Jump to content

Wine


Hollywood

Recommended Posts

Most red Bordeaux is Merlot/Cab.

 

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc. Typically they are the primary varietals in the region. Virtually all Bordeaux reds have some combination of two if not all three varietals.

 

Left bank Bordeaux typically are primarily CS based. Right Bank tens to be primarily Merlot.

 

Which style do you prefer? Price point?

 

Bordeaux has everything from tannic beasts to delicate floral clarets. Kind of hard to make a suggestion across such a wide spectrum.

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any recommendations for Bordeaux, particularly merlot/cab? Any help would be appreciated 

Check out Jeff Leve's website, Thewinecellarinsider.com. It's free and there's a ton of info on Bordeaux wines. Read his descriptions and ratings and seek out his highly rated wines in your price range. In good years you can find very good wine for under $30. The 2016s should start arriving soon and it is supposed to be a great year.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Check out Jeff Leve's website, Thewinecellarinsider.com. It's free and there's a ton of info on Bordeaux wines. Read his descriptions and ratings and seek out his highly rated wines in your price range. In good years you can find very good wine for under $30. The 2016s should start arriving soon and it is supposed to be a great year.

Leve is pretty good. He’s actually a friend of several friends of mine. He is a bit full of himself but his notes are often pretty helpful.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, HouTex said:


Check out Jeff Leve's website, Thewinecellarinsider.com. It's free and there's a ton of info on Bordeaux wines. Read his descriptions and ratings and seek out his highly rated wines in your price range. In good years you can find very good wine for under $30. The 2016s should start arriving soon and it is supposed to be a great year.

15s and 16s are great vintages for Bordeaux.  Last great vintage before these was 2010.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly your best bet is to grab someone there for suggestions.

There can be some wonderful wines at that price point but they often vary from vintage to vintage.

I’ve had pretty good success with Chateau Reignac in the past.

Consider Carrillon de Angelus (3rd wine of Chateau Angelus) or some of the second labels of first or second growths (Pavillon Rouge (Chateau Margaux second label, e.g.))

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Headed to southern Italy for 12 days... half in Sicily, then a few days each in Naples and Rome. Never been (had plenty of Italian wine obviously, mostly Piedmont and Tuscans). I've read up on the wine primers for each region, classifications, grapes, etc. Anything more specific you guys recommend while we dine? Tips for getting a quality bottle of wine with dinner? Prefer medium and then full-bodied reds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

In all seriousness about 10 years ago I moved away from Shiraz and especially the low acid flabby fruit bombs that Robert Parker raved about. I had bought a ton of it and realized it wasn’t for me. (Same as Malbec).

When are you moving away from Cabs?

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Born a Longhorn said:

Headed to southern Italy for 12 days... half in Sicily, then a few days each in Naples and Rome. Never been (had plenty of Italian wine obviously, mostly Piedmont and Tuscans). I've read up on the wine primers for each region, classifications, grapes, etc. Anything more specific you guys recommend while we dine? Tips for getting a quality bottle of wine with dinner? Prefer medium and then full-bodied reds.

Detour to Basilicata and stock up on Aglianico del Vulture.  Trust me.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

have my 20 year anniversary in a couple of weeks, and am trying to acquire 1999 bottles for our celebratory dinner.  So far, I have been able to acquire a 1999 Rudd Baciaglupi Chard (now known as Edge Hill Baciaglupi).  This one is extremely special because the winery only has availability from the family library, it is our favorite Chard, and 1999 was their first release of this wine.  The wine was labeled as Rudd back then, and I know these bottles are special to them because they bare the Rudd family name.  Why is that so important?  Mr. Rudd passed away last year, and I know those library bottles that are labeled under the family name are no doubt special.  I was really honored and touched they agreed to part with some.  They offered me 3.  I only accepted 1 as I didn't want to take that many from their library.  

 

1999 Shafer HSS.  I expect this to be pretty damn good.  will report back

1999 Insignia.  

Probably have to shut it down there as we won't be able to function past it.  I am still searching for others, and can hold some back for future anniversaries if I can find more bottles that sort of fit what we were into wine wise back in 1999.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

99 Insignia and 99 Monte Bello were the wines of the night several years ago (probably 2005 or so) at a blind tasting we did which included Harlan and Screaming Eagle.

I imagine the Insignia will be outstanding.

For future thoughts IIRC 99 was an outstanding year in the Rhone (both northern and southern).  Every Hermitage and Cote Rotie I've had from that year has been stunning.

Edited by DDD Dad
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

interesting I did a 99 Harlan/screaming eagle taste off circa 2012.  I'd previously had the SE years before when I got hooked up playing golf with a guy at pebble who had it in his golf cart and offered me some.  In 2012 the Harlan outkicked the hell outta the SE.  We did this in Orcutt, Ca on a business trip.  Place called Far Western Tavern.  An utterly absurd wine list for a restaurant in Orcutt, Ca.  Also featured in that town is the best breakfast restaurant on the planet, called Kays.  I don't know if it's due to the amount of drinking we would do the night before or it's just that good, but Kay's is just one of those special places.  oddly, I had a 1999 silver oak not too long ago that was truly incredible.  I felt like 1999 was one of those special vintages worldwide. 

