than to CD's because I get bored easily if I know what's coming next and such is my steel trap of a memory that I get very familiar quickly. I am the opposite of risk averse: I prefer the risk of being excited about something new, even though it includes the potential baggage of disappointment, to the security of knowing I'll have something I liked a lot before. The cool thing about wine is that, within the confines of a case whose bottles can be drunk over a decade or more, someone who desperately needs something to think can space things out and always have something new to think about.

Interesting that you're now into the 06's. You were so excited about 07. What happened?

I'll look forward to hearing about the Margaux. I believe I only have two, an 88 and a 98. The 98 is a magnum that I picked up for $220 at a great wine store in Orange County years back. The price had to have been a mistake.

I'll say it was a mistake, unless it came by way of the tropics or something and they were fire-saling it out.

I loved the 2007’s at a giant tasting in New York City and bought a variety of bottles. Subsequently, I didn’t enjoy them as much. If there was ever a Bordeaux Nouveau vintage, I think 2007 was it.

David mentioned that the 1995 Margaux might not be very mature. The Wine Bar’s owners graciously opened one at our table a month ago for us all to try in its early stage of evolution. But I really goofed up. I found the bottle to be warm and asked the waitress to bring over an ice bucket. Of course it was not my place to do that; and to add insult to injury, I forgot about it and let it get cold because Lynn insisted the 2003 Cantemerle I brought tasted better than the Margaux and kept that bottle going until it was finished. We’re lucky they let us back in the place.

The owners were gracious, but if somebody had done that with a First Growth of mine, I would have been vraiment annoyed. Therefore, I brought a replacement up and have stored it there in the wine room to be served at a perfect temperature so that we all can get a second and more accurate chance to see how the wine is evolving. I could call up there and ask the daughter, the manager, to open it an hour or two before us older folks arrive, but I learned my lesson and will stay out of it this time.

I also have a bottle of the 2001 Margaux, which is probably as drinkable as the 1999 and should open that one soon. I’ll report on any and all.

[David M. Bueker]

Actually, the 2001s are not nearly as accessible as the 1999s. I would advise giving that one a few more years. 2001 is not an incredibly structured vintage, but '99 was about as soft as they come.

Actually, the 2001s are not nearly as accessible as the 1999s. I would advise giving that one a few more years. 2001 is not an incredibly structured vintage, but '99 was about as soft as they come.

Thanks for the suggestion. Many 2001s are as ready as the 1999s, but I see (in Parker's opinion, too) that I should wait a little on the 2001 Margaux. I usually do check what Parker says about the drinkability window before opening a bottle worth hundreds of dollars. He's been pretty reliable about that element, in my opinion.