dlc

What a real flashback. We rented a house about 3 miles up the road in Savonniere about 3 years ago. You will love the area. The chateau at Azay is great esp the kitchen garden which should be in high bloom while you are there. There are a ton of great wines from that area both red and whites. The folks in the small shops were very accomodating to us and helped us with our shopping as well as helping us improve our french. Bon Chance

1999 Zind Humbrectk (sp) Clos Windsbuhl Pinot Gris in mags. An incredible powerful wine. I planned on matching it with roast pork and baked apples that my wife had prepared but it was much better with the Epoisses, Forme d'Ambert, and Selles sur Cher that ended the meal. My wife thought that it was an 100 point wine if ther was such a thing. A small amount of residual sweetness, a great blast of apples and pears and just enough acidity to pull it all together. Glad that I have a few more

I am sure that these are North Berkeley wines. I think that Michel is the negociant label and Frederic is the grower label. The prices on the Bourgogne rouge and passetoutgrains are a couple of dollars more expensive than they are here in Nashville. I agree with the comment about heavily extracted but not all are overoaked.

I f you can find it in your market Jean Marc Brocard has a chablis(marked as chardonnay) called "Jurassic". It is in a 3 liter box and sells for $39 here in Nashville. Not the greatest wine i've ever tasted but great to keep in the fridge for a quick glass

Martine Saunier imports a box wine from Chablis from Jean Marc Brocard. He calls it "Jurassic". It is labeled as a chardonnay. The cost here in TN is about $40 for a 3 liter box. This is about the same as the prices above. I have been using it as my house wine for about 4 months. It has a steely, slatey nose with fresh apple type fruit with no oak. I have found it very enjoyable as an aperitif. My only complaint is there is a large amount of sediment in some of the bags. You only see this at the last glass or 2 in the box. These are not tartrate crystals but seem to be yeast cells. They should not be there IMHO. Otherwise a most enjoyable reasonably priced wine that can be kept open for a few days as my wife and I drink it up.

I use both the 1 and 2 liter Erlenmeyer flasks as decanters. They hurt the pocketbook a lot less when you break them and I think they look great on the table as well as having the perfect amount of surface for a bottle or a magnum. P.S. my wife uses them as vases for long stemmed blooms on occassion.

Katie, I think you are right on with a Condrieu, it would be a great pairing. I think that an slightly older(3-4 yrs) Corton-Charlemange would be a good match with this. The Bonneau du Martray has a toasted hazelnut and tropical fruit aspect that I think would match with the mango and pistachio. This would be the only Chard that I think might go with this dish, my only concern would be the oilyness of the fish.

Along with the usual brined roast turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, green beans, rice, gravy, peas, scalloped oysters, & pearl onions. 1990 Grand Dame 1990 Von Simmern Erbacher Marcobrun Reisling Spatlese 1996 Hospice de Beaune Corton Cuvee Charlotte Dumay (mags) 1970 Grahams Port

A recent email offer from CWC, Guigal Coted du Rhone 6.99/btl. Here it is 9.99 to11.99. 1995 Grand Dame and Dom Perignon 99.95/btl

For Etouffee and Jambalaya I have always favored the Bon Ton cafe across from the Federal Bldg.

I have always thought that Souter's early Etude Pinot Noir from Carneros was the best Pinot coming from California. As the portfolio grew I always felt they were his most expressive wines. I am looking forward to tasting his new efforts with estate grown grapes as well as his Oregon wines. Unfortunately these wines are very hard to come by here in TN. Thanks again Craig for keeping us up to date.

Another Burgundy producer who uses biodynamic practices if Fredric Mangien. In a tasting with Martine Saunier last week she is absolutely convinced that is makes a difference in the vineyard. Admittedly she is the importer for 2 of its biggest adherents but I do think she has a remarkable palate and understands Burgundy winemaking.

Two others I would recommend are Delbeck esp. their Rose and Henriot. Both great producers at reasonable prices.

I had the same experience recently in Chicago. We hade lunch and dinner in 5 different venues and the wine lists were almost identical. These were not chains or restaurant groups either. It seems that the same consultant wrote all of these lists. Is this just a local thing or does this happen in all big markets?

I must add my name to the list of patrons who think this is the best bistro in Paris. Another plus is the fantastic selections of vintage Armangacs they have. What a wonderful way to stay warm on the walk back to the hotel.

The Regaleali Rose is spectacular and a great match with Creole. The price makes this verry attractive also. If you can get that, try the Lugana or the Pinot Grigio as well from Winebow.

Just to stimulate the conversation I have had a number of exceptional late harvest Spatburgunders from the Rheingau region. I particular an 76 and 83 Wallufer Walkenberg Spatburgunder TBA from J B Becker. This was neither weird or funky.

I was aware of that but I don't think they use his name on all of their offerings. If they do I am sorry for the misinformation

Katie, By the way congrats ont the promotion. I went to the Atlanta tasting and be sure to try their Leonardo Locasci selections. I think he is doing some amazing things with indigenous grapes. I especilly liked the Rose di Regaleali a great rose that is a real hit here in the Mid South as a summer quaffer and it is a good match with Grilled tuna or salmon. Also a great value in a white is his Lugana by Zenato. I wish I could come to NY to do the Tatsting again, You should have a ball.

We also have a home in New Smyrna and the best food is buying fresh fish and cooking at home. That said I would also suggest Garlic's, on 3rd Ave. J B's Fish Camp in Turtle Mound (great fried food when you need a fix), or Sea Harvest for take out fried fish. On Flagler there is a homestyle italian called Vincenzo's that has good pizza and pastas. On South Beach Manny's has the best pizza. Beachfront try Breakers for burgers and beer with live music at nite. The first sentence is the operative one in New Smyrna though.

In the area of downtown east of the TVA headquarters is a great find called St. John. The place is owner run, his brother is the chef and used to be a line chef at Garmercy Tavern. PS. the owners wife works in a fabulous jewelry store in the same area. We had a wonderful lunch at a small rest. in am old whse. conversion that I have forgotten the name of. I will look up my notes and try to PM you.

I also live in the boonies but have a wineshop owner who loves Reisling. This bottle was imported by Chateau & Estates in NY. You might try your local guy and see if he can find it. I think that the winery also works with importer Terry Theise. Sorry I cannot be of more help. I have had this wine in the cellar for about 10-15 years and am down to my last 3 bottles so if you find any please let us all know.

For an interesting comparison try the J B Becker Wallufer Walkenberg Spatburgunder TBA. It will amaze you as to what a Pinot Clone can do as a sweet wine. If you can find an old one you will be in heaven. The Germans understand that you must have the acidity to balance the sweetness. Most recently I have had the 1976 J B Becker Wallufer Walkenberg Spatburgunder TBA and it was an old brick, strawberry blond color with the most amazing nose of Botrytis, caramel, red fruit( raspberries maybe). The first swallow was an explosion of sweet ripe fruit with a strong backbone of acidity. Paired with a lemon curd tart it was one of the best pairings I have had.

About 24 months ago I stopped in a wine bar "Le Passage" in the 10th that had a fantastic selections of wine but the real treat was an apple and boudin noir tart. Ethereal and earthy, sweet & savory, light and dark it had it all. I am starving just thinking about it

Jim, As a fellow Pinot addict I wonder if you find that the Oregon Pinot's seem to lack a basic level of fruit and are rarely worth the asking price.