Brad Ballinger

Welcome Vaughan and Mike. I'm a little surprsied about the 93 Turley Duarte. I had the 93 Turley Aida side by side with the 97 Aida. This was back in 1999. That really showcased the fading of the 93, which came across as thinner and more alcoholic.

For birth year wine for you, buy German. You should be able to find 1971s with not a great deal of effort. And they are glorious right now. I've seen Parker ratings in the 50s for bottles (specific examples don't come to mind right now). I've seen Parker ratings for vintages in the 60s.

Adding a few minor comments. Yes, the EVOO is a seasoning so have some high test stuff. Some also drizzle lemon and shave reggiano over the steak. The only cut is T-bone, and thick T-bone at that. And grill it. And slice before serving -- you don't serve people a hunk o' steak. Rosemary is an option, yes. But it is one that does get exercised.

Happy birthday, pardner.

Try www.winesearcher.com

Fox Creek exports one, and it runs in the mid- to upper-teens price wise for the NV wines. Yalumba's vintage versions command over $30. I've had two of these in my life (didn't take notes, can't remember the producer). I don't plan on seeking out any others.

I think that may describe a large number of the folks on this forum. And this one come close to describing me. I'll cut to the chase with the rest of your questions. Serve chilled (same temp as any sparkling wine) in the stem you'd normally serve sparkling wine. Serve with whatever you'd serve with a rose wine as a very general rule (or serve it with nothing at all). But my guess is after you have this one, you won't be racing to buy another.

Jim, Thanks for the data point on the Baumard Savennieres. I have a couple of these buried somewhere, and it's good to know I should leave them there. Also, thanks for the note on the Magnien Fixin. I had the 1999 version of this wine a little less than a year ago and happened to like it a fair amount, in a lighter-styled way.

So much to comment on here. But the obvious question is do you like mature zinfandel? Some people quite frankly don't. They want the in your faceness that Carolyn descritbes. If you do, these wines may not be the ones to stow away. Turley does not benefit from age in my opinion. These wines are such high alcohol that the freshness and vibrancy of the youthful fruit dissipates rather quickly. Especially the California Old Vines label. A. Rafanelli shows so well when young, I've never really let them age much. Rosenblum can go to the 5-7 year window. I don't have experience with the other. I've had a few producers' zins that I think improve with age. Ridge has already been mentioned. I've posted not long ago on the Cline Fulton Road, which is quite nice right now. Some, not all, Ravenswood -- particularly Old Hill, and Cooke (although the latter hasn't been made in a while). Fanucchi can go some distance. So can Terraces. So can Forchini. Again, most people don't cellar zinfandel for long periods of time. The best thing to do would be to try some older ones and see if they are ones you like. Then I would buy those labels because not all zin will age well.

