Delicious Wines - Page 2

This thread is highly relevant to my interests. I had my first Beaujolais last night and enjoyed it. So thumbsup to that other wine thread where you guys recommended it.

Will jump on the Beaujolais bandwagon. Have not been able to purchase any yet but recently had one that was an eye opener.

My younger brother once ran a casino in Argentina and got me interested in Argentinian wines. For the past several months I've been grabbing up lots of a Humberto Barberis Malbec gran reserve that Whole Foods was carrying. The 2004 was really really nice and - now that it seems to be getting in short supply at my local store - they've started substituting a 2006 that is also quite tasty.

I'm at a trade show every year during the day when they open beaujolais, so its sort of part of the tradition of the week. but that's about it, maybe twice that week, then I'll have a bottle at home

Great great thread topic and one in which my own tastes have been tracking lately. I too had a cru beaujolais last night that fits the bill - La Chene du Py Morgon. A light red with finesse that had such a freshness on the palate:



Thivin's Cote de Brouilly is another that I would call delicious and as Matt endorses above, both Tempier's Rose and Reverdy's Sancerre are made for summer meals and good friends.

So what makes a wine a delicious one that makes us happy? For me, it's best crystallized by the head to head I did of a Didier vs. a Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc.

O'Reilly's Pinot Gris - $16 This wine is made by Owen Roe under their private label, great value and incredibly drinkable. Not only does the QPR make me happy but it brings back memories of my visit to Owen Roe in the summer of 2009 which was a great experience. Highly recommend it for those visiting the Willamette.

Here's one that was high on the smilage: Valmiñor Albariño 2009

Shafer Relentless (Syrah/petit syrah blend)
Though it's getting pretty pricey these days ($60+)

Sometimes I find that it depends on the year. The 2007 Coudoulet du Beaucastel Cote du Rhone was . The 2008...not so much.

And the 2009 vintage has produced some truly delicious examples! My favorites: Foillard's Morgon Cote du Py, Lapierre's Morgon, Jean-Paul Brun's (Dm. Terres Dorees) Morgon and Moulin-a-Vent (latter needs time), Coudert's (Clos de la Roilette) Fleurie and Fleurie Cuvee Tardive.

Coquelet's Chiroubles VV is worth mentioning, but I wasn't as crazy about it as some (very extracted, and the bottle I tasted was more than a tad Brett-heavy). And my wife and I failed to finish a bottle of Descombes' Morgon (one of Dubeouf's growers) - the one cru bottling I've tasted from this vintage that I'd warn folks away from.

Barmes-Buecher Alsace Pinot Noir VV, very off the run wine, but I've had 3 different vintages, and all have been delicious. Great with grilled tuna.

If any of you care, in France it is becoming far more common now to drink younger wine from emerging growers (even moreso than 5 years ago). In fact, the face of fine dining is quite rapidly changing, especially in Paris. It is less formal and intellectualized. Chateaubriand is the best example of this, L'Astrance as well. I'm quickly losing my taste for this onslaught of huge, weighty wines that need to be aged for 150 years to not taste like a louisville slugger in my mouth.

This always makes me smile, particularly the '05.

I usually pair cru Beaujolais with holiday dinners (turkey, stuffing, etc.). I think it pairs much better than the usually recommended Chardonnay or Pinot.

I've been getting a lot of mileage out of cheap New Zealand Sauv Blancs, especially in warm weather (which I had tonight with my wine in Dallas). There is a strong family resemblance from bottle to bottle -they all seem to taste of green apple and fresh dill.