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Rahsaan

Rahsaan
1998 Nigl Senftenberger Piri Riesling
This bottle does not show as well as one from a few weeks ago. It may be an issue of sub-optimal storage, but regardless the steely sour golden corn is a bit on the generic side and this bottle is past where I would derive more pleasure.

2006 Hubert Bouzereau-Grure Meursault Les Tillets
Green grey minty fresh firm and juicy wine. Straightforward and not deep or complex but nicely elegant in the acidic structure (especially for the vintage) and I would buy this if it were half the price.

2007 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Sauvignon #2
This on the other hand is a no-brainer. Starts off a bit cheesy but that blows off with air and leaves you with a refreshing chalky firm grippy mineral version of sauvignon with tons of character. Plus, one could buy four of these for one bottle of the Bouzereau and still have change. A no-brainer.

2007 Leth Grner Veltliner Steinagrund Lagenreserve
Crisp mineral and refreshing. Nice if there are few other options and certainly respectable for a non-wine geek crowd. But doesnt strike me as anything to hunt down.

2006 Charvin Ctes du Rhne Le Poutet
I bought this for my wife because I knew it would be exactly the kind of wine she likes. Deeply fruited but smooth and supple with some refreshing acidic lift. Even I enjoyed it, all those ripe slippery plums and such. The only downside was the 14.5% alcohol which became slightly evident on the palate and even more so in my head. Still, fun fun fun.

2007 Valmior Albario Rias Baixas
Weve gone through a few bottles of this at parties and it is good fun. Juicy slightly peachy crisp fresh wine. Nothing less nothing more. A bit glossy as others have said, and it doesnt have the personality of the CRB sauvignon, but fun enough at the start of the evening. Especially when there are few other options.

2006 Bruno Clavelier Bourgogne Passetoutgrain VV
Wow. Not for the faint of heart! Tart, peppery, weedy, and tight. Even I cant really get into it.
 
2006 Charvin Ctes du Rhne Le Poutet
I bought this for my wife because I knew it would be exactly the kind of wine she likes. Deeply fruited but smooth and supple with some refreshing acidic lift. Even I enjoyed it, all those ripe slippery plums and such. The only downside was the 14.5% alcohol which became slightly evident on the palate and even more so in my head. Still, fun fun fun.
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Sounds about the same as the last time I bought a bunch because of a good deal on some 2000's. My 6 bottles were just the thing for a weekday night, especially for the price (these were about $12 or so).
 
originally posted by MarkS:
Sounds about the same as the last time I bought a bunch because of a good deal on some 2000's. My 6 bottles were just the thing for a weekday night, especially for the price (these were about $12 or so).
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This was about $17, but I still agree it was just the thing for a weekday night. Except for the 14.5% alcohol!
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:

2007 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Sauvignon #2
This on the other hand is a no-brainer. Starts off a bit cheesy but that blows off with air and leaves you with a refreshing chalky firm grippy mineral version of sauvignon with tons of character. Plus, one could buy four of these for one bottle of the Bouzereau and still have change. A no-brainer.
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I have to say, refreshing and grippy are not how I would describe this wine. I found it more than a little fat, actually. Delicious, to be sure, but a few degrees shy of refreshment, at least for me.
 
originally posted by Arjun Mendiratta:
I have to say, refreshing and grippy are not how I would describe this wine. I found it more than a little fat, actually. Delicious, to be sure, but a few degrees shy of refreshment, at least for me.
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When did you drink it? Recently?

Our bottle was a little on the cool side. Maybe that played a role. And we drained it before it could really warm up very much.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by MarkS:
Sounds about the same as the last time I bought a bunch because of a good deal on some 2000's. My 6 bottles were just the thing for a weekday night, especially for the price (these were about $12 or so).
Click to expand...

This was about $17, but I still agree it was just the thing for a weekday night. Except for the 14.5% alcohol!
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From Charvin Cotes de Rhone to Charvin Chateauneuf du Pape, to other Chateauneufs, I'm telling you, it's a slippery slope. I'm happy to hear that the 06 is still doing well. It's bound to close up any time now.
 
originally posted by Arjun Mendiratta:
I found it more than a little fat, actually.
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Thinking about this again, I could see describing it as dense and firm, but not really fat or opulent. At least this bottle. Maybe I need to buy more for further investigation. (Which I should probably do anyway).
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg: I'm happy to hear that the 06 is still doing well. It's bound to close up any time now.
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You know more about this than I do, but this bottle was so open, slippery, and seductive I don't see how it could close up. At least anytime soon. Unless of course the alcohol thwarts the fruit somehow :)
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:

Thinking about this again, I could see describing it as dense and firm, but not really fat or opulent. At least this bottle. Maybe I need to buy more for further investigation. (Which I probably do anyway).
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Interesting. I had this by the glass at a (rather enlightened) restaurant a week or two ago. Perhaps it was a bit warm.
 
originally posted by Arjun Mendiratta:
Interesting. I had this by the glass at a (rather enlightened) restaurant a week or two ago. Perhaps it was a bit warm.
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I guess we both need to buy more!
 
Well, I returned to the restaurant and ordered another glass of CRB Sauvignon Blanc, and this time it was exactly as Rahsaan describes, which leads me to a slightly embarrassing story.

The first time I ordered this, I took a sip and immediately thought to myself, "Hmm, this doesn't taste like Sauvignon Blanc at all; in fact, it tastes shockingly like the bottle of Brun Beaujolais Blanc I drank just two days ago. Must just be that 'natural wine' taste." Now, the Brun is also on the by-the-glass list at this restaurant and it did occur to me that a slip-up may have occured, encouraged by the assonance of "roche blanche" with "beaujolais blanc," but I was not completely certain, so I said nothing. But now, I am quite certain that I was served the wrong wine the first time around.
 
originally posted by Arjun Mendiratta:
Order RestoredWell, I returned to the restaurant and ordered another glass of CRB Sauvignon Blanc, and this time it was exactly as Rahsaan describes, which leads me to a slightly embarrassing story.

The first time I ordered this, I took a sip and immediately thought to myself, "Hmm, this doesn't taste like Sauvignon Blanc at all; in fact, it tastes shockingly like the bottle of Brun Beaujolais Blanc I drank just two days ago. Must just be that 'natural wine' taste." Now, the Brun is also on the by-the-glass list at this restaurant and it did occur to me that a slip-up may have occured, encouraged by the assonance of "roche blanche" with "beaujolais blanc," but I was not completely certain, so I said nothing. But now, I am quite certain that I was served the wrong wine the first time around.
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Well, that is reassuring for me!

And quite the funny story.

At least the list was good, so you were drinking nice wine either way :)
 
Pretty amazing with all the new dining establishments that have opened in Oakland and Berkeley in the past year. All this has happened after Rahsaan moved away.

Coincidence, you say? (humor-filled emoticon)
 
It's easier once you move some of the vegetarians out of town. They got rid of Yaniger, now Rahsaan. Culinary nirvana awaits.
 
originally posted by Larry Stein:
Pretty amazing with all the new dining establishments that have opened in Oakland and Berkeley in the past year. All this has happened after Rahsaan moved away.

Coincidence, you say?
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I think Conspiracy is a better word for it!
 
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