The Official Wine Thread

[patrickBOOTH]

Gomestar, do you know of any decent wine bars here in NY?

 

[tattersall]



With all this talk of Canadian wines, has anyone tried anything from Osoyoos Larose?

Indeed I have - they even call it "Le Grand Vin."

This is a partnership between Vincor (a large drinks owner) and Group Taillan which owns Gruaud Larose among others - it's sort of a "me-too" to Opus One.

I've only ever had young versions and they are priced at about $45 here in BC, much higher in other places. The claim is that they taste just like young first-growth Bordeaux and will age in a similar way. The scores from the wine press are typically in the 90-92 range. Drunk young, and i've had the '05 and '06, it is mouth-puckeringly tannic with heavy oak and vanilla tones. This was not a wine that I enjoyed and I've never bought a bottle.

There was an informal vertical tasting in Vancouver a couple months ago that was blogged about and the consensus was pretty unanimous - despite the claims, this wine is not aging well. I think this quote sums up the thing the best:

What conclusions can we come to? These wines aren’t yet ready for long-term aging, and are probably best drunk at 5-6 years old. Before that, they’re dominated by their tannins and oak. Past the sweet spot, the wines seem to decline very quickly, likely due to the quality of the fruit and youth of the vines. There is also a lot of greenness & tannins throughout the wines which points to the usual complaint that the growing season is not long enough for the Okanagan to be focusing on Bordeaux varieties.

Here is one write-up with scores:
http://beaucharles.com/?p=34
Here is another with just descriptions:
http://winecouver.ca/2011/07/29/every-rose-has-its-thorn.html
Here is another which seemed to attract some barbed comments from someone associated with the winery:
http://www.justgrapeswine.com/2011/07/built-to-age-an-osoyoos-larose-vertical/

 

[gomestar]



75 or 77, eh? When you were in college...... must have bought it on release! HAHAHAHA Old fart jokes never get old.

 

[gomestar]



Gomestar, do you know of any decent wine bars here in NY?

not really. I've been to a few, but I always find that I have better luck just sitting at the bar at places like Maialino or Bar Boulud and ordering by the glass. I suppose it can be more expensive than a wine bar, but it's also better wine. The 'nebbiolo bar' at Maialino is fantastic.

There is a champagne bar, "Flute" or something, that i used to frequent and is fairly good. They used to have buy one get one specials, so I'd order a split of Krug for $100 (it's $70 retail) and then get another for free. I haven't been in at least a year though. The Dutch is also very good, and its wine list is one of my favorites in the city (good enough by the glass, but they have lots of bottles under $65 that are wonderful).

 

[Mark from Plano]

I'm going to an underground dinner tonight. It's BYOB. I got the email giving me the location, but it says nothing about the menu, so I'm a bit in the dark about what wine to bring. I had set aside a few different bottles depending on the menu, but now it appears I may be just selecting blind. Might take a couple of bottles (one white, one red) and then just open the one that seem most appropriate once we get there.

Under consideration:

2005 Huet Clos du Bourg demi-sec
2005 Kistler Stone Flat Chardonnay
2000 Brane-Cantetac (Manton's head just exploded)
2005 Shafer Relentless (I know my date has loved this one in the past)
2008 Sea Smoke Southing (too young, but I have several bottles and am anxious to try it)
2003 Ch. Guiraud (.375)

I'm still hoping to get a better idea of the menu so I can cut this down to one bottle or so. If not, what would you guys suggest?

 

[kwilkinson]

Kistler.

It'd be the one I'd enjoy the least, so giving it to other people ain't so bad.


Just playin Gomey, BTW

 

[Mark from Plano]



Kistler.

It'd be the one I'd enjoy the least, so giving it to other people ain't so bad.


Just playin Gomey, BTW

Sorry if I wasn't clear, I'm taking wine for my date and me, not for general consumption.

