tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58081585442254335272024-02-06T20:29:43.870-08:00Wine MothershipAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-2535859411605175692016-10-05T06:49:00.003-07:002016-10-06T04:55:29.971-07:00The hills are alive.<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Something interesting happened in France in 2011. Actually I'm sure a tons of interesting stuff happened but this particular story revolves around Burgundy. The powers that be decided to change the rules surrounding the lowliest appellation in this venerable region. Out went Grand Ordinaire and all it's negative connotations and in came this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Coteaux Bourguignons (Burgundy Hills, for the uninitiated) allows winemakers that rarest of all things in France</span>. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Freedom. A variety of blends of all colors are now available to Burgundian<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> winemakers</span> and I thought I'd try the offering from famed nego<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">c</span>iant, Louis Jadot. Chardonnay. Aligote. As soon as I saw these words on the label I decided to buy. This is precisely the kind of thing that the French Wine authorities were trying to achieve by implementing these new rules. Two grapes grown in the same region but rarely seen in a blend. This is as rare as hens teeth in Japan. I was uncommonly excited to taste this for the first time</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What a load of old rubbish. Honestly, this is appalling. Words fail me. Not only badly made (a wine with this flavor profile should have a higher degree of acid), but poorly conceived. It would have been easy for a firm of the scale and experience of Jadot to source enough of the right kind of grapes to make a half decent wine. Probably a half decent wine with a degree of interest. No, this is not even a half decent wine. I cannot recall the last time I (and you too, dear wine lover) had had my intelligence insulted in such a base and unimaginative way as it's been impugned by the existence of this tramp's urine. Fat Chardonnay on the nose. An angry fatness that screams "stay away" in an ever louder and more shrill tones until you do exactly that. The first sip bores, then gives you indigestion. Short and hateful. I'm done with this wine. Reefer shipped and bought from a res<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">pected outlet<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. I</span>t's not just a bad bottle.</span> I'm going to the convenience store to buy a can of Coke to dull the agony.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-2770214035025605392016-10-05T05:08:00.000-07:002016-10-05T05:08:37.127-07:00Fading Gracefully<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The thing is about Bordeaux, it's well, er , how can I put this? A bit pompous, stuffy conservative, out of date</span>, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">irrelevant and annoyingly backward in the way it evaluates it's wines. This can be most strikingly seen when considering the Grand Cru Classe of 1855.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(If you're familiar with this part, skip to the text after the picture.) At this time some bright spark (Napoleon III) decided it'd be a good idea to place the best wine producers in the Medoc, the left bank of the river Gironde, into classified categories. This became the the 5 rank system that we all know and loathe today. It's remained broadly unchanged since that time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3V4DPgJR9gQTdQlaZvXDNbajH9r1zT5E3-wRB9ZvjDWrCGrCC5HdBmq2aLiuWiYp39PVUvHLIL1WJCRAvfteBCOiU7mQluPHspcR-xoTbob4lVQMhj4Mx-CNEsgJcjy9D2zbt5ys_qS_8/s640/blogger-image--1781211632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3V4DPgJR9gQTdQlaZvXDNbajH9r1zT5E3-wRB9ZvjDWrCGrCC5HdBmq2aLiuWiYp39PVUvHLIL1WJCRAvfteBCOiU7mQluPHspcR-xoTbob4lVQMhj4Mx-CNEsgJcjy9D2zbt5ys_qS_8/s640/blogger-image--1781211632.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">what happens over time? Prod<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ucers get good, they go b<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ad. Chateau change hands, get handed down to an idiot son, or the biodynamic guys next door start making better wine<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Whatever happens the classification stays the same. T<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">h</span>is surely benefits Chateau Croizet-<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ba<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ges. Check Cellar Tracker. For y<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ears the best that could be said for this old Medoc name is t<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">hat they under-perform for the money. The worst that can be<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> said is un-publishable on a family-friendly blog. Look at the top of the label. GRAND CRU CLASSE. For ¥5<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">500 from my local wine emporium it better <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">emphasize</span> the Grand<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">First impressions are good and there is a vivid blast of squis<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">hy red fruit upon opening. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I</span>t's broad and acidic in that electric way all red wine needs to be to excite. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's</span> all that I'd imagined it cou<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ld be<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. Call of nature. Return to <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">living room to fin<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">d that this s<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">tuf</span>f is belting out the stone fruit<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">M</span>y temporary tasting room smells like a large group of plums <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">has formed a r<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">u<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">gby team, performed a <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">successful</span> tour of south east England and has no<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">w decided to get get drun<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">k and watch Youtube on my couch.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> Lurching towards my glass. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">t</span>ook a he<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">fty sw<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ig of this stuff and immediately started to dance arou<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">nd my amateur review process.</span></span></span> T<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">h</span>is is a tough one to review. Not since Erwin Schrodinger took a disli<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ke to his pet has there been a<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> more dichotomous position.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">First the positive<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. T<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">here are a ton of winemakers<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> around the world who'd love to marry this wine's <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">O</span>ld <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">W</span>orld m<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ystique and <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">New W<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">orld ease<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. This is a wine that is <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">languid and tex<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">t</span>ured with soft tannins<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">,</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">licq<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">uorice and sweet pipe tobacco<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. It's a<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">lso a wine with persistant red plum, a hint of cassis and a not unpleasant grapiness that is super easy to drink. I've had two good size glasse<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">s and I know I'm going to f<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">inish this bottle tonight. I can easily imagine this going with a ton of different foods, best suited, however, to meats with a sweater sauce. Some of the essence of the<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> 25% new oak is <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">pr</span>esent<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">curiously perhaps, is the best integrated and most "expensive" aspect of this wine.