Brad Ballinger

I greatly liked the Monsanto. I think it was playing "dumber" earlier in its life, and is only starting to come out. In a few years it will be a wine I will greatly enjoy. Regarding hype, there will always be hype and always be victims. 1997 in Tuscany is a pretty good example of both. Usually the victims complain of overripeness, overextraction, etc. (arguably noted more in the Super Tuscans than the CCRs, but it shows up everywhere). I liked that this Monsanto CCR didn't leave me a victim of the hype.

1997 Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva. When I first had this wine 3-4 years ago, it was on the austere side, showing a hollowness in the midpalate. Well, it hasn't really "filled out," but it has "evened out," if that makes any sense. On this occasion, this wine gave off the strongest graphite nose I've ever experienced. I could detect it without even having to shove my schnozz into the glass. The mineral profile of this wine was truly stunning. Lurking behind it was some faint bright red fruit and a slightly spicy character. In the mouth, the acids were quite pronounced keeping the wine lively and elevated on the palate. From a flavor standpoint, minerals were still in the driver's seat relegating the fruit and spice (there are cloves here) to a supporting role. For such a hyped up superripe vintage, this wine doesn't fall culprit to an overly juicy style by any stretch. There are some tannins that could stand to loosen their grip just a bit, and I think this wine will show better yet in a handful more years.

Going to be a bit pre-emptive here... Okay, the film got nominated for an Oscar. So did it's director. So did Thomas Haden Church. So did Virginia Madsen. Paul Giamatti did not. Regardless how you feel (good or bad) about any of these things, remember that this forum is about wine and not about movie making or movie criticism. So I'm asking that continuing posts be fitting for a wine forum. BTW, nothing I've read has made me post this. Like I said, I'm being pre-emptive, not reactive.

Hi Bill, Do you recall offhand if your Gigondas was the Prestige de Haut Garrigues? (Blue-bordered label instead of red.) I've been sitting on one of those for a long time, and it seems like I still don't need to be in a rush to open it.

Agreed, if the wines aroma was indeed "pungent," and not just "pronounced." There are countless wines I've had where there has been a dominant aroma -- that either remains or eventually subsides a little allowing others to be noticed. As far as the wine being corked, the odor associated with that is almost always musty wet wood, wet cardboard, we newspapers; not olives.

Olives are a common aroma and flavor component of many red wines -- most commonly red wines from the Rhone and Provence, but those areas don't have the corner of the market on olive character by any means. There is nothing "wrong" with olives (green or black) in wine. But what you may have learned is that wines that have olives as part of their aroma or flavor profile may not be your thing.

Like Gordon, I've been blessed to not have it happen to me. Yet. All you can do is say "grab a straw."

Hospice du Rhone, Paso Robles, CA, May 12-14, 2005 MoCool, Ann Arbor/Detroit, Michigan, August (dates TBD), 2005 ZAP, San Diego, March 15, 2005 ZAP, Los Angeles, March 17, 2005 ZAP, Chicago, April 12, 2005 ZAP, New Orleans, April 14, 2005

Here's a tasting note I wrote on the 1985 Rene Collard Brut Rose. You're right, K&L has older vintages as well.

There's a rumor going around that Jacques Selosse got p-oed at some distributors/retailers that were hoarding the wines. I can't remember all the details, and it was told me in the "I heard..." fashion from someone else. But supposedly Selosse has stopped exporting. As far as grower-produced wines go (I can't believe I missed this post, but computer crashing will do that), there are plenty of good ones coming into the U.S. lately. And they aren't all being brought in by Terry any longer. A few comments to be made here... 1. Production levels aren't as high as you get with the negociants. Even so, there isn't that large of a price difference. If one makes an analogy to Recoltant Manipulant Champagne, and California cult wines (I'm not suggesting one make the comparison, but it has been done before -- mainly in terms of limited production/allocation), there isn't a big price difference, and some of the RM wines are priced lower than wines with greater production and distribution. 2. On most lists of "recommended producers," you'll find a lot of Blanc de Blancs wines. Although there have always been RM wines, the "movement" (if I can use that word) with making them more available started with the Cote de Blancs. 3. SOME RM producers don't have the ideal amount of cave space for cellaring that they would like to have. This can result in some wines being released to the market earlier than the producer would like to make room for the next assemblage. 4. As John mentioned, you will find what the French government considers a Recoltant Manipulant wine by finding the letters RM followed by a number in incredibly small print on the wine label. You will also find the letters NM for Negociant Manipulant (such as Moet et Chandon) and CM for Cooperative Manipulant (such as Nicola Feulliatte). 5. My favorites (at least top of mind today): Pierre Peters, Larmandier-Bernier, Fleury, Franck Bonville, Rene Collard, H. Billiot, E. Barnaut, Diebolt-Vallois, L. Aubry, Tarlant.

Thanks, David. I can understand the reasons people may have for suggesting contests (guess this, guess that), but those usually have side effects of being feeling less smart than when they showed up. Since this is for the PTA, I'd make it as educational as can be. One thing that has gone over well is to have critic-written tasting notes for some of the wines you have and people try to match the note to the wine. I wouldn't give a prize for it, but would use it to teach that different people will taste different things. It's really fun if you can have multiple notes on the same wine from multiple sources. If there is a chance for a "program," it would be nice to have someone say a few words and handle some Q and A, especially if there are novices who would like to learn. I'd also have something to drink other than wine. Some people be all "wined out" before others. Have lots of water on hand.

David, About how many people? This is really a key piece of information. What you are able to spend on wine will depend greatly on how many people will be drinking wine. Also, will there be PTA members there who don't drink?

