Napa-free Varietal Jamboree

originally posted by MarkS:
originally posted by Peter Creasey:

Here on this wine board, a thread with a well-organized synopsis of some interesting wines has been subverted (hijacked?!?). (And it is immaterial that the usage _could_ have been intended correctly.)

Many of us are very interested in grammar and its proper usage. Should this board perhaps be referred to as Grammar Disorder?!? (Just amusing musing!)

. . . . . Pete
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And where else will you here bantam not used in relation to a chicken?
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On a boxing board?
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
okay. here's what i am asking. if the word [CENSORED] is being used correctly why would not a "Varietal Jamboree" be the correct description of drinking a lot of [CENSORED] wines? (and i am not trying to argue or troll or be a dick, i just really want to know)
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The word "varietal" would be used correctly as a noun referring to those wines. I am claiming--Oswaldo's answer to the contrary notwithstanding--that that is not what he is doing, and if it is what he was doing, he ought not to have done so because the resulting sentence is ambiguous where it need not have been. All of this back and forth is fairly unnecessary since Cole supplied the reading others have since argued for, without adding anything to his argument. I have been repeating to those arguments the same argument against it since they have not added to his parsing (I really should have refrained). People are free to find me incorrect.
 
My varietal jamboree featured fifteen varietals showcasing three varieties.

My dear professor, you elegantly retracted the last time you corrected me on the use of varietal; cannot lightning strike the same spot twice?
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
ParsnipMy [CENSORED] jamboree featured fifteen [CENSORED]s showcasing three varieties.

My dear professor, you elegantly retracted the last time you corrected me on the use of [CENSORED]; cannot lightning strike the same spot twice?
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Nah.
 
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Late last year I was disappointed with a 2013 Williams Selyem pinot noir, but decided to try an older version in deference to the esteem in which they are held.

1997 Williams Selyem Sonoma County Pinot Noir 13.3%
Sumptuous boysenberry and blackberry aromas with a leafy edge and an attractive halo of tertiaries. The aromatic combo seemed closer to cabernet than pinot, but an ethereal cabernet, if such were possible (smirk). Lovely mouthfeel; very balanced, with fine acidity and satisfying weight. Most seductively pleasurable.

2004 Williams Selyem Central Coast Mistral Vineyard Port 20.0%
Gadzooks, I had resigned myself, with some embarrassment, to not being a fan of Port, but this really rocked my boats and raised my ships. There was something about its gait, reminiscent of a basset hound, and the droopy twinkle of its 20% eye, that left me thinking this is a port of call to call home. Don’t take this the wrong way, but now I have to procure a bottle to take to Portugal so they can all learn what this concoction should taste like.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
2004 Williams Selyem Central Coast Mistral Vineyard Port 20.0%
Gadzooks, I had resigned myself, with some embarrassment, to not being a fan of Port, but this really rocked my boats and raised my ships. There was something about its gait, reminiscent of a basset hound, and the droopy twinkle of its 20% eye, that left me thinking this is a port of call to call home. Don’t take this the wrong way, but now I have to procure a bottle to take to Portugal so they can all learn what this concoction should taste like.
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Whoa, really?! That came out of left field.
 
Sure did. Didn't even know it existed until it was handed to me by the most Caliknowledgeable of the jamboree participants (when most of it was drunk). Seems it's a bit of an avis rara (maybe even a hertz rara).
 
Last night, in the sanctity of our hotel room near Évora, a Roman and Moorish town deep in the heart of the Alentejo, another luvly bottle of the 2013 Lioco Saveria Pinot. Pairing effortlessly with flavorful local goat and milk cheeses, served upon low carb, wheat-free bread made by the missus.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
Last night, in the sanctity of our hotel room near Évora, a Roman and Moorish town deep in the heart of the Alentejo, another luvly bottle of the 2013 Lioco Saveria Pinot. Pairing effortlessly with flavorful local goat and milk cheeses, served upon low carb, wheat-free bread made by the missus.
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We were in Évora a year ago January, and really enjoyed our visit. In addition to Roman and Moorish aspects, there are also neolithic megaliths (a large stone circle and menhirs) not far outside of town.

