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mostly wine stuff

skibob

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Can I assume that's a 100% Zin? I've yet to find a 100%er that holds up over extended time. A little petite sirah extends things nicely.
Yes, so far as I know it is 100%. But the structure (which is what PS bolsters) was still really solid. It had just lost a lot of the juicy fruit.

I will say we finished the bottle last night with duck confit. And it went great. The earthy dimensions, which were overwhelming the night before, were a great compliment to the confit.
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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pete

not peace but 2 Beers!
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skibob

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IMG_20220417_155652.jpg

Local wine weekend at our house, which is actually rare.

I had this wine many years ago and found it to be overly oaky and buttery. This year however very nicely balanced. Plenty of structure, but just a hint of toast. I would guess the ML to be less than 20%. Not exactly grand cru chablis, but more in that direction than "California Chardonnay". I am told this is the "house style" for this winery and a direction they've gone in recent years. Good choice, imho!
 

Tricia

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I was just watching CBS Sunday Morning and caught this story.
Quite interesting.
 
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TS
Tony S

Tony S

I have a confusion to make ...
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Team Gathermeister
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Once in a while it's important to get jolted out of your wine ruts - to be reminded that where you've been dwelling in terms of intensities and flavors has artificial boundaries, and that you need to break through them occasionally if you want to keep perspective.

This is a chardonnay that makes my beloved everyday Macons look boring. Sure, it's not Montrachet. It's certainly not Coche-Dury. It's not without flaws. But it's surprising. As with poetry, if nothing in a wine surprises you, what's it worth? If you want a security blanket, that's what rum and Coke is for.

First there is the appearance, which positively shines, like the chrome on a new Ford Fairlane. The color is gold-green with depth, like an intense young Mosel auslese or Moulin Touchais. Not something I associate with the Chalonnais.

Then there is the penetrating, even pushy nose. It's in your face. On the down side, I notice some wet wool and some sulfur. But also lime zest and apple and crème fraîche and honey and damp sand at the beach.

The Mr. Hyde of wet wool has a Dr. Jekyll that we call "lanolin," and honestly this wine reminds me a whole lot of ...

...

... The one and only time I got to drink Haut Brion Blanc! A long long time ago, but so memorable. I know, weird, right? That semillon!

On the palate, long and - again - waxy. That strange Bordeaux thing. But then back to chardonnay.

Great wine? Probably not. Compelling wine? Yes.

PXL_20220424_215658598.MP-01.jpeg
 

Powder High

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This stuff is good. I usually prefer good reds, but this impresses me.

I'm not good as descriptions, but: Very forward bursts of white grape, apple, pear, lemmongrass (?), apricot (?). Sonoma County. (Some very good things come out of Sonoma.)

This wine is not shy.
 

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skibob

Skiing the powder
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This stuff is good. I usually prefer good reds, but this impresses me.

I'm not good as descriptions, but: Very forward bursts of white grape, pear, lemmongrass (?), apricot (?). Sonoma County. (Some very good things come out of Sonoma.)

This wine is not shy.
One of Kendall Jackson's upscale brands.
 

skiki

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Once in a while it's important to get jolted out of your wine ruts - to be reminded that where you've been dwelling in terms of intensities and flavors has artificial boundaries, and that you need to break through them occasionally if you want to keep perspective.

This is a chardonnay that makes my beloved everyday Macons look boring. Sure, it's not Montrachet. It's certainly not Coche-Dury. It's not without flaws. But it's surprising. As with poetry, if nothing in a wine surprises you, what's it worth? If you want a security blanket, that's what rum and Coke is for.

First there is the appearance, which positively shines, like the chrome on a new Ford Fairlane. The color is gold-green with depth, like an intense young Mosel auslese or Moulin Touchais. Not something I associate with the Chalonnais.

Then there is the penetrating, even pushy nose. It's in your face. On the down side, I notice some wet wool and some sulfur. But also lime zest and apple and crème fraîche and honey and damp sand at the beach.

The Mr. Hyde of wet wool has a Dr. Jekyll that we call "lanolin," and honestly this wine reminds me a whole lot of ...

...

... The one and only time I got to drink Haut Brion Blanc! A long long time ago, but so memorable. I know, weird, right? That semillon!

On the palate, long and - again - waxy. That strange Bordeaux thing. But then back to chardonnay.

Great wine? Probably not. Compelling wine? Yes.
Your description took me down a rabbit hole. I should be out enjoying the sunny day, instead I've been trying to dig up a clip from a BBC2 Food and Drink episode I once saw (possibly a Christmas quiz special in the mid 90's.) Jilly Goolden described an oakey wine as being "uplifted by a wooden bra." I couldn't find a clip, but did find reference to what came next in her description-- ‘It picks up the fruit and points it in the right direction’. Her tasting notes are notorious. Who else would compare a gamay to "sweaty trainers on hot tarmac."
 

pete

not peace but 2 Beers!
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just ran into this youtube Paso sponsored review of the region. Not being in the know of wine types, regions, etc, I still found this very fun to watch, I may have to look for similar of other regions:

 

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