Whenever someone from one of the Internet wine boards blows into town, I suaully get an email warning, and we descended upon our top offline restaurant, Bakery on Grand. This one came from Alan Rath, who has yet to post here. Besides Alan and yours truly, this band of ruffians was made up of Brian Tockman, Craig Vanderah, Paul Campbell, Jean Brislance, Gordon Drake, Jon Gorman, and two of Jon’s co-workers whose names I don’t remember – although one was from Southern France. Pre-theme wines 2002 Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet Sevre et Maine, Sur Lie. This was the starter wine from the restaurant’s list. I also saved a glass for the salad course. Crisp, lithe, melons, lemons. Nice herbal accents. A bit of a rocky mineral quality. As good as it always is. 2001 Kongsgaard Chardonnay, Napa Valley. Gordon brought this wine along with 11 other ones. Earlier I had emailed Paul asking what he thought the over/under should be on the number of wines Gordon brings. Paul put the number at 4 and he’d take the over. I guess Paul only bets on sure things. What we didn’t expect (or maybe we did) is that Gordon would bring a California-heavy stash. Anyway, I’m glad he brought this one. Kongsgaard makes Chardonnay that I enjoy drinking. There is spicy oak in the wine, but I find it to be more of an accent and complement to other components than the headliner. This one was beautifully balanced. The texture was creamy, but there was plenty of acid to give it brightness and lift. Toast, some earthiness, nice citrus fruit profile. Lemony finish. Well made. 2003 Chateau du Campuget Viognier, Cuvee Prestige, Vin de Pays d’Oc. This wine initially showed an elegantlyperfumed nose of white peach and honeysuckle. With some warmth and air, however, it add a bell pepper component that didn’t do much for me. On the attack, there is a pleasant does of acid showcasing a citrus flavor profile accented by apricot. Again, with some warmth, this also adds more vegetal quality. 1987 KWV Cabernet Sauvignon, Coast Region. This South African relic came to me by way of a co-worker from the U.K. I have no idea how it had been stored. I was going to mask its identity, but my wife had moved my stash of brown wine bags. Color showing moderate bricking all throughout. Mature-ish nose showing some damp leaves, and dirt. In the mouth, this wine reveals itself as one where the fruit had outlived the tannin, but the victory came with a price, being lack of structure. This wine was all about some sweet fruit at the front of the mouth, but nothing else to round it out and give it depth and complexity one might expect with an older well-developed wine. I love the nose, but it’s downhill from there. Finish is almost non-existent. 1999 Donnafugate Mille Note. Another Gordon wine. Don’t worry, the Southern France wines start with the next one. This is a 100% nero d’avola and is Donnafugata’s premiere wine. At first there was a burnt match sulfur quality that needed to blow off, and did. For one-third of the price, I prefer Donnafugata’s Sedara, which is also a 100% nero d’avola with more acid, less alcohol, and less oak. This wine is sweet, juicy, a little unripe and awkward. Flight one 2001 Chateau Pesquie “Les Terasses,” Cotes du Ventoux. Smells a bit metallic. Shows some bright acidity, but doesn’t shed the metallic component. With some digging, I can find black pepper and black front-of-mouth fruit. But the wine seems imbalanced and flawed in some fashion. NV Jean-Marie Rimbert Carignator 1er, Vin de Table. We couldn’t find a vintage date, but it might be 2000. This is 100% carignanan from 50-75 year old vines Great rustic funk on the nose. Based on the aroma alone, one would expect a dark, brooding, blackish wine. But it’s all bright, intense cherries and berries on the palate. Chewy texture. Very nice wine. May not be as structured as one might like, but full of character. 2000 Elian da Ros Vignoble de Cocumont, Cotes du Marmandais. Diluted. Dusty tannins. Not much else here. Moving on… Flight Two 1996 Pesquera Tinto Crianza, Ribera del Duero. (Brian didn’t have a Southern France wine.) Large dose of bell pepper. Besides that, there is a raisiny quality to the nose, and the wine seems prematurely mature. Don’t know if it’s the bottle or not. Probably is. 2001 Chateau La Cassanove “La Garrigue,” Cotes du Roussillon. Molasses-like nose, and the wine comes across almost as sweet on the palate – minus acidity, and minus tannin, but plus alcohol. 1999 Chateau St. Martin de la Garrigue “Bronzinelle,” Coteaux du Languedoc. Intense mourvedre nose of tree bark and wet earth, along with some licorice. It probably had an attractive forward fruit profile upon release that could be losing some vibrancy now and latting the alcohol come across as more, well, alcoholic. Best of the three in this flight, but it wasn’t much of a contest. Flight Three 1998 Domaine de Aigueliere “Cote Doree” Montpeyroux, Coteaux du Languedoc. Spicy, peppery, tannic, young young young. This wine is all about spice right now, and it’s something you’ll either love or hate about it. I don’t know where I stand at the moment. It is a wine to revisit in a few years, however. 1994 Domaine Tempier “Cuvee La Tourtine” Bandol. Despite whatever this funky nose promises, the structure is lacking in this wine and the fruit is quickly fading into alcoholic acid water. 1999 Domaine Tempier “Cuvee Speciale” Bandol. Although Paul thought the nose was similar to the 94 La Tourtine, I see it (or smell it) differently. This one promises much more complexity. There’s fruit and spice here in addition to poop. Initially unassuming on the attack, this wine quickly makes up for it with smoky, spicy, funky black fruit. This is a wine that could easily have been made in a style that would make it a juicy fruit bomb, but it stops short of that, remaining balanced and promising complexity with age. Post-theme wines (sort of) 1999 Merus Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. Well, since Gordon brought all those California Cabs… Nose of jammy black fruit. The same fruit floating in a sea of alcohol in the mouth. Can’t do it. 1991 Dr. Parce Rimage Mise Tardive Domaine du Mas Blanc Banyuls. Light smoke accents on the chocolate, tree bark nose. But if I sniff for more than two seconds my nasal membranes start to burn from all the alcohol. In the mouth, the alcohol brings a hotness to the wine, but there is plenty of fruit and spice there as well. It’s a bit too hot for me, but I’m bothered by too much alcohol more than most people I know. 2000 Grande Maison “Cuvee des Anges,” Monbazillac. 50% semillon, 35% muscadelle, 15% sauvignon blanc. Incredibly tropical with a huge pineapple profile. Remains in balance with pleasing acidity. And that’s all I wrote down. My impression was one of enjoying this wine quite a bit.

