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Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, Self-directed Rant, Ouch and more
Meritage time!
As usual, let’s start from the answer to the weekly wine quiz #41, Which one doesn’t belong. I would estimate the complexity of the quiz as medium, as you had to figure out what the question was all about, and then think about what item doesn’t belong to the list (and even explain why). I’m glad to report that we have a winner, who is being quite persistent at winning lately – thedrunkencyclist. He properly identified that Corton, which is a Grand Cru Appellation from Côte de Beaune, doesn’t belong to the list of Grand Cru appellations from Côte de Nuits. Well done, Jeff – and a double amount of unlimited bragging rights is all yours, as you were able to answer the question without the use of Google.
Before we get to the interesting stuff, I need to let some cringe out of the system – so we are getting to my self-directed rant. Let me just scream it out loud – I HAVE SO MANY BLOG POSTS IN MY HEAD AND I CAN’T GET THEM OUT! There, I said it. I don’t think this is a writer’s block, and if it is, it is some very sophisticated masochistic form. I have posts which should’ve been written during summer when I visited wineries in New York Hudson region. Then there were great wine tastings I had all the intentions to write about. We had an amazing time in October at Paumanok winery – and this blog post still sits in the drafts section. The list can go on and on. I still can’t figure it out how this stuff works, and it is upsetting. But – now, that I let it out of the system, I will make sure truly hope all those belated posts will follow. Okay, this is the end of my rant.
Now, there are few interesting things I want to share with you. First is what I called an “ouch” – it appears that Natalie MacLean, a well known wine writer, who has eponymous web site and iPad/Android App, had being borrowing stealing wine reviews from the other wine writers, including the reviews located on “subscription-only” web sites, such as Jancis Robinson, without any acknowledgement to the actual authors. Palate Press put out a big article on the subject, which is worth reading, including the comments section. The story of course reverberated on multiple blogs. Hopefully her readership will adjust accordingly (but I guess we will never know).
Folks behind Wine Folly published a very interesting infographic chart for the different types of wine. As a mind mapping junkie, I can only applaud any efforts to classify an extremely diverse subject, such as wine world, in a compact and comprehensible fashion. Take a look at the link above and let me know what you think (hint: this chart might be a good present for the wine geek in your life).
That’s all I have for you, folks. The glass is empty, but it will be definitely refilled soon. Happy Wine (and Whisky) Wednesday. Cheers!
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, and Some Local Updates
Meritage Time!
Let’s start with the answer for the Wine Quiz #40, Wine Basics 101 – Tannins. In this quiz you were supposed to explain what tannins are, how do they get into the wine and also provide an example of some other foods which also cause an effect similar to tannins. I’m glad to say that we have two winners – both thedrunkencyclist and stefano provided very detailed answers, so they both get that coveted prize consisting of unlimited bragging rights. Yes, tannins are the polyphenolic compounds which naturally occur mostly in red wines due to the prolonged contact of the juice with seeds, stems and oak barrels. Tannins cause the tactile sensation of drying up of your mouth – this is why big tannic wines often work very well with fatty foods, such as steak, as grease of the steak help to alleviate that astringent feeling. And outside of wine, tannins can be found in many other foods – black tea, walnuts, persimmons are just some of the examples of such foods.
Now, let’s talk about interesting stuff, which might not be of such a wide importance, as today it will all relate just to this blog which you are reading right now. First, I have to say “THANK YOU!” to all of you, my readers. About a month ago, there was a wine blogging contest about wines of Tuscany at the To-Tuscany travel site – and with your help, I was actually able to win it! Here is the link to the contest page – and thank you again to all who voted for my blog.
I made some updates in my blogroll section, mainly adding a few new blogs and web sites which I now follow – the additions are Flora’s Table, Vino in Love and American Winery Guide – if you are not following them, check them out. I also added two links for the wine buying service which I recently used and was happy with – Last Bottle Wines and Bin End’s Wines – again, might well worth your attention.
