Chronicles Of Consumption

Site Evolution

Ooh luck our first persons visited the site how exciting, obviously not sufficiently impressed to become a "follower" - peasant - right added a bunch of stuff I found add and delete as you feel appropriate - tried moving stuff around but still feels not particularly easy on the eye - will leave in your infinitely more capable hands - also search thingy on the bottom doesn't seem to work dont know if we need it but I quite like the useful websites link - cant help thinking we still need a better way of categorising posts - I want too start putting up lots of quick tasting notes - not really for comment just quick reference and homework purposes and it'll start looking way too cluttered - whatcha thunk bubba

Bollocks, Tits and Arse

Huge disappointment, not very happy. I recently purchased a few bottles of what was one of my favourite New Zealand Pinots, we tried a bottle of it last night and it turned out to be crap. I am not impressed. After going through the trouble of purchasing it in the UK, and then bringing it back to Chicago with me, the least it could do would be to provide me with some pleasure. The wine in question is called Greenhough Hope Vineyard Pinot Noir 2003, and I still have 6 bottles left. I am hoping that it is suffering from 'transport shock', because this was a splendid wine when I last tasted it around a year ago. Yesterday, though, it smelled and tasted like a nasty Californian Pinot: a flabby fruit-bomb. The previously velvety texture had transformed into nothing more than a lifeless glass of what resembled Ribena. Bollocks. Maybe it was just a bad bottle, I really hope so, because I have always been a champion of the Kiwi Pinot scene, and of this winery, and I don't want to be let down..

It was a root day with ascending force yesterday too, I think I'll grab another bottle that has been in the 'cave' for a while, and try it on a fruit or flower day, maybe that'll help...

1970 Lafite Rothschild

1970 Lafite Rothschild - not decanted - Palish colour with faded brick orange rim but holding colour quite well obviously fully mature but attractive nose very subtle cassis and mineral if touch medicinal very light in body light tannins just in evidence but acidity rapidily increasing over the 45 minutes after opening masking any fruit - looked good on opening all things considered but have to drink pretty quick - over the hill but still enough going on to hold interest - more historical curiosity now me thinks

The Influence of Parker, and Another Moan

I just want to have a bit of a moan about Robert Parker and his far-too-great influence on wine prices. Last summer I decided to purchase some wine from the excellent 2007 vintage from the Southern Rhone, and I went for a small Chateauneuf Du Pape producer, Domaine de Saint Prefert (the white of whom we drank at Aria), and their top cuvee, Collection Charles Giraud, which I managed to get for $59 a bottle. At the time Parker gave it a 95-98 rating, and since then he has upped its rating to 100. Anyway, I looked up this wine today, and now it's selling for between $235-750(!) a bottle at auction! Just goes to show that a positive rating from Mr. Parker puts great wines like this out of reach of the ordinary consumer, and this isn't even a classed growth Bordeaux or a big name CNDP like Clos des Papes either. I'm bloody glad I struck while the iron was hot and bought when I did.. This producer actually is one of my favourite from CNDP , Isabel Ferrando is the owner and winemaker, and she produces outstanding wines, the white is made from 80-85% very old clairette vines and is superb, and her reds are typical CNDP blends, with the top cuvee being 60% grenache and 40% mourvedre. I am not, however, going to recommend them to you as they are very small production, and I want less competition for their purchase.

On a totally different note, I hate the way my American computer tells me that I can't spell favourite with a 'u', or, much worse, judgement with an 'e'. Utterly retarded.. Who gave them their bloody language anyway?

Some Interesting Southern French Whites

So my dull and ignorant friend it's my turn to be boring tonight. I've had a couple of very interesting French whites from the Languedoc-Roussillon region over the last couple of nights. First one was somethnig I've never heard of, a 2007 Carignan Blanc(?) form a producer called Domaine des Milles Roses in Roussillon, costing around $22. Apparently there were only around 1000 hectares of this grape planted in the whole of France in 2000, and in fact the winemaker isn't exactly sure what the grape truly is, so he decided to call it Carignan Blanc. So there. Anyway, it has a very rich nose, with lots of floral notes, with honey, lemon, and what I believe is characterised as beeswax, and after some exposure to air some strong notes of white peach, in fact the next day (today) the peach was the predominant feature, and, dare I say it, almost like candied strawberries.. The wine was full-bodied on the palate, and reflected all of the aromas, with the peach and honeysuckle being the predominant flavours. There was also a little minerality on the finish. Sadly though, I felt the acidity was lacking slightly, which left it a little out of balance given the full body, but overall it was a very good wine.

The second wine was from a producer call Ermitage du Pic St. Loup, in the Herault departement of the Languedoc. I visited this place a year ago, and was stunned by the purity and freshness of their wines, especially the white. It was their 2007 Cuvee St Agnes Blanc, which is made up of 50% Roussanne, 20% Clairette, 15% Marsanne and 15% Grenache Blanc, just to be geeky. The aromas leap out of the glass at you, begging you to take a sip. It has a very complex nose of honeysuckle, blossom, honey, peach and spice. On the palate it has a little less body than the Carignan Blanc, but still pretty full, and it has a viognier-like oily texture. The fruit flavours and honeysuckle are strong on the mid-palate, and the long, lingering finish has strong minerality and a touch of lemon, and this time the acidity is at just the right level to make a perfectly balanced wine. What is so great about this wine is the amazing freshness and purity of all the flavours, a truly splendid wine, especially when you consider it cost less than 13GBP (no bloody pound sign on stupid US keyboard). I would love to tell you where you can buy this wine, but there is only 1 place on winesearcher to get this vintage, and sadly I bought all their remaining bottles last week, and imported them illegally back to Chicago. Hopefully the 2008 will be as good..

