BWE mini convention London 2018...

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Tue Apr 10, 2018 2:23 pm

...commences on Friday

Reports from MI6 that agent 004 Blanquito ‘Give It Five More Years’ Martin is already stationed in Vienna. Agent 008 Timmy ‘Give It Another 20 Years’ McCracken has been spotted shuffling back and forth through the Chunnel, causing the rumour mill in London to go into overdrive. The press corps have been maintaining a vigil outside the City and countryside residences of the elusive Comte ‘they seek him here, they seek him there’ Flaneur De Boulevardier, who was not available for comment.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Tue Apr 10, 2018 5:19 pm

Agent Blanquito, reporting from the Continent... it's an odd wine world here, everyone seems to be singing about Edelweiss and how the hills are alive, and the wine shops are filled with Steinfeders, Federspiels and Smaragds. But then, pairing with schnitzel and spätzle presents a unique gastronomic challenge I suppose. Despite the terminology, I strongly endorse the local white wines, which are world class examples of dry, racy, mineral-driven Riesling and Gruner Veltliner...

I have the precious '82 cargo safely sequestered for the upcoming smuggling into Blighty. The customs officials will never find it. Getting through the British press corp amassed outside the Palais de Boulevardier, however, could prove a bigger challenge.

tim · Post by **tim** » Tue Apr 10, 2018 6:27 pm

Agent McCracken, reporting from home base. Under the cover of rain, slipped on and off the island with only rumors of detection. Must slip pass the protests of the rail workers who are rising up. Rise up, rise up. Next mission: transport a cargo of precious jewels to the elusive Comte. First, they must be inspected to make sure they are genuine. Despite reports of counterfeits, the trained eye and a microscope verifies authenticity. Much work to be done before the voyage.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:00 pm

Read you loud and clear from BWE Home Base.
Over.

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Tue Apr 10, 2018 10:18 pm

Love it guys. Hope you have another spectacular London BWE rendezvous! We wouldn't expect anything less.

D & D from NOLA...Bourboned out!!

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Wed Apr 11, 2018 12:24 am

Have a great time guys.

Patrick I hope you weren’t subjected to too much boiled beef. Probably too late for this recommendation but Steirereck was a hit when I was in Vienna a few years ago.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Wed Apr 11, 2018 12:36 am

Oh my dear, got to be an infused wine event. And don't forget to open wines with a strong tea leave aromas.

Waiting official report, and don't get too intoxicated, as this might create another massive mass movement of diplomats.

Agent Nic

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Wed Apr 11, 2018 3:06 pm

I've always wanted to visit Vienna, Prague and central Europe etc.

Been to the Aarlberg region but haven't been to the flatter parts of that area.

My wife attended school in Salzberg and said it was a happy time and place.

jckba · Post by **jckba** » Thu Apr 12, 2018 4:00 pm

Fully looking forward to reports of the BWE activities from across the pond!

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Thu Apr 12, 2018 7:53 pm

The preparations are starting.

Dinner Chez Comte tomorrow featuring 1982 Bordeaux. On Saturday we are going to a French restaurant to drink burgundy.

I am getting all my glasses primed for tomorrow. Each of the five guests will get at least five different shaped glasses, mainly zaltos and riedels.

We have roast chicken, roast lamb and roast veal, plus plenty of knick-knacks and veggies on the side. And cheese of course.

The line up is looking like this:

Charles Heidsieck Blanc Des Millenaires 1995

Poisot Corton Charlemagne 2005

Right bank 1982:

Magdelaine
Cheval Blanc
Mystery wine one

Left bank 1982:

Branaire
Poyferre
Gruaud-Larose
Cos
Mystery wine two

Chateau d’Yquem 375 vintage tbd

I’m not sure what we are going to do after that.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/kqhR3iPVsLqgoMic2

Claret · Post by **Claret** » Thu Apr 12, 2018 9:38 pm

Comte Flaneur wrote:
I’m not sure what we are going to do after that.

