2009 Bordeaux Tasted

So, while strolling through a wine tasting for a local wine shop that is my stomping grounds, there was quite the surprise! The surprise being an initial release from the lesser known cru's in bordeaux of the 2009 vintage.

Having tasted it, I was rather surprised at how fruit forward it is with very little to no old world action one would come to expect from a bordeaux. This is very much in congruence with what many of the barrel sampling have mentioned in their tw*ts and blogs. It was nicely balanced and drinking well as of this moment with very little to no harsh tannins to get in the way.

That being said, the age worthiness of this may not be present and probably should be drank within the next 5 years at most. This is all fine for me with the current switch over in the philosophy of wine to drink and not to hide.

Even being as young as I, life is too short to hold on to wine and no one should die with a loaded cellar as that would truly be a great tragedy.

Yet another step towards finding the place of my palate...

Like most people, I'm finding that there is a very soft sweet spot for sweet wines such as ports, dessert wines, and lately, Muscat.

This has been found upon going to a sparkling wine tasting which isn't really that great of an idea when one is sick with the flu in such a warm season! Stuffy nose and coughing didn't enhance the experience by any mean but was determined to enjoy the experience. Anyhow, the point of the story was that most of the sparkling wines, two whites and a rose, really didn't find itself appealing to me till I had reached a 2008 Italian Muscat that was drinking very well for such a young age.

Having gone with a partner of mine to this wine tasting event, we had thoroughly enjoyed the Muscat and really wanted to find that bottle at where they said it would be sold. Fast forward to the weekend and completing another round of 10 wines tasted, we had went to another wine merchant that was said to have the bottle we found very palatable and didn't find it. We, however, found the same varietal that was very delicious in its own rights though not the same flavor profile as the previous Muscat we had. At 9.99 and a 2009 to boot, it was drinking very well and was outstanding considering the price range and youth of the bottle.

I'll have to remember to post the picture of the bottle.

Final self update: Still sick.

No new posts...

Having been sick has really put the usual wine tasting route on a halt. Though, I was able to enjoy a mix drink tasting that was quite an experience that should be tried when looking for that one mixed drink. That being said, it's been found that rye whiskey based drinks have found a place on my palate getting me at smashed whiskey, delicious.

I'll hopefully resume my rounds this weekend after having gotten finally to the tail end of this odd snap of a sickness at the beginning of summer!

Not all chard's are made equally - Extended

As we continue down the path to self discovery of the wine palate level, it is becoming more apparent that my palate for chardonnay has gained a bias favoring French. This time around the step that has led down this direction was 2003 Pierre Peters Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Millésimé, which has been thus far the most expensive bottle I have opened. Though, the reason for opening this bottle was a collision of several events making for a wonderous occasion worthy of such. However, I digress.

In having drank this bottle, the path of wine is not all about tasting, the flavor profile had an initial standard chardonnay profile which has put me off but the evolution in which it had undertaken following is what truly shine through. It has shown that even though it was a 2003, it has still a long line and progression left to it to which will offer an experience that is greater than the value of the bottle. To this, I look forward.

Informal tasting notes... COMING SOON!

Glass sizes

After having gone through and tasting 45 bottles of wine in less than two hours, it has just reaffirmed the constant point that's been driven, size matters. Though, more precisely, size and shape really matters in tasting wine.

However, it really doesn't help that the amount of wine being poured was quite substantial by comparison to the volume in which the glass can hold. It could, however, be that when the person dispensing the samples observes that the taster is spitting, they may be pouring more than those who are swallowing. The more one thinks about it, the more sense it makes since the person who spits are tasting it for the taste rather than drinking it to get sloshed. At the end of the night, even spitting all, it couldn't be helped that I was feeling sloshed at the end of the day.

What had reaffirmed this belief of size and shap matter is the fact that most of the reds had came off as austere, heavily tannic, and rather unpleasant. Its hard to believe that all the reds were too young to be released and increasingly more so that most if not all were closed off. That is to say though, that even in a small venue where there is only but ten wines to taste, there is at least one that would be the most pleasant and enjoyable as oppose to this event where there were very little to none.

