Wine Guy 23

What about sparkling Sake? No riddling there? Have yet to see a sparkler that was not a Nigori style

hmmm, we had the NV Brut Rose from H. Billiot Fils, was it old enough? (I think I read somewhere that the NV currently available was something like 40% 2004, 30% 2003, 20% 2002 etc but I don't know where I read that or if whoever wrote it had a clue)

Because it was very very nice, to our uneducated palates anyhoo...I assumed non-vintage meant (among other things) meant to be drunk now....

H. Billiot is by far one of the most amazing grower champagne's I have had, besides Egly- Ouriet. But they are of course contrasting styles. Billiot's 'Cuvee Julie' is TOP!!! Egly is killer too, especially when vintaged bc it takes on a real aldehidic sherry nose lined with sour dough. Billiot is much more about finesse and charm, but a kick of richness no doubt... try Vilmart for a third leg of the duo

A question that may spark an interesting discussion:

I have been fortunate enough over the last several years to fall in love with the world of wine. As I explore the offerings of many regions of the world (I am still trying to work my way through Italy!), I find my tastes moving more and more towards the old world, particularly the wines of Burgundy and the south of France (reading about the personalities of the different producers in Kermit Lynch's book has been a great inspiration).

My experiences with the wines of Burgundy have so far been limited to some enchanting Bourgognes and village wines (it was about a year ago that a Puligny-Montrachet village wine opened my eyes to how amazing white wines can be).

So here is my question: I am considering acquiring a few bottles of some of the nicer premier cru wines from the Cote D'Or to start building a modest "cellar" (read: cuisinart wine cooler). Is the cost of acquisition and effort of storage of these wines worth it? Does the $50-$100+ price tag and the many years of bottle age required to really reach the peak flavor create a signifigantly better experience than a nice bottle of $40 Oregon pinot that can be drunk on release or does some of the fascination of buying and storing these premier and grand crus reside with the deciphering of the vineyards/producers and the acquisition of "trophies"?

One more question while I have everyone's attention: I'd like to try a great bottle before buying up recent vintages ('05) that really should be layed down for several years before being opened. I have seen a few of the so called "good" vintages (1996, 1999) available at MacArthur's... would a nice 1996 1er cru (ex. '96 Daniel Rion Vosne-Romanee Les Chaumes) be in its prime by now? Can I be reasonably assured that the wine won't be cooked from a reputable store like MacArthurs or should I be weary?

Thanks for reading (and replying I hope!)....

My apologies for the long post... but I think that I may be on the verge of jumping into the burgundy deep end and I need all of the support that I can get!

1st question: The mystery and fascination with Burgundy is the ability to recognize and appreciate the dramatic difference between villages and the cru's from within. when you look at oregon now days, there are amazing producers that reside there, many that make wine in a so called 'burgundy' manor, and there are those who make wine in a "wine writers" manor, hoping to get the points of press, and have to ability for shelf life, and later pleasure. When you begin to build your cellar, dont just buy what people say to buy, buy what you officially like, because you are the one drinking it in the end. hit vintages that are on and off years, the off years you can drink while the on years age. for burgundy, the 05's got a lot of praise, red and whites will be of no question, just like 02. though with years in between like 04, drink this now for its charm, but not longevity (red), white though will hold out. 99, 96, 93, 90 are all exceptional years that drink well, and will continue to over the yearss. 01, 00, 98, 97, 95, 92, are years that you must look at with a fine eye, bc some are reaching an early peak, and some are more for white wine than red. your price range is more than suitable for now

2. D.Rion is a great producer, (though now there is a new hand at the wheel, so watch out, quality will vary for a while... look for Patrice rion after 2003), the only question you should have in mind; is the bottle standing up, or is it laying down. is the shop over 75 degrees, has it been there since 97, or 98? how is the fill in the neck? other than that, you should grab the damn thing!!

"Truity"?

Is that like "truthiness"?

Pretty close. Its like truth with a little extra... typicity

God rest Alois Kracher. However, I found his wines lacking in minerality. Why bother to make TBA if it doesn't express?

Begging to differ. Taste the line of No. 1-9 and all the difference of varietals. Each express there own truity, and sence of Neusiederlersee defining terroir.

Whatever you think, he's a man of strong convictions.

if only there was a sweet from him we would all be okay. now that Kracher has passed (r.i.p), what will we do for the intricate 'cool' sweet wines of the world? still have dageneau's jurancon i guess

Just as heavy a hitter, Now, but not in the older vintages. SALON Le Mesnil Blanc de Blanc is the other Golden Child of the Marque houses. Had the 1988 the other day for 225 (from a restaurant list)...not bad considering that the current release usually sits around 350-450 for the current 95, and 96 vintages. The 88 was AMAZING!! plenty of life ahead for sure

Heres. the update..ST. EMILLION 2006 Classification, scroll down

So the idea to exempt the newly appointed chateaus of St.Emillion, and to drop class rank of a few as well in the Grand Cru Classe scheme of things has officially been dismissed, and the 2006 update is now complete, and can be warranted as truth.ST. EMILLION GRAND CRU CLASSES now what are the ones that were updated, and dropped?

