The Official Wine Thread

[Principle]

Getting around to the well regarded Chateau through the second bottles recently. Found the Ridge Estate magnum for $120 this weekend which seemed like a steal. Pardon the dark photos.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

 

[venividivicibj]

Tintero Barbaresco today, a Kermit Lynch import.

Pop & pour-was good initially and then shut down hard. hoping it opens up tomorrow.

 

[RedLantern]

Tintero Barbaresco today, a Kermit Lynch import.

Pop & pour-was good initially and then shut down hard. hoping it opens up tomorrow.

That wine is pushed fairly heavily on Full Pull, and it just doesnt do it for me, for whatever reason. Idk, maybe I just dont like/appreciate Barbaresco.

 

[reidd]

Sounds like you're doing it right, in my book. Unless you are buying wine as an investment, you should buy what you like to drink. By all means, you should try a little bit of everything to help you discover exactly what you do and don't like, but when it comes to buying stuff in decent quantities and sitting on them for a while, I think it's best to have what you really enjoy.

My interests are somewhat varied but France is a fairly dominant theme with me, with about half my current cellar coming from there, and probably well more than half of that coming from the Southern Rhône. I would rather have a cellar full of interesting, good quality Gigondas and Châteauneuf-du-Pape costing anywhere from $15-50/bottle than more expensive but, to me, at least, less interesting wines. If you collect something that's not to your taste, what's the point - and if you paid significant money for it, each bottle you open will disappoint you all the more. I am that way with Barolos... I recognize them as great wines, but my palate, mind and heart fail to understand them. The last time I opened one, it was a well-rated bottle that had had 10 years or more to rest, and when I opened it, I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. I had a decent amount of money in it and that compounded the disappointment. That's happened enough that I have decided that I shouldn't spend money on them. But I know I am almost always going to enjoy a Rhône or a Bordeaux that's priced fairly and has good reviews or is from a producer that I have come to trust. For weeknight drinking, I know that for my tastes, I can almost never go wrong with a Côtes du Rhône or a Spanish garnacha, and many good examples can be found for $15 or less.

On the same token, it's good to revisit things if you haven't had them in quite some time and see if your tastes have changed. I used to buy and enjoy a lot of good quality (and fairly priced) reds from the Loire Valley, made primarily from cabernet franc, but I fell out of the habit years ago for who knows what reason. A few weeks ago, I saw one - a Bourgeuil - from a favorite importer (actually, my very favorite one, Kermit Lynch) in a local shop, bought it and drank it within a couple of days. It was fantastic, and I can't wait to get some more. My thirst for that stuff has been reawakened.

Speaking of importers, if you find some whose wines you consistently enjoy, that can be as good a guide to what you should buy and stock in your cellar as anything else. I have known for years that I am likely to enjoy just about anything I see from Kermit Lynch, and often I will find myself looking at the rear labels looking for his logo (or those of other importers whose wines I enjoy) more than at the fronts.

This is all good advice. The only thing I would add is relating to drinking window management. As you begin to accumulate, and eventually go down the line, you don't want to have a doughnut hole of time where you have nothing "ready" to drink. So I would try and be cognizant of staggering the aging life of things you collect. Obviously it also depends on how developed you like wines to taste as well. Also, I would avoid buying in ones and twos. You really want to get at least 3 or 4 bottles of each wine per vintage so that you can actually perceive its evolution over time. At least for me, that is one of the most satisfying aspects of cellaring.

 

[Beckwith]

Anyone see the class action against WTSO for unfair pricing of wine that wasn't sold anywhere else, but advertised best web price and then undercut?

 

[venividivicibj]

 

[CBrown85]

Haven’t had a South American in years. Wife brought it home.

 

[venividivicibj]

Sorry @Manton ,a baby

 

[Piobaire]

This is from the night I cracked the first in my six pack of Amarone.

 

[venividivicibj]

Ive had some ripasso, but haven't had a true amarone yet.

 

[jesask]

Beaujolais with supper

 

[venividivicibj]

Havent tried any '16s yet, how are they?

 

[jesask]

Havent tried any '16s yet, how are they?

I have not tried too many myself. This is a producer with whom I have had some limited experience though. I found a some of the 2015 to be pretty rich and lush. This seemed a bit more refined/restrained. Dark red fruit with some nice earthiness...not overly tannic although more so than some of the other crus. Nicely balanced. I quite liked it and will probably pick up some more. I find myself grabbing Beaujolais as good burgundy gets more and more expensive.

 

[venividivicibj]

I have not tried too many myself. This is a producer with whom I have had some limited experience though. I found a some of the 2015 to be pretty rich and lush. This seemed a bit more refined/restrained. Dark red fruit with some nice earthiness...not overly tannic although more so than some of the other crus. Nicely balanced. I quite liked it and will probably pick up some more. I find myself grabbing Beaujolais more and more as good burgundy gets more and more expensive.

Sounds true to vintage. 16 is supposed to be much more like-'classical'. 15 was a much riper and 'full throttle' vintage.