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4/20 NEVER FORGET posted:To talk a little about "pork never goes bad" wines from the last page, did you ever try looking up the wines on cellartracker? I did look them up on Cellar Tracker, yes - my new and budding CT is here: http://www.cellartracker.com/new/user.asp?iUserOverride=184714 The wine shop guy really recommended the Chateau Yvonne as a really solid example of an Organic red wine from the Loire. I have liked the two Saumur-Champigny I have had, both young, both at a restaurant. So maybe I'll drink it now! Am very excited about the Baumard  I have some links and info to suggest for the OP, or perhaps a second post, will try to write some things up today if I get a chance. And dino. - Vinho Verde is SO GOD drat GOOD
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Sep 20, 2011 17:13
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Mr Gentleman posted:I posted this in the closed thread -- I've gotten into cornas recently and was wondering if anyone knows where to get thierry allemand's stuff in the united states? Googling seems to indicate I might have to use auction sites (winebid.com?) or something but I figured I'd ask if anyone knows any shops. http://kermitlynch.com/our_wines/thierry-allemand/ http://kermitlynch.com/how_to_buy/ No online-shopping cart, but you can call to order if you live in a state they can ship to, or just visit if you are in Norcal. Otherwise give them a ring and they may be able to help you find their wine in your state. They also have August Clape, another Cornas winemaker. Good luck!
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Sep 20, 2011 22:39
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4/20, here are some pretty basic/simple websites you could link with short descriptions. It might also make sense to write up short descriptions of varietals which could go in a second post. http://www.cellartracker.com/new/ You know CT, everyone else should too. Largest single database of wines, community supported, with tasting notes as well as the option to track your cellar! http://wine-by-benito.blogspot.com/ Benito is a sometimes poster in these threads, and also a wine blogger. He writes very good posts that tend to be quite short. http://www.frenchscout.com/ French Scout is a fairly basic wine guide website that also has a newsletter which recommends wines. It's fairly strangely setup, but is probably a little better to poke around than wikipedia's wine links. http://www.garagistewine.com/ The Garagiste is one of the first newsletter-format wine merchants. Basically, Jon Rimmerman traipses around the world (mainly Europe) tasting wines, and when he finds one he likes (or one he can sell that he likes), if he can secure a large enough parcel, he offers it to the list to buy. You purchase wines by replying to the emails, they keep them til you have a case, then send them out in one of two shipping seasons. BIO/Organic slant, as well as a bias towards lighter wines.
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Sep 20, 2011 23:38
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For cheap red table wine, I prefer the Big House boxes to the Almaden Burgundy boxes.
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Sep 21, 2011 16:47
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4liters posted:I don't know what they cost where you are but cheap Australian wines are generally sound and approachable. Again I'm not sure if you can get them where you are but Yalumba goonbags (AU$12 for 2L) are about the best goons on the market. Another obvious suggestion is Trader Joe's. They have a variety of inexpensive wine, some of which is quite nice. I've had good luck with Espiral Vinho Verde, as well as the Caves Des Perrieres Poilly Fume they have, though both of those are white wines.
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Sep 22, 2011 16:43
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idiotsavant posted:Loire Cab franc or Saumur Cf? I think I've only had Saumur rose (delicious, delicious rose!) but easiest Loire Cab franc I've had is from Baudry or the Bretons. I think Jean-Paul Brun does some as well (also some great Chenin blanc inc. sparkles); all three import under Lynch or Louis/Dressner. So I drank this last night. I loved it. It made me feel all pretentious, made me want to talk about terroir a bunch, engage in Garagiste style hyperbole. It reminded me of Olivier Lemasson's wines. The funk that it displayed on first pour was a little off putting, but just letting it breathe a lot of that blew off. I have to say that I am a huge fan of Loire wines of pretty much all types.
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Sep 27, 2011 17:20
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So there are some things that can be quantified though, and fairly easily from looking at a label, reading the back, or checking the producer website if available. Smaller production wines (so 200 cases, or 500 cases)tend to be more expensive to bring to market as they lack some of the economies of scale you get with higher production. They are also often a high QPR - quality to price ratio - since smaller producers often (not always, of course, but often) pay a lot of attention to quality. They can also tend to be a bit stranger than large production wine, so you might get something "funky" or what have you. Organic or biodynamic production is often more expensive, at least at first, than traditional production. As Benito said, old wine had to be stored (and hopefully well, in a temperature controlled environment), so if you know that the wine's provenance is good (i.e. it didn't sit in some hot warehouse in hong kong and get cooked) this adds to the cost. Benito also mentioned real estate, which is fair enough. Unknown or less popular region wines can often be a great QPR. I like the Loire Valley for whites, and increasingly for reds. Of course, I've read more about wine than I've drunk right now, so perhaps take some of the recommendations I make with a grain of salt, but trying some wines from different regions can lead you to make some general rules that let you buy blind and be satisfied more often. ETA - Aging in oak adds to cost too, was this mentioned already?
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Sep 29, 2011 00:13
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benito posted:Sometimes ethical considerations come into play. South African wines used to be produced pretty cheaply because of slavery, followed by the "dop system" in which poor black farmers were paid in leftover cheap wine rather than cash. Then you've got a workforce of addicts who relies on you for their fix, and labor costs are nonexistent. This is a great point. As an example, Ken Forrester Wines is a good South African producer that is quite inexpensive, quite easy to find in California, and are a member of a South African body that certifies wineries as ethical (WIETA).
