mostly wine stuff

[Swede]

Agree on Aussies. I haven't really found anything worth sending something halfway around the world for. There are a few Yarra ones that are interesting, but not really that special than I can't find something equal in Europe or the US for a similar price point. Do not care for the Syrah (Shiraz).

 

[Paul Lutes]

I'm shocked ..... shocked ...... that references have not been flying for "a fine Sydney syrup; aborigines arm-pit, etc."

 

[Mendieta]

Is it wrong if i love this wine?



Ripe Monastrell from 100+ years old vines from my own County. Inexpensive, but not cheap. I might go back for a case and let it sleep for 3 more years.

 

[Tony S]

Is it wrong if i love this wine?

No!

 

[skibob]

Is it wrong if i love this wine?

View attachment 149758

Ripe Monastrell from 100+ years old vines from my own County. Inexpensive, but not cheap. I might go back for a case and let it sleep for 3 more years.

Charlie Tsegeletos. Damn fine winemaker and all around super nice guy. Everybody likes Charlie. When the Clines got a hold of him, they wisely didn't let him go. He made their success. Unfortunately, he retired earlier this year. Enjoy the 2019!

 

[Tony S]

One of those weeks. Yet another surprise reorg at work. Yet another new boss. (My fourth this year. So far. There are three weeks left!) All of which my team learned about via email.

Got my booster shot last night and along the way got in my first xc ski. That was good. Getting passed repeatedly by the entire Colby ski team, not as much. Still, it felt good to get out in falling snow.

Tonight the immune reaction has kicked in. I've sunk into an easy chair and am not getting out until my unspeakably pre-fabricated dinner is ready.

Fortunately I'm starting a week off!

Which brings me to the very pleasant surprise of this Côtes du Rhône. (Will we ever run out of new Côtes du Rhône to try? There seems to be an unlimited supply.) If you are a Rhône lover, I don't need to explain the up sides of this wine. What I DO need to do is explain why it's special. This thing actually has structure, including acid balance! Imagine a really good Gigondas with a generous hit of stony Cornas. Yes, it's that good. Price? $22.00. Okay, not really a weeknight wine, but it's Mike's birthday and the first day of vacation, so what the heck. @mdf

 

[Mendieta]

Which brings me to the very pleasant surprise of this Côtes du Rhône. (Will we ever run out of new Côtes du Rhône to try? There seems to be an unlimited supply.) If you are a Rhône lover, I don't need to explain the up sides of this wine. What I DO need to do is explain why it's special. This thing actually has structure, including acid balance! Imagine a really good Gigondas with a generous hit of stony Cornas. Yes, it's that good. Price? $22.00. Okay, not really a weeknight wine, but it's Mike's birthday and the first day of vacation, so what the heck. @mdf

Yes, Rhone valley seems like an endless source - particularly at the higher end, of lovely wine. I love Gigondas, Vaqueyras and particularly CdP (all from the south) but they are not particularly affordable. I don't care much for "generic" inexpensive rhone, myself. I am more likely to like a claret or some generic bordeaux, and much more likely to like some generic Rioja.

Anyways, hope you had a lovely night. 22 bucks is not a bad price for a decent Gigonda, And this one tasted like a good one, so I say, you made some money here

 

[Tony S]

Yes, Rhone valley seems like an endless source - particularly at the higher end, of lovely wine. I love Gigondas, Vaqueyras and particularly CdP (all from the south) but they are not particularly affordable. I don't care much for "generic" inexpensive rhone, myself. I am more likely to like a claret or some generic bordeaux, and much more likely to like some generic Rioja.

Anyways, hope you had a lovely night. 22 bucks is not a bad price for a decent Gigonda, And this one tasted like a good one, so I say, you made some money here

I Googled this wine after posting last night. The Rousset-les-Vignes locality is not one I'd encountered before. The district is at the very northern limits of the appellation, hard up against the alpine foothills. (You will have noticed that this is not a generic CdR.) I wonder if something about this area accounts for its distinctly syrah-influenced profile, even with only 20% or something in the cépage. This is the kind of thing that keeps wine interesting for me.

 

[skibob]

I Googled this wine after posting last night. The Rousset-les-Vignes locality is not one I'd encountered before. The district is at the very northern limits of the appellation, hard up against the alpine foothills. (You will have noticed that this is not a generic CdR.) I wonder if something about this area accounts for its distinctly syrah-influenced profile, even with only 20% or something in the cépage. This is the kind of thing that keeps wine interesting for me.

