WINE - Red, White, or Other - Discussed Here!

Started by SonicMan46, April 07, 2007, 06:14:18 PM

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Spineur

#1020
Who said american had bad taste ?


SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: Spineur on February 09, 2017, 10:30:43 AM
Who said american had bad taste ?

It doesn't say which of their wines (or swill) they export where.

Spineur

Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on February 09, 2017, 01:56:36 PM
It doesn't say which of their wines (or swill) they export where.
Indeed !  The reason why the UK and US are on top  is that they import mostly if not exclusively high end wines.  German dont drink less wines but more mid-range and less high end wines.  The mystery is Singapore.  My guess is that they re-export to southeast asia countries.

North Star

Quote from: Spineur on February 09, 2017, 07:04:45 PM
Indeed !  The reason why the UK and US are on top  is that they import mostly if not exclusively high end wines.  German dont drink less wines but more mid-range and less high end wines.  The mystery is Singapore.  My guess is that they re-export to southeast asia countries.
Different sizes of population and the amount of wine per capita each of those other countries produces might have something to do with it, too.
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

My photographs on Flickr

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: North Star on February 10, 2017, 12:30:19 AM
Different sizes of population and the amount of wine per capita each of those other countries produces might have something to do with it, too.

That makes the British allotment notable. But historically, that's where the Brits get their (non-fortified) wine from, of course... and they don't have much home-grown, as opposed to Germany.

The new erato

A bunch of members from the wineclub I chair going to a hotel at Voss (100 km distant from Bergen) with unusually deep cellars. Some with spouses/partners, 34 people in all.

Wines planned with the meal and waiting for us, and I suspect there will be other treats in store:

Champagne, De Sousa Cuvée de Caudalie NV
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs Gain 2004.
Flaccianello 2001
Ch. Kirwan 1996
Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Le Mont 1er Trie 1996.
Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese 2004.
Krohn Colheita 1960

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: The new erato on February 10, 2017, 10:54:30 PM
A bunch of members from the wineclub I chair going to a hotel at Voss (100 km distant from Bergen) with unusually deep cellars. Some with spouses/partners, 34 people in all.

Wines planned with the meal and waiting for us, and I suspect there will be other treats in store:

Champagne, De Sousa Cuvée de Caudalie NV
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs Gain 2004.
Flaccianello 2001
Ch. Kirwan 1996
Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Le Mont 1er Trie 1996.
Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese 2004.
Krohn Colheita 1960

Oh! The famous Voss hotel? I've seen it from the train, on my way to Bergen, once. Part of that wonderful train journey from Oslo to Bergen (or back).
A Musical Journey through Norway

The new erato

Yes. 141 pages wine list, tightly packed, with some real rarities and very good prices.

The new erato

#1028
Champagne, De Sousa Cuvée de Caudalie NV
NV, with a healthy dose of 2008 as base. Sightly salty, pretty complex with characteristic yeasty undertones. Good, but not great.

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs Gain 2004. Superb, rich but still minenrally with nutty undertones, honey and great length.

Flaccianello 2001. In a very fine place, great acids, balsamic and earthy notes on the nose and red fruits and very fine length.

Ch. Kirwan 1996. Young, broadshouldered (for a Margaux) Bordeaux but with fine structure and excellent, floral notes, black fruits. Will easily go another 10 years before peak.

Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Le Mont 1er Trie 1996. Almonds, oranges and mushrooms, ideally mature and with the acids perfectly matching the remaining sugars.

Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese 2004. Fresh and clear as water, apples and slatey sugar, perfect with cheese and seemingly able to go on forever.

Krohn Colheita 1960. One of the beste ports I've had, perfectly mature with red fruits, raisins and perfectly balanced sweet fruits. Very long.

