2011 Lynch-Moussas - disappearing ink?

I attended a Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting late last year, as I do most years, to initiate myself with the 2011s. Most of my notes said too early to tell, but I loved a few and put them on my buy list. I ranked the Lynch-Moussas very highly, and subsequently put in an order for a case.

Robert Parker’s 2011 out-of-bottle scores came out recently, and it seems he rated Lynch-Moussas in last place, or near last place, with a 79. This followed his 87 to 89 barrel score. No explanation was given for such a plunge, which I passed off as careless rather than inconsiderate of him.

Nevertheless it put me in a state of cognitive dissonance. I don’t share Parker’s taste in wine, but I find his palate to be quite consistent, so I can trust his opinions. He rates many of my very favorite wines, which are earthier and funkier than most people like best, at around 86 and 87. So when I see he has rated some wine I haven’t tried at 86 or 87, I look for it.

But I haven’t liked any wines he has rated in the 70s, and I have to wonder what gives with 2011 Lynch Moussas, or with Parker - or me.

I had written this note right up to this point before I sidled back onto the WWW to see what others thought of the wine in question. And several other tasters don’t think much of it either. So I am beginning to wonder if I made a mistake, or if something in the wine changed in the bottling or for some other reason, and maybe I just like a wine a lot that other people don’t; but that doesn’t explain the sharp drop. Again, Parker went from 86/87 to 79 in his opinion. Has anybody here tasted the 2011 Lynch-Moussas from the bottle? If so, what is your opinion?

[David M. Bueker]

FYI- it is Wine Advocate standard practice to not provide notes for wines rated less than 85 points. They do not always adhere to that, but it is the norm.

Agree that it is a puzzling plunge.

[David M. Bueker]

Further digging shows that John Gilman, who is as far from Parker as you can get, gave this an 82. Jeff Leve, who is a noted Parker disciple, gave it an 85 on CellarTracker. Some more positive notes on CellarTracker as well, so maybe not a total loss.

[Jenise]

Tanzer went 85-88.

Here are the four CT reviews (Covert, the last guy provides some hope--sure is a lot of variation though):


4/22/2014 - M.Batard wrote: 88 Points
Decanted two hours ahead. Blackcurrant and graphite nose. Palate still heavily tannic; way too young. Paired with grilled leg of lamb and steak, so got away with it, but even late in the evening, after five hours, it's still too tannic to really enjoy.


2/16/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 85 Points
Medium bodied, with a bright, crips quality to the tart and sweet red fruits, the wine ends with a cassis and cranberry note. Perhaps time will add to this blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot.


1/29/2014 - yofog wrote: 88 Points
I always love the profile on this, with lots of lead pencil, coffee, and slightly leafy cab elements, but it's quite tannic and a bit dull and underpowered this year. Attractive on the nose, though, and should make good drinking if the price is right.


9/17/2013 - fafane Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opening a Cru classé on a monday night meal is not something I often do. I was doubtful on the 2011 vintage, but I was pleasantly surprised. We had red meat with it. The wine had less tannins than we expected at that age, specially when drank along with the meal. Alone it was more dry. Red cherries, round body and that little special taste that makes a Pauillac a Pauillac. It was all there.

Thanks, Jenise. All the variation in opinion makes me realize I will just have to drink a bottle myself soon after my case arrives to decide what is going on. I'll let you know what I think the second time around.

Since yours and my Bordeaux preferences seem to be pretty similar, here are the other 2011 wines I liked best: du Tertre, Gruaud Larose, Leoville Poyferre, Saint-Pierre, and Pape Clement. Gloria would have been wonderful if it wasn't for a strange finish. Obviously Saint-Julien stood out. And La Lagune had delicious cab (although it's hard to separate Caroline Frey from the wine when she's handing it to me).

Tanzer went 85-88.

Here are the four CT reviews (Covert, the last guy provides some hope--sure is a lot of variation though):


4/22/2014 - M.Batard wrote: 88 Points
Decanted two hours ahead. Blackcurrant and graphite nose. Palate still heavily tannic; way too young. Paired with grilled leg of lamb and steak, so got away with it, but even late in the evening, after five hours, it's still too tannic to really enjoy.


