The Official Wine Thread

[PandArts]

Enjoying a very nice bottle right now. It's the 2007 Wine Guerrilla Zinfandel, Goat Trek Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma...

It's gorgeous! Deep purple and ruby red in colour and comes from nowhere with big spicy blows to the nose full of rich dried fruit aromas. Just when you let your guard down a bit and your back is turned, this Zin attacks the palate with a powerful mouth-full of jammy dark fruits (plump raisins and blackberries) followed by warm waves of fresh cracked black pepper and sweet baking spices, hints of cola and chocolate and balanced by silky smooth tannins. This wine does not retreat lightly either, leaving behind more lush fruit flavours with just a slight hint of tangy acidity. This wine guerrilla will always win the battle!

Sorry not my photo as I'm not posting this from my computer but I did take one of my usual pics and with update this one later.

 

[audiophilia]

2nd bottle of this value Cab. This was much better. Some complexity, lovely dark fruit and great viscosity in the restaurant's nice glass.

 

[audiophilia]

Originally Posted by PandArts

Cheers! It's been a long time coming...nearly two years since my last true vacation. It all came down to: pay bills or go on vacation....vacation won...you only live once right

It just so happenes that my second job has its benefits!!!

Have a fabulous time. The place is fantastic. Take lots of photos and post up when you get back, please. Safe trip.

 

[Manton]

Why are middling white Burgs always 10x better than middling red Burgs?

Anyway, Greysac 2005. First bottle from a case. Opened and decanted for four hours. Very jammy, New World cab profile. Not sensing that Bordeaux spice or the perfume. At least not at first. It's starting to come out now. Tons of fruit, well hidden tannins, this will easily improve for five years but is approachable now.

Not sure I approve of this style of Bordeaux, though.

 

[Esa]

I'm enjoying a 2006 Ty Caton Malbec with a "steakhouse" burger and yam fries. Great fit and a great California Malbec!

 

[Piobaire]

Two bottles tonight. 07 Novy Family Zin and 05 Cardwell PN. The zin was nice and simple. Fruit, smoke, jam, very light tannins. The perfect wine for someone to be introduced to reds. The Cardwell? Well, that was the $21 PN that WS gave a 93. Nice Oregon PN.

 

[ryansmith]

2004 Lafon-Rochet. Decanted a lot of hours, I had some sort of adventure inside that time frame, but don't remember what really happened. I know I ended up at a burlesque show at the Ace.
A good 04 value, lots of classic bordeaux on the nose actually. Surprising tannins make this a good wine, and better with a couple more years.

 

[Mark from Plano]

Too exhausted tonight to cook, or eat much. Opened a cheap 2007 Wilhelm Bergmann Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett and a can of soup (so sue me).

You know what? There's not a damn thing wrong with this wine.

 

[audiophilia]

Decided to spend the day with another couple. Had the most wonderful day in Toronto in the Spring-like sun. Even though I'm critical of the place, there are things I love about this city. Began with mid afternoon coffee and goodies at Aroma Coffee. A great, Israeli-run coffee place at Bathurst and Bloor. To die for cappuccinos and desserts.

Took a walk from The Annex down Bloor St. to Bay. On the way, we took some shots around Philosopher's Walk. A lovely part of U of T. The hideous ROM Crystal does not look too bad from this vantage.

The Royal Conservatory's new addition and concert hall is splendid. The place is a factory for music exams, but they did this right. Blending the Victorian and the functionally new. Lovely atrium in the back with more great coffee.

As a musician, I LOVE this poster! It really captures the youthful joy music can bring to life.

Time for pre dinner drinks at one of my favourite places, Holt's Cafe. Moet Rose, Ripasso and Ste. Michelle Merlot, Columbia Valley. Lovely, relaxed time in the lounge style seating.

Short drive to Le Select Bistro, and, IMO, what Bouchon wishes it was. And in starchy Toronto, no less. Chef Albert Ponzo always treats us (my wife) to some special dishes. By the time we got here, we were well underway! So, for the foodies, I can't remember the exact names/ingredients. But the dishes were delicious, in fact it was the best meal I've had there, in a symphony of great meals. Special pork chop (geez, this was fantastic), Beef cheeks, Lamb, Short Rib (amazing!!), Terrine de Foie Gras, Pate, etc. Assiete du Fromage (Riopelle, etc.). In addition to the port (Grahams 20 Year Old Tawny and more Champagne, Perrier Jouet), two bottles of wine. One our choice, one our friends.

The Sanford doesn't get much love around here, but I adore this wine, especially in Le Select's atmosphere. Our friends loved it, too. He's a Rhone man, so he ordered the Dominique. I apologize for not remembering the full name. By the time this wine came, we were well gone, the light was low and my photoskills suck. It was a very good wine, though. Each so different, but balanced. I love the back end of the Sanford. Anyway, a fabulous day. Cheers, a

 

[audiophilia]

WSJ article

 

[james_timothy]

That was a great photo-digest, audiophili! I'd love to go to that coffee shop.

It seems I have this low level obsession with things that get better over time. Stone, in the backyard. Libraries. Some of the bespoke jackets I've seen, good denim. Wine, now. I took a break from my self-imposed Bordeaux course this weekend and tried a bottle of Sigalas Santorini 2008, a white made from Santorini grown Assyrtiko grapes. The thought is that these Santorini wines do improve with age- maybe this comes from this wine geek article- improving perhaps for a decade. I thought I'd try these, and if I like it, cellar some.

I'm a sucker for Santorini, anyway, because another of my low-level obsessions is with the Minoan Bronze Age civilization. This was all about palaces on Crete, rowed ships on the Mediterranean, nature imagery, and Akrotiri on the active, and in the end lethal, volcano of Thera. Logically it follows that if in 1600BC wonderful wall paintings were being made on Thera then in 2010 good wines would also be being made there, right?

The Sigalas white was dry honey fruit- afterwards I wondered how honey could be dry- restrained, intense, full bodied. Another food loving wine, salt-philic. I like.

 

[audiophilia]

^^^

many thanks

 

[Manton]

Night two of the Greysac. This is super youthful and fruity. I bought this case for near-term drinking, but I think I will hold the rest for a while. Quite young.

I miss the Bordeaux spice but this is still very good wine. I think this flavor profile is more appealing to the broader public, which is sort of a shame from my perspective as someone who ruvs traditional Bordeaux. Greysac has always had a huge international market but they didn't used to make wines like this.

 

[Manton]

Significant sediment in this wine. Weird.

 

[gomestar]

Originally Posted by Manton

Night two of the Greysac. This is super youthful and fruity. I bought this case for near-term drinking, but I think I will hold the rest for a while. Quite young.

my experience was the opposite. The first bottle had nearly no fruit, the second was better but it seemed flabby. Isn't wine weird?


Had a few wines this weekend, unfortunately i forgot to write most of them down

First was an eye-tie white, and I enjoyed this very much. Then it was Chateau Souvrain Chard from Sonoma. A complete disaster of a wine. Then an aussie Shiraz, ehh. A Kiwi Sauv Blanc showed well, but a lot of artificial extracted fruit came through (dislike). A 2006 Grand Puy Ducasse (Pauillac) seemed promising, and it was nice. Great graphite, spite, and depth, but it seemed a little disjointed. Spectator gave it 88, I'd give it the same if I was write for grade inflated Spectator. Then a Toscana IGT white in a cool green bottle and a screw cap. And then tons of oak, NOT like the Italian I have come to love.