Wine Thread
 

Thought it might be fun to mention wines FTers are enjoying at restaurants lately, at all price levels.

Here's a start - 2002 Duckhorn Merlot ($$$) at a Chicago steakhouse. Took 45 mins to open and was delicious.

Just had Kaiken cab from Argentina past Friday. Our table ordered about 6-7 bottles at Dylan Prime NYC (group of 10). It pairs great with steak, and it's a great restaurant by the way. A little noisy but very good food.

A non-oaked Chardonnay...
 

Uncorked...or shall I say "unscrewed" a Plumpjack Chardonnay ($45 retail - so on the pricey side) which was very nice - not oaked like so many chard's...give this one a try, white lovers, as it is a great food wine.

Also had a 2002 Fournier Pouilly Fume, which can be bought for less than $20. A very solid Loire white, crisp and great with food, and should be under $45 at most restaurants.

Wines
 

2001 Hartford Zinfandel....oh, yeah...

Spent 120 Euros on a bottle of Puligny-Montrachet at Taillevent this past summer.... fantastic bottle!!

Not at a restaurant, but... Last night was Germany night at wine class (working on the WSET Advanced Certificate, am sure I won't pass).

One of the wines we tasted was the Heyl zu Herrnsheim "Baron Heyl" Niersteiner Riesling Spatlese (2004). Man, that was good, although not for those who dislike a little sugar (did have plenty of acidity to balance it out, though). If I took my notes right, it retails for about $26. And I love that many of the German Rieslings are lower alcohol, so you can drink more.... :D

Right you are on the alcohol - can 30-60% less than a CA Cab!

And as you know German and Alsatian wines are so food friendly - I often bring a gewurtz or riesling to a Chinese rest to have with the kung pao (in NYC especially instead of that awful all u can drink wine!).

Last night was a '99 Clos du Val Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon... mmmmmmmm... :)

Wine
 

What about box wine. Never tried it, but have heard a few good things,

Jay

Box wine is awful stuff, and not even close to anything in this thread.

I have heard of some good box wines. $8-$10 a box for 35-40 glasses. Sounds good, but am skeptical.

While not generally served in restaurants, I beg to differ.

Everything has its place. No direct offense, but that statement is indicative of an attitude that's prevailed and it's made wine inaccessible to more people. It has made them afraid to ask questions to learn more and to "move up" to other types, so to speak. You still get that attitude in many wine stores today.

For example, Target's Wine Cube... the Chard and the Cab-Shiraz blend, make fine sipping wines for large gatherings, such as Summer party BBQs. They have done a fine job on the packaging too. We have had many positive comments on them at summer patio parties.

Having one in the pantry also means that one has a ready supply to use in their favorite dish. ^

I think they were joking............................................ ................................

In the US most box wines are truly dreadful. In other countries there are some excellent box wines. The closest is in Canada, for example Ontario has some great red box wines. Try Peller Estates French Cross (it would go for 5x the price in the US and is a great example of the combination of vinification technique and new hybrid grape varieties).

For "regular" wine, my current favourite for price/performance is Ch. Potensac (owned by Leoville-las Cases). Drinkable young (ie. at 5 years) but great at 20 (if you can cellar it that long).

The Auslese is even better but requires 10 years of aging and probably won't peak for another 20 years. For drinking today the Spatlese is a much better choice despite being the lesser wine.

No offense taken, as a born and raised wine snob I know exactly what you mean, but beg to differ with you on people in wine shops and tasting rooms being accessable. Having shopped for wine all over the country I can tell you that it is rare to find people that look down on beginners.

In Napa Valley you will find a lot of wineries that offer specific tours and tastings designed to attract more people to wine (usually their wine). There are also a lot of places that most standard issue tourists cannot get into, but for the most part these folks are interested in paying the super big bucks for the trophy wines anyway.

I will give that box wine a shot (if for no other reason than the cooking tip).

regards
Brentley

Ruston 2001 St Helena Napa Valley Cab... mmmmmmmm... :)

Box wine
 

Went out and Bought Franzia White Zen. Very Good for box wine. $8.50 for 40 glasses. Got to admit it is worth checking out.

