2009 Chateau Calon Segur has been uncorked and other ramblings....

[JimHow]

Sitting here on the back deck on an absolutely perfect late August evening in the Great State of Maine. Man, David and Peggy couldn't have ordered more perfect weather.

[Nicklasss]

The 2009 is a favorite of mine, drinking nicely at age 15. Complex, classic, delicious Calon Segur.

[JimHow]

Soon the trees around my house will turn yellow, orange, red and gold, a poignant beauty that is breathtaking to behold. It peaks fleetingly, then as October turns November the yellows predominate and mix with the remaining green, New England winter around the corner but stunningly beautiful in its own way.

[JimHow]

This is coming out of the gate strong, Nic, such a deep ruby color, a significant contrast with that 1996 Lafite from the other night, I was immediately struck by how it was fading at the rim. Still youthful on the palate, though, a long way to go, the Lafite.

[JimHow]

I grilled up a porthouse, T-Bone, and ribeye with the Glassers the other night, I told them, when Tom and Gail come over, they want "the Jim How experience" when it comes to grilling of the steaks with fine northern Medocs: lightly seasoned simply with salt and a little coarse black pepper. Mmmmmm, with the Lafite.... Mmmmmm.

[JimHow]

I swear I am telling you the truth: I saw not ONE single mosquito out here on the back deck this summer. Not ONE!

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

[JimHow]

It was great to get the Maltais and Glassers here, finally, after 24 years!
We'll have to get more of you up next summer for Maine lobstah and the Jim How steak-and-fine-northern-Medoc experience on the grill!

I was trying to think through the list of BWEers who have visited, I'm sure I've missed some:

Winona (3 times)
Marjorie
Tom and Gail (twice)
Jacques and Jill (twice)
Stefan and Lucie
HM$ and Lisa
Timmy
Nicolas
David and Peggy
Mr. Vino and Peggy
Mike McNamara
Rob and Sue Dayton
Mr and Mrs Houndsong
Rick and Kathy

I know I'm missing someone....

[JimHow]

I'm sort of officially in vacation mode, a couple things to wrap up but soon it will be off first to Paris for a week, then on to Bangkok for a week, then back to Paris, then back to the U.S., where I will embark on a nine month "trial schedule from hell" that will involve three straight murder trials in December, January, and April, surrounded by another half dozen highly complex felony trials. If I am still standing by late spring I hope to come out on the other side in some state of at least approaching semi-retirement. We shall see....

[JimHow]

The 2009 Calon Segur is opening up with air, Nicola, it is indeed a complex wine that is still youthful but offering up a lot now. I'm curious how it compares/contrasts with the 2010 Calon Segur.

[JimHow]

13.5% on the 2009 Calon Segur. Both the 1996 and 2016 Lafites said 13% on the bottle, although Nic thinks the 2016 was actually like 12.8%.

[JimHow]

I had a 2020 Meyney the other night that was absolutely stunning, so much so that I ordered 12 more bottles from Saratoga at $30/each.

[JimHow]

Oh and of course we have the BWE DC '24 convention in October, I got a couple texts from Joel, we had hoped to do a FaceTime with him when Nic was here and Joel was in London but couldn't hook up. I think he has some places lined up for the Friday and Saturday night dinners, though.

[JimHow]

It was fun to talk politics with David and Peggy, I can't speak for them but I think Peggy is a little more optimistic about the election than Dave and I. I just think this is going to be a brutal final stretch. I kind of wish Harris had come out of the convention with a little more than a one or two point lead, I think the Republican big donors are about to hit her very, very hard. I do think she is benefitting from the shorter campaign season and I'm so impressed with the way her team is constantly on the attack, a la the Bill Clinton and Barak Obama campaigns. I believe Plouffe is on her team now? Pennsylvania is giving me heartburn, we should be opening up a lead in that state, goddamit.

[JimHow]

This Calon has a sweetness to it, Nicola, I'm curious about its merlot content and how it compares to other years.

[JimHow]

Only 7% merlot, per Leve. He gave it 92 points early on.

[JimHow]

Somebody on CT described it as "too jammy," maybe that's the descriptor I'm looking for.
Still early, though, the sirloin is on the grill....

[JimHow]

Man, skimming through the voluminous CT notes, they seem to be all over the place, from tight to open, tannic and brooding to elegant. It seems to be performing more impressively with the juicy steak, but then again we would hope that most table wine Bordeaux would.

[JimHow]

One thing I was telling Dave and Peggy on the back deck was that I really think Joe made a mistake in agreeing that the microphones should be turned off during the debate. I think one of the big moments in the 2020 campaign was when Orange was so out of control during the debate. In 2024, Joe said he did the same thing but the microphones were off. Now Team Orange is fighting to keep the microphones off, and Team Harris is fighting it. This is no small issue, folks. Imagine being heckled off microphone by Orange while you're trying to answer a question and the world isn't hearing it, like in 2020. It plays right into the Orange man's strategy of lies.

[stefan]

How many years now have you spoken about retirement being just around the corner?

I expect that you will die with your boots on.