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now the negatives. Shouldn't a Grand Cru Classé offer a little more than this? Despite its deliciousness, this wine lacks the complexity, the intrigue to raise it above a lot of better priced offerings from Australia, the U.S., and latterly South America. Doesn't Croizet-Bages, in its drinkable yet yawn inducing competency, devalue the whole idea of the class of '55? It should unarguably off<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">er the drinker something unique<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, and here, I fear the USP simp<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ly isn't strong enough. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Where <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">B</span>ordeaux <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ought to</span> differ mar<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">kedly</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">fro<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">m </span>the international crowd is <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">on the nose (especially left bank blends). Here the aromas are too dominated by lush red fruit and the slightly elevated alcohol level to even offer<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> much of a diffe<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">rence. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">T<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">he old <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">school paper money funk is missing.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">To buy or not to buy?</span> As long as people are willing to pay the classy prices for the classy names, the Grand Cru Classé will always be a jealously guarded <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">bauble</span>.<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span>The question you should ask yourself is "Will I be drinking this with someone who cares about the classification?". Answer that and you have a good indication of whether or not you should buy this wine.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'll tell you what I've also had recently,</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Casarena Malbec Jumilla's Vinyard. An Argentine wine with none of the preten<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">s</span>ion, but all of the presence in the glass of the Croizet-Bages. 30% cheaper. Bang up to date.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-16048154958242786522016-02-25T06:01:00.000-08:002016-02-25T06:01:12.822-08:00"We found it in the back room."<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Do you ever have that worn out, world weary feeling where everything seems altogether too much effort? The world just seems like it's draped in a beige cloth of mediocrity. Fortunately this kind of malaise isn't something I'm given to readily, but I make an exception when I trawl the shelves of high street wine shops. I just don't know who buys this junk. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As I was digging around for something interesting to drink in my local Liquor Mountain I was beginning to notice the beige feeling descend. Then something unusual happened. I chanced upon something that made me stop, double take and then immediately pick up the bottle and take it to the cashier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasteau_AOC" target="_blank">Rasteau</a> is an appellation in the Rhone valley long known for producing sweet fortified wine. I've never tried it, nor do I know anyone who ever has. Not my bag anyway. The thing is, for a long time the winemakers of that area were lobbying the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institut_national_de_l'origine_et_de_la_qualit%C3%A9" target="_blank">French Government</a> to allow them to sell their dry table wines under the Rasteau name. I suppose they were sick of having to sell them as simply Côtes du Rhône (or from '96, </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Côtes du Rhône Village)</span> . In 2010 the Local wine makers of the village of Rasteau got their wish. Their very own table wine appellation! That makes this bottle of Domaine de la Combe Dieu somewhat of an oddity in Japan. A wine from 2000. Labelled as a Village.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When I popped it open two things hit me. Sharp. Wood. There was an initial hit of something that at first whiff had the feeling of vinegar about it. Before I was able to recoil in horror it had passed. I hope it was just some sort of residue on the cork or in the capsule</span>. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The woodyness was a little more in keeping with what I might have expected. It wasn't the wood tone of an oak barrel aged wine, it was more the soggy bret funk of a dead and decaying tree stump. Not a great start.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the glass this quickly blew off revealing...Not a lot if truth be told. The nose of this wine is unmistakably Grenache with it's bright sand hits of cherry and redcurrent. A little leathery, but altogether muted. "Fully mature" would be a polite way to put it. In fairness I don't expect the winemakers at the Domaine expected this bottle to be matured in an uncontrolled fashion in a back ally in Osaka for fifteen years</span>. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Considering this the nose has born up fairly well. It's just a bit boring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's unfair to judge the colour as well. The cork had a tone of wine crystals on and from the look of them there's going to be a ton of sediment in this yet to be finished bottle. I rushed this home and opened it so I had expected murk. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As this wine hits the tongue there's a tingle. It still has a zing of acid left after all these years. It's the key to this win and it's really what stops it from being a dead loss. The acid combines well with the matured fruit of the Grenache (I really don't think there's much else in here other than the Grenache. Perhaps a little Syrah.) and I must say this bottle goes down rather nicely. Complexity? Look elsewhere. Length? The structure of the tannins just aren't up to the task. Interest? I suppose so. I can't recommend it purely because for every bottle on the shelf of your local Liquor Mountain in decent condition, I imagine that there are three others that are either cooked, oxidised or corked. It's that kind of wine. It's that kind of shop. If, however, you have a nose for gambling and ¥2000 to spare, it might brighten a meal for you. Leave it upright for a couple of days to sort the sediment though. There's a good chap.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Domaine de la Combe Dieu Rasteau 2000. Worn out, world weary. but certainly not a beige wine.</span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-16557516780333524802015-12-31T06:59:00.003-08:002016-09-06T21:30:48.126-07:00Half right is better than half wrong.<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">To be honest I've been pretty slack this year. I've drunk plenty of wine but I haven't exactly been meticulous in my note keeping. The Burgundies, Pomerols and south Australian Grenaches have come and gone. Some good, some bad, but many memorable. I'll be better in the new year. I suppose that's a resolution. Just time to slip in a few words before January 1st about a very reasonably priced bottle of Brunello that I just picked up. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For those not in the know, Brunello is like the big brother to Chianti. Made from the Sangiovese grape, this Tuscan wonder is a staple of Italian restaurants the world over and I thought that a decent example might be out of my price range in Japan.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was half right.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Badia al Colle's 2009 effort is still massively young. Perhaps it was my knowledge of the amount of ageing Brunellos actually need, but I swear I could smell the tannin when I pulled the cork on this one. The nose was terrifically pungent on the first pour. Cherries, as expected, but more of a Tempranillo character than a classy pasta joint drop. Charcoal as well. An odd component, but something in the nose of this wine reminds me of a recently quenched barbecue. Mostly bright red fruit of a confectionery shop style.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's not often that I taste a wine and instantly think that it's well balanced. This most certainly is and its the wine's greatest strength. It's a hugely drinkable wine that just disappears down your throat in a stream of fruit, velvet and excitement. The fruit on the palate is very food friendly. Sour cherry, cranberry and just a little grapeyness remaining. This would be an excellent accompaniment to a ton of my favourite foods. Cassoulet, Goulash and the most hideous sounding of pork offal dishes would be excellent with this. The acid is present, perhaps a little too present for this to be fully enjoyed on its own. Secondary elements are still lacking though.</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The tannin, while never grippy, still has to yield more complex savoury notes. The question remains as to whether this wine has the guts to stay in the fight. Perhaps not. More seasoned Brunello drinkers have sampled this wine, put it on the shelves pf your local Yamaya and priced it at under 3000 yen. This wine is really just the merest glimpse of what the region is capable of. I'll take a closer look in the name of science in the new year.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Judging by the length of this wine I'd say it's a super bargain. Delicious and flexible in it's nature, this wine will brighten up any Italian meal. If you have a decanter give it an hour or three, if not, why not? </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-80634460946091876712015-07-02T08:17:00.000-07:002015-07-02T08:17:12.759-07:00Something for the weekend?<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Due to the birth of my lovely daughter Iori, Wine Mothership has been on somewhat of a hiatus. Nappies and wine don't go quite as well together as Oysters and stout. Time for a treat. So, what do I like? I like Bordeaux. I like Cabernet Franc. I love 2003. I'm certainly a big fan of not shelling out too much money on wine while my wife is on maternity leave. I'm hoping that this will do the trick.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Chateau La Fleur Pourret 2003. I popped into Wine Grocery on Shijo Horikawa here in Kyoto for a crisp, dry Pinot Blanc and came back with this. 50% Merlot. 44% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. A shade over ¥3000. Just beginning to show it's age in the colour stakes, this wine's nose isn't the typically plummy affair that we've come to expect from the right bank. There's not only red fruit, but also a degree of baking spice. Mixed spice, already baked in. A few volts of electricity as well. Lightning from the Cabernet Franc, I surmise. Then there's a hint of sweetness on the nose as well. Not from oak as one might expect, but from the lush, ripe fruit of the 2003 vintage. Reading the spiel on this wine, I don't think they use any new oak and I think the wine benefits from it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In the mouth this wine has just past its peak. The moment I opened it it was accessible and jolly good company as I struggled to start my first article in four months. <i>Some</i> of the Merlot fruit character has turned to stodge, but there's still plenty of quite lively acid to structure and lengthen the wine. Add to that the ghostly blueberry on mid palate and you're beginning to see quite a wine stacking up. There's structure there too. Not particularly fine like freshly conditioned hair, but as soft frivolous and plentiful as Santa's beard. This is a pretty weighty affair for Bordeaux. Tasting it blind I don't think I'd guess this one. My favourite grape/year/region combination and I don't really know what it tastes like? Well I I'm getting a better idea with each glass I drink. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For the money, I think the combination of weight, fruit and length is hard to beat. Add to that the vigour from Cabernet Franc and you have a very drinkable Bordeaux suitable for all you meaty dishes. Hurry up though, I don't think this'll last much longer. Something for this weekend?</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-74219176356022609602015-01-22T07:04:00.001-08:002015-01-22T07:04:34.174-08:00A New Years resolution to which I might actually stick<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Given up smoking? Dropped ten pounds? Still going to that painting class? I hate New Years resolutions. Why would yo wait until new year? Why start at the gym when it's totally packed? I suppose I'm just a contrarian, but this year I've changed my mind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Having first got interested in wine during the heady days of Tony Blair's first government, I've had an inbuilt prejudice against chardonnay. The image of Tony's cronies slurping tropical oak bombs is as unpalatable as the contents of said cronies' glasses. Never mind. Time to leave 1997 behind and edumacate myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here's a nice place to start. Paul Pernot and ses Fils Puligny-Montrachet 2011. I blew my point card points on this at a modest neighbourhood wine store here in Kyoto</span>. <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I was in luck too, apparently. According to Jasper Morris on his brief write up on <a href="http://www.bbr.com/producer-3581-domaine-paul-pernot-et-ses-fils" target="_blank">Berry Bros. and Rudd's</a></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> Web site, "M. Pernod doesn't bottle enough to meet demand."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Cool. Upon opening, those words fell through the trap door of credibility. Mid-toned for a white Burgundy, I paid the colour no attention as I put my nose into the glass. I thought I'd either been ripped off or else bought a heat damaged bottle. The first whiff of this wine gave nothing away about it's pedigree. Flat, empty and with just a hint of calcium. In the mouth. Oak city, California. Pop. 12.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Dang" I said, or words to that effect, as I put the bottle back into the wine fridge for some much needed air while we worked on the video for Dard et Ribo's odd-ball <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o0eLP0qAM8" target="_blank">St. Joseph.</a></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Somewhere between realising that I'd bought the wrong SD card and the battery on the camera running out, a miracle occurred.</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What had once been a flat desert of useless chardonnay was now a whole bunch more interesting. Lime, cream and just a hint of vanilla took the place of the chalky abyss that was the nose. Not hugely intense, but then this is a village level wine. The fruit tended toward the pear side of things and was very long. What impressed</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">most though was the extent to which the oak was integrated. Not much new oak here, but what there was was a perfect supporting actor for the fruit. lasting as long as the fruit and leaving just a hint of butter at the end of the palate to blend the dry finish seamlessly. This wine impressed. Super serious white burgundy for your special event. It's drinking well now (after some time to open up, of course) but there is plenty here to suggest a long maturation period. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This New Year's resolution will be more resilient most</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-89510016323072028302015-01-12T20:44:00.001-08:002015-12-31T05:15:35.138-08:00Medals of (dis)honour.<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I admit it. I have an unhealthy obsession. Ever since my early days peddling ciggies, strong beer and the occasional bottle of wine at Thresher I've loved wine labels that are black with gold text. What could be classier? What says Ambassador's Reception more emphatically than a bottle of Côte-d'Or pinot? Gevrey-Chambertin? Hang on a minute, I'll just put on my cravat. What could be more classy?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoQGd4gkSnj2AxvuYptNHUTiknIAYdT7hyphenhyphenB6QJmt4YP02nA7BfecXrpm36M5qdJ3n9yGG0NSx-lH0IuQRbLD4V8hnRqFxWfplv0_VudYE1Byj_vsW8THKFQ7CQ58Gt4DPquu8KaVphlBI/s640/blogger-image--1477757456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoQGd4gkSnj2AxvuYptNHUTiknIAYdT7hyphenhyphenB6QJmt4YP02nA7BfecXrpm36M5qdJ3n9yGG0NSx-lH0IuQRbLD4V8hnRqFxWfplv0_VudYE1Byj_vsW8THKFQ7CQ58Gt4DPquu8KaVphlBI/s640/blogger-image--1477757456.