So basically screw all your 1st growth Bordeaux that cost hundreds and have a slurp on a less-than-$20 bottle of Southern French plonk. It's always so much more satisfying when you find cheap wines that give you immense amounts of pleasure as there's so much further to fall with stupidly-expensive, ultra-premium bottles.. And here endeth the lesson of St. Alastair, renowned philosopher and sage. I promise not to be boring again either.

Araujo

Tried an awesome Yankee wine tonight - 2006 Araujo Eisele vineyard sauvignon blanc, immediately interesting on opening but a bit closed - was splendid 2 hrs after decanting warm citrus and light floral notes - which is probably the touch of viognier in there - with intense graphite minerality lovely balance and acidity and perfectly integrated oak - tasted blind would have definately have said very fine Loire, same funky savoury style - almost Dageneau level if lacking a bit in the power and length - too young but very bleedin good - be very interested to see older vintages - and well worth trying to find as a hell of a lot cheaper than their red.

Special Skills

Splendid, I have figured out how to allow myself to create posts by using my special Chinese email-hacking skills, and accessing your account and inviting myself to be an author. I'm the man (and so's my wife who actually thought of it..). A post to follow shortly regarding a very interesting Southern French White from Roussillon.

1993 Haut Brion

1993 Haut Brion - Quite forward nose on opening very pleasant and attractive typical earthy coffee with touch citrus but lacking in great complexity and intensity - nicely balanced but bit thin, drying finish and acidity a bit out of wack - still lovely wine on nose but definatly lacking a bit on the palette reflecting the off vintage I guess but you wouldnt refuse a second glass.

Restaurant Reviews

Just a quicky as ate there quite a while ago but congratulations to Brett Graham only the second Aussie chef to gain any Michelin stars and he just got 3 - 2 stars for the Ledbury which is still currently the best meal i've had in London so far and also 1 star for the Harwood Arms in Fulham which was also a great meal, very good service and a splendid little wine list - one of the few places deserving of the term "gastropub" - as opposed to say somewhere that thinks sticking a bit of samphire on top of their burgers with a side order of pretty but surly waitress is reason enough to double their prices - ie: Ramseys York and Albany in Camden. Further congratulations are in order because it really annoys the French when jumped up peasants from a backwater like Australia dare to take one of their stars, which can only be a good thing eh - so goodonya mate.

1985 Latour, Mouton and Haut Brion

Ok for the purpose of this experiment my opening blog subject was somewhat weak, ie: merely calling you fat, and your response was impressive, ie: talking about food and wine, so now I intend to redress the balance somewhat and comment on a little wine I tasted the other day. A mini flight of 85s namely 1st growth Bordeaux - Latour, Mouton Rothschild and Haut Brion. Not tasting these wines blind quite frankly is always difficult when you are aware of the label and the vintage but it is easier to think about these wines dispassionately when one, they are next to each other which is rare, and two more importantly you have'nt had to pay for it. So to the wines - all some 3 hours after decanting. In order of my preference last to first - the Mouton - Black cherry colour little rim fade fairly dense much like the Latour - on the nose sweet fruit touch herbacious but much more muted than the other 2 - balanced complete, mouth filling and expressive nice finish but not great length - really lovely Cabernet but showing quite one dimensional especially in present company - will it improve who knows - but dont drink it now certainly with only 3 hrs decanting - is this worth the price - umm no its good but come on - cool labels though adds at least 100 quid to the bottle. Latour - much more attractive on the nose but still noticably closed to me - brambley dark fruit with definate classic cedar and lead minerality - slighty lighter in body and silky texture superbly balanced and lovely long finish but seems still youthful and frustatingly beyond potential - returned to small glass 24hrs after decanting - on palette not cool but nose is soaring, brilliant warm velvety gorgeous and intense and quite frankly extremely exciting - at 25 years old you are commiting infanticide if you are drinking this wine - I Think And Haut Brion - bleedin brilliant - Paler than the other 2 with definate brick red hue - nose is just sexy - earthy undergrowth and roast coffee and tobacco - very savoury textured and touch smokey concentrated and complex with great depth very expressive and drinking much better than Latour and Mouton - this is a wine you just want to keep smelling rather than drinking - balanced and poised fantastic finish and very long - i think i want to cry - drink now if you can find it and afford it but sure will happily keep improving for some time to come - I Think One things for sure - seeing 3 1st growths together at 25 years old from a top vintage there is undoubtably a huge difference stylistically between them and the numptys that can afford to buy these wines invariably drink them too young - from these bottles the Haut Brion stood out a mile is ready and is great - the Latour is obviously great but not ready, not sure when - and the Mouton not looking great and who knows - ether way learning a greater appreciation of the the stupidly priced Bordeaux's - over to you Fat Boy