 

[kwilkinson]

OOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhh
I'd go demi-sec and Relentless then. Even though Relentless cost a lot of money. a lot.

 

[Mark from Plano]



OOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhh
I'd go demi-sec and Relentless then. Even though Relentless cost a lot of money. a lot.

Excellent suggestion though. You should think about becoming a sommelier or something.

 

[Raoul Duke]

tattersall, thanks for all that info. I was tempted to give it a try due to the link with Gruaud Larose, but I'll definitely pass now.

Anyone out there buying 2010 Bordeaux futures? The pricing is unreal...

 

[kwilkinson]



Excellent suggestion though. You should think about becoming a sommelier or something.

The 1998 Chateau Musar I just bought cost less than the Relentless. Actually, I could have gotten the 98 Musar and a 375 of the 99 or 00 for the same price I paid for Relentless.

I was having a hard time picking, though. Man that was tough. I was narrowed down to the 98 Musar, but then had another 50 to spend and was gonna go for an 07 Brocard 1er Cru Chablis, an 07 M. Colin St. Aubin Remilly, or a bunch of other stuff. This place's stock was just awesome.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



not really. I've been to a few, but I always find that I have better luck just sitting at the bar at places like Maialino or Bar Boulud and ordering by the glass. I suppose it can be more expensive than a wine bar, but it's also better wine. The 'nebbiolo bar' at Maialino is fantastic.

There is a champagne bar, "Flute" or something, that i used to frequent and is fairly good. They used to have buy one get one specials, so I'd order a split of Krug for $100 (it's $70 retail) and then get another for free. I haven't been in at least a year though. The Dutch is also very good, and its wine list is one of my favorites in the city (good enough by the glass, but they have lots of bottles under $65 that are wonderful).

Maialino and Flute are right by where I work. Never walked in either one. The Dutch seems pretty solid looking at their list online. I'll definitely check that place out, thanks.

 

[tattersall]



I'm going to an underground dinner tonight. It's BYOB. I got the email giving me the location, but it says nothing about the menu, so I'm a bit in the dark about what wine to bring. I had set aside a few different bottles depending on the menu, but now it appears I may be just selecting blind. Might take a couple of bottles (one white, one red) and then just open the one that seem most appropriate once we get there.

Under consideration:

2005 Huet Clos du Bourg demi-sec
2005 Kistler Stone Flat Chardonnay
2000 Brane-Cantetac (Manton's head just exploded)
2005 Shafer Relentless (I know my date has loved this one in the past)
2008 Sea Smoke Southing (too young, but I have several bottles and am anxious to try it)
2003 Ch. Guiraud (.375)

I'm still hoping to get a better idea of the menu so I can cut this down to one bottle or so. If not, what would you guys suggest?

I have become a huge Huet fan and in particular their demis. The Bourg is excellent as is the Mont - I find it amazing how the touch of sweetness is barely noticeable but draws the acidity into balance. This would be my choice if I was drinking your wine...

tattersall, thanks for all that info. I was tempted to give it a try due to the link with Gruaud Larose, but I'll definitely pass now.

Anyone out there buying 2010 Bordeaux futures? The pricing is unreal...

I think anybody buying BDX futures is crazy or so rich it doesn't matter what price they charge... EURO 335 for Carruades de Lafite '10

 

[Slewfoot]



I had the most unusual wine that I have ever had to date. It was a Poulsard from Jura. 11.8% alcohol content and a very interesting color. Like a cloudy rose. Very floral on the nose and smokey on the palate.

This photo almost makes Jura wines appetizing.

In all seriousness, the best way I can describe them is that they're "interesting." Very unique as you inferred, but certainly not for everyone. Hope you enjoyed it well enough even if you're not backing up the truck for more cases.

 

[Rambo]

Need some advice guys: I'm going to the local wine mega-mart and wanted to pick up 5 to 10 interesting reds to try out. Preferably under $15 a pop. Could you all recommend me some bottles to pick up please?