Nap?

tim · Post by **tim** » Fri Apr 13, 2018 2:00 pm

Agent McCracken reporting in. Sun is shining. Made a detour to fromagerie to supplement the evening. Cargo is well packed to avoid any exposure to hazardous elements. Passengers around me are getting restless. Do they know the contents of the cargo? Do they care? Getting ready to cross the English Channel. Can already feel a desire to pour wine left handed. Cheerio dear France.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri Apr 13, 2018 2:28 pm

Roger.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Fri Apr 13, 2018 2:30 pm

Agent 5MYs (5 more years) arrived at London station. Good to back in the land of kippers and the jolly good show. Getting caffeinated in central city in preparation for the evening's Olympiad.

Tom In DC · Post by **Tom In DC** » Fri Apr 13, 2018 10:35 pm

Claret wrote:
Comte Flaneur wrote:
I’m not sure what we are going to do after that.

Nap?

At minimum a cleansing ale!

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 11:00 am

Somehow, when the dust settled, we ended up having 4 cleansing ales!

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 11:03 am

It was Friday the 13th so we had a few dodgy wines, but great fun, reports to come.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CaguGBosfgMQKPX63

tim · Post by **tim** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 11:08 am

I had to bail before the ales, my tolerance is way down...

A fun night and a BWE favorite surprises again!

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 11:48 am

Very well done indeed, your Benevolent Dictator is proud of you.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 11:57 am

We drank all 8 reds single blind or double blind for the 2 mystery wines.

My WOTN was the 82 Cheval Blanc.

My second favorite wine — whose identity is protected to prevent a run — staged a “shocking” upset in round 2.

The 1997 Lafite was my 3rd favorite, it was one of the mystery wines.

The 1982 Magdelaine was a close 4th and got stronger as the night went on. It just couldn’t compete with the complexity and depth of Cheval, the perfect balance and maturity of my #2 wine, nor the regal and effortless Lafite.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 1:43 pm

I am not surprised about the Cheval Blanc being #1. It was fantabulous the last time I drank it. That is quite a while back now, but I would expect a bottle from cold storage to be just as good. 1997 Lafite is a very good example of what Lafite can do in a lesser vintage. IMO, 1997 was fine for top estates; they just lack the oomph they have from better years.

How was the Branaire? At one time it was great, but it probably is now on the downslope. And is the 95 Charles Heidsieck still wonderful? The last bottle I drank was not as good as previous ones. It was easily identified as being old without having the complexity of fine old Champagne. However, I sourced it late, so provenance might have been the reason.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 2:10 pm

Great event and pictures. Good to see everyone in good shape.

I guess that blanquito second favorite was the 1998 Mondotte or 1982 Branaire. Why? On Comte's picture, these are the only empty bottles with 1982 Cheval Blanc, 1982 Magdelaine and 1997 Lafite Rothschild.

Nic

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 2:19 pm

13 bottles for 5 guys then 4 cleansing ales....way outa my league at the moment. I'm with Tim that my tolerance for quantity is waining. Looks like another great night in London and with some wonderful labels shared. Look forward to Ian's follow up review. I'm sure his head must be a little lost in the London fog today!

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 2:20 pm

I'll bet 1982 Branaire was the wine of the night.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 2:40 pm

It was Friday the 13th and we had 4 flawed or corked wines, including the white burgundy, so some bottles were not emptied. Ian opened 2 backup wines, one of which (the 89 Beychevelle) was corked.

It was a grand affair, with generousity and good fellowship to spare. Another BWE success!

A big, big thanks to Ian for organizing, hosting and opening so many great bottles.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 5:02 pm

I tried to minimise the amount of work for myself so I could just shove stuff into the oven and take it out, but I still found myself more distracted from the task in hand - of tasting and analysing the wines - than I would have liked. I did not take notes. Fortune did not favour us last night.

Charles Heidsieck Blanc Des Millenaires 1995 - this was ok, but a bit flat metaphorically. Not as good as previous bottles.