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Sep 29, 2011 01:16
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Perfectly Cromulent posted:Plenty of unoaked and neutral barrel-aged Chardonnay out on the market right now. You are missing out on some good stuff. Christ, I never seem to like chardonnay that I try. I "get" pineau d'aunis better than chardonnay. And it's not just the oak.
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Oct 3, 2011 04:42
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rangersilme, that's very cool. I've always wanted to brew beer or make wine at home, but space has always stopped me. I've been continuing my exploration of the Loire Valley in wine form, and have some recommendations and recent purchases to share. Please don't make fun of my pretentious cellartracker notes too much!!! http://www.cellartracker.com/new/wine.asp?iWine=1174220 If anyone has a Trader Joe's near you, you owe yourself a bottle of this to try, at least. It's about $7, and really insanely drinkable. The other two notes aren't nearly as positive as mine, but if you like minerality in whites this is a great cheap option, and if you don't know whether you like minerality in whites, or Muscadet, this is a good exploration option. http://www.cellartracker.com/new/wine.asp?iWine=1222180 I bought a white from this producer when in France so I was very happy to see this in a shop in Berkeley. It's a great Cab Franc at a great QPR. This is a great example of a low fruit, low tannin, low alcohol, high acid red wine. http://www.cellartracker.com/new/wine.asp?iWine=1094632 Another purchase from the same Berkeley wine store. I loved this stuff, found it really easy to drink. Another high acid wine, this paired really well with rich food. The second day I had a glass or so left which I had with beef stew leftovers, and it worked really well. I'll have to try bone dry acidic whites with beef and other rich food more often. http://www.cellartracker.com/new/wine.asp?iWine=1032253 http://www.cellartracker.com/new/wine.asp?iWine=964644 http://www.cellartracker.com/new/wine.asp?iWine=1235284 Going into K&L's SF location I was somewhat overwhelmed. It's huge! I normally shop for wine at TJs, or at smaller wine stores, or at wineries themselves, so the selection at K&L was a bit overwhelming. I ended up gravitating towards the Loire area, as usual, and picked up these three wines. I have had a Champalou Vouvray in the past (that time just the normal one, not this fancy one) and was very impressed. The other two were a recommendation from a staff member. Apparently the Paradis Chinon tastes like Violets? Either way, I'm looking forward to trying them, and in fact had to add the third to CT. You can look up other wines from the same producer for more info, though. I believe Garagiste has offered a lot of Philippe Tessier wine this year. As I said, I'm really trying to drink all round the Loire, so if anyone has any producer recommendations please let me know! I guess I also need another part of the world to explore next, so what else would I like as a die-hard Loire fan?
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Oct 13, 2011 00:19
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Someone posted a pretty good and pretty simple guide to the German Pradikat system on Wine Berserkers (thanks for the link 4/20!) which I'm going to paste here. I also put a link so people can read comments if you like. http://wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=54623 A primer on the prädikat system of German Riesling. Note 1: In the somewhat bizarre world of German wine there are separate ripeness requirements for every single approved grape variety. So what’s kabinett for Riesling is not necessarily kabinett for Scheurebe (in fact it is not if I recall correctly). The same goes for Muscat (each kind of Muscat…), Kerner, Spätburgunder, etc. So the numbers quoted below are for Riesling unless otherwise stated. The prädikat system: Developed as part of the 1971 wine law (which also rewrote the boundaries of a number of vineyard sites), the prädikat system was meant to codify and clarify (?) the ripeness requirements for various levels of German wine. Prior to 1971, terms such as Cabinet (generally meaning a wine meant for keeping) and Feinste Auselse (roughly translatable to today’s gold capsule auslese) were used with little or no regulation. Certainly 1971 was an auspicious year to start such a system, as the exceptional vintage meant a full usage of the system, from QbA to TBA in its first year out of the blocks. Since 1971 there have been some revisions to the system, most notably the addition of the Eiswein prädikat in the ‘80s, but the majority of the system remains as imposed in 1971. (As an aside, there have been some more recent additions with the advent of Grosses Gewächs, Erste Lage, Selection & Classic labeling rules, but that is another set of rules for another post.) On to the system. There are essentially three levels of wine in Germany. The first is tafelwein, equivalent to vin de table in France and actually controlled in its regulation through the European Union, not German wine law. With the exception of certain “experimental” lots (e.g. untraditional use of barrique) this category is not worth considering here. The second category is Quälitatswein eines bestimmten Anbaugebeites, hereafter referred to as QbA. While not actually a prädikat, QbA (translatable as “quality wine from a specified region”) still has legal requirements on grape variety and ripeness. In that way it is frequently, and incorrectly, considered as a part of the prädikat system (even though the wines must pass the testing process and receive an AP number…more later). This does not mean that QbA is inferior wine. In fact many QbA wines are excellent and can represent remarkable value. QbA has also recently been used as the opening for the new styles of dry wines in Germany, with wines legally entitled to a prädikat instead being sold as QbA or with a new designation of Grosse Gewächs/Erstes Gewächs. This primer will not delve into the Grosse Gewächs discussion. That will have to come later. The third category of wine is Quälitatswein mit Prädikat. This is the heart of the matter. “Quality wine with distinction” (or attributes) is the translation, and it opens up the world of fine German wine, and a whole lot of confusion for those who are first faced with a German wine label. First off there are six levels of pradikat, though one (eiswein) is not really a separate level, just a specification of production tied to other levels. The levels are: Kabinett: The first level of prädikat, and normally the lowest in alcohol Spätlese: Literally meaning “late harvest”, and required to be harvested at least one week after the main harvest has started Auslese: Meaning “selected harvest”, but with no requirement for late picking Beerenauslese (BA): Meaning “berry selection”, and normally affected by botrytis. This is also the minimum level of ripeness required for a wine to be officially classified as an Eiswein. Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA): Meaning “dried berry selection”, and normally affected by significant amounts of botrytis. Each of these prädikats carries with it certain requirements for the “ripeness” of the grapes (actually the sugar content of the unfermented grape must) that vary by region and grape variety. This is specified by the öchsle scale (a measure of specific gravity of the must), and does not in any way indicate the amount of sugar in the finished wine. Limiting this discussion to Riesling, and the six most famous wine regions of Germany, the minimum öchsle requirements are: QbA: 51 (approx. 12.6 degrees Brix!!) for the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer and Mittelrhein; 57 for the Nahe and Rheingau; 60 for the Pfalz and Rheinhessen Kabinett: 70 (approx. 17 degrees Brix) for the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Mittelrhein and Nahe; 73 for the Pfalz, Rheingau and Rheinhessen Spätlese: 76 (approx. 18.4 degrees Brix) for the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer and Mittelrhein; 78 for the Nahe; 85 for the Pfalz, Rheingau and Rheinhessen Auslese: 83 (approx. 20 degrees Brix) for the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer and Mittelrhein; 85 for the Nahe; 92 for the Pfalz and Rheinhessen; 95 for the Rheingau Beerenauslese & Eiswein: 110 (approx. 25.8 degrees Brix) for the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer and Mittelrhein; 120 for the Nahe, Pfalz and Rheinhessen; 125 for the Rheingau Trockenbeerenauslese: 150 (approx. 34 degrees Brix) for ALL SIX REGIONS There are a couple of things to note here. First is that the ripeness requirements overlap. For instance an auslese in the Mosel may only legally be spätlese in the Pfalz. This is based on the climate in the various regions, and the likelihood (prior to the recent warmer years) of ripening grapes to the specified requirements. Second is that there are no requirements for the use of gold capsules, stars or any other special identifier. This is a loophole in the 1971 wine law that leaves everybody confused. Again, the requirements listed above are for the unfermented grape must, and do not necessarily give an indication of the final residual sugar in the wine. The terms Trocken (dry) and Halbtrocken (“half-dry”) do have legal definitions, and when placed on the label indicate residual sugar content ranges. For trocken the range in 0-9 grams per liter of residual sugar, and for halbtrocken the range is 10-18 grams per liter. For about half of the trocken range the allowable residual sugar range is below the human detection threshold (commonly around 5 or 6 grams per liter), and given the acidity of most German Riesling, the average trocken wine will taste dry. Halbtrocken is completely within the detection threshold, but can end up tasting fairly dry due to the acidity. Even wines with higher residual sugars can taste dry if the acidity in the wine is high enough. (Tried any 1996 kabinetts folks?) So it now seems perfectly clear. Right? Heck, this is where it gets fun! There are a whole bunch of things that can happen to totally confound the wine lover. Let’s take them one by one. 1. Why is my kabinett so sweet? Well probably because it’s not really kabinett. More than likely these days (2005 is perhaps the latest ultimate test case) the wine labeled kabinett is actually spätlese. It’s been declassified. So you’re getting a bargain right? Well yes, but if you’ve come to expect the light, fruity, just off-dry refreshing kabinett of yore (those of us who started drinking these wine prior to say 1998) then you are likely to be disappointed. Many of today’s kabinetts are monsters sold as kabinett because people buy kabinett. The $15.99 kabinett is a staple of the wine trade (at least the niche that is German wine), and without it the genre might actually flounder. So producers are “forced” to make something called kabinett. If they pick the grapes earlier (lower sugars but unripe skins/seeds) the wines can be green and nasty. So some take their lightest spätlese (or even auslese) and call it kabinett, while others do a careful selection in the vineyard to try to craft something that resembles kabinett. Don’t get me wrong. I love some of these “declassified” (there’s a loaded word for you) bargains. As an example, the 2005 Selbach-Oster Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett is legally an auslese. It was harvested at 99 öchsle (remember 83 is the minimum for auslese in the Mosel). Now it does not taste like an auslese, but it certainly does not taste quite like kabinett. I’m cellaring it with anticipation that it will react in much the same way as a good spätlese. If I want a kabinett I grab a bottle of 1997 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst or a Merkelbach wine. (Both of them are likely legal spätlese, but at least they taste like kabinett.) So with a series of very hot years the genre of kabinett is a somewhat endangered species. What is a wine lover to do? You can drink QbA, but the alcohol content is likely to be higher. Most QbAs I run across are around 10% alcohol by volume, where kabinett hovers around 8-9 percent. I guess until (if?) we have a cooler year we will be drinking a lot of spätlese and auslese but not knowing it from the label 2. What do the stars/capsules mean? Oh another one of my favorites. This is widely discussed on the wine bulletin boards every time a new vintage of Christoffel (stars), Selbach-Oster (stars), J. J. Prum (capsules) or Dönnhoff (capsules) is released. All the stars or capsules are is a way for a producer to designate selections of a certain pradikat. Unfortunately they don’t use them consistently. They have no legal requirement to do so. And please let me stress that the “no star” wine is not a bad wine. It’s just a different wine, usually priced lower and thus a lovely bargain for the discerning wine geek. For what it’s worth, my favorite 2005 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Auslese is the no star, and I have tasted them all multiple times. This gets even more complicated because some producers (e.g. Dönnhoff) use gold capsules for all of their auslesen. It is only by knowing the AP number (that cryptic code number on the bottom of the label) that one can determine if the bottling in hand is the regular or gold capsule release. I have two versions of the 2001 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Auslese. They have two different AP numbers. One is the “regular” bottling (my wife’s favorite wine in the world by the way), and the other is the “gold cap.” Of course now even Helmut Donnhoff has caught on, and he even refers to the wines as gold capsule. Stars can represent a stylistic choice as well. J.u.H.A. Strub has released several Niersteiner Paterberg Riesling Spätlese wines with stars. The 1998, 2001 & 2005 have three stars, while the 2002 version has two stars. They basically denote an auslese level wine with no botrytis. So we have another variation on the theme, with the number of stars being some indicator of the overall concentration of the particular wine. Stars and capsules can be discussed till the proverbial cows come home.
