Brad Ballinger

Unctuous is a term I've seen more in Parker's notes than anyone else's. Think luscious, fat, oily-rich, that sort of thing. Austere -- see the opposite of unctuous. This is a term I use on occastion to describe wines that seem leaner, less forwardly fruity. Focused -- Guilty. When I use it, I am generally meaning tightly-knit, usually acidic, and typically I'm getting the same impression from bouquet to finish. Precocious and Ponderous -- No clue.

Fun discussion. As far as cat piss, cat pee, litter box, cat box, etc., yes it's been used as a descriptor for sauvignon blanc, pinot blanc, pinot gris/grigio, and scheurebe. Foxy is a quality generally associated with wines made from labrusca grapes more than from vinifera grapes. I'm not sure it has much to do with foxes as much as it has to do with concord grape juice. I get graphite on many Tuscan sangiovese wines. I've also seen the word diesel for riesling.

First off, I'm never doing that again. I don't mean drinking wines with Brian or even drinking his wines, but I mean tasting a lot of wine while the Super Bowl is on. I was too busy tasting and talking about wine, that I hardly saw any of the game. And I don't think I saw a single commercial. Brian Loring was in the Twin Cities over that weekend. He conducted a tasting at a local wine shop, signed bottles, drank with us at Paul Campbell's for the Stuper Bowl, and then gathered with some of the eBob boys on Monday night at a restaurant for a domestic pinot noir themed tasting. I was going to attend on Monday, but then decided against an evening of too much domestic pinot noir. That, and my daughter had a basketball game. At the retail shop, I brought a couple of bottles for Brian to sign. I looked for a thinning of the crowd so I could say hello, introduce myself, etc. Well, I got behind one guy who hogged Brian for a good 15 minutes. At least I got to talk to Ken Koch, the distributor who reps Brian's wines locally, during that time. When the guy in front of me finally left, there was a throng behind me who wanted to hear Brian's story. I quickly said I'd see him during the Super Bowl and left. Fast forward to the next day. There was quite a gathering at Paul's house. And there was far too much open wine that I didn't nearly get to all of it. I might have had I not promised my wife that I'd try to be home shortly after halftime. Well, I ended up not leaving until after the third quarter (is that still "shortly after halftime?"), and still hardly made a dent in the wines. 1996 Moet et Chandon Cuvee Dom Perignon. One thing that Brian and I have in common is that we are both Champagne sluts. Paul was kind enough to start out the evening with this wine. But I'm fooling no one -- he did it 100% for Brian and 0% for me. This particular cuvee, apart from an off-putting sweatsock/body odor thing that never entirely went away, had a strong citrus profile featuring white grapefruit flesh and pith. There were also light bisuity yeasty notes, and some steely minerality. The flavors turned toward pear and wild strawberries on the finish. It had a forceful, aggressive mousse and a nice dose of natural acidiy. NV Privat Laieta Cava Reserva Brut Nature. This 100% chardonnay cava is served in a tall, thin, tapered bottle that is very cool-looking. I'm hosting a Champagne tasting shortly, so I wanted to bring a wine that wouldn't show up there. This was a nice wine that showed off and aroma of juicy lemons and oranges with an undercurrent of minerals and roasted nuts. The fruit seemed almost green-like on the attack, but turned toward baked apples just before swallowing and pear skin on the finish. Very odd. Initially, a subdued mousse that grows more coarse with time in the mouth. Acidic as well with a hazelnut skin astringency going on. NV Gaston Chicquet Brut Blanc de Blancs, Ay Grand Cru. More toast and roast than the other wines thus far. The mousse is pronounced, yet more silky in its texture than that of the other wines. This wine goes down very easily. Nice chardonnay profile with plenty of minerals and toastiness. 