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Well plenty actually. I had a Camus Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 2002 on Christmas day and regretted not giving it to the reindeer. I'm willing to forgive pinot noir some of its more common faults. If it's a bit short or lacks concentration I generally persist. These wines still have something to offer. Not here though. Upon opening the nose typical Bourgogne. This is not a good thing. Think of all the one-note, sour berry bottles of wine that have that illustrious word slapped on them. There's nothing elegant or charming( or any of the other commonly employed excuse words used to pardon lack-luster pinot) about this wines nose. It was OK I suppose. Like being waved at by a sour cherry from across the street during rush hour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This wine was fine on the first attack, bright red fruit, but soon an overpowering sourness took over. It wasn't overly unpleasant, but it rendered this wine unappealing to even the staunchest Burgundy fan. Short, thin and sour, right when it should be at it's best. Style over substance? I don't get that feeling in this case. Just poorly made wine from an excellent year. This wine showed little improvement throughout the evening and I was glad we had some Chateau Malescasse '09 to cheer up the festivities. This wine wasn't a total loss though. The bottle looks stunning in my collection.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-20170168877490943872014-12-30T05:09:00.001-08:002014-12-30T05:09:50.822-08:00Small things in a great way.<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Napoleon Hill</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Not so much a small thing but a huge iceberg in the forefront of my recent wine consciousness. Small Change Wines White blend is done in a great way. Screw cap, no frills packaging hides something very special within. Verdelho. Heard of that? I had, but only really to that extent. Famed for it's Madeiras, this grape rarely finds it's way into table wine. I'm so glad it did in this case.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLbuEzorCHg1EhaYujMGJA-qLeseIAnhq8T4YGhSj-rgp9CRRVkSaSulCIOOhu_0RLCqPc-Qv9cKcqJ6xV2IFfaMCFoYe6e1k913RaO9HCMEHvPll2af0P9RICVmfMncddiO2pAj7JnUO6/s640/blogger-image--704667406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLbuEzorCHg1EhaYujMGJA-qLeseIAnhq8T4YGhSj-rgp9CRRVkSaSulCIOOhu_0RLCqPc-Qv9cKcqJ6xV2IFfaMCFoYe6e1k913RaO9HCMEHvPll2af0P9RICVmfMncddiO2pAj7JnUO6/s640/blogger-image--704667406.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">On the nose it reflects somewhat of an unoaked chardonnay character. Lime notes and a kind of tropicality dominate. I would have spent more time thinking bout the nose, but the first nose full was so inviting I just couldn't hold myself back from drinking the thing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The palate and mouth-feel are a revelation. Smooth succulent fruit and a rich floral character. Citrus, pineapple and passion fruit all delivered in a weighty and satisfying body that complemented the Sea Bream and Parmesan dish for dinner. Perfectly judged acidity and and a long fatty finish with ginger. There were definitely things here that reminded me of high quality Chardonnay. Then there were times when it reminded me of a warm vintage in Alsace. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rhys Howlett and Andrew Schonfeldt at <a href="http://smallchangewines.com.au/" target="_blank">Small Change Wines</a> deserve a hearty pat on the back for this effort. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This bottle was imported to Japan as a sample, I wish I could tell you where to get some more</span>. Perhaps it's not too early to write a letter to Santa.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-6644649520341755902014-12-14T05:37:00.002-08:002016-10-05T05:56:15.615-07:00Blood and steel<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Regular readers will know that I have a few predilections in the world of wine. One of them is bit part Bordeaux grapes. I hope to have some top quality Petite Verdot for you in the next few weeks but in the meantime I thought I'd try this.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIHsCRfxF84tS8-fH4v4n_TPCWrcmECjDSwr-WgwuNJumzf4X7IbVhQOnHfzRQI9sTmPztYmM2xuNCnquoFa8CJQjeEkdchB3h_vCJoc-mojHoVxdQI5mV3dgFZ1deooolc371sz2dWu_/s1600/IMG_2380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIHsCRfxF84tS8-fH4v4n_TPCWrcmECjDSwr-WgwuNJumzf4X7IbVhQOnHfzRQI9sTmPztYmM2xuNCnquoFa8CJQjeEkdchB3h_vCJoc-mojHoVxdQI5mV3dgFZ1deooolc371sz2dWu_/s1600/IMG_2380.jpg" width="480" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span itemprop="name">Chinon Beuvez Toujours Vieilles Vignes was on sale in the basement of Isetan in Kyoto station. 100% Cabernet Franc and made from the 2011 vintage, this wine is the base of this producer's offerings. I wasn't expecting much more than an interesting time when getting my nose into this one. First I picked up some bitter tannins so descriptive of under ripe vintages but secondly I found some fruit. Not a cascade of juice by any means but a restrained blueberry and something more readily identified with white wines. Zest. There was definitely a citrus zest component to the nose. It certainly refocused me on this Chinon.</span></span></span></span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span itemprop="name">First impressions on the palate were good. Structural for a light wine, there is a definite beginning, middle and end to this. Hard as nails first up, with an astringent iron tannin. Food wine, of course. Mid palate was where the blue fruits were. Not full frontal (and this wine could definitely do with more) by any means, These blueberries were tart and short, soon giving way to to a gentle citrus zest acid/bitter combination. Lemon? No. Lime? No. The closest I could think of was peel from mixed fruit marmalade.</span></span></span></span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span itemprop="name">Short finish, but one where the what remained of the tannin made itself known. Surprisingly fine for a wine at this price point, but not really good enough to lift this wine above the level of acceptable competence.</span></span></span></span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span itemprop="name">Interesting drop but wine geeks only need apply.</span></span></span></span></span></h1>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-3029606014501538102014-10-08T04:52:00.000-07:002014-10-30T07:26:12.779-07:00The Wines of Yamaya. Part 3: Antonin Rodet Mercurey 2009<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Get in! A great value bottle of burgundy from our friends at Yamaya. I picked this up for around 3000 yen at the Karasuma branch and I was pleasently surprised.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Mercurey is the most famous appellation on the Côte Chalonnaise, beating out Rully on production of red wine by some margin, so I had serious doubts whether a large negociant like Antonin Rodet could produce quality at this price point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">On first pouring this is definitely on the richer side for Bourgogne. A dense red colour. With a very broad, fat nose of red fruit. Both fresh and dried fruit are here. Classic cherry, pommegranite and fruitcake. Without much in the way of savoury notes, this wine manages to avoid jamminess or over simplicity.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJBt0YWM1B_v43KwPSe9KNJJal5Q7belWZXGfkGxMr9tzjfmRPXQ6bv3SFwgS6BDrtGEYppOcOF_xGceuPLrzy5onAC-TrQQC5zl4_Dfp9FaTiQKqrz5HUvqbDlHB5yfrxYFhH9RQr8ji/s640/blogger-image-1720615308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJBt0YWM1B_v43KwPSe9KNJJal5Q7belWZXGfkGxMr9tzjfmRPXQ6bv3SFwgS6BDrtGEYppOcOF_xGceuPLrzy5onAC-TrQQC5zl4_Dfp9FaTiQKqrz5HUvqbDlHB5yfrxYFhH9RQr8ji/s640/blogger-image-1720615308.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">On the palate there's a touch of residual sugar, but the fruit stands out in broad brush strokes. First comes the cherry sweetness, lifted by a pleasently degree of acid. The flavour mellows into a kind of stone fruit (not really Victoria plum, but it's the closest thing I could think of) smoothness that persists long after wines of a similar price have given up the ghost.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Highly recommended. Get a French rack of lamb from Meat Shop Meister and treat yourself.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-64346853112271268612014-08-20T01:27:00.001-07:002014-10-30T07:26:57.014-07:00A nice refreshing glass of copyright infringement.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Available at Kintetsu Kusatsu for your tasting pleasure.