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Oct 13, 2011 22:01
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I should have remembered that guy has a good Germany article too. I love the Loire one! Speaking of the Loire:  It was a bit young, lot of red fruit and pepper on the nose. Tasted earthy, very characteristic cab franc. Big fan!! Really needed the decant. Ignore the boxes in the background, by the way, new apartment. ETA: http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1020940 2008 Chateau du Hureau Saumur Champigny "Tuffe" pork never goes bad fucked around with this message at 03:39 on Oct 17, 2011 |
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Oct 17, 2011 03:35
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A decanter! It is for pouring wine into to remove sediment, and also for aeration. You know when people swirl their glasses? Same thing - oxygenating wine brings out a variety of different smells and flavors that may otherwise be muted. Plus it's fun to try out to see the effects on different wines.
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Oct 17, 2011 06:05
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Is a double post a bad thing? So I think people should do more "What are you drinking today" posts! At risk of sounding a lush, here is what I am drinking today. (sorry for bad cellphone pic!)  2004 Sawyer Cellars Bradford Meritage in a half bottle. Sawyer has a lot of half bottles from 2004. I guess they made them intending to sell them to restaurants for glass pours, but it didn't take off, so I got a few cases of halves for very cheap prices. Means I can drink old stuff on a Monday night. The 2004 is made from a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc with 24 months under French oak. Out of a full bottle this is just coming into strength, but the half bottle has aged much faster and it's beginning to lose a lot of the fruit. There is a lot of leather/earth/smoke here that isn't quite so overwhelming in the full bottle. This is very spicy and still quite tannic for a Meritage this age with this much oak, and if I had better storage facilities I'd pick up a few full bottles to keep over the next few years to see how they change with a slower development. It's a little bit drier or thinner than a lot of Napa Meritage, so if you like the Napa thing at slightly lower abv, maybe give them a shot.
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Oct 18, 2011 05:18
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Tonight my fiancee and I are celebrating her birthday privately. Tomorrow we go out with friends for cocktails, so no wine then, but tonight we are drinking lots of nice wine!!! Well, by lots I mean 2 bottles. Here they are....... We started with 2010 Unti Cuvee Blanc. This was recommended to me by the nice people at Arlequin in San Francisco. It's made up of 48% Grenache Blanc, 45% Vermentino, and 7% Picpoul, and we both liked this very much. It's so loving good. Bracing acidity, and bright fruit. This went down very easily. Unti is in Napa Valley, but the style of wine is very different to the norm for the area. The varieties used in the blend are characteristic of the Mediterranean, particularly southern France. This is the only white wine Unti makes. Does anybody know of varietal Picpoul or Vermentino wine? I'm not super familiar with the grapes, and I suppose I should look them up, but I'd be interested to taste what they are like more "front and center" as it were. We drank the Unti with this:  I am a big fan of pairing crisp, acidic white wine with richer red meat based dishes - I'd rather have an ok pairing of wine and food that I love and feel like at the time, than obey a rule that says "pair red meat with red wine" or whatever. That said, there is such a thing as too much dissonance. I wouldn't drink white wine with a beef stew made with irish stout, for example. After dinner we started in on this:  2010 Domaine Ricard Touraine "Le Petiot." Really delish, Loire white, 100% Sauvignon Blanc, definitely the kind of wine I like best. Plus, the art on the label is awesome!! 
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Oct 22, 2011 05:07
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Mandalay posted:How much did these cost? The Unti is around $24. The Touraine cost me $12. If you want to try either, you could order the Unti online from the winery, the Touraine is available to order at Wine House. And if you want a slightly cheaper thing that will taste somewhat similar Trader Joe's has a Muscadet sur-lie for $6 which is pretty good (especially for the price!)