I finally updated the Wine Ratings page in this blog – this table lists wines which I rated as 8- or above, which means that they are all recommended, and now it is current as of November 2012.
And the last update for today – I plan to start reviewing wine gadgets here – I think it should be fun exercise (suggestions and questions will be gladly accepted).
That’s all I have for today, folks – the glass is empty. Cheers!
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, Wine Blogger Quits, Krug No More?, and more…
Meritage time!
In the last wine quiz #39 – Let’s decant some wines, you were supposed to identify an essential element of wine decanting, mostly used in the fine restaurants. I’m glad to say that we have a winner – Stefano was right on the mark with the detailed description of the decanting process. While wine cradle is important in some cases, candle is an essential element of decanting, adding a nice romantic touch, but most importantly, allowing to see when sediment is about to go into the decanter. thedrunkensyclist also suggested that any light source can be used, and not just the candle, so the prize (unlimited bragging rights) should be shared between both of them.
Let’s move on to the interesting stuff. I don’t know how that happen, but I just realized that most of the “finds” I want to share with you are rather sad – however, I think they are still interesting to read, so let’s proceed.
First, here is the post from Steve Heimoff talking about blogger who stopped blogging – Paul Gregutt, who was writing about wines of Northwest, announced that he will stop blogging, at least for a while. I know that some of you already read Steve’s post ( there was a comment from thedrunkencyclist there), but for those of you who didn’t read it yet, I think it is a worthwhile read. This is an interesting question which probably every blogger comes across every once in a while – as for the most of us, blogging is a labor of love, it takes not insignificant amount of effort, so I’m sure many of us have this question deep inside coming up from time to time – “so, may be hell with it”? Oh well…
Now, this one goes close to the heart. You know, you have a treasure, which you keep for yourself, and you know it is always there for you, and then one day you discover that whatever it was, it is all crumbled and fell apart, and you get very sad? This is the wine blog, right – so you don’t expect me to talk about some memorabilia which I was not taking the right care of? Yeah, we are talking about wine. My treasure – Krug Champagne. I really experienced it once (both Vintage and non-vintage), and it was enough to still roll my eyes every time I think or talk about it. According to the blog post from Alice Feiring, this is Krug no more – of course it is still produced, but looks like starting with 2003 vintage, it become complacent and indistinguishable, it lost all its royal traits which warranted almost religious following… If you have an opinion – please comment (I hope at least one person will).
Here is the post from Alfonso Cevola blog, talking about latest trends in the restaurants in US, which can’t be found in Italy – if anything, the pictures are cool, and his descriptions are fun to read.
Last but not least – a note of thanks. I was nominated for Very Inspiring Blogger Award by Stefano from Flora’s Table blog – I’m very grateful for the nomination and all the kind words. Stefano has a wealth of wine knowledge, I love the recipes in Flora’s Table blog, but the most amazing part for me are the pictures – some of the very best food pictures I saw anywhere on the net… If you are not following Flora’s Table yet – you should!
That’s all I have for today, folks – the glass is empty. Have a great #WineWednesday or #WhiskyWednesday – whatever your heart desires. Cheers!
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, Rant-and-a-half, Wine Spectator Top 100 and more
Meritage Time!
Let’s start with the answer for the Wine Quiz #37 – About History of Wines and Holidays. First, you were supposed to identify the US president who signed the bill fixing Thanksgiving celebration to the 4th Thursday in November. In the second part of quiz, you were supposed to add a missing name to the list of great contributors, or may be even “founding fathers” of the California wine industry. I’m glad to tell you that we have a winner for the first question – wineeveryday was correct to answer C, Franklin D. Roosevelt – while Lincoln was the first president to officially issue Thanksgiving Proclamation, the holiday was floating until FDR actually singed the bill fixing the date to the 4th Thursday in November – here is the link if you want to read more.
