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got off on a technicality posted:This sounds like a lovely problem to have. I've never bought any Leflaive because I've been scared off by reports of premox; would you say they're exaggerated? Or were you drinking wines from before it apparently started happening (IIRC 2009 or so) We didn't have a vertical, just some 2014s that had just arrived. Haven't had anything old from them. One curiosity: They're bottled under DIAM, and one was corked, the corked bottle under DIAM I've encountered.
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Apr 25, 2018 05:12
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I've never had a wine I noticed being "corked". I know the signs of it in theory. Am I lucky or did I just miss it? I did once have Premature oxidation in an Assyrtiko, I returned for store credit. 160 bottles past 2 years.
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Apr 25, 2018 17:29
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Comb Your Beard posted:I've never had a wine I noticed being "corked". I know the signs of it in theory. Am I lucky or did I just miss it? I did once have Premature oxidation in an Assyrtiko, I returned for store credit. 160 bottles past 2 years. If you're like me, you're lucky and at times inattentive. I've had corked wines from taxfree where it's a bitch to return, but never from my local shops where it is easy. At least I think I don't. On some wines, the cork is quite subtle, and some people are more sensitive than others, so it's possible to drink a corked bottle without noticing or just being somewhat disappointed by it.
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Apr 25, 2018 17:55
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Comb Your Beard posted:I've never had a wine I noticed being "corked". I know the signs of it in theory. Am I lucky or did I just miss it? I did once have Premature oxidation in an Assyrtiko, I returned for store credit. 160 bottles past 2 years. Depends what you're drinking. France, Italy, and Spain are the worst offenders, particularly in wines bottled before the late 2000s—as many as 10-15% of these are corked, though they've pushed it down to around 5% in the past decade or so. California is the only New World wine region where it's relatively common, with incidence hovering around 2-5%. So if you're drinking a lot of high-risk bottles, yeah, you're almost certainly just missing it. If you don't, them you're probably just lucky/smart.
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Apr 25, 2018 18:22
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Kasumeat posted:Depends what you're drinking. France, Italy, and Spain are the worst offenders, particularly in wines bottled before the late 2000s—as many as 10-15% of these are corked, though they've pushed it down to around 5% in the past decade or so. California is the only New World wine region where it's relatively common, with incidence hovering around 2-5%. I'm in the same boat as CYB; I've had ~170 in the past 2 years, of which ~80% is French, and I've only definitively found 2 that are corked. So I'm missing maybe 90% of the ones that are. Per Ola/Kasumeat I've heard that people vary in their sensitivity to TCA, and that subtle TCA can manifest itself as an absence of fruit (vs. an overt cardboardy smell). Or perhaps we're just ridiculously lucky  Kidding aside, in a way I'm glad my palate isn't super sensitive to TCA
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Apr 26, 2018 03:40
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By the way for the N Rhone lovers out there - I recently tried a 2015 Xavier Gerard Cote Rotie alongside some heavy hitters (Allemand Reynard, Benetiere Dolium, Gonon, Jamet, Juge, Levet) and it more than held its own against bottles costing multiples more. Highly recommended
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Apr 26, 2018 03:45
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got off on a technicality posted:By the way for the N Rhone lovers out there - I recently tried a 2015 Xavier Gerard Cote Rotie alongside some heavy hitters (Allemand Reynard, Benetiere Dolium, Gonon, Jamet, Juge, Levet) and it more than held its own against bottles costing multiples more. Highly recommended Let me guess, you were at Sole Italian Ristorante in San Mateo a couple of days ago?
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Apr 26, 2018 17:41
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I imagined you'd bought your new glasses at BDIX Were you there too?
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Apr 27, 2018 00:58
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Yes, I definitely got in on the deal at BDIX. I wasn’t there but a friend of mine was present. Also, pics were posted in one of the razzle groups, so I was duly impressed.
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Apr 27, 2018 02:18
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got off on a technicality posted:By the way for the N Rhone lovers out there - I recently tried a 2015 Xavier Gerard Cote Rotie alongside some heavy hitters (Allemand Reynard, Benetiere Dolium, Gonon, Jamet, Juge, Levet) and it more than held its own against bottles costing multiples more. Highly recommended Have you had any vintages other than 2015? Seems like a vintage where it wasn't difficult to make great wine.
