These are some major miscalculations.
Originally Posted by
magiciansampras
When I was living in France I was told by a Frenchman that the only wine worth drinking was that which was bottled at the chateau. This was years ago and I have been following it ever since, avoiding wines in the store that are bottled by the proprietor or, Heaven forbid, bottled in the cellars.
But am I right in assuming a certain quality from Chateau-bottled French wines? Thoughts?
You are missing out on a lot of great wines made by negociants and wineries that don't grow their own grapes.
For example:
Joseph Drouhin
Jorge Ordonez
Kermit Lynch
There are hundreds of great winemakers out there who do amazing things with other people's grapes, or even by blending together finished wines. The nature of the industry, especially in the New World, is such that a winemaker may earn his reputation at a traditional chateau, then break out on his own to make wines (and $$$$) by putting his special touch on these cuvees.
Originally Posted by
notsosmart
In addition, I always look for bottles made out of heavier (thicker) glass, and with a deeper punt. This "rule", suggested to me a by a French friend (in France) has a 90% success rate.
You must be one of those people who buy Bearboat wines in spite of the taste.
