Carema

There is just that more shist (sp?) in the soils of Savenierres that cause them to be IMO some of the world's most misunderstood, complicated and unapproachable white wines. But so damned worth investigation. Diane must be brilliant, Chenin works so well with green soup (leaf, pulse or legume) fortified with a knob of butter and a touch of sweet cream.

Most australian wines are chapitalized. They say enhanced. Since I am known as sugar bitch in some circles I can taste (and love it) right away. However I do not always buy it. When something is re-acidified, it smells like when my mom used to make meringues and she added cream of tartar. I always remembered that smell and I smell it in added acid wines. But then I have been told that high alcohol wines taste sugary which doesn't make sense to me chemically since the higher the alcohol the less soluable grape sugar in the juice, right??!!?? Is it a trick? But then I always ask about RS in those wines and find that there always is some. Are those Zin grapes really that damned sugary to begin with that there is some RS after a fermentation to 15.7%. Jeez lousie. Which is kind of off topic but I think it is important to point out the difference between chapitalized wines and those with 'residing' (residual) sugar. The point is, right now all I have for white is an oxidized sample of a white Dao from Portugal. It is the afternoon before my day off. I have added some Limonata San Pelligrino to make it more palatable. Is this legal chapitalization? Or have I broken some DOC law? I have left several menacing voice messages on the phone of the rep who left me this treasure. He also gave me two other bottles: 1996, 1997 B. Mascarello Barolo Cannubi so I cannot hate him too much. We are planning a pheasant dinner around these so I shall report back if you guys wish. Ciao.

Here at the shop in Chi town, we sell a boatload of Chateau Girundia ( 8 bucks) and Roc Du Belair (about 12 bucks). But now the Roc du Belair is going to be affected by the ezxchange rate so the search for cheapies continues..... To be honest, one of the best values on the market IMO for 2000 is not a petit chateau but Blasson D'Issan, second label of Chateau D"Issan in Margaux. If your store bought futures it could be as low as 25 bucks. We have it for 33 becasue we have been only been open a year. Anyway, the thing is like tannic blueberry pie with the texture of silk. Gorgeous. Really margauxy too. the bottle comes with the added hilarity of new bordeaux drinkers thinking there is only one wine from margaux (Chateau M) and thinking they are getting the bargain of the century because they have read about how expensive the first growths were in 2000. Sometimes we let them think that too. "Is this Margaux really this cheap?" "Yes, that is our regular mark-up." "I'll take 3" "Ok"

Not a silly question, It is quite possible and acceptable on Beaujolais to find a slight petillant which is a light effervescence on an otherwise still wine. Sometimes thought to be a result of carbonic maceration which is popular in Beaujolais. lots of times beaujolias need to be stored in very chilled conditions otherwise they start throwing, yes well, bubbles galore....... keep'em separated keep'em in the frigo. yours probably was just too hot for too long.

botte is oak, nest pas, it is just big and neutral...... perhaps you meant no new barrique.

The reason I left the restuarant business was twofold: 1)hives everytime I worked due to stress 2)this instruction from a famous, highly regarded Chicago chef: never take wine back, even if you know its bad unless the customer rejcts it. Disgraceful!!! At our shop, you can bring the stopped back bottle back for an exchange or refund if you thing something is wrong! And no-most people do not know the difference. We had a viognier open at the shop that no-one checked and sampled out to customers. Six bottles were sold. I stopped by to say hi- took a taste and nearly died- it was like someone's moldy attic and horse piss. Yet six people bought six different bottles based on their love of cork taint. Also, regional sales managers are famous for not catching corked bottles. Out at those dog and pony shows they call trade tastings the # of corked bottles is shocking. Its tempting to make big scenes but you know....

Absolutely Mr. K. I was just providing more material for a fascinating topic. I love Conterno and Parusso both. I love Nebbiolo period and the more of it the better. yeah for orange wine!

E. Behr ,in his fabulous mag the Art of Eating, also did a knock down job of explaining the tensions between the two camps. It came out in 2002. if you go to Art of Eatingyou can order a back issue (#58).

Ratafia. I think that is it. It is a maceration of wine, brandy and fruit. Should be easy to find a recipe. My good friend chef Jon of Earth and Ocean, W hotel Seattle Wa used to make killer Ratafias. I think that is how you spell them. No boiling or brewing required. Just stewing for a year or so. Good Luck. PS cheap wine, cheap brandy I might add.

One recent one is American. Fisher Coach Insignia 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon. Even my dad whose had every bordeaux vintage starting from the 40s and on freaked out about it. It is about 90 bucks or so. Then last week I loved a Fiano (Aimnea) so much. It is about 17 bucks. For awhile I was on a Lambrusco kick (Ca de Medici) about 12 bucks. JJ Cristoffell Rieslings are always worth pink cheeks. A 1997 Ducru was happiness. I guess this would be an opportunity to mention some really expensive wines and get in one of those pissing contests with everyone else. The Ramey Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay sample last week was mighty good but for 70 bucks a pop I am not sure. The finish was forever though. I think it just ended.

I do a circle with a slash when it stinks. And yes I pink up as they say.Sad but true.

Who needs empirical evidence? Taste a tight young wine. Decant it. Taste it again. In most instances decantation will improve & open the wine. We could do a study I guess. We could do it online. We could input the data into an excel spreadsheet. I think 1983 is the key here. Winemaking has changed a lot since then. And (because I am not familiar with the text) was he referring to all the wine in the world??? Plus Monsiuer Peynaud probably never had Backward & Forward.