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Apr 27, 2018 05:53
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I passed my Level 1 Sommelier test! The Master Somms leading the class were pretty insistent on echoing a personal belief of both myself and this thread in general, that Cru Beaujolais is one of the best values per dollar currently available. As such I am currently enjoying a 2015 Moulin-a-Vent Vielle Vignes from Yohan Lardy. Scored it for $30 after tax from my workplace because bartenders get free reign to buy bottles at wholesale cost (within reason) from the restaurant for purposes of education. Truly sick hookup.
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Apr 27, 2018 06:57
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consensual poster posted:Have you had any vintages other than 2015? Seems like a vintage where it wasn't difficult to make great wine. It's good for reds in the (historically) poorest of sites--the quality of $12 Bourgogne Rouge and Toscana Rosso is well above normal--but when it comes to fine wines, I'd argue as a whole it's the worst vintage that most of Europe has had in decades, if not ever. Whites are atrocious: insipid, flabby, alcohol typically over 13.5%. Reds hardly fare better, especially in the Northern Rhone. I've had countless 2015 Syrahs that had no red fruit or meatiness, instead just pure blackberry jam. 2015 is a vintage where making mediocre wine has never been easier, but great wine has never been harder.
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Apr 27, 2018 08:44
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Kasumeat posted:It's good for reds in the (historically) poorest of sites--the quality of $12 Bourgogne Rouge and Toscana Rosso is well above normal--but when it comes to fine wines, I'd argue as a whole it's the worst vintage that most of Europe has had in decades, if not ever. Whites are atrocious: insipid, flabby, alcohol typically over 13.5%. Reds hardly fare better, especially in the Northern Rhone. I've had countless 2015 Syrahs that had no red fruit or meatiness, instead just pure blackberry jam. 2015 is a vintage where making mediocre wine has never been easier, but great wine has never been harder. FWIW we were comparing the 2015 of the Xavier Gerard to mostly 2010s. I'm by no means a N Rhone expert, but I understand that 2010 was a classic vintage. So Kasumeat to your point it might be that 2015 helped tip a more marginal terroir (i.e. the Xavier Gerard) over into being competitive with great producers in a great year. I have not have other vintages of the Xavier Gerard
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Apr 27, 2018 21:03
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Also, I've had Juge '15 more than a couple of times now and while it's still young, it shows the crazy smoke, meat and fruit that I've come to expect from that particular vineyard. The lineup of Northern Rhone at the tasting; also worth noting that the '10 Juge was particularly not corked but off & disjointed. Highlights were the '10 Dolium and a '07 Gonon VV that's not in any of the pics  :  
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Apr 27, 2018 21:19
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Furious Lobster posted:Highlights were the '10 Dolium and a '07 Gonon VV that's not in any of the pics Actually I liked the 2010 Allemand Reynard a lot but then I have rather modernist tastes. I also liked the 2010 Juge, which was in some way its opposite e: I'm the SQN grenache that doesn't belong in the 1st pic got off on a technicality fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Apr 27, 2018 |
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Apr 27, 2018 21:48
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got off on a technicality posted:FWIW we were comparing the 2015 of the Xavier Gerard to mostly 2010s. I'm by no means a N Rhone expert, but I understand that 2010 was a classic vintage. So Kasumeat to your point it might be that 2015 helped tip a more marginal terroir (i.e. the Xavier Gerard) over into being competitive with great producers in a great year. I have not have other vintages of the Xavier Gerard What I'm really saying is that it's quite a feat to make great wine in 2015, so it's an even better sign of a great producer. I'll definitely be on the lookout for them. 2010 was basically the greatest vintage in history throughout much of France and Northernish Europe: cool and dry, producing wines of low alcohol, very high acid, but very ripe flavors.
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Apr 27, 2018 23:03
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My partner and I enjoyed an excellent bottle of champagne this weekend, however I noticed the cork was funny: Is this "dry cork" or whatever?
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Apr 30, 2018 00:22
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Professor Shark posted:My partner and I enjoyed an excellent bottle of champagne this weekend, however I noticed the cork was funny: Something, something, something, you and your partner something, something, because soaking a cork can actually add to the enjoyment. I am too distracted to come up with the  I know your post was a set up for.
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Apr 30, 2018 02:23
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Professor Shark posted:My partner and I enjoyed an excellent bottle of champagne this weekend, however I noticed the cork was funny: It's creeping me out, whatever it is. I've never seen this before
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Apr 30, 2018 02:51
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It's a composite cork body with a slice or two of normal cork at the bottom right? It looks like gigantic but normal pores with maybe some mineral staining. Usually they cut the last slice out of nicer cork, but I am phone posting and can't zoom in.
