Carema

sometimes we say silver joke......................

For a moment it reminds me of my child's apple juice (mott's in the box with a push-in straw) but then after about an hour the florals hit- jasmine & hibiscus. This little infant is laden with minerality. It's not ready. I cannot leave it here at work so I pour a little into an empty Fiji water bottle. It rattles around on the car floor and stays there, overnight until I discover it the next morning. Sniff-- still not ready. I put it open on the nightstand and do the day then fall asleep again. I awake finally and see the bottle in the hazy morning a pale straw color glowing and beckoning. I take a little sip- it's finally ready!!! So I guess I will go poach an egg.

ok I know this is going to open Pandora's box here but in my experience you never never never decant burgundy. It is too delicate a flower, a butterfly with fragile wings. Your temp advice and everything else seemed spot on to me. They have those special (quack quack) "duck" shaped decanters for older burgundies where the wine kinda slips in at a 45 degree angle. Pinot Noir is a fickle, spoiled brat of a grape- it is demanding about where it is grown, climate etc. You know those kind of kids that "aren't good at transition"??? That's burgundy in a nutshell. I do not decant. I open, I pour into glasses, I let stand. Then you can check and let evolve- away from the lillies etc.

G Robin rocks the universe (esp 1999) but where on earth are you getting it for 9 bucks- here is chicago cost (from the wholesaler) is about 14.....

Jim you are truly a delight! I am finding in my journeys that most of 2001 out of CA is unsettled- it is one stacked vintage!!! Also a lot of weird burnt flavors/ ahhh youth...

So perfectly stated, and who among us really have the time/energy/devotion or wine access to achieve this? My teenage betrothol to Burgundy was doomed the moment I stepped foot into Nothern Italy and now there are so many things that cleave me away from Burgundy's strong, but ultimately snappable tether...

"Value" AOCs like Santenay, Mercurey, Givry, Fixin, Rully can yield good wine for less money. Stick with 1999s and some 2000s. I like the J Girardin Santenay Clos Rousseau 1er Cru 2000 for around $20.00 american. But just like anything else, Burgundy gets better the more you spend. But I think this particular offering serves as a nice starting point to those unfamiliar with Burgundy and is a nice bottle of wine to boot. If you need I can find out about availability in your area. Cheers.

The is a certain "old guard" mystique to burgundy that can be off putting to younger wine buyers. Also, let's face it- Burgundy is a crap shoot- variance in vintage, winemaker, and place can be really extreme. People sometimes do not even know that it is pinot noir in that there bottle, and many restaurants are doing away with sommeliers these days and most servers like that high glycerol, hyper fruity style. Burgundy is autere and reticent to give- but have a good bottle of Volnay once and you will forever be chasing the dream of flint, velvet, spice and cherry liquor. alas....

This seems sad to me! I do not think I could live in the midst of such covert operations. But I am female and I would rather (and often do) buy wine than shoes and I have never owned a handbag. My hello Kitty backpack keeps things well organized and the credit card handy in the front when I need to whip it out and buy some Peter Michael or Dugat or the like...

Hello Jim well I hardly know you but let me ask you this? How have your 2001 Burgundian experiences been? Thus far, and mostly at village and 1er cru levels, mine has been dismal with Moreys standing out among the red and the whites well... and granted I have only done about 200 (maybe 8 or 10 different makers) but it is shaping up to be a washed out little vintage for me anyway. Any thoughts? It is the same with 2000 Cabs ( I love em even though I was weaned on Burgundy). So glad I stocked up on the fabulous 1999s..... for Ca that is.

AHHH, the Roumier. I have not revisted the 96s in awhile- how's that searing acidity going? Toning down a little or still vibrant as all get up? I didn't buy as I should have in that vintage (alas I was a poor single mother with an infant at the time....)

great- all we need is another high end 65/btl pinot on the market. There are not enough of those.

Point taken Mr Klapp. It is always in the best interest of the customer to have as varied of a store as possible. But in the case of "I need a wine from Tasmania for a tasting group" I have to send them along to someone else. Besides to some, something like Savenierres is an austere, apple juice night mare that reeks of hibiscus. to others it is the nectar of God. So you make sure that is not the only Chenin in stock!!!!

Never learned to use Excel, but as a wine buyer for a small shop I am lucky to taste about a hundred different wines a week (sometime more sometimes less). I have a good palate memory however and this helps me. I have customers who only go by Parker and Spectator scores, and then we have customers who see the light a bit differently- they learn to develop flavor profiles for themselves (I like acid/I do not like acid, I like red fruits/I like deep brooding black fruit etc...) Buying wine can be an incredible crap shoot (my maderized bottle of 1995 Araujo taught me that, a 98 point wine according to Parker) luckily it was free (the bottle I mean). I do think that developing a trusting long-term relationship with a wine merchant who has integrity and is intersted in your happiness and enjoyment, and not deals is an essential tool for wine buying. The wine industry is full of people who only see dollar signs in the skies at night (not stars). Small is good. Find an honest seller with a good palate. That is my, albeit prejudiced, advice.

The grape that makes Taurasi is Aglianico. So why don't you go in search of an Agianico del Vulture (a DOC) from Basilicata or a Falerno Del Massico ( another DOC) from Campania? Villa Matilde makes a nice one that retails for about $17.95 (in some markets). The importer is winebow (www.winebow.com). I am sure they would be happy to give you retail advice for your area. Hope this helped. And BTW- if you got a Taurasi on a restaurant list for $25.00 that is a smashing good deal. Cheers!!!

For half the price, Sokol Blosser Evolution Nine is basically the same delightfully confused cuvee. It comes out of oregon I believe. We sell it here in my Chicago Shop for about $16 bucks. But if you like that stuff- make the leap to Riesling- the German stuff. Start with a Kabinett from the Mosel and see what rich apricot fruit and bracing acidity will do for your summer afternoon!

What about white Zinfandel- there is a lot out there in sunny California isn't there? And true to form, a sort of claret. It would be better than 2 buck- carbonic macerated-over yielded- unlovable crap that it is.

Long long time ago claret was used to describe a light pink wine (rose, yes) favored by the british palate. (1300s & 1400s) It was before there was a lot of cabernet sauvignon in bordeaux (the medoc was still a swamp waiting to be drained by the dutch)- so buy him a bottle of anjou or saumur rose ( cabernet franc should be the grape a.k.a. gros bouchet in st. emillion) from the loire, cheap delicious and yes technically - a claret.

This could be a bit confusing because when referring to acid levels I think it might be ill advised to compare St Julien to Gigondas. We are looking at a Cabernet focused (usually) cool climate wine versus a Grenache focused warm climate wine. So therefore the acid levels are not truly comparable. But I agree with you about tannins as long as we make a distinction regarding fruit vs wood tannin. Many Gigondas are aged in foudre (large used barrels) and Bordeaux... well it depends, anything from no barrel ageing to heavy barrique. Also lets look superficially at soils: St Julien is planted in a very uniform gravelly soil while Gigondas vines spring from rockier soils- much less fine. Although at the end of the day I do agree- St Julien is quite chalky in its youth!

Maybe the 'terroir' of Gigondas speaks to you, in a language only you and that particular square of earth share. Lucky you. Add some rosemary and garlic laden lamb to the conversation, and see what that says!!!

Is it only Gigondas that gives you this sensation? or other cotes du rhone, grenache focused wines (ie cairanne, seguret, vaqueyras)? have you experienced this while drinking Priorats from Spain? I feel as if Gigondas and sometimes Cairanne have the sensation of crushed seedy raspberries, juicy fruits coupled with the dry, twiggy seed. Perhaps this too is what you experience.