Maybe I can speak for Lancelot here but 50 wines in one day is really no big one sometimes. You do ten at 11 am, 10 at 1 pm, 10 at 3 pm- you get my drift. And no, these are not the times for overwrought emotionally charged shelf talkers. You make an asterisk or some other such symbol to indicate interest and small terse notations about acid, tannin (if applicable), fruit character- all with price point and place of origin noted. For instance, for my 8 dollar "bargain bins" the number 8 with a circle around it indicates yes, will work for table wine. Then if the wine is to be 20 bucks you ask other questions: is there a place for this, is it weird, can I pour out a glass and see if it will last the afternoon. That is my favorite. So many things die so soon. (And no not related to my spank decanting- these are things open allready). Fruit acid tannin evolution- it all comes down to 4 basic things. I know a good one when I blush. People have asked me to come out and talk about the wine because I turn bright pink when I really like something. It is like being kissed.And I have an olive complexion so pink is not really something that happens very easily. And sometimes it is because the sales rep is hot. But that is really a rare instance. It is usually the wine......

In other words, buy these and both your cheap wine and your Turleys will smell like shit. Cool. Sign me up!

Apparently you did not have a young Backward and Forward, courtesy of our pal Manfred K of SQN. The abuse that wine could take-- and then it opened like a flower, a delicate honeysuckle in bloom hit over the head with a skillet of toasted almonds. I disagree with you- I think a lot of wine is tough and can take it. Especially in its youth.

I am usually the first store on the rep route because I routinely schedule stuff in the AM as not to interfere with business. Plus paranoid conspiracy theorist that I am, I like to have the bottles opened in front of me. When young wines that a) are not pinot noir & b) are not pinot noir, are not ready and are very closed, I do the Funnel Thing. It goes like this: Yes- get the ice tea pitcher out of the back room and spank the baby vino like ketchup so it glugs into Mr Ice T. Let it stay there for a few minutes while chatting or tasting other things. Grab the plastic funnel. Funnel it sloppily back into the bottle from whenst it came. Listen to track #4 on Big Star's first album. Spank decant again. Sing to the wine, "Will you be an outlaw for my love?" (see Big Star reference). Taste. You can really open up things in such a manner. I would never submit an elder wine to such a show however. This is just for the very young. Save the blender for Magharitas. We wouldn't want the wine to get post traumatic stress disorder.

U-Line, a company out of Illinois, sells pricey yet effective wine shippers. You could throw these around and they pretty much protect well. They take credit cards and you usually only have to buy 4 or 5 of each type (2 btl 6 btl or 12).

It might be very difficult to find Barbaresco in the price ranges you mentioned. Instead of investing a bunch of cash in a wine that really needs to be aged to enjoy, why don't you start like this: The grape that makes Barbaresco is Nebbiolo. Nebbiolo grows up in the Piemontese region of Italy. It also makes Barolo and then a host of other more obscure DOCs. There is Langhe, Roero, Spanna and my favorite of course, Carema. There maybe others. I would suggest familiarizing yourself with the grape through one of these, understanding first its nose of roses and burnt wood, and appreciating the range of tertiary delights it can yield: porcini mushrooms, dead leaves, tea rose perfume wafting from ancient, veinous wrists, sour, rotting smashed cherry... you may get the point. Your current picks in wine suggest to me that Nebbiolo might be a bit of a leap- it is not as accessible as the other wines you mentioned but surely a leap worth taking. Make sure you eat with Nebbi- if ever a grape longed for food this is it. Good Luck. PS Pheasants are nice

One of the most lovely restaurants in town for lunch is Cafe Spiaggia (Oak and Michigan- a hot sweaty walk or a nice cool 4 dollar cab). The delightful well priced food and Henry's obscure yet perfectionistic wine list along with the stellar service make this a great choice. Make sure to eat in the CAFE however, the adjoining upscale restaurant is way too stuffy. As for Bin, it is hardly fancy, the decor mimics a Crate and barrel store, the wine list is servicable but the food can be spotty.

Perhaps I need bifocals. The Glorious Gina Gallow could come into focus walking through her paesticide laden pristine fields talking of awards and oaks chips....

FJ: I think one of the reasons this tastes so Amarone-esque, more so than other ripassos, is that Allegrini blends 70% Valpolicella and 30% Amarone to make the wine. Most ripassos are Valpolicella fermented with the Amarone lees. This may not be breaking news to anyone but I always have thought their ripasso really stands out due to this technique choice. Again superior pricing where you reside, no doubt. OK I will admit I am on crack. We are talking about two different wines. I need new glasses apparently. Or maybe it is just time for the gallows........

Craig (or anyone that knows): when did they allow Chardonnay to be added in the Soave DOC??? Gini's single vineyard La Frosca is list in DOC status and has chard.

Try the Gini Soave too- you will love it!!!!!!

Exactly. So. We all know that red wine is served way too warm and white way too cold. Maybe we should do an international sit-in one day to protest this blatant disregard to proper temperature. A while ago I worked in a well reputed Seattle restaurant. The wine was not stored very properly (I always thought it was too warm). This English dude came in (apparently not you WINOT) and ordered the Finca Allende and then declared we were serving it too cold and asked that I HEAT IT UP! So I went over to the espresso machine and wanded a very hot bath for this poor bottle. EW. Then we stuck it in there until it was nice and stewed. Needless to say his lady friend was very impressed by his knowledge of wine and his apt handling of a wine that was obviously stored in WAY TOO COLD AN AREA- sheez.....

What if the room is 85 degrees F?