Some of the yummy ones I've had this year:

2001 Givry Burgundy (France)
2002 Yering station Pinot Noir (Australia)
2002 Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir (Australia)
2003 Tyrell's Rufus Stone Shiraz (Australia)

Yeap I'm a big Pinot drinker - but not because of watching Sideways! (I like Merlot too!)

Suppose first wine from South Tyrol.

Had a bottle of 2001 Sauvignon Blanc Sanct Valentin from winery St.Michael Eppan in Alto Adige (South Tyrol). One of my favourites whites in the moment.

Discovered these little nice winery some years ago, since then I travel there every year at least one time.

They make a pretty good Cabernet Sauvignon, too.

Another fan of the wine cube (wine to the third?) from Target. In certain settings, it's simply not worth it to crack open the old bottle of pinot...

Since I am on the youngish side and live in California, it's all about the local varieties for me. I like Bogle from Monterey.

I do like having both bottles on the rack and a box of white wine in the fridge -- in general, they taste fine, last a long time, and you can't beat the price.

But I tried that Target boxed chardonnay a while ago and it seemed wierd to me. Had a flavor approaching sherry. It wasn't just one tasting and related to whatever I was eating at the time; the box lasted a week or two and the whole time I thought it tasted almost like sherry. Anyone else notice that?

I happen to live less than 15 minutes from Givry. I'd choose it over almost any Bordeaux and I can get it young for €5-6 per bottle at the Cave Cooperative. Ditto for the Montagny Premier Cru. Bordeaux is waaaayyyy overpriced, all due to marketing.

But my current favorite is 1999 Chateau de Rully. ^

Agree Bogle a really solid choice and a name people should memorize - great prices on red varietals at many CA supermarkets

Cracked another Napa reserve - Chappellet Pritchard Hill Estate '02 ("PHEV") - OMG it is good to drink now and will cellar for a decade or more...

In general most box wines sold in the US are dreadful but the red are twice as good as the white. Other markets outside of the US provide much higher quality wine in boxes as they don't view it as cannibalizing the bottle market. The same with screw-top; simply not accepted in the US for quality wines. A shame, really.

Bogle is outstanding price/performance and makes an excellent riesling in the California style. As good or better than Jekel was in their former glory.

Has anyone here tried the Domaine Serene Evanstad Reserve Pinot Noir 2002, and if so, what did you think? I've had the 2001 a few times (was lucky enough to share a bottle with a few FTers over dinner last month) and loved it basically because it is a quite elegant wine. In a wine store I was told "if you like the 2001 you'll love the 2002 because it's bigger and fruitier", which kind of sounds like what I don't want. Maybe I'm reading too much into big and fruity, though.

And has anyone ever tried their Chardonnays? As someone who's pretty Chardonnay-phobic, the price is a little off-putting to me, but they may be worth a try. I probably should get over my fear, as it's not too different from saying things like "all screwcap is bad".

David Bruce Winery Pinot Noir (2002)
Rombauer Fiddletown Zinfandel (not sure you can find in restaurants)

Screwtops
 

Enjoyed the Plumpjack chard with screwtop (they sell it with either screwtop or cork)

I just can't comment on any thread that was opened by someone even suggesting a merlot. :p

PS. I was hating on Merlot for a long time before Sideways popularized it.

Hmm wines I have enjoyed this year.

Quintessa 1994-2002 vertical at a special event that they had at Harvest.
Hall Sancrashe Vineyards 1999-2002 vertical at a vineyard tasting
1979 Chateau Marguax at my birthday.
2002 Amuse Buche (very good wine, mostly Merlot)

These are some that come to mind. I have a had some others that I really like.

Franciscan Magnificat 2001 (good blend)
Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc Viongier (Like drinking a sorbet)

I would have to second the Bogle recommendation as well as it is great wine.

brentley

I hate to break this to you, but that wine that Miles lusted after in Sideways, Chateau Cheval Blanc, is a blend of Merlot and another varietal he slams, Cabernet Franc.

Also, from a story last year that I read re: the making of the movie, the director originally wanted Miles' fetish wine to be Chateau Petrus Pomerol. Chateau Petrus Pomerol is awesome stuff... and is arguably the world's most sought-after (and most expensive) Merlot.

