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When does Boeing’s transgressions officially become a bargaining chip?

For years, Cheval and Haut Brion lagged the other First growths. There was a concerted campaign to get them to the same level and pricing which worked well. The Dillons, however, were far less successful when they tried to do the same with La Mission red, but were far more successful rebranding and ...

I guess I should give my reasoning behind the third tier comment. Petrus and Lafleur are first tier; VCC is on the fringe of first and top of the second. To that second tier I would add the Trotanoy and Le Pin; after that, I think there is a pretty large gap before the next tier which would include ...

It seems that the owners have decided to raise the profile (and prices) of the chateau, targeting a doubling of the price in the next couple of years. I have heard this from a couple of UK merchants and an American distributor, so currently a rumor rather than anything more definitive. Not sure even...

Purchased but yet to arrive. Magnums of 2018 Lafite.

1979 Domaine Trapet pere and fils Chambertin – This was a bomb bottle of burgundy. Probably my favority wine of the year. Effectively everything I want in an aged burgundy. Wish I could buy more Chambertins. 98 2005 Loius Boillot Gevrey Chambertin Les Evocelles . Nicely red fruited, lower (of integ...

A couple of thoughts 1. A friend used an AC unit in his basement for several years, and I was never impressed at how the wines matured. AC removes moisture so not surprisingly the older bottles had a problem of being dried out. Not all of them, but a significant percentage. 2. I use board member Chr...

I know Issan pretty well, having stayed there and done a number of verticals of both Blason and Issan. One of the better values of Bordeaux, and definitely made in a fairly traditional style. Since Emmanuel Cruse took over in the mid to late nineties, there have been very few missteps and many many ...

I heard from a couple of people whose palates I trust that the Rossignol Trapets showed well. I buy every year, so will be buying a six pack of the three Grand Crus.

William Kelley wrote: ↑
January 10th, 2020, 11:48 am

6x 1986 VCC

I have had several 1986 Pomerols and not found any that were as exciting as their equivalents in other vintages. Is VCC an exception?

I am only backfilling missing vintages for a couple of future verticals.

Seems to be an almost universally held food no no; and I imagine I may lose friends over this.

But for me, the sweetness of the ketchup marries beautifully with the salt of the dog. All you need is a touch of mustard for perfection.

A long time ago, I posted on the Squires board with a headline on the lines of “ why I will not do any more off lines.” It was after a particularly difficult Volnay night with a set menu and a guaranteed number of diners, and we all ended up shelling extra for the no shows. So I sympathize with Jona...

An exceptional tribute to a lifelong friend. Thank you Dan.

For tastings I use basic Riedel. I can use a marker to identify the wines in large flights. For dinner parties, I have a dozen antique decanters, one or two from the eighteenth century. I like the thought of the ancient wines that were served from them before I bought them. But my favorite is Egbert...

Yes, reliably informed that the Tariffs are not an act of God, so Total would be on the hook for it.

They could certainly argue force majeure, which would allow them to cancel the contracts

A friend brought round some Costco Iberico. Very little ribbon fat, decent if chewy, good flavor. Lack of fat the real problem; half the flavor and much of the texture is lost.

I think there is a clause there that allows them to charge extra for any duties. If not, they or their lawyers are negligent.

I agree they have to raise prices on futures; but less impressed by Total raising prices on current stock. Very short sighted, and will annoy their customer base.

Donn
Sent e mail.

Lots of love for the 2005; one of the wines of the vintage and first growth quality.

2005
1989
1990
2000
The rest

As a kid we vacationed on Cape Cod every summer. I visited my grandparents on Long Island every summer and they would take me to Lundy's. So based on this, it is mho that Costco lobster sucks DD. The first D stands for "donkey". Sad. Lobsters are my favorite vegetable. During Stew Leonard’s $5:99 s...

From memory, shipping rates at HDH were high.

Last year I tasted a few 1998 Bordeaux Right Bankers, to see if it was worth putting on a twenty year retrospective. I was struck by how backward they were, none more so than Lafleur, and also the incredible quality of the vintage there.

A couple of things. Some buyers especially foreign ones, will pay a premium for one stop shopping, and not worry too much if they pay a few extra dollars. Also for older wines, for condition and provenance, , you need to be able to trust your vendor, and HDH has an excellent reputation for vetting. ...