Then the guys started hitting the winecellar......I order up a Launois Special Club Brut Blanc de Blancs 2006 Champagne, precise, ultraclear and fresh, very fine, when one of my friends miraculously press a glass of Selosse Substance into my hand and order me to drink. Rich, nutty and spicy, the exact opposite of the Launois, but also wonderful. A Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet PC Les Combettes 2002 in magnum pass me by, but what the heck, it cannot possibly be finer than the 2001 from regular size of the same wine that I manage to grab, apples, spices, minerals and incredibly long.

Then I order a Liger Belair Vosne –Romanee La Colombiere 2004, difficult vintage, but this producers prowess trumphs the vintage, fine spices, fruitpits in an elegant and light ballet of flavors. Another friend counters with a Borgneuf 1998 Pomerol, amazingly young for an 18 year old Merlot based wine, plums, black fruits and great structure. I see some Elio Grasso 1999 Barolos on the next table, but a Clerico 2001 Barolo appears, to modern for me frankly, and I never manage to grab a taste of the Grasso. I console myself with the thought that I have the very same Grasso wine in  my own cellar.  I nearly order a Ridge Monte Bello 1993 but the sommelier warns me about significant bottle variation.

Time to go to bed – there are still bottles doing the rounds and still time to closing, but it's been a very long day. At the breakfast table I'm informed that I missed a Guigal La Turque 2000 Cote-Rotie, but what the heck, I'm told that we will have to repeat this next winter.

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: The new erato on February 12, 2017, 07:00:54 AM
Champagne, De Sousa Cuvée de Caudalie NV
NV, with a healthy dose of 2008 as base. Sightly salty, pretty complex with characteristic yeasty undertones.Good, but not great.

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs Gain 2004. Superb, rich but still minenrally with nutty undertones, honey and great length.

Flaccianello 2001. In a very fine place, great acids, balsamic and earthy notes on the nose and red fruits and very fine length.

Ch. Kirwan 1996. Young, broadshouldered (for a Margaux) Bordeaux but with fine structure and excellent, floral notes, black fruits. Will easily go another 10 years before peak.

Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Le Mont 1er Trie 1996. Almonds, oranges and mushrooms, ideally mature and with the acids perfectly matching the remaining sugars.

Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese 2004. Fresh and clear as water, apples and slatey sugar, perfect with cheese and seemingly able to go on forever.

Krohn Colheita 1960. One of the beste ports I've had, perfectly mature with red fruits, raisins and perfectly balanced sweet fruits. Very long.

Then the guys started hitting the winecellar......I order up a Launois Special Club Brut Blanc de Blancs 2006 Champagne, precise, ultraclear and fresh, very fine, when one of my friends miraculously press a glass of Selosse Substance into my hand and order me to drink. Rich, nutty and spicy, the exact opposite of the Launois, but also wonderful. A Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet PC Les Combettes 2002 in magnum pass me by, but what the heck, it cannot possibly be finer than the 2001 from regular size of the same wine that I manage to grab, apples, spices, minerals and incredibly long.

Then I order a Liger Belair Vosne –Romanee La Colombiere 2004, difficult vintage, but this producers prowess trumphs the vintage, fine spices, fruitpits in an elegant and light ballet of flavors. Another friend counters with a Borgneuf 1998 Pomerol, amazingly young for an 18 year old Merlot based wine, plums, black fruits and great structure. I see some Elio Grasso 1999 Barolos on the next table, but a Clerico 2001 Barolo appears, to modern for me frankly, and I never manage to grab a taste of the Grasso. I console myself with the toght that I have the very same Grasso wine in  my own cellar.  I nearly order a Ridge Monte Bello 1993 but the sommelier warns me about significant bottle variation.

Time to go to bed – there are still bottles doing the rounds and still time to closing, but it's been a very long day. At the breakfast table I'm informed that I missed a Guigal La Turque 2000 Cote-Rotie, but what the heck, I'm told that we will have to repeat this next winter.

