Personally, it comes down to what you can reasonably afford. I’ve focused on buying En Primeur since 2014 (more or less), and while some think buying EP is not necessary, I’ve found that if you buy selectively you can really maximize your purchasing power as most of my purchases all go for 30-100% over the price I paid. If you take a similar strategy you’ll be looking at the 2019 and 2020 vintages which are still in barrel, and are entirely dependent on critics reviews. (I do like Neal Martin, but also enjoy Panos and Jane Anson. Jeff Leve gives a good read too).
I think if you can find them for a reasonable price, 2014 is a great vintage to explore now - and 2014 Capern (St Estephe) I opened last year was way too good for the price I paid. The common wisdom is that Saint Julien is one of the most consistent regions in Bordeaux, and one producer I’ve tried to buy vintage in and out is Leoville Barton. Others are Domaine de Chevalier, Grand Puy Lacoste as they’re generally good values relative to their price and reputation. I think the key in Bordeaux is to find good terroir that achieves consistent physiological ripeness and depth without having to lean into excess extraction which often makes hollow wines.
I personally like Bordeaux with a touch of green (preferably tomato’s leaf, but don’t mind green pepper if it’s complementary). The issue here is that there’s quite a few more affordable Bordeaux in the $20-40 range that seems to avoid these flavors and risks over extraction and ripeness to create a more crowd pleasing wine, but ends up disjointed and out of sorts. I do think the 2018 Lanessan gets close to overdone, but still offers a good amount of pleasure with an hour or two decant and cool serving temps (60-62). It won’t carry an evening but in a line up of affordable wines for a family dinner it certainly showed well.
Trader Joe’s in CA was selling the 2014 Grand Puy Lacoste for around $65, and I think that would be a compelling place to start if available to you. I also liked the 2016 Lafon Rochet, and would give some of the Capbern wines a chance too based on my experience.
On the right bank, you can find some showy wines depending on your preference. When overdone, these can be raisiny, and over extracted, but at times can be a crowd pleasing wine to enjoy around Christmas (to my taste) when the rich plum, dark cherry, chocolate and spice characteristics are a fit with cold weather and the holidays. I’d look at 2016 as a start there. (For a specific rec, the 2012 Chateau de Bellevue Lussac St Em was really charming. Kermit Lynch doesn’t carry a lot of Bordeaux, but this was very good for the price and quite cool and classic for merlot).
Just would like to say that I have been reading all the posts and suggestions and appreciate everyone taking the time to reply.
Several people suggested finding a tasting group. How does one go about doing this? I tried googling and looking on the forums here, but nothing comes up.
Good question. Did you check the Event Planner forum here? Speak with the wine contact at local wine shops, if there is anything reliable where you live? Or, form your own among wine-friends/acquaintances, dining friends……does not have to be formal, just maybe needs a kick-start. Could be simply dinner reservations with like-minded folks (assuming byo is ok). Or more formally with a set menu. Or dinner at home. I lived in NJ with lots of byo options, and did all of these things at one time or another. And probably things I have forgotten.