2/16/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 85 Points
Medium bodied, with a bright, crips quality to the tart and sweet red fruits, the wine ends with a cassis and cranberry note. Perhaps time will add to this blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot.


1/29/2014 - yofog wrote: 88 Points
I always love the profile on this, with lots of lead pencil, coffee, and slightly leafy cab elements, but it's quite tannic and a bit dull and underpowered this year. Attractive on the nose, though, and should make good drinking if the price is right.


9/17/2013 - fafane Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opening a Cru classé on a monday night meal is not something I often do. I was doubtful on the 2011 vintage, but I was pleasantly surprised. We had red meat with it. The wine had less tannins than we expected at that age, specially when drank along with the meal. Alone it was more dry. Red cherries, round body and that little special taste that makes a Pauillac a Pauillac. It was all there.

I attended a Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting late last year, as I do most years, to initiate myself with the 2011s. Most of my notes said too early to tell, but I loved a few and put them on my buy list. I ranked the Lynch-Moussas very highly, and subsequently put in an order for a case.

Robert Parker’s 2011 out-of-bottle scores came out recently, and it seems he rated Lynch-Moussas in last place, or near last place, with a 79. This followed his 87 to 89 barrel score. No explanation was given for such a plunge, which I passed off as careless rather than inconsiderate of him.

Nevertheless it put me in a state of cognitive dissonance. I don’t share Parker’s taste in wine, but I find his palate to be quite consistent, so I can trust his opinions. He rates many of my very favorite wines, which are earthier and funkier than most people like best, at around 86 and 87. So when I see he has rated some wine I haven’t tried at 86 or 87, I look for it.

But I haven’t liked any wines he has rated in the 70s, and I have to wonder what gives with 2011 Lynch Moussas, or with Parker - or me.

I had written this note right up to this point before I sidled back onto the WWW to see what others thought of the wine in question. And several other tasters don’t think much of it either. So I am beginning to wonder if I made a mistake, or if something in the wine changed in the bottling or for some other reason, and maybe I just like a wine a lot that other people don’t; but that doesn’t explain the sharp drop. Again, Parker went from 86/87 to 79 in his opinion. Has anybody here tasted the 2011 Lynch-Moussas from the bottle? If so, what is your opinion?

Welcome back Covert, I haven't noticed your name in awhile.

Hard to say why Parker score dropped. Sounds like a pretty oaky/tannic wine from most descriptions (I give more weight to Gilman and Kissack than those I don't know or Jeff L), but that usually doesn't make Parker dislike a wine.

Less confusing is " several other tasters don’t think much of it either. " If Parker score drops, expect amateur scores to drop as well, no matter what the wine itself tastes like. I think a lot of CT tasters use the pro critic scores as a baseline. If Parker scores a wine 87: if you really like it gets a 89, if you think ok it's a 87, if you hate it's a 84. If Parker scores a 92: if you love you give a 93 or 94, if you like a 91, if you hate a 89. Regression to the Parker mean.

Pretty much all of the wines you cite as liking are pretty far to the woody/modern side of spectrum (I haven't tasted the 2011s, but I've not heard of reversals and that's certainly been the trend for du Tertre, Gloria/St Pierre, Poyferre, and especially Pape-Clement). So I wouldn't worry too much about others opinions, if you like style no reason from the CT notes to think Lynch Moussas is a disaster.

[David M. Bueker]

Interesting points Dale. I have always thought of Covert as more a traditionalist.

Not to worry. These are the kind of scores that interest me, and they usually indicate that the individual does not understand how to handle a bottle of Bordeaux. Buy that I mean the (almost) mandatory 1-2 hour decant (even longer with a young wine), back into the bottle and then a slight chill (15-20 minutes in the fridge). Any time you are assessing young Bordeaux you will get rough starts. I will be even money that your Lynch-Moussas will be just fine, after a certain amount of time in the bottle. That amount of time in the bottle though, I am not certain about. But you know what I mean. 98% of Bordeaux is going to be "very tasty" to "wonderful", it is just a matter of (how much) time. And don't forget the (double) decant and a slight chill. I will take 3 bottles if you are having "cold feet". But I feel like I'm preaching to the choir, as you know as much about Bdx as I do.

