What are we drinking in the Omicron ominous?

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 10:26 pm

Comte Flaneur wrote: ↑Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:24 pm Tonight a 1989 Beychevelle - a smoker’s wine...wonderful as always but very evolved and dominated by - wonderful - tobacco nuances - you get ash tray- never has ash tray smelt so good - cigar box and sweet piped tobacco - when you drink this wine it helps you appreciate why cigarette/cigar/pipe smokers have not completely taken leave of their senses - this bottle was starting to dry up a bit at the back of the palate - most noticeable on this bottle but evident more faintly in others. I don’t think this wine will reward further keeping, but we are in the realms of >30 year old wines here. A real treat with my lamb rack. P.S. cycling through my new Hertfordshire route last weekend I saw so many beautiful new born lambs, so much that it made me come away with pangs of guilt and regret to perhaps accede to my daughter’s admonishments to become a vegetarian - let me be virtuous, but not just yet...

Great note. As you know, I am a huge Beychevelle fan, especially through the 89 vintage (I've had them as old as the '64, and correct bottles of Beychevelle from '64-'89 have all been wonderful).

In terms of lamb, I gave it up over 7 years ago*. And all pork. And goat (common in many Caribbean countries I frequent). And all cured meats and sausages (due to toxic nitrates). I still eat fish, poultry and beef/bison, and the occasional wild game (elk), and I really haven't missed lamb or pork at all. It was surprisingly easy.

*I have made exceptions when a dinner guest.

Gerry M. · Post by **Gerry M.** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:13 pm

This week I opened a 2018 Ridge Geyserville and a 2006 Ch Branaire Ducru.

The Geyserville was outstanding, as good or better than anything since 2013. The 06' Branaire was ok but lacking, im happy it was my last bottle.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:13 pm

Comte Flaneur wrote: ↑Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:24 pm Tonight a 1989 Beychevelle - a smoker’s wine...wonderful as always but very evolved and dominated by - wonderful - tobacco nuances - you get ash tray- never has ash tray smelt so good - cigar box and sweet piped tobacco - when you drink this wine it helps you appreciate why cigarette/cigar/pipe smokers have not completely taken leave of their senses - this bottle was starting to dry up a bit at the back of the palate - most noticeable on this bottle but evident more faintly in others. I don’t think this wine will reward further keeping, but we are in the realms of >30 year old wines here. A real treat with my lamb rack. P.S. cycling through my new Hertfordshire route last weekend I saw so many beautiful new born lambs, so much that it made me come away with pangs of guilt and regret to perhaps accede to my daughter’s admonishments to become a vegetarian - let me be virtuous, but not just yet...

A very nice wine that 1989 Beychevelle. Had it once, for my parents anniversary, and it was a must. That same night, the 1982 was also available for 60 or 80$ more, but I choose the 1989 to limit the risk as we were at at nice restaurant.

I still want to try the 1986 one day.

Regarding lamb, consider me a wolf. I don't ate it so often, but when i eat some, I'm looking forward the next time.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:14 pm

Gerry M. wrote: ↑Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:13 pm This week I opened a 2018 Ridge Geyserville and a 2006 Ch Branaire Ducru.

The Geyserville was outstanding, as good or better than anything since 2013. The 06' Branaire was ok but lacking, im happy it was my last bottle.

Ok Gerry, you got me. i was resisting. But no more. I will buy few bottles of the 2018 Geyserville this week.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:17 pm

The 2013 Geyserville is so good. I haven’t had the ‘18 yet, but that’s high praise.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:20 pm

Gerry:
I ordered 12 Ridge Geyserville on line.
The on line site said the Hampton North store had like 18 bottles of the 2017 Geyserville.
I pretty much knew it had to be the 2018 though because I was there a couple months ago and they had like 36 bottles of the 2018.
I ordered a dozen bottles, hoping that it was the 2018 instead of the 2017.
Sure enough, when I picked up the case, it was the 2018.
I uncorked another one the other night.
You are absolutely right, the 2018 Ridge Geyserville is outstanding.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:53 pm

Sounds like you better reload now, Jim, before you How the whole case!

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:56 pm

I think Geyserville drinks great upon release, Patrick, no?
They are big and rich with dynamic fruit.
2018 may be my favorite Geyserville experience, but then again it seems to thrill every year!

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sat Apr 24, 2021 12:45 am

Yes indeedy, even I like Geyserville young. I also like it middle aged and old too. I’ve had a few vintages that did go through an awkward phase like 3-5 years after the vintage, but otherwise it tastes great pretty much all the time.