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQmM0ZpAjPEKhcMt6hX9dvO0UynO_GH4TMNrEyHMlBqfXIeXUC3nZLOzmuxkeyyMA2n5ncobY4rAKvoT_VMiDcJ1xA3HoS2nOwoOgtM1lMRVJCtU1E2TtBtWKDQxPs-6oSTMQTt2-AvrB/s640/blogger-image--1817092125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQmM0ZpAjPEKhcMt6hX9dvO0UynO_GH4TMNrEyHMlBqfXIeXUC3nZLOzmuxkeyyMA2n5ncobY4rAKvoT_VMiDcJ1xA3HoS2nOwoOgtM1lMRVJCtU1E2TtBtWKDQxPs-6oSTMQTt2-AvrB/s640/blogger-image--1817092125.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-14543938382259869672014-07-17T06:37:00.001-07:002014-07-17T06:37:14.561-07:00The Wines of Yamaya. Part Two: Cosme Palacio Rioja Blanco 2011<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Been into the Rioja recently. I had the pleasure of a Viña Tondonia Blanco '99 Reserva a few weeks back and I wanted to see if I could get in the ball park for less money. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of course that's insane. The Tondonia was absolutely terrific. Huge length and complexity and so much more interesting to wine geeks than even the most refined Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. Thursday night wines, though, are made of different stuff.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I picked up this bottle for ¥1800 at my local Yamaya. It's a 100% Viura wine aged in 225 litre new French oak barrels. I liked the fonts on the label, too. Let's see what it has to offer. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AHAAjP0pTwi9kdUe0q66jOn-weOtkELEPP8-QlKaXJpBxTu9qqcT9USfrbK-beYv_LxfnV9w-3WpkExxOzcswCXBjIa71rfl6uvAwNplFuUdOxxqS1u07pNXPQkCvsl0GzAey0mKXwV7/s1600/IMG_2090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AHAAjP0pTwi9kdUe0q66jOn-weOtkELEPP8-QlKaXJpBxTu9qqcT9USfrbK-beYv_LxfnV9w-3WpkExxOzcswCXBjIa71rfl6uvAwNplFuUdOxxqS1u07pNXPQkCvsl0GzAey0mKXwV7/s1600/IMG_2090.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Opened and poured, this has an even colour reminiscent of a ripe English pear</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">without much of a sparkle. A decent glassful has a colour that's becomes denser at the core.</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The nose has "that Viura thing" going on. Somewhere between "something that died in the forest" and, the altogether more prosaic, banana</span>. <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As it warmed in the glass hints of sour lime emerged and everything intensified a little. Don't be put off by the hint of death on the nose. It's interestingly macabre rather than horrifyingly off-putting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The flavours are strange here. Nothing leaps out but there's a very nice balance of citrus, hazelnut and cocktail bitters. The more the oxygen got to it, the more lime juice came out. Nice. Odd combination, but it works well. Once again, I think that in a world of Chardonnay drinkers who might occasionally have a drop of Sauvignon Blanc</span>, <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">this provides comparable quality, but a ton more interest at the price point</span>.<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Stick this with some prawns There's something about the flavour profile of this wine that's convinced me it'll suit the earthy seafood stylings of our sea-bug friends. That and hard cheese. I'm getting hungry again...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If you weren't particularly interested in wine, but just turned up at a party in need of a drink, I doubt this would work for you</span>. <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's far too geeky and singular to please a crowd of any reasonable size. If, however, you're sick of same old choices and enjoy drinking with your brain switched on, this may well be up your street.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-47642841556943054402014-06-26T06:24:00.000-07:002014-06-26T06:24:03.635-07:00The wines of Yamaya. Part One: Cuvee Anne-Laure Pinot Blanc 2011<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I thought I'd write a few articles for all my brothers and sisters in Kyoto. You may well be able to get the wines in this series from other places as well...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Pinot Blanc doesn't get much love. Many of the epithets applied to it are rather pitying and sexist, such is the stigma applied to this grape. "Ugly Sister"</span>, <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Good personality" and "wall flower". Not very edifying on behalf of the wine reviewers and pros I've heard from. I'll do this bottle the favour of not being supercilious. I hope it's up to the task.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A deep straw when you pour it this wine doesn't exactly sparkle in the glass, too bad. A nose of ripe apple floats above a suspiciously grapey base. It's very much like the rich Muscat grapes, perfectly bunched and spotless, that people send to each other as summer gifts in Japan. There are some over-ripe russety tones as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The palate is quite well balanced, slightly off dry with some acid present, I definitely detect the roundness of a lot of Auxerrois in this blend (In Alsace Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Auxerrois can all be included in a wine labelled "Pinot Blanc"). This in itself is not a bad thing, but it is certainly an uninteresting thing to taste.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Apple, Melon, Grape, Meh. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This wine is relatively food friendly, I suppose, but the finish is short and it's totally uninspiring. There are definitely cheaper whites at Yamaya that blow this tripe out of the water.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Waste of space.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-9945258880620493612014-06-16T07:13:00.002-07:002014-06-16T07:19:39.174-07:00Up and coming on the Wine Mothership video channel!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Sorry for the video hiatus! I've been incredibly busy cutting the drunk bits out of our recent tasting of '78 Rioja. Delicious stuff and it went down so fast we were drunk before we got to the end of the video. Still worth a watch though!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Upcoming delights are;</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">'78 Rioja</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Blogger gang tasting!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">White Margaux (yes, I know it's just AOC Brodeaux, but still...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A Vampire Cabernet Sauvignon from Romania! ( It may be the first time there are two Shit Wines on an episode)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">'09 Pomerol</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Requests welcome!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-59842574209526990142014-06-05T00:43:00.001-07:002014-10-08T05:01:58.715-07:00Osaka American wine day.<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Two weeks ago I has the opportunity to swing by the Osaka American wine day. This yearly event, sponsored by the US government was a lot of fun! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I won't bore you with the details, I'll just tell you about the wines.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Cg3vDSAWn8ofov7newx4HJYFlztiAazf_G7psQ_fUol2dNr8yvcTFOAQ8LAY5y2QXmNySMR8RVvhg4rcepj4lugxDxLvh9oDNKtZ3sf-kJw8nLA50S6nYcnW2bdiXQe8fq7lXQPwNftd/s640/blogger-image--766501070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Cg3vDSAWn8ofov7newx4HJYFlztiAazf_G7psQ_fUol2dNr8yvcTFOAQ8LAY5y2QXmNySMR8RVvhg4rcepj4lugxDxLvh9oDNKtZ3sf-kJw8nLA50S6nYcnW2bdiXQe8fq7lXQPwNftd/s640/blogger-image--766501070.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rack and Riddle Blanc de Noirs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Recommended. 100% Pinot noir with obvious skin contact during early production. This salmon pink sparkler had more fruit than most red grape sparklers I've had. Strawberries on toast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I love a Petite Sirah, especially one as as balanced and mineral as this Madrigal 2009 example from Napa. Wonderful acid, which came over as minerality, and very nice length for a wine in this price bracket. I just wish it were a little more concentrated. Also recommended.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc. New York. Typical cassis and blackberry leaf flavours on the front end. Hollow mid palate, hard acid on the finish. Interesting, not good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">10% too green. Avoid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Patz and Hall Pinot Noir. Utterly unremarkable in every sense. Paint by numbers Pinot. Wil certainly have it's fans. Price check on aisle 18.