There is an excellent thread going on right now about “Recent red Burgundy vintage experiences.” I’ve been buying more and more Bordeaux, but I don’t have the same intuitive fluency I do in vintages as I do with Red Burg. So I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts, going as far back as you can. TIA!
1 Like
45 and 82 should be good years.
49 Talbot on Sat night was very nice.
2 Likes
A few links to help you start your research:
2 Likes
and 59 and 61 
Seriously, just because I have tasted several 2021s: the vintage is kind of classic, not overripe, good fruit, nice concentration (talking about the good producers), lively structure, not overwhelming, not really great, but usually enjoyable, drinkers from 5 years (the easier crus) to 15-20+ years, reminds me a bit on 1988/1994 on a slightly higher level.
1 Like
You’re not bothered by the abundant pyrazines and underripe stemmy notes on any of them?
Ryan, my general sense is that you are around 40 years of age. For you, I’d probably recommend some selective backfilling and then plowing deeply into vintages like 2016, 2014, 2019 and 2020. I think I have quipped on other threads that one could literally build a phenomenal cellar, and quite cheaply may I add, by focusing on these four vintages alone for the time being. And yes, I realize the wines like Lalande, Figeac, Trotanoy, et al, can be pricey, but there is another level of super high quality Bordeaux that is well under $100 and many even hovering in the $50 range. You could literally build a classic cellar from top to bottom with wines that you could drink comfortably on a Tuesday night to those special wines that you pop on a weekend with your wife or your buddies. I wonder if 20 years from now when you are closer to my age, you will be speaking about this past decade kinda like the generation right before me was speaking about the 1980s. I guess like I speak about the 1980s. I’m not saying stylistically they are similar, but we are now in a 10-year period where Bacchus has shined upon us with successively good to great vintages.
2016
Phenomenal vintage across the board. Like shooting fish in a barrel. In my humble opinion, the best vintage in the last 20 to 25+ years. Ripe, layered, exquisitely balanced, and fresh, generally speaking. I think this is a vintage that literally appeals to classicists and modernists alike. This vintage will have a very long life ahead of it, but some are still not fully closed down, and remain rather enjoyable in their youthful precocious way.
2019
This is like a riper version of 2016 where just everything works at every single level in all appellations. I will concede the alcohol is higher and the fruit is lusher, but it retains a freshness that to me is utterly lacking in 2018 and 2015. The wines remain approachable, generally speaking, today. I had a very fine 2019 St. Emilion a few days ago.
2020
I am just starting to dabble in this vintage, and at least as far as the left bank, I am really liking what I am seeing. More structured than 2019 and 2016, perhaps more classical framing, but still the ripeness of fruit that we are seeing in these more recent warmer vintages and with the improvements in modern agronomy that we all hear William Kelley rave about.
2018
Overly ripe. Meh.
Drink before you by, the wine critics are OTT here.
2015
Overly ripe. Meh.
Ditto on the wine critics.
2014
A vintage for a clunky Alfert palate. This is actually my favorite vintage across France in an exceedingly long period of time, and I scratch my head to think of another vintage where every region that I love shined like this - Bordeaux, Chinon, Beaujolais, Northern Rhone, Southern Rhone. A more lithe vintage but not at all without fruit. I find the balance right smack in my wheelhouse. I need earth as much as I need fruits. This past week I had a 2014 Roilette Griffe du Marquis - while not a Bordeaux - it just reaffirms my point about this vintage, so aromatic, lovely, savory notes, and just that excellent balance between the Earth, from which the fruits spring, and the fruits themselves.
2013
Skip, or run. You are a fast runner.
2012
I find this a charming vintage. It has some clunkiness, it has some rustic qualities that I adore, and there are some wines that I really like a lot, but I would not necessarily focus on this vintage when you have so many excellent vintages upstream.
2011
A very overlooked vintage, but there are some extraordinary wines on the right bank in 2011, especially those where Cabernet Franc predominates. Focus on Pomerol.
[I will slip back later to add some more vintages]
But, let me drop a few names of wines that I think are slaying it right now:
Lalande
Trotanoy
Vieux Chateau Certan
L’Eglise Clinet (WOTV in 2012)
Montrose
Lynch Bages
Pichon Baron
Calon Segur
Leoville Barton
Domaine de Chevalier
Les Carmes Haut Brion
Durfort-Vivens
Branaire
And wines that are over-performing and some quite damn inexpensive:
Ferriere
D’Issan
Duhart Milon
Langoa Barton
Giscours
La Dame de Montrose
Clerc Milon
D’Armailhac
Lagrange
Gruaud Larose
Rauzan-Gassies
I have intentionally left off the First Growths. And by not mentioning them, I am not slighting Leoville Las Cases or Ducru Beaucalliou, it’s just that I have not tried them in recent vintages.