OrlandoRobert · Post by **OrlandoRobert** » Sat Apr 24, 2021 2:02 am

I’ve been drinking Ridge since the 1991 vintage. I have found my palate has become less tolerant to American oak. Ridge used to be one of the top five annual purchases that I made. I have not bought any since the 2016 vintage, and then down to only Geezer. I should try the 2018.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Sat Apr 24, 2021 2:54 am

Ridge Geyserville is simply one of the best wine to have at any age, a common thing with Côte Rôtie.

No up.and down like red Bourgogne, no completely closed dumb phase like Bordeaux.

Just excellent anytime you open it. A bit like the Pink Floyd LP Meddle.

SF Ed · Post by **SF Ed** » Sat Apr 24, 2021 3:36 am

Tonight was a 1995 Pichon Baron with lamb and peas. Classical but not particularly expressive or interesting. I used to think 1995 was like 1988, but 1988 Pichon Baron is a much more expressive and complex wine than the 1995. I don't think these things will ever come around.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Sat Apr 24, 2021 10:13 am

Nicklasss wrote: ↑Sat Apr 24, 2021 2:54 am A bit like the Pink Floyd LP Meddle.

"Overhead the albatross
hangs motionless upon the air,"

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Sun Apr 25, 2021 10:29 pm

The night after opening the Il Poggione I opened a 2009 Ch. Marsac Seguineau. Last night there was a glass left of both wines to try with the pesto I made. Then I opened a 2011 Lagier Meredith Syrah to round out the evening. A really good trio of wines.

jal · Post by **jal** » Wed Apr 28, 2021 7:54 am

Not sure this is still lockdown but in Tel Aviv, with some Gluten Free penne with mushroom tomato sauce, I opened a 2016 Villa Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva.

This is decent enough, bright with a good nose, cherries and red berries, a little nondescript but very quaffable. It has 13.5% alcohol and finishes well 88
Just as an aside, I am very confused by all the different labels, estates, names of Antinori's wine lineup.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Wed Apr 28, 2021 11:55 am

2018 Ridge Geyserville last night. Delightful.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Wed Apr 28, 2021 1:43 pm

2012 Ridge Lytton Springs with pasta and a delicious fresh tomato topping Lucie concocted. The Lytton is in a very good spot now--the fruit is bright and tasty without being syrupy, and the taste has become multidimensional.

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Wed Apr 28, 2021 4:04 pm

jal wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 7:54 am
Just as an aside, I am very confused by all the different labels, estates, names of Antinori's wine lineup.

It's probably even worse when one considers they have tons of estates that are not obviously denoted as part of their empire!

I bought a bottle of that too, but haven't tried it. I'm surprised how its price is basically similar to what I remember paying for the 1997 on release!

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Wed Apr 28, 2021 4:09 pm

Blanquito wrote: ↑Fri Apr 23, 2021 10:26 pm
In terms of lamb, I gave it up over 7 years ago*. And all pork. And goat (common in many Caribbean countries I frequent). And all cured meats and sausages (due to toxic nitrates). I still eat fish, poultry and beef/bison, and the occasional wild game (elk), and I really haven't missed lamb or pork at all. It was surprisingly easy.

*I have made exceptions when a dinner guest.

just curious why you did that? I can see factory pork being an ethical values choice, as the poor porcines have a terrible and short life. but modern pork can be lean and tasteless, unless you find a specialty butcher. (i only use bone in ribeyes if its from a supermarket, or rarely tenderloins)

but depending on where you get your lamb/goat those are often free range, whether imported or local, which one can quickly tell by the price. health wise, lamb is fatty but goat is pretty lean.

smoked/cured meats you have a legit point (health wise) and plenty of people don't even like the flavor. i have some weird Spanish sausage in the fridge right now, that so far, only the dog seems enthused about. It's not dry Chorizo, something else.

Claret · Post by **Claret** » Wed Apr 28, 2021 4:44 pm

We are fortunate to have a local butcher shop that has heritage pork, which has more fat and flavor. They also sell locally raised lamb from non commercial breeding stock raised by Basques. Both are way good.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Wed Apr 28, 2021 5:56 pm

Good questions, Arv.

Similar to Ian's comment above, I wrestled (for years) with the ethical, moral, environmental and health impacts of meat consumption. I had some long talks with vegetarians over the years (including my wife) above how and where to draw a line, and I decided that one basis for deciding was the intelligence and charisma (admittedly both mostly subjective things) of the animal in question. I asked, could I butcher the animal in question myself? The answer for me was largely derived from my firsthand experiences in rural and developing countries -- I've watched many types of animals being killed and butchered, and after seeing this, I am totally at peace with fish and poultry. Pigs, goats, and sheep I could not do personally and so I used that as my basis. Cows fall into a gray area for me, and so I continue to eat beef (but only occasionally and wherever possible from ethical and grass-fed operations).