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Peachy Canyon Incredible Red. Incredibly American. Totally unremarkable. Avoid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGmFeb3Iv6Z91ZmTpsXe8nUYVKe6ZVvVtUFCkpslsDWrvCGx-i-CgRY272v8CIcDCrmqdgQevRputSRb9MJ81od-CMmlnQuxGk5GN47tfY93sApfu-_mDGWuKpsxkjaFWian3ivgh1HOx/s640/blogger-image--1226490935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGmFeb3Iv6Z91ZmTpsXe8nUYVKe6ZVvVtUFCkpslsDWrvCGx-i-CgRY272v8CIcDCrmqdgQevRputSRb9MJ81od-CMmlnQuxGk5GN47tfY93sApfu-_mDGWuKpsxkjaFWian3ivgh1HOx/s640/blogger-image--1226490935.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Find of the night was the Birichino Vin Gris. Wonderful aromatics on this. Almost Alsatian in its florality. Fizzy acidity and old fashioned sweets with tropical hints of pineapple, jasmine and Japanese cherries. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Quite a resinous body and great length. I think this would suit a wide variety of situations. I'll personally open up a bottle next time I have a picnic by the river.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Order it from Wassy's today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">See you at the Osaka Hilton next year.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-58667021208345890052014-06-04T09:02:00.000-07:002014-06-04T09:02:47.506-07:00Whoppee cushion a la Provençal. Domaine Tempier Bandol<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here's something I've bee meaning to get to for a while, a nice bottle of Bandol!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For the uninitiated, Bandol is a south eastern appellation of French red where the Mourvèdre grape predominates. I'm big fan of the big M. Some of the the nicest Rhone reds, both southern and Northern, have exhibited big, fleshy chunks of velvety bramble fruit as a result of the inclusion of this smooth criminal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Further exploration, in the company of Shadow Pony, has led me to South Australian mono-varietals of amazing power and concentration and cheapo Spanish mouthwash.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Time to bring it on back home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I cracked this one open just before my birthday dinner last weekend (the family have requested no cake) just to see if it needed a decant. On first inspection there was a ton of acid, bright fruit and a little nail polish remover. Re-cork, I thought to myself, and I bagged it up to take it over to the rather wonderful <a href="http://tabelog.com/kyoto/A2602/A260201/26007791/" target="_blank">Raisin</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The journey and the wait didn't do this much good. The first glass exhibited a very closed character. After inspecting the pale, clear crimson hue, the nose was rather reluctant. That is to say as reluctant as a claustrophobic pony who's afraid of the dark would be if invited for a shift down a coal mine. Nothing. Red and chalk.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The Shadow Pony provided the tasting cue of the night when he said it tasted like a new Whoppee Cushion. Fair enough. Lead and pink Hubba Bubba was what I got. Little in the way of discernible fruit and only short to medium in length</span>.<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We abandoned this until the end of the night. An hour in it felt better balanced, with a more raspberried, if slightly lactic quality on the palate. The length had improved as well, although not enough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At around 4000 yen from the usually impeccable <a href="http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~takimoto/" target="_blank">Takimoto</a></span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">wine shop, I don't think I'll be venturing down to Bandol again in the forseeable. I'll be getting my Mourvedre kicks from Australia.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-67481789225779719992014-05-18T07:14:00.003-07:002014-05-18T07:14:41.120-07:00An iron fist in an iron glove.<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Everyone who's got a soft spot for Bordeaux loves a bit of</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Pomerol, don't they? Iconic names like Petrus and La Pin set the heart a flutter and get wine fans dreaming of a big lottery win. Power, balance, length and that incomparable blend of red and blue fruit. An iron fist in a velvet glove. The trick is affording it. If you were just trying to find a nice bottle of wine to take round to a friend's house, there a hundreds of better value options to be had.</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Or are there?</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I picked this up for 3000 yen from my local <a href="https://www.yamaya.jp/" target="_blank">Yamaya.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Les Chemins De La Croix Du Casse 2009</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is a second wine. Not the one that Chateau La Croix Du Casse used to sell, Domaine Du Casse, but a brand new label for the 21st century. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Straight after opening the impression from the nose is very strong. Even before you put your nose to the glass there is a sweetened vanilla and fruit hit that invades the room and piques the interest, hinting at great power. In the glass the colour is a dense, opaque Harvard red that reinforces the sense of concentration from this wine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">On closer inspection, the aroma is totally dominated by the oak treatment Sweet blueberry and cassis are smothered by a heavy handed vanilla that coats the fruit like a heavy sauce. Very muted savoury notes, a little wood, but not very defined. To say pencil shavings is paying this wine a bit too much respect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The palate is thuddingly insistant. Thick, unctuous bramble and blueberry notes bespeak some decent fruit went into making this wine, but yet again the heavy handed oak treatment dominates and distracts. For a second wine this is certainly built for the long term. Like Victorian architecture, this is overbuilt. This wine would easily survive an earthquake, but survivability is not really what I wanted with my cold roast lamb tonight.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Length? Well that's not a problem. Once again the flavour of the barrels defines this, dragging out the taste of this wine. Not desperately pleasant, but most certainly brutish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I think I'd like to try other vintages of this wine. It'd be interesting to see what they would do in cooler vintages. The 2009, however, is something I'll leave for those in need of an adrenaline rush and a screaming banshee of wine. There is nothing soft or subtle here. An iron fist in an iron glove.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-20675690668148085832014-04-29T05:52:00.000-07:002014-04-29T05:52:30.557-07:00Steel yourself.<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I was lucky enough to try something for the first time the other day. There were no fireworks or fanfare, no health warnings or check-ups and certainly no insurance papers to sign. This one crept up on me from out of the blue. Diatom Kazaoto chardonnay. The 2011.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is the first time I've had a US steel barrel fermented chardonnay with absolutely no oak treatment. I cast my mind back, but I couldn't think of one time I've had anything similar. Wheelbarrow full of oak chips in dumped in a stainless steel barrel? Been there. Suspicion of coconut essence? Done that. Kazaoto achieves what it does with intensity and balance, and what it does is satisfy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">On first impression the wine looks a little dull. Most wines at this price point have a brightness to them. Pastel yellow to icterine. Never mind, onwards to the nose which is the paragon of cleanliness. Lime, artichoke, whetstone and and a herbal component I thought a little like parsley. The aromas are lifted by a dynamic, vivacious acid component.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The palate is simple, elegant and lengthy. Sweetened citrus and a stemmy, resinous character give this wine a very fresh character. Minerals revealing themselves on the mid-palate. Not quite flinty, but the acid has an angularity to it that suggest another year in the cellar would reap rewards. The effect smooths out afterwords. Leaving a persistent, uncluttered flavour of green stone fruit and candied citrus zest, this wine intrigues deeply for something so ostensibly simple.