Why wouldn’t you? It’s a major wine region, and what else pairs so well with lamb?
Most of the wine I buy is Bordeaux.
Syrah
What about yourself Michael? A keen buyer, or someone casting glances towards other regions?
I bought six bottles of 2012 (Trotanoy). That was the first case but since 09 and none since.
Haven’t bought Bordeaux since Lynch-Bages was $59 a bottle.
Michael-
2014 had many Classified Growths at $55 and under.
Leoville Barton
Leoville Poyferre
Langoa Barton
Grand puy Lacoste
Rauzan Segla
Cantemerle
Brainaire
Etc.
Haut Bailly, too
Way too old for 2014 Bordeaux. When prices started to escalate with the 2005 vintage, I bought a lot of petit chateaus and that was my last serious foray with the region.
I selected option 1, but wanted to selection option number
5. I have resumed enthusiastic buying of Bordeaux.
Bordeaux, for me, largely fell off the radar from the 2006 through 2013 vintages. This was due mostly to pricing, but also some bad vintages. I dabbled a tiny bit with 2010, and will continue to look for deals there, but otherwise held-out. Bordeaux was dead to me until the intersection of reasonable pricing and a vintage that appealed to me came to fruition with the 2014 vintage. We’ll see how long this sticks …
Flawed poll. I enthusiastically buy bdx infrequently. Most of the bottles I now buy have bottle age, but I bought some 2014 and 2015 wines with pleasure. They are more expensive than they were, but so are baroli, champagnes, coffee and cars. Such is life.
I am always entertained by the “bdx producers are greedy money grubbers and prices are through the roof” as if one can buy Giacosa for the same prices as one paid in the 80s.
I buy Bordeaux quite regularly - loading up on ‘great’ vintages, although there are far too many of those lately
There’s one in every crowd.
Exactly, what wine region of “note” has not gone up? Even my beloved Chinons - you know, the thing weedy green bretty crap - is 2x more that it was just back to 2005. And Rougeard, 4x+ if you can find it. The Rhone region, same thing. California, well, it’s been more expensive IMHO than France since I have been buying wine.
Of the regions I buy, I think German Riesling remains the best wine buy around and prices for the wines that I buy have not bumped up much, at least not for the Kabinetts. I love Riesling, in fact drinking some tonight with sushi, but it just does not scratch the itch that red wine does.
I popped a couple weeks ago a 2014 Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion. It has modernized, brought in a notable wine consultant, and the wine is outstanding. It walks that fine line between traditional and modern, not yet over the top (but I do fear the more ripe vintages like 15 and 16). As I was enjoying this wine, and that night ordered more, I thought to myself and think I made comment here, that at $50, it rivals anything California producers in the same class, i.e., a Cab-based meritage.
Just wondering how the total annual production of Barolo and Barbaresco compares to the annual production of classified growth Bordeaux. Or is this a flawed comparison?
Yes, but don’t be so hard on yourself. We love you anyway
I think that you are in a minority there.
If the point you are trying to make is that Bordeaux should cost less than Barolo or Barberesco because of annual production, I would say yes, the premise is flawed. I would posit that the world market places far greater demand on Bordeaux than it does on Barolo or Barberesco. More people drink the former and are willing to plonk down the price. The market pays what it will pay.
For example, I know that Haut Brion produces far more per year than Harlan or Giacosa or Gaja, but given the choice, at their current pricing, I still take Haut Brion all day long. Even if they are priced identically, I take the Haut Brion. Actually, I would not pay much for Harlan, but will concede to liking Giacosa.
Don’t be such a pessimist. I am sure the others love you too
It’s really irrelevant to the point the poll was trying to make (I assume) about the increase in bdx prices. Moet makes a shit-ton of Dom, and the price has done what all fine wine prices have done, from virtually every region of note: gone way up. It is the way of the world, sadly.
Doesn’t the negociant system somewhat insulate the chateaus from the free market idea of “the market pays what it will pay”? My understanding is that there is a ton of unsold 11/12/13 stocks being held by negociants, which would suggest that consumers are loath to pay the prices asked by chateaus except in the best vintages.