1996 Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon Brut Rose. Brian contributed this wine, which was my no-brainer WOTN. Very clean berry-driven nose with elements of pie dough. Delicate, velvety mousse. Wonderful "still wine" acidity. Tart cherry flavors and brioche are present in the mouth. Incredibly clean and tightly focused. Here's where the notes become greatly abbreviated. It was at this time, after my fourth wine, that I noticed many were already done with the pinots and then some. There was one wine already emptied (I can't remember what one, but I know it was one I was interested in trying). 1993 Fleury Cuvee Fleur de l'Europe Brut Rose. Also one of Brian's. This wine is from 100% organically-farmed pinot noir. I belive there is no shipping dosage, but I'm not completely sure about that. Anyway, for a 1993, this was incredibly alive and very forwardly fruity. And that's all I wrote. On to the still wines. 2002 Romano Clelia "Colli di Lapio" Fiano di Avellino.This wine showed more fat and ripeness than earlier vintages have shown me. But it's still tropical fruit and rain water at its core. A little waxy. Lacks complexity of earlier vintages. 2000 Kuleto Estate Pinot Noir, Napa Valley. Only okay. So-so nose, a little oaky. It's a Napa pinot that wants to be a Russian River pinot. Lots of cola here. 1999 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir, Sharon's Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley. I think this is the first wine Brian made, but I'm not sure. I liked it more than most of the others, and it's a wine no one will confuse with a syrah. Thankfully. Quite fragrant yet. Some cola and herbs. Decent acidity. 2000 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir, Gary's Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands. The most Burgundy-like of the LWC lineup present. Note, I didn't say it was Burgundian, just the "most" Burgundy-like. On the nose, I get alcohol, wood, and some VA. If I swirl fast enough, there is dill and cola underneath. But, overall, too alcoholic for me -- although I liked the acidity. 2001 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir, Clos Pepe Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills. This was the hardest of the LWC lineup for me to drink. Fennel, charcoal, vanilla, and wood. There is an undercore of a good fruit profile, but I can't shake the veggies. More restrained in the acidity department. 2003 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir, Gary's Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands. Bright red fruit, dill, smoked meats. I'd like to revisit it in a year or so, and I can because I have a bottle. 2003 Siduri Pinot Noir, Pisoni Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands. Another one with high out-of-balance alcohol that I'm sure only bothers me. Hot, burning finish. 1997 Mugneret Ruchottes-Chambertin. Something that isn't alcohol and wood. Cracked pepper, tart cherry, rhubarb in the flavor profile. A little smoky. More balanced than any of the California wines. And a lifetime ahead of it yet. 1991 Viader, Napa Valley. 54% cabernet sauvignon, 46% cabernet franc. The tannins are just starting to resolve, and the wine is also starting to take on a maturity that some described as Bordeaux-like. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it's a wine that I think still has a good 2-3 years to peak. After the Viader, which I wanted to try because I brought it and have one more in the cellar, I went back to bubbles. I didn't try any of the Piemonte wines or the Australian Shiraz wines from producers I've never heard of. And I didn't even pour the Donnhoff or the Merkelbach. Something about promising when I'd be home.