The second part of the quiz was harder. Actually, the list of people, all of them been extremely instrumental in upbringing of the California wine industry, was taken from the Culinary Institute of America Vintners Hall of Fame inductees of 2007 – and the missing name was of Agoston Haraszthy, Hungarian immigrant who in 1857 planted some of the first European varietals in California on Buena Vista property.
Now, let’s talk about interesting stuff. On November 19th, Wine Spectator published their 2012 Wine Spectator Top 100 list (here is the link). You can explore all of the Top 100 information freely until November 27th, after which date the information will be available only for subscribers. From that Top 100 list, I find the Top 10 group quite interesting (not necessarily a positive word here) – the cheapest wine is $40, and practically none of those wines are available anywhere in the country, and if they are available, it would be from a different vintage. Wine of the year is Shafer Relentless Napa Valley 2008 (96, $60) – should be a good wine, but good luck finding it. In the top 10, there are 2 wines from California, 4 from France, and 1 each from Italy, Oregon, Australia and Argentina. If you care to share it, what is your take on the Wine Spectator Top 100 list?
So by now, you probably already heard about invigorating review of Guy Fieri’s new restaurant called Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar in Times Square – but in case you missed, it makes quite an exciting reading. Guy Fieri is most famous as a host of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives ( triple-D) program on Food Network, which I personally enjoy watching. The review, which appeared last week in the New York Times, became an instant sensation, reaching 100,000 views/shares within the first hour. My friend Emil rightfully called the New York Times’ review a “rant-and-a-half” – it takes the form of an open letter and definitely worth reading – the amount of critique from this one review would be enough to kill 5 restaurants. Mr. Fieri came up with an answer, which is lame at the best in my opinion – and it seems that Yelping community concurs with New York Times’ opinion.
Considering that tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I still have a lot of things to do, this is all I have for you for today. Ahh, yes – don’t miss WTSO’s Magnum Monday on November 26th – should be very interesting.
Happy Thanksgiving and Cheers!
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Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, Judgement of Where?, Beaujolais Nouveau, Magnum Monday and more
Meritage time!
Let’s start with the answer for the Wine Quiz #36 – Stomping the grapes. I made an effort to simplify the quiz – I guess full uncertainty with the right answer, which I mentioned a number of times, greatly reduced the interest on the side of the participants. Anyway, I’m happy to report that we have a winner! Have you ever heard the expression “whistle while you work”? According to Wiki Answers, etymology of the “whistle while you work” goes all the way to the slave days – when salves were carrying food, they were supposed to whistle – while you whistle, you can’t eat. In our case, while you whistle, you can’t eat grapes, so you had to be able to whistle in order to get the job! Thus the winner of the Wine Quiz #36 is Pablo, who gets unlimited bragging rights. And if you have a problem with this solution – I will be very happy to listen to your version.
Moving on to the interesting stuff. Let’s start with the Judgement of … no, not Paris. Yes, of course you know about famous 1976 Judgement of Paris, which became pivotal moment for the California wines. Now we are going to talk, out of all things, about (bet you would never guess) … Judgement of Princeton and Judgement of Richmond! I learned about both events from the Daily Sip e-mail. Both events took place during this year and were modeled precisely after the Judgement of Paris, only one was done for the wines of New Jersey versus France, and in the second event, Virginia wines were compared with the wines from all over the world. You should definitely judge for yourself – my experience with New Jersey wines is extremely limited (and negative), so I can’t really comment on the results ( but would be very glad to try those great wines from NJ). I have much more successful experience with wines form Virginia, though I would definitely question selection of the world wines for the competition. If you will find time to read about the events ( or if you knew something about them already) – I would be very happy to read your comments.
This coming Thursday, November 15th, is the 3rd Thursday of the month – which means that 2012 Beaujolais Nouveau will be available in the wine stores near you! This year is the 30th anniversary of the Beaujolais Nouveau phenomena as created by Georges Duboeuf, so the event will be celebrated accordingly. For this celebration, Georges Duboeuf produced a special web site, called 30 Years of Magic, where you can watch a special movie and download a special application for your mobile device, so you can join the festivities, anywhere, any time. I plan to report on the wine as soon as I will be able to get a hold of a bottle.
