Sipping on a 2005 Brane Cantenac while staring at my oil bill.

[JimHow]

I've never really known the exact meaning of the word "cloying," let alone in its context as a wine descriptor, but I'm wondering about these last two 2005s I've had, they seem very sweet, almost pruny. I'm not really experienced with this vintage, is that anything that has been identified in this vintage? The Grand Mayne came around last night in the end, we'll see if this puppy does. Although, was this before Brane-Cantenac began to step it up?

So I had my oil tank filled today, normally a $400-500 endeavor. Today's bill... $829.15....
Holy shit.... I can buy a 2016 Mouton for that kind of money....

I'm telling you, it is going to be a very, very bad election season for Joe and the Dems.

[JimHow]

Interestingly, the label says "only" 13%, although, are we really to rely on this anymore?

[AKR]

Great looking picture. I tend to think of 'cloying' as a descriptor that seems apt when sugar/glycerin are out of balance with acid/tannin.

========

I realize most people here don't care much about schools, and school boards, and all that. But as highly engaged parents in our local public school, it's something that matters a lot, particularly to my community. It's one of few issues where I can recall getting lots of traction/motivation from people who would be otherwise disinterested in off cycle elections and hyper local issues. Asian folks who live far away from NYC, Boston, SF, DC are very aware of what is going in Stuyvesant, Boston Latin, Lowell, and Thomas Jefferson -- all high schools in the process of using various techniques to suppress Asian enrollment. Time will tell if those can withstand 'disparate impact' challenges, as well as voter responses, like below.

Yesterdays election results in hyper blue SF: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/16/us/s ... ecall.html

[JimHow]

I saw that story, AKR. Hang on to your hat, poll results like this are harbingers.

Re the cloying nature of the Grand Mayne and Brane Cantenac (not the d'Issan) from the past few nights, I do indeed share concerns about balance and lack of crispness/acidity.

[JimHow]

Like the 2005 Grand Mayne, this wine eventually came around. I'll score it the same 92 points as the Grand Mayne. Brane-Cantenac has certainly changed since 2005, a case where I think "modern winemaking" is for the better. This 2005 flirted with flabbiness all night, but in the end it emerged into a quality Margaux effort. Very nice, if not profound. These last two wines have been nothing like what I expected from the 2005 vintage at age seventeen. But then again, I doubt they are anything representative. The 2005 d'Issan was a stunner. In any event, I have no problems scoring this 2005 Brane-Cantenac a solid 92 points.

[JimHow]

Forty-four nights away from home -- and from Bordeaux -- I decided to make up for some lost time this week with some of the good stuff....
Long live BWE!

[Racer Chris]

looks right to me

[Racer Chris]

I filled the oil tank at my shop last week. The rate was 3.99 a gal. I don't think we've seen prices that high since the GWB administration.
At home I'm so happy with my new Geothermal heat pump connected to the ductwork of our formerly oil fired forced air system. Anyone need a 330 gal oil tank, cheap?
The geo came at a dear cost, but I'll say the benefit to my quality of life was immediate and significant.

[Claudius2]

Guys
Try buying oil, Gas, electricity or any other energy source here.
Seriously you will choke.
First electricity bill for a duplex terrace house was nearly $2k and that was just for one month.
At the time, most Low wage earners here made less than that.

Jim
The term “cloying” rarely applies to Bordeaux but is a descriptor I’ve used in relation to many others. My last cloying wine was a Rioja Riserva that was totally overblown and sat on the tongue like glue. I have to admit that too many Aussie warm climate wines - mainly Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre - have been cloying.

I suppose it implies a wine that is overly heavy, thick, no freshness, Low acid and flavours that push into the spectrum of tar, molasses, syrup or similar. It also implies undue heaviness without a sense of balance, typically with some sweetness and dulls rather than refreshes the palate. Such wines are best avoided and used - sparingly - in sauce.

Cheers
Mark

[JoelD]

That is a very good week's lineup. When I get off of my 6 weeks of minimal drinking and no great bottles opened, I plan to do something a bit similar. I miss Bordeaux

[JimHow]

Yeah, this is a sort-of vacation week for me, I’ve pretty much crashed after 44 nights in Alaska. I’ll get back to the grind next week.

