Craig Camp

The main concern I have with the wines of negociants is they do not always taste of the commune, but more the style of the house. With some shippers it can be difficult to tell the difference between Fixin and Santenay. You may find these links helpful: Burgundy Basics Becky Wasserman

Decanting is a controversial thing when it comes to pinot noir. I do not subscribe to the concept of decanting Burgundy. In the course of my work I have many times opened a Burgundy at lunch then re-tasted it for dinner. The wine is never bad and usually quite enjoyable, but there always seems to be something missing in the nose. For Burgundy I use the big Riedel bowls and enjoy the evolution in my glass. If any one wine is about aromatics it is pinot noir and long decanting times just let all those essences blow off into the air. Like I said the wine is still delicious after hours in the decanter, but something has disappeared. I have never seen anyone in Burgundy decant a wine for reasons other than sediment or reduction.

I have found many wines that can stand decanting and many that can't. Some wines are better at dinner than they were at lunch - sometimes even from lunch the day before. Other wines taste oxidized much faster. There does not always seem to be a relationship to the varietal, fame or cost of the wine. There is a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from La Valentina ($9) that tastes the same after being open for days. I have tasted many Baroli that taste washed out after only being open overnight - and others that need 24 hours just to wake up. I think it is impossible to make blanket statements about decanting times.

In all likelihood it is a very old dish with simple county beginnings. The name 'carbonarra' probably refers to the carbon like black flecks of the large amount of black pepper used in the dish.

The blooming of brand Napa presents a bit of a dilemma for valley vintners. While their small wine-growing region has become shorthand for quality -- a triumph of good taste and good marketing -- there are concerns about the plethora of other products using the Napa label

The Hopewell Valley Vineyards and Royal Wine Corp., two faces of the New Jersey wine industry, are about as different as two companies can be.

SERVIAN, France -- Long the world's leader in wine sales, France is fast losing market share to upstarts such as Australia and California. Its best hope to stay on top may rest with a 6-foot-7 oenological heretic from Down Under.

WALLA WALLA — Caleb Foster and his wife, Nina, didn't start their winery in Walla Walla three years ago to become marketers and run spreadsheets. But after opening at the beginning of the recession, the two quickly learned how important those jobs were.

They add nutmeg up in Lombardia where we live. They would never leave a dish from Roma unaltered! It is also worth noting that real parmiganio reggiano is required. Don't use that wax from the USA.

2 - this is not a diet dish

Here is what it looks like.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if no one here had eaten at this restaurant. Here is how Chain Leader describes it:

Humidity is important because very low humidity can cause the corks to dry out faster and increase ullage over long aging periods. Very high humidity is not required although it does make your labels all mouldy and really gives you that 'old bottle' look - like you just brought the bottle up from the old cavern under your castle. The average humidity of your house (depending on where you live) is probably lower than you would like to have for wine storage. Also, the problem with air conditioning is that it takes humidity out of the air. Humidity is only an issue for long storage periods. Temperature and sunlight are the big issues.

Bravo(a?) ecr. That's it perfectly johnjohn. The only question if how much you like your eggs cooked. I prefer them still a bit runny. Those more paranoid about eggs often leave the heat on while tossing the eggs with the pasta. I don't. You just have to move fast to be sure the pasta is still warm enough to cook the eggs. I have seen it prepared with cream in the USA. Disgusting.

Craig, What would you recommend? Say, for 300 bottle capacity? (With price in mind.) A nice cold basement. No kidding. That is what I used for years and I am pleased with the results. In my opinion the main thing is a generally low temperature and VERY slow temperature changes - and dark. It really depends how long you want to keep the wine. My goal is to get them mature and drink them. If it takes 12 years instead of 15 I can live with it as long as the wine is great.

Domaine Prince Florent de Merode, Corton, Bressandes, 1981 Bright translucent scarlet laced with orange. Delicate, layered floral nose. Violets and dried roses with an undercurrent of mushroom duxelles. On the palate it is refined with a touch of wild strawberries mixed with a touch of tar and leather. The finish has a dusty, powdery feel from the tannins and then leaves a clean tart wild cherry flavor that lasts quite a while. Not a great vintage, but nicely done. Well balanced and elegant. A few years past its prime but quite lovely.

Bordeaux has feeding frenzies and 2000 is one of them. I agree that it is crazy to buy them at today's prices, if you did not buy them as futures, when there are so many excellent wines from top vintages available in the market for less money.

No - perhaps the right is just a notch lower - but it is a very small notch. Excellent wines were made on both sides of the Gironde.

That's a good price!

This is great advice. There is a lot of Bordeaux out there in the market from fine vintages that already have a few years in the bottle.

Vinotemp is fine but EXPENSIVE option.

You keep bringing that up. Must be great. I have to track down a bottle. Who is the importer? I think you bought it at Chambers's St.?

Pancetta may make a fine Carbonara, but guanciale, salt cured pork jowls, makes it a heavenly dish. I believe guanciale is available at Salumeria Biellese in Manhattan, but there must be other sources in the USA. Who knows where to order guanciale?

Bordeaux changed by accident because the weather in 1982 produced a California style vintage. Parker called it the best vintage ever - it sold like crazy - the Chateaux made a fortune and they never looked back. They have made wines in this 'new' fashion for over 20 years now. It can no longer be called a new style - it is just Bordeaux. On the bright side there does seem to be a slowly developing trend to make retrained and 'classic' wines. We can only hope it continues. Unfortunately the huge sales caused by Parker once again declaring the best vintage ever will only delay this trend. Bordeaux is big business - a commodity. A very different place than Burgundy where small producers rule.

That says it all. This is a Parker style vintage, which means highly extracted wines. At the same time this does not mean they are bad wines. Not every wine is over-oaked, but because of the nature of the vintage you can expect powerful wines. Top wines from this vintage are nowhere close to being ready to drink and so of course they taste woody, tannic and alcoholic as none of these aspects are resolved. It will take at least ten years for the best wines to really reveal themselves. Careful selection will get you many great wines. If you go for Parker scored wines in the high 90's you can be assured they are powerful monsters with a lot of new oak. I tend to like a lot of the wines he scores 88 to 90 as I find them more restrained - and of course cheaper. Mr. Parker's comments of course created a feeding frenzy that pushed prices through the roof. The every increasing pricing and now the weakness of the dollar means that those who bought futures got themselves a deal. It is very expensive to buy these wines now.