Yes it's almost as if we've got a teacher that thinks no one can get a high A. 8>) But seems as if all wine critics are reluctant to go high nineties for fear someone is going to pronounce them guilty of “grade inflation”!

has anyone checked on Ian at winelibrary. He probably is curled up under his desk rocking back and forth holding his Bengals “who da” program. What happened to Carson Palmer he used to be great and now can't hit the broad side of a barn.

Oh yeah this is wine program… I just love Condrieu.

opened the 2006 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Heimbourg again this past Saturday night. Very similar to my first bottle which I had at 91: golden yellow. Petrol, pineapple and floral. Med body with good acidity but not racy. Great oily mouth feel. Good citrus with mineral aspects. Maybe not the most interesting wine, but great none the less.

I really like the way you're mixing it up so far this year, every episode is fresh with different delivery methods. almost laughed at the butter bandit…really laughed at “don't say wine” to Mott 😛 Adding the Condrieu to my to do list.

QOTD: Though I drink more champagne (since I love it w/ sashimi [low carbs and all….]) than white wines that we're discussing, I really liked the wine I tried at Alpha Omega at Napa last year during a vacation, their 2006 chardonnay. It exhibited great acit/fruit balance (grapefruit i remember it was, which is one of my fav's), long lasting, and just a tiny tiny hint of the butter bandit (damn!) to provide a nice texture at the end…. but what got me really excited was the nutty content (like a really oily one…) in its bouquet and taste, which added that layer of complexity. At 40 bucks a bottle, it's no bargain by any means, but couple the beautiful vineyard (very serene, but probably artificial in reality…seemed a bit commercialized now that i think more about it…but that's Napa in my experience) they had with a very pleasant vacation, it's the most pleasant white wine experience I've had in recent months.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm not tired of the “smells like wine.” I might make a t-shirt of it….

Jason – how about Moscao di Asti?

I must try the Kungfu girl…

Try one of Argyle's Pinot Noirs from Willamette Valley….it's a well made wine in my opinion, so it deserves more than to be called a fruit bomb, but it is highly fruit driven. I suggested it to my friend who was taking his wife out for a wedding ann., and despite not being wine drinkers, they loved it, which tells me it is indeed approachable.

Big fan of the white wine shows featuring wines from France, would love to see some White Bordeaux reviewed in the future.

QOTD last white wine I had was 07 K Vintners Viognier on Saturday, citrus and pears on the nose bright acidity, honeysuckle and stone fruit on the palate. A great viognier for under $20.

Speaking of white wines I am looking for some really good White Burgundies and Chablis and under $30, anyone have any recommendations?

I tried a Riesling, never had any before, still quite new to this.
Had it at dinner, the wife boss made chicken and dumplings. It
was Schmitt Sohne 2007 and I liked it. I thought it matched just
right. Good show.

Hanzell is legendary, loved their '91 Chard…

Favorite whites…I'm going to go beyond WINE, and go REGION on this one: Campania. Falanghina, Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino….three amazingly solid wines, from the same region, with three distinguished flavors/textures. Mastro makes some solid wines, but I prefer the Feudi di San Gregorio. I've actually preferred older vintages on the Grego & Fiano..

Best recent white is actually a Cindarella wine. The Zind-Humbrecht Reisling Heimbourg 06 which has the most gun-flint nose of any white I have tried. Very creamy with a nice mineral finish. BTW I actually am becoming a Jets fan. I like the intensity of the team. Wish the Giants showed more D which the Jets actually have.

QOTD: d'Arenberg The Stump Jump 2008 Sticky Chardonnay Adelaide. Actually, it's the only white we've had recently and an impulse buy while picking up dinner at a local (wonderful) deli shortly after Christmas. Nothing but yummy, a dessert all by itself!

You just leave Mott's beard alone, now! Also, you should keep yours, with Lizzie and Misha's permission, of course! 😉 And congrats on your new nephew!

Cool. Enjoy. And it's low alcohol to boot, which may or may not be a good thing….. 😉

Dave

thnx Erica for the support !

QOTD Drinking it right now: Pewsey Vale The Contours Riesling 2003, from Oz, with sushi (Uni, in fact). Love the chalky, dusty nose, the flavours of lime, and stone (maybe limestone!) and the focused backbone of acid – lonngg finish by the way.

Other candidate: FX Pichler Riesling Smaragd 2003 Durnsteiner Kellerberg (these types of names prohibit discussion on Twitter!). A late harvest riesling from Austria. Full-bodied a la Alsace, but with razor sharp acidity, touch of residual sugar, and finish that went for minutes. Went instantly to the taste bank. Expensive, but a worthy experience. Less money than most concert tickets nowadays, and as memorable.