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Apr 30, 2018 03:36
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I think it's natural pores that have been distorted. Champagne corks do get compressed pretty hard.got off on a technicality posted:It's creeping me out, whatever it is. I've never seen this before Me too! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trypophobia
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Apr 30, 2018 08:53
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Furious Lobster posted:Also, I've had Juge '15 more than a couple of times now and while it's still young, it shows the crazy smoke, meat and fruit that I've come to expect from that particular vineyard. Where do you get such a crazy tasting? Bought a 2010 Stephane Pichat Cote-Rotie Le Champon on winebid, a splurge for me. Supposed to be a good vintage for the area too.
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Apr 30, 2018 15:37
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Comb Your Beard posted:Where do you get such a crazy tasting?
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May 1, 2018 05:28
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got off on a technicality posted:Folks on a wine board I frequent organize regular dinners where everyone brings one or more bottles each. Someone who really likes N Rhones visited from out of town, the group coalesced on a N Rhone theme, and people v generously brought some amazing bottles. I wonder if we have enough people in the Bay Area who are both into wine, and still active goons, to organize a meet of our own I'm in LA, so making it up to SF isn't too hard.
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May 1, 2018 05:29
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got off on a technicality posted:Folks on a wine board I frequent organize regular dinners where everyone brings one or more bottles each. Someone who really likes N Rhones visited from out of town, the group coalesced on a N Rhone theme, and people v generously brought some amazing bottles. I wonder if we have enough people in the Bay Area who are both into wine, and still active goons, to organize a meet of our own I'm in Sac and work in Lodi, I'd be down
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May 1, 2018 05:30
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Forgive me if I missed the (probably lots of posts) but is there a consensus good place to order wine from online in the US?
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May 2, 2018 23:31
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Disinterested posted:Forgive me if I missed the (probably lots of posts) but is there a consensus good place to order wine from online in the US? Whatever is the cheapest on wine-searcher pro; caveat is that there are a lot of states that limit either to/from shipments.
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May 3, 2018 00:15
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Stitecin posted:It's a composite cork body with a slice or two of normal cork at the bottom right? It looks like gigantic but normal pores with maybe some mineral staining. Usually they cut the last slice out of nicer cork, but I am phone posting and can't zoom in. I think so- there are a few layers to it, the last couple appearing to be real cork. got off on a technicality posted:It's creeping me out, whatever it is. I've never seen this before Yeah, it's weird and made me worry about bacteria. I contacted Charles Heidseck about it and have yet to hear back, however maybe my fully English email got ignored/is being processed.
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May 3, 2018 10:48
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Disinterested posted:Forgive me if I missed the (probably lots of posts) but is there a consensus good place to order wine from online in the US? Furious Lobster's not wrong (though for aged wine I'm not sure blindly trusting search results and picking cheapest is the best idea!), but if you're looking for recommendations for specific stores to browse I can highly recommend K&L
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May 3, 2018 16:22
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pork never goes bad posted:Furious Lobster's not wrong (though for aged wine I'm not sure blindly trusting search results and picking cheapest is the best idea!), but if you're looking for recommendations for specific stores to browse I can highly recommend K&L With aged stuff, use WMJ in conjunction with WSPro.
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May 3, 2018 16:52
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Ah, yes, the Wisconsin Medical Journal. https://www.winemarketjournal.com/ for those who don't already know what the acronym means. It's a paid service. I like https://www.kogodwine.com/ as a store for older wines.
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May 3, 2018 17:15
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pork never goes bad posted:Ah, yes, the Wisconsin Medical Journal. they're both paid services and totally worth the money; the cheaper option for WMJ is sufficient.
