Craig Camp

A great example for the other Burgundy thread. There exist many great values from Burgundy.

Poor chenin blanc. The Rodney Dangerfield of grapes. In the Loire it is one of the world's great white wines.

Comte Armand, Pommard 1er Cru, Clos des Epeneaux, Monopole, Domaine de Clos des Epeneaux, 1989 Can the vintage be right? Bright ruby that is just translucent with not a touch of orange. Bright concentrated fresh raspberry scents mixed with a hint of cassis. At 14 years old this wine is still fruity. Silky and almost creamy on the palate it is not at all heavy. Bitter wild cherry flavors dominate the youthful flavors. Very nicely structured with a firm tannic backbone that is in balance with the fruit. The long complex finish show a bit of cranberry to balance the long ripe cherry finish. One of the best 89's I have tasted lately. This is an exciting wine.

Domain Laroche, Chablis Grand Cru, Les Clos, 1995 Brilliant medium gold color. Expansive but firm mineral laden nose. Light honey aromas blend with slatey, bright ripe pear scents. Very firm in the mouth, almost tight, but it soon broadens into a multi-layered complexity. Hard stony flavors open into a hint of tart green apple fruit balanced with just a touch of butterscotch. Truly and outstanding wine that is drinking well, but still has a bit of youth showing throughout. The stony, clean flavors of the finish go on forever. You have to remind yourself this is a chardonnay. It is amazing what this vine can do in the right vineyard.

Nothing like the fresh sprinkled on your home made pizza. The 3 fresh to 1 dry ratio is about right for sauces, but too much for the pizza.

Who is the wholesaler?

Domaine Mussy, Pommard 1er Cru, 1989 Rich translucent ruby with orange hints. Very aromatic nose with ripe plums, and the warm smells of forest earth. Nice underlying spice. Luscious on the palate with perfectly resolved tannins. Ripe raspberry tart flavor that start out sweet like the dessert then finishes with a dry tart cherry smack. Long clean plum finish where the earthy flavors disappear into the warm fruity yet tart finish. Absolutely ready to drink. Fortunately I am.

The Blues Festival is to real blues as the Olive Garden is to Italian cuisine. I'll elaborate if anyone wants me to. Seems like you should look at this years schedule a little closer. Also don't punish Bonnie for getting famous. She played real blues for a long time before she hit it big. Perhaps you are spending too much time at the Petrillo. Rhythm and blues is not blues.

Mia Francesca is an Italian restaurant?

I believe a C. B. has to be a distinct property. Not a 2nd wine. Haut Marbuzet is great stuff. I just had a 1982 on Monday. Delicous.

I had hoped you'd chime in. Thanks for the recos. There are so many of these it is impossible to keep up with all the good wines. Usually a large retailer will find several they like and purchase large quantaties. I think The Wine House has a good selection as does The Wine Exhange out in Orange. At The Wine House you could check with Chip - he is a first class Bordeaux guy.

Some of my favorites: Cru Bourgeois- Chateau Patache d'Aux, Medoc Chateau Noaillac, Medoc Vieux Chateau Landon, Medoc Chateau Ramage La Batisse, Haut Medoc (excellent) Chateau Hantellian, Haut Medoc Chateau Cap Leon Veyrin, Listrac Chateau Le Haye, St. Estephe also Chateau Siran, Grand Cru Exceptionnel, Margaux Watch out for the wines of Fronsac as they can be great values.

Superieur means that the wine was naturally able to achieve one degree of alcohol more than the minimum required by the AOC. This means the grapes were riper and should produce better wine.

"For the most popular types--Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon--American consumers can find three to six times as many 90- to 94-point California wines as they can 90- to 94-point Australian wines. But if it has an Australian label, an outstanding Chardonnay costs an average of $7.75 less, an outstanding Cabernet $33 less, on average. As for Syrah (called Shiraz in Australia), the tables are turned, with three times as many Australian as California wines earning outstanding ratings. Even so, the California versions average $2.44 more a bottle." From Forbes and The Wine Spectator

...and here you are magically on the wine board. I have been a fan of the Rhone wines of Chateau du Trignon for years. I am generally not enthusiastic about Italian chardonnay with a few exceptions from Friuli and Trentino/Alto Adige. Those two 99's don't sound promising. 1999 Vinho Verde sounds a bit old - same for the Beringer White Merlot and the 1997 Stonehaven Chardonnay.

The Blues festival is this weekend.

...ah, but you have the British bottling. Much more depth of fruit than the USA version.

Wine-tasting takes more than a perfect palate and a fruity vocabulary -- you have to use your brains.

This is just what I discovered about the artichokes in the USA. You have to use the baby ones to get a flavor similar to the Roman artichokes.

Last night I was sipping on a 1999 Le Due Terre Sacrisassi Rosso, a blend of refosco and schioppettino from Prepotto in Colli Orentali, and it was clear to me that not only was I drinking one of Italy's finest red wines, but one of the finest red wines in the world. Earlier in the week I attended the "Super Whites' a tasting sponcered by Slow Food of the white wines of Friuli. Thirty-five producers where represented and the wines were spectacular. The Tocai of Borgo San Daniele, the Jermann Capo Martino, the Dorigo Girolamo Ronco di Juri and the Vie de Romans wines stood out as world class wines by any definition. Has Friuli become the first Italian region to produce both red and white wines that can compete with the world's finest? No one can debate the greatness of the reds of Piemonte and Tuscany, but each area lacks in truly great white wines. Friuli is a very exciting wine region today.

You almost never see anyone drinking Burgundy in restaurants anymore. The Burgundy sections on wines lists keep shrinking and often carry nothing but a few superstars, ignoring the fine wines produced in the less famous communes. There may be a table or two of high rollers keeping their platinum cards warm by ordering Roumier and Lafon, but that's about it. There are also a handful of fine restaurants that keep extensive Burgundy selections, but they are getting rarer and more expensive. I know that part of the problem is price, but price cannot be the only issue because tables everywhere covered with Reidels full of hyper-expensive Napa cabernet, Australian shiraz and strangely enough Russian River pinot noir. We should include Turley Zinfandel in the list, but they can't put those wines in Riedel anymore because the sheer power of the wine tends to explode the glass. It is odd at a time when winemaking in Burgundy is at an all time quality high that it seems to be becoming a type of wine only focused on by dedicated collectors. The wines of lesser communes offer tremendous value for the money when compared to new world pinot noir wines. Why are mid-price range Burgundy wines having such a problem gaining the attention of consumers? Is this a fault of the trade, which is obsessed with 'new' wines or because these wines don't fill the desires of consumers?

Which book? She has four.

Most of those who have a personal connection with Iron Horse Vineyards have made that connection through the most aptly named, Joy Sterling, daughter of the founders and the ultimate ambassador for the wines of Iron Horse. It should not go without mention that Joy is also the author of some wonderful books on wine: A Cultivated Life, published by Random House, Vintage Feasting, Vineyard: A Year in the Life of California Wine Country and A Vintner's Guide to Red Wine published by Simon and Schuster.

Ice wine and cool technology

Health benefits of beer could surpass wine, studies indicate