bleh, blah

[Joel Stewart]

originally posted by Otto Nieminen:
Joel, can you get Boon's Geuze there? I just tried the 2006-2007 brewing season (i.e. newest, I think, as IIRC it spends two years in oak casks) of the Boon Oude Geuze l'Ancienne 100% Lambic moelleux

It's not as hardcore a style as Cantillon's, but still is an honest Lambic. It doesn't taste sweet at all (despite the moelleux on the label), but it isn't as sharply acidic or with such Sahara-like dryness as the Cantillon. It's a friendly style of traditional Lambic. Maybe a bit too friendly - I would have preferred the uncompromising style of Cantillon today.

Thanks for the recommendation, Otto...I will check around for this. Probably my beer geek friend knows where to get it. I was a bit harsh with my critique of the Iris, perhaps (though I can still taste the unrepenting sourness, so maybe not...)...probably with the right food...

Kevin - the Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze sounds like it just might hit my sweet spot, so on the list it will go too. tks. I appreciate the education from both you and Seth. My weakness, in both beer and wine tasting, is knowing (and then linking) the techniques used in the making with what ends up in the glass.

 

[Kevin Roberts]

originally posted by Joel Stewart:

originally posted by Otto Nieminen:
Joel, can you get Boon's Geuze there? I just tried the 2006-2007 brewing season (i.e. newest, I think, as IIRC it spends two years in oak casks) of the Boon Oude Geuze l'Ancienne 100% Lambic moelleux

It's not as hardcore a style as Cantillon's, but still is an honest Lambic. It doesn't taste sweet at all (despite the moelleux on the label), but it isn't as sharply acidic or with such Sahara-like dryness as the Cantillon. It's a friendly style of traditional Lambic. Maybe a bit too friendly - I would have preferred the uncompromising style of Cantillon today.

Thanks for the recommendation, Otto...I will check around for this. Probably my beer geek friend knows where to get it. I was a bit harsh with my critique of the Iris, perhaps (though I can still taste the unrepenting sourness, so maybe not...)...probably with the right food...

Kevin - the Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze sounds like it just might hit my sweet spot, so on the list it will go too. tks. I appreciate the education from both you and Seth. My weakness, in both beer and wine tasting, is knowing (and then linking) the techniques used in the making with what ends up in the glass.

Foodwise the classic pairing with gueuze (less so for fruit lambics) is mussels and gueuze. 2 main ways--with a cream sauce or in a leek heavy broth with a little gueuze in the cooking liquid. Good luck.

cheers,

Kevin

 

[Joel Stewart]

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:

originally posted by Joel Stewart:
2006 Puzelat Romorantin, Loire (13%) slightly turbid amber color. Resin, sap, rosemary cuttings, rain smells and some savory on the nose. Very intriguing. Palate at first starts off a little gangly, with oxidised/VA pickle jar notes doing battle with electric tobacco/citric tones. Not in an especially good place....but give it some air time. Off dry in a way that somehow reminds me a bit of Verget's macon's for some reason (ie rather than a fresh fruity sweetness, it's more of a handmade candied quality).

Whut?

originally posted by SFJoe:
There wasn't much white in 2006 that I loved from the Loire. From the Puzelats, not much at all.

Whuut?

I've had this wine three times in the past two weeks (thanx Jorge and Fifi) and could not clobber you both over the head more with disagreement and disagreeability.

First, the color, times I've had it, is bright and brisk, like a clean young GV. Agree about some of the nose notes, though not so much savory as rocks-y. Electric tobacco?

It is a bit hot, but it wears it fine. Curious, actually, Joel: I agree with some of the ways you characterize it, but in your telling, it comes out a discombobulated mess, whereas for me, it is a thorny thing of beauty; "god wine," as VLM would say.

SFJoe needs to try it again. Though the overall 2006 Loire prejudice can stand.

Sharon....I've had this romorantin twice and the first time I absolutely loved it, so I was a bit surprised myself at how the second bottle hit me differently. I couldn't find my notes on the first one, but we had it last winter, so not too distant (though moreso than your recent run). Your comment about the clarity of the wine interests me, because this is supposed to be a fairly low sulphur wine (maybe just at bottling?)....which means that somewhere between the Loire and Kyoto, something could have happened....or possibly just a different barrel? Still, the fact is that, for me, despite my growing affection for Puzelat whites, this second bottle was discombobulated. I really wanted to like it, but in the end, it was not as likeable as the first bottle (though I agree that "electric tobacco" makes little or no sense...."electric citric and tobacco notes" might have been more accurate). I did not get any heat, interestingly......but mainly, in retrospect, the pickle juice aspect + the slightly acrid candied sweetness overshadowed everything else. Just didn't seem like the same wine at all. I don't mind an idiosyncratic wine, but thorny or god-ish, or not, some things need to line up in certain ways on my palate for me to enjoy it sensually, as well as intellectually...and the vin blanc did this time, while the romo did not. Maybe we can just chalk it up to an off bottle? At any rate, it will not be my last Puzelat Romorantin...I may even try another '06 just to see if this last bottle was off or not.

I would be interested to see more recent notes if you taste any '06 Puzelat whites, SFJoe......I noticed in your Loire report that because of the late rainfall, Thierry said the early ripeners faired better. I've only had a few of the '06's, and enjoyed all but this last Romorantin, so, if '06 is a bad year for their whites, I can't wait to try a good year.

 

[Joel Stewart]

originally posted by Kevin Roberts:

Foodwise the classic pairing with gueuze (less so for fruit lambics) is mussels and gueuze. 2 main ways--with a cream sauce or in a leek heavy broth with a little gueuze in the cooking liquid. Good luck.

cheers,

Kevin

Both of those sound like they would work well, Kevin (I had just now imagined oysters myself, but mussels sound even better). Thanks.