I can agree with some of this. If I use a precise flavor or aroma descriptor, I better be damn certain that's what I'm getting. Usually, though, I just stay more broad (mineral, fruit, etc.). What I'd really like to know is how many people who use the word gooseberry to describe a sauvignon blanc wine have actually eaten a gooseberry. Personally, I've had fresh and cooked green and pink gooseberries (the green ones are much more tart), gooseberry jam, gooseberry yogurt, and some gooseberry confections. But I'm positive there are people who use the word gooseberry because they think they should even though they wouldn't know a gooseberry from a Thompson seedless grape.

See.

Brad, Well at least 10 years too early . Fortunately, this Spat was opened by a local shop at a Saturday tasting. Nevertheless, I have reservations about this evolving into something nice. In fact, after tasting the 2003 WS I ambled over to the racks and picked up a few more btls of the 2002 JJ Prum Graacher H. that were marked down a few $$. Bill ← Good purchase decision IMO. I know that fat and flabby has been the knock on 2003 German wines. I personally haven't purchased any because I've seen te prices skyrocket both as a result of vintage hype and the weak U.S. dollar. But I have cases of the 2001s -- some bought here as a result of tasting events, and the rest bought when I was in Germany. Your experience is a good one for the case of buy the wine not the vintage.

Yes, I can smell and taste various aroma and flavor profiles in wines. So much of taste is interwoven with smell, that it can be difficult to separate the two. But I can be much more descriptive with aroma than with taste. When you get into the science of molecular or chemical structure that is identical to the real McCoy, well that takes all the fun out of it. The descriptors one uses should really be taken as a "seems like" or "similar to" or "reminds me of" rather that "is unequivocally..."

Sorry, Bill. But that's what you get for pulling the cork about 15 years too early.

No, no. Thank you for stopping by. Before getting into the nitty-gritty of your post, I'd like to request a favor. Please report back on the 1985 Margaux. I have one of these, and I'm curious to see how it's doing. The Bordeaux wines you've picked should go well with your beef course provided the truffle sauce isn't too perfumed and overpowering. For the non-meat eating uncle, a roasted root vegetable and mushroom ragout seems like it would go nicely. For those earlier dishes, I like bubbles or riesling with the squid, Coca-Cola with the risotto (okay, a joke, but artichokes are tough on wine pairing). And I don't like pairing wine with soup. I'm sure others will add to this.

Yes, agreed. And I didn't mean to suggest one buy blindly on producer either. But if one is going to buy blind regardless, I know which way I'd lean. BTW, great to have you in this forum.

Truer words were never written.

When you figure out Burgundy, let the rest of us know. Burgundy has often been praised and derided. Sometimes in the same breath, such as "the best wine I've ever had was a Burgundy; so was the worst." You can get some guidance here (such as for Volnay, I love the wines of Montille), but you'll find a wealth of resources at the Burghound Web Site. Beaune is a village in the southern part of Burgundy's Cote d'Or (the wines with historically higher status are in the northern part of the Cote d'Or, called the Cote de Nuits). A wine labeled "Beaune" means it's a village wine. Volnay is also a village in the Cote de Beaune (southern part of the Cote d'Or). But it has a higher "status" than Beaune. Chambertin is a grand cru vineyard associated with the village of Gevrey-Chambertin in the Cote de Nuits. It's been called a quintessential coq au vin wine. Corton is a grand cru associated with the village of Aloxe-Corton in the Cote de Beaune that produces both red and white wines (although only about 2% are white). I have no idea what Chamboise is meant to be (it's not a part of Burgundy, and I don't know what you meant instead).

What you'll see quite often are declassified wines, as jbonne indicates. Some producers will declassify Chateauneuf-du-Pape into Cotes-du-Rhone, or even come up with more of a "proprietary" one-time only name. But indulge me in a rant. Yes, the weather sucked, and one should be careful with 2002 Rhone wines. But wine is what's in the bottle, not what a vintage is rated. People harp on consumers who blindly follow Parker points or WS ratings for specific wines that they suddenly "have to have." But what I think is worse is buying on vintage, without regard for producer or the individual wine. People stay away from certain vintages in certain growing regions because of the reputation of the vintage as a whole. Fact is good and bad wine is produced in every vintage. And when a vintage/harvest gets a higher rating, then producers, et al, raise the prices to make up for the hit taken on no one buying the wines from the vintage with a bad rap. For those who don't buy according to vintage, this is, of course, good news because it means more bargains. So for that crowd (self included) I should probably stop my rant now.

Editing note: I moved three posts from the Sideways thread into this one. Given that the posts go in calendar order, the first three (from Sideways) are listed first before jsolomon's post that started this newer thread.

