Nice wines I have drunk recently - Red or White

[TheRealTMA]

Last nights dinner (Butter chicken) paired with a red for me and a White for Mrs QF WP:

For QF WP - Pamela's pasta bake plus wines. (And glasses )

 

[blackcat20]

For QF WP - Pamela's pasta bake plus wines. (And glasses )


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do love a Giant Steps Pinot.

 

[Daver6]

First of three bottles. The wine maker started making this after doing something like 40+ vintages as the head wine maker at Petrus. Apparently goes about it the same way. This is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc and probably about 1-2% the cost of a bottle of Petrus. Fingers crossed.

 

[TheRealTMA]

First of three bottles. The wine maker started making this after doing something like 40+ vintages as the head wine maker at Petrus. Apparently goes about it the same way. This is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc and probably about 1-2% the cost of a bottle of Petrus. Fingers crossed.
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I understand the imperative, but a bit young to drink yet?

 

[amaroo]

First of three bottles. The wine maker started making this after doing something like 40+ vintages as the head wine maker at Petrus. Apparently goes about it the same way. This is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc and probably about 1-2% the cost of a bottle of Petrus. Fingers crossed.
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Saint-Emillion is one of the best village/wine regions on the planet!

Grands/Premiers Crus is the place to start.

 

[Buzzard]

Enjoyed a Wolf Blass St John's Barossa Shiraz yesterday in the MEL fLounge. Didn't think to take a photo or check the vintage but it was like pure velvet.

 

[TomVexille]

Enjoyed a Wolf Blass St John's Barossa Shiraz yesterday in the MEL fLounge. Didn't think to take a photo or check the vintage but it was like pure velvet.

Glad I've got two at home.

 

[Daver6]

I understand the imperative, but a bit young to drink yet?

Turns out you are correct. This is a $30 wine and other notes I had read suggested to drink young. Figured I'd see for myself. Concluded wait another few years before opening the next bottle.

My thoughts...

Decanted, no sediment.

Fairly intense nose of dark fruit, tomato leaf, hints of leather. Quite tannic palate that coats the mouth, with high acid. Initially slightly astringent but some palate fruit. Medium plus finish.

I think this wine should benefit from additional time in the cellar.

 

[JohnM]

I know!! So much
Bring on September

Now, what does that mean .

 

[JohnM]

Dinner @ Ecco in Brizvegas. Some of the lesser known reds we sampled.
The Valpolicella was a standout.
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What was your opinion of the Burn Cottage? Despite the hype, I was not blown away - at least by the 2009, of which I still have one bottle slumbering.

 

[JohnM]

Saint-Emillion is one of the best village/wine regions on the planet!

Grands/Premiers Crus is the place to start.

They are always the place to start with French wine - provided your wallet is sufficiently thick . However, like (almost) all French wine, you have to know something (actually, quite a lot) about the appellation, producer and year given that it's all so hit-and-miss over in that marginal production land.

Agree that St Emilion is something else. If any of you have seen the cult movie Sideways (getting a bit old now), the big in-joke (amongst several) was the reference to: "..not drinking any f*ing Merlot...". Then the main character Miles finds his love and she has a bottle of '61 Cheval Blanc in her cellar (a bit like Drron's ancient rubbish ) that he raves about.

Cheval Blanc is St Emilion God - and the St Emilion appellation is Merlot-dominant. However, I think the in-joke may have backfired through lack of homework on the part of the writers - Cheval Blanc is (slightly unusually for St Emilion) predominantly or totally Cabernet Franc, if I'm not mistaken.

Another other in-joke, that was more subtle, was naming the Fess Parker (Daniel Boone in the 1950's TV series) Winery (nice to visit BTW) where the great manuscript rejection scene was filmed as 'Frass Valley'. As any entomologist can tell you, frass is insect cough.

The 'Sideways Wine Trail' (The Sideways Wine Trail - Wine Country Getaways) is fun to do if you are in the Santa Barbara wine region.

Sorry - any talk of St Emilion always make me think of these things .

 

[QF WP]

Dinner @ Ecco in Brizvegas. Some of the lesser known reds we sampled.
The Valpolicella was a standout.

Thanks for taking me back to my days renting in Admiralty Towers and going to Ecco every couple of months when I couldn't be bothered cooking. Never really got their cellar in those days, was prior to my collection starting.

 

[JohnM]

Half of this went to the angels tonight. B* good but had lost a bit of flavour fullness compared with its sibling that went the same way about 4-5 years ago. It was more memorable, being in the next category up, then.

 

[TheRealTMA]

..If any of you have seen the cult movie Sideways (getting a bit old now), the big in-joke (amongst several) was the reference to: "..not drinking any f*ing Merlot...". Then the main character Miles finds his love and she has a bottle of '61 Cheval Blanc in her cellar (a bit like Drron's ancient rubbish) that he raves about.

Completely agree with you about Saint-Émilion and Cheval Blanc (great wine was the 82!) as the 'in joke' of Sideways (readily available on Amazon for those who haven't seen it). The original script (as I read) used Domaine de la Romanee-Conti (La Tache I think) but the RC producers didn't want to be associated with some 'silly' American movie as it seems. Pity but then again the Cheval Blanc made it more memorable.

But one has to keep in mind cheap SE's like cheap burgundy are not necessarily to be envied.

 

[JohnM]

Completely agree with you about Saint-Émilion and Cheval Blanc (great wine was the 82!) as the 'in joke' of Sideways (readily available on Amazon for those who haven't seen it). The original script (as I read) used Domaine de la Romanee-Conti (La Tache I think) but the RC producers didn't want to be associated with some 'silly' American movie as it seems. Pity but then again the Cheval Blanc made it more memorable.

But one has to keep in mind cheap SE's like cheap burgundy are not necessarily to be envied.

Well, there you go! Interesting that DRC could veto it. I did always wonder why the icon wine was not a Burgundy given that his search was for Pinot Noir.

Agree on your parting statement - French wine (red in particular) is a minefield of monstrous proportions that I would generally rather steer clear of. Just reading about it gets my head spinning.

 

[blackcat20]

Enjoyed a Wolf Blass St John's Barossa Shiraz yesterday in the MEL fLounge. Didn't think to take a photo or check the vintage but it was like pure velvet.

There's only one vintage, as part of the Estates of the Barossa range. You can buy them singly from WB, or as a four set from WB or Epiqure.

 

[blackcat20]

Glad I've got two at home.

The first because I enjoyed it in the F lounge....

 

[Sedimental]

Ten year old Chalambar. Legs as long as the alpacas!

 

[Sedimental]

Great Vinomofo quaffer @ $99 a doz. Finally managed to put some in the cellar rather than drinking them.

 

[Sedimental]

Homemade duck rolls with the pinot & a couple of reds with the steak. And no, they're not 'paca steaks, despite reportedly being very good on the chew!