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Oct 24, 2011 19:12
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idiotsavant, I got a bottle of Antoine Arena's Patrimonio Thanks for rec, hope it's good!! EDIT Just saw that you said the 2006, and said it was about $18... This definitely wasn't $18, but the guy at the store raved about it. He also said it was drinking well now, so I will probably not lay this down for 4 years. Also, Benito, just read your blog post about your 3rd birthday dinner - that sounds like a lot of fun
pork never goes bad fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Oct 26, 2011 |
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Oct 26, 2011 01:01
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I have never felt like I got Pinot, as a drinker of lightweight red wines, so perhaps I will try Torii Mor. Last night I drank this: 2002 Damien Laureau Savennières Le Bel Ouvrage I'm linking these images because they are awful, but here they are. The label The wine was a fairly odd color given that I was expecting a dry Loire white. What I got was clearly something that began as shriveled grapes (stealing a line here). The wine was a dark, almost golden, straw color. The glass On the nose initially I got such a sweet honey note that I was expecting something both overwhelmingly sweet, and absolutely one note. Don't get me wrong, I like sweet wine when done right, especially botrytized wine, but I didn't want dessert wine when I drank this. Luckily, what I got on the nose was not at all what I got on the palate, and not at all what the nose evolved into over the next hour or two. When smelling this it's all about honeyed fruit, apricot, sweet apple, ripe citrus aromas. But when you taste it the contrast is astounding. This is all about the minerality, the bracing acidity. This wine smells like honey, but tastes as austere as a nun's arse (tip - it doesn't taste like a nun's arse, you don't want to taste a nun's arse). Towards the end of the bottle I got a lot more complexity out of the nose, with some flowery almost powdery notes that are such a surprise contrasted with the initial aroma. After all that pretentious twaddle, what is everyone drinking for Thanksgiving? I think I have 2002 Sawyer Merlot and the Antoine Arena Patrimonio I bought on the advice of this thread (thanks idiotsavant ) on my list, looking for 1-2 more plus a dessert wine. I think I may crack open a possibly too young bottle of Topaz Late Harvest that I have, but may go out and get something German. Going to be cooking a roast chicken or turkey perhaps, a joint of beef, a green bean casserole, and then roasted veg and steamed veg. I am allergic to poultry so the meal will be a bit more beefy and heavy than a lot of Thanksgiving dinners, so the wine may lean that way too.
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Nov 13, 2011 07:44
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idiotsavant posted:As I posted earlier, Antoine Arena in Corsica does Vermentino; he's imported by Kermit Lynch. I'd check out the Lynch portfolio for Picpoul as well, and especially for Languedoc-Rousillon blends that contain either or both grapes. Thanks Stitecin, idiotsavant. I did buy a bottle of Antoine Arena's Vermentino from KL, and have a few bottles of Picpoul de Pinet waiting at K&L for me. Funnily enough, I read Tablas Creek's pages on the grapes when I initially asked about them, but never bit the bullet and bought a bottle.
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Nov 16, 2011 17:43
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I love the few Clos Saron wines I have tried. There are a few places that have some of their bottles. I've not tried their Pinot as I tend to dislike Pinot as compared to, well, most other red grapes. I have tried a Syrah rose, as well as a Syrah/Cinsault(?) blend. Same wine, different vintages. I also tried a white they made. ETA - that's awesome that you are working Harvest with them, by the way. One day, I would like to do something like that, but work intrudes.
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Nov 18, 2011 17:38
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http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1068745 This is incredible for the price.
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Nov 18, 2011 21:02
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4/20 NEVER FORGET posted:This was me last Thursday night. Big rear end steak dinner with some wine friends, the highlights of the night: That sounds like a nice night!
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Nov 22, 2011 01:45
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Crimson posted:Hah that's a good article. I did a biodynamic farming camp at Paul Dolan/Parducci, and it was...interesting. The way Mr. Dolan spoke about Steiner was the way Christians speak of God speaking the commandments to Moses. I literally couldn't get him to disagree with a single aspect of Steiner's work. He just took it all at face value. Extremely nice people, of course, just like the article says. I know I posted about La Clarine Farm in the last thread, but Hank Beckmeyer, their winemaker, is a former biodynamic devotee who never found what he really wanted in biodynamics. He has a pretty good description of his current farming philosophy up here: http://laclarinefarm.com/La_Clarine_Farm/Our_farming_philosophy.html It's a refreshing alternative to organic farming which is just industrial farming but replacing petrochemicals with fish guts and still leaves the soil depleted, to biodynamics which is mystical bullshit, and to industrial farming which can produce excellent wine but is perhaps not the way forward for the world. Perhaps. Perma-viti-culture? Editing to add a question: Does anyone know a good physical shop in the bay area for German wines? DVW closed down before I got around to visiting. K&L has an aisle, but I'd love to hear of any other places to try. pork never goes bad fucked around with this message at 20:25 on Dec 8, 2011 |
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Dec 8, 2011 18:30
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I don't think any of us are really disagreeing. All I meant when I said that "organic farming is just industrial farming but replacing the petrochemicals with fish guts" is that organic farming does not have to be anything better than that. Of course, an organic farm could be Salatin's Polyface, but it could also be an entirely industrial farm and the organic certification would not change a thing. As idiotsavant says, I'm entirely unconcerned if a winegrower is certified organic, biodynamic, etc. I'm concerned with what is in the bottle and what is in the vineyard, and the certifications are only a very small part of determining that.