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Sat May 01, 2021 1:02 pm

Guys
I have not eaten lamb in over 40 years for the simple reason that I have trouble digesting it. Yet I do eat other meat including pork though I also have allergies to various other foods, exacerbated by not having a gall bladder, having sections of my small intestine cut out and a long list of other internal issues. Can’t eat fatty food which rules out a lot of things from pork belly to pate.

In Asia anything that is edible is eaten so I won’t mention any of the things I’ve seen being served. I feel queasy just thinking about it. Oh well.

Now sipping on. Cape Mentelle Chardonnay 2018 from Margaret River. This is usually a top chardy but I think this year it is pushing ripeness and alcohol. Nose of pineapple, baked apple and creamy vanilla oak. Similar palate with some alcohol heat and full body but lacking length and minerality. Not bad but does not taste like a $55 white wine.

Wendy said in her laconic way that it normally tastes better than this. Well I agree and it is a hotter vintage which lacks minerality. There is some acid but it seems disjoint and unbalanced. It isn’t bad but it lacks freshness. As with Cabernet I think 14.5% alc is too high and this wine lacks length and finesse. Plenty of power though and has appeal to many.
Cheers
Mark

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Sat May 01, 2021 3:08 pm

If anyone could put the link here to a great no meat recipe that goes well with red Bordeaux, i would be interested.

Dandersson · Post by **Dandersson** » Sat May 01, 2021 3:36 pm

Nicklasss wrote: ↑Sat May 01, 2021 3:08 pm If anyone could put the link here to a great no meat recipe that goes well with red Bordeaux, i would be interested.

Nic, I like these recipes.
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/orecc ... ks-almonds

https://www.thekitchn.com/cacio-e-pepe- ... e-23075356 (we often use parmesan instead of pecorino)

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Sat May 01, 2021 4:24 pm

I just read a tasting note on 2016 Ch. Senejac which referenced Eggplant stewed with Mushrooms.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Sun May 02, 2021 4:20 am

Nic
I suggest risotto with dried porcini mushrooms.
You chop up onion, garlic, spring onion, red bell peppers and portobello mushrooms.
If you don't want it vegan, cook the above in some butter.
Otherwise use extra virgin olive oil. Or use a combination of the two which is what I do.
When it is all cooking, boil some water and pour it over a few handfuls of dried porcini mushrooms. Be generous. Keep separate.

When the vegetables are nicely fried, chuck in as much red wine as you want. Maybe a cup full or so.
Throw in some Italian or French herbs (eg, rosemary, oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, whatever you like best) and some crushed black pepper.
Only add salt if you really want it - I hardly use salt at all.

I tend to buy cheap(ish) Bordeaux for this dish or else use leftover reds.
Try and use a similar type of wine in the risotto as you will drink on the side.
So at a sale last year I bought a case of Medoc 2016 (Ch Roc de Tillade) which has been excellent in food buy rather bland on its own.

When the above is nicely cooked, you chuck in the other mushrooms including all the water they were stewed in.
Then heat some vegetable stock in a separate pan.
Add the Arborio rice to the pan and remember it increases in size several fold.
One cup full creates quite a lot of risotto.

As the risotto starts to dry, you add in more heated stock, and keep cooking until the rice itself changes colour and softens.
Don't over-dry it and serve when al dente. In this case, the consistency is smooth and has some texture (if over-cooked, it is like glue).
Grate fresh parmesan or similar dry cheese over it when serving.
Add a mixed salad with Roma tomatoes and avocado.

On the side, have a decent Medoc or Graves.
Right bank wines somehow don't do as well with the earthy, savoury flavour of the mushrooms.

If you are however craving some dead animal, separately cook some chopped boneless chicken pieces and a few rashers of bacon.
Add before the rice and then add the stock.
If you add chicken, change to chicken stock instead of vegetable, but vegetable stock is fine with chicken too.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun May 02, 2021 12:10 pm

Nicola: I suggest you pull up the menu at that seafood restaurant we dined at in Bordeaux that had all the Magrez reds on the wine list.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Wed May 05, 2021 7:50 pm

A small vertical planned for Saturday with Karl.

Winona Chief · Post by **Winona Chief** » Wed May 05, 2021 11:15 pm

On Saturday, 2007 Dom Ruinart Blancs de Blanc was very exciting, truly wonderful. Third time I’ve had it in the last 16 months and it has been great every time. The 1970 Filhot Sauternes was just hanging on, very brown sugar/caramel but worth a taste. Side by side with 2001 Climens, it was just destroyed. The 2001 Climens is a very special wine, just stunning. We also had a bunch of other Champagnes and red Burgundy (didn’t keep track but all those Romanee St. Vivants sure were good)

Chris Bublitz

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Wed May 05, 2021 11:31 pm

Great to see you drinking lots of champagne, Winona, can't wait to raise a class with you and your better half soon.
Looking forward to your notes on those golden era Chasse Spleens, RC, they should be an interesting contrast of three distinctive vintages.

