2000 Chateau Margaux??????

[David M. Bueker]

Covert - polite criticism: you are going over the line with your references.

I hate to even go here, but are you saying there are cultures in Africa that find intrafamial incest acceptable? Can you name one, or is this just an assumption of your own?

I didn't say cultures, I said people. You don't have to go further than the New York Post to find the same thing in this country. I might take a look to see if Google brings up anything. I have read about this more than once, but I can't cite a particular reference right now. I can't believe that this is a shock to you, really I can't.

Covert - polite criticism: you are going over the line with your references.

Polite criticism: you sound like an altar boy, unless you don't take that as a criticism.

I didn't say cultures, I said people. You don't have to go further than the New York Post to find the same thing in this country. I might take a look to see if Google brings up anything. I have read about this more than once, but I can't cite a particular reference right now. I can't believe that this is a shock to you, really I can't.

I'm sadly aware that there is child abuse, including incest, in the US and every country in the globe. Yet your specification of "plenty of people in Africa (not in every country" seemed to imply that it was a much greater problem there. So I just thought it might be worthwhile to hear some facts.

I didn't say cultures, I said people. You don't have to go further than the New York Post to find the same thing in this country. I might take a look to see if Google brings up anything. I have read about this more than once, but I can't cite a particular reference right now. I can't believe that this is a shock to you, really I can't.

I'm sadly aware that there is child abuse, including incest, in the US and every country in the globe. Yet your specification of "plenty of people in Africa (not in every country" seemed to imply that it was a much greater problem there. So I just thought it might be worthwhile to hear some facts.

http://kabiza.com/i_was_born_woman.htm

Leaving incest behind and returning to the issue of drinking wines on the too young side - what thinkest we of the people who invited me to taste the 2005 reds of Romanee-Conti yesterday (posted on another thread). Now if we talk about infanticide, this is certainly the case, but here indeed were people with enough of a supply now laid in that they truly wanted nothing more than to preview the wines now, to enjoy them at this still very early stage both for that pleasure on its own and as a guide to what could be expected in five, ten, twenty or more years in the future.

Conspicuous consumption? I doubt it thoroughly. These are people who rightly insist that although I can write about the wines that their names not be mentioned, who invite to such tastings a very small circle of wine lovers with whom they are on close terms, and who truly gain great pleasure from the wines they drink.

Infanticide? I doubt that as well, for a tasting such as this can in and of its own offer enormous pleasure and gratification (and I can assure you, those present finished off each of the bottles).

Immoral? In no way, for no-one is harmed by such experiences and indeed the wines are given the respect that is due them.

At least for the moment, I rest my case.

Best
Rogov

[David M. Bueker]

Rogov,

I completely agree with you.

I have participated in and organized a lot of offlines over the years, most of which were either vertical or horizontal tastings of Bordeaux. We have gone through the five first growths, many seconds, many of the super-fifths etc. Frequently we've had 2000 and later vintages among the wines. It makes for an interesting experience to taste such wines young. But lately I've been feeling that past their first year of release, these wines don't offer much pleasure past the intellectual curiosity until they begin to bloom into maturity. Recently I've been discouraging participants from bringing the 00-04 vintages for this very reason.

The question was posed and advice was requested. My advice is to let something as glorious as a 2000 Margaux mature to all it's beauty before drinking. If the question was about Malescot (which is actually drinking fairly well today) or Potensac or similar, my answer would be different.

There is no crime in drinking wines young, just as there is no crime in mixing 2000 Margaux with cola, as is reputed to happen in Asia. But I would frown on that too (and if true, that seems a far far more egregious wrong).

I think drinking wine from the current vintage (eg 2005 at the moment) is a different matter, as the wines still have some of their youthful fruit and have not begun to shut down for the most part.

The real question is not whether to drink it. We could all make that determination for ourselves for our own bottle. The question is if Brian should encourage or discourage his friend to open his bottle. On the one hand, if it's opened Brian will get to taste it which is far from guaranteed if the friend lets it mature for 10 more years. On the other hand his friend might get more pleasure out of it in 10 years. Without more information (does he have 2 bottles or a case, how much does he know about wine and their maturity windows etc) I can't tell you what I'd do in Brian's shoes. Generally, I'd discourage it but if my friend was still interested I would excitedly and graciously accept the offer.

One alternative would be to suggest that the friend open a mature wine.

...there is no crime in mixing 2000 Margaux with cola, as is reputed to happen in Asia.

As has been seen, when it comes to drinking wines young, I am all for that under the right circumstances. When it comes to mixing Margaux with cola all I can say is that the Japanese are fortunate that I am not their prime minister for as sure as the day follows the night I would make that a crime punishable by allowing the felons involved to drink only Yellow Tail for the rest of their natural lives. The law will be temperate though, for after their natural lives have ended they can go on to drink whatever they so choose.

Best
Rogov

P.S. One day, after all of those involved are deceased, I shall print the story (or have it printed) about the 1995 Chateau Palmer and the Diet Sprite.

[Jenise]

P.S. One day, after all of those involved are deceased, I shall print the story (or have it printed) about the 1995 Chateau Palmer and the Diet Sprite.

I can't wait. DIET SPRITE?