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Dec 9, 2011 02:22
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 Sorry for the double post, but here is what I am drinking/eating today! The food is about to be a pork shoulder pot roast thing, the wine is Bernard Baudry Les Granges, his entry level cuvee. Bernard Baudry is really great, and this is a wine I could drink very often. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/baudry.shtml The Wine Doctor has a good writeup on Baudry - thanks to the poster here who linked this site, I had forgotten about it, but have been using it a lot recently.Here is his TN on this wine: quote:Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Granges 2009: The entry-level cuvée, from young vines on sand and gravel close to the Vienne. An enticing layer of smoky-stony classically Chinon fruit on the nose. It has a sandy-crunchy edge to it, with plenty of freshness, and this stylish embodiment of Chinon will appeal to fans of classicism in this appellation. The palate follows on in the same manner, fresh, with lithe and stony fruit. Unimposing, on the leaner and fresher side, with lots of grip behind it all though, and good fresh acidity too. Overall, attractive. An update from the 2011 Salon. 15.5/20 (January 2011)
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Dec 10, 2011 06:12
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2009 was also excellent in the Loire, particularly in the central regions such as Saumur or Touraine. The whites of Sancerre and Pouilly, normally excellent, were a little hot, and the Muscadet was not up to 2003 standards, but in any other decade 09 would have been in the running for top vintage. 2003, a little older, is one of the top two vintages of the century, apparently. It's often compared to 1947 which means little to me, but I can confirm that 2003 is amazing across the board in the Loire.
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Dec 19, 2011 19:15
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Visit Unti as well, if you can make it!
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Dec 23, 2011 19:27
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So I got a delivery from The Garagiste a few weeks back, and have just begun to drink some of the wine I got. Last night I had this. Please ignore the horrible tee-shirt, and the fact that you can't see anything, really. It's 2010 La Chaussée produced by La Grange aux Belles. Obligatory CellarTracker link. I think liking this as much as I do makes me certifiably anti-flavor? Either way, overblown tasting note in CT is mine, and I really love this wine. To the Rose question, Domaine Tempier is awesome. Couly-Dutheil in Chinon, and Gerard Boulay in Sancerre are also both very nice. Bodegas Mugar (Muga?) in Spain is very nice too. I think it is Rioja and about $10 or $15. I've already spent enough time on CellarTracker today to figure out which, but you should be able to find it. ETA - I didn't like Baudry's Rose that much, but I suspect I had an off bottle and ought to give it another chance, especially considering how much I like the reds. pork never goes bad fucked around with this message at 23:22 on Jan 10, 2012 |
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Jan 10, 2012 23:03
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smn posted:I'm a whisky/dark spirits lover but I do like a wine now and then also. I'm not too well-versed in wine in general as there is just too much stuff out there, but lately I've tended to gravitate towards Australian/Chilean shiraz or malbec when I want something heavy (and Amarone if I'm feeling rich), and French/Spanish cheaper stuff when I want something lighter. I read this post a few days ago and have been thinking about how to respond. There's a lot of space to talk about the questions you brought up! Down the rabbit hole and all that. Zinfandel, like pretty much any grape, can make very nice wine. American Zins, especially in the low end of the market, can be pretty uninspired - flabby, jammy, sweet, and hot. But Zinfandel grown and vinified with care can be really excellent. I tend to prefer zin blends to straight zin. Ridge is a classic Zin producer, held in high esteem by almost everyone who is into wine. Their Geyserville bottling, usually 55-80% zinfandel, is probably the most regarded, but all are good. If you like the rich, inky extraction that Zinfandel is capable of, but want it without the jamminess in cheap zin, Robert Biale makes excellent wine of that kind. To be honest, from reading the pairing you describe, I think Biale might be right up your alley. I don't think we have exactly the same tastes! Zinfandel is called Primitivo in Italy, typically grown in Puglia. I am largely unfamiliar with it, honestly. As far as magical combinations - there are thousands of good pairings, but there are obviously a lot of factors that go into it. Probably the single largest is the context. My favorite wine and food pair I've ever had was a light, acidic white wine with steak last October. They didn't go especially well together - in fact they were quite a poor pairing, though the acidic chimichurri sauce we had on the beef made it a lot better - but it was my fiancee's birthday, and was a good meal, and I had bought the wine specifically with her tastes in mind, and we had a great night. And that makes all the difference. As far as some classic pairings, though, you can't go wrong with Sauternes and Foie Gras, Botrytised wines (*dry or sweet) with blue cheese, red Burgundy with mushrooms (esp. truffles), Port with Stilton, Muscadet and oysters, and off-dry Riesling and spicy food (Thai is most often quoted). One thing to keep in mind when pairing wine and food is that often we have a fairly simple formula - white wine, fish; red wine, meat. This is not a great way to do things. Oily fish, like Cod, can often do well with red wine, especially if said Cod was salted, dried, and made into Bacalao. In this case the pairing is defined by the dominant flavors in the dish, and particularly by the "weight" of the dish. Similarly, an Indian curry with Lamb might well go better with a slightly off-dry white wine (like the Riesling mentioned above, or many others) than with any red wine because the match is between the wine and the curry sauce. It might be better to say - heavier flavors, heavier wine; lighter flavors, lighter wine. And that doesn't even get into some of the reactions foods will have with the tannin in red wine which can confound this, or the ways that aromatic notes in wines can correspond to aromatic notes in herbs and confound the traditional advice. You can usually get a good pairing out by cooking food traditional to the region the wine was made. So if you have a nice bottle of Barolo, a rich, pork based risotto would work well. Or a fatty tomato and meat based dish. Red Bordeaux often pairs well with lamb. Etc.
