The Official Wine Thread

[Manton]

Originally Posted by Toiletduck

Here's some input from a noob who needs to learn more about wine:

Last Night:

2000 Pauillac
I like
1994 Fronsac,
No like

Need more info, but ...

If I understanding you correctly, those are both "village" or area wines, not single Chateau. 2000 is a great year and Pauillac is arguably the premier commune in Bordeaux. Hence not surprising that you had good wine.

Fronsac is one of the lesser communes, and one that only recently started to improve its wines. 1994 was a weak year with early maturing wines. Hence not surprising that a village bottle from a so-so area could not age well for 16 years.

 

[PandArts]

In honor of J5's B-Day I went ahead and conducted my tasting portion of the class. Beaujolais vs. Cabernet Sauvignon. I did this, to be honest, only due to the fact that the wine buyer of my local shop insisted on buying me the Beaujolais!!!! So without further ado I present the results:

On the left weighing in at 12.5% the 2007 Nicole Chanrion Domaine de la Voûte des Crozes, Cote de Brouilly

This has as intense brick red colour followed by an intense and bright nose of cherry jello powder, rose petal and slight hints of fine black pepper spice. It was very easy on the palate, presenting itself with a tight balance of red berries, earth and spice. Light and soft tannins rounded out the bright acidity and the whole thing finished softly, with elegance and subtlety. Overall I really enjoyed this wine as a light and almost refreshing change.

And, On the Right, weighing in at 13.9% the very tech savy 2008 Substance, Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley

Deep ruby red in colour with tints of garnet set the tone. A nose full of powerful aromas of dark fruits (blackberry and plum) are backed with wonderfully warm spice notes of black pepper, hints of clove and vanillin oak. Mouth coating palate with just the right amount of acidity, smooth tannins and lucious dark fruits flavours of jammy plum and dried fruits balanced by creamy notes of toasty vanilla and oak. This young cab finished long and lush and exhibited a complexity not often found in a wine of its age. Drink now for the lucious fruits or wait a year for the earth notes to rise.

So ow the result. After a well contested bout over several flights it's Substance edging out the Beaujolais by the slightest margin!


Oh, I almost forgot. After the tasting I enjoyed an extra glass or two...or three...of each with some nice Fontina Fontal and Dutch Gouda....YUMMMM!!!!

 

[ryansmith]

Last night:
we snuck up to the roof through the elevator operating room
with a bottle of 2004 grand-puy ducasse. Delicious. the wine was good too.

 

[foodguy]

hmmm, "cult cab" v. beaujolais: kind of like hockey v. ice dancing. who wins?

 

[gomestar]

hockey, duh.


But I dig the new glasses. Much better than the old ice cream goblets. For the wines, I'd look at it not as a "vs", but rather a compare and contrast.

 

[PandArts]

Originally Posted by foodguy

hmmm, "cult cab" v. beaujolais: kind of like hockey v. ice dancing. who wins?

I suppose it depands on who's judging.

But to be a bit clearer, this tasting wasn't to see which one was better, it was a compare and contrast lesson for the class I have to take for my wine job, to better understand how different varietals exhibit their key components and to learn how to identify the nuances that differentiate red wines.

Please bare in mind that I'm a n00b to all this.

 

[Mark from Plano]

So what do we think of the WTSO wine right now? Chateau Lascombe 2005 for $50 (down from $130 retail).

I hope we like it, cuz I pulled the trigger based on the research I did.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by Mark from Plano

So what do we think of the WTSO wine right now? Chateau Lascombe 2005 for $50 (down from $130 retail).

I hope we like it, cuz I pulled the trigger based on the research I did.

Man, you are on a buying frenzy. Kudos.

I just had six Loring arrive yesterday, have that 1997 Cab x 4, and several other allocations about to hit. I have maybe, maybe room for a case in the cellar

Time to drink more!

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by Mark from Plano

So what do we think of the WTSO wine right now? Chateau Lascombe 2005 for $50 (down from $130 retail).

I hope we like it, cuz I pulled the trigger based on the research I did.

I would have gotten it, but I would have been kicked out of the house. Great deal, great wine.

 

[Mark from Plano]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

Man, you are on a buying frenzy. Kudos.

I just had six Loring arrive yesterday, have that 1997 Cab x 4, and several other allocations about to hit. I have maybe, maybe room for a case in the cellar

Time to drink more!

Yeah, I gotta quit. I'd been looking for some of the 2005 Bordeaux that I could get into and still send the kids to college. Haven't found much I was willing to shell out for. Looked like an opportunity being that its a second growth with some pretty good reviews overall. Anyway...