Winona Chief · Post by **Winona Chief** » Thu May 06, 2021 12:37 am

Jim, we sure would love to be drinking a nice Champagne with you in Maine on the perfect Summer afternoon. I have found that Champagne improves my mood without fail - I try to open a couple bottles of it every week.

Chris Bublitz

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Thu May 06, 2021 1:07 am

Winona Chief wrote: ↑Thu May 06, 2021 12:37 am Jim, we sure would love to be drinking a nice Champagne with you in Maine on the perfect Summer afternoon. I have found that Champagne improves my mood without fail - I try to open a couple bottles of it every week.

Chris Bublitz

I'm very looking forward my summer holidays, as for a week, i will open one (or two) bottle of Champagne everyday with friends. I did that the last 3 summers, and it is already a tradition.

And looking forward my next bottle of Champagne in your company, Chris and Marge.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Thu May 06, 2021 3:28 pm

JimHow wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 11:31 pm ...
Looking forward to your notes on those golden era Chasse Spleens, RC, they should be an interesting contrast of three distinctive vintages.

I'm curious if anyone has tried the 2015. It didn't get good scores and isn't showing well on CT but that doesn't always tell the whole story. There's a stash available locally that I haven't bought any of so far, and no one else has either.
I've not had any vintage of that chateau yet so I'm really excited to sample 3 vintages from the '80s.

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Thu May 06, 2021 4:37 pm

Racer Chris wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 7:50 pm A small vertical planned for Saturday with Karl.

89504E90-5CE2-418E-BC16-A329FD97264A.jpeg

Chasse Spleen really ought to get more luvin on BWE.

I pulled one from the cellar this wknd too.

If you like Moulis, look around for Poujeaux and (the hard to find) Biston Brillette.

There are a number of estates in that AOC which have parts of those names included, so it can be confusing.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Fri May 07, 2021 2:34 am

Very good inexpensive 2020 Lubanzi tonight. Chenin blanc from South Africa, with sushis.

Nose of white and yellow fruits, flowers, white peppercorns and light candy. Mouth is dry, fresh, lightly bitter, with green melon, green lemon zest, coriander. Quite good and a reasonable 12.5 % alcohol.very good. Rating: 233T.

Dandersson · Post by **Dandersson** » Fri May 07, 2021 11:41 pm

Ch Lilian Ladouys 2014, A wonderful wine, medium body, dark black, blue and red berries, nice acidity and that tannic grip that I love in Bordeaux. Great balance. Hints of oak/cedar wood and some liquorice. This is a good bottle, a couple of weeks ago I had a less good one. There is a slight hint of prune/raisin flavor well hidden but in the bottle I had a while back it was way more pronounced. This is a very good wine! 89 tonight!

Best, Dan

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Sat May 08, 2021 10:21 pm

First impressions from the Chasse-Spleen vertical:
The '86 is mildly corked, not enough to make it undrinkable.
The '88 is open for business.
The '83 wins the day, and hasn't fully opened yet.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sun May 09, 2021 12:59 am

A lovely, pitch-perfect bottle of the 96 Sociando Mallet. I owe wines like this in my cellar all to BWE.

Is it time yet to change the title of this thread to “what are we drinking in post-lockdown boom?”?

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Sun May 09, 2021 1:44 am

A very nice and luminous 2018 Staforte Soave from Pra. Very nice balançe between voluptuous fruit, herbs and freshness. Mainly green pears, starfruit, light bitter notes, minerals. Quite good with the lobster spring rolls.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sun May 09, 2021 12:06 pm

Ch.Haut Brion 1997

I took this out of one of my storages and it had been stood up for several weeks. It had been standing up for so long so I thought I had better drink it. So after a torrid 78 mile bike ride in the Surrey Hills with one mile of climbing and swirling wind and driving rain, I decided to pull the cork on this tonight with lamb cutlets a la Gordon Ramsay...my version fell well short of his but they were nevertheless a nice foil to the Haut-Brion.

Every successive bottle of this wine has been better than the previous one. Six or seven years ago it was not really chiming. However, I remember it shone at a Christmas lunch a couple of years ago. Tonight the best yet: an enthralling and beguiling attack of smoke, ash, tobacco, a little bit of lead, crushed igneous rock, wet cobbles, mineral and loamy soil. Deft, light on its feet, superb palate presence and finish, on the light side of medium bodied - perhaps the key to this wine’s allure - but an absolute triumph it is singing, the first growth pedigree shines ever so brightly.

Matching this against a crushing bigger vintage would perhaps be missing the point. A first growth for current drinking in the last quarter century - the other first growths did well in this vintage too. This is so much more enjoyable to drink now than the widely celebrated 1998, which to my mind is still out of sorts.