Bringing the Thunder - Episode #240

May 22, 2007

Today Gary brings out some serious wines and shares some thunder with you.

Comments on this episode(180) Leave a comment ›

“As far as understanding the classifications I find France to be the mo…” by vivaitalia
“One of my local Boutique shops has a 1995 Vega Sicilia Unico and I alw…” by Kelly
View all 180 ›

Wines tasted in this episode:

2004 Roger Sabon Le Secret Des Sabon Chateauneuf Du PapeChateauneuf du Pape Rouge
1999 Frescobaldi Castelgiocondo Riserva Ripe Al Convento Brunello Di MontalcinoBrunello di Montalcino
1995 Vega Sicilia UnicoRibera Del Duero
2003 Chat Leoville PoyferreSt Julien

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180 Responses

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about 5 months ago

vivaitalia
As far as understanding the classifications I find France to be the most confusing thing in wine. But really what’s confusing to me is discerning what’s in the bottle. Many wines from France, Italy, etc. don’t list the grape variaties or even give you A clue as to what might be in that bottle. You’ve really got me lusting after that Brunello but damn, i’ve had alot of bad experiences with overrated and overpriced brunellos.
about 9 months ago

Kelly
One of my local Boutique shops has a 1995 Vega Sicilia Unico and I always hassle them about it, turns out that it isn’t all it’s hyped to be–or maybe you had a bad bottle.

The most confusing wine region to me is Burgundy, Bourgogne or whatever. I’ve been doing tons of research and it still hasn’t hit home. We shall see one day maybe I’ll just visit and than get it figured out.
about 11 months ago

Mason
It’s shows like these where I wish that I could be there with you, tasting world class stuff. Instead, I sit in a messy office about to go to sleep because I am up late watching WLTV. Yes, Gary, I choose WLTV over getting my 8 hours of sleep. Who knew wine could be this entertaining?

QOTD: I find that the scoring from critic to critic is so confusing. It’s a shame that so much of the wine world lives and dies by what 2 or 3 popular critics think, which is why I am out to change the wine world with you!!!!
about 11 months ago

Sam I
Hey Gary

You say to you’d tell most people to skip this wine for good wine costs the same price for a case (start at about 6min 50 sec). Well what are those wines :)… You kill me with that.

-Sam
about 11 months ago

Lawrence Leichtman
Bought the Leoville and several others in my last future’s purchase so I have half a case of this and Las Cases and Barton. Weren’t the 2003 futures the ones with the big scandal about bogus sales etc? What disappoints me with the Internet is the inability to smell and taste what you are tasting to compare my notes. This also is one of the confusing points of wine. While it may not be fragile, wine tastes and smells different often depending on its storage or when it is opened and how long it is opened so when we have different tasting notes sometimes it is not a difference of opinions as it is almost a different wine.
about 11 months ago

desmaic
qotd - European labeling with the region instead of the blend contents and grapes used…. it almost seems pretentious and maybe that is where the fear and lack of understanding came from.
about 11 months ago

desmaic
i want to find some world class wine laying in a bush somewhere.
about 11 months ago

Matt the Lurker
QOTD - France! Someone once explained to me that French wine is much like the French language… you have to know what something means already in order to understand it. Basically, if you don’t already know then you never will. Lame.
about 11 months ago

JayZee
OK, so it was great episode. I can afford the occasional $100 bottle of wine and I even bought (somewhat coincidentally) a bottle of 1982 Poyferre this February when I was in Geneva, Switzerland for about $150. I am hopeful that this bottle is superb as well.

QOTD: What I find most confusing is the absolute disconnection between price and quality. While it has been my experience that a $30 bottle of wine is better than a $12 bottle from the same region and the same type/vintage, there are just too many variables involved. Usually, you do pay an incredible exponential premium for a 95 point wine versus a 90 point wine. But there really isn’t anything close to a good “rule of thumb” let alone a “sure thing”.

And again, nice wine spill on showing the color - that’s twice this month!!

Most of the commenters need to post their questions (that’s what most of the QOTD “answers” were, actually) to the Ask WLTV board so people can answer them. However, since Bordeaux is my fave, here is my answer to John BlueLabel and many others: Yes, almost all Bordeaux are blends of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petite verdot (at least the first two and often the third or fourth). How do you tell what varietals are present in the blend? Yeah, that is a problem. Basically anything from the left bank of the Gironde River (e.g., Medoc, Haut-Medoc, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estephe, Margaux, and Pessac-Leognan) is predominantly cabernet sauvignon and anything from the right bank (e.g., Saint-Emilion, Pomerol) are predominantly merlot and cab franc blends.

Gary, I think I added more than 2 cents today.
about 11 months ago

Robert F
I could never imagine spending $250 on a bottle of wine. $100, yes, but not $250. Maybe when I win the lottery.

QOTD: The marketing/distributing is really confusing to me. Importing, exporting, 3 tier system, shipping laws. There’s no uniformity in the US. I think they should regulate it so we can buy from whomever we want from wherever we want and pay the same liquor taxes in every state!
about 11 months ago

Julius
What does viscosity smell like?
about 11 months ago

Jimmy B
QOTD: It is so confusing to me as how wines can be so expensive and taste terrible and some of the cheaper wines can bring so much satisfaction!
about 11 months ago

Susan
Gary-
Fabulous ep!
Just can’t afford ANY of these!!!!!!!!!!!!!

QOD:
It confuses me why in the
USA there are shipping restrictions???????
What third world country is this?????????????????????????????????????????????????????
about 11 months ago

Nico
I’m on a mission to save and seek out a bottle from Ch. Leoville Poyferre! I’ve probably heard more about this bottle (in its different vintages) than anything else in Bordeaux.

