I'm fairly new to wine. I'm taking some of the on-line courses on WS. The other day I purchased my first bottle of Bordeaux--a 2000 Cru Bourgeois from Chateau Bel Air. I poured a glass of it today and the smell reminded me of a barnyard or riding a horse. Is that what it's supposed to smell like? The taste wasn't that bad, though it was fairly tannic and acidic. I've heard some say Bordeaux is an acquired taste similar to learning to drink scotch. Is that true?

I dont think its fair to say Bordeaux is an acquired taste similar to scotch. The barnyard you smell is actually what is called brettenomyces, or just brett. Brett is a wild yeast that has snuck into the wine making process and results in the horse smell you picked up on. I found it recently in a bottle of 1992 Lafite Rothschild.

Some people consider brett a major flaw in a wine while some people find a touch of brett adds to the wines flavor profile. In the end its up to you. If you detect brett you could try and let the wine breath, sometimes the scent will dissipate over time and you will be left with a quaffable, enjoyable wine.

Barnyard is considered a good characteristic in wine, but not one which I am particularly fond of. Tannin and acidity can be normal in young Bordeaux, provided the wine is balanced.

You can expect 2000 Bordeaux to be too young and show unfavorable characteristics, like the ones you described, as well as others. Decanting for several hours can sometimes help a young Bordeaux show better.

The best way to enjoy Bordeaux is to buy it on release and cellar it for several years.

I do not consider Bordeaux an acquired taste. I have loved it virtually from day one. Other opinions may vary.
just my .02
joe

Sigman- Try some 1999s. They are less expensive & more approachable. Don't buy tons of them. 2000 vintage is extremely good, but also long-term, so they won't begin to taste good until 2010+. By then, many of the 1999s will have started to decline.

You have discovered what the French call "teroir."

Actually, it may not be brettanomyces, but whatever it is, it has been reported to be common among some Bordeaux. One must remember that, in a sense, a Bordeaux Chateau is a living environment, with unique yeasts, microbes, spores, smells due to wind direction, nearby foliage, nearby farms, smells from whatever else may be going on nearby and on the premises. When one has made wine in a place for decades, or even tens of decades, these different microbiological/environmental characteristics become endemic and become a part of the "house style."

JUst remember, Bordeaux is made from the same grapes as California Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Caberent Franc, of blends of the aforementioned. AScidity probably was higher, as Bordeaux doesn't have our sunshine and the resulting riper fruit, higher alcohol and lower acid of California Cabernets.

quote:

Originally posted by L4MG2K:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Sigman:
I'm fairly new to wine. I'm taking some of the on-line courses on WS. The other day I purchased my first bottle of Bordeaux--a 2000 Cru Bourgeois from Chateau Bel Air....

I'm curious, was the bottle you purchased having somethign to do with the on-line course?

Also, check out the current issue of Wine Spectator (at your local newstands now) for an interesting article on Brett (pg 99.).

Welcome to the wonderful world of wine.

No, that wine was not part of the course. I was at the wine shop looking for some of the wines for the course and saw the Bordeaux section. I had done some reading about Bordeaux on my own and that book recommended some Cru Bourgeois wines to start with. Bel Air was one of them. I also bought a 2000 bottle of Chateau Larose-Trintaudon. Both wines cost me <$50 and using my vintage chart I knew that 2000 was a good year. I guess I didn't really know what to expect. So I gather I should let the other bottle age for a while? I'm going to buy a used Vintage Keeper wine cellar from a friend and start filling it with a good cross section of wines from around the world. I'm not really interested in spending hundreds of dollars per bottle but could you all recommend some good Bordeaux values? I'd like to start with about a dozen for my budding collecton.

Sigman: Where are you shopping.

quote:

Originally posted by irwin:
Sigman: Where are you shopping.

I agree. Who charges near $50 for Trintaudon?. It's a $15 wine. Bel Air should have been about $30 and no bargain at that.
Still, one needs to spend $30-50 to get excellent Bordeaux on a "consistent" basis. This store excluded.

quote:

Originally posted by cdr11:
JUst remember, Bordeaux is made from the same grapes as California Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Caberent Franc, of blends of the aforementioned. AScidity probably was higher, as Bordeaux doesn't have our sunshine and the resulting riper fruit, higher alcohol and lower acid of California Cabernets.