Rousset-les-Vignes | Vins Rhône

Steep roads and stunning views describe the road to Rousset-les-Vignes, a route that the ancient General Hannibal Barca took as he approached the Alps on his way from Spain to Italy. Perched on the Lance mountain massif, the village is one of the northernmost appellations in the southern Rhône...

www.vins-rhone.com

Teeny tiny appellation. I don't think I had heard of it before. My guess is the "syrah influence" is mourvedre. In small amounts (with grenache/cinsault) it certainly can give the impression of Syrah. Especially in areas that ripen both syrah and mourvedre sufficiently, as it seems this village would.

 

[jmeb]

For other's reference...should you ever be buying wine in Minneapolis, South Lyndale Liquors is pretty awesome. I'm in town for a friends wedding and wanted to get them a bottle as a gift. Not only could I find the vintage they got together (2012), their favorite wine region (Barolo), but I had a choice of multiple producers and various cuvees at reasonable prices.

Ended up with a very fairly price bottle from Brovia plus a magnum of some rad Jura to serve at the rehearsal dinner tonight.

 

[Uncle-A]

Tried this Italian red tonight and it was very nice, I will make sure I get more of this.

 

[RobSN]

Tried this Italian red tonight and it was very nice, I will make sure I get more of this.
View attachment 151908

Perfect picture of how the label would look after drinking same ...

 

[Uncle-A]

Perfect picture of how the label would look after drinking same ...

I took the picture after my second glass, after all I had to make sure I liked it.

 

[mdf]

Another quasi-random email marketing purchase that I was glad I bought. It's a Mendocino barbera. Medium body and bright acidity, the way a barbera should be.

 

[Uncle-A]

Every year on Christmas Eve we celebrate with 7 fish's, so we had to have white wine. Although someone tried to say this is orange wine, maybe some of our more knowledgeable members could share some of their expertise on this.

 

[jmeb]

Every year on Christmas Eve we celebrate with 7 fish's, so we had to have white wine. Although someone tried to say this is orange wine, maybe some of our more knowledgeable members could share some of their expertise on this.
View attachment 152569

Call it orange. Call it white. Whatever it is, it's delicious.

COS is a "natural" winemaker -- i.e. they try to use low intervention methods to let the wine do its thing. Indigenous yeasts only, low SO2, no additives, rarely filtered or fined.

That "white" gets it's orange color because it is aged on its skins. This style is also know as "skin-contact" whites. It can give it additional body and some tannins that are rare in white wines.

One of the founders of COS is Adriana Occhipinti's uncle. For some reason -- the COS wines are way easier to find/less hip than Adriana's -- despite offering much of the same experience and sometimes a better value. (That is to say nothing ill of Occhipinti's wines which are world class.)

 

[Uncle-A]

Call it orange. Call it white. Whatever it is, it's delicious.

COS is a "natural" winemaker -- i.e. they try to use low intervention methods to let the wine do its thing. Indigenous yeasts only, low SO2, no additives, rarely filtered or fined.

That "white" gets it's orange color because it is aged on its skins. This style is also know as "skin-contact" whites. It can give it additional body and some tannins that are rare in white wines.

One of the founders of COS is Adriana Occhipinti's uncle. For some reason -- the COS wines are way easier to find/less hip than Adriana's -- despite offering much of the same experience and sometimes a better value. (That is to say nothing ill of Occhipinti's wines which are world class.)

Thanks for the info.

 

[Andy Mink]

When your inlaws like you (or your wife). Either way...

 

[Uncle-A]

We are celebrating a family member getting into Villanova.

 

[Tony S]

When your inlaws like you (or your wife). Either way... View attachment 152626

Oh stop. You're as bad as @Swede , in a very new world sort of way. These are American royalty at this point. I remember from the late 80s when there's was a lot of Ric Forman vs. Randy Dunn chatter. (And Diamond Creek, which I turned my nose up at the time for being crazy over done. Of course I haven't had one since because I'm not in that tax bracket so I have no idea whether I was right or just young and overconfident.) Anyway, pure class. Did you actually open these or were they gifts? Or both?

Our Christmas dinner bottle. Not amazing by a long stretch, but very very nice and I got a deal on it. (I don't drink 11yo Première Cru Burgundy under normal circumstances.)