What wine are you drinking today ?

Posted by: TOBYJUG on 19 June 2016

Was most disgruntled to find that one of the best threads has CLOSED, so if no one minds I'll start it again.

£8.00 from Marks and Sparks. Very good Rose.

Posted on: 25 April 2017 by ChrisSU
Ardbeg10y posted:
 

Sweet, round, strong and self-aware.

What, pray, does a self-aware wine taste like?!

Posted on: 25 April 2017 by Kevin Richardson

Grape Flavored Mad Dog 20-20..... The only wine that makes sense.

Posted on: 25 April 2017 by Richard Morris
Dave J posted:
Christopher_M posted:
Eoink posted:

 

Lovely wine, Musar's the the only Lebanese wine I've bought to keep. Cork came out whole, poured cleanly with less than 5mm of sediment in the bottle, great for a wine with just short of a quarter century in bottle. Fantastic wine, sweet red and blue fruits, spicy notes, leather, great acidity, seems light flavoured, but actually fills the palate totally, every mouthful is different, all lovely. I have 2 left of this vintage and 2 of the '91, bought back in the '90s.

Thanks Eoin, seems my 2004 may be good for another ten.

Is it odd to think that the 2014 is on sale now at around £20 and could be drunk tonight?

Best, C.

Coincidentally, I enjoyed 1979 and 1999 vintages last night. Two very different wines.

Even more coincidentally I enjoyed a bottle of the 1998 a couple of days ago. Fantastic wine and one of my favourites.

Posted on: 25 April 2017 by ynwa250505
rodwsmith posted:

If anyone is interested, I have published my report on the 2016 Bordeaux Primeurs - and I believe, subject to not-too-ridiculous price increases, that some of them will constitute a good investment. It really is a spectacular vintage, and far more classic and refined than the (to me over-)exuberant 2015s, and the equal of anything since 2005, and possibly before.

You can get the free report by visiting rivierawineacademy.

Hope that doesn't interfere with anything Richard. No commercial gain for me, just interest for others.

Great read Rod - thanks for the tip .... am on the mailing list now ... thx

Posted on: 26 April 2017 by trickydickie

We have just returned from a week long cruise and they were serving this in the Sindu restaurant onboard. We rather liked it, very fresh and dry, like a Savignon Blanc. 

It's also British!

 

 

Posted on: 26 April 2017 by Richard Dane

Chapel Down - they're just down the road from me. If you like Bacchus then also try their Flint Dry - also lovely.

I haven't visited the vineyard for a few years but last time I was there I tried their Pinot Noir Red that they were looking to bring to market.  It certainly showed excellent promise and I must get down there again to try the finished article.

Posted on: 26 April 2017 by trickydickie

Thanks Richard, it looks like I can pick this up at Sainsburys so will look out for Flint Dry over the weekend

Posted on: 27 April 2017 by NFG

Talking of English wine, I was recently given a bottle of Sharpham Estate Selection Dry the vinyard is at Totnes Devon. The grape variety is Madeleine Angevine & it went extremely well with scallops, I find the fridge is too cold for most white wine so put it in a bucket of well water to try and achieve about 8-9 degrees.

Tonight its Roche Mazet - Merlot, which at around 10 euros for 3 litres is perfectly acceptable.

Found a pic

Posted on: 27 April 2017 by Eoink

Around 10 years ago, my wife and I were holidaying in Northumberland, and the bistro near our cottage had Madeleine Angevine wine from a North Yorkshire vineyard, Neverthorpe. We ordered it out of curiosity, and we're really impressed, it had much more body, flavour and true complexity than we would have believed possible from a vineyard that far north. (It was also my first exposure to the grape, until I looked it up, I thought it was a brand name.) Very classy wine, a couple of places near me in West Yorkshire stock it, it's a very fine example of English wine, and a good way to surprise people when you tell them where it's from.

Posted on: 27 April 2017 by Suzy Wong

Tesco: Wairau Cove Sauvignon Blanc. we really like this stuff for around sick squid a bottle. 