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by Mark from Plano

Yeah, I gotta quit. I'd been looking for some of the 2005 Bordeaux that I could get into and still send the kids to college. Haven't found much I was willing to shell out for. Looked like an opportunity being that its a second growth with some pretty good reviews overall. Anyway...

Simple solution: pick your favorite kid, and only send that one.

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by PandArts

But to be a bit clearer, this tasting wasn't to see which one was better, it was a compare and contrast lesson for the class I have to take for my wine job, to better understand how different varietals exhibit their key components and to learn how to identify the nuances that differentiate red wines. Please bare in mind that I'm a n00b to all this.

Sorry, hope i didn't come off snarky (on the internet? nah!). i was just reacting to the habit of everything being posed as a competition: "So ow the result. After a well contested bout over several flights it's Substance edging out the Beaujolais by the slightest margin!" You really couldn't have found two red wines that were more different -- different cultures, different grapes, different techniques, different intents. When critiquing wine (or just about anything else for that matter), it's usually most instructive to judge it in the context it was intended ... asking the question "what is this wine trying to be." In this case, the Beaujolais is a pure food wine ... intended to be delicious when served with charcuterie, braises, roasts, some cheeses, really almost anything. That cab is a different creature, intended to be aged, and to impress on its own and if the food fits, so be it. really different philosophies. Then if you want to turn them loose like battle-bots, have at it!

 

[gomestar]

Originally Posted by Manton

I would have gotten it, but I would have been kicked out of the house. Great deal, great wine.

+1. I really want this one. I've had the '99, '00, and '01 of Lascombes and I've always enjoyed this producer.

excellent wine, excellent price.

 

[PandArts]

Originally Posted by foodguy

Sorry, hope i didn't come off snarky (on the internet? nah!). i was just reacting to the habit of everything being posed as a competition: "So ow the result. After a well contested bout over several flights it's Substance edging out the Beaujolais by the slightest margin!"
You really couldn't have found two red wines that were more different -- different cultures, different grapes, different techniques, different intents.
When critiquing wine (or just about anything else for that matter), it's usually most instructive to judge it in the context it was intended ... asking the question "what is this wine trying to be." In this case, the Beaujolais is a pure food wine ... intended to be delicious when served with charcuterie, braises, roasts, some cheeses, really almost anything. That cab is a different creature, intended to be aged, and to impress on its own and if the food fits, so be it. really different philosophies.
Then if you want to turn them loose like battle-bots, have at it!

No I knew what you were getting at and my choice of wording was not very appropriate given the parameters of the tasting...happens from time to time when I try to be overly creative...afterall I'm a wine loving designer not writer. I think I let objectivety fly out the window instead of evaluating each wine for its own merits. In my book...to be honest and despite the "bout results"...both wines were total winners and I really gained a far better understanding of varietal nueances. After some Turkey Day tastings with several Beaujolais from Jadot I wasn't much a fan of the wine. But last night I was completely won over by the Cote de Brouilly. It was bright and clean on the palate; the fruits were supple but not syrupy; the acidity was crisp without being tart or sour and then there was this underlying hint of peppery spice. And it did pair nicely with the cheeses I was nibbling on afterwards. I think I really enjoyed being able to truely appreciate well integrated acidity (a component I often tried to avoid) and how it really does enhance even big grape wines like a cab. The one big lesson I took away from the tasting was a deeper appreciation and understanding of what a balanced wine really is.

Thanks for baring with me...

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by PandArts

After some Turkey Day tastings with several Beaujolais from Jadot I wasn't much a fan of the wine. But last night I was completely won over by the Cote de Brouilly. It was bright and clean on the palate; the fruits were supple but not syrupy; the acidity was crisp without being tart or sour and then there was this underlying hint of peppery spice. And it did pair nicely with the cheeses I was nibbling on afterwards. I think I really enjoyed being able to truely appreciate well integrated acidity (a component I often tried to avoid) and how it really does enhance even big grape wines like a cab. The one big lesson I took away from the tasting was a deeper appreciation and understanding of what a balanced wine really is.
that's a very good description. and i think part of what you're seeing is the difference between a really well made artisanal wine (the chanrion) and a fairly generic shipper wine (jadot). Jadot does do a nice job with some of its upper appellations, but their village levels tend to be pretty disposable, particularly with beaujolais. the shipper king of that region is dubouef and though he makes an ocean of wine, some of them are really, really good.