Welcome to eGullet and the Wine Forum, Veloman, and thanks for posting the tasting notes. That Donnhoff gets raves from anyone who tastes it. For future notes, it's a nit picky point but, please begin the title thread with WTN. eGullet's software makes it impossible to sear for just TN (see the Pinned topic posted above). Of course, some people don't use a prefix at all. Again, welcome aboard. We look forward to future notes and commentary.

sorta. Niebaum-Coppola introduced a straw with their split equivalent (in a can) and it wouldn't surprise me if Pommery Pop or the Heidsieck split were being served that way in clubs. Actually Pommery Pop had a "campaign," if it can be called that, about serving the split with a straw. Where I'm surprised with splits is that I've not seen anyone drinking the contents straight from the bottle. I'm sure it's been done, though. Just not in my field of vision.

Interesting topic. I guess I'm more embarassed that I hate more pedestrian foods rather than the exotic ones like truffles, foie gras, caviar, etc. I can understand the reason for embarassment -- How would someone so into food not like the chi chi fare? But I'm looking at embarassment differently. I'm embarassed that I don't like some relatively common things, things that are certainly harder to avoid than caviar or truffles, and, therefore, get exposed more often. Peanut Butter in/on anything. This is one that is very hard to avoid. I don't do Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter Rice Krispie bars, Butterfinger. The only exception is peanut sauce in Thai cuisine. But the rest I won't even eat to be polite. Mayonnaise. I like everything that goes into it. I just don't like the sum of those parts. At least it's less embarassing to order mayo on the side. But if a sandwich comes pre-loaded, it's tough to put it in my mouth. Prepared Mustard. Similar to mayonnaise. I've tried to like this stuff, and I just don't. So, in combination with mayonnaise, it's embarassing when answering someone who asks why I haven't eaten any potato salad. Pickles. I've tried very hard to like these as well, and it just isn't to be. In combination with mustard, it means having to order special ad Mc Donald's. Since I don't eat there anymore, the embarassment is more part of my childhood and teenage years. But I'll still be at a casual restaurant, diner, and infrequently someone will ask "are you going to eat your pickle(s)?"

Yeah, I don't think anyone would argue against flutes (or trumpets -- although I'd still prefer the flute). For all the reasons mentioned. You can even linger over a glass of the stuff. With a coupe, it's gulp and go -- which is usually what happens with sparkling wine for an overwhelming majority of the population. For me, Champagne happens to be one of the best food wines around. The cranial thing has to do with any piece of stemware that causes you to tilt your head back because your nose won't fit inside the bowl.

It's a fair question, and I'm not sure there's a good answer. Although first used in England, the coupe glass (that's what it's called) seems to have been much more popular in the U.S. than the rest of the world. And if you are going to use Hollywood films as a reference point, then there you go. But if you think about stemware for wine as a broader issue, it's only in recent years that we've become a-r over which glass to use with which wine. I'll offer a theory (that is really just coming from the hip right now) on the coupe glass. If Champagne and other sparkling wines were poured at celebrations with large gatherings, my guess is you can more quickly and easily fill a table full of coupe glasses than flute glasses.

The winery might have some. Several retailers in the are will also have them.

Turley Zinfandel wines and others fashioned in a similar style should survive the trip just fine. They are going to be sturdy, high alcohol, and not so delicate. I'd keep them inside the cab of the car and not the trunk. And I'd keep them out of direct sunlight (tossing a thick covering over the box should suffice. The wines are going to get better treatment in your car than they do with some shipping companies.

