The "Not the La Paulee" dinner

[Jay_Miller]

The montevina showed really well, as I’m sure you can guess it was more in my wheelhouse than Jays but even he liked it

I was disappointed by the Brice. Not as good as I remember at La Fete

[Yule_Kim]

@Howard_Cooper

Which Jay is the righteous Jay?

from Imgflip Meme Generator

[Mark_Golodetz]

@Howard_Cooper

@Mark_Golodetz

Cranky or not, I agree with Howard. 1970 was a great vintage, the first since 1966, and produced a buying frenzy. The wines have held up well, and the better ones are delicious.

I have had a bottle of the “Righteous “ Jay’s 1970 Rauzan stack, and it was good enough that I was going to buy some.

Which Jay is the righteous Jay? I know the Jay from NJ and he certainly seemed righteous a few years ago when he invited me and others to his cellar locker and started opening bottles for us after a Paulee Verticals.

I don’t know the other Jay Miller but I have a friend who used to deal with him when he was in retail in Baltimore who speaks very highly of him.

And, Mark, what is your favorite vintage of the 1970s, 1970 or 1975?

1970 overall. 1975 was its equal on the Right Bank, and apparently at a recent tasting there were some excellent Left Bankers. I happen to have enjoyed many 1979s, particularly in Margaux and Pomerol, a vintage where the wines were beautifully balanced, but they have begun to fade. 1978 is now very hit and miss; a few good wines, but no highs. 1971 Right Bank also capable of brilliance.

[John_Morris]

@J_a_y_H_a_c_k

As to 1970, the next time that I go to the library, I will have to look up the old vintage charts from the 1980s that generally show the 1970s as a bad decade and 1970 as perhaps above average for the decade, but still below average for the region

No, Jay-- Howard, Mark and Jay M are right – it was an excellent vintage. I remember how well they showed in the mid-80s, when I was first exploring wine. I still remember the thrill of the Pichon-Lalande and Palmer.

Here’s what Parker had to say about the vintage in 1985:

And here’s Clive Coates in 2004:

[Howard_Cooper]

@Mark_Golodetz

@Howard_Cooper

@Mark_Golodetz

Cranky or not, I agree with Howard. 1970 was a great vintage, the first since 1966, and produced a buying frenzy. The wines have held up well, and the better ones are delicious.

I have had a bottle of the “Righteous “ Jay’s 1970 Rauzan stack, and it was good enough that I was going to buy some.

Which Jay is the righteous Jay? I know the Jay from NJ and he certainly seemed righteous a few years ago when he invited me and others to his cellar locker and started opening bottles for us after a Paulee Verticals.

I don’t know the other Jay Miller but I have a friend who used to deal with him when he was in retail in Baltimore who speaks very highly of him.

And, Mark, what is your favorite vintage of the 1970s, 1970 or 1975?

1970 overall. 1975 was its equal on the Right Bank, and apparently at a recent tasting there were some excellent Left Bankers. I happen to have enjoyed many 1979s, particularly in Margaux and Pomerol, a vintage where the wines were beautifully balanced, but they have begun to fade. 1978 is now very hit and miss; a few good wines, but no highs. 1971 Right Bank also capable of brilliance.

Mark, I also have really enjoyed a lot of 1979s. It was the first vintage I really bought when I first got to DC after law school. A lot of them drank well young and aged nicely. Always kind of mid weight wines, no gobs and gobs of anything. The one 2021 I have had (Lafon Rochet) sort of reminded me of the 79s, at least assuming I can remember what the 1979s tasted like young.

I have always drunk a lot more left bank wines than right bank wines so when I rate vintages, I probably give a lot more weight to how the vintage did in the Medoc.

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

And by the way - - - in case you guys missed it, in your rush to write about antique Bordeaux that is good but has lost a lot of its flavor, the 2006 Colgin IX was miles above the Bordeaux and far superior. Every time we offer one of the wine professionals a glass of allegedly great Bordeaux versus a glass of the same vintage of Napa wine, the Napa wins 75% of the time. As Peter and I know, we did that with Petrus versus Pahlmeyer blind with an Internationally well known wine expert and Bordeaux lover. He said that he liked the Pahlmeyer better.

Unfortunately, the Colgin is no cheap.

[Howard_Cooper]

@John_Morris

@J_a_y_H_a_c_k

As to 1970, the next time that I go to the library, I will have to look up the old vintage charts from the 1980s that generally show the 1970s as a bad decade and 1970 as perhaps above average for the decade, but still below average for the region

No, Jay-- Howard, Mark and Jay M are right – it was an excellent vintage. I remember how well they showed in the mid-80s, when I was first exploring wine. I still remember the thrill of the Pichon-Lalande and Palmer.

Here’s what Parker had to say about the vintage in 1985:

And here’s Clive Coates in 2004:

Found the comments that the 1970s tasted good young interesting. I did not taste any 1970s when they were really young (wouldn’t have known what I was tasting then anyway). But, when I showed Dad an article from Terry Robards saying the 1982s would not age because they tasted too good young, I can remember him laughing and saying that people said the same thing about the 1970s, which by 1983 was clearly silly. Gave me confidence to buy 1982 futures.

[Tom_R_W]

We’ve been enjoying Colgin IX’s with age so glad to hear about the 2006. Over the last year we’ve opened some 2002 & 04 IX’s and 03 & 06 Cariad. Initially I was checking to see if we should move them to auction because I was worried my wife wouldn’t enjoy them with age given how much she fawns over them in the 5-8yr range. I’ve been very pleased with the secondary & tertiary development given the suppositions that these heavier Napa wines might not age. One of my wife’s favorite parts of Colgin IX is the chocolate on the finish!

I’ll add that I’ve found the older Colgins throw an increasing amount of sediment. I nearly always regret not decanting them.

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

@Tom_R_W

We’ve been enjoying Colgin IX’s with age so glad to hear about the 2006. Over the last year we’ve opened some 2002 & 04 IX’s and 03 & 06 Cariad. Initially I was checking to see if we should move them to auction because I was worried my wife wouldn’t enjoy them with age given how much she fawns over them in the 5-8yr range. I’ve been very pleased with the secondary & tertiary development given the suppositions that these heavier Napa wines might not age. One of my wife’s favorite parts of Colgin IX is the chocolate on the finish!

I’ll add that I’ve found the older Colgins throw an increasing amount of sediment. I nearly always regret not decanting them.

1. I did not decant this but only because of timing, travel and related issues. With an hour decant, It would have been 99 pts instead of a 98 point wine, and nothing gets 100.
2. I love MacDonald and with age it may be better, but right now, with the blend in the Colgin coming together, it was off the charts delicious. Better than 1928 Margaux? Not sure, that was 56 years ago and I do not remember it very well. Better than 1989 Haut Brion? Yes. 2000 Latour? Now that was a wine, but I drank it too young. Something about the complexity of the blend in the 2006 Colgin was just over the top, in a good way.
3. Ignore the suppositions that the older Napa wines will not age well. A lot of BS from Francophiles and Bordeaux sycophants who want to prove that they love wine without flavor because for some reason it is elegant,

[Jay_Miller]

Colgin wasn’t good but it paled in comparison. To the horrors that were the Sarum and MOWE.

Tongue firmly in an AFWE cheek