Great choice. And for the following one, we should find out if Merlot is really worth debasing. Sanford has enjoyed a reputation for a good long time (although not specifically the Santa Rita Hills bottling), and probably didn't need the product placement in the movie. The wines have been consistently produced and priced well. And while Pinot Noir wines sometimes have small production runs, Sanford's production and distribution is large enough that locating the wine shouldn't be too difficult (unless retailers have sold out because of movie hype). In that case, Brent has offered a great suggestion to post a note about any Santa Rita Hills AVA Pinot Noir.

Two quick answers: 1. Taste, taste, taste.Taste as many different wines (as cheaply) as you can. Host a wine tasting party where you require guests to each show up with someting, and taste away. Learn what you like and what you don't like -- and the reasons why in either case. 2. Find someone (where you live, in print, on the internet) who you think has a palate you can appreciate. By that I mean they like and dislike things similar to your tastes. Then either go along with the wines they talk or write about and/or ask them for a recommendation. There are other ways, too. But these are budget-friendly.

Montiano just doesn't do much for me. I have a tasting note on the 1999 I have to get around to posting. One you should look for, however, is Lazzicante by Rodano, a Tuscany producer.

The knock on Merlot (as a wine, not a grape) in the film and among wine lovers who wish to think of themselves as "evolved," is that the wine is too pedestrian. It is produced in a way that is forwardly fruity (but so are many California red wines) and soft with respect to tannin and acidity. In essence, much of the Merlot in the market today could be classified as McWine. As such, it's fashionable to disdain it. Much the same way Chardonnay was disdained before Merlot, and White Zinfandel before Chardonnay. I'm not so sure Pinot Noir will be next -- my money is on Syrah, or Shiraz (as some California wineries are labeling it nowadays). From a business standpoint, retailers and restaurants can sell more Merlot right now than they can Pinot Noir or, in some cases, Cabernet Sauvignon. Undoubtedly, some wineries produce Merlot to help out the general ledger. There are some who say "merlot is nothing but a blending grape." Apart from certain Right-Bank Bordeaux wines, they may have an argument. But if Merlot (or substitute Chardonnay or White Zinfandel or whatever) gets people interested in and drinking wine, I don't see that as a bad thing.

Here's a small list (not very wide distribution, however) Garretson Wine Company Hug Cellars Linne Calodo Cellars Maloy O'Neill Vineyards Tablas Creek Vineyard These have somewhat wider distribution Treana Winery Peachy Canyon Winery Meridian Vineyards EOS Estate Winery J. Lohr Vineyards Justin Vineyards Keep in mind, however, that these are wineries located in the Paso Robles area. Many others will make wine from grapes grown in the Paso Robles area even though the winery itself is located elsewhere.

Here are some that all come from a book I have called Barron's Wine Lovers' Companion. Sangioveto (I think this is used interchangeably with sangiovese, usually in Chianti, but I may be wrong about that) Sangiovese Grosso, which also has a Brunello clone Prugnolo, which is Sangiovese Grosso used in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Sangiovese Piccolo Sangiovese di Romagna Sangiovese Dolce Calabrese Sanvicetro San Gioveto But I know there is also Morellino (as in Morellino di Scansano) And in Corsica it is called Nielluccio

Maybe Vancouver is more of a wine wasteland than I suggested. Kidding. You get something rare like Quinta do Portal but only get Batasiolo? The mind reels. Regarding a TBA, my answer would be it depends on how old it is. I think it would have to be younger to go with the dessert. TBA, IMO, is more of a cheese wine -- particularly with age on it. But if you can find the wines of Alois Kracher (from Austria) in your market, his Muskat Ottonel TBA (the "number" changes every year, I liked the 1998 No. 2) drinks lively and very well young.