Oswaldo, we'll be back in the Alentejo shortly with friends. We probably won't get back to Évora, but we will be in Monsaraz and Estremoz. Any recommendations for food and drink? My recollection is that you have not had favorable things to say about Alentejo wines; that's consistent with our experience last year. We didn't find anything geared toward a disorderly palate. Is there any wine from the region you would recommend? Thanks.

--
Steve Guattery
 
Hi, Steve, we visited Monsaraz and Estremoz very briefly, found them lovely, but had only one meal nearby.

In the region, there's also a fantastic Ducal Palace in Vila Viçosa and a great little hilltop village called Évoramonte.

We had a technically correct, chichi but soul-free meal at a restaurant near Monsaraz (https://barrocal.pt/pt/). It's in a farm hotel renovated by renowned Portuguese architect Sotto de Moura. The property feels a bit like a rich man's plaything, but without excesses, so may be a good place for you and your party to stay, if you're not already set. Beware of the organic rosé. The two bottles they opened to serve it btg were maderized, and they tried to justify that by saying it was organic.

In terms of wine, the only contemporary ones that we liked were those made with whole clusters in 200 year old Portuguese Amphorae that we tasted at Herdade do Rocim in Vidigueira, near Beja. Rocim themselves are an industrial winery, but their two Amphora wines (one white and one red), and all the wines made by their enologist Pedro Ribeiro semi-independently under the name Bojador, are good. I would load up on a handful of these on day one and take them to whatever restaurants you go. The minor offence of bringing your own will be mitigated by the fact that they are from the region.
 
Oswaldo,

Thanks. Our friends have suggested Vila Viçosa as a place to visit on the way to Estremoz. I'll look for the Rocim amphora and the Bojador wines.

--
Steve Guattery
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
2004 Williams Selyem Central Coast Mistral Vineyard Port 20.0%
Gadzooks, I had resigned myself, with some embarrassment, to not being a fan of Port, but this really rocked my boats and raised my ships. There was something about its gait, reminiscent of a basset hound, and the droopy twinkle of its 20% eye, that left me thinking this is a port of call to call home. Don’t take this the wrong way, but now I have to procure a bottle to take to Portugal so they can all learn what this concoction should taste like.
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Whoa, really?! That came out of left field.
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None of you will remember, except perhaps Sharon, that my favorite Port ever was not a Port.

For almost three years now we have been living a stone's throw from the Douro Valley and Oporto, yet no Port I have tasted here has come close. Since I don't taste many, the problem is me, not Port, so yesterday I set up a little experiment.

The friend of a friend was present at a lunch I attended yesterday. Let's call him Paulo. Paulo is an official taster of the Oporto entity that certifies this or that Port wine as worthy of DOC status. I served him the 2004 Williams-Selyem blind, asking him to take me through his analytic process while examining and tasting it. After much ado, an examination of color, aroma and flavor, Paulo came to the conclusion that it was either a Ruby Reserva or an LBV, most likely the latter, with a bit of bottle age, probably from 2010 to 2012 or from 2011 to 2013. He thought it was a bit unbalanced: slightly too acidic, and requiring a bit more structure, but would still give it a passing grade. But I quite enjoy this supposed imbalance, since I prefer more acid and less tannin. Williams-Selyem has my number.

When I showed Paulo what it was he was taken aback, of course. Then I asked him who in Portugal makes a Port like this and it was my turn to be surprised: he suggested I seek out an LBV with ten years of bottle age from Quinta do Infantado, as their Ports tend to be more acidic (I have read that they tend to be drier, which may be a way of saying the same thing). Seek and ye shall find.
 
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