Frankly, that reads like pornography to me.  8)

Brian

Learned of a USA based website called B-21.com which will ship wine to Texas and which stocks lots of rarities, eccentrics, off-the-beaten-path, etc. Decided to give them a try:

1   2014 BONNET-HUTEAU MUSCADET LAURES 750ML   9.98   --   9.98
2   2012 BREGEON MUSCADET 750ML   13.98   --   27.96
1   2013 D'EPIRE SAVENNIERES CUVEE SPECIALE 750ML   19.98   --   19.98
1   2016 GAIA ASSYRTIKO WILD FERMENT 750ML   29.99   --   29.99
1   2013 CLOS CANARELLI BG BLANC 750ML   29.98   --   29.98
1   2016 LOS BERMEJOS LISTAN NEGRO ROSADO 750ML   19.99   --   19.99
1   2016 SIGALAS SANTORINI ASIRTIKO/ATHIRI 750ML   16.99   --   16.99
1   2013 RAGOTIERE MUSCADET BLACK LABEL 750ML   9.98   --   9.98
2   2010 TSANTALI NAOUSSA RESERVE 750ML   21.99   --   43.98
1   2014 LE CASEMATTE PELORO ROSSO 750ML  19.99

Total with shipping $228

Los Bermejos is from the Canary Islands. Three wines from Greece, one from Corsica, one from Sicily, four from mainland France. (If anyone asks about the Muscadet...girlfriend and I cook a LOT of shellfish!)

XB-70 Valkyrie

#1031
Some recent wines of note.

Domaine de Beaurenard Rasteau Grenant - Rhone dessert wine

Cline 2015 Ancient Vines Mourvèdre

Trader Joe's Cherry Blossom Pinot Noir ($3.99 a bottle, believe it!)

Bonny Doon 2011 Syrah 'Bien Nacido' X Block


Recent Disappointments

MollyDooker 'The Boxer' syrah--16% alcohol. Waay too much for a dinner wine. Waay too dry for dessert.

Domaine Huet sparkling Vouvray--Wanted to try something other than our usual Tattinger (Which we love!), but this was very uninteresting and acidic (I LOVE Vouvray BTW)
If you really dislike Bach you keep quiet about it! - Andras Schiff

XB-70 Valkyrie

#1032
Quote from: Spineur on February 09, 2017, 10:30:43 AM
Who said american had bad taste ?

Um, that was probably me. How much of that "wine" is actually white zinfandel, Stella "Peach" or something along those lines?  ::)

Seriously, there are many very cheap Chilean, Australian, Italian, New Zealand, and even French wines that sell quite well here. Some of them are really very good! Worldwide everyone has really upped their game. Quite a difference from 25 years ago when I started drinking wine. The only cheap wines available here were Gallo and the ghastly Mouton Cadet.
If you really dislike Bach you keep quiet about it! - Andras Schiff

The new erato

A very fine 7 course dinner at Park Voss, with my wife, daughter and her boyfriend (a Christmas gift to all of us).

The following wines were consumed:

Champagne, De Sousa Cuvée de Caudalie NV (again)
Nikolaihof Riesling Smaragd Im Weingebirge 2006
Trimbach Riesling Cuvee Friedrich Emile 2002 (superb!)
Coche-Boillot Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Folatieres 2009 (too young)
Maisom Leroy Pommard Premier Cru 1999 (young)
Fontodi Flaccianello 2000 from  Methuselah bottle (6 litres - with other guests I hasten to add!)
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkapsel 2003 (great)
Calem Vuintage Port 1985 (no great shakes)

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on January 26, 2018, 04:06:24 PM
Um, that was probably me. How much of that "wine" is actually white zinfandel, Stella "Peach" or something along those lines?  ::)

Seriously, there are many very cheap Chilean, Australian, Italian, New Zealand, and even French wines that sell quite well here. Some of them are really very good! Worldwide everyone has really upped their game. Quite a difference from 25 years ago when I started drinking wine. The only cheap wines available here were Gallo and the ghastly Mouton Cadet.