Poisot Corton Charlemagne 2005 - corked

Right bank 1982:

Magdelaine - nicely resolved, plummy merlot fruit made this quite easy to distinguish from the Cheval - improved over the night
Cheval Blanc - soil, ash, autumnal notes, great complexity and class. Not as exuberant as the last time I tried this 20 months ago
Mystery wine one - rich modern, a bit soulless La Mondotte 1998

Left bank 1982:

Poyferre - corked
Gruaud-Larose - flawed
Branaire - classic 1982 claret at its best, beautifully resolved, complex and vibrant
Cos - flawed
Mystery wine two - very fine elegant and classy Ch Lafite 1997

Chateau d’Yquem 1996 - pitch perfect, one of my favourite vintages of Yquem it always delivers

Of the reds my wotn was Cheval, followed by Branaire followed by Lafite.

It was disappointing to have so many flawed wines. I went and fetched Beychevelle 1989. It too was corked. Then I went and fetched Pontet Canet 1996 and it did not let us down, I still have mixed but mainly positive feelings about this wine.

Despite that disappointment we had a very enjoyable evening. Chris from London and Aziz from Zurich also joined us. It was great to catch up with Patrick and Tim. As usual Tim generously brought a selection of the finest cheeses from Paris in addition to his three bottles of 1982.

It has been five and a half years since I have seen Patrick. Far too long. That won’t happen again. We were pretty exhausted after our escapade to a few local bars, but we had a lazy today catching up on our news and talking about all sorts of things and especially Trump.

Tonight it’s burgundy. We have two bottles of DRC waiting downstairs. We will also have Leroy, Rousseau and PYCM. We’re going in hard. Wish us luck.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 5:27 pm

Sorry to hear about the duds but it sounds like you all made a fun time of it. Thanks for the report and especially the pictures.

My tolerance for alcohol is waning with age so I’m pretty sure the cleansing ales would have taken on a different meaning for me.

The other thing that is waning is my memory, but wasn’t 82 Branaire the winner of the 2003 NYC blind tasting of 1982s put on by the AnonymousInDC Benefactor? Beating out the likes of 82 Mouton, among others?

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 5:45 pm

I believe Branaire was a strong second to the Mouton that evening David.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 5:52 pm

Great write up, Ian.

I’ll add a few more thoughts... Ian did a wonderful job with the food and he seemed far less distracted than I usually am when I host a big dinner. The first flight was easy to call the Cheval Blanc vs the Magdelaine. I think we all guessed those correctly. The 1998 Mondotte stood out as much younger, all filled with licorice and oak. The 3 of us who didn’t know what it was ultimately decided it was New World— oops! When told it was Old World, I guessed a Super Tuscan. Wrong again. None of us were in Bordeaux, but one could see the merlot, it just didn’t seem like a French merlot (to me).

The next flight was four 82 Left Banks and the second mystery wine. Wine 1 was clearly flawed, I think corked, it smelled like chlorine to me but tasted like TCA. Wine 2 was muddy with a funky and possibly corked nose. The palate was much better and it had some serious stuffing. I initially guessed Gruaud, but I changed my guess later once wine #1 was unveiled as the Poyferre. Wine #3 was sensational right out of the blocks, fully mature but quite vigorous with a terrific core of cherry fruit and a fabulous finish. I guessed it was the Poyferre. #4 smelled slightly stewed and it wasn’t a correct bottle, but had excellent presence and a iron like finish which made us guess Cos. #5 was regal with a terrific and nuanced bouquet that immediately put us in Bordeaux. My first thought was that this was a First Growth but I changed my mind because of how relatively light the palate was. There was a touch of green on the nose and it reminded me of some 96s Medoc wines, so I started to think it could be a mid-90’s Pichon Lalande.

We then unveiled the wines and to our shock, #3 was the Branaire! I still can’t believe how good it was, despite knowing its history on BWE. I’ve had this wine 2-3 times in the last 5 years, and I thought it was starting to fade, but not this bottle. Wow.

I thought the 96 d’Yquem was fantastic. It doesn’t have a hair out of place. What a finish too. Still going but no crime in drinking one now. We quickly drained the 375ml.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 5:55 pm

Yes, in 2003, Branaire was second behind Mouton, and besting LLC, Cos, La Dominique and... can't remember the sixth one. Was it GPL?