Actually, Bordeaux gets MORE sunshine than California, not less, during the growing season. In good vintages the fruit picked in Bordeaux is just as ripe as what is picked in California (and in vintages like 2003 it's riper than what California can ever achieve), but due to the extra sunshine it ripens at lower sugar levels. This usually results in lower alcohol and better acidity than in most CalCabs, IMO a good thing.

As for the aromas in Bordeaux, much of it comes from the use of indigenous yeasts during fermentation. Whether it's a good/bad thing is up to the individual smelling the wine...

Mark

Are blondes an acquired taste...? Neither is Bordeaux.

Sigman. Please don't judge all Bordeaux on a bottle of 2000 Bel Air. This is not the right thing for your first experience. If I wanted you to understand what Bordeaux is all about, I would serve you a 1990 o 1989 classified growth, or on a budget a crus bourgeois like Chasse-Spleen or Potensac, or even Beau Site. Those should still be about $50 a bottle. Otherwise, try a 1995. The point is that to really understand what makes Bordeaux special you need to understand how the wine improves with age and becomes more complex and pleasing.

What would everyone else serve someone like Sigman (and please no 1990 Latour, 1945 Mouton or 1961 Petrus)? Something he could find and perhaps afford.

I was wondering if there was a way to get a list of all of the 2003 tasting notes. I noticed they are online, but on all seperate pages. How can I get them all on one page to print out?
Thanks

I'm fairly new to Bourdeaux myself. Have tried just a couple, like 1995 Rauzan-Segla - which i find pretty nice. I was interested in trying a bottle of 1990 Ducru Beaucaillou that was offered at the wine store. After tasting this, I think I have a pretty good idea what Bordeaux can be like. What i beauty! To taste a good Bordeaux that is fully mature like this wine really opened up my eyes for Bordeaux. I will definately be purchasing Bordeaux in the future.

quote:

Originally posted by zblang:
I was wondering if there was a way to get a list of all of the 2003 tasting notes. I noticed they are online, but on all seperate pages. How can I get them all on one page to print out?
Thanks

518 tasting notes on one page? I'd like to have your eyes, zblang!!

PH

Hah..maybe I should have been more clear. I don't mean for them all to be on one page, just that I want to hit print once and get them all rather than having to go to 10 individual links and hit print each time.

Mark,

I used the word sunshine when I should have used "climate" or "weather" in a general sense. I have fond memories of the long summer daytime hours while vacationing in Banff/Lake Louise, with it staying light until 10 p.m. or so in summer. You have illustrated that "ripe" is a range, is somewhat subjective within that range and that 2003 is an anomaly in Bordeaux.

I didn't mean I spent $50 for each. The two wines together were less than $50. I got them at Finewine.com in Gaithersburg. Where is a good reputable place in the MD/DC area with a good selection? And also, can aged Bordeaux be found at reasonable prices?

Thanks

Hey Sigman,

Welcome. MoCo is a wasteland for wine. Selection and provenance is terrible, and pricing is even worse!! You'll need to get out of this county. Try MacArthur Beverages, Calvert Woodley or Schneiders (all in DC) for starters. Perhaps the Baltimore guys can give you some guidance in eastern or northern MD.

Keep an eye on the offline board as well. You may want to join our fledgling offline group for some interesting evenings with some really nice folk.

A couple options availble locally:

1990 Château La Croix-de-Gay
List price $75

1995 Château Grand-Mayne
List price $45

1995 Lagrange
List price $70

All at Bassin's MacArthur Beverages.

fwiw, good quality aged Bordeaux and reasonable pricing is an oxymoron. This is why many of us buy young, store properly and wait, wait, wait......



PH

1999 or 2001 Lynch-Bages. Each under $40.

I recently like the Chateaux Clarke- Baron Edmund De Rothschild 2001.

I'm a big fan of Chateau Plince.

You could also look for something accessible young, such as 2000 or 2001 Reignac, or 1997 Sociando Mallet.

Wine-searcher.com might be a good way to search for availability.