Last, but not least – WTSO, one of my all times favorite online wine shops, has done it again! Well, to be precise, they didn’t do it yet – but Monday, November 26th, will be a brand new whole day event called Magnum Monday, where WTSO will offer for sale about 20 different wines, all in the magnum (1.5L) size. This is all we know at the moment, but if this event will be anything like WTSO’s past marathons, you better get ready (and get some space in the cellar), as this will be a no-nonsense event.
That’s all I have for today for you, folks. The glass is empty. Until the next time – cheers!
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, Thursday(s) Celebrations and more
Meritage Time!
It seems that the weeks are flying – I know that I prefer them at the crawling pace, but – not much I can do, right? Okay, let’s start with the answer to the Wine Quiz #35, What is missing. The wine quiz was dedicated to Tempranillo as we will celebrate tomorrow (November 8th) an International Tempranillo Day, and it was asking to fill the gaps in the group of numbers which were related to Tempranillo.
Of course it was obvious that the chain of numbers represented years. And both VinoinLove and thedrunkencyclist figured out that the years represented the best vintages of Rioja – however, they both only got one of the “best vintages” correctly. The 2001 was a great vintage, absolutely, but the vintage of the last century was 1964, not 1970. Here is the reference to the best Rioja vintages from the Vibrant Rioja web site, so you can check all the great vintages for yourself. We don’t have a winner this time, but hey, there is always a next time…
Now, I need your help with something. If you read the Meritage post from the last Wednesday, I mentioned that I’m fighting the writer’s block and trying to write a post for the wine blogging competition. So I managed to overcome the block and wrote the post (here is the link) – and if you like it, I need your vote! You can vote for it here – just scroll down to the bottom of the page and find the link to my blog there. Thank you!
Now, let’s proceed with “interesting stuff” part of the Metritage. First, the next three Thursdays, we will be celebrating different holidays – of course, they are drastically different in scale, but nevertheless, they all fall on Thursday. Tomorrow, November 8th, we are celebrating International Tempranillo Day. It is very easy to take part in the festivities – just find a bottle of Tempranillo wine (Rioja or Ribera del Duero from Spain, or may be some Texas wine?), pull the cork and enjoy (and if you really like it, write a blog post about it or tweet about it, or leave the comment in this blog).
The next Thursday, November 15th, is Beaujolais Nouveau 2012 Day. This year will actually mark 30th anniversary of the Beaujolais Nouveau celebration – you should definitely look for the festivities around you, and as usual, get a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau (I have to say that the wine had been steadily improving its quality over the past few years) and enjoy!
And then the Thursday after that, November 22 is…what, Thanksgiving is already here? Yep, Turkey day is arriving in mere two weeks. There is always a question of wines for the Thanksgiving celebration, so here is my post from the last year – I’m sure the actual wines will be different this year, but the ideas will be the same.
Last (but may be not least) – do you think wine reviews can get you sued? Here is the post by Steve Heimoff – if anything, it is an interesting read.
That’s all for today, folks – the glass is empty. Cheers!
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, International Tempranillo Day, Beaujolais Nouveau, Bad Wine Reviews and more
Meritage Time – and Happy Halloween!
Let’s start our meritage post from the regular place – an answer for the last week’s Wine Quiz #34 – Hello, my name is… I would like to say that I’m quite happy with this quiz, as there was a very good participation, and there was a full range of answers, covering all available options.
And the winners are (drum roll, please) PSsquared, VinoinLove and thedrunkencyclist as they all correctly guessed that Predicament is not a wine name. Believe it or not, but the rest of the names on the list are for the real wines. I don’t have the labels to show you for all of them, but here is some information and the links.
if you see kay: the wine is made by Jason Woodbridge, and yes, the name is controversial – here is one of the articles on the subject.
