Jim Hanlon
Jim Hanlon
It's distinct from MW. There's a series of full-length movies about it, but I can't really recommend them. The organization also had a big cheating scandal not too long ago.
CWD: What did you drink last night (or whenever)?
- Thread starter Jayson Cohen
- Start date
It's distinct from MW. There's a series of full-length movies about it, but I can't really recommend them. The organization also had a big cheating scandal not too long ago.
Pavel Tchichikov
Pavel Tchichikov
tasting the 10s from barrel/tank was definitely taking one for the team. Sensation of taste returned within a couple of weeks though. Isn't it wonderful how they are turning out? The vectors were there to begin with though.
Love this, for multiple reasons. Nostalgia is one: this was dirt cheap and great from the mid-late 80s, aided by closeouts from NY distributors for so-called "off vintages" (hah!), so this even qualified as the house pinot at some point. The 17s bring up all sorts of inevitable comparisons, with 85-17 being my favorite axis when the latter were in barrel and even more so a year later in bottle. But I like where 05 fits there, in a more powerful format. Lastly, and much-discussed here, gotta love what the village and the feather-to-welterweight 1er from 05 are doing last 3-4 years.
Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
Thanks. And if you're referring to the movie Somm, it was indeed one of the least recommendable films of all time.
Jim Hanlon
Jim Hanlon
Now that the brothers are officially retired, Merkelbach falls into the category of Puffeney, Clos Roche Blanche, and Pinguet-era Huet, and others in my cellar -- all treasures of an earlier time that ain't coming back. I never got to taste with them, but would have loved to.
Jim Hanlon
Jim Hanlon
If the 2017 is indicative, then they haven't lost a step, at least in the right vintages. This seems to go for about $80 in current release. Not house Pinot, at least for me (if I had house wines -- I don't because I like variety), but still "fairly" priced in the context of 1er Cru Burgundy, if there is such a thing anymore. I picked up some 2012 for less than that after this tasting.
Tristan Welles
Tristan Welles
Don't look now, but it is at the very worst only the 3rd least recommendable film of all time. Somm 3 contains dozens of individuals full up with self regard. To steal a phrase, they all know the taste of every wine and the enjoyment of none.
Somehow I let myself watch about 25 minutes of this odious egotism. One of the featured persons is an obese sommelier (never pronounced correctly, eux-mêmes) who must have cured cancer off screen, such is the obeisance paid him.
I hit the exit button when the film switched to the next generation preparing to blind taste wine. Judging by the seriousness, they were either going to do that or depart for the front lines near Kharkov. Difficult to say.
Jim Hanlon
Jim Hanlon
2017 Il Colombaio di Santachiara Vernaccia di San Gimignano Campo della Pieve: Between this producer and Montenidoli, it's no exaggeration to say that two of the more exciting white wine producers, to my palate, are in San Gimignano, a DOCG generally known for tourist plonk. This wine is wonderfully balanced and tremendously food friendly. Engaging, but can also drink easy if that's your mood. Recommended for Disorderlies who come across a bottle. Even worth going out of your way for, although one of the things that's so wonderful in this wine and the Montenidoli is that they satisfy so thoroughly without the expectations and pomp that accompany a wine higher up the perceived hierarchy.
Salil Benegal
Salil Benegal
1994 ZH Gewurz Hengst VT was very good, not great. Quite developed with a burnished quality to the flavors and less sweetness than I'd expect, paired nicely with a biryani but like most Gewurz left me wanting a bit more acidity.
2015 Baudry Croix Boissee is still very young, but was absolutely gorgeous and complex after about an hour in a decanter. I'm glad my other bottles are offsite because I'd otherwise be tempted to open another one soon.
2015 Baudry Croix Boissee is still very young, but was absolutely gorgeous and complex after about an hour in a decanter. I'm glad my other bottles are offsite because I'd otherwise be tempted to open another one soon.
Jayson Cohen
Jayson Cohen
Nice pair.
Speaking of 90s Alsatian wines, I discovered a long forgotten bottle of 1996 Deiss Pinot Blanc, which I stored in my Uncle’s cellar in 1999, when I went up to his house yesterday. It came home with me, and I’m looking forward to opening it. A similar experiment with a 1996 Mittnacht-Klack Muscat was very successful.
Jayson Cohen
Jayson Cohen
The follow through on 2019 Tiberio Trebbiano. Just when you think this is a quaffer even with that somehow intense but airy mineral nose and entry as the wine cycles from 1st to fourth quickly, the midpalate drops back into 3rd and away we go!
Christian Miller (CMM)
Christian Miller
What a time trip! I too partook in this value, back in the day. Brought back a bunch of NYC memories.
Jayson Cohen
Jayson Cohen
Out last night at Noreetuh, I opened these:
I was excited to try 2018 Nervi (Conterno) Gattinara and was underwhelmed. Sort of boring. I didn’t get a sense of place or much varietal character or even its own strong character. It’s not bad wine, but it’s also not really what I’m looking for in Alto Piemonte. Given where the price has gone, I can’t say I’m sad to take these off my radar.
2019 Clos Cibonne Cuvée Spéciale des Vignettes was much more interesting. Old vines here, and my first time with this bottling. A wine that is hard to describe and constantly changing in the glass for hours. Leafy-mineral-vaguely apricotish-textural. I brought some home for tonight. I am not sure I like this better than the somewhat more vibrant-saline base bottling, which drinks more like a really excellent more traditional Rose, but it’s good. It might just take getting used to.
I was excited to try 2018 Nervi (Conterno) Gattinara and was underwhelmed. Sort of boring. I didn’t get a sense of place or much varietal character or even its own strong character. It’s not bad wine, but it’s also not really what I’m looking for in Alto Piemonte. Given where the price has gone, I can’t say I’m sad to take these off my radar.
2019 Clos Cibonne Cuvée Spéciale des Vignettes was much more interesting. Old vines here, and my first time with this bottling. A wine that is hard to describe and constantly changing in the glass for hours. Leafy-mineral-vaguely apricotish-textural. I brought some home for tonight. I am not sure I like this better than the somewhat more vibrant-saline base bottling, which drinks more like a really excellent more traditional Rose, but it’s good. It might just take getting used to.
Jayson Cohen
Jayson Cohen
Someone on another Board suggested the Nervi needs 2-3 days to open up. I may have missed the boat then as I didn’t take any home.
Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
I get the impression that the base bottling is the one that maximizes the variables (including cost and wait time), while the higher bottlings take a few more years to hit their stride (2019 is too young, still, imo), a stride that can have a hint of oakiness that the basic never seems to have.
Pavel Tchichikov
Pavel Tchichikov
more like covered up
Christian Miller (CMM)
Christian Miller
The funny thing about the obsession with identifying wines blind (more obsessed with outside the trade than in) is that it is actually one of the less useful skills in a professional wine education.
Odd Rydland
Odd Rydland
It's a parlour game. Though by making faulty guesses, you learn quite a lot about wines and your own preconceptions.
Jim Hanlon
Jim Hanlon
2020 Carmarans Fer de Sang: My experience is not extensive, but these wines are pretty consistently expressive, delicious, distinctive, and clean enough to enjoy all of the above. I'm always surprised I don't hear more about them. Fer Servadou can be an interesting grape.