I was surprised by the oak levels in all 3 of the Lafleurs. Is this a fairly new thing or have these always had that going on? My few TNs are from long ago and mostly older bottles, so I am not sure if this was a Moueix thing or perhaps part of my increasing sensitivity to oak to which I will readi...

Russell Faulkner wrote: ↑
December 12th, 2019, 12:24 pm
Moueix - Lafleur?

Confused.

I’ve never had a problem with Oak in Lafleur, though I don’t recall drinking the 88.

Sorry senior moment. Forget my comments earlier.

I am not sure pre Moueix but always a fair amount under their control. Usually little toasting.

Sorry to hear this; as you say it does not sound typically Tempier.

A couple of offers recently offering Lennie inspired labels etc with a small significant premium. Limited editions.

No interest personally, but do any of you buy into this?

Marcu$ Stanley wrote: ↑
December 11th, 2019, 7:20 am
Golodetz going to singlehandedly drive VCC over $200 / bottle...

I won’t stop until it has reached $201

WOTY undoubtedly the Mouton 2016. Bought a lot of it based on tasting note, so please allow for bias.
Discovery; old Bandols, not just Tempier.

Again great notes. Always loved the 1998 Lafleur, and while I agree backward, this will be as you say profound.

A lot of really good Pomerols from 1981, but I don’t think it jumped within the hierarchy until 2005.
I would place it above Trotanoy, on a par with Lafleur and behind Petrus.

Totally mirrors my experience.
The great resurgence of VCC began in 2005.

Excellent notes.

Howard Cooper wrote: ↑
December 9th, 2019, 4:54 am

Mark Golodetz wrote: ↑
December 8th, 2019, 7:43 pm
The Grand Award dinner requires a ton of stamina and discipline. I freely confess I have neither.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=165208&p=2853902#p2853902

A good lunch. The Paulee requires a week long recovery.

The Grand Award dinner requires a ton of stamina and discipline. I freely confess I have neither.

Since the auction, I have bought a little. I am still unable to resist a serious bargain, but being a lot more careful than before. I continue to buy from European suppliers who have agreed to store for a year free (from end of October) those who don’t are on hold not just for wines with tariffs, bu...

Case of Leoville Barton 2000

What was wrong with the Right Bank in 2005? There's nothing "wrong" about them - it's only subjective taste. What's right for some is wrong for others. Most of the 05s I've tried so far have been RB and I haven't liked their style and taste, but that's just me. Luckily, gone are the days when some ...

I have seen major changes in friends’ palates as they reach middle age. Mine grew more traditional, but I would say the vast majority are the same as you, going for more modern, bigger wines. In fact I left one group where I had been a member for fifteen years, as the tastings became mired in heavy ...

Your palates have changed to what? Mind if I ask your ages? Hi Robert. I’m 61, and started drinking and collecting wine in the early 1980’s. My epiphany wine was 1978 Mondavi Reserve. I drank my share of Bordeaux, Harvey (and Richard) at the Marin Wine Cellar sold me lots of 82’s, including a case ...

I have had two halves of VCC 2005. The first with Panos a couple of years ago was almost completely dumb. The second last June was just, and I mean just, a little more showy. I have a case of halves to keep messing around with before I get to the bottles and magnums. As one of my wines of this fanta...

FWIW Hart Davis has a 15% off auction. The 2016 Palmer is around $285. A few other bargains.

We are going back to the subjective/objective debate. I find that there are a lot of wines that are for me undrinkable, of which a fraction are obviously flawed. I choose not to drink some wines preferring iced tea, water or beer. Take Kosta Browne Pinots for example. I have had two wines from this ...

Ian, I think $5000 for a magnum is already silly, where does it have to go where it makes sense to sell.😻 Seriously hard to imagine it is that much better than 2008 Cristal, certainly the best young Champagne I have ever tasted. More to the point, I would far prefer two bottles over a magnum if I am...

Have they dealt with the problems that resulted in so many spoiled bottles in the 1990s? The thought of a $5k magnum which is undrinkable is a little scary. Bought a good deal of Cristal, and it is definitely the right way to go.

If we’re going to talk about has-bens... how about Gerald Boyd...AlexisBespalof..WilliamMassee..RobertLawrenceBalzer...NateChroman...JerryMead. Not showing my age, am I?? Tom I knew Alex a little bit from my Wine Enthusiast days, and my first real experience was when I was at a tasting with him in ...

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