Some of the great bargains right now come from South America. Unable to really fetch top dollar, they produce above-average stuff for below average prices. Not always very lovingly presented (i.e. rubber corks) but v.good stuff. Such as Amalaya wines. I'm a strong believer in altitude wines, as it is... it makes life easy for growers (except for hail damage). And that vineyard's product is top notch. Not, by any means, "great", of course... but better than plenty of well-marketed $25 bottles at a third of the price.

The new erato

Queued up With Leif Ove Andsnes for the release of 2015 burgundies and had a pleasant chat. Seeing him and Goerne in a Schumann recital at Griegs villa at the end of the month.

Brian

Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on January 26, 2018, 04:03:47 PM
Cline 2015 Ancient Vines Mourvèdre
This right here is, year after year, consistently one of my very favorite low-price ($15 or so) wines. Almost any grocery has Cline Ancient Vines stuff and they do a remarkably good job.

I just took care of all my spring/summer wine ordering - given how hot Texas is from April to October, ordering wine from the producer is often a difficult exercise. So I'm stocking up for the summer now.

Direct orders today from the following excellent producers:

Forlorn Hope - CA (diverse & eccentric AVAs) - white field blends, St Laurent, grenache
Broc - CA (Mendocino) - nero d'avola
Maysara - Willamette Valley, OR - pinot noir
Wind Gap - CA (Sonoma Coast) - syrah

Maysara, in particular, deserves a shout-out here for having quite a library of 5-10 year old wines available for purchase online, not just the current year, and for truly great quality for the price. Run by a family of Iranian immigrants to the US; the winemakers are three sisters.

The new erato

Looking very much forward to a tasting of the much touted 2015 red Burgundies on Sunday:

Santenay Clos de Malte (Jadot)
Volnay 1 er Cru Taillepieds (Bouchard)
Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chenes (Jadot)
Savigny 1er Cru Les Lavieres (Bouchard)
Savigny 1er Cru Clos des Guettes (Jadot)
Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Ursules (Jadot)
Beaune 1er Cru Boucherottes (Jadot)
Cote-de-Nuits Villages (D. Bachelet)
Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Bousselots (Chevillon)
Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Cailles (Bouchard)
Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains (Chevillon)
Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes (Faiveley)
Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuees (M&P Rion)
Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras (M&P Rion)
Gevrey-Chambertin Vielles Vignes (D. Bachelet)
Corton Grand Cru Bressandes (Nudant)
Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru (Rossignol Trapet)

XB-70 Valkyrie

Brian, yes the Ancient Vines offerings are always enjoyable, as are budget offerings by Columbia Crest, Dr. Loosen (rieslings), and even that super cheapo Pinot Noir (Cherry Blossom) at Trader Joe's. 

Speaking of Burgundies, can anyone recommend some not-blindingly-expensive (50$ or less) red burgundies that are widely available (i.e., in the U.S.)?? I have very little experience with these and am curious!

If you really dislike Bach you keep quiet about it! - Andras Schiff

Baron Scarpia

Quote from: Brian on February 08, 2018, 12:51:11 PM
This right here is, year after year, consistently one of my very favorite low-price ($15 or so) wines. Almost any grocery has Cline Ancient Vines stuff and they do a remarkably good job.

I just took care of all my spring/summer wine ordering - given how hot Texas is from April to October, ordering wine from the producer is often a difficult exercise. So I'm stocking up for the summer now.

Direct orders today from the following excellent producers:

Forlorn Hope - CA (diverse & eccentric AVAs) - white field blends, St Laurent, grenache
Broc - CA (Mendocino) - nero d'avola
Maysara - Willamette Valley, OR - pinot noir
Wind Gap - CA (Sonoma Coast) - syrah

Maysara, in particular, deserves a shout-out here for having quite a library of 5-10 year old wines available for purchase online, not just the current year, and for truly great quality for the price. Run by a family of Iranian immigrants to the US; the winemakers are three sisters.

It seems you have slighted our Central Coast producers in favor of Northern California. The Paso Robles and Monterey vineyards produce some very attractive wines, including Cabernet Sauvignons and Syrah's.