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Jan 17, 2012 01:51
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I'm not sure if I should comment on dude who joined the same day he made his first post only to ask about sweet fizzy red from Olive Garden other than to say don't buy Riunite. I mean, gently caress me. I suppose if I'm not being a judgmental prick, I'd point to Ruby Port as a potential option. It has the advantage of staying in pretty good shape if you open it and have a single glass, and having lots of characteristics that are common with other high quality wines. The Oncoming Storm - perhaps look for Grahams Six Grapes Port as it is relatively inexpensive and very good for the price. As Benito suggested, Creme de Cassis and inexpensive bubbly is also a good idea. Either way, and moving on, today I went out to dinner with my mum for her 50th birthday. We went to Spruce in San Francisco, which was very nice. We drank three wines. Two are in the picture below (along with the card my mum got, I'm pulling this from a cellphone pic, sorry!)  The first wine we had was Chateau La Tour Blanche 2005 Sauternes (not pictured). This was an accompaniment to the Foie Gras that a few people had. It was very nice, but I did think it was a bit young, and it seemed a little flabby/low acidity. I did not have the Foie Gras, so after tasting this I moved straight onto the 2007 Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres. This was excellent, pale straw color, some lemon and stone fruits on the nose along with a little vanilla/oak. Acidity dominated in the mouth, the wine felt a little high strung in the glass. I was very happy with this, as I like high intensity acid-driven whites, but my family, who tend to prefer a rounder style of white wine, could have probably had a little more integration, a little more body, for their tastes. We finished with a red. NV Chateau Palmer Historical Wine, 18th Century. Now, this is an odd wine. Roughly 85% Bordeaux varietals (roughly 50% Merlot, and 50% Cab Sav in this portion, classic Palmer), and 15% Syrah from Hermitage. As such, it's labeled as Vin de France. As soon as it's poured, you can tell you are not dealing with a normal Margaux. The wine is almost black. Black cherry, pepper, leather, bacon fat on the nose. Perhaps some tobacco? Or wood smoke? Something I can't put my finger on that is a little funky, a little animal. The palate is big, black, and bruising. Tannins definitely need more time in bottle, but there is an acidity underlying it all that makes this wine much more accessible than a lot of other young, Parkerised Bordeaux. There was a strong and distinct violet note to this. I really liked it, though I think I'd rather drink regular Palmer or a softer Margaux next time. (Kirwan? Malescot St Exupery? Alter Ego.)
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Jan 24, 2012 07:15
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4/20 NEVER FORGET posted:What was the price of this wine? Problem with regular Palmer is us simple folk can't afford the poo poo. I have yet to taste a wine from Chateau Palmer for this reason. For the same price I can get two or sometimes even three bottles of Comtesse de Lalande or Pontet-Cantet. Not that I am even batting that heavy that regularly, but when I do get the occasional bonus check from work I tend to throw it at a couple bottles of fancy Bordeaux. Palmer has always been just out of reach. I'm glad I tried it as it's an oddity, but I agree with you in general. Palmer's second bottling is really good, consistently very close to the Grand Vin, and at $50ish is not a horrid deal. The two Margaux third growths I mentioned are really nice too, and tend to be a little less, around $40-45, if you have not had them. I think that, on the whole, I am a fan of Margaux as a region above all other Bordeaux appellations. Perhaps I should look at Pauillac again.
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Jan 25, 2012 17:07
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Mer de Soleil make an excellent unoaked Chardonnay as well! As far as oaky Chardonnay goes, Rombauer is really prototypical of the butter-bomb style. For something that's on-style but, well, actually good, Grgich Chardonnay is very nice. Newton Unfiltered is also an option. Nickel and Nickel, Pahlmeyer, Ramey, Cakebread all have Chardonnay in your price range that people often like. If you'd rather think outside the box a little, let us know and we can recommend great and accessible wine that she wouldn't necessarily buy for herself. That said, the ones you've been recommended are ones that will be similar to La Crema and generally a step up.
