The Official Wine Thread - Page 1044

I enjoyed the '06, but I don't remember being as enthusiastic as you about it. Maybe I'd think differently now than back then.

I've read that Barbera d'Alba isn't always suited for extended cellaring. Yet I still bought a bottle of '98 (Superiore) Mascarelo Codana. What can I expect?

not usually. Really depends on the producer as some make them with the intention of drinking young, while others can make them last.
not sure. You'll have to report to us.

I will. Rather sooner than later. Thanks.

speaking of best wines. i am curious as to what you guys would consider the best (or some of the best) wines you've had? also what's the experience that really got you into wines?


the one experience i can think of that made me really delve into wines is that intro sommelier class i took at the cia. the wine tasting lead by master sommeliers was very enlightening and made me actually believe in tasting notes. i was amazed that you could actually guess the varietal, year, and region the wine is from. i had thought that was something you only saw in manga or movies.

DRC La Tache was probably the best.

I got into wines because I thought it would make me cool (did not work).

Best...one that pops to mind as a true gem was a 76 Château Leoville Las Cases. It was the wine that gave me a Mantonian appreciation of aged Bordeaux.

Asshole.

The one I remember most was a 1998 (IIRC) Truchot Morey St Denis. This was a couple of years ago and was probably the biggest contributor to my getting deeper into wine. I'm still a rookie compared to most of the people in this thread, so no super impressive 30 yr old DRCs for me.

Seems to have, from what I've seen. Either that or you were born into it. Hopefully the cultivation of a taste in wine will make me more willing to keep trying things I've previously questioned the general purpose of or reason behind.

Didn't care for the above Bourgogne. The Camarsac was good. Below is the Rascal Pinot. Strangely it has no vintage marked on the bottle or the cork.

Follow-up question. My experience with older wines is nonexistent. I suppose a 15-year-old wine might have some sediments. Given that the wine is likely past its prime, and definitely fragile, I suppose a slow decant in a narrow container is the safest bet (the decanter I own has a wide base, so I suppose decanting in a clean wine bottle is the optimal choice)? Or would you leave it in the bottle from the very beginning and carefully pour out?

Moreover, given that it was shipped and arrived today, are 24-30 hours enough to settle the sediments on the bottom (again, assuming that there's a large amount of it)?

I have had wines from 2005 with sediment. Sediment isn't always just on very old wines. I also feel that decanting is somewhat unrelated to sediment. Decanting puts more of the wine in contact with air so it opens up faster. On the other hand I have had no issues pouring an older wine with sediment and just being mindful of how to pour it so the sediment gets caught in the shoulder of the bottle.

Also, I feel sediment falls to the bottom of the bottle rather quickly. I would say a day is more than enough for it to settle. I drank a 76' Baychevelle the day I bought it and poured it when I got home with no issues until the last glass.

Yeah, I just had a two-year-old wine with sediments (likely because it was unfiltered). I'll probably leave it in the bottle and pour carefully. Maybe through cheesecloth.

What I would do in this case is decant to what you have, go rinse the bottle, and put it back in the bottle immediately and drink.

That was the other option, yeah. If I do it, I'll directly decant it in another clean bottle so I have one less pour, i.e. much less contact with oxygen.

Even better and you can let the bottle air dry overnight so there's zero water in it.