Not to worry. These are the kind of scores that interest me, and they usually indicate that the individual does not understand how to handle a bottle of Bordeaux. Buy that I mean the (almost) mandatory 1-2 hour decant (even longer with a young wine), back into the bottle and then a slight chill (15-20 minutes in the fridge). Any time you are assessing young Bordeaux you will get rough starts. I will be even money that your Lynch-Moussas will be just fine, after a certain amount of time in the bottle. That amount of time in the bottle though, I am not certain about. But you know what I mean. 98% of Bordeaux is going to be "very tasty" to "wonderful", it is just a matter of (how much) time. And don't forget the (double) decant and a slight chill. I will take 3 bottles if you are having "cold feet". But I feel like I'm preaching to the choir, as you know as much about Bdx as I do.

Let's try again.
98% of Bordeaux is "very tasty" to "wonderful"? I think not. There's no region I think that's true of, and Bordeaux wouldn't be near the top. First of all, the vast majority of Bordeaux is Bordeaux AC, Bdx Sup, and minor satellites. Some can be very tasty, but most is IMHO industrial plonk.
Even if you limited to the classified growths and top Pomerols (probably 5% or less of total Bordeaux production) I think it would be hard to claim anywhere near 98% is very tasty to wonderful. We all have differing tastes, and without one person being right and one wrong, I don't know anyone who finds say both 2003 Pavie and 2004 Magdelaine very appealing. Beyond stylistic differences, not everyone can be above average- winemakers make bad choices. When you throw in the vagaries of weather.....

I like Bordeaux, and have roughly 500 bottles. I would say 50% of the Bordeaux I taste is very tasty to wonderful, and that's with bias that I buy things I think I'll like.

I do agree that careful thought re decanting is important. I don't throw wine into fridge, but due to cellar temps not neccessary. All depends on where you store wine and ambient temp in serving area

Earlier this year I saw an offer for magnums of the 2011 Lynch-Moussas for about $70. The price was attractive enough that I mentioned it to my wife. Based on the online reviews and a recent spate of bad luck with Bordeaux we opted out.

Based on the online reviews and a recent spate of bad luck with Bordeaux we opted out.

Sam,
The point I was trying to make was that most Bdx is good wine, but very dependent on how and when it is served. I have had a lot of experience (not as much as Dale, but quite a bit, and only about 250 bottles of Bdx in my cellar) but most often Bdx achieves what it is capable of. By that I mean vintage variations allowed, the wines are rarely flawed and will usually rise to their potential, limited by the terrior. The only question, and it is a big question, is when should these wines be opened. We all know about the "shut-down" that a lot of Bdx go through, though the more modern styles seem to be pretty accessible fairly young. Something we will all have to adjust to. But the old "rule of thumb" was that top Bdx needs 10 years in bottle to show best. I have had delicious wines @ 3 years, but the exceptional wine were always at least 8 years old. I will stick by my statement that at the right price you will not be disappointed with most Bdx.

[David M. Bueker]

"At the right price" is a critical modifier. Much of Bordeaux*, even the lesser stuff, is overpriced for what it is these days.

*I refer to what is available in the USA, lest Alex R hunt me down for a rebuttal.

, lest Alex R hunt me down for a rebuttal.

As long as before he delivers the coup de grace, he drops off a couple of cases of "the good stuff".

In all seriousness, though. While it is cheerleading a bit to claim that 98% of Bordeaux is excellent, the Bordeaux region as a whole offers a higher percentage of cab and merlot based wines that are closer to my taste than, say, California. Note that I love many California cabs, but there is a lot of stuff that I find awful...at all price ranges. It's a style thing, which may be based on climate and history and soils, of course.

The point I was trying to make was that most Bdx is good wine, but very dependent on how and when it is served.

I don't disagree, Richard. Your comment actually supports my own recent, less than stellar experience with Bordeaux. I bought quite a lot of lesser chateaux Bordeaux from the 2000 vintage. They were excellent when less than 10 years old and were a great QPR. Unfortunately, I held them too long thinking they had more aging potential than they did. The wines have turned to liquid sh*t over the past few years. Lesson learned.

Also, I was spoiled by Mike Conners wonderful early '80's Haut Brions that he shared at last year's MoCool. I have been comparing other Bordeaux to that wine. They come up sorely wanting.