mostly wine stuff

[cantunamunch]

Well the rellies joined a wine club and we were the, ah, beneficiaries.


The one on the right was actually drinkable, in a smooth consistent hint of pucker way. Vaguely, blandly, elegant, is that a thing?
The one on the left got diluted with 2 cups of black forest honey and 4 cups of rum because mulling was the only way to save the concept of present, and herself is particular about that.

 

[Tony S]

 

[newfydog]

I'm with you on the Gigondas and Vaqueyras, Cote Rotie is steady and good. CdP is hit or miss with me - and Ventoux is mostly -ahem- no.

Gigondas is one of my staples. Anything from near Cht ndP but affordable is good,Vaqueyras for sure, but Gigondas is such a great town and the wine so reliable.

Did any of you get the Costco "Kirkland's own" Gigondas? I have no idea how they got that one. I picked up two bottles, returned for a case, and now that I'm down to the last bottle, wonder why I didn't get four cases. Good Gigondas for $15. If you ever see it again, sound the alarm!

 

[newfydog]

And with Thanksgiving dinner we have this all-American Beauty ...

View attachment 58731

We had a rehearsal dinner for a US Ski Team member's wedding here at our house one time. That was the wine we served.

 

[skibob]

I gathered that he doesn't do prosecco. At 2.5x the Freixenet price point, either a cremant or that Gruet that was posted above would give him better mileage, IMO.

I have yet to be converted to cava myself, though @skibob has tried.

FWIW, Pindar was not at all terrible at NYE, especially with salmon/egg/pickle sandwiches.

Gruet, especially the Rose (harder to find) for sure. But M. Chevallier Cava, $5.99 at trader joe's has to be the best value around. This is Codorniu's second (or third?) label. Not the most amazing stuff. But people always call Cristalino the best value. And I think its awful. Tannic, high pH heavy press. The Chevallier is a little simple, but clean, dry, and easy to drink mindlessly on a tuesday with pizza, or burgers, or, well, just about anything that doesn't demand a particular pairing.

 

[skibob]

I didn't know Pindar was still around. I have a big soft spot for them, for complicated reasons not all related to wine.

So... There's Cava and there's Cava. This one is pretty nice, with 7 years plus on it. There's a Riesling note that I particularly like.

View attachment 62184

Second generation has taken over at Pindar.

 

[skibob]

Gigondas is one of my staples. Anything from near Cht ndP but affordable is good,Vaqueyras for sure, but Gigondas is such a great town and the wine so reliable.

Did any of you get the Costco "Kirkland's own" Gigondas? I have no idea how they got that one. I picked up two bottles, returned for a case, and now that I'm down to the last bottle, wonder why I didn't get four cases. Good Gigondas for $15. If you ever see it again, sound the alarm!

What vintage? I believe I've seen it. Never tried it.

 

[skibob]

We had a rehearsal dinner for a US Ski Team member's wedding here at our house one time. That was the wine we served.

Willamette Valley is the crown jewel of American wine IMHO. Sorry Napa!

 

[pete]

speaking of Costco, Valleys etc ... I tend to like Lodi, but then I don't discriminate.

I tend to trust consistency with several of the big producers ...

 

[skibob]

speaking of Costco, Valleys etc ... I tend to like Lodi, but then I don't discriminate.

I tend to trust consistency with several of the big producers ...

View attachment 64183

They have had the same winemaking staff for years and years. I don't often have their wine but the consistency doesn't surprise me. Very professional operation.

 

[cantunamunch]

Not as structured as the other, not as good a food accompaniment , bit still a superb aperitif

 

[cantunamunch]

Ok 90 points bah . Sure it has a strong vanilla blueberry perfume but pffft on the middle and triple pfft on the weak watery acidic finish

 

[skibob]

Ok 90 points bah . Sure it has a strong vanilla blueberry perfume but pffft on the middle and triple pfft on the weak watery acidic finish
View attachment 64574

Paul Hobbs was consulting winemaker. No idea if he still is or not.

 

[cantunamunch]

Paul Hobbs was consulting winemaker. No idea if he still is or not.

Ok I .have a question for you.

I want to drink HUGE Cab Savs on the level of late 80s Don Max. Where do I look? I want multiple levels of both fruit and nuance. I am not particularly fussy on budget let's say up to 80 a bottle

 

[cantunamunch]

Barnyard front slight zing in the middle, rummy raisin in the nose. Torn here, probably not recommended, but might be OK as a third bottle in an evening

 

[skibob]

Ok I .have a question for you.

I want to drink HUGE Cab Savs on the level of late 80s Don Max. Where do I look? I want multiple levels of both fruit and nuance. I am not particularly fussy on budget let's say up to 80 a bottle

Big fruit, big tannin. That's easy these days. Big nuance? Not so much. Pahlmeyer used to deliver a surprising amount of nuance. But both of their winemakers moved on several years ago and I have no idea what its like these days. One of them went to Martinelli (no cab I don't think) and the other to Lewis Cellars. Lewis had a WS "Wine of the Year" a few years back. Never tasted it, but I assume he's making stuff like he made at Pahlmeyer (?). Corison comes to mind, as does Heidi Barrett (La Sirena).

Voyager Estate in West Australia could be worth a look.

If you can find it, there is a tiny producer in South Africa called "Upland Estate" that nails it, and for less money.

There are probably Bordeaux that fit the bill. But so many that don't, and I just don't know them well.

In the Non-sequitur category, how about a good modern Gran Reserva Rioja or Chateauneuf de Pape?

 

[Mendieta]

Gran Reserva Rioja or Chateauneuf de Pape?

I love CdP, and I know nothing about wine, but I think some of the Gran Reserva's would be closer to the flavor profile of a big cab? I just don't look for excellent big cabs anymore. Too expensive. For me, as a consumer, wine is the art of staying off the beaten track

 

[skibob]

I love CdP, and I know nothing about wine, but I think some of the Gran Reserva's would be closer to the flavor profile of a big cab? I just don't look for excellent big cabs anymore. Too expensive. For me, as a consumer, wine is the art of staying off the beaten track

I am so going to steal that. Well put!

In that vein, I will be visiting Cava estates while visiting friends in Barcelona next month. Get past the usual suspects and cava can be exceptional. With its own identity, but every bit as good as fine Champagne.

 

[cantunamunch]

The Basque now have a vino verde competitor

 

[pete]

back a few pages I noted joining the WSJ wine club

have only tried two and as noted, I am no trained wine expert so can only state I liked it or I didn't, anyhow a month back we tried a Primitivo which we thought pretty decent. I wouldn't claim it amazing but really not bad and we thought pleasant ... the Pillastro image from fall.

thought I'd toss this out as with humor we got our second case delivered last week, We're midwest and most wineries ship spring/fall only due to either heat or cold .. well, I noted to my spouse to open the box prior to signing off on it. It did get delayed a few days but Fed Ex (or WSJ) didn't account that ~-30F lows or even the high of day being ~-15F (yes, that was the official high) may be detrimental to wine - opps! Ah well, new shipment coming without any hassle.

I still find it fun to get wines to try even if they're not all 90+ and given some posts and my experience, don't always trust an official rating