The Wine Thread

[TheRiddick]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

I never had seen that bottlling of Ferrari-Carano.

Their high end for some time now. In Bay Area its all over the place, not sure how much of it makes it out of Bay Area, but then you can say that about many other CA wines. CA wine selection on the Right Coast is piss pour, even at best shops. Interestingly enough, West Coast shops also have better selection of Old World wines as well. We seem to be drinking better

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by TheRiddick

. Interestingly enough, West Coast shops also have better selection of Old World wines as well. We seem to be drinking better

I don't think they'll get as low a price as here. I've been buying 2000 Ch Fortia CdP for $11 and no sales tax in MA.

Had a 06' Clos Du Bois last night it was my first Cab I ever tried 2 years ago. Still love it. Funny I used to hate Red Wines, and drank sweet whites (ice wine, Reisling), now I don't like them.
Have my taste matured or is it just in my head?

[Melissa]

agreed-hmmmm wine!

[Melissa]

Greg you have great taste in wine. What were the last couple of bottles you brought with you to Eric's herf?

[TheRiddick]

You mean Saxum Syrah and Turley Zin? We had others that day...

[Melissa]

Originally Posted by TheRiddick

You mean Saxum Syrah and Turley Zin? We had others that day...

yes, those were the names I was looking for.
drinking too much might occur at a herf but I rarely do.
I however more than likely forget the names of people
i meet, cigars
i smoke and wines I drink. Never do I forget a face.

I always loose track after the fourth or fifth bottle, too.

[TheRiddick]

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman

I always loose track after the fourth or fifth bottle, too.

Lance, I can name ALL the wines we consumed that day and the order we drank them in. The herf was back in April, IIRC?

Originally Posted by TheRiddick

Lance, I can name ALL the wines we consumed that day and the order we drank them in. The herf was back in April, IIRC?

Is that a challenge?
Drinking herf is ON!!!
(J/K) I don't ever drink to excess any more.

[TheRiddick]

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman

Is that a challenge?
Drinking herf is ON!!!
(J/K) I don't ever drink to excess any more.

Hmmm... Easy pickings, my friend I've been running wine tastings since late '90s, a good number a year, and I can recall most of them, bottles wise as well, up to 30+ bottles at times.

Wine is not meant to be drunk to excess. That's what liquor is for

Most of the latter herfs you have missed included a good number of bottles, you just didn't attend. But another drinking herf is a good possibility. I just need to get back from FL first...

[mosesbotbol]

Once the serious part of a wine tasting is done, start pounding them back! It’s not a wine event unless there’s at least 1.5 bottles per person. I like to keep port wine events to at least 1 bottle per person.

Keep the thimbles for sewing!

[TheRiddick]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

Once the serious part of a wine tasting is done, start pounding them back! It’s not a wine event unless there’s at least 1.5 bottles per person. I like to keep port wine events to at least 1 bottle per person.

Keep the thimbles for sewing!

Moses, this is funny. About 2 years ago, one in the group, fit 6"6 frame and all, winemaker as well, was screaming at the rest of us for having way too many bottles to taste through and hw he just has hard time keeping up with the rest of us Have no idea why one needs to spend 5 mins on a wine, but... That night was roughly 3+ bottles per taster (IIRC, I brought 5 just myself). And yes, once we score and reveal wines (all blind and double blind, never open), as you can imagine most bottles are "emptied". Unless they suck...

We try to "adjust" since, but we never have less than 2+ per person and this on top of other wines we open before we proceed to the official part of the tasting, easy whites and sparklers to calibrate and cleanse the palate. And plenty of food, of course, before, during and after...

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by TheRiddick

Have no idea why one needs to spend 5 mins on a wine, but...

I don't think 5 minutes on a wine is that much, depending how detailed of a review one wants.

Give me 2 minutes and my score will as close as any of the big names I agree with.

[mosesbotbol]

Here's a picture of a Jean Bourdy tasting I went to the other night. Jura wines are among the longest living and able to age wines available. Their whites can age 150 years no problem.

[TheRiddick]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

Here's a picture of a Jean Bourdy tasting I went to the other night. Jura wines are among the longest living and able to age wines available. Their whites can age 150 years no problem.

Too bad all the so called "professionals" keep telling people its the red wines that age better and longer. In fact, whites age way better and are more affordable to boot (Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Champagnes, Sauternes, etc.)

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by TheRiddick

Too bad all the so called "professionals" keep telling people its the red wines that age better and longer. In fact, whites age way better and are more affordable to boot (Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Champagnes, Sauternes, etc.)

Any "expert" should know that acidity is what makes for long term aging, not tannin.

What I found interesting from this tasting is that Bourdy says that wine cellars should have seasonal temp swings if you want to age wine a long time. Their cellar goes from freezing to 60 degrees and that steady temp cellars do not age wine for a long time (30+ years) as well.

[TheRiddick]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

Any "expert" should know that acidity is what makes for long term aging, not tannin.

What I found interesting from this tasting is that Bourdy says that wine cellars should have seasonal temp swings if you want to age wine a long time. Their cellar goes from freezing to 60 degrees and that steady temp cellars do not age wine for a long time (30+ years) as well.

You're preaching to the choir here, Moses. I was lambasted by the self appointed experts, both consumers and pros, when I pointed out that it is the acidity and not tannin that preserves wine after Jancis Robinson made a statement that tannin is the main preserver. Pointed out a good number of wines, as examples, that don't even see oak, or are aged in very old barrels that are more than neutral, whites that age much longer and better than those using new oak by the simple fact of built-in acidity. Same thing when I took Parker to task on the subject, his arguments fell apart as I took them all down, one by one. No matter, I was the villain in the argument and no matter how stupid and ridiculous Parker's arguments looked his sycophants ran with them as they defended his POV. Still do if you ask them. But Parker and Robinson are not alone, I deal with supposed pros (retail and restaurant buyers) that think same way they were taught never asking the right questions and blindly following what "books say".

Champagne is the perfect example here: No oak aging, plenty of acidity and built-in ability to live and age for a very, very long time.

I don't know about lonnnnng term aging of whites but some that I have overlooked in my cellar that got to be 15 years old tasted great.
I have always heard that seasonal temp variation is ok but daily swings are damaging. This is the first time I have heard that seasonal variation is desirable. I will worry less about my cellar now.

[TheRiddick]

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman

I don't know about lonnnnng term aging of whites but some that I have overlooked in my cellar that got to be 15 years old tasted great.
I have always heard that seasonal temp variation is ok but daily swings are damaging. This is the first time I have heard that seasonal variation is desirable. I will worry less about my cellar now.

Lance, temp variation issues are overplayed, IMO. Wines are more than sturdy when aging. I do not recommend allowing them to go through wild temp swings, but even daily up and down swings of a few degrees are fine. Most in my tasting group have wine cellars of some sort, I simply keep one room in the house cooled down (can't afford anything that could hold 60-80+ cases) and wines that I bring to tastings never show any storage issues. We're talking 60-74F temps depending on season.