A lament about Bordeaux

With the insanity going on in Bordeaux regarding the egregious prices of the 2005's and the super egregious prices of the 2006's I wish to lament of a different and more innocent time when Bordeaux was not completely unobtainable for people like me and my friends. I would loosely describe me and the people I am grouping as ITB'ers who don't make a killing financially and are in this for the love of wine and the liferstyle that comes with it.

I cut my teeth on Bordeaux when I worked at Brookline Liquor Mart in good old Allston, Masachusetts. They were a wine/cheese/liquor/beer store with incredible depth in Bordeaux. Bordeaux was the name of the game. There was a cold room with sick verticals of Lafite, Haut Brion, Mouton, Cheval and other niceties like Beycheville, St. Pierre, Haut-Marbuzet etc. As for someone breaking into the buisness nothing beats drinking and tracking fine Bordeaux. Also the way it is organized is a wonderful intro into the French AOC system and really gives you a grasp of other regions in France and the rest of the world. Bordeaux is the standard bearer. And most importantly the wines were affordable. Even the big guns. Because BLM (Brookline Liquor Mart) was a wholesaler/retailer I got a particularly deep discount on wines. So combine the depth of their cellar, the depth of the discount and my insatiable thirst for knowledge and wine I learned alot and it was invaulable the tasting experience I got there. I remember drinking so much great white Bordeaux too. My first great Bordeaux was 1982 Haut Brion Blanc! That is before red mind you. I had a tasting group back then and with three people who worked at BLM mixed in with some customers and people from the real world. With the confluence of all these factors Bordeaux was my favorite back then. As I moved up the wine ladder with Piedmont, Tuscany, Loire, Germany, France esoteric Bordeaux has become less of a favorite due to winemaking changes and price. Did I say price? Yes price! Shocked are you . . . .La Mission 2006 at $495 on futures!! Nuts⁄!!

Now here comes the lament. Kids coming up today will not have the opportunity to learn about Bordeaux because price is just too prohibitive. They cannot take home a bottle of 1996 Leoville-Barton for $20 after my discount. Or split something like 1996 Mouton with three people for $40 a head. That's a cheap entry to drink and enjoy a first growth over a long evening. Very affordabel. But no more. And as a result there is a generation of young wine enthusiasts who will just gloss over Bordeaux and skip to Loire, Germany what have you. Because 2006 Leoville-Poyferre is say....$150 a bottle..down the road they will skip Cantemerle because they are intimidated by the pricing structure. If they taste first growths or hot shot Pomerols it will be in a crowded room with a bunch of people pushing and shoving you trying to get a taste. That is no way to experience your first taste of Chateau Margaux. I know the Bordelaise do not give a rat's ass about this but it is lamentable enough to me to blog about it.

I drink little Bordeaux now but the invaluable experience I have using Bordeaux as my anchor to learn about wine is something I will never forget and it upsets me the new generation won't get this chance.