No girls: an actual wine by Christophe Baron, the winemaker behind Cayuse – here is the link to the winery’s web site, and here is the link to my short post about that wine (I’m a happy owner of a few bottles from the inaugural release).
Frequency: I can’t show you the label or a good link, as 2011 Frequency Central Coast GSM is the first release of the wine. You can search for it on Wades Wines web site (I guess this is the only merchant carrying it right now).
To the rescue: an actual wine by legendary Sine Qua Non, California’s cult Rhone style winemaker. The full name of the wine is Sine Qua Non Grenache To The Rescue, and you can look for it on Wine-Searcher (don’t be shocked at the prices, and if you will get a bottle for yourself, can you get one for me too, please?).
Let’s move on to the interesting news from around the vine. First, I want to bring to your attention that November 8th is International Tempranillo Day – if you read this blog for a while, I’m sure you know that I’m very impartial to the Spanish wines, and Rioja in particular, and Tempranillo is a star there. Tempranillo is also successfully grown in many other regions of the world – Australia, California and Texas come to mind first. Find a bottle of Tempranillo and join the celebration on November 8th!
Talking about celebrations – Beaujolais Nouveau 2012 is almost here! The new harvest celebration, originated by the French wine maker and wine merchant Georges DuBoeuf, takes place on third Thursday in November, which this year will fall on November 15th. The Beaujolais Nouveau arrival is celebrated with parties and events all around the world, and celebration this year will be special, as it will be the 30th celebration of this tradition. Look for the events in your area – I’m sure you will find some interesting places to visit and celebrate in style. At the very least, make sure to pick up a bottle of that young wine and celebrate in the comfort of your home.
One of my favorite wine bloggers, W. Blake Gray, is back from vacation, so I’m offering to your attention an interesting blog post about bad wine reviews.
Last but not least, here is the post by Joe Roberts, a.k.a. 1WineDude, where he is defending usage of oak in the wines. I’m also curious what do you think about oak in your wines, so feel free to use comments section and express yourself.
That’s all for today, folks. The glass is empty. Happy (and spookingly exciting) Halloween Wine Wednesday! Cheers!
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, To Terroir or Not To Terroir, Halloween for Adults and more
Meritage Time!
Let’s start from the answer for the Wine Quiz #33 – Right place, Wrong vineyard. In the quiz you had a list of 5 wineries from California, and you had to figure out why one of them shouldn’t be on the list. Two answers seemed to single out Pride Mountain as the winery which shouldn’t be on the list, as it is supposedly located in Sonoma and the rest are in Napa. However, this answer is incorrect. All the wineries on the list (or at least their vineyards) are so called “mountain wineries”, as they are all located in the mountains (Bryant, Colgin and Sloan are located on Howell Mountain, and Pride Mountain is on Diamond Mountain), except Araujo, which is so called “Valley floor” winery. So the right answer is Araujo – but it also means that nobody won this time (time to get upset about the huge prize you missed out on…).
Let’s move on to the “interesting stuff” department. First, we are exactly one week away from the Halloween (I guess next Wednesday social media buffs will wish each other happy “Halloween Wine Wednesday”, or #HWW in the twitter terms). As you know, Halloween was invented by dentists and candy makers, and it is all about about sugar consumption by the kids. But – it doesn’t mean that us adults are left out in the cold. First, we can participate by converting plain sugar into a scary one. Need suggestions? Here is the blog post with some scarily wonderful ideas (brrr, careful, those fingers might give you shivers). Then, to celebrate in style, while little monsters are diligently working on future contribution to the college fund for your family dentist’s kids, you can also have a celebration with an arsenal of the spookingly crafted adult beverages. Here is an example – this is what my friend Zak has available at his Cost Less Wines store in Stamford:
Black Vodka, anyone?
Are you blood thirsty?