Okay, you knew it would happen -- someone from the eGullet Team would step in. And it makes sense that it is someone from the Wine Forum. Hi. Let me first state that Rebel Rose (the other Wine Forum host) and I think it is great that the British Columbia group is doing what you are doing. Personally, the more discussion about wine anywhere in the world, the better. So this isn't a cease and desist post. Rather, I would also encourage you to participate in the Wine of the Week activities taking place in the Wine Forum. We strive to select wines that are widely available so that as many people can participate as possible. On occasion, there may be a wine that can't be found in every market, but I would hope that is the exception more than the rule. Our desire is that eGullet members explore and benefit from a number of features the site has to offer, and we encourage members to explore the entire site. I recognize some members in this thread from their contributions to the Wine Forum. It would be great to have even more. Visitors to the wine forum can learn from even more of you! Those who come to learn and discuss wine likely won't come to the Western Canada Forum. But they may still benefit from the wine discussions of this group. So that's why we are asking you to check us out and participate in the Wine Forum. I understand that your focus is on wines available in your market. But I would think that Vancouver is cosmopolitan enough (it's certainly more cosmoplitan than where I live) to have a large and diverse wine selection, and that many wines distributed widely in North American (if not worldwide) find space on a shelf in Vancouver. A virtual acquaintance of mine (her internet name is Mishy, but I have no idea what her real name is ) is a sommelier at a restaurant in Vancouver, and she and I have discussed a wide variety of wines -- not just those that her restaurant has access to. Thanks for reading. If there are any questions, please send me a PM. We don't want our discussion threads to devolve into policy discussions.

Well, according to the Quinto do Portal web site, they had this to say about their 1996 Moscatel Douro Reserva. . . The wine is fortified, meaning fementation was stopped (to retain some sugar) and alcohol (frequently brandy or other grape alcohol) was added. This particular wine is at 18% alcohol. I would pour as much as you would a glass of port, about 2-2.5 ounces. The good thing about the muscat (moscatel) grape is that it has a strong fruity profile. So the high-tone fruit and the high alcohol will make a little go a long way. One rule of thumb with dessert wines is that the wine should be as sweet as or sweeter than the food. Not everyone ascribes to that rule, though. The theory behind the rule is that if the food is far sweeter than the wine, the wine will taste more acidic/astringent than one might expect or want it to. Please post back on how you thought the wine and dessert paired. Since you asked, I would do two things differently (I know the wines are ordered already, but you did ask). I would not pair a Chassagne-Montrachet with the prawn martini. For my taste, that dish screams for riesling. Nor would I do the fortiied moscatel with dessert. I'd stick with the grape, but do something more like a Moscato d'Asti or a young Moscato Passito. The dessert sounds a bit light for the wine chosen for you, but I've not tasted it to actually know. It will be a fun dinner regardless.

The incomplete thing about the news story is that there are like a gazillion AOC designations. For example, any wine labeled "Bordeaux" is AOC. Most consumers "into" wine, however, will buy only Bordeaux that has a higher level AOC such as Saint Julien, Pomerol, etc. This is just one example. Believe me, there isn't any Chateau Petrus being sent to the distillery. France is experiencing what California has been experience for a little while now -- what has been called a wine glut. In fact, in California it even became a grape glut, with growers unable to find buyers for all their crop. One would hypothesize, then, that this is good for the consumer market. If only that were truly the case. Wine prices continue to rise on both the low end and the high end (less so in the middle -- which is likely the area where the wines in the news story are priced). And, for right or wrong, there is still a certain cachet afforded to a wine based on its price tag. Should these French producers cut there price in the market? Well, if they do, there is a risk that the next vintage/release will have trouble selling at the "regular" price. It's not just a decision for current supply, but for future supply as well. In the market we are seeing established, cult-like, and well-marketed niche producers doing fine with wines at the high end. At the low end, we are seeing the formation of more conglomerate-like entities. Although there is still plenty of "middle," there isn't as much of it to go around. One can see parallel patterns happening in retail and agribusiness. Wine isn't exempt.

It might be a shorter list of what doesn't come to mind. But what's coming to mind right now for my favorite method of cooking is lamb shanks, ossobuco, short ribs, brisket, chuck roast, pork shoulder, blade roast, breast of veal. I also like braising vegetables and pureeing them for a sauce.