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If you're looking into something new, look into a steel barrel. You never know what you might find.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-10990070590531505792014-04-29T05:51:00.001-07:002014-04-29T05:52:43.241-07:00Brown ale money.<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here's a long lasting obsession of mine. Value Bordeaux. I have a bee in my bonnet on this matter due to it's difficulty. You simply can't trust a name in Bordeaux, you simply have to find a wine critic you trust and go with their recommendation. Sometimes, though, I come across something that seems to be too good to turn down and buy blind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A very reasonable price at your local Liquor Mountain gets you this. A very nicely balanced Bordeaux.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Upon opening this is dense and dark. Very closed at first with that coiled graphite hardness on the nose that bespeaks young Cabernet Sauvignon, this shows very little of the supple flashiness of the Merlot content. It's cool, blue fruited palate is short and rather austere, reminding me of the bramble fruits you'd pick not to eat, but for jam making. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It was only on the third day, after abandoning this to the fridge in hopes of a recovery, that this started to make any sense at all. Showing much more poise than previously the tannins had unravelled to reveal a red carpet of Merlot, stained with aromatic dark berries. Heady stuff with an intense aroma. "I can smell it from here!" said one, 3 feet from the glasses. The length had improved a little too. Still no marathon runner, the stamina gave me a very good impression of the ageing potential of such a sprightly young thing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is excellent stuff to go with grilled meats and strong sauces. You can throw some spice at it as well. Just remember to decant it for a day before drinking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-21958508825320560902014-03-24T06:27:00.001-07:002014-04-29T05:52:09.501-07:00The self writing blog entry.<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Sometimes you really don't have to use much imagination to write about wine. A few flowery adjective and a strong opinion or two will usually do the trick. Sometimes, however, the articles write themselves. Let's see if I can find anything profound to say about Chateau Le Sartre 2010</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqI6OdqlIOSH8DoMf1X948JAAYZMG4-ghqWH-wivTI2ZG2Uv9nbUngvYyqwAfmRUxjYl9_8wi9QvaGn1vggC16jn1NjfFwP_sUi5MBb02ShJLIDCWKAuvWDVDPZLkZAHfnwOaNBwMDRpN/s640/blogger-image-1540979612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqI6OdqlIOSH8DoMf1X948JAAYZMG4-ghqWH-wivTI2ZG2Uv9nbUngvYyqwAfmRUxjYl9_8wi9QvaGn1vggC16jn1NjfFwP_sUi5MBb02ShJLIDCWKAuvWDVDPZLkZAHfnwOaNBwMDRpN/s640/blogger-image-1540979612.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">OK, that's the last stab at any philosophy gags. You can tell from the label, the hint of tobacco smoke, the chic 40s font, that the producers aren't shy about evoking images of the bespectacled French philosopher. They really don't need to. The power of this wine is obvious to anyone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Bright and yet dense in its hue, the wine appears vividly shimmering in the glass. Lighter in texture and with faster legs than it's colour suggest, it's a bit of charmer straight away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Tropical palate at first with a good hit of passion fruit and lime. The length impressed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The longer it was opened the more the flavours broadened. The passion fruit remained but now backed with a hard, crysteline lemon acidity. The flavours in this wine were well balanced and the emergence of a little oak was a welcome addition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This wine comes highly recommended as it not only impressed me, but three other weather beaten wine enthusiasts. They all liked different aspects of it and if that's not profound, then I don't know if profundity really exists...</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-2283102630161894412014-02-23T03:51:00.000-08:002014-02-23T03:51:53.970-08:00Dancing about architecture. Writing about wine<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As an avid listener of BBC Radio 4's Thinking Allowed, I was reminded on this weeks podcast of an enigmatic aphorism.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"Talking about music is like dancing about architecture."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Surely all I do on this blog is totally analogous to the aforementioned architectural boogie. Why do we do it? Why do we read it? Does it have any merit to write about wine? To commit hundreds of words to paper or screen only to edit our soul down for consumption, the secondary consumption (for reading about wine can in no way be a substitute for for drinking it)</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">of a listless</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">group of netizens killing time waiting for the UPS guy to deliver their latest fix of whatever takes their fancy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At it's worst any kind of critical writing is breathing in second hand tobacco smoke. At a slightly higher grade it can be filled with jargon, in jokes and references designed to impress a credulous audience. Only at it's finest can wine writing fool the reader into the almost impossible. Assimilating the thoughts of the writer as if they were their own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The basis of communicating about our chosen subject can come from a variety places. Other fields of human endeavour have a number of stimuli. I can only accurately talk about myself. Hopefully I'll find that I'm not totally full of shit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>1)</b> <b>Have some self respect</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Nobody likes to get caught out by as lack of knowledge in their chosen field. Even an honest "I don't know" can leave oneself feeling rather crestfallen. An uncomfortable silence is mortifying. Setting yourself up as a blogger on any subject will, in the successful candidate, engender a a burning quest for knowledge and self development that drives the writer forward. This will not only help in avoiding nasty mishaps of the "I'm sorry I haven't a clue" variety, but also in the long run help develop the writers ability to entertain as much as inform. Am I boring you? I hope not. I'd hate that. Anyone who sets themselves up to criticise must hold themselves to the most rigourous standards, if not in the ultimate level of knowledge one has at any time, but in the desire to broaden and deepen their overall skill set as quickly and effectively as possible. It's a matter of self respect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>2) Whack passivity</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With cricket bat. Just consuming is a de-humanising experience. I think it necessary to draw the line between things we consume from necessity and things we consume for love. I've no doubt that somewhere on the Internet there's a blog dedicated to white sliced bread or toilet tissue, but the people who write those are nuts. No, to fully engage intellectually with an interest you must not only consume, but also engage. This might be producing in, working for, trading in or educating about your chosen subject. Even if this merely means keeping a diary of the different hair care products we've tried or writing a letter of complaint about a shoddily produced yoghurt, it's the kind of activity that raises us above the level of consumer statistic. Engage the gray matter even if, like yours truly, you don't have a particularly large amount to power up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>3) Drip, drip, drip.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">While trickle down economics might be a broadly discredited theory in the modern world, trickle down knowledge might have a little more substance to it. All the bloggers, all the readers, all the critics in the world are slowly, surely and deliberately increasing the mass of knowledge, opinion and curiosity in the world. Wine is a great example. There may be a preponderance of three line descriptions on Cellar Tracker and Vivino may condense wine to far beyond the point where descriptions have meaning, but everything improves engagement. My hope is that eventually this will lead to better wine from everywhere, for everyone. Idealistic, I know, but I'm certain it won't happen without criticism and development of consumer knowledge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Anyway, rant over. Apart from anything else I enjoy it. There's something addicting about writing that I've never experienced (aside from nicotine). So that's good enough for me. You'll have to excuse me, I'm going for a boogie. Norman Foster's just come on the wireless.