And here is some Vampire delight
To take it to the next level, here is a great post by Chris Kassel of Intoxicology Report, explaining why Ravenswood is a perfect Halloween wine. If you are not following Intoxicology Report – you should.
Okay, let’s move on. Here is an article by Steve Heimoff, talking about terroir, or may be an absence of it in California Cabernets and Pinots. I had to refrain from commenting in his blog, as I realize that my comment will probably be of a size of a good blog post – but in any case, it is interesting to read.
Next subject – Italian wines. Here is a blog I just discovered, called On the Wine Train in Italy by Alfonso Sevola – it is well written and will be well worth your attention. Then there is a blogging competition dedicated to the wines of Tuscany – sorry for bringing it to your attention so late (submission deadline is November 4th), but you still have a few days to submit your entry. I was thinking about the blog post for this competition for a while, but muse was not kind to me and didn’t visit, and I can’t produce anything worth sharing. But – the major prize is 6 bottles of a very good Chianti – you should definitely think about joining in.
And with this, we are done here – the glass is empty, folks. Happy Wine Wednesday! Cheers!
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, Vines and Music, and not much else…
Meritage time!
I don’t have much news for you for today – but let me at least give you the answers for the Wine Quiz #31 – A Guessing Game, Ultimate Challenge. In that quiz, you were supposed to match 5 white wine grapes with the 5 reviews. I have to admit – I was not very inventive, and most of the wines I referred to were from France. But it also seems that I got it over the top, as there was only one answer to that quiz – come on, people – this is only a game, there are absolutely no bad consequences, whether you answer it right or wrong! I sure hope to see more answers for the second part of the Ultimate Challenge, which will be about red wines. So the right answers are: A2, B3, C1, D5, E4. Here are the wines and reviews for you:
Chardonnay:
“An enticing, lemony white that is both aromatic and rich on the palate. Apple and mineral notes combine with the lemon flavors that glide to a lingering finish” – Domaine Michel & Fils Mâcon-Villages à Clessé 2011, WS90
Chenin Blanc:
“This has weight and depth but remains stylish, with ginger and glazed pear notes in reserve while persimmon, green almond and piecrust notes lead the way. Lovely cut on the finish keeps the ginger edge echoing. Should develop nicely in the cellar” – Guy Saget Vouvray Marie de Beauregard 2010, WS92
Sauvignon Blanc:
“Gently kissed with toast, giving the core of white peach, lemon and chamomile a broader frame of lightly toasted brioche and paraffin. A suave echo of flint chimes through the finish in this lovely rendering of the toasty style” – Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Étienne Henri 2009, WS93
Savagnin:
“Intensely minerally and smoky, with a blanket of acidity behind the apple, sea salt and anise flavors. The long finish is bracing and powerful” – Andre & Mireille Tissot Arbois Vin Jaune 2000, WS90
Viognier:
“Extremely rich and generous, with ripe, opulent peach, nectarine, apricot and tangerine flavors that are woven together on a full, lush body with smoke, spice, cedar and mineral details and a juicy acidity.” – DuMol Viognier Russian River Valley Lia 2007, WS93
As you can see, first four wines were from France, and the last one was from California. I will try to offer a higher geographic variety with the red wines quiz.
Going for the interesting news, I found one article from Dr. Vino which I wanted to share with you – it is about use of the music in the vineyard – what do you think, can the music affect the vines and lead to better (or worse) wines?
In a kind of “local news” update, I’m in Texas this week, where I will attend the GUSTO Tastings event, called “Texas versus the World”. GUSTO Tastings (which is effectively a meetup group) runs a lot of very interesting wine events here in Austin (lucky for you, people of Austin), and every first Wednesday of the month they conduct a special event where they compare Texas wines with the wines from other regions and countries. Today’s event will be all about Viognier, and I’m definitely looking forward attending it (and meeting fellow wine blogger @SAHMMelier, who told me about this event) – for all of you who will not be able to attend it, I promise the blog post with all of the details.