[JimHow]

There is definitely some level of cloying in those last two bottles, Claudius, which was a total surprise to me, I expected a totally different character from 2005, based on my recollections of drinking that vintage in its infancy.

[Musigny 151]

Con Ed has just upped the per unit cost from 5.8 cents to well over 16 cents plus added some weird extra delivery. All this in one month.

Our overall bill more than tripled.

[JimHow]

Yes, same here in Maine for electricity and by gas bill at my other house.

[JoelD]

Yeah, this is a sort-of vacation week for me, I’ve pretty much crashed after 44 nights in Alaska. I’ll get back to the grind next week.

You deserve it. Gotta recharge.

What was the second best bottle of the week after the 2014 Calon?

[JimHow]

Hmmm… d’Issan, but that ‘16 Sociando is a stunner every time.

[JoelD]

the 2005 d'Issan sounds like the perfect Howquito wine. I'm betting the 2014 calon and 2016 Sociando are too young for me. The one I'm most curious about is the 2005 Brane. How much more time do you think it needs to hit that Howquito range?

[JimHow]

Agree on the d'Issan, I think it has achieved Howquito.
I'm not sure how much better the Brane will get with age, it's a good-but-not-great wine, definitely a 90 pointer but I was probably a point or two generous at 92 points. The Brane Cantenac of the last decade have been much more compelling to me.

[AKR]

Con Ed has just upped the per unit cost from 5.8 cents to well over 16 cents plus added some weird extra delivery. All this in one month.

Our overall bill more than tripled.

Their rates are much more linked to what wholesale power costs. I have municipal electric but our rates were already 20c handles. There are a lot of subsidies baked into our local prices (medical, solar, low income and so on) so the rate payer who doesn't have any of those 'ins' is seeing the full brunt of energy prices.

Oil is at/near $100/bbl now.

[Gerry M.]

Hi AKR, just wondering if you could highlight surpressing Asian school enrollment in Lowell, MA. I lived in lowell for 10 years and the city mayor and chairman of the school comittee is Cambodian. It's an issue that I've never heard discussed locally.

[JimHow]

I think he’s talking about the Lowell School in SF Gerry, maybe I’m wrong! Is that pizza place still there in Lawrence, what was the name of it? We should meet in North Andover later this spring and take a walk of the campus, I’ve really never been back, although I’ve been invited to the Professor James St. Germaine lectures.

[DavidG]

Regardless of location, that’s something I’d like to hear more about.

[Gerry M.]

I think he’s talking about the Lowell School in SF Gerry, maybe I’m wrong! Is that pizza place still there in Lawrence, what was the name of it? We should meet in North Andover later this spring and take a walk of the campus, I’ve really never been back, although I’ve been invited to the Professor James St. Germaine lectures.

My bad, lol.

Jim, we should. You wouldn't recognize the place. I took my daughter there about 10 years ago when she started looking at colleges. Busy Bee on So. Lawrence St? Late night hang out after all the bars closed? Im not sure if it's still there. That was ground zero for the Lawrence riots years ago and much was torched. Pretty scary area these days. Lol. It probably was when we were there but were too young to know better.

[JimHow]

Yes! Busy Bee, that's what it was called.
Rough area in the 70s as well.

[AKR]

I think he’s talking about the Lowell School in SF Gerry, maybe I’m wrong! Is that pizza place still there in Lawrence, what was the name of it? We should meet in North Andover later this spring and take a walk of the campus, I’ve really never been back, although I’ve been invited to the Professor James St. Germaine lectures.

Yes, Lowell is a merit/magnet high school in San Francisco. Basically the school board (that was ousted) is trying every trick under the sun to reduce Asian enrollment. They will have to face disparate impact lawsuits, as well as voter rebellion. There's another response: this is why middle class families who care about public schools, move to suburbs and get engaged in schools with like minded parents. In states like California which handle public school funding at the state level, losing families when they leave the district is like 'losing customers' for a bad district. We left Sacramento (for the suburbs) when the time came for school to start; the city district is absolute chaos (may have declared bankruptcy) and may be heading for state supervision.

For those who do not believe in free range parenting:

https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Hymn-Tige ... 626&sr=8-1

PS: added this morning https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/25/us/t ... sions.html