2004 Bordeaux indents

monghead · Post by **monghead** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 1:40 pm

Hello all,

Just wanted to get abit of a feel out there about feelings on the current 2004 bordeaux indents.
I have absolutely fallen in love with these delectable parcles of goodness from froggy land, but man, do they cost am arm, leg, and part of ze precious liver. :wink:

Aged, sublime, mushroomy, velvety 86 Las Casses come to mind, and I am looking to buying some to put down, rather than to pay a premium for someone else to do it for me.

Is it worth laying down the money now to purchase these wines, or should I wait untill release in 2007?
Will they appreciate greatly prior to release?
Will sourcing from indents now guarantee more what i am after???

Would like to hear from more learned consumers out there.

Cheers,

Monghead.

Nayan · Post by **Nayan** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 2:22 pm

Monghead,

It all depends on what you are after.

The '04 En Primeur market has been incredibly slow, despite the drop in prices. First Growths, Super Seconds and high Parker Pointers generally need to be secured En Primeur as these are in high demand (and secondary market prices tend to increase).

For the other wines I would wait until release in bottle.

There are still a lot of '01s, 02's and 03's on the market, so I think it unlikely that many of the 04's would appreciate much between now and bottling.

The only other advantage of ordering EP is that you get the choice of bottling format; which is great if you have a penchant for halves or methuselahs.

For what it's worth, I have gone off buying EP. I now buy well-cellared parcels of mature claret for immediate drinking (I think it is a patience thing).

Regards,

Nayan

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 2:36 pm

Buying the top few wines of the vintage EP is the way to go...but they are probably gone now anyway...

Wizz · Post by **Wizz** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 10:39 am

I haven't bought Bordeaux on indent before, but I did buy quite a few 04's (well, a lot for me anyway!). Mainly 2eme's and some of the better 4ths and 5ths. The justification was:
- the vintage was described as "classic", and I like "classic" bordeaux;
- Parkers notes in particular describe wines I really like the sound of;
- The prices are competitive with top end Australian Cabernets this year;
- I have the money, as I wont be buying very many current release Aussies: I havent liked much at all from the 03 vintage.

I guess this is not how everyone buys, but it suits me well.

AB

monghead · Post by **monghead** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 12:18 pm

Thank you for the comments. My eyes have always been too big for my wallet, and I think I may just be tempted to purchase some 04's EP.

Another little word of advice though, are the prices the same whereever you go, or is it worth shopping around?

Cheers,

Monghead.

Nayan · Post by **Nayan** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 12:30 pm

As with anything in life, it always worth shopping around.

Wine Searcher might be useful to you.

One other piece of advice is to try to pick a merchant with a good history; that looks financially stable. The last thing you need is to lose your wine because the merchant has ceased trading.

Wizz unlogged · Post by **Wizz unlogged** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 12:54 pm

monghead wrote:Thank you for the comments. My eyes have always been too big for my wallet, and I think I may just be tempted to purchase some 04's EP.

Another little word of advice though, are the prices the same whereever you go, or is it worth shopping around?

Cheers,

Monghead.

Shop around. I'll pm you later with some info,

AB

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 12:26 am

I have been buying Bordeaux wine EP since 2000 vintage. I have found that I save money by buying EP. I have been lucky before by buying them EP prior to the Parker score and save big money on some wines.

The only down side is that you won't see your wines for a few years and can't drink them straight away..