QOTD: It’s been a while. Some NJ wines—but then again that about says it all. Don’t mean to diss on the dirty Jerz–there’s some wines that are very enjoyable from here, especially Alba’s Apple dessert wine, made from Tewksbury apples. Great as an aperitif also. Not cloyingly sweet.

Sorry about the wines but good educational stuff. QOTD: right now. I’m having the Luna Freakout 06′ which I really liked last night but one day later its totally gone- just petrolly and acid, no fruit.

I’m with Paul. These aren’t the stars of the region in my experience. How about a few more examples.

QOTD – I was at a wine bar recently and they offered me a taste of a $150 bottle (retail) Australian Shiraz. It was good, but I could not tell the difference from most of the $15 bottles. I expected something wonderful for $150.

Next time you use that angle whilst taping, you should get whoever walks through the door to smile and wave at the camera. 😀

I’ve never had a wine that pissed me off, there have been wines that I have been disappointed in.

QOTD: Every time a distributor shows up & offers me a crappy wine on the basis that it is cheap & should sell because of the “economy”! As though it is acceptable to drink boring, predictable garbage because it is only $9! With a little effort, they could find a gem for the same price. Makes me totally cranky…

Thanks Gary

A bit disapointing and one of the problems I see with buying French wine – there’s always so much varience in quaility and reliability.

QOTD: Lot’s of commercial Champagne – things like Mumm, Piper and Moet I often find to be so grossly over-priced and over rated.

Cheers
Andrew

QOTD The 2004 red burgundies are often leaving me on my appetite like the Domaine des Perdrix “generic” Bourgogne 2004 (thin, unbalanced) especially when compared to its 2003 sibling which was a homerun for the price (a bit new world style but delicious). The overcooked 2003 tuscans are also more and more disapointing as they age…

Rex

Dude – “completely overshadowed by Sancerre, N.Z., etc”? Matt (above) nailed it w/ Sancerre’s slight ‘edge’. Point for Sancerre.

P.F. AND Sancerre have had world wide acclaim throughout the modern era, and production and historical acclaim goes back millenia to Roman times. N.Z. has come on the scene (deliciously) c. the 1980’s, and the South African embargo only ended around 1992. Their wines are clearly modeled on Loire’s great white wines, only they contain significantly more residual sugar. The calcareous, chalky and flinty soils in Loire are the true reason for their real identity. They are as clear a case demonstration of TERROIR as there is.

Jancis notes that ’07 Loire is ‘not great’. These wines should still be decent, provided one is familiar, and can live with wine being wine, and not jumped up sugar bomb fruit juice. They will still be fine alone (when a warm summer patio evening returns), as aperetif, w/ cheese, or white fleshed fish in butter (and yummy capers). I think The retails should reflect a couple dollar downward adjustment of expected prices, all market factors considered. But of course, at a moment such as this, is when importers and distributors rely on a wines name and ‘reputation’ and not it’s performance. (that would also make them a likely pazzz on wine lists, where concern for your value is not favored).

And finally, every Loire Valley white conversation deserves it’s more than obligatory, yea, MANDATORY mention of the pairing with cherve, (fresh goat’s cheeses.) I’m just sayin… maybe a quick revisit in, say, June? …

Last piss off w/ wine was New Year’s Eve, (a year ago). Went to a formerly good wine and bev, which had been taken over by yet another set of new faces of Eastern Mediterranean nature (the one who ‘don’t drink’). I took a chance on Gosset NV, which had been on a lower,(darker) shelf for some time. Champagne being what it is, I knew the relative merits of the wine’s constitution vs. it’s risks. When it turned out to be bad, I figured I’d return it in a day, but they know nothing of returning credit, quality control, customer satisfaction, or any of the concepts of modern retailing. They got money to pay for a liquor license and bond, but are more interested in selling bad beer, black n’ milds and garbage like red bull than wine, in a location which was, until a few years ago, the best set, including boutique and worldwide selections, in a five mile radius. I broke my own rule, and gave, against my ouwn intuition. I paid the penalty.

