2004 Bordeaux

2004 Bordeaux will from here forth be called "the drinking person's vintage". As a matter of fact, from now on I will only refer to this vintage in Bordeaux as such. "The drinking man's", or "The drinking woman's vintage", however, will also be acceptable descriptors.

The pleasure this vintage has given real wine drinkers over the last 1-2yrs has been unmatched in my short time following the wine world.

Stuck in between the renowned 2005 and wild styled wines of 2003, no one paid much attention. Until recently. The great wines of the vintage can be had for a song, compared to the ridiculous prices of the 2005's. The great 2nd-5th growths are available for 1/2 to 2/3 the price of the same Chateau from 2005. While there is no question 2005 was a great vintage. The great wines will live forever. They're dense and concentrated, but well-balanced, and, and, and...you know the deal. But when you drink these wines they take mental focus and concentration to truly enjoy and appreciate. Not that I'm against that. The ability to drink a beverage so complex it requires deep thought to fully appreciate is nothing short of a grand experience.

The only problem is the wines still aren't inexpensive by any stretch. With few exceptions, the good 2nd growth properties are selling in the $30-$60 range. But, considering these same properties are selling in the $75-$300 range, in many ways the prices are great. The beautiful thing about 2004 is that you can drink top tear bordeaux that from a strictly quality perspective is just a hair or two below the same wine from 2005. 2004 certainly doesn't have the longevity of 2005, hence the title - "The drinking person's vintage".

Drink now, drink well, drink an experience, drink wines from some of the best properties in bordeaux. 2004. The only caveat, the left bank appears to be much successful in 2004 than the right bank

Recent 2004's consumed that helped considerably to shape this opinion include, Ch. Grand Puy Lacoste $39, Ch Branaire Ducru $37, Ch Leoville Barton $49, Ch Lilian Ladouys $24, Ch d'Armailhac $44, Ch. Clos du Marquis $39.