Ron Johnson

It epitomizes what the Australians have done to the syrah grape.

There is no reason to go to an Emeril's restaurant because there are so many other really good restaurants in New Orleans. It would be a crime to waste one of your meals on Emeril. Try one of these instead: Peristyle Bayona August Cuvee Herbsaint Galatoires Commander's Palace

I thought it was Katy Martinelli. Which one are we supposed to be having sympathy for again?

L'Etoile. Odessa Piper's restaurant on the square surrounding the capitol. One of the best restaurants in America . . .err I mean the United States. She is the Alice Waters of the heartland. I have had several excellent meals there. Also terrific wine list.

Thats just an urban legend, kind of like the Richard Gere thing.

Well, then I guess you are greatly surprised because they are.

Right you are Hollywood, but I think that applies to the law which governs what can be put on the label, not what the term varietal means. Currently, the law in California is that a wine must be at least 75% of a variety for that variety to appear on the label as the only grape used. A wine that is 75% merlot can be called simply a merlot on the label. A wine that is 60% merlot and 40% cabernet must get a proprierty name or have the blend on the label. Varietal is a term for a wine made from one grape. However, as Tommy and you pointed out, few wines are actually only one variety of grape even though they are referred to as a varietal. Ok, everyone thoroughly confused?

Clearly, and of course. Perhaps a title change is required for the post as well in order to keep up appearances?

Yes of course, it would take you hours to re-type the entire text of that issue, especially if you included the ads.

FG, to be honest I am not sure because I constantly get that wrong, but your definition sounds right to me. So single varietal as in my post would be redundant redundant.

Mogsob made a comment that was followed by Nesita regarding grapes that are best not blended in wine. Personally, I think Syrah is great alone (Hermitage, Cote Rotie, St. Joseph, Cornas, Crozes Hermitage), but it is also great blended (Chateauneuf du Pape, Super Tuscans, Languedoc blends). Grapes that do not work well in blending for wine: Riesling Gewurztraminer Pinot Noir Zinfandel Pinot Grigio Gruner Veltliner edit disclosure: corrected misuse of varietal except for title of post

Wilfrid, who made the list for New Orleans? Apparently Cuvee, August, and Herbsaint are the hot places now.

I find absolutely nothing similar between a CNdP and a CH. CH is 100% syrah for god's sake. How many CdR's or CNdP's can make that claim, even the ones that can have markedly different characteristics. I have always been baffled by people who think that southern Rhones and northern Rhones are all the same. They are actually like two entirely different wine regions. I guess if you think Syrah and Grenache taste the same then your post makes sense. As for "pay the extra $5 and get a decent CNP", I am not familiar with many decent CNP's in the price range, unless by decent you mean mediocre. The only CH I pay $20 for is Alain Graillot La Giraude. The Gilles Robin I bought last was $11.99. Thats less than many good CDR's.

Stephen, First stick to the good vintages. You are lucky that there has been a string of good ones recently '98-'01. '02 looks bad as there has been a huge flood. Second stick to good producers. I like Alain Graillot, Gilles Robin, Delas Freres, and Bernard Chave (not same as J.L. Chave). I avoid Chapoutier, Jaboulet, and Guigal. For prices I would try to pay less than $20/bottle as that is the real draw of CH, however, I have paid more for some special designation wines from Graillot.

Interesting article in the NYTimes today about this wine that I have always enjoyed, especially those by Alain Graillot. I think Tim Kopec of Veritas put it brilliantly when he said "they all seem to be wines that speak of their origin; they're not wines filled with wine technique." What a perfect way to describe the difference between a real Rhone wine, and the Rhone-style wines coming out of California.

Well, I have spent most of my life in the south, and I have always hated sweet tea. Even as a kid, it was way too sweet for me. Malawry is correct that the sugar must be added to the hot product in order to allow the tea to absorb that much sugar. Sweet tea in the south may be the sweetest commercially available beverage. The way we make iced tea is to brew kettle full of tea with Lipton or Tetley tea bags, then pour over large pitcher filled with ice. The melted ice should be sufficient to adequately dilute the tea. If it is still too strong add water, but not much. Iced tea is served in tall glasess that we call iced-tea glasses and garnished with sprigs of mint and choice of lemon or limes and sugar is optional. The fact that sugar is often added later is bolstered by the fact that there is a "tea spoon" set at every place setting at the southen table. Unlike the spoon used for formal tea service of hot tea, this spoon has an extra long handle and is designed to stir sugar into a tall glass of tea by reaching the bottom.

In a word, funk. For reds I like leather, tobacco, tar, barnyard, horsey, merde, , with violets, bacon fat, smoked pork, bramble berries, raspberries, blackberries, ollalieberries. I also like pencil lead, cigar box, green bell pepper, black peppercorns, and black fruit. I do not like herbal, jammy, hot, alcoholic, fruit bomb, cedar, woody, oaky, or toasty. I do not like cherries, cassis, or cola. For whites I like minerally, gun flint, chalky, bracing, acidic, austere, but I also like citrus, melon, honeyed, petrol, rubber-band, grassy and stone fruit. I do not like buttery, toasty, vanilla, oaky, butterscotch, creamy.

You are consistent if nothing else, as Laube and Suckling definitely prefer New World styled wines that also receive high scores from parker. As I have said before, if your palate matches his, Parker is a great resource.

Amen brother.

This is described more fully by Franz Kafka in "In the Penal Colony".

Adam, I also find carnoli preferable. It is my understanding that each grain is at its best with a specific type of risotto, but as far as which goes with which, I do not know.

Oh My God!!! I agree with everything that Plotnicki said!

Mispronunciation. I'll be eating my words later tonight. That was ballsy.

Slope of beef? Sure, why not.

I thought Cote meant slope or hillside in French? My pals in Ampuis told me so.