Adding to the list... Muscadet. Look for Domaine de la Pepiere. Vouvray. Look for Foreau, Pinon, Champalou and Deletang. Nero d'Avola from Sicily. Look for Sedara from Donnafugata and Chiaramonte from Firriato. Trimbach Riesling from Alsace. Just the regular bottling. Borsao Tres Pecos from Spain. And don't forget some rose wines -- Rosa del Golfo makes a nice one. And really don't forget to ask for help from the merchant. I can't emphasize enough the importance of building a good realtionship with someone selling wine that you can come to trust.

Mark beat me to it on Condrieu. These should be drunk young. I think people get confused a bit when they see the higher price tag on that bottle of Condrieu and think about aging the wine. Hermitage Blanc can age. Even some Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc responds well to age. Not Condrieu, with a very small exception of some late harvest ones. I'm not a chemist, but I would guess the lower acidity has something to do with it. I've never heard the Chardonnay kissed by Riesling phrase. Chardonnay kissed by Gewurztraminer seems to make more sense to me.

This is sad news. Jim had been suffering from cancer for a bit, and went into more rapid decline recently. There were "prayer tastings" sponsored by some of the other wine boards.

Agreed. I've had Vernay and Boissonet. I also like Villard, even though those can show more oak. These white Rhone varietal wines were sent from Mary at Dover Canyon. So, as the subtitle says, it was a study in science. In a cover letter from Mary, she referenced a blind tasting where many tasters pegged Guigal's Condrieu as from California. There was no indication if it was La Doriane or not.

John, Everyone I've spoken to in person or virtually (and there have been at least six who weren't at this tasting) who has had the Luminescence has nothing good to say about it. It wasn't the bottle.

I'll go ahead and address this here because it may help to understand my notes. I'm not biased against California wines as a matter of course. The best white wine I had at this tasting was from California, and the best red wine I've had of late is a tie between two California Cabs. I'm also in the process of writing a feature for the Daily Gullet on a California producer that makes some incredible riesling, and pretty tasty chardonnay. No, there is not a bias against California whites or reds. There is a dissatisfaction with wines that are so out of balance that oak is the prominent feature. I've probably experienced that in California whites as a general group, more than other whites. Regarding the notes from this tasting Jean and Lee (LOS as he posts here) can attest to the imbalance in many of these wines, and not just those from California. For my personal taste (and wine is personal), I like more mineral, and that's more easily found in whites from other parts of the world. Does it exist in California? Sure. Is it featured in the wines? Not so much. And, for the money, I find better value elsewhere. Regardig Murphy Goode, winemaker Dave Ready is from Minnesota so maybe that explains the Vikings purple label. They also make a Chardonnay labeled Minnesota Cuvee, because the oak comes from Minnesota. The wines tend to be sweeter than some other Chardonnay. Kent Rosenblum is also from Minnesota. So are the Stotesberrys, owners of Ladera. So is Robert Mondavi.

Well, when I return any item I've purchased at retail, I have to return it to the store (unless I'm dealing with a factory warranty). In your case, the store should replace the stemware. They will then move it up the distribution channel. Why should Riedel products be treated differently from other retail goods?

The linked article is specifically about Bordeaux, but I think there are implications beyond Bordeaux, not all of which are mentioned in the ariicle. These wine producers and grape growers are the casualty of other trends in the industry, IMO. In particular, the consumers who buy on ratings and preconceptions, and those who feed that consumer behavior, are adversely impacting these producers and growers. The industry has become more competitive. I doubt most producers and growers anywhere in the world would view other producers and growers as competitors, but the marketplace isn't playing by those rules. There is no longer room for everyone in the sandbox. As some of the larger wineries buy smaller ones and as any get bought out by mega-conglomerates, it's all about the money. You can see a parallel phenomenon in the restaurant business, in nearly any retail sector, in agribusiness in general. Some reactions to points in the article itself... People can't be buying this for quality. There's no way you can get quality with a 7M case production. Generic wine, being wine labeled simply as "Bordeaux<" generally isn't exported -- people outside of France generally look for something more, usually with a rating (and these wines don't get rated). That means they have to sell more inside of France, where consumption is down. One reason might be the perception issue -- higher prices give a perception of higher quality wine, as evidenced by the pricing practices of a majority of newer labels coming out of California. You are either going to make money on higher margins or volume. And small producers don't have a choice on the latter. The issue is certainly mor complicated. In Bordeaux, there are eral estate loan issues. In France, there are many factors driving down consumption and exports. But I think we also have to look to consumerism.