I will repeat for all of you, out there. Don’t support businesses who don’t even know WTF they are doing. Maybe one day they’ll be gone.

‘zat salty ,and pissed enough for ya?

I am a bit surprised that you went 0 for 3 because PF puts out some good wines. I wonder if it is a vintage thing or a producer thing. I was surprised that you didn’t pull out a Didier Dageneaux wine as a tribute, although it tends to be expensive stuff.

QOTD – Do you remember 3-5 years ago when there was an explosion of value plays from Spain? I really got turned off by the Garnachas because they seemed to be just kind of juicy plays and did not resemble what I had come to love about Spanish wines – the Riberas, Riojas, Priorats.

Gary,

QOTD: 2003 Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve

My wife and I popped the cork to this 93-pointer on November 6, 2008 to celebrate the five-year mark of my last chemotherapy treatment. The only thing missing was the decimal point between the nine and the three.

Without a doubt, the most disappointing wine I have ever tasted.

Regards,

thefaamakesmedrink

P.S. What’s on the chalkboard?

I had the glass wine at the restaurant at Narita Int’l Airport and my palate is still mad at me.

QOTD: Who walked through the new set? attractive blonde, didn’t want to be seen, obviously not an employee, had a pregnant look to her, expensive accessories, somewhat tanned(as in just got back from a Mexican vacation): everyone thinks it’s Lizzy.

QOTD: My first PV… sucked, over oaked and unbalanced… WTF… not going to turn me away from it though

QOTD: I bought 6 bottles of this years Woot ‘Emergency Holiday Provisions’ and it is gross. It’s a big glass of nasty oak and I don’t like it at all. What do I do with the remaining 4 bottles? Anybody want some?

Good show and good information. As a big fan of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc’s, I have a tendency to gauge other SB’s against that standard. What I appreciate about your show is the opportunity to validate the standard.

I tend not to like California oaked Chardonnay’s and after three different rose’s I find that they are not to my likning as well. I am not really pissed, just cannot appreciate them as well as others do.

It sounds like the 2007 Bordeauxs are not going to be very good either by the quality of these wines. I have had some New Zealand sauvignon blanc that smelled and tasted like asparagus – and that was pretty dissapointing stuff.

QOTD: I was a little pissed off with some Chinon wines. I like Cab Franc. I generally don’t mind a little barnyard action. But (butt) I had some Chinon wines that were way to poopy for my palate.

QOTD: I was a little pissed off with some Chinon wines. I like Cab Franc. I generally don’t mind a little barnyard action. But (butt) I had some Chinon wines that were way to poopy for my palate.

Personally dont like the new set. Theres too much in the background that makes your eyes wander. Bring the old set back! QOTD: A 2003 E. Guigal Cote Rotie. It was a GREAT wine, its just that I bought it for my parents for Christmas and I wanted them to open it with a nice dinner. We still all got to enjoy it I just wish it was a more special occasion.

Love the new set!

I found it interesting that you drank these in reverse price order.

QOTD: my future brother in law and I have a weekly wine night where we open one white and one red andone white. the past three weeks the red has been a 15-20 dollar (bone) Pinot Noir and all three have been TERRIBLE! Bad to the point where we couldn’t finish the bottle and decided to open up something else. I hate you Pinot Noir (but I can’t wait for that Kosta Browne shipment!)

Ah, too bad about these Pouilly Fume. Still, good education.
QOTD: I went to a tasting of the Cabernets of a famous producer from Chile and didn’t like any of them. Kinda put me off Cabernet for a while.

Aww I was hoping for once you’d ask what the best one we’ve tasted is cause I can actually remember a name this time! haha Baron De L 03 is amazing!

I’ve been pissed off many times by disappointing wines. The last one was probably some piece of crap my dad brought home : P

just an observation; and I know I am behind on these—
your palate is definitely changing.
definitely have moved away from the bright acidic whites that you were loving; particularly the more complex ones; and moving (back) toward the big bold fruity reds that you have really been riding hard in the past.
just an evolution (or devolution) I guess; it will hopefully swing back towards the good whites and balanced reds again.
thanks for the show!