That’s all for today’s Meritage – enjoy your Wednesday, folks, and make sure there will be wine in your glass (definitely will be in mine). Cheers!
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, 16+% ABV Wines, CatchWine, Sake Day and more
Meritage time!
Let’s start from the answer for the Wine Quiz #30 – A Guessing Game, In Reverse. You were supposed to pick the right review for the Chateau Latour from the list of five options. I’m happy to announce that we have a winner! Before I will tell you who won, let me tell you about the reviews I cited. All four options were legitimate reviews, of course for the different wines. This is what they were:
A: “dense ruby/purple color as well as an extraordinary nose of spring flowers intermixed with blueberries, black raspberries, wet rocks and spice box. Deep, full-bodied, rich and intense, this gorgeous effort again demonstrates what brilliant winemaking and a top-notch terroir can produce. It should drink well for 15-20 years.”
This is Wine Advocate review for 2008 Hundred Acres Cabernet Sauvignon from California (99 points).
B: “deep purple-ruby. Pungent floral and spice notes enliven complex aromas of dark plum, cocoa and minerals. Large-scaled and juicy, with lively acidity giving sharp definition to the uncommonly deep, pure flavors of black fruits, forest floor and dark spices. The impressively ripe, powerful finish features youthfully chewy tannins and outstanding persistence. This big boy will require a lot of patience: forget about it in the cellar for at least 15 years”
International Wine Cellar review for 2009 Chateau Latour (IWC96+, WA100)
C: “bright ruby. Perfumed, expressive aromas of red and dark berry preserves, smoky herbs and lavender, with a touch of licorice adding depth. Fleshy and supple in texture, offering intense black raspberry and bitter cherry flavors lifted by a spicy quality. Shows the richness of the vintage but carries no excess fat. The finish lingers with impressive tenacity and echoes the floral and smoke notes”
International Wine Cellar review for 2009 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape (93 points)
E: “Deep, bright violet. Intensely perfumed black raspberry and blueberry on the nose, with seductive Asian spice, lavender and incense qualities emerging with air. Sappy red and dark berry liqueur flavors are lifted by juicy acidity picking up suave spice and floral pastille notes on the back end. Velvety tannins provide shape but are absorbed by the lush fruit, which carries through an extremely long, sappy, incisive finish.”
International Wine Cellar review for 2009 Saxum James Berry Vineyard (96 points).
So based on the comments we have two winners – April and The Drunken Cyclist, who also almost correctly answered the bonus question about the vintage (almost is a key word here, as he couldn’t decide between 2005 and 2009, but still, very impressive). Great job guys, you got all the bragging rights which come with winning of this [I would think somewhat difficult] quiz. I wish my prizes could be more tangible…
And now, let’s move on to interesting news and updates.
Need more wine holidays (the last one we celebrated was International Grenache Day on Friday, September 21st)? You are in luck! 35th Annual (show some respect!) Sake Day is coming on October 1st! Here is the blog post about it from The Passionate Foodie blog.
Wine Til Sold Out Full-On marathon is coming up next Tuesday, October 2nd – 6 AM – Midnight, wines are priced $15.99 – $$$.
Joe Roberts of 1WienDude fame had an interesting discussion in his blog regarding wines with ABV in excess of 16% – can those be balanced? If you have an opinion – join the discussion in Joe’s blog.
W. Blake Gray had a great post about wine collectors versus wine lovers – I highly recommend that you will read it.
I accidentally came across very interesting web site called Catch Wine – it seems to list a lot of very useful information about wineries in all the different states, including address and phone number, the hours when tasting rooms are open, wineries near by, user reviews and more. Check it out!
Last but not least – PJ Wine’s Grand Tasting in New York is coming up on Friday, November 16th – if you are in the area, you don’t want to miss Chateau Margaux, Chateau Haut-Brion, Vega Sicilia and many many other amazing wines (click the link above for more information).
That’s all for today, folks. Happy Wine Wednesday! Cheers!
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