Great question. Generally Europe vs same grape in CA/New world.
THE most controversial wine is Alsace with some loving its complexity while others are turned off by the smell of “petrol” (kerosene).
Most controversial wine should be zin, but recent studies has shown that everyone loves that grape.

This is the review of the Les Cretes from Jon Rimmerman from Garagiste a competing retailer where I bought some. His descriptions are funny, but probably not far from Gary's assessment.

Les Cretes personifies why I hit the ground running every morning and those of you new to this list will understand everything with one introspective evening spent with this singular mountain wine. If you are a fan of the most varietal and animale Cote Rotie, the darling of the Val d?Aosta (Les Cretes) has delivered a wine for the senses that will not easily be forgotten by this taster.

In a nutshell, Italy?s Val d?Aosta (most famous for Courmayeur and other ski areas) has one of the more storied vinous histories in Europe. Vines have been planted on the steep slopes of the region since before the Roman era and during the 1500?s the red wine of Aosta was used in demonic exorcisms all the way to the Vatican. In a religious sense, the wine was revered for its deep sanguine appearance and meaty overtones – it was not sweet and easy to enjoy – exactly what the church was looking for. It smelled of evil things, which furthered the sense of purpose surrounding the exorcism itself. Today it smells the same but instead of ?evil? we would call it heaven.

While Les Cretes receives some of the more noteworthy critical praise in Italy for their white wines (among the highest rated in the country), it is their red wine that spills their soul. This is severe alpine wine – above tree level skiing with no maps or lifts in sight. You better have telemark skis to navigate your way down as Les Cretes insures their wine is full of twigs, rocks, billy goat droppings, hiking boots, alpine flowers and one one of the most intense aromatics of varietal sauvage you will encounter. Think Ampuis (not Guigal but artisinal Ampuis) meets Taurasi with snow chains and studded tires inching their way over the mountain pass – no railings and a sheet of solid ice. There is no room for error and the journey is miraculous and precarious. When you make it over the top (or to the ski area parking lot) you feel a sense of winning a battle with the elements but a sense of anticipation as to the days fresh track that lie ahead in 12 inch deep powder. If you could bottle the wild ride above with all the scenery, smells and death-defying battle of the wills between your own ability and nature?s determination to disallow your every movement – it would be Les Cretes and this wine in specific:

Antonio Galloni (Wien Advocate): ?($50); The single-vineyard 2005 Coteau La Tour is 100% Syrah that spent nine months in 300-liter French oak barrels. This polished, full-bodied red is loaded with ripe dark fruit, sweet spices, toasted oak and earthiness. Made in a full-bodied style, the wine offers outstanding balance, particularly in the way the tannins are beautifully folded into the layers of fruit. This is a terrific effort. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2015. 92pts?

An amazing bottle of Syrah that (in my opinion) bears only a passing resemblance to the above review but I?m including it because many of you will ask. Oak is not the leading character in this wine and it is hardly polished – I would check reviews from the community as well for more perspective. The 2005 Coteau La Tour is far more artistic/eccentric than referenced above and it changes like a high-altitude chameleon over 2-3 days (revealing a new layer and nuance each time you go back to it). From one of the most beautiful and picturesque vineyards in Europe (at 2200-2400ft in elevation, see this link: http://www.lescretes.it/photogallery.asp?idsezi… <http://www.lescretes.it/photogallery.asp?idsezi…> ), for sheer individuality and intrigue, I?m fairly sure this will be among the most admired wines we offer this season – especially from those hardest to please – you.

I felt Gary over-intellectualized and made excuses for the Cretes, if he had tasted it blind I think he would have tore it a new one, with how many negatives he said about it, no praise except a nerd appeal? Come on… that high a score for nerd appeal? Not feelin' it.

Great stuff GV – I thought you under-intellectualized.

Hands Down:

1997 Domaine Font de Michelle, Chat du Pape Cuvee Etienne Gonnet

Very non-traditional CdP. Out of a group of us drinking it, I was probably the only one who actually enjoyed it.

QOTD: This newbie's got nothin' on that.

I do however have a thank you for a great educational & fun show!

That is some strange funky stuff. Throw in some bottle variations,,,,whew

What did you just say? ; )

Hey castello catch……

Thnx for the Link-a-vision castello. I dig it!

Yeah must admit i'm a bit off topic this evening, sorry. Can you send me a bottle?

I'm on Spooner St. ; )

white Jura wines can cause a ruckus too!

I also thought that the Les Cretes drinks almost more like a white than a red.

I've got an otherwise brilliant wine drinking buddy who 99.4% of the time flat refuses merlot. Not because of “the movie” he was like that way before. Funny enough, best bottle of wine he and I ever shared according to him? 1999 Verite la Muse. (yes the merlot based one)

I still have three bottles of Les Cretes that have not been drunk. I also have never tasted this wine, and was hoping, due to bloggers comments, that age would round it out. GARY, do you have any comments on whether this wine has any ageing ability, or should I just dive in and polish these bottles off?

QOTD: 2003 Dolium Gran Reserva Malbec, me and my wife love it for its dark brooding flavors, layered, and highly tannic, but sweet. Our roommate on the other hand, hated it and said it was completely terrible and was shocked at the $60-70 pricetag. Didn't know what to say to her.
I have another controversial wine between me and Robert Parker. I just reviewed the 2007 Pillar Box Red. RP gave it a “90”. I don't get and I think the rest of the nation doesn't get why he gave this wine a “90”. It was table wine at best! He must have been drunk or high to give a rating like that to this wine. I admit that his palate and mine are pretty agreeable, but not on this load of junk. Sorry to all of those that drink Pillar Box.

Keep it real stewie

Great episode–I'd love to see Gary do more “revisit” episodes–to see how wines he's reviewed well in the past have agee, or just to share someof the wines he really likes.

I bought the 3 pack that included the Les Cretes (haven't opened that one yet) so I enjoyed hearing his review. The one I did open so far I did not like AT ALL–the Cliff Lede. And I have read numerous 90+ reviews at corkd–but I found it fake, overoