The Official Wine Thread

[Piobaire]



beware anything a french person judges not in a blind tasting. they are very, very good marketers. and very, very protective of their position as the vatican of wine. (which is not to say that the aussies haven't fully embraced the chemical approach to winemaking ... but there are french that have, too).

Well, has anyone trusted a Frenchman in a non-blind tasting since '76?

 

[tattersall]



I love good roses.

me too. which ones are people liking this year? i've got some of my standby high-end, the sinskey rose, but i haven't picked up my drinkers yet. hell, we've only had a couple days over 80 so far. i'm sure that'll change come august and september and i need to be ready.

I had three this weekend: Domaine Fontsainte Gris-de-Gris, Gros 'Nore Bandol Rose and Tempier Bandol Rose - all were 2010. The Tempier was obviously the star but the other two, at lower price points, held their own too. The Gros 'Nore was the most "rough" and a bit astringent at times; Fontsainte was smooth and very drinkable but without much 'wow'; Tempier showed perfect balance and was extremely refreshing. All were drunk outdoors and chilled on ice, afternoon temp was mid 80s - perfect style of wine for the occasion.

 

[foodguy]

the fontsainte was my house pour a couple of summers ago. i'll have to get some more. i get plenty of "wow" from the sinskey. what i'm looking for is a backyard wine ... just somethingto drink with tomatoes and eggplant.

 

[itsstillmatt]



the fontsainte was my house pour a couple of summers ago. i'll have to get some more. i get plenty of "wow" from the sinskey. what i'm looking for is a backyard wine ... just somethingto drink with tomatoes and eggplant.

The Fonsainte has been our house summer wine for several years. I think it is still $12 a bottle or less.

 

[tattersall]

Price is definitely right on the Fontsainte - I just wish I smuggled legally imported more from Seattle as I can't seem to get it up north.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Could a more experienced wine drinker offer some insight to my Bordeaux issue above? (Post #10023)

 

[foodguy]



Ok, now I am trying to figure something out. I had a bord last night pictured here on the left:

It was, in my opinion terrible. It had a finish that was almost sour. It was 70% Merlot 20% Cab Franc and 10% Cab Sau from Graves in the south, I assume.
A few nights ago I had this bord pictured in the middle that had no indication of the region within bord, or blend, just said "reserve special" and I thought it was great, granted the vintage is different is the region what other factors are at play here? Would decanting for an hour or two make any difference?

different wines. it's important to remember that you're not buying a standardized product, like a chevy or a volkswagen. wines made from the same mix of grapes, even from the same vineyards can taste very different depending on the ability of the winemaker.

 

[tattersall]



Could a more experienced wine drinker offer some insight to my Bordeaux issue above? (Post #10023)

Well I haven't tried either of these but I would first say that both are very young for BDX and that '09 is considered a much better vintage than '07. That said, what were you looking for in these wines and what aspect of the second wine did you like? The second is a generic blend from a producer with a great pedigree and marketing savvy, the first is from a minor unclassified chateau better known for it's whites. My guess is the Rothschild wine has been expressly vinified for immediate drinking hence it was a better experience for you; maybe the Fage was sleeping, but sour is never something one hopes to find in wine outside of vinegar...

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I've basically been trying to find a Bord that is on the cheaper side and also just try bords from different areas. When I first tried the first Chateau the finish was just horrible. I was thinking that it was corked. The Rothschild was very balanced in my opinion. It had apparent fruit flavor characteristics with a touch of tannins at the finish. I've said this before in this thread, but I always liked 2005 bords. I don't think I had a bad one ever even at a lower price point, however they have begun to get rarer and much more expensive.

 

[foodguy]

it's hard to figure what you mean by "sour", whether it could be natural acidity, volatile acidity or acetic acid (last two are flaws; first is just a taste thing). corkiness is not at all sour-ness. it's a real bad smell, like wet cardboard or wet dog.

 

[gomestar]

I was going to say, corked is something I notice right up front and not as a aftertaste

 

[Quatsch]

Tonight I had a bottle of 1995 Kalin Cellars Chardonnay. Oldest Chardonnay I've ever had, and far and away the tastiest. Just really good. Quite dry, nice acidity, balance, fruity enough, and a touch of tannin from the oak that has in the 16 years since the grapes have left the barrels, receded into the background.

 

[Cary Grant]

I have to think that Chard making it that far is a bit of an aberration.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Just as a follow-up in case anybody cares, I had that Chateau in my top picture on the right, the Saint-Emilion last night. Of course it is very new, but the woman at the wine shop said that it is already drinking well. She was right, I actually think it was the best out of the three I had recently.

 

[kwilkinson]



I have to think that Chard making it that far is a bit of an aberration.

Do you mean THAT chard as in the Kalin, or do you mean any Chard?