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May 3, 2018 17:24
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Speaking of mad tastings, Park Hotel Voss Norway was recently awarded best cellar in Norway by the restaurant industry, as they have been a few times before. Their new sommelier is also an eager host for tastings. I went to three tastings there last year, two of them fairly accessible, but one very high end: Champagne Billecart-Salmon Domaine Leflaive Montrachet Grand Cru 2004 (it was supposed to be a 2006, but it was corked!) Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Le Clos Grand Cru 2001 Didier Daguenau Sancerre Le Mont draté 2007 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc 2002 Domaine de la Romanee Conti La Tache Grand Cru 2000 Chateau Latour 1985 Tenuta Ornellaia Masseto 1995 Bodega Vega Sicilia Unico 1981 So I basically stopped going to tastings for a while, as my budget had a bit of a hangover. Then I got an email for another "legendary" one coming in October. Signed up before I had time to think better of it. At least I have time to save: Champagne Krug Collection 1990 Maison Jadot Montrachet 1999 Domaine Comte Lafon Montrachet 1999 Chateau Cheval Blanc 2001 Dominus Estate Dominus 1994 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 2000 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti - Romanee-Conti Grand Cru 2003 If the collections seem a bit random, it's basically a chance for wine enthusiasts to taste some legendary wines at attainable prices and zero bottle risk and for the hotel to move a bit of their cellar stock. Provenance for the DRC is perfect, the hotel owner has been on their list since the 80s I think. He has to keep buying to stay there, but they're probably not too easy to sell. It's going to hurt my wallet pretty hard, but justifications aren't that hard to come by. I quit smoking a while ago, this is less than a year's smoking budget. Free wine!
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May 3, 2018 23:19
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If your palate is anything like mine you're going to love the Dominus, which straddles Bordeaux and Napa v nicely. I've had the '94 a couple of times and it was excellent, even if the '91 remains my all-time Napa favorite I'm v envious of all the lovely Burgundy at this tasting, none of which I've tried e: can you please post a note on the 2001 CB when you taste it? I have a bottle sitting in the very special occasion bin and would love to hear your thoughts on it got off on a technicality fucked around with this message at 19:05 on May 4, 2018 |
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May 4, 2018 18:50
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Disinterested posted:Forgive me if I missed the (probably lots of posts) but is there a consensus good place to order wine from online in the US? K&L's already been mentioned, as has Kogod, but I would also add Benchmark and Flatiron Finally you could also sign up for Envoyer, which is more of an email list where you respond to offers, many of which are pre-arrival (i.e. months away), but that's more for the patient collector
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May 4, 2018 18:56
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got off on a technicality posted:If your palate is anything like mine you're going to love the Dominus, which straddles Bordeaux and Napa v nicely. I've had the '94 a couple of times and it was excellent, even if the '91 remains my all-time Napa favorite Will definitely do. I'm very inexperienced with high end right bank, so please don't take it for gospel. Looking forward to the Dominus, along everything else. Aged California is hard to come by over here so it's very much an educational thing for me. I have an idea they will gradually morph their style (or at least their mindset) into something that is their own, and how they turn out after the better part of three decades is really what decides that. Aforementioned hotel had the 1995 Stag's Leap by the Coravin glass in the bar once, VERY horsey and funky right away but blew off and turned out really nice, dark and deep left bank after a while. I remember the male touring pianist played Mary J. Blige and the annoyed mid-60s woman behind me, who had to wait for the whole Coravin thing, ordered a sex on the beach. Voss is a pretty special place.
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May 4, 2018 19:42
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got off on a technicality posted:K&L's already been mentioned, as has Kogod, but I would also add Benchmark and Flatiron Flatiron has a great physical location in SF, too. Fun tastings. I haven't been to the original NY store.
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May 5, 2018 03:26
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Is it okay to ask about brandy here? I'm curious as to why there are brandies that are labeled "Light", "Double Light", and even "Ultra Smooth", with varying degrees of ABV. I have a bottle of Fundador, the vanilla kind, and it's good, but I'm curious about their other offerings. Generally I stay away from stuff labeled "light", but I genuinely wonder if they're good (and cheaper, too). (Also of interest is that Fundador is a Spanish company that was recently bought over by a Philippine one that also makes brandy. I'd like to think it as some small form of poetic justice as the Spanish colonized our asses for over 300 years.)
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May 8, 2018 03:27
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Schneider Heim posted:Is it okay to ask about brandy here? I'm curious as to why there are brandies that are labeled "Light", "Double Light", and even "Ultra Smooth", with varying degrees of ABV. I have a bottle of Fundador, the vanilla kind, and it's good, but I'm curious about their other offerings. Generally I stay away from stuff labeled "light", but I genuinely wonder if they're good (and cheaper, too). I've never seen or even heard of any of those. I'm guessing that they're proprietary terms from a brand of brandy that's too cheap to be worth importing here where we have minimum pricing on alcohol.
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May 8, 2018 18:34
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While I've heard of Fundador (Spanish mass-market brandy), I hadn't heard of those bottlings. Looks like they're Philippines specific. If you're curious, I'd say to buy one to try!
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May 8, 2018 23:31
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