Brad Ballinger

There are plenty of Bordeaux wines under $40, and some of them are even classified wines and not necessarily cru bourgeois wines.

This is a no brainer, and you've pretty much exhausted it. With a Bern's steak, order a California Cabernet Sauvignon, especially if the entire group is not "into wine." Don't mess with anything that you have to explain to anyone. And a magnum would be a cool touch. 25 ounces in a bottle makes for five 5-ounce pours. With a caviar service, bubbly. Surprisingly, the Champagne selection does nothing for me. It's almost all big houses (but with easily recognizeable names). They do list a couple of small producers, including Egly-Ouriet -- but their wines are big on pinot noir, and I'd like something more chardonnay-based for caviar. But aside from the Blanc de Blancs on the list (which will all be priced very high given the producers), the "regular" list is full of wines that are generally more pinot-based than chardonnay-based. Go with the Delamotte NV. I didn't see any "traditional" foie gras wines (sweet whites), but I'm sure they have some. Overall, the wine list is full of wines meant to make an impression on a dining partner or party (and paid for by an expense account or someone who doesn't care about cost).

Indeed, $29.99 is one helluva bargain for this wine, and is about one-third to one-fourth of what one might expect to pay. Chaptoutier's "Barbe Rac" CdP is a 100% grenache cuvee from old vines. Grenache is one of those grapes that can be polarizing -- people either love it or hate it. I've not had the 1999 vintage of the wine, but I've enjoyed a handful of older vintages. You mention that you'll likely open it this weekend. You won't be faulted for holding off, if you have good storage conditions. If you do open it -- I suggest pairing it with a braised or roasted meat dish, particularly if there's a bit of citrus in the sauce.

i have a potentially dumb question here - if ciroc vodka is famous for being made with grapes, isn't it technically a grappa or a marc? ← Grappa and marc are both brandies made by distilling crushed grape residue. I think Ciroc is made by distilling grape juice, not grape residue. But that's going to be about as far as I can explain it.

Belvedere Ketel One Ciroc Effen Shakers

Underscoring some points, and adding a bit more... Botrytis can infect many grape varieties. And it's not always welcome, being more of an ignoble rot than a noble one. And, as Russ mentioned, not all late harvest wines mean that the grapes were affected by botrytis. Botrytis can also develop on grapes that are not yet ripe, which you don't want no matter what. So even if I want botrytis on my semillon shortly before harvest, I don't want it showing up in June, July or August.

Russ, I was referring to the Claret, not the Merlot. The Claret is now either Napa Valley or Stag's Leap District.

For those readers of this thread who've had their interest in merlot piqued even a little, here is a previous thread on the topic that mentions Merlot wines from several different countries: CLICK.

Russ, I've had Rob's Merlot on a couple of occasions. But that was a loooong time ago. I've also liked what he called his Claret. But to show you just how long ago I mean, I had his Carneros Claret, and not the Stag's Leap Distric Claret, which I believe is more recent. Pretty sure he doesn't make the Carneros one anymore. I've also enjoyed his Pinot Noir wines on occasion, and know that's his passion from speaking with him years ago.

Putting on my host/moderator hat here to suggest we keep the conversation about French merlot-based wines and not devolve into (yet another) Parker apologists v. Parker bashers thread.

Well, how often do you get those gift certificates? In general, drinking a good bottle of Bordeaux will elicit this type of comment. Certan de May, by the way, isn't meant to be a heavy powerhouse. But it will take some time to cevelop/come around (what you called "tight").

Precisely.

Popping in quickly to comment on Ciroc. I apologize for not paging through the entire 12 pages of the thread. I bought some of this for making Penne alla Vodka (I can't use cheap vodka in this dish). And then I poured myself a Ciroc martini while cooking. It was my frist time tasting Ciroc. There are not enough "o"s in smooth to fully describe how easy this was to drink. My wife, who is not a fan of martinis unless they have enough frou frou stuff added to them even commented that this was one vodka she could drink straight if she had to.

'Tis the sesason. . . Had a Full Sail Wassail over the weekend. I found it lacking the spice and bite of previous releases. Seemed a bit on the watery side. I generally like Full Sail products, but this one did nothing for me. By comparison, I followed that up with an Anchor Steam Christmas Ale. That was one complete brew. It had a good balance and didn't approch anything close to being too sweet.

Yes. Except the Chardonnay.

Millstream Schild Brau Amber, brewed in the Amana Colonies. I brought some of this home with me when I was down there on business, and finally got around to drinking some of it. I had planned to have some while in Iowa, but my hotel room's mini-fridge's setting was too low, and the stuff froze. Fortunately no bottles burst. The brew surviveed, and it is a very good amber lager.

I had read about the hollowed out limes filled with tequila, but didn't see a one. The mirror ball hanging voer the bar, however, tiped me off. And my 16-year old daughter got hit on as she walked through the bar to use the restroom. My wife had the sweet corn tamales, which were pretty good. BTW, the tacos I ordered were filled with carnitas. If carnitas is an option, I also go for it. Edited to add: I forgot to mention that we ate at Watercourse for breakfast (drove there directly from the airport). Huge thumbs up for that place. The coffee could be a little better, but the food was yummy.