No, sorry, it is not. That would be Le Pin. You don't need to break it to me. I already know. With few very rare exceptions, it should have been left as a blending grape. It's arguable why the merlot phenomenon happened, but to me it seemed a combination of a less refined palette in America along with the over-oaking/use of American oak that has traditionally dominated the American wine scene. You could possibly see Pinot becoming as chique, but it takes pretty good and expensive pinot grapes to make a good wine.

A 98 Langmeil "The Freedom" shiraz (with a touch of cabernet sauvignon) 100% from the 160 year old vines in the Barossa.
I don't remember the last time that I opened a seven year old that had thrown so much sediment and had such an unbelievable presence.

Can't people like a variety?
 

Well...chacun a son gout I guess - sure the French traditional blends can be wonderful. And they can be utter plonk. Same goes for every 100% varietal, including merlot and cab franc. They are just different - like each of us. Enjoying wine has little to do with the refinement of one's palate so much as individual taste, and nobody's taste is "wrong." It's theirs and theirs alone; sneering at it or assuming a wine drinker enjoys a specific type of wine because it is "chic" or "trendy," or that they somehow have a "wrong" (i.e., inferior) palate represents the height of ignorance.

I finally got to try Tokaji Aszu the other night (the class was Central/Eastern Europe and many other random countries, and I was really hoping the Hungarian representative wouldn't be Bull's Blood). I love sweet wines when they've got a good backbone of acidity to them, which this did. It was the Domaine Disznoko Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos. Now I'm going to have to experiment with different levels and different producers... ah, the slippery slope...

Along the vein of sweet stuff, I've been reading lots of good things about the 2003 Vintage Ports. I'm thinking if I buy some they may be ready to drink when I'm celebrating my retirement.... ;) Any Port drinkers out there with particular recommendations?

And finally, does anyone have any particular recommendations for under-the-counter wine cooler/refrigerators? I may be gut-renovating a kitchen in the nearish future, and I figure if I'm going to go through the hassle I at least want a wine fridge (given that I'm in NYC, I'm hesitant to buy anything larger, although the price differential doesn't seem that great).

I bought 5 of the 6 bottles of 2001 Catena Zapata (for those who don't know, a stunning meritage from Argentina's Nicolas Catena of which I believe 300-400 cases are available worldwide outside Argentina per vintage) that were imported into St. Louis last year. It was, without a doubt, the best wine I have ever had.
Mere words would not do justice to its color, body, fragrance, complexity, or finish. IIRC, anise, blackberry, black cherries, coffee and cardamom were a few of the more memorable notes in a ridiculously delicious and complex wine.

Alas, the entire stash was consumed en masse at a dinner we hosted for five couples. Everyone said, "great wine" and swilled con gusto. Great wine is meant to be enjoyed, no?

Afterwards my wife asked how much we spent on the wine, since it was so good. That was not a pleasant conversation. :D

I find 5 Puttonyos to be the right number for me.

I found a great sweet wine in the Tarn area of France. I can't recall the name, but it is labeled "doux" on the wine.

Aside from the great Port houses I have found that some very fine Port can be found at many vinyards. I did a tour of vinyards in the Barosso Valley near Adelaide once, and each of them offered us some Port on the side. They had both white and red, and boy was it fantastic. So I recommend doing a tour, but call ahead to see if they have any Port to drink.

Buy with points! I bought a decent under-counter glass door wine fridge with Hilton points several years ago.

This year i had a series of really good wines.
Quintessa 98 (outstanding)
Ahlgren Cab 96 (excellent as always)
Ahlgren cab 82 (good but close to being over the hill)
Duckhorn Pinot noir 01 (really good wine with a delicate non-tomato based pasta)
And my favourite: the Niebaum-Coppola rubicon. Did a 89,92,93,94 and 99 of those in one evening. Amazing wine (got a little collection of rubicon's).

For a treat i aquired some nice distilled wines, notably a 54 cognac that is fantastic and 1970 port which i found in a mysterious way in macau...

Wine is a seriously slippery slope...

Some sort of Vins Doux Naturels? That's something I've only read about in books (did have a question about it on my last exam!), so will have to try one out sometime.

Ah, I only dream about having such great amounts of points.... ;)

I was down in my cave today and saw it is a Gaillac Doux. It's very good.

If you google "gaillac doux" you will see a lot of information as long as you can read French. One site says this is the oldest wine in France, going back to the 6th century B.C.