https://farwesterntavern.com/

 

https://www.kayscountrykitchen.com/

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, pepper brooks said:

interesting I did a 99 Harlan/screaming eagle taste off circa 2012.  I'd previously had the SE years before when I got hooked up playing golf with a guy at pebble who had it in his golf cart and offered me some.  In 2012 the Harlan outkicked the hell outta the SE.  We did this in Orcutt, Ca on a business trip.  Place called Far Western Tavern.  An utterly absurd wine list for a restaurant in Orcutt, Ca.  Also featured in that town is the best breakfast restaurant on the planet, called Kays.  I don't know if it's due to the amount of drinking we would do the night before or it's just that good, but Kay's is just one of those special places.  oddly, I had a 1999 silver oak not too long ago that was truly incredible.  I felt like 1999 was one of those special vintages worldwide. 

https://farwesterntavern.com/

 

https://www.kayscountrykitchen.com/

 

Quote

 

I went to Far Western last year for my birthday dinner.  Had a pretty stellar steak.  It's been a fixture up in the "Santa Maria BBQ" (which is a method of grilling rather than true BBQ) area for a long time.  Haven't been to Kay's, but I've heard of it.  Next time I'm up there . . .

Edited by Carl Spackler
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Carl Spackler said:

 

I went to Far Western last year for my birthday dinner.  Had a pretty stellar steak.  It's been a fixture up in the "Santa Maria BBQ" (which is a method of grilling rather than true BBQ) area for a long time.  Haven't been to Kay's, but I've heard of it.  Next time I'm up there . . .

they have a dish at Kay's called "I drank too much last night".  It's basically a bacon, chicken fried steak, cheese and cream gravy omelet.  Crazy too is the whole kitchen is made of copper.  It's such a non-descript building in a one horse town, and you walk in to this gleaming copper kitchen with amazing food.  I haven't been out there since 2014 when the oil crash hit.  We used to have an office just across the street at a block northwest of Kay's.  That office was an old creole looking building that badly needed a remodel, but when I would go there I could take my lap top out into the center court yard and bask in the sun and perpetual 74 degree sunshine.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Is anyone else going to the London Wine Fair next week?

Screen-Shot-2019-05-14-at-5-53-14-PM.png

 

Should be a festival of wrinkly pasty white people.

"Featuring over 14,000 wines from 32 countries" and roughly 1,100 different wineries. There are also heaps of educational talks and specialized presentations that make it as much of a Wine Industry Conference as it is a Wine Expo.

https://www.londonwinefair.com


And here's a list of the WINES AVAILABLE FOR TASTING: http://bottlebooks.londonwinefair.com/wines

Does anyone have any suggestions of wines I should seek out? (Thanks in advance.)

 

 

SIDE NOTE:  Apparently this week (and perhaps this past weekend) is Bordeaux's Wine Fair. I won't be making it to that, but I have an Argentine sommelier amiga who is there, that's how I know.

Edited by Napoleon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, HenryJames said:

fff3c1d45de9497d7a008a807a55899a.jpg

Basque, imo.

Gracias!

I just checked the weather for my time in the Basque Country (after the London Wine Fair).

Friday (Partly Cloudy)
Saturday (Partly Cloudy)

Arrive in San Sebastian Sunday, May 26th and scheduled to head out Thursday morning, May 30th:
Screen-Shot-2019-05-15-at-10-00-20-PM.pn



I might be leaving before the morning of the 30th and just eat the cost of one night and find a place in the Rioja region on the way to Barcelona, because Rioja's forecast looks much more friendly.

Screen-Shot-2019-05-15-at-10-40-21-PM.pn

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Napoleon said:

Gracias!

I just checked the weather for my time in the Basque Country (after the London Wine Fair).

Friday (Partly Cloudy)
Saturday (Partly Cloudy)

Arrive in San Sebastian Sunday, May 26th and scheduled to head out Thursday morning, May 30th:
Screen-Shot-2019-05-15-at-10-00-20-PM.pn



I might be leaving before the morning of the 30th and just eat the cost of one night and find a place in the Rioja region on the way to Barcelona, because Rioja's forecast looks much more friendly.

Screen-Shot-2019-05-15-at-10-40-21-PM.pn

Just came back from San Sebastian and would highly recommend the restaurants Rekando, Arzak, and Elkano (in Gatteria).  Excellent food, and amazing wine lists with bargain pricing.  Ask to go on a wine cellar tour at Rekando.

Edited by b_p
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, b_p said:

Just came back from San Sebastian and would highly recommend the restaurants Rekando, Arzak, and Elkano (in Gatteria).  Excellent food, and amazing wine lists with bargain pricing.  Ask to go on a wine cellar tour at Rekando.

Muchísimas Gracias!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Asimov on Texas Wine:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/16/dining/texas-wine-southold.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

 

Meanwhile, this week I bought a mix of wines... some Gruner veltliner, a Zweigelt, a white from Muscadet Sèvre et Maine (often really like them), some Rossi di Montepulciano, etc.  A nice mixed bag which is how I like to enjoy wine.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/16/2019 at 1:49 AM, b_p said:

Just came back from San Sebastian and would highly recommend the restaurants Rekando, Arzak, and Elkano (in Gatteria).  Excellent food, and amazing wine lists with bargain pricing.  Ask to go on a wine cellar tour at Rekando.

Getaria is on my list.  That is where Balenciaga was born and his museum is there.  Doesn't hurt that some good wines come from near there as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...