Five on Thursday

O

Oswaldo Costa

Oswaldo Costa
2009 Domaine de la Pepière Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie 12.0%
Stunning aromatics, laser sharp, lovely wet granite, white flower and lime. Shows the ripeness of the vintage but carries considerable acidity. Slightly too much bitterness on the finish. Excellent, but nose trounces mouth.

2005 Domaine St. Nicolas Cuvée Jacques Fiefs Vendéens Brem 12.5%
Biodynamic, maritime, and 100% Pinot Noir (in this vintage; usually has 15% cab franc). Another stunningly lovely nose, with spice box, forest floor and plums. Smooth and velvety, with good balance and just enough tannin bite. Food dampens the acidity, making the finish a little sweet. Nose again trounces mouth.

2005 Ferrando Carema Ettichetta Bianca 13.5%
All three reds were opened a few hours ahead of serving, poured through an aerator and put back in bottle. This smelled fine on opening but was oxidized by the time it was poured some four hours later. Bummer.

2005 Chateau de Coulaine Chinon Clos de Turpenay 13.5%
From massale vines planted by Étienne de Bonnaventure’s father in 1960. Nose is somewhat closed, mostly cherry and herbs. Balance is fine, with grippy tannins, appealing acidity. Dense and serious. Shows fine breeding, but not giving much pleasure now; in a few years, should sing the body electrique.

1993 Zilliken Riesling Saarburger Rausch Spätlese 7.5%
Library release. Aromatically very fine, with petrol, lemon and peaches. Strong citric acidity, well balanced by fruit. Tastes remarkably young. Lovely.
 
Appreciate the data point on the Clos de Turpenay. Have only one bottle of that '05, so will keep my hands off it a while longer.

Shame about the Carema.
 
originally posted by Salil Benegal:
Shame about the Carema.
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Agreed. I've only had the 04 version, but it didn't give the impression it would have oxidized after just a few hours; seemed sturdier than that.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
2005 Ferrando Carema Ettichetta Bianca 13.5%
All three reds were opened a few hours ahead of serving, poured through an aerator and put back in bottle. This smelled fine on opening but was oxidized by the time it was poured some four hours later. Bummer.
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really? that's weird. any thoughts as to why? poor handling?
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
2005 Ferrando Carema Ettichetta Bianca 13.5%
All three reds were opened a few hours ahead of serving, poured through an aerator and put back in bottle. This smelled fine on opening but was oxidized by the time it was poured some four hours later. Bummer.
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really? that's weird. any thoughts as to why? poor handling?
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This was the first from a recently acquired sixpack, so will have to open another soon to find out if it was a freak bottle or the entire sixpack is baked. But the next will be, for obvious reasons, pop n' drink, so if it turns out to be as good as usual, I won't know how it would have fared if subjected to the same treatement as this one...
 
We all have dubious choices, at times, though. Just this evening, I and people who ought to know better followed an 09 Métras Printemps with a 10 Amphibolite. I ask you.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
I denounce selfWe all have dubious choices, at times, though. Just this evening, I and people who ought to know better followed an 09 Métras Printemps with a 10 Amphibolite. I ask you.
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I sometimes like something crisp late.

I had a girlfriend in college who liked oysters for dessert.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
Cannot... wrap... mind... aroundThis is definitely a cinnamon raisin bagel moment, cher Oswaldo.
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I was chubby as a kid, and that allowed me to develop my intellect. But I have my flaws. And this is not one of them.

originally posted by SFJoe:
I had a girlfriend in college who liked oysters for dessert.
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Did you have the same proclivities?
 
Luigi Ferrando was the consummate gentleman the only time I had contact with him. We had spent the morning at the Castelo di Rivoli in Turin when our subsequent appointment at a nearby winery was cancelled. I tried to salvage the afternoon by calling the Ferrando Wine Farm in Ivrea, an hour’s drive away. Luigi himself picked up the phone. I apologized for calling at such short notice and said I had read Neal Rosenthal’s book and loved the descriptions of Ferrando and his wines. I had also greatly enjoyed an 05 Ettichetta Bianca just a few weeks prior. Luigi was warm and enthusiastic, and I could sense his frustration at not being able to receive us because his son Roberto had gone out and he was by himself. "If only you had called as late as this morning, we could have arranged it..." I thanked him and asked if there was anywhere in Turin where I might find his hard-to-find late harvest Erbaluce. He said he'd look into it, wrote down my number, and called within minutes with the name of a wine store. He said they were expecting our visit, and apologized again for not being able to receive us. We drove to the store and the proprietor opened bottles of both the dry and late harvest Ferrando Erbaluces. Though our suitcases were already overloaded, I couldn't resist some token bottles, but when I went to the register to pay, the proprietor said they could not charge us because we were Ferrando's guests. Later I called Ferrando to complain about setting impossibly high standards of courtesy. Because of this incident, I intend to drink his Caremas to perpetuity, baked or not.
 
Although heat sends the chemistry in different directions, obviously.

As friend of mine (DHP, for those ITK) says, if you keep an egg at 37* for a few weeks, you get a chicken. You don't get a chicken sooner by keeping the egg at 100* for ten minutes.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
Luigi Ferrando was the consummate gentleman the only time I had contact with him. We had spent the morning at the Castelo di Rivoli in Turin when our subsequent appointment at a nearby winery was cancelled. I tried to salvage the afternoon by calling the Ferrando Wine Farm in Ivrea, an hour’s drive away. Luigi himself picked up the phone. I apologized for calling at such short notice and said I had read Neal Rosenthal’s book and loved the descriptions of Ferrando and his wines. I had also greatly enjoyed an 05 Ettichetta Bianca just a few weeks prior. Luigi was warm and enthusiastic, and I could sense his frustration at not being able to receive us because his son Roberto had gone out and he was by himself. "If only you had called as late as this morning, we could have arranged it..." I thanked him and asked if there was anywhere in Turin where I might find his hard-to-find late harvest Erbaluce. He said he'd look into it, wrote down my number, and called within minutes with the name of a wine store. He said they were expecting our visit, and apologized again for not being able to receive us. We drove to the store and the proprietor opened bottles of both the dry and late harvest Ferrando Erbaluces. Though our suitcases were already overloaded, I couldn't resist some token bottles, but when I went to the register to pay, the proprietor said they could not charge us because we were Ferrando's guests. Later I called Ferrando to complain about setting impossibly high standards of courtesy. Because of this incident, I intend to drink his Caremas to perpetuity, baked or not.
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his wines taste that much better when you're baked.
 
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