The Official Wine Thread - Page 354

Nice calls on the Suidurant and the Vieux-Telegraph, though sorry you had a bad on there, MfP.

Isn't this scent the result of "brett", which is commonly around in these types of wine?

It is -one- of the possible causes...

is it just me or has WTSO turned to crap? I feel like 80% of the product we have seen before while the other is an eclectic mix of random California stuff ranted 92 points by Jonathan H. Newman.

It's not just WTSO, IMO. A lot of those sites are going dry for some reason. Cindy hasn't been especially interesting lately. Still some glimmers of great wine at great prices, but the general trend has been downward. It's gotten to the point where I don't even bother checking it or reading the email every day.

Edit: I'm not sure whether Bandols are gamy from brett or from the mourvedre grape, but gaminess is what distinguishes them from almost every other appellation. Some CdPs have it, but not many these days, as the wine super scientists continue to remove character from traditional wines. Of course, too much is too much, but some of the most memorable wines I have experienced were the very bretty Beaucastels from the late 80s and early 90s. Bottom line is, if you don't like barnyard/funk/gamy, avoid Bandol like the plague.

My understanding is it's from the Mourvedre grape too, in this particular case.

Brett is/can be a cause, no doubt, and it's certainly not something Old World wines seem to worry about, vs. New World that try to stamp it out like the plague. As someone that came to wine through the Left Coast and Oz, it's distinctive and at some levels, not always welcomed.

Last year, Peay Winery, which structures their Pinots and Syrahs rather Old World in nature, recalled one of their Pinots for possible brett. To my understanding, New World relies much more on pure culture innoculation vs. Old World, which is often not even innoculated and they just leave the vats open to collect the native yeast in their vinnification room/cellar/barn, etc.

Mourvedre certainly can bring the barn into the equation... not (as we all know) for the same bacterial reason as brett... but I'd wager most who are turned off by the funk don't care to know why.

A couple of California reds from the back of the cellar drunk this past weekend:

1994 Dunn Cabernet Napa -- Drinking fantastically well. A bit acidic and slightly tart at first, this dark and weighty cab softened and opened as it sat in the glass. A beauty and wish I had more as it could easily last for several more years. Went very well with a huge steak. I bought this for @$45 back in 1997 or 1998 when I first started to get interested in wine.

1997 Pride Mountain Cabernet Franc -- Very different from the Dunn. Softer and sweeter, though just as dark. They were both great wines but I think I preferred the less-sweet Dunn. Bought in 1999 at the winery for @$35 or so. The 1997 Prides are all superb, as are many of the later vintages.

The following burgs are waiting: 1997 Morey Saint-Denis, 1er cru Les Millandes, Domaine G. Raphet 2005 Volnay, 1er cru les Mitans, Domaine Lafarge Looking forward to them, should be interesting.

I haven't been that close attention lately but my gut sense was similar to yours. I didnotice the 2001 Solaria Brunello yesterday but mostly it's been a lot of Cali stuff I wouldn't care for at any price.

Interesting that Beaucastel comes up in the middle of a funk discussion. I love Beaucastel, it was the first wine I fell in love with, but I don't really classify it as a typical CdP. There is so much more mourvedre in Beaucastel than in anything else in the appellation, and generally a lot more barnyard both from the grapes and from the pretty regular (at least back in their best days) amount of brett that it is a wine in its own class, often tending more to the style of wines south of it than north. On the other hand, Vieux Telegraph, another favorite of mine, tends to be the most restrained CdP of all, to the point that many people think it is a bit dull. If you do like Beaucastel a lot, then you absolutely have to pick up some of the 2007 Coudolet de Beaucastel, which is their Cote de Rhone. It is a third of the price (very expensive for a CdR) but is fucking spectacular. Also venture into Bandol, where you will get a lot of the same interest as you find in Beaucastel, though with other flavor profiles mixed in.

I think this is why I struggle liking French wines... largely I am certain it is because I am extremely limited in my experiences with French vino...

But I've had various Cotes du Rhone for example that friends who like French predominantly say they really like - I like the strong twiggy nose and usually the first impression but it always seems to disappear before it gets to the back of my mouth and leaves me with an impression of "thin".

I have been wondering the same thing for awhile, and wouldnt be surprised if they started pushing Kendall Jackson soon. It seems like everything they are pushing is just stuff they couldnt get rid of the first time the put it up. We should work on some sort of formula to determine what a Jonathon H Newman score translates to when compared to actual wine critics.