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March 2007
All That Dedication in 2006
Posted: 12:48 PM ET, March 30, 2007
“The problem is that they believe that their 2006 is a great wine,” said one négociant, with a number of well-known wine estates under his control.
The thought is sort of scary. I think a lot of producers have convinced themselves that they have made great wines in 2006. Read more
Message in the Bottle, or Barrel
Posted: 10:07 AM ET, March 29, 2007
I keep hearing wine producers in Bordeaux using the word “great” or “classic” for 2006, and I just can’t understand it. Maybe one could say that his or her 2006 was a great wine or that it was classic in style. But 2006 is not a great vintage. Read more
Classic Beauty in the Médoc, and a Little Flamboyance Too
Posted: 08:54 AM ET, March 28, 2007
The beat goes on…. I went to about a dozen wineries yesterday, and blind-tasted a few dozen other wines as well at the Café Lavinal in Pauillac. And I found a number of excellent wines. One was absolutely sensational!
I keep thinking to myself how Bordeaux must have the largest concentration of great winemakers in the world. Read more
Echoes from the Streets (and Cellars) of the Médoc
Posted: 03:24 AM ET, March 27, 2007
While visiting various châteaus in the Médoc yesterday, I was speaking to Bordeaux wine merchant Pierre Lawton of Alias about his customers' perceptions of 2006. He said that many already thought that the vintage was disgusting and too expensive. Read more
Dinner Party Chatter in Bordeaux
Posted: 10:32 AM ET, March 26, 2007
"You can't make a great wine every year, or at least as great as 2005," I said last night to a number of château owners during a cool dinner party at the house of wine merchant Pierre Lawton and his wife, Sophie, in Bordeaux.
They looked slightly annoyed. Read more
On the Road Again to Bordeaux
Posted: 02:58 AM ET, March 23, 2007
I am writing this from the passenger seat of my sports car with tasting coordinator Jo Cooke at the wheel as we drive toward Bordeaux through the Cote d’Azur. No ticket yet! It takes about 11 hours from Tuscany to Bordeaux. I have made it in less time, but I wouldn’t like to elaborate. Read more
A Tale of Two Nenins
Posted: 03:43 PM ET, March 20, 2007
It’s probably going to snow tonight in Tuscany. I am really cold. The central heating system is not what it should be in my house!
It made me think about how warm and comfortable it was in Hong Kong last week. And besides a number of great tastings I attended, including Le Pin and Vieux-Château-Certan, I had an enjoyable dinner at the Hotel Intercontinental Steakhouse over the weekend with my friend, wine merchant Thomas Bohrer. Read more
Is It Time to Get Over 2005 Bordeaux Prices?
Posted: 10:38 PM ET, March 15, 2007
This comment, left by Karl Mark on my most recent blog post, made me think this morning over my coffee:
"Advances in winemaking technique, vineyard management and several other aspects have allowed winemakers to make good wine in even bad weather. Read more
Bordeaux Barrels in the Big Apple?
Posted: 05:51 AM ET, March 14, 2007
I've heard that, tomorrow, Sopexa USA and Cercle Rive Droite are holding a 2006 Bordeaux barrel tasting in New York, and I have to wonder if this is a sign of desperation for some wine producers in Bordeaux. This is the first time ever that a new vintage from Bordeaux is publicly offered to taste at such an early period, and poured in the Big Apple no less! I guess those pouring tomorrow—all producers from the Right Bank—are hoping to drum up some interest in the new vintage, which could be stillborn in the American market. Read more
Flash in Le Pin
Posted: 06:49 AM ET, March 12, 2007
Was it a dream? Did it really happen? For some reason, I find it almost hard to believe that on Saturday night, I drank every vintage of Château Le Pin ever bottled (1979-2004), and in Hong Kong no less. Hong Kong is on its way to becoming the London of the Far East as far as being the fine wine trading center for the region. Read more
You, Me and VCC
Posted: 03:48 AM ET, March 09, 2007
I think that people seem to forget that the same family who make the ultra-collectible and ultra-expensive Château Le Pin also make Vieux-Château-Certan. In fact, the Thienpont family has been making VCC for a hell of a lot longer than Le Pin. Read more
The Yin and the Yang of Wine
Posted: 04:34 AM ET, March 08, 2007
I am writing this while huddled on a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong for what is expected to be “the” tasting of the year – every vintage of Château Le Pin ever produced. Owner Jacques Thienpont and his two cousins, François and Alexandre, are coming as well. Read more
2002 Brunello, Choice and Wine Enjoyment
Posted: 10:21 AM ET, March 06, 2007
A wine exporter left an angry comment at the end of my previous blog about the mediocre quality of 2002 Brunello. Some of what he said was so inflammatory that it had to be edited by my office in New York.
Here is the cleaned-up version of that comment:
"We represent seven producers of Brunello di Montalcino, of which five bottled a 2002. Read more
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