Yup/Truth!
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Black Forest Cake!
Oh no!
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Ugh, how hard is bit to find a black fruit, pencil lead , lower alcohol bdx that is drinkable within a decade? Smh
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Waiting for mine in mail, albeit mags so I likely won"t open one. I bought it soley based on Neal Martin so not worried.
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Mine get here next week re. Tour St. Christophe.
Will check in on one and post a note.
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That is why you backfill with vintages such as 2016, or older vintages of Pichon Lalande, Ducru, Magdelaine, VCC etc
Well I think it says more about the producer than the vintage. Tour St Christophe is one of the richer, more modern-styled wines in the Vignobles K portfolio, the Rolland laboratory consults. If you want something more vibrant and refined from their stables, Bellefont Belcier is increasingly the way to go.
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That’s one estate where the improvements in the vineyards for me effaced vintage vacation to the extent that 2021 was better (and better balanced) than 2019. The 2019 and 2018 are quite powerful wines with quite high abvs.
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Well that’s the paradox, no? You want classic wine but drinkable young. The classic wines from great terroir really shine at 20-25+ years of age, as you get into tertiary notes. I will say, some classic Crus can show well at age 10, think Lanessan in years like 2009 or Sociando in 2012. Cantemerle 2009 shows quite nicely as well right now. But even these wines could be better 15-20+ years from their vintage.
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2nd wines in recent years fit the bill of early drinking. There are some outstanding wines are ready to go, like the 16 Dame de Montrose I had last night. Not black fruited nor pencil leaded, but what you would expect Montrose to do with a merlot-forward wine in a great year. Tasty and elegantly stony. Also, comtesse reserve, marquis de Calon, and others.
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Your St Christopher’s stylistic change beginning in 2018 does take the throttle off a bit of the modern profile it once had, no? That was my feeling after tasting the lineup.
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I thought Laroque ‘21 was a highlight of the vintage, price notwithstanding… maybe top 50 wines from 2021 (possible exaggerated but extremely well done and impossible to beat for the price IMO).
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A few months ago, I opened a bottle of 1996 Pichon Lalande. Even after 25 years it took about an hour to open up. These had been built to last. 
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Seconds are starting to be my go to, but only recently. I have been picking them up between the 14-16 vintages, pretty readily from my local shops for near ep.
I haven’t found the " ringer " but folks given me some ideas. Some research shows some aged sociando down the street that im goong to pick up today.
To some extent, and no doubt that will continue. But if you’re looking for Magdelaine, this certainly isn’t it.
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I have found off vintage can hide the sins of producers who make overripe wines-but even then, not always.
. That being said, why bother? I would prefer a wine that is made deliberately, rather than a wine that works only because Nature doesn’t cooperate.
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Have you found anything?
Don’t think there is anything close being made today in Saint Emilion that is Magdelainesque, but I have been out of the loop for a while.
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Agreed this has better things to come in the future — for sure. For a new release, however, it’s pretty accessible, but while maintaining power and depth. And it’s delightfully not slathered in oak. I bought my case yesterday .
May be getting time to restart talking about the 2020’s. UGCB EU tour is in a few days, hence tasting notes should be forthcoming; and North American tour dates announced and start January 20 (with January 19 apparently the unannounced Houston date).
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