Nic

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 5:57 pm

No it was Ducru I believe.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 6:02 pm

I am glad to hear that good bottles of Branaire perform so well. The ones I have drunk in the last few years were late sourced. No telling how many times they had been flipped. Although I love 1982s, I probably will not buy any more unless I am sure of the provenance or get one those deals that cannot be passed up.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 1:06 pm

So Patrick and I were talking as we recuperated from Friday night and he asked me if I could drink one last great bottle -with a gun to my head - what would it be: a Bordeaux or burgundy? I said that in all honesty, and with the risk of being excommunicated from the brotherhood, it had to be a burgundy. After last night I think Patrick understands why I said that.

We met Tim at his hotel and took a two mile ride to the Noize restaurant in Fitzrovia, where we met my philosophy professor friend Simon May, so half the table of four were professors. Last night was it strictly burgundy, but in the end we ended up drinking a Bordeaux too.

We kicked of with a Pierre Yves Colin Morey Meursault Perrerieres 2011 - this is young, initially tight, lean racy and vibrant, with stones and rocks. Over the course of four hours it opens beautifully and really is singing at the end of the evening. A-/A

We each had four large burgundy glasses for the four red burgundies. All these wines had been vertical for days but were opened at the restaurant by the sommelier.

Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin Clos St Jacques 1991

A gorgeous elegant old school red burgundy, with wild strawberry notes, spice, truffle, sous bois woodsy and feral notes. It has wonderful precision, tension and weightlessness across the palate. It has a fabulous finish. As Simon noted a wine of sheer beauty and amazing harmony. A

DRC Grand Echezeaux 1992

This has a beguiling nose of oriental teas and spices leading onto a palate which was the most evolved of the four wines. The nose is so beguiling it is almost like an out of body experience. The palate is medium bodied with tertiary nuances of truffles and mushrooms, with neither the power or the finish of the other three. Nevertheless a compelling wine which has the unmistakeable DRC signature and delivers enormous pleasure. A/A-

DRC Richebourg 1990

This has an equally enthralling nose of ginger, oriental spices, volcanic ash and blood. This is a monumental wine with power and weightlessness across the silken palate and a finish that goes on and on. Thrilling mysterious complexity with a smorgasbord or red and black fruits, earth and oriental spices this evolves over the night with meaty beefy saline notes. By now I was on the ceiling. An absolute thrill to behold and wotn. A/A+

Domaine Leroy Vosne Romanee Les Brulees 1990

Whereas the others had a orange or maroon translucent hue this was an opaque purple. It is still a young wine reflecting its low yields with piercing acidity and towering structure. It will last for decades. It slowly unfurls its wares over the course of the evening but clearly this requires a lot of patience. A-

For dessert we ordered Chateau d’Yquem 1998 which was on the list for £221, which I thought was a bargain.

Chateau d’Yquem 1998

Gorgeous entry of custard creme, with a refreshing blood orange acidic cut. I marginally preferred the 1996 the previous night but this was nevertheless terrific Yquem from a less exalted vintage. A-/A

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 1:28 pm

Photos from last night:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zT0JNxvA2Eed0bEW2

SF Ed · Post by **SF Ed** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 2:26 pm

Clearly I need to get to London again if only to drink DRC

Thanks for all the notes and showing the deep BWE camaraderie world wide.

SF Ed

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 4:44 pm

Don't worry Comte, just reading and we're on the ceiling too.

Great report and some stupendous Bourgognes. I guess the pace last night was slow, to enjoy every little moment with these 4 bottles.

Ok, I'm with Ed, and I need to go to London.

Nic

Antoine · Post by **Antoine** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 4:50 pm

Weooah...where did you get all these bottles?... You drink well....Well done
Think about a white Burg producer we must visit next time in Burgundy.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 4:59 pm

Another great BWE night. 1990 DRC wines are among the best Burgundies I have drunk.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 5:16 pm

Wow, I’m no Burgundy nut but that was an epic lineup.

danzur · Post by **danzur** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 10:31 pm

Nice to hear on the '98 d'yquem....I have a case of 375's of this due to it being my son's birthyear....