So?

What will happen for the En Primeur releases for 2007 Bordeaux? We are waiting for the first chateaux to be “come out” (or “sortie” in French which has several meanings). This word being used, in this case, to describe hunters ready to shoot game about to come out of the woods and not for coming out of Sunday service dressed up and going to eat in a nice restaurant.
At what price? Same as 2006? less ? How much less ? -10%, -20% compared to 2006?
Will the price please both sellers as well as buyers, will we need to release our wine in April-May or June-July, or even not release it as futures and instead be paid when delivered?
In any case, there are a lot of questions many colleagues and owners will have to consider, and that my wine merchant colleagues are also asking, including me with my different hats.

Well, wine is not the only thing in life… Our 2nd rooster, the old Fifi, a Bantam from Beijing, was more than 12 years old. He was killed and eaten along with 2 hens (the white and the black), during the night of Friday-Saturday. The door of the henhouse was opened and the predator just had to take serve itself. We only have 2 hens left and Murielle doesn’t want this to happen again. These domesticated animals having become part of our lives, like our cats and dog.

Which animal is responsible for this? A wild cat or a weasel? Most likely a stone marten. In order for us to know, we would need to setup a trap. In any case, what ever the predator, it took advantage of a rare opportunity as the door of the henhouse stayed opened all night. We certainly feel guilty.

Life goes on: Steve Tanzer came back at L’Essentiel on Saturday to taste a series of wines from 2005-2006-2007. The results from this very respected American critic will soon be published on his website.

On Mark Squire’s BB on Parker’s site, the classification made by the Grand Jury Europeen on several vintages has created an animated debate. For as opposed to what is commonly believed in the USA as in France, England or other places, there are traditionalists who can’t admit that the order established in 1855 is contested. It is surprising when you know that, even inside this classification, and this for a long time, the place of Palmer, Lynch Bages (to name just a couple of crus) is way above the 1855 classification for the owners, but also for customers, professionals… If this classification was revised today using the same criteria as for the 1855, there would be quite some changes… And what about including the Right Bank? What an upheaval it would create!

Unfortunately, there are still some who are afraid of changes and others – a bit more curious. What I find interesting with this unending story, is that even on Parker’s site, you can still read about the battle between the old guard and the modernists.