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Jan 26, 2012 02:10
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 Today I am drinking 2003 Chateau Carbonnieux Rouge. Carbonnieux is an old chateau - constructed in the late 14th century and primarily operated by Benedictine monks. Wine was made on the property at this time, but winemaking fell by the wayside until the 18th century when it was replanted. Most of the vines in this wine were planted in the 1970s - average vine age for the reds is 27 years. Carbonnieux was confirmed as a Grand Cru Classe in 1959. It's located in the Pessac-Leognan region of the Graves, Bordeaux. Today the Chateau is owned by the Perrin family. The roughly 50 hectares on the estate devoted to red wine grapes are predominantly gravelly soils, with limestone clay as the base. There is approx 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, with the balance Carmenere and Petit Verdot. In the vineyard, Carbonnieux focuses on low-intervention and sustainable vineyard practices. They follow primarily organic farming practices, but are not certified organic. In this vintage of Carbonnieux, 34% Merlot – 7 % Cabernet franc – 59% Cabernet Sauvignon is the composition of the wine. The red wines ferment for 28 days, and are regularly pumped over during this process. The wines spend roughly 15-18 months in oak, 35-40% of which is new, are egg-white fined, spend a few months in bottle at the chateau and then are released. 2003 is not a well-regarded vintage in Bordeaux, all things considered. The reds from Pessac-Leognan tended to fair a little better than the whites. Though Carbonnieux is regarded as producing better whites than reds, in this vintage the red is supposed to be a little better in absolute terms. Chris Kissack (of thewinedoctor.com) had this to say in 2005: "Château Carbonnieux (Pessac-Léognan) 2003: A nose of blackberries and butter here, indicating a very ripe fruit profile with some residual oak influence. Full and moderately creamy style on the palate, with decent tannins, which are ripe and nicely composed. There is decent acidity and blackberry fruit. This has a supple, attractive style. Rather good. Has potential. 16+/20 (October 2005)" Robert Parker: "Carbonnieux’s elegant offerings frequently remind me of a high-class Burgundy more than a classic Graves. The 2003 reveals smoky, black cherry, and herb characteristics, a soft, plush texture, projected, open-knit aromatics, sweet tannin, and a long, broad finish. Enjoy it over the next 12-15 years. Score: 89. —Robert Parker, April 2006. " Given the reputation of the vintage, and the 89 from Parker, this wine (which is drinking really rather well now, could go a little longer, though probably won't hold up the 15 years Parker gives it), can be had for a song, often less than the current release. It smells a little older than it is, with some black tea, cedar and herbs on the nose. Blackcurrant-y fruit in the mouth. Tannins feel a little disjointed, maybe, but the finish is really great with juicy fruit and minerality to boot. It's a very nice wine for the price, and I give it 2 thumbs up! Oh, and given the pairings talk, I'm drinking this on it's own before dinner. We're cooking Minestrone - I'll probably open a bottle of Merlot to go with that.
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Feb 4, 2012 04:44
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Overwined - that's awesome. Idiotsavant: http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1061746
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Feb 4, 2012 07:05
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I like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Double-Hinged-Waiter-Style-Corkscrew/dp/B0000AV1B9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329154822&sr=8-1 Lots of people like the Screwpull ones if you have a little more cash, and want something a little easier.
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Feb 13, 2012 18:43
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The waiter style are fine, I had a Screwpull in the past and prefer the waiter's in the end. Re: Texas wine, Benito is a goon with a wine blog. He has had two wines from Becker Vineyards in Texas which he said nice enough things about.
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Feb 14, 2012 20:08
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Tekne posted:They're not a requirement, but I like when you can immediately identify something familiar out of the typical wine taste. As for your criteria, both are things I'm interested in, and we can lower the price bar as well. I'm guessing there are good, if hard to find, wines there too. If you're in the Bay Area, go to a K&L. Redwood City or San Francisco. If you let us know more specifically where you are, I know a few of us are in the Bay Area and could recommend a solid shop. Edit: Thirding Muscadet as a SOLID option in your price range.
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Feb 21, 2012 21:30
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Garagiste can be really hit or miss. He sells some horrible poo poo as "natural expressions of blah blah" or "100% old-vine Chenin Blanc grown on schiste soil and left to spontaneously ferment and raise itself, the winery believes this is the finest white wine they’ve ever “made” and it’s a sure testament to what can be done without intervention when oxidation isn't your only motivation." The wine is a microbiological mess with a strongly oxidative character. It's like bad sherry, but without that whole flor thing. That said, I've also got some of the tastiest and most exciting wine I have drunk from them as well. Overall I am a big fan, but I'm not 100% on the description matching what I get in the bottle. I have a much higher hit rate on wines Jon says he loves than on wines Jon sells with critics ratings &/or says he is not a fan, but it is a deal for fans of the style. Also, The Wine Doctor just wrote about Pepiere. Their basic cuvee is a great deal, though I'd really REALLY like to get some of the Clisson. Edit for Link: http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/pepiere2012.shtml pork never goes bad fucked around with this message at 05:50 on Feb 22, 2012 |
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Feb 22, 2012 05:45
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Tekne posted:Purchased a '09 Dom des Hautes Noelle Muscadet today at BevMo!. I'll try it with some seafood later this week. Looking forward to that promised minerality. I'd echo the Tablas Creek and Perrin recommendations by Stitecin in particular, and I'd add these recommendations: http://www.wineaccess.com/store/primavini/ecommerce/product.html?product_id=11276860 http://www.wineaccess.com/store/primavini/ecommerce/product.html?product_id=11223190 These two will open a wider variety of types of wine. The Riesling is going to be lightly sweet and intensely fruity. It'll also be quite high in acid, I believe. The Joguet Chinon is going to be quite different from most other red wines you have had, but is a really stellar example of a cooler climate red. That said, I'm not super excited about the selection at this shop (perhaps reflects my preferences more than the shop). If I were in Walnut Creek and wanted to go to a nice wine shop, I'd make the (short) trek to Berkeley and hit up Solano Cellars and Vintage Berkeley (3 locations in Berkeley/Albany) and also check out Kermit Lynch's retail location. I like The Wine Mine in Oakland as well.
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Feb 24, 2012 20:56
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 01:05 |
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Ideally the English would have more than 3 or 4 quality producers before the Scots start killing it!
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Feb 27, 2012 07:33
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