I’m going for a red mystery case. Will let me try a few bottles I probably don’t already have, and I will gift the rest to my parents. These bottles at about about $14 each including shipping/tax are a lot better than the sub $20 grocery store wine they usually buy!
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In for a half case of the Bordeaux. Looking forward to trying it in 10 years.
In for a six of the Bordeaux. Not sure if I’m patient enough to hold for 10 years…
Sooo, I guess I need some advice from my classy friends who actually have had Pauillac Bordeaux Red in the last past. (Or from Cameron himself) How long am I going to need to sit on this before I give this a reasonable chance of it showing itself as the best version of itself?
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no idea what to make of this offer, very intrigued but so little detail and it’s not gonna be approachable for many years. I wouldn’t mind the wait if there was more info on the source. Looks like the cheapest Pauillac futures for 2020 are in the $35-40 range (just based on WDC search), and a lot of the second label wines are in the $40-60 range. On one hand, hard to go wrong buying $26 Pauillac futures…but I also probably wouldn’t buy DN bordeaux futures to save $10-20 a bottle. Just no idea whether the quality here is more analogous to signficantly pricier Pauillac.
I have held off for a while, but this one peaked my interest.
In for a case of N.298 Pauliac. I expect to hold it for many years (until 2030, maybe?) but would be curious on Cam’s input as well.
I am no Bordeaux expert, but reading the vintage report for 2020, it sounds like Médoc can be hit-or-miss for 2020 and is very dependent on having free draining soil. Late rain seemed to dilute a lot of the Cab and it had trouble concentrating before being harvested. A quick look at WA’s Pauillac starting drink date averages around 2025.
I realize I’m catching up very late, but I did the same thing with a grande annee '04 rather than opening two 276’s. 276 was less precise, but more enjoyable to my taste. I’ve got a lot of 276 and we’re drinking more bubbly these days. Does anyone have a target drinking window for these?
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Hi Luke - just sitting here at airport on my way to Vinitaly…anybody have recs for small little producers making great shit I should see at the show?
Regarding the Pauillac - this a vervy, sexy style commensurate with the vintage…very open knit and energetic wine similar to the 2019 ZNap Cabs…in fact, I would say that the dynamic is similar to 2018 vs 2019 in Napa…the '18’s are tightly wound and quite powerfully structured…similar to 2019 Bordeaux reds, particularly left bank. Napa Valley '19’s are energetic and open knit similar to 2020 Bordeaux. This wine is made in a very approachable style and will show well in its youth and go another 20 years though I would think that most CA drinkers would enjoy better over the next 10 years. This will drink well after a year in the bottle…again, its about energy and verve, not muscle. I believe one writer called it a return to classicism in Bordeaux…note the alc here is just 13%.
I did get a call today from my winemaker buddy laughing about my story…he told me he learned a bit more and the vineyard parcel for this wine is somewhere fairly directly between Pontet Canet and the village of Loubeyres…FWIW.
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Oh, so obviously Mouton then. You heard it here first: Cam has Chateau Mouton for $26/bottle! /s
Joking aside, there is another classified producer just an arm’s length from that area. But I’d hate to mail it in and be a total hack by speculating what it really is.
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heheh, as much as I love selling wine, I have to say there is no way this is Mouton but you said that…but the dirt is close by…having said that, we all know a couple hundred meters can mean a couple hundred dollars 
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Not necessarily the smallest or under the radar but lately I’ve been into wines from Ar.Pe.Pe
It’s billed as “Nebiollo from the Alps” and follows a classic style of barolo production. It’s thoughtful and unique. It’s also expensive so I would back up the truck if it happened to show up as DN lot 366
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If it is what I think it is, 2020 futures are available for about $50 in the US, so it’s hard to tell how screaming of a deal this is, especially considering we don’t know whether this is the same wine the chateau is bottling, or barrels that didn’t make the final selection (blend percentages don’t look exactly the same).
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I would guess Altarocca will be at Vinitaly, but don’t know. We stayed at their agroturismo resort/winery near Orvieto in 2019, had their wines at the restaurant and thought they were very good, but we were pretty jazzed about the whole experience and might not have been objective about the wine… Organic wines - Altarocca Wine Resort
Well you got me this time. The wine fridge is full, the old fridge is full. But this offer is too good. I am springing for long term storage for some #90 Walla Walla Merlot! Springcase 50% off the second case.
![[truce.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/d/d33e712b50d5efc2425bf219c404fbdb7ed0ba50.gif "truce"){kind=small}
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Please stay away from anything touched, consulted or rated, by Luca Maroni, normally he’d do both. I promised myself years ago after several disappointments and high residual sugar flabby experiences that he was rating on some other scale, likely how much he gets paid. Just saying! pepsi flirtysmile
I actually find some of his reviews somewhat helpful. I know that if he rates a wine highly, I will hate it.
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Totally agree with this! Maroni rates every wine like 97-100 points, no way he should be a respected reviewer…
And it’s beyond just the rating system. It’s at least a different stylistic guideposts, including the look on bottles and labels, which shouldn’t have any influence on a serious critic. More on the potential conflict of interest.