21 Likes
Man, I agree with Robert so much on this, even the clunky pallet part. Ha ha ha! I’ve been drinking so many of my original purchase Bordeaux recently, and it brought me great joy as a group! And yes, I need to buy as much 2016 as I can afford!!!
1 Like
I think you’re asking about recent vintages which I cannot comment on, but I’ll quip in to say that it is the mature or old Bordeaux that make the wines fun and enjoyable to drink.
Old vintages have far greater availabilities, relative to those from other regions, and given the wide spectrum of communes and classification in Bordeaux region, one would find bottles within one’s price comfort zone(s) to experience with.
1 Like
No BAMA or Magdelaine? Maybe it’s time to take that test where you draw the face of a clock!! 
Ryan - looks like you’ve liked recently in CT 96 Leoville Barton, 98 BAMA and 82 Magdelaine… you’ll generally find alignment with Robert’s palate. Lots of ppl with way deeper experience than me, but with those producers, some recent older bottles that have really impressed have included
85, 86, 89, 90 Magdelaine
86, 95, 03 Leoville Barton
95, 96 and 00 BAMA
I think it’s only fair to note that Robert (and me for that matter) is interested in the in older traditional wines rather than the richer and more opulent ones. I find that these have a precision and sense of terroir missing from say the 2015 and 2018. While I like his choices, there are some who would taste the wines we enjoy, and consider them too thin and acidic.
That being said, if you do enjoy the more traditional wines, you should look closely at 2008; it’s a vintage that I did not buy in bulk and wish that I had.
3 Likes
Any recent experience with 2011 magdelaine?
I love it. And I have had a lot of it. It’s a minty fresh vintage that really allows the terroir to shine through. Michael give it a whirl, and if you don’t like it, send me the rest and I’ll just buy it off of you. I actually prefer it to 2010 and 2009 Magdelaine. Now, if you can find any 2008, snap it up, it’s outstanding.
Oh, I just saw that Mark generally applauded the 2008 vintage. I was planning on adding that to my list once I jump back in. I wholeheartedly concur with what Mark just said.
My note on a 2008 Chateau Ausone from a week or so ago…
Nice, I got 5 375s of 2011 Magdelaine from Envoyer, I imagine they should be in a good place given the smaller format. I have a few 08. We had the 82 in Charleston and it was quite good, although there were a lot of other 82s there that a bit overshadowed it.
Haha, I have not gotten to those vintages! My latest BAMA is 2010, and it is outstanding.
I assumed Ryan would have a more traditional Bordeaux palate given his love of burgundy. It was funny seeingMark call my preferences to include wines that are “thin and weedy” which of course we use in a joking way. I always assume traditional lovers of burgundy prefer higher acid wines. And I definitely prefer acid in my Bordeaux over big luscious fruit of the sort that Jeff Levy adores.
I love that you highlight these three wines that Ryan just liked in CT: 96 Leoville Barton, 98 BAMA and 82 Magdelaine.
These are three outstanding renditions of these wines. I think that 96 Leoville Barton top the scales for me for that producer. I also put the 98 Bama way up top on my scale. The 82 Magdelaine is a fantastic wine, I had it a couple of years ago with Charlie Carnes next to a 1982 Haut Brion that he brought. The Haut Brion was magnificent, but the Magdalaine was no slouch, either.
Robert, that is a great list. One reference point…we had a 2010 D’Armailhac a few months ago and it was surprisingly open and excellent. Three that I would add to Robert’s list that are slaying it right now, IMO, are Canon, Rauzan Segla and Brane Cantenac. Canon comes with a hefty price tag, but the 2020 was one of the best young Bordeaux I have tasted in a long time. Rauzan and Brane are consistently good, and are usually around or less than $100.
1 Like
Yep, I’m a traditionalist at heart, though as I’ve said a number of times on this board, I’m also not as picky as some of y’all. I can enjoy bigger, bolder vintages too. This is super helpful; keep it coming.
Ok Ryan I’m gonna be a little crass here, if I had your money and youth - fortunately, I still retain athleticism and good looks - I’d buy a shit ton of Trotanoy.
The 1998 is sublime. As good as Pomerol gets IMHO.
Then, 2000, 01, 04, 08, 11, 12, 14. I have not tried the 2016, but I’m sure it is outstanding.
It’s like a perfect fusion of hedonism and classism, if that makes any sense. Ok, it appeals to my slutty side…
I’m someone that is also around (exactly) 40 and I’ve captured a lot of these notes from you in recent months - and had a shipment of several of these wines arrive today! Excited to explore
1 Like