Which wine are you drinking today?

A very nice wine drinking this already for now three years..., every now and then of course

Chateau Puy-Blanquet, 2006 Saint Emilion Grand Cru: silk in a glass.

Excellent post Rod, thank you for taking the time to type that out.  Fascinating and very informative.

Talking of pre-Phylloxera vines, would I be right in thinking that Chile still has these? I'll never forget the time a friend organised a wine tasting at his shop in Ebury Street of fine Bordeaux - in there were bottles from Ducru Beaucaillou, Leoville Barton, Lynch Bages, La Lagune, Gruard Larose, Talbot, Cantemerle, Pichon Baron and a few others I have since forgotten.  Vintage was 1981 and just for fun I persuaded him to also put in a bottle of Cousino Macul Antiguas Reservas 1981 as well.  The importer had persuaded him to take a case a year or so earlier and it had just languished in the store room.  I had tried a bottle the week before and had been pleasantly surprised at just how good it was.  The result of the tasting was very interesting; Not only did nobody notice the interloper but it actually proved to be something of a star.  

So good was it that the next day I rang the importer to try to secure as much as I possibly could (sadly only about 3 1/2 cases).  It was an amazing wine by any standard,  albeit a little bit hit or miss from one example to the next.  Sadly no Antiguas Reservas since then has got anywhere close, and I do try them just in case. They're good wines, but more rustic and far less interesting and sophisticated in comparison to that sensational '81.  A very good year and one they would do well to try to repeat. 

You're absolutely right that Phylloxera has never got to Chile. (With its four 'sides' bordered by huge ocean, driest desert, massive mountain range and permanent glacier field, this is perhaps no surprise). It's one of the things they spray you against when you arrive by aeroplane. Although they do that on arrival into Australia too and it hasn't stopped phylloxera getting there.

In fact most Chilean vineyards now are planted on American rootstock because they take the view that it is just a matter of time. But a few people continue to plant on own-roots because they can. No-one seriously suggests that the fruit of the vines tastes better or different for this.

Phylloxera also cannot travel through sand (one of the proposed solutions in the nineteenth century was to dump the beaches of France on the vineyards, but vines don't care much for salinity either!). So, there are a few small vineyards in Europe where phylloxera has never been (in Portugal, Spain and a couple in France) and the products of these now fetch crazy prices. The most famous are Quita do Noval Nacional Port and Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Francaises in Champagne.

If you are interested, this book is fantastically well-written http://www.amazon.co.uk/Phylloxera-How-Wine-Saved-World/dp/0007115369/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401657625&sr=8-1&keywords=phylloxera

Written by an Australian, it chronicles the arrival in Europe and eventual solution to Phylloxera. It's written like a thriller (they really didn't know what the hell was going on - it's an insect but invisible to the naked eye, so all manner of subterfuge was suspected). Recommended reading.

Chile continues to produce surprisingly good wines at the top end, but without really receiving the recognition it deserves (presumably because its cheap wines are so reliable). I was once involved in one of the now regular, and famous, tastings organised by Eduardo Chadwick of Errazuriz, to prove exactly this point with his top wine, Seña.

More information well described by my friend Peter, here:

http://susieandpeter.com/sign-of-the-times/

I suggest maybe you look to the Errazuriz range to recapture the Cousino Macul experience!

Cheers. Or Salud.

Rod

Second last bottle in my what used to be extensive collection. Had a couple of glasses of what turned out to be a pleasant vintage and the rest will b used for cooking.

Last one is a Latour 2003 that I received as a present for a job I did for a friend.

Cooking?

What was wrong with it?

It was starting to lose it's fruitiness and is high in tannin. I have tasted better Mouton's. Average at best and I don't think this bottle, looking at it's neck would have lasted another 4-5 years.

1982 was much better.

You're right that 1981 was a pretty lacklustre year, but it's still selling for about €200. Mouton should be able to age well beyond 33 years. 

http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/mouton+rothschild/1981/europe?Xlist_format=&Xbottle_size=all&Xprice_set=CUR&Xprice_min=&Xprice_max=&Xshow_favourite=

Defines decadence to cook with it though. Maybe taste it again first- the extra day open may well have softened the tannins?

1982 conversely would cost four times as much these days. 

I sell wines like these, but I don't get to taste them very often...

!!!

Chris

Used to have a decent cellar including Petrus, Latour, Leoville- Barton, Montrose, Lafite, Ducru Beaucaillou, Premier Cru Mersault, Montrachet amongst other.

I was lucky enough once to win a competition writing an essay on German wines and for the prize got a trip to the Rheingau. Always loved the petrol flavours of an excellent German Reisling. Schloss Johannisberg being my personal favourite. Also was partial to a bit of Barolo.

The other part of the prize was tasting old vintages of Burgundy Whites dating back to the 20's. 

These days however I have given up on the demon drink as I was never that good with a hangover.

Fiano di Avellino Le Otto Terre

2007  E.Guigal Chateauneuf Du Pape....... mmmmm !

 and .........Chicago Transit Authority 1968, on the  LP12, Aro, Helicon ......... more delicious !

Here's a nice graphic that shows why you should think about spending more on wine in the UK:

Sampled Jeff Carrel's latest creation: a white Puy de Val. A less complex but no less enjoyable Morillion.

Last week a Litre( per night) of Zante local village wine  @ 7 or 10 € and very enjoyable it was too.

Today opened a bottle of 2004 Pauillac from a famous chateau. Heaven (Valhalla) in a glass. 

further to my previous post above i`ve been doing a bit of a Google search and have found the UK importer for this wine. I wont mention names as Richard may not allow it,but they sell direct to the public via their website. Have ordered a trial case at £10 a bottle inc delivery. will report back if the bottles arrive intact.

Mista h

Further to my previous post,our case of wine arrived yesterday,on a 24hr delivery service.

The supplier appears to run a very slick operation,and they stock a huge range of wines from all over the world.Oh and 2 bottles have already vanished.

Richard pls delete this line if i`m not allowed to mention the company name...Great Wines Direct

Mista H

Debs, 

If Naim made wine..could this be it!!!

Sorry, couldn't resist, Dusty....not in the cellar!!!