Though, this shape did suit well for the sparkling wines which benefit from a long slender glass much similar to that of champagne flutes. Anyhow, enough ranting...

A slight imbalance in my collection...

After having bought one heck of a steal on a Austrian Riesling from 2000 at 9.99, I've found myself wondering how to balance out my collection of wine which has been very red heavy while moving farther away from the ever so main stay of Rieslings.

My palate has, as of late, been burnt out of the classic Californian Chardonnay but found quite an interest in Burgundian Chards. However, the interest Australian Chards has been fading even though those that I've tried so far has exhibited great minerals both on the bouquet and palate.

I've yet to pick up another Alsatian white though either in fear of tarnishing the measuring stick in which I treat as something to aim for and perhaps not so many have hit the selling block at the price I'm looking to buy.

So, European whites, awaken!

Just because it's legendary...

Though, as broad of a statement as it is, the legendary wines from the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape will most likely not be hitting my shelves. However, the price when it does hit a sweet spot may sway. The reason for having come to this is after having tasted wine from that same vintage that was extremely astringent, even though having been opened at least two hours, to say the least. Those CdP's are clearly meant to be aged and held well into the mid to late 2010's.

With that in mind, it is not understandable and now adopted that even CdP's in the lesser vintages can be desired for it's ability to be drank now and stored for later if desired.

Not all chard's are made equally

Thankfully, not all chard's are truly made equally. A French chard from Burgundy has truly been a saving grace has brought chard's from a no-buy list completely to a buy it outside of the US and perhaps Australia but haven't had many of those.

From memory alone, it has been a total varietal saving experience that alone has merited it's own post. The very scent and flavors that came from this Burgundy white was unlike any chard I've tasted even with such a limited experience I've gone through.

We'll see what tomorrow's wine tasting brings about.

and so it begins...

After primarily buying wine from retailers and wholesalers, which unfortunately may have been a proponent of that pesky HR 5034, a wine maker has sparked enough interest to buy directly from the winery itself, largely in part due to WLTV.

The approach of the vintner towards wines really appeals to me on several levels such as affordable and fair shipping, being the key point. Granted, the winery has to charge tax to the state in which it will be shipping to but that still doesn't surpass the price of shipping all these other online wine retailers display at purchase. In addition to this, the winery's approach to wine is aligned with my most recent approach to buying wine, to drink within immediate proximity like now!

The recent change was made since the lack of space and the fact that when I do buy, I buy in triplets, now, later, and later later.

For those interested in what winery has sparked such an interest: http://www.LoringWineCompanyStore.com

Louis Jadot gets the spot light

In the latest English release of Kami No Shizuku. Louis Jadot's Chablis has obtained the spotlight.

There are a couple of things that really astounds me about this, one of which is this is widely available to the extent of local grocery stores carrying it. Another point is that this is a non-artisan wine which may come off as wine snobbery, but hear me out. After watching the live adaption of the series, it had struck me that most of the wines selected to debut in the series were either small production or artisan wines with hard to obtain status. The adaptation followed the story line fairly faithful to the series and only a lower end of Chablis was mentioned in the episode reflecting this chapter.

So, true to GaryV's motto, money != quality!

Now with all that said, I shall now stroll to the local super mercado to pick up a Louis Jadot Chablis regardless to the fact of being in a place where Chard's just don't have quite the interest as I'd like it to be.

Bordeaux 2009 Futures

So, it would seem that the first "tranche" of the 2009 Bordeaux wineries have released their pricing and has been channeled down to my local wine shop, that I often find myself at. Having seen what the shop offers, one truly stands above the rest since it comes from a region of personal interest for one reason or another that slips my mind.

Anyhow, a great deal of critics have cited that this vintage does not necessarily live or match up to what was considered the "legendary" vintage of 2005 as per those same critics. But, the positive aspect that comes to mind from a lot of those critics is that this wine will have a much earlier drinking window for those who do not wish to wait, like I.

Some of the things that seems pretty odd is a few of the critics noting that it is growing towards the new world style of wines, having greater fruit notes rather than the traditional old world which Bordeaux have come to embody.

For now, an approach of caution and walking the safe lines it is with a hits on the foul like that surely will produce a wonderful learning experience regardless of the level of offensiveness.