New York Times article on Bordeaux

One other note, and perhaps a more optimistic angle - the wine bar I visit most frequently in London has a decent, and regularly changing collection of mature Bordeaux, both from famous and petits Chateaux. I, and the group I visit with, will usually get through at least one bottle every time we visit, and we're definitely not 'old farts'! The appetite is there, and the quality is there too.
 
Alex,

Even though you are a lone voice trying to convince everyone else that we are either:

(a) wrong;
(b) have no knowledge of the Bordeaux Region and its wines; and
(c) our remarks, if uttered with passionate wine friends in a London wine bar, are of no relevance

I will still give you the info on the pétillant naturel you asked for ;):D

It is called "James" and is made by Ormiale Wines (winemaker Fabrice Domercq), from a vineyard in the Enre-Deux-Mers near Mérignas, somewhat closer to Castillon-la-Bataille than St-Emilion. It's a blend of Petit Verdot and Merlot and it has an unusually high alcohol for a pét-nat of 13%. Naturally, it is Vin de France, and obviously only tenuously Bordeaux in character, sort of, under the bubbles. In most cases these type of wines are pretty affordable (pét-nats in France are most often around €10). This was a decent wine, but very expensive for the simple genre of pét-nat - I can't recall how much as I didn't pay but I'm sure it was only just less than £40. Some of the Ormiale reds are £55+ UK retail, not bad for a small producer outside of the 1855. The wines here are all biodynamic and made with great attention to detail and care.
 
One other note, and perhaps a more optimistic angle - the wine bar I visit most frequently in London has a decent, and regularly changing collection of mature Bordeaux, both from famous and petits Chateaux. I, and the group I visit with, will usually get through at least one bottle every time we visit, and we're definitely not 'old farts'! The appetite is there, and the quality is there too.
Which is that, Asa?

I must say that the #nobrot boys are holding up their end for Bordeaux. They started out being into more wacky stuff but they've gone over to the dark side, and #nobrot is probably a pretty good place to find some older Bdx in Londinium, along with DRC La Tache, Chave Hermitage, and the more expensive cuvées of Clos Rougeard etc.
 
Vinothec Compass - I was having a chat with one of the guys who buys for them last night at a tasting, and he was saying they pick up a lot of their wines from small local village auctions in France. They have plenty of Cru Classe stuff, but also a whole range of smaller chateaux from the 70s, 80s & 90s.

It's completely the opposite side of town for me, but seeing as they allow my to indulge three of my passions in one place (Golf, food, and wine), it has become a regular haunt.
 
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Crikey, unusual venue and I have to admit, not a place I have ventured near, other than for the odd O2 gig. Looks very interesting. I have been to a couple of "village" auction houses in The Loire and near Rambuoillet and in with the antiques they often have wine. Dead men's cellars, I guess. Sometimes, among the stuff that should have been drunk a decade ago you can find a treasure...magnum of Château Palmer a couple of years ago. They sell for very little.
 
Dead men's cellars indeed - I think that's pretty much it.

I can recommend it as worth a visit - the food's pretty decent, the wine selection very interesting, and the proprietors are hospitable & generous. The venue is a little weird, but when you get past that...

I still haven't made it to Noble Rot - I shall rectify that in the next few weeks, I think...
 
David,

I think we have a lot more in common than our exchanges here would suggest.

If you make it to Bordeaux (just a skip, hop, and a jump from London....) one day, I'll be delighted to take a day off work and drive you around the hinterland to visit some salt-of-the-earth winegrowers selling good stuff at attractive prices.

All the best,
Alex
 
I've just read this - FWIW I reckon Mr Asimov to be one of the best. Google "asimov vinolent" if you are interested.

The problem that "smaller" growers in Bordeaux have is that the "brands" have the market tied up, and that there is so much volume available at every level. As such, finding the diamond in the snow is very, very hard work for a merchant or a consumer. Moreover, with so much "product" available and a mature market (by which I mean one that works efficiently), there is little margin to be found for the merchant. So lots of work for little reward, which isn't much of a proposition.

My 2p.
 
Joss,

If what you say is true, then to what extent is Bordeaux different from other vineyard régions?
I mean, if you want to buy wine from Chinon or the Côtes du Rhône, or Pic Saint Loup, or God-knows-where, are you implying that the success rate is greater?

I am still puzzled by the reasoning you express (not that you necessarily approve it) because merchants do put forward and get behind wines that cost less where, surely, their economic gain is not great...

As for "brands", these make up only a tiny part of Bordeaux.
Bordeaux = château wine in the minds of consumers.
This is a double-edged thing because château production is limited and wine quality changes from vintage to vintage.
Can their be any wine region where the vintage year counts more than Bordeaux?
I have even been told in Burgundy that consumers will buy according to the reputation of such-and-such a year in Bordeaux!
Alex R.
 
Alex,

By brands I mean classed growth.

One main difference is size, and therefore quantity: there's an awful lot of it, which makes differentiation difficult (wine from the Cotes du Rhone has a similar challenge - consumers associate it with value, so it's hard to sell expensive Cotes du Rhone).

If merchants want to sell wines at £10 a bottle, they need to find wines where they can make a decent margin. Otherwise there is little point from a commercial point of view. It is easier to find these sorts of wines outside Bordeaux.

To add to this, Bordeaux is famous - everyone has heard of it and many consumers will have their own prejudice about it. Very few will have a prejudice about Pic St Loup. So once you've found your £10 wine that you can actually sell at a profit, the Pic St Loup is going to be easier to sell.

There is no right or wrong here - which is my way of conceding that I'm drabbling a bit. Indeed it may well be about what buyers want at a particular level. It may well be that consumers who spend £10 a bottle want a more fruit-driven, simple style than those that spend £50.
 
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