Singular wines

originally posted by Yixin:
There are very few wines listed thus far which I'd like to drink every day, bearing in mind that I import some of them.
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In inviting 'singular' entries, I think Levi was not asking for favorites or wines you'd drink all the time, given the chance.

For me, most singular has been 1996 Baumard Savennieres Clos du Papillon, with 10+ years of age. Belliviere le rouge-gorge is in the running.

I'm far back from the cutting edge in this event.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
of exceptional quality, but also wholly different
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This is the nub of it: "wholly different," which to me means means that the wine should be more than just "off the beaten path." Huet and Eyrie could well be examples of the latter, yet they are classic. Bea and LdH come closer to former, as others have noted (and LdH's rosado fully qualifies).

Renaissance in the Sierra Foothills rings the "wholly different" bells louder still. Unmanipulated, granite-grown cab that, with its tarry elegance at age 15, often reminds me a lot more of Barolo than Napa or any other California wine? That qualifies. Their ultra-mineral semillon and roussanne do, too.

Cornelissen qualifies under "wholly different" but the variation rubs up against "exceptional quality" in the wrong way, sometimes. That said, I've never had the Magma, and my sheer number of experiences (one very good indeed) have been quite limited, so it's irresponsible of me to mention his wines to begin with.

Surely someone here wants to mention Do Ferreiro or Ameztoi?
 
As SFJoe alluded to, if you are a real terroiriste, all sorts of great wines aren't going to qualify just because they aren't monopoles. If you ask a great Burgundy producer what makes his wines different from his neighbors in the same vineyards, a likely answer is going to be something along the lines of, "If I do my job right, absolutely nothing."

I hate to say it but trying to think of something truly singular, the main candidate that comes to mind is almost boringly obvious and certainly gets me no points for hipness. But it's d'Yquem. A wine you can ID blind time and time again and never confuse another Sauternes for it. At least the ones that say Lur Saluces on the label.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
I hate to say it but trying to think of something truly singular, the main candidate that comes to mind is almost boringly obvious and certainly gets me no points for hipness. But it's d'Yquem. A wine you can ID blind time and time again and never confuse another Sauternes for it. At least the ones that say Lur Saluces on the label.
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I had also thought of this--it stands out from the crowd enough to matter.

But I just don't drink, or even taste, enough to assert the view.
 
originally posted by Mike Hinds:

Surely someone here wants to mention Do Ferreiro or Ameztoi?
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Sure. Also a number of other wines from that portfolio, especially Clos Cibonne Rose, which I think is fascinating and is the only flor-affected rose I know of. Also, the Gorrondona Txakolina Tinto is delicious and tastes like nothing else I've ever tried (and comes from vines older than Ameztoi's, I believe). The Dominio di Bibei wines also seem singular and noteworthy.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
As SFJoe alluded to, if you are a real terroiriste, all sorts of great wines aren't going to qualify just because they aren't monopoles.
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Although I was making a broader argument, depending on what Levi meant by his question. Musigny might not be different enough from RSV, say, to make his cut. Or from Amoureuses. Those wines are recognizably distinct, but is one great Burgundy "wholly different" from another on the next slope?

I ordinarily would not say so. And certainly not unless you are a very dedicated, thoughtful drinker of those wines.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
As SFJoe alluded to, if you are a real terroiriste, all sorts of great wines aren't going to qualify just because they aren't monopoles. If you ask a great Burgundy producer what makes his wines different from his neighbors in the same vineyards, a likely answer is going to be something along the lines of, "If I do my job right, absolutely nothing."

I hate to say it but trying to think of something truly singular, the main candidate that comes to mind is almost boringly obvious and certainly gets me no points for hipness. But it's d'Yquem. A wine you can ID blind time and time again and never confuse another Sauternes for it. At least the ones that say Lur Saluces on the label.
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Good QPR, too.
 
Interesting. So far, no Sherry, no Beaujolais, little emphasis on rare varieties (yes, I saw the white pinot noir mentioned) or wacky palates (Marcillac).

My one candidate so far, Movia, has been mentioned, though I would pick the "Puro" Rose.
 
Wines that don't have a category?
Wines that rise above their category?
A wine that is a category unto itself?
Wines that prevent you from thinking categorically?

Speaking of 1996 Clos du Papillon, the Cuvee Speciale from Domaine is singularly magical, with mind-gobbling potential.

I had a Lemnia from Lemnos recently that was singularly wonderful, refreshing and elegantly rustic. A bracing tannic red wine from a Greek island that put me in mind of Occhipinti wine. Also, a Qvevri Rkatsiteli from Shavnabada Monastery in Georgia (and the vineyard being in Khaketi) was quite unlike anything in my experience. There may be others like it, bit I've had limited opportunity to explore the world of Qvevri Rkatsiteli. Some of the Italian aranciata winrs point in this direction, but I don't think any of them get you there.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Singular winesBack a few years ago on Therapy I asked people to name what they thought to be the singular wines of the world. To name wines with no peer. Wines that were of exceptional quality, but also wholly different from all the others.

I remember - sadly, there is no way to go back and see it now - at the time my list mentioned Gravner, Radikon, and Massa Vecchia, which just shows you which direction I was going in in my own explorations at that time.

I am curious what wines people might name today. I learned a lot from that old thread. It would be nice to check back in.

What is on your list? Maybe 5 or 10 names? Maybe more?

I'll post my own picks after awhile. Last time I posted my personal list ahead of everybody else's and it ended up influencing the subsequent argument (er, discussion) too much, I think.

What say you?
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Currently on my mind for this:
Cornelissen Contadino
Les Larmes de Divrona rouge (only had the first vintage, the '08 )
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Interesting. So far, no Sherry, no Beaujolais, little emphasis on rare varieties (yes, I saw the white pinot noir mentioned) or wacky palates (Marcillac).

My one candidate so far, Movia, has been mentioned, though I would pick the "Puro" Rose.
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Not quite "no" Beaujolais.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Interesting. So far, no Sherry, no Beaujolais, little emphasis on rare varieties (yes, I saw the white pinot noir mentioned) or wacky palates (Marcillac).

My one candidate so far, Movia, has been mentioned, though I would pick the "Puro" Rose.
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The Roilette Cuvee Tardive doesn't count as Beaujolais? Does it transcend its origins?

Also, romorantin is a pretty rare variety, as is meat wine.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
originally posted by Yixin:
There are very few wines listed thus far which I'd like to drink every day, bearing in mind that I import some of them.
Click to expand...

In inviting 'singular' entries, I think Levi was not asking for favorites or wines you'd drink all the time, given the chance.
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Precisely. On the surface, it seems like there's a dichotomy between fucking Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt (depending on your persuasion, taste notwithstanding) versus fucking your partner(s). But with love and thoughtfulness, I think that fucking one's partner(s) is more likely to lead to sex "of exceptional quality, but also wholly different".
 
It seems to me that should one find a singular wine, it would be so more because of winemaking style, rather than terroir.
 
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