Thanksgiving 2014, Days 4 & 5

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stefan
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Thanksgiving 2014, Days 4 & 5

Post by stefan »

Day 4.

For lunch of ham & cheese sandwiches, guacamole, and chile con queso we drank

2012 Chehalem Corral Creek Pinot Noir. This was popped & poured, so the nose was closed. The wine has sweet, intense red berry flavors. The fruit is very pure (stefanJr remarked that this is normal for the Corral Creek bottling). “Surprisingly good with queso,” comments Irena. Revisiting the Chehalem after the Arbor Brook, we found that the nose had opened even if it was faint. stefan 91-94. stefanJr 91-92. Lucie 90.

2012 Arbor Brook 777 Block Pinot Noir. “It’s also good; yummy,” exclaims stefanJr. Drier and less round than the Chehalem. Long finish. “Salty,” comments Irena. Huh? stefanJr finally decodes this as the tannic and acid attack at the front. “Awesome with the pumpernickel bread,” says stefanJr. s 88. sJr 89+. L 88.

For dinner we ate pork tenderloin with mushroom sauce, green beans, and polenta cakes, and drank

1970 Pichon Lalande. Great nose and plenty of fruit. The tannins are very soft, yet the wine has body. It is a great match for the piglet. “This wine is ridiculous!” exclaims stefanJr, and we all nod. Lucie comments, “there is a little smoke in the nose.” I am too happy to say anything. s 95. sJr 96. L 95. I 95.

1978 Ducru-Beaucaillou. Corked! All of us have had excellent bottles of this wine and are unwilling to give up, so we try the baggy trick. It works! Even stefanJr could drink the wine. Of course the wine was not what it can be, but we all were able to get some enjoyment from it.

During Sunday night football we drank

2001 Rayne-Vigneau. The Rayne-Vigneau is typical of first growth Sauternes from the great 2001 vintage. Sure, it will get better, but how can you keep your hands off these babes?

Day 5.

On Monday stefanJr, Lucie, and I stopped at St. Innocent. Fortunately, Mark Vlossik was in and spent an more than an hour talking with us. The ones new for me were the 2013 whites and we ordered cases of the Freedom Hill Chardonnay, Freedom Hill Pinot Blanc (which is special), and the untasted Vitae Springs Pinot Gris.

Irena had ordered pizza for dinner. With it we drank

2004 Mocali Brunello di Montalcino. “Smells like a selenium compound,” complains stefanJr, “the smell is awful.” No one else objects to the smell even when the chemical aspects increase with air, but this is not a normal Brunello nose. It tastes good, though.

2001. Silvio Nardi Brunello. “This is properly aged Brunello, with a nice hint of oxidation,” says stefanJr. I ask, “So the excrement does not bother you?” stefanJr responds that he does not mind a bit of brett. I am more accepting of brett in Rhone wines than in Brunello.

Being tired of flawed Brunello, I opened the last of the three I had shipped.

2005 Sestadisopra Brunello. Finally a pure, non manipulated, and unflawed Brunello. Good fruit and the leather has begun to develop. Not complex, but a good beverage.
s 89+.
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Comte Flaneur
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Re: Thanksgiving 2014, Days 4 & 5

Post by Comte Flaneur »

What is the baggy trick?
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Claret
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Re: Thanksgiving 2014, Days 4 & 5

Post by Claret »

Very cool that you got to taste with Mark V. His whites are very good. I am a big fan of OR Pinot Blanc.
Glenn
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stefan
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Re: Thanksgiving 2014, Days 4 & 5

Post by stefan »

Ian, you put a sandwich baggy into the wine. It can help quite a bit (at least some do). It may be that a chemical from the baggy is more easily fills a nasal receptor than TCA, or perhaps it somehow traps the TCA (not very likely). Anyway, the TCA is masked, but the wine will not smell or taste as good as a an uninfected bottle. I do it sometimes when the bottle is one I am unwilling to pour down the drain.

I also like Mark's white wines. We also tasted the Liberte. I have 5 or 6 bottles at home and do not intend to open another for a couple of years.
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Nicklasss
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Re: Thanksgiving 2014, Days 4 & 5

Post by Nicklasss »

Good report, and seem like a great Pichon Comtesse de Lalande.

The baggy trick? Is that you put The corked/unperfect wine into a brown bag, say ABRACADABRA load, and try it back?

Seriously, I know a trick about letting the unperfect wine with a plastic pelicule (Saran wrap) dipping for 30 minutes, remove the plastic and try the wine. i had good and no result experimenting that trick.

Nic
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Nicklasss
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Re: Thanksgiving 2014, Days 4 & 5

Post by Nicklasss »

Yes Stefan, we sent that at the same time!

Nic
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Comte Flaneur
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Re: Thanksgiving 2014, Days 4 & 5

Post by Comte Flaneur »

stefan wrote:Ian, you put a sandwich baggy into the wine. It can help quite a bit (at least some do). It may be that a chemical from the baggy is more easily fills a nasal receptor than TCA, or perhaps it somehow traps the TCA (not very likely). Anyway, the TCA is masked, but the wine will not smell or taste as good as a an uninfected bottle. I do it sometimes when the bottle is one I am unwilling to pour down the drain.

I also like Mark's white wines. We also tasted the Liberte. I have 5 or 6 bottles at home and do not intend to open another for a couple of years.
Ah! Interesting...

Like the Japanese magician who proves that when you pull a grasshopper's legs off it goes deaf
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