[JimHow]

Lol, Stefan, it is a running joke in the defense bar here in Maine.

Still, I'm tired.... This is a younger person's game.

[JimHow]

In the end, Nicola, the Maine blueberries with whipped cream did nothing to bring out anything special in the 2009 Calon Segur. Sipping on the last half of the bottle with Ben and Jerry's Boom Chocalatta and Vanilla Chocolate Fudge, however, is drawing a spark....

[JimHow]

I dunno, Nicola, if it takes Ben & Jerry's to drag out some life of a Bordeaux wine, said wine is struggling. This wine is just boring. I had three bottles and now have one left, the first two were unimpressive. There is nothing structurally wrong with the wine, it is still youthful, but I just don't see how this is going to improve with any age. I have one bottle left, I'll drink it 5-10 years from now. This bottle was pretty unremarkable. I think Jeff Leve has it ranked kindly at 92 points, that's about the best I can do. Rating: 92 points.

[stefan]

For lunch I opened one of the worst St Innocent Momtazi. Lucie liked it with mushrooms over pasta, but I found it too thin and acidic with my mushrooms over mashed potatoes. I Repoured more than half a bottle and we are drinking it with turkey burgers and oven fries. The extra air time definitely helped. Still, the Momtazi lacks the strong fruit and dusty darkness that Momtazi has in better vintages.

I continued with 2010 Altesino Brunello, Repoured from last night. Altesino is a low level BdM, but one that is usually good for the price. The 2010 is pretty good and true to that great vintage, but there is a bit of alcoholic acetone coating the leather. I prefer it to the Momtazi.

[JimHow]

You have a lot more experience than me, Stefan, but one of the things about Momtazi for me is its consistency from vintage to vintage. I have a half dozen bottles in my cellar and I can't even tell you the vintage, it's kind of like Geyserville, I just expect it to be a B to A- every year.

[Nicklasss]

A bit sad that bottle of 2009 CS. At the end, i guess it is not powerful or concentrated enough for your palate? I mean, it is a light wine for 2009, but for me gets a higher score for complexity, classicism, terroir oriented and drinkability. Different palates so different appreciation.

[JimHow]

Looking at the cellar tracker notes it seems to be a bit controversial, Nic, as the notes seem to be all over the place. I liked the 2011 Calon Segur better, and the 2014, etc. I have one bottle left, I'll hold it for a while.

[DavidG]

I’ve got a couple bottles of ‘09 Calon Segur. Would have thought it should be open for business at 15 years. I’m kinda confused by your note. Starts out strong, then opens up, complex, youthful, offering a lot… and then jammy, unexciting. A bit of Jekyll and Hyde all in one evening. Your note has me wondering if I should leave them alone a while or pop one just to see what’s up.

I share your concern about the election. Harris has come out strong. I hope she doesn’t regress to her goofy presence or fall flat like your Calon Segur once the R machine gets after her in earnest. Trump is his own worst enemy. He may play well to the MAGA faithful but the more his rambling, half-cocked and barely coherent ramblings are exposed to the undecided, the better for Harris. If Trump gets his way and the microphones are turned off during the debate, I think/hope Harris finds a way to confront him about his off-mic blathering.

[Claudius2]

Guys
I’m a little worried. I have a full case of both 2009 and 2010 Calon Segur. Sounds like it isn’t the wine I was hoping for. I’ve not tried either and am not in a big hurry to drink it any time soon.
Cheers
Mark

[JimHow]

Yeah, I think I was a little more over-exuberant at the outset but as the evening progressed I just didn't see it improving. And my first experience with it was very similar. But others, like Nic, seem to like it. I think Jeff Leve's 92 point assessment is about right. I guess I just expected something more from this estate in that vintage.

[DavidG]

Well, I went ahead and popped one. Very nice forward nose right out of the gate, with cassis, cherry, smoky earthy notes and a hint of leafy herbs. Lots of ripe polished fruit on the palate, decent balance but on the soft side, though there seem to be enough tannins to give it legs. Consistent with 2009’s reputation as a “solar,” ripe fruit forward vintage, the palate does not quite live up to the promise of the nose. I don’t use the 100-point scale, but I’d give this an excellent, which is somewhere in the 90-95 range. Maybe on the lower end of that range, an A-minus. It might well improve in another 5-10 years. Despite the glossy ripe fruit, it's not flabby or sickly sweet like some 2005s.

I paid $95 on release in 2018. Have I had better $95 Bordeaux? Yes. Am I disappointed? No. I am a Bordeaux Wine Enthusiast.

[JimHow]

Well done, David! Very well done indeed.
I'll be curious to see how this wine performs in 5 to 10 years.

And, yes. You are indeed. You are the personification of a Bordeaux Wine Enthusiast.

[Nicklasss]

Good job David. I knew that 09 CS wasn’t as bad as Jim description.

I agree with your ‘’ cassis, cherry, smoky earthy notes and a hint of leafy herbs ‘’description, that i think is resuming well it complexity.

Yes ripe fruit, but stay enough light, fresh and structure to make it an excellent wine to me.