 

As ever, YMMV.

Posted on: 27 April 2017 by Eoink
rodwsmith posted:

If anyone is interested, I have published my report on the 2016 Bordeaux Primeurs - and I believe, subject to not-too-ridiculous price increases, that some of them will constitute a good investment. It really is a spectacular vintage, and far more classic and refined than the (to me over-)exuberant 2015s, and the equal of anything since 2005, and possibly before.

You can get the free report by visiting rivierawineacademy

Hope that doesn't interfere with anything Richard. No commercial gain for me, just interest for others.

Thanks Rod, I've been thinking about possibly getting some 2016s, having been out of the En Primeur market for 15 years or so (apart from the odd case here and there, but nothing after 2008). Being in my mid 50s, I don't want to go for vins de gardes, I'm not convinced I'll be around for the 1999 Gouges LSG to be perfect, let alone a top 2016 claret. I got a tempting offer on the 2016 Lynch Moussas today, and thought it looked like one that would be worth going for, glad I read your notes. 

Posted on: 27 April 2017 by Suzy Wong

Got out of Bordeaux twenty years ago when the prices skyrocketed.......

Shame, really

Posted on: 27 April 2017 by Eoink
Suzy Wong posted:

Got out of Bordeaux twenty years ago when the prices skyrocketed.......

Shame, really

In the '90s I bought Burgundy, it didn't get ridiculous in price, and also had good/ great vintages when Bordeaux had a lot of poor/bad ones. Then I had a life change and stopped buying anything, apart from the odd case here and there when prices looked good (e.g, Leoville Barton 2008). But now thinking that having tasted and bought some of the minor Crus, e.g.  Batailley, in the last few years, maybe it's worth laying down a few cases of '15 or '16 for my 60s. 

Posted on: 28 April 2017 by rodwsmith

I wasn't taken with Lynch Moussas this year I'm afraid. But I'm just one person, and they are just cask samples...

Smart money, including my own, is buying very high % Cabernet 2014s. It's true that it was a poor vintage for Merlot, but for CS it was really very good. Some wonderful St Estephe and Pauillac to be had. More for future drinking pleasure than money-making though - but it is wine after all.

Posted on: 08 May 2017 by Richard Dane

We were drinking this at the weekend;



Cuve Los Andes Colección.

A blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Merlot. Very nice too and available from Lea & Sandeman in the UK.  I look forward to trying some of their other wines soon.

Posted on: 08 May 2017 by ekfc63

Had two 2005 Bordeaux on Saturday.   Grand Puy Lacoste and Leoville Barton.   GPL decanted for 3 hours and LB for 1hr.  Although too young, you could tell that they were well made wines and on the way to becoming something special. 

Posted on: 13 May 2017 by Eoink

I've had a real soft spot for Larose since I got into claret in the mid-'80s, when Cordier owned it. 2nd last of  a case, old school claret, pencil graphite, drying tannins from the vintage, a lovely cassis/darker fruit palate, and Gruaud dirt with fruits on the nose. I like this style of claret a huge amount,  went well with lamb in red wine and rosemary (although I had to make sure I didn't have any with the lettuce/fennel/radish/ginger/garlic/vinaigrette salad). Now going well with the end of the Stevie Ray/Albert King CD. I've not been impressed with most 21st century Laroses I've tasted, this feels a bit like the last of the slightly clumsy but loveable claret I knew. 

Posted on: 14 May 2017 by ken c

South African...  fantastic! 

enjoy

ken

Posted on: 14 May 2017 by TOBYJUG

https://s3.amazonaws.com/delectory-uploads-production/569a962d6b30970600d4d42b.jpg

Got lucky with a 2007.

Didnt need to go with anything.   Left a very happy palate and belly.

Posted on: 26 May 2017 by rodwsmith

I think a very compelling case can be made for Sherry being the finest wine in the world.

And if this were exhibit A, then the case would get closed pretty quickly.

