Wine thread - what are you enjoying?

[jcarys]

A thoroughly boring Olema Chardonnay

 

[SIY]

Best BdM I've had in ages.

View attachment 112128

Color looks great for its age!

 

[Wes]

Didn't he "invent" Brunello?

ok, here we go:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brune...the first records,above all others in Tuscany.

 

[GD Fan]

Didn't he "invent" Brunello?

ok, here we go:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunello_di_Montalcino#:~:text=One of the first records,above all others in Tuscany.

Wow, from that Wikipedia entry:

"By the end of World War II, Brunello di Montalcino had developed a reputation as one of Italy's rarest wines. The only commercial producer recorded in government documents was the Biondi-Santi firm, which had declared only four vintages up to that point—1888, 1891, 1925, and 1945."

The good old days - four declared vintages in the span of 57 years!

 

[PaulD]

Last night was a fun night with a couple of friends, duck, burgundy and lots of music...

 

[SIY]

View attachment 112186
Last night was a fun night with a couple of friends, duck, burgundy and lots of music...

That's a high dollar evening!

I see you fit a '93 in there. My favorite Burgundy vintage of recent years, and proof that no Burgundy drinker should ever take Robert Parker seriously.

 

[Wes]

Where are the used up DRC bottles?

 

[PaulD]

That's a high dollar evening!

It's been about a year in the making, so not a regular occurrence, and we supplied 1 or 2 bottles each... I don't have the wherewithal to do that regularly!

I see you fit a '93 in there. My favorite Burgundy vintage of recent years, and proof that no Burgundy drinker should ever take Robert Parker seriously.

That made me laugh out loud, I've never taken Parker seriously, at least not for 20+ years. The '05s were my favourites, but the '93 Echezaux was indeed excellent, as was the '88 when the stink had blown off it. The '15 was still a big tannic monster in its youth.

 

[scott wurcer]

Where are the used up DRC bottles?

 

[scott wurcer]

Wow, from that Wikipedia entry:

"By the end of World War II, Brunello di Montalcino had developed a reputation as one of Italy's rarest wines. The only commercial producer recorded in government documents was the Biondi-Santi firm, which had declared only four vintages up to that point—1888, 1891, 1925, and 1945."

The good old days - four declared vintages in the span of 57 years!

Sad story, a friend and I split a bottle of 1945 BS at auction in 1981 or so for $666 and before we opened it his wife ordered the wine thing must end and the shared bottle disappeared in the fire sale.

 

[scott wurcer]

That's a high dollar evening!

I see you fit a '93 in there. My favorite Burgundy vintage of recent years, and proof that no Burgundy drinker should ever take Robert Parker seriously.

That was a '93 La Tache IIRC with the buckets of pasta. Didn't Parker give the 1970 Biondi Santi 70 points (his lowest possible), a stunning wine?

 

[SIY]

That was a '93 La Tache IIRC with the buckets of pasta. Didn't Parker give the 1970 Biondi Santi 70 points (his lowest possible), a stunning wine?

My recollection matches yours.

The '70 goes for like $500-600 these days, so much for the points nonsense.

 

[Wes]

Parker likes big phaat wines...

OTOH, he did a lot for the consumer

 

[SIY]

OTOH, he did a lot for the consumer

I would not agree with that. I think he's been a net negative, but people can do what they want to do.

 

[scott wurcer]

I would not agree with that. I think he's been a net negative, but people can do what they want to do.

I agree Parker damaged the market for many medium bodied or somewhat eccentric wines in preference to his idea of "hedonism". What do $700 Shiraz or $1000 Shrieking Eagle do for the consumer?

 

[TulseLuper]

I agree Parker damaged the market for many medium bodied or somewhat eccentric wines in preference to his idea of "hedonism". What do $700 Shiraz or $1000 Shrieking Eagle do for the consumer?

You could say he relieved a lot of customers purchase anxiety by introducing a point system. Just buy 90+ and you'll be okay. Even if you like that idea though (I don't, really) the side effects of the system were awful, as you say re: medium and eccentric wines. Net negative.

 

[scott wurcer]

You could say he relieved a lot of customers purchase anxiety by introducing a point system. Just buy 90+ and you'll be okay. Even if you like that idea though (I don't, really) the side effects of the system were awful, as you say re: medium and eccentric wines. Net negative.

Except I found many Parker 95+ point wines undrinkable to my taste. How many 15% ABV reds can you take?

 

[TulseLuper]

Except I found many Parker 95+ point wines undrinkable to my taste. How many 15% ABV reds can you take?

Pretty close to zero is how many, for me. I have no idea what Parker's ratings are for the wines in my cellar, but I'd guess the average is below 90.

 

[SIY]

Except I found many Parker 95+ point wines undrinkable to my taste. How many 15% ABV reds can you take?

My issue (besides finding out that claims he made about research for one of his books were absolutely false) was the total inconsistency, beyond preferred wines always being big, bigger, biggest, and oaky as hell. And his embrace of several wines that I personally knew to have been artificially manipulated (I'm thinking of a 100 point Chateauneuf du Pape which had been heavily spiked with Grenadine). Master of self-promotion and made millions from it, so I'll give him that.

Speaking of his total bungling of the '93 vintage in Burgundy, he had hired a guy named Rovani to cover that area since he was persona non grata at many domaines. Rovani vociferously defended his paycheck source, and at one point told me to put my money where my mouth was- "OK, if you think this was a great vintage, how about you buy all my '93s from me at what I paid?" I told him, "Great, send me your list and the prices and I'll write you a check." Rovani agreed, then ran away and refused to answer any more inquiries from me, or from anyone else who reminded him that he owed me that list. Once a year, I'd post a Rovani Clock showing how long it had been since he was supposed to sell me his '93 Burgs.

I never did get that list.

 

[TulseLuper]

embrace of several wines that I personally knew to have been artificially manipulated (I'm thinking of a 100 point Chateauneuf du Pape which had been heavily spiked with Grenadine).

Sad and funny and unfortunately not surprising.

Love the Rovani story.