Monday, April 24, 2006
WHAT I'M DRINKING
By Tweed
A couple of years ago, I started drinking wine.
Since then, I've lost my job, my wife and home. But, I've learned a few valuable lessons about wine.
The first is: "Trust the foreign alcoholic wine lover across the street."
My Kiwi neighbor is the cause of my serious wine drinking. A self professed wine-nut, my neighbor introduced me to serious wine drinking. I believe the guidance of someone who knows more about wine than you ever will is invaluable. Not that I listen to every word that he says and buy what he buys - but his advice and the knowledge he has imparted to me has been very valuable. It also helps having a drinking buddy.
The second lesson I learned is: "Follow your taste buds, not a name or a price list."
This is a pretty hard one to follow if you really get into the whole wine experience. But trust me on this - this is an important rule (and the wines discussed below demonstrate this point).
The third lesson I learned is: "Use what knowledge you have."
After a few months of serious wine drinking, I met an old friend in New York at a steak house. We perused the wine list, which consisted of bottles ranging in price from $35 to $600 a bottle - yikes. Not wanting to be cheap, but not wanting to get a real clunker, I carefully reviewed the selections a chose a $35 bottle of wine - a 2000 Lalande de Pomeral (can't recall the Chateau - la Fitte or something like that).
It was great - we drank two bottles.
So why the $35 bottle when I was willing to spend up to $100? I knew that 2000 was an outstanding year for Bordeaux - one of the great wine growing regions in France and the area from which I had been buying most of my wine. In addition, the Pomerol region of Bordeaux (a small region of which Lalande de Pomerol is a part) produces some of the finest wine in the world (le Pin, Petrus, Trotanoy).
Now, I've had Pomerols I haven't liked, but this one was great.
I was very proud of myself.
The following are three red Bordeaux's I have on my shelf, waiting to be consumed. I've already had at least one bottle of each (over the past few months, not today):
Moulin de Duhart, 2001: From the Pauillac region of Bordeaux; has some relation to Chateau Duhart-Milon of the Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite). Pauillac is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and has been described as follows: "If one had to single out one Bordeaux commune to head the list, there would be no argument. It would be Pauillac."
Though not a classified wine (e.g. Grand Crus Class) this wine has some great names associated with it. And 2001 was a pretty good year. I bought this wine because of the name.
I like it, but I'm not thrilled. A little much at $35+ per bottle.
Chateau de Rochemorin, 2000: From the Pessac-Leognan region of Bordeaux; Pessac Leognan is a fairly newly classified region (used to be a part of the Graves) and includes the town of Bordeaux within its borders. 60%-40% Cab. Sauv - Merlot. Made by Andre Lurton.
The Rochemorin is great stuff, and at less than $20 a bottle, a great buy for a wine rated 88 by Wine Spectator.
The Lurtons make outstanding wine, in my experience (Andre, Denis, the whole crew), and it is generally inexpensive by today's standards. If a Lurton has anything to do with it, I'll probably buy it (Fontarnay-Margaux; Barbe-Blanche-St. Emillion are both Lurton family wines I've enjoyed).
Chateau Garraud, 2001: From Lalande de Pomerol; mostly Merlot. Holly Crap this is good stuff. When I first bought this it was $14 per bottle. After Wine Spectator dinged it with a 92 rating, it went up to $28. It is worth it. One of the finest bottles of wine I've had.
This is an Alfio Morriconi selection. As I understand it, Morriconi is a wine buyer (not a spaghetti western director) who has the unpleasant job of finding great wine to import. I've had many Morriconi selections, and I generally like them, and so, generally trend towards his selections.
Cheers.
A couple of years ago, I started drinking wine.
Since then, I've lost my job, my wife and home. But, I've learned a few valuable lessons about wine.
The first is: "Trust the foreign alcoholic wine lover across the street."
My Kiwi neighbor is the cause of my serious wine drinking. A self professed wine-nut, my neighbor introduced me to serious wine drinking. I believe the guidance of someone who knows more about wine than you ever will is invaluable. Not that I listen to every word that he says and buy what he buys - but his advice and the knowledge he has imparted to me has been very valuable. It also helps having a drinking buddy.
The second lesson I learned is: "Follow your taste buds, not a name or a price list."
This is a pretty hard one to follow if you really get into the whole wine experience. But trust me on this - this is an important rule (and the wines discussed below demonstrate this point).
The third lesson I learned is: "Use what knowledge you have."
After a few months of serious wine drinking, I met an old friend in New York at a steak house. We perused the wine list, which consisted of bottles ranging in price from $35 to $600 a bottle - yikes. Not wanting to be cheap, but not wanting to get a real clunker, I carefully reviewed the selections a chose a $35 bottle of wine - a 2000 Lalande de Pomeral (can't recall the Chateau - la Fitte or something like that).
It was great - we drank two bottles.
So why the $35 bottle when I was willing to spend up to $100? I knew that 2000 was an outstanding year for Bordeaux - one of the great wine growing regions in France and the area from which I had been buying most of my wine. In addition, the Pomerol region of Bordeaux (a small region of which Lalande de Pomerol is a part) produces some of the finest wine in the world (le Pin, Petrus, Trotanoy).
Now, I've had Pomerols I haven't liked, but this one was great.
I was very proud of myself.
The following are three red Bordeaux's I have on my shelf, waiting to be consumed. I've already had at least one bottle of each (over the past few months, not today):
Moulin de Duhart, 2001: From the Pauillac region of Bordeaux; has some relation to Chateau Duhart-Milon of the Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite). Pauillac is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and has been described as follows: "If one had to single out one Bordeaux commune to head the list, there would be no argument. It would be Pauillac."
Though not a classified wine (e.g. Grand Crus Class) this wine has some great names associated with it. And 2001 was a pretty good year. I bought this wine because of the name.
I like it, but I'm not thrilled. A little much at $35+ per bottle.
Chateau de Rochemorin, 2000: From the Pessac-Leognan region of Bordeaux; Pessac Leognan is a fairly newly classified region (used to be a part of the Graves) and includes the town of Bordeaux within its borders. 60%-40% Cab. Sauv - Merlot. Made by Andre Lurton.
The Rochemorin is great stuff, and at less than $20 a bottle, a great buy for a wine rated 88 by Wine Spectator.
The Lurtons make outstanding wine, in my experience (Andre, Denis, the whole crew), and it is generally inexpensive by today's standards. If a Lurton has anything to do with it, I'll probably buy it (Fontarnay-Margaux; Barbe-Blanche-St. Emillion are both Lurton family wines I've enjoyed).
Chateau Garraud, 2001: From Lalande de Pomerol; mostly Merlot. Holly Crap this is good stuff. When I first bought this it was $14 per bottle. After Wine Spectator dinged it with a 92 rating, it went up to $28. It is worth it. One of the finest bottles of wine I've had.
This is an Alfio Morriconi selection. As I understand it, Morriconi is a wine buyer (not a spaghetti western director) who has the unpleasant job of finding great wine to import. I've had many Morriconi selections, and I generally like them, and so, generally trend towards his selections.
Cheers.
