Wine is an interesting drink. There is so much variance across different wines in terms of taste, as well as a tremendous variance in price. While I ignore most of the fluffy descriptions of ‘coffee with a hint of rare berry from the third bush on the left’, it is something interesting to try to understand and appreciate.

I am by no means a wine expert in any way, but I do have a like for some particular styles. I tend to like lighter wines, and Bordeauxs in particular. Tonight we had a wine for a birthday dinner that was just fantastic as an example of a great Bordeaux. It was a 24 year old first growth from Haut-Brion. It was second only to a 1990 Margaux we had at new years. Both excellent Bordeauxs.

The really interesting thing is when I compare it to other much less expensive ones. A few months ago I had a 2005 Bordeaux from Château La Vieille Cure, which is a wine that is about 1/10th the cost of the other first and 1/20th the second. It is different for sure, and when I have done a few limited blind tastes, I could tell which one I like better, but nothing more specific than that. There are famous tests that have demonstrated to difficulty of rating taste, but equally the difficulting in not telling the difference. In the end they key is to find what you like… unless what you like is a 90 Margaux, because that is not easy to find at your local grocer.