How about the Chartreuse V.E.P Yellow ? Know where to find this one?

but this idea of a tasting of KOBE from Kobe , japan sounds really cool!!

Tasting raw, I assume?

Edited to add: Oh hell yes.

Tartare of kobe? i don't know if that is the best of ideas. it is prized because of its high marbling (FAT), and a raw version, well... Guess you just have to try it for yourself, it gets a little "silky"

Roederer is apparently scoping out properties in Kent and Sussex in preparation for precisely that.

as is Duval Leroy.. only thing is they are only able to get a 60-70yr lease, and then it goes back to the hands of the Brits... just when the vines are mature. nice business method

Tis the season and all.

Seems that they are going to be a little more expensive than usual. Truffle Prices of 2007

As long as they're going north, it shouldn't be an issue .

Yeah, right up until they go into rainy England. But maybe that will change as we continue our quest to destroy the planet. Our climate patterns will soon switch

Oh woe is me! Woe woe...or at least as woeful as I can be with a reservation at Citronelle on our 1-year anniversary (and dinner at glorious Eve the night before). Although it still appears on their online menu, according to the perky hostess with whom I just spoke, the New Vichyssoise is no longer on offer. Woe. I have been craving this dish since Rocks first posted about it -- for those who have never had potato chips made in clarified butter, there's simply no other kind of chip that even comes close. Sigh. So, has anyone sampled the new menu? What might be on offer that could, if not replace, perhaps dull my sharp longing for the New Vichyssoise?

An ever so delightful: Mushrooooooom creation. Not going to spoil the surprise.

Is Champagne becoming that popular that they have to expand the region and up the volume allowed, in order to meet the needs of the consumer? Or are the BIG houses, going to generic, and blending to much of the masses, not leaving enough behind for the Growers, to shine? Check this...Champagne to GROW

Outside the lines of Piedmont, take a trip down to Umbria and drink the greatness of Paolo Bea 'Montefalco Sagrantino'..WOW!!!! if you ave not had this producer in the past, you are missing out on one of the best Italy has to offer.

I stopped by at the end of August, and found the place to have a very supermarkety feel. I generally look to establish a relationship with the vintners that I use and the Wine Library does not strike me as a place where I could do that. I was really unimpressed with the Champagne selection that they had, it was not Macarthur (by far their weakest section) or Total bad, but still I kind of expected more.

On a positive note, the liquor prices were very good. Raj was selling for $40 a bottle, and a bottle of Yellow Chartreuse could be swooped-up for $28.

Gary has a great show on the web also. tv.winelibrary.com... if you havent seen it , or it hasnt been written about yet.

Also, instead, of shooting for the Name, and town, go for a producer that is based in Barolo, or Barbaresco, ie) Langhe DOC.

Piero Busso (Langhe, and barbaresco), Ferrando (Carema DOC, and langhe, and barbaresco), lodali (in off years, and on years) is pretty cheap, but cheap is not always great. Watch out for 2002, it may be cheap, but it sure does not fulfill the desire of that you will be wanting

It's hard to express not-particularly-rocky clay. And there's a lot of clay in Virginia. Even the non-clay soils are young and not particularly cut. And humidity is an issue, leading to a lot of gray rot. And I haven't met anyone who does strict enough selection at veraison and harvest, combined with good encepagement, to make focused, expressive wines. But a few are at least decent drops.

Bottle storage may also be an issue for some producers.

Probaly the best person to bat with Veraison and crop thinning is Barboursville, with their Nebbiolo, and the Octagon varietals.

Or, Linden's Jim Law. He is pretty well versed on quality control. Or Pearmund Cellars.. Shaps was doing great, but has gotten sidetracked with the Burgundy project

You can get more bottles shipped to Virginia, but there are certain wines that you cannot have shipped to Virginia, so the selection is smaller. I used to always have my wine shipped to a friends house in DC, I think that shipping to DC almost doubled or tripled my choices from wine.com, but that scam I was pulling ended a year or so ago.

In reference to the shipping of wine to VA., I was recently informed that VA is a permit state, and that the Winery, wherever it may be in the US, has to pay a Tax Permit in order to ship wine to you. Therefore most of the smaller wineries will not do that, so they use private shipping comapanies, and then you get charged out the *** for shipping costs. Best bet is to make nice with a Restauranteur, and get them to let you ship it there. Or to DC instead. Makes the mailing lists even more expensive than they already are

On July 6, 2001 it took .8378 US Dollars to buy one Euro. Today it takes 1.429. This means that the Euro has appreciated approximately 70.4 % to the dollar since then.

Similar comparisons could be done for most currencies.

http://www.oanda.com/convert/fxhistory

to the taste of a truffle, and its costly attachment. we must wait a little longer till the first real french and italian truffles are picked. should be CRAZY!!!

1982 La tour Haut Brion.. PFG!!!