2 St Emilions, opinions sought

Vintage has been good to me. Any thoughts on these as a wine to buy for an

years. Is this a fair > assesment all other things being equal?

Bellefont Belcier is normally Grand Cru but is not and never has been Grand Cru Classé, Larmande is GCC and, in my view, by far the better wine as well. My only hesitation would be whether the 1996 is really ready to drink yet, although its tannins are fairly supple and there is very good fruit. I would be tempted to buy a bottle of each and see how they will go with whatever food you are proposing to serve.

Timothy Hartley

Timothy Hartley wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@tgh.eurobell.co.uk:

just going by what I thought I saw on the bottle my research confirms what you are thinking. Larmande is GCC and, in my view, by far the better

Leaning toward this, I have had grand cru from 96 Haut Veyrac and it was drinking very well.

buying one of each is so tempting, I can always play the educating the palate card for my wife.

I'd personally consider '96 a great year in the Medoc, but mediocre on Right Bank ('98 is probably other way around). More tannins than fruit in many cases. But I haven't tasted these 2 wines to memory.

I'd personally rank the last decade+ of vintages like this: Medoc

Libournais

If I did this againtomorrow, it might not be exactly the same. And 2000 might well end up being better than 90 & 96Medoc, just tht I've only tasted as very young wines, so I'm being conservative.

I've had Bellefont Belcier (it's pretty common stuff domestically). It's OK, but not the best I've had.

see, the vagaries of vintage variation- looking at this, I don't agree with myself 2 hours later. Medoc

Libournais

Dale, There's no 99 in the Libournais: oversight, or a comment on the quality of the vintage?

Mark Lipton

Oops Mark, just oversight. Libournais:

It would be easy for me to shuffle these around a space or two. This is seat of my pants stuff, based on what I've tasted. Which for me is concentrated on a lot of mid-priced stuff (2nd to 5th growths and the better Cru Bourgeois in the Medoc, lots of middling St. Emilions and Pomerols like Pavie-Mac, Pavie-Decesse, Troplong-M, Certan de May, Gazin, Nenin, the Beausejours, Figeac, Barde-Haut,. etc).

And while I'm going out on a limb with vintage generalizations: Graves/Pessac-Leognan 00,90, 98, 01, 96,'99, 95, 97,93 94, 92, 91

jcoulter wrote in news:Xns960EAB73547CB225stellar@216.196.97.136:

mea culpa, the bottle next to the Bellefont was Grand Cru Classe though it was a 98 and actually cheaper than the Bellefont

I bought the Larmande FWIW

And, of course, the usual caveats apply: Good producers in bad vintages, etc.

Mark Lipton

"And, of course, the usual caveats apply: Good producers in bad vintages, etc."

Indeed. Vintage generalizations are just that, generalizations. On average, this is how I'd rate the vintages for mid-level Bordeaux. Yet there are over-achievers and under-achievers in every vintage. I'll take the '97 Leoville-Poyferre over the '95 Rauzan-Gassies, thank you very much. There's also the issue of current drinkability- the '93 Lynch-Bages isn't really an overachiever (compared to other Lynch-Bages) , but it's currently drinking quite lovely, while '00 & '95 are "better" but too tight.

How was it and what was theoter, cheaper, 1998 GCC as a matter of interest?

Timothy Hartley

Timothy Hartley wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@tgh.eurobell.co.uk:

will let you know, The wine is for my wife's birthday next week and I will have to recheck on the cheaper GCC (something around 24USD as opposed to 29 for the Bellefont)

jcoulter wrote in news:Xns9610AD8C2D929225stellar@216.196.97.136:

the GCC next was Ch. Laroze marked down appearantly because the 2000 was "so much better".

Ignorant wine merchants are a boon to us all — thanks be to God for them. I would buy them all up at that price and cellar it for the next ten years or so. Guy Meslin makes very good wine indeed even though his terror is sandier than other GCCs around. He has, I believe, a doctorate in microbiology and is a very interesting host - it was there, in late 1993, that I first tasted Merlot, Bouchet and Cavernet Sauvignon as individual four year old varietals (1989) and then the assemblage for the year. Funnily the assembled wine tasted much more ready to drink than did any of the varietals though it was, of course, nobbut a lad‘ as they say in these parts.

Timothy Hartley