QOTD: It confuses me why there are shipping restrictions on some states! (I’m still hoping some miracle saves Texas).
about 11 months ago

sharon
Thanks for the great episode. I will try those wines in my next life or two.
QOTD: It’s all a mystery to me the terrior, weather, remembering those names, Italy!(Italy is so confusing) and let us not forget the process. What DO they put into the wines besides grapes?
about 11 months ago

jbailey
Orion Slayer mentioned what I initially thought. How can one detect the slight taste and smell of various things in a wine? I can follow with cherry, oak, blueberry, etc. but when it comes to cat pee, locker room socks, stones, army ranger down the pants, how can one associate these random items to the smell or taste of a wine? The description is great and brings an “ah ha”, but where does this catalog come from? I’ve smelled cat pee….never tasted it. One must be able to really be intuned to smells, tastes of things that are rarely smelled nor tasted. Intriguing.
about 11 months ago

vibemore
If you keep dumping all of that beautiful vino into your Jets bucket you’re going to have to start giving us tasting notes on the bucket as well. (hints of saliva with a lingering tongue finish…that being said, 98 points)

QOTD:
I live in Seattle and the Puget Sound region (where I live) has to be the most confusing region to me. With so many great WA state wines (Red Mountain, Walla Walla, Columbia Valley) to drink I have no clue what people are growing in the Puget Sound region. And it is most definitely considered a wine region.
about 11 months ago

Orion Slayer
Watching today’s episode made me feel like when I was a little kid on Thanksgiving Day watching all the adults at the big table and longing to join them. I’m sipping the kool-aid and watching Gary drink Bordeaux! This is not a complaint, because someday I’ll grow up!

QOTD: What confuses me the most about wine is how people can detect all those things (leather, cassis, blue-stone, etc.) when they smell and taste wine.
about 11 months ago

lifestooshort
powerdrill of fruit in your face? Leatherface Meets the Master Somelier IV! lol. too funny…two things: hook us up with some sweet vs. dry in your notes and ya know, you actually *don’t* have to waste $40 in vino to rinse your glass. Just have four clean glasses for each one (I’d say that makes sense for tasting half a grand-plus of vino?). Just sayin, yo.
about 11 months ago

Clifford James
Thanks gary … great episode.

NOW, since I have learned that you sometimes do get what you ask for, and it’s always worth asking, how about you sending me the rest of that bottle of 2003 Chat Leoville Poyferre, since I am indeed one heck of a faithful Vayniac, and my girl Darcey loves you too, so: 1811 4th St in Radford Virginia USA 24141! I thank you in advance! Hey, go ahead and hit me up for the shipping if you want!

Although many may not be able to afford these wines (I am, sadly, near the bottom of that list … for NOW only, though), it is still educational and inspirational to see you taste them and to know what your reactions are to a 97+ wine! As always, it is a pleasure to watch you and to feel a part of the whirlwhind I do believe that you are creating.

QOTD: All the varieties of grapes out there can be confusing, sometimes with many different names for the same grape, but I’d have to say that I am still confused by all of the Bordeaux wines. They are how I learned wine originally, in the mid 80’s, yet they are such a mystery still compared to wines from the rest of the world, which seem relatively straightforward in comparison. BUT, that also makes them fun and interesting on some level too, so …

Thanks so much … and my girl Darcey thanks you too!
Keep it up!
about 11 months ago

Capt M
I’ve been so busy and thus behind on all, but I’m back. And this is a beautiful episode, thanks so much. BTW, I just got my bottles of Chateau Guiraud Sauternes. QOTD: Hmm.. perhaps South Africa. I just bought a bottle of South Africa Pinotage today; trying to get into them some.
about 11 months ago

ol_fezziweg
When I saw “bringing the thunder,” I thought this episode was about the chili I made over the weekend. I’m glad it was only about expensive wines.

QOTD: Italian wine classifications. They’re even more confounding than German wine classifications.
about 11 months ago

Michael Z
I sure hope I get to try that Bordeaux someday! The meeting of the two worlds, huh? Pretty exciting! I’ll be in Chicago this weekend visitng family, so maybe I can pick something special on the wine list and they can pay for it …

QOTD: Probably Bordeaux in part because I’ve never been there so I can’t begin to wrap my head around it.
about 11 months ago

eatapc
QOTD: Burgundy confuses me. Between the growers, the wineries, the negociants and the importers, it requires a professional to decipher it.

I’m also confused by the high prices of most Burgundies — totally undeserved.

Which brings me to my last confusion: I don’t “get” red Burgundy (and most pinot noir); it just doesn’t bring the thunder for me. I remember not being surprised by the big scandal of diluted Burgundy being sold for high prices a few years ago. I haven’t bought any this century — don’t intend to — and I haven’t enjoyed a red burgundy since the late 1970s. I appreciate the thought when friends pour it for me, but I just smile, nod my head and bite my tongue when they ask if I think it’s great.

Great bordeaux can be worth the high prices. Great Burgundy is an oxymoron. (Maybe I’m just speaking from ignorance because I don’t have enough experience with it.)

So to answer yesterday’s QOTD: What I’d most like to taste is a great Burgundy to prove myself wrong.
about 11 months ago

Lars
Great ep! Crazy arse wines. 2 bottles for $250 each? Do you offer financing with that? For one of those bottles I could buy 10 1/2 cases of Two Buck Chuck. That’s a bottle of wine every third day for a whole year.

Just razzin’ ya. Thanks for “taking one for the team” and doing these wines.