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-70745025202272088082014-02-21T23:07:00.001-08:002014-02-22T06:14:44.027-08:00Casual Sex(ism)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"El Sentido De La Vida: Girly WIne from Spain. The real anti-wrinkle therapy."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I shit you not. That is the real text from the real label of this all too real wine. The shelf talker told me it was a Petit Verdot, Tempranillo and Cab. Sav. blend. So I just had to see what was inside the bottle.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnj81GNlcdA-UaE1nav84ORX4rzF4h8ZkqB91QWENqoSb__Sv5GtecU_rPK5SuS9qm2vYoicekNZuU-YRPW_QGEJ5o55tXY1AmH6J7cPYXoTErqeefGtqftzIYZlkAob_g7HYdapwHRbP/s1600/IMG_1645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnj81GNlcdA-UaE1nav84ORX4rzF4h8ZkqB91QWENqoSb__Sv5GtecU_rPK5SuS9qm2vYoicekNZuU-YRPW_QGEJ5o55tXY1AmH6J7cPYXoTErqeefGtqftzIYZlkAob_g7HYdapwHRbP/s1600/IMG_1645.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> A brief search on the old Googles led me to the website of <a href="http://www.vinacerron.com/vina/" target="_blank">Viña Cerrón</a>. Castilla la Manch? Jumilla? Both words instantly summon up the new wave of Spanish Wine making that quite frankly couldn't be any more up my street if it tried.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Pouring it out lead to even more of a sense of anticipation. The colour is deep, dense purple. Very little gradiation from core to rim. The kind of wine that convinces you it's going to steal your lunch money at break time. Heavy enough to stain the the sides of the glass with very broad legs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Muted on the nose, this none the less had some nice, regal Petit Verdot character of dense bramble fruit and berry jam. Quickly, however, the punch of the oak treatment takes over your nostrils. Wood, tobacco and a sweetness suggesting at least some American or sawn oak barrels. This theme lasts throughout the wine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Broad and swarthy in the mouth this wine hits you with a one two of instant berry attack and a woody mid-palate. It's a grippy wine. Not as smooth as I'd hoped. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Length wise, this disappoints. All you're left with after a few moments are slightly furry teeth and a feeling that the abyss has just stared back into you. After some time in the glass it even loses it's initial attack. Inside and outside the bottle this wine is charmless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If you really want an effective anti wrinkle therapy I recommend avoiding this wine. It made me screw my face up.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-67411212207106437272014-02-21T07:48:00.000-08:002014-02-21T07:49:50.272-08:00They say it's your birthday...<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">If you watch the videos then you know I'm a fan of Moulis-en-Medoc. If you get a line on a good supply it can be great value for money. The problem that presents itself to Bordeaux fans in Japan is very simple. Moulis generally isn't expensive or prestigious enough to warrant good shipping or good storage. Reefers? Forget it</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pssst. I think I've stumbled on a stash... In Yamaya...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbEBJr0zJbfCxIhmJCXfni82HA4WWu9zNfXVcGawjLyK2ZWuJEbU3He4Rx41RsGZDSC5AIn-nVomldaIsd53TYoKvEupkxqGd8uleJmNdJWmVPVs6eCLM8bCeXZ-tLfttbGzyqmUugvDxJ/s1600/IMG_1693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbEBJr0zJbfCxIhmJCXfni82HA4WWu9zNfXVcGawjLyK2ZWuJEbU3He4Rx41RsGZDSC5AIn-nVomldaIsd53TYoKvEupkxqGd8uleJmNdJWmVPVs6eCLM8bCeXZ-tLfttbGzyqmUugvDxJ/s1600/IMG_1693.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is a '94 La Closerie du Grand Poujeaux from the North east end of Moulis. Still a little purple at the core, but smoothing out to a convincing brick garnet at the rim. The initial look of this wine suggested that it might be great condition. The first pouring greeted me with a very nice nose indeed. Plenty of those trademark Bordeaux savoury tones of leather and tobacco, plus a surprising amount of cassis to accompany it. This nose, I'm sorry to say, isn't really standing up to the rigours of being open after 20 years beneath (a surprisingly well preserved) cork.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In the mouth this is textbook Bordeaux. An initial attack of dark fruit, drying to earth and leather. It's a little austere, but has enough stuffing to be at least enjoyable. What we're really here for is the aged Merlot. Plump and supple, this is a very nice roast dinner wine. You'd better finish the bottle quite quickly though. Oxygen is dulling the flavours by the moment.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You might wonder why I'm writing a Wine Mothership post about this wine. Where's the utility to 20 year old Moulis?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Your answer is in the question. There will be a good few people turning 20 this year (the legal age to drink in Japan) who would be seriously impressed to receive a birth year wine like this. Soft and easy to drink. Classy bottle, goes well with a celebration. Just don't tell them how cheap it was. Or that you bought it at your local Yamaya.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And leave one for me.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-77890035216084244302014-01-27T23:31:00.000-08:002014-01-27T23:31:04.818-08:00Rockfords basket press Shiraz 2005.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808158544225433527.post-88196934336247403802014-01-22T04:15:00.000-08:002014-01-22T04:15:01.471-08:00Old standards<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It's always a nice experience to see your friends move into a new place. The excitement, the grand tour, the new furniture. It always satisfies. Not only that, but it's a great excuse for champagne. Not sparkling wine? Even considering the great leaps forward the new world AND the great strides made by those in my own country, The UK, there still seems to be a greater cache with the Champagne "brand". The word just trips off the tongue of those people wishing to celebrate in style. It's no surprise that this frustrates new world makers and this attitude was well illustrated when a very wise person told me something seemingly obvious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"Drink the wine, not the label."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But every time we pop the cork on a bottle of Champagne, isn't that precisely what we're doing? </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CxFKYszzR6jKr5fEbMMzvJ6ARZ70UMT6aidhvDgoIJxZxL8tlE9yk_Y4o59Qfh0BVx8v9VqTL800PX9DUQQfKb3Ok0eaNGr6QszvAi8Fj8wP9QU5BqLTv3ZUiSopjQvBj5tFKu0oarWh/s1600/IMG_1613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CxFKYszzR6jKr5fEbMMzvJ6ARZ70UMT6aidhvDgoIJxZxL8tlE9yk_Y4o59Qfh0BVx8v9VqTL800PX9DUQQfKb3Ok0eaNGr6QszvAi8Fj8wP9QU5BqLTv3ZUiSopjQvBj5tFKu0oarWh/s1600/IMG_1613.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Moet seems to have modernized itself over the last ten years. For a brand formally seen as the last word in champagne consistency, this is a surprise. The nose is standard champers. Green, toast, hints of mixed nuts. There is markedly more citrus on the front of the palate before the rocky crunch of the mousse takes hold. Medium finish, nothing prodigious. The mousse is more aggressive than is ideal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The Monopole is much more like the Moet used to be. I used to think of many champagnes as "neutral". Not too much of anything and perfectly suited to corporate luncheons. The Monopole seems a little outdated now. I'm not a sparkling expert by a long chalk, but I don't think an aficionado would easily be able to tell this as champagne in a tasting flight of new world offerings. The mouth feel was nice though, having a slightly finer mousse than the M&C. Perfectly acceptable, but somewhat overpriced and one paced. I drank the label.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In the end the Moet & Chandon is somewhat like my mates' new apartment. A nice slice of modernity slid comfortably into a classic package. Well priced and a great image. I'd be happy to take the tour now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18336745542034795638noreply@blogger.com0