1999 Gilles Robin "Cuvee Alberic Bouvet" Crozes-Hermitage. Oh, how wonderful that syrah can be made in this way. This wasn't even close to being a brooding, jammy, overly funky wine. The nose gave off aromas of olives, nettles and blueberries -- all very clean, nothing "dirty" here at all. When the wine hit my tongue, I was greeting by vibrant acidity and bright blueberry and blackberry fruits. Spice, mineral earthiness, and grilled mushrooms quickly followed. Although complex in its flavor profile, the wine never approached the point to where it felt its mission was to leave its mark in every corner of my mouth. The acidity was so bright and playful that this wine tantalized more than it attacked. The finish was bright and clean. My impression is that in might slightly improve with another year, but it's quite approachable now. This is also a wine I would pair with roast fowl before something "heavier" like leg of lamb or short ribs.

A few... Finca Valpiedra Rioja Barbaranc Priorat Borsao Tres Picos Campo de Borja Guelbenzu Azul Navarra

For cooking, no problem freezing it. But if you do the ice cube tray thing, you may want to wrap your trays in a plastic bag. Some refrigerators contribute to ice cube evaporation, and it would be pronounced with alcohol. Also, your freezer is not odor-free, so that's another reason for a airtight seal. If you do anything at all with red wine reduction sauces, you can make such a sauce ahead of time, and then freeze the reduction in an ice cube tray. That way, you can only take out as much reduction as you need for a particular preparation.

A couple of comments to add here. 1. Not as much alcohol evaporates in an open pot as one might think. Burning off doesn't even get rid of all of it. But it does get rid of some of it, and keeps the liquid from tasting too alcoholic. 2. You do not need to reduce wine before adding stock. It pretty much depends on what you are cooking and for how long. Wine reduction usually takes place in stove top preparations of sauces. This is done to remove some alcohol, to slightly thicken the liquid, and to concentrate flavors. For braises, don't worry. And if you want to use the braising liquid as a sauce, you can reduce afterward. There are many braising recipes that call for up to an entire bottle of red wine.

John, I've used them to infuse a buerre blanc sauce to serve over grilled scallops. Hard to beat in my book.

Of course, that's where BYO is legal (some states or municipalities do not allow it).

Go to www.winesearcher.com. Search for Rutini, Catena Zapata, and Luigi Bosca. You will find plenty of US sources. Of those three, I've only had Luigi Bosca Cabernet Sauvignon. I found it more enjoyable than most Argentine wines I've had.

Thanks for contributing, Mel. My question has to do with new v. old/used barrels. What trends, if any, are you seeing regarding increased or decreased demand for either? And how old can large oak barrels (botti) be before they no longer aid in the fermentation or aging of the wine, and may actually impart adverse elements into the wine?

Wow, that was an act of infanticide on the Climens. I hope you have plenty more.

2000 Maloy O'Neill Syarh, Paso Robles Private Reserve. Only 20 cases of this wine were produced. The bottle I received was a gift from a friend who had traveled that area. This wine was showing some "mature" elements that made it enjoyable. The nose showed off plummy fruit, along with spicy blackberries. There was an earthy quality to the nose as well that seemed to indicate this wine would be more than a blueberry fruit bomb. In the mouth, the wine had very nice balance -- showing off mature berry and plum fruit with tobacco, coffee, spice, and earthy accents. Lower on the acid scale, but still providing a nice mouthful of fruit. Enjoyed with short ribs.

Gee, your operating system crashes, you then get a virus, and look what you miss out on. Contributing to the sample first. Comments following. 1. b (with a caveat discussed below) 2. b (the nose can be tricked) 3. b 4. e 5. b (caveat below again) 6. a 7. e 8. d (but I don't really like any of my options) Caveat 1 -- it's really got to have both. If the fruit is off, then the secondary elements, as interesting as they might be, are nothing more than novelty. Caveat 5 -- the default answer is b because I think white and red wines when I think about development. Okay, soapbox time... Like Geo and Redwinger, I'm live in flyover country. One can say that the midwest palate is beer or Thunderbird, or MD 20/20, but we're sensible folk here, and appreciate lots of things. For me, personally, I align with what has been described as and east coast palate in this thread. That the taste part. I would argue, though, that the consumer market is overwhelmingly not east coast palate. Note, I'm not saying that makes them west coast palate by default, just not east coast palate as has been described. Small wonder, then, that an overwhelmingnumber of wines are made for people who don't post or lurk on this or any other wine board. I've found the whole terroir discussion interesting. I don't know if there will ever be much terroir with respect to California wines. How many times has one variety been ripped out to plant another "hotter selling" variety? Chardonnay grows side by side with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, pinot noir, you name it. And the grape that shows terroir better than any other in my opinion -- riesling -- is hardly planted in California at all. It was fun reading this.

Jim, The Baumards I've add have all been of the non-rose variety. And I don't know if the assemblage of the rose, or even if the red in it is pinot noir or cabernet franc. Here's a TN I wrote a while back on the 1998 Huet Vouvray Petillant Brut: Minerals and baked golden delicious apples combine for a truly inviting aroma. “petillant-level” fizz/mousse – just enough to keep it interesting and not supplanting the wines natural acidity. A very pure and clean wine. Flavors of cooked apple and raw pear (with skin). Nicely balanced, approachable, and rewarding. A wine that takes little effort to enjoy and continuously surprised with every sip. As far as distribution, I dont' know. I'm looking at Huet's web site, and the only sparkling wine listed right now is the 2000 Cuvee Huet Brut (this is not the Vouvray Petillant). Production was 73,420 bottles -- so there's a lot of it somewhere.

Adding one -- the first word that came to mind upon seeing only the title of this thread -- Bandol. I love it with age on it. Of course, it's hard keeping my hands off it. Your point about an entirely Old World list isn't surprising. But I wouldn't dismiss all New World wines. And, of course, there are Old World wines from all of the regions you list that won't age as well as others.