And extra dry, extra brut, Entre-Deux-Mers, Etoile, Est! Est!! Est!!! (a DOC). Also, you can get away with most German wines that have the term Erzeugerabfüllung on the label (which means nothing more than "this bottle of wine was bottled by the producer"). While in Germany, any wine from the village of Erden (such as Christoffel's Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett. There's also Edna Valley, Erbaluce di Caluso, or any wine drunk by an enophile. Earthy wines are welcome, as are wines with ethyl alcohol (which includes all wines). But, please, none with excessive levels of ethyl acetate. To start it off: 1995 Charles Ellner "Seduction" Brut, Champange. This is a behemoth of a bubbly. 25% pinot noir; 75% chardonnay. As hard as it may be to believe (it's certainly hard to put into words), this wine is at the same time as toasty as it is citrusy. What helps make some clarity of the conundrum is that the chardonnay is barrel fermented. Yet, the oak never dominates the nose or flavor profile. There's plenty of lemony fruit with a touch of honey. There's also an undercurrent of mineral that comes across as more rocky than earthy, if that makes any sense.

I'm not sure what vintage of Alion is being offered to you, but here is my note from the 1996 version: 1996 Bodegas Alion Ribera del Duero. Just about as good as it gets. Fantastic balance. Great core of black cherry and blackberry fruit with underlying tobacco, earthy minerality, and not too much oak. Tannins were ripe and yielding. Bright acidity. Great partner to grilled ribeye. Long fruit-driven finish. Of course, back then the wine was only $32. It's over twice that much for more recent vintages. I've also had older vintages of Foppinao's Petit Sirah. That producer does about as good a job as any with that grape.

Well, I walked the four blocks to Milagro Taco Bar (on a recon mission), and desperately wanted to go after looking at the posted menu. However, that would've meant dinner followed by nothing else to do in the neighborhood. So we got in the car and drove to Larimer Square. I would've been way up for Bistro Vendome, but they were closed. We eneded up at Lime. Food was fine and plentiful. Daughter like being entertained by the magician doing card tricks at the tables. My guess is the place has a reputation as a bar first and restaurant second. I did enjoy the chips and salsa, though. Nice to have flour tortilla chips when all I'm ever used to is commercial corn ones. I got carnitas tacos, which ere fine. I did enjoy the glass of limeade I ordered.

Thanks to both of you. I'll check out Cafe Star on the web. I've been to the Table 6 web site. We'll probably end up at Milagro, but at least I have some options. Years ago I was at the Il Fornaio on Wazee. Not bad, but unremarkable. I've also walked plenty around Cherry Creek North in the past. If we have the luxury, we may drive there. But I'm grateful for the local options if we decide to stay put after a day of driving here and there.

My family (me, wife, 16-year old daughter) will be in Denver one night next week. Our lodging is in the Wyman district. I did a search for "wyman" in this forum, and got no returns. So . . . Anything in that area that qualifies as a foodie-type neighborhood restaurant? Specifically, we are staying on E. Colfax, between Downing and York with St. Luke's Medical Center a few blocks north and Cheesman Park a few blocks south. We will have a car if we absolutely must drive. Nothing too high brow -- wife won't like the price tag. And while I love all ethnic things, daughter is stupidly fussy. The rest of the trip we will be in Rifle, visiting my mother for Thanksgiving. I know her cooking. I know what's in Rifle. The night in Denver may be my best shot at a good dinner during this trip.

2004 Francois Cazin "Le Petit Chambord," Cheverny. Whereas most of the white wines from the Loire are 100% single grape varietal wines, by law Cheverny wines must be a blend of at least two grape varieties (sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, chenin blanc, and/or romorantin). This wine is 85% sauvignon blanc and 15% chardonnay. There's really no mystery to this wine -- it's all about the crisp acidity, tart citrus family fruits, and a steely backbone. There's the slightest floral whiff on the nose, but otherwise this wine is all about the line between racy and elegant. And at or slight above $10, it's in the top of the class in that price range.

There are a couple of endorsements for Reed's Ginger Brew upthread. I'm sipping on their Raspberry Ginger Brew product right now. This one has a particularly strong raspberry profile, and there's also some lime juice in it. I've also had the Cherry Ginger Brew, which has more of a ginger bite than this raspberry one. Those are the only two Reed's products I've had. But I'll be looking to pick up more of their ginger brews and juice ginger brews.

Well, saltimbocca is a preparation known to Latium, the region of Italy that includes Rome. It's also a region not really known for their red wines, and not many truly regional reds are exported. So, that leaves other options. My preference for this dish would be a wine that is primarily sangiovese, such as Chianti Classico or Morellino di Scansano. If you want something that might be a tad lighter and fruitier, try a Lacrima di Morro d'Alba if you can find one.