Gotta try some Croatian next…..

Good show. Nice to see you back in the “Thunder Saddle”..solo 😉 I must say I do love Condrieu, when I can find it. I would like to point out, that in nearly 800 episodes, there has never been one show dedicated to domestic sparklers! This was my new years show request and I will continue to ask until it happens. I think it is short sided to only give bubble love to the French and Spanish (I know you're fond of the Cava).

QOTD: The best bottle of white wine I've had recently would be the 2007 Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay. Here is why; It was a beautiful friday afternoon in October, sitting on the patio at Shafer. The RSR if you've never had it is a tremendous bottle of Chard. Unlike many Cali Chards RSR is flinty and acidic with good texture. I shared this experience with my lovely wife 10 years to the day we were married. Finally to top it all off Elias Fernandez came out a spoke with us for a while! Hope she doesn't read that part.

Best whites of '09 (from memory, in no particular order)

Cayuse Viognier 'Cailloux Vyd.' 2006
Krug Vintage 1990 (the WOTY)
Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc 2006
W. Fevre Chablis 'Les Pereuses' 2005 (too young but still exceptional)
Haut-Brion blanc 2001

Would be interesting to see a show on:
Hermitage blanc vs. Bordeaux blanc (blind, from comparable vintages).

Its the “under $30” part that presents the problem.

Recently I visited the wine tasting fundraiser for a local restauranteur and wine merchant Armand Martinotti. The man loved food and wine and had several cellars around the Portland area. The tasting featured over 200 bottles of wines aged from 1959-1990. For the most part it was a red wine tasting. I was rushed to taste through the older reds in a somewhat mad rush to not miss anything before it was gone. I didn't get a chance to spend much time tasting whites from Burgundy. 1959 Sauternes Chateau Suduiraut was one of the close kept secrets on the desert table. Submerged in ice water, people had not recognized the bottle which was half full. The wine was medium gold colored, teetering on the viscous side, it retained it's acidity and was a mouthful of fresh honey, fresh cut peaches with a nice tart on the side of the cheek. I felt like the wine had out lived all the other wines in the tasting. Amazing for me it was the first time I tasted wines that old so I was pleasantly surprised.

Congrats on the success. Thank you for all the effort on this amazing concept you've created. Keep moving those cases.

QoTD: 2004 Clos Poggiale Vin de Corse
This was indeed the wine that has really set the bar pretty high for what has been a very pleasant experience. The focused citrus scent loaded with lemon, lime, and other with a sense of minerals and complexity that was harmonious through and through. The acidity was on focus that had carried on beautifully to the finish by which was long.

This wine was the first I have ever considered of buying a case of, but that's not much to say since I've only got into wine early last year.

Congrats Uncle Gary!

Try Domaine Frederic Gueguen. In 2007 the made 3 Chablis ranging from 22 to 30 with two other 1ers at 34 and 38. These wines were showing well last summer when I tasted through Scott Paul's Burgundy Imports here in Oregon. Hopefully this helps.

Congratulations Uncle Gary!!
QOTD: I've had a number of not so good white wines lately, but did expand my palate by trying a pinot bianco and definitely would buy more of them. I also had a Red Tail Ridge Riesling(NY) that was excellent for the money. It reminded me somewhat of a very memorable Christmas Eve wine, that I haven't been able to get unless I travel to the winery to buy it—which I actually might do. Even my friends remember it from at least 5-10 years ago–Red Newt Cellars Reserve Riesling. Most recently I received a 2002 Jura as a gift, about the time you showed a Paris? episode with an older white wine. This wine might have been stored improperly or too old for it's time. It was like drinking Dry Sack Sherry–very nutty–wasn't my cup of tea–though I like all kinds of Sherry–just not my aged wine disguised as one.

Having 2 Blenheim Viogner 08 sent my way to try.. Hoping this brings some thunder as my wife is so picky with the whites…

Thank you for the recommendation I have tried a Syrah with a small blend of Viognier from Ciel du cheval. I haven't tried this particular wine producer but if you haven't already heard about this amazing vineyard in the Red Mountain ava in eastern Washington. I am very excited about the fruit coming from this region. As you know Washington placed remarkably high in the WS this year so I'm not that surprised that people will start to look for Bordeaux style reds, Northern rhone reds, and even the first Certified Brunello clones from Montalcino(VCR6) as well as Viognier. Keep an eye out for this up and coming star.