A solera-aged mixture of wines of at least 30 years (probably going back nearly a century), this is justifiably expensive (circa €75) - especially now that fine Sherry is getting trendy again. But that is absurdly cheap for something that has taken 30 years to make. It only takes 8 months to make a jumbo jet!

Intoxicating flavours of nuts, caramel, orange peel and spices. Layer upon layer of flavour and a finish that goes on for ages. Dry but rich and utterly delicious. You can taste why they can sell off their used empty barrels to the Scotch industry.

When Ferran Adria (El Bulli, arguably the greatest chef in the world, and a Catalan) was asked:

"What is your favourite wine?" he replied:

"Well, Sherry, of course, and if you ask another stupid question this interview is over."

I'm with him!

Posted on: 02 June 2017 by Eoink

The weather has taken a turn for the worse, so I decided a heavy red would be a good way to finish the week. 1999 Hermitage La Chapelle, bought at a bargain price when it didn't sell en primeur. Two different feelings, it's actually a very good wine, still youthful red colour, good nose, lovely palate of purple and black fruits with earth and spice and reasonable power and length, offer it to me as an Hermitage from a competent maker in a good vintage and I'd be happy. But it's La Chapelle  from a great Northern Rhone vintage, and is sadly nowhere near where it should have been, the years after Gerard's death (which was obviously the real tragedy) were poor for La Chapelle, this should have been an all time great. The one bottle of each of the '88 and '89 I have left will blow this away for complexity and pleasure, it should be as the two bottles of '78 I shared with a friend years ago, but they were actually in a different quality world. 

So very enjoyable, as I bought it at a reasonable price it was good value, just doesn't live up to the label.

Posted on: 02 June 2017 by kevin J Carden
Richard Morris posted:
Dave J posted:
Christopher_M posted:
Eoink posted:

 

Lovely wine, Musar's the the only Lebanese wine I've bought to keep. Cork came out whole, poured cleanly with less than 5mm of sediment in the bottle, great for a wine with just short of a quarter century in bottle. Fantastic wine, sweet red and blue fruits, spicy notes, leather, great acidity, seems light flavoured, but actually fills the palate totally, every mouthful is different, all lovely. I have 2 left of this vintage and 2 of the '91, bought back in the '90s.

Thanks Eoin, seems my 2004 may be good for another ten.

Is it odd to think that the 2014 is on sale now at around £20 and could be drunk tonight?

Best, C.

Coincidentally, I enjoyed 1979 and 1999 vintages last night. Two very different wines.

Even more coincidentally I enjoyed a bottle of the 1998 a couple of days ago. Fantastic wine and one of my favourites.

Gents, where best in the U.K. to source these Musar's please ?

Posted on: 02 June 2017 by Eoink

I thought I replied a few minutes ago, if I'm breaking rules and you removed it Richard I'm sorry. If I just had finger trouble when posting, then a shorter summary. The maturitish vintages around the turn of the century are available from Majestic, I bought some after the exchange you quoted, my experience is that the mature wines I've bought from them were in good  condition. Younger wines try the supermarkets and buy online to avoid the risk of overheating on shelves. Anything over 20 years I'd always go for the old school merchants, BBR,  Lay and Wheeler, Seckford, they'll discuss provenance.

Posted on: 02 June 2017 by Richard Dane

We have various vintages of Ch. Musar and Hochar for sale in the local village shop. It's become a bit pricier than I remember from the days when I bought it cheaply from Majestics back in the '80s and '90s. 

Posted on: 02 June 2017 by Eoink
Richard Dane posted:

We have various vintages of Ch. Musar and Hochar for sale in the local village shop. It's become a bit pricier than I remember from the days when I bought it cheaply from Majestics back in the '80s and '90s. 

The price is definitely in a different range, but that reflects what's happened to fine wines, the days of buying 1985 vintage 5th growth clarets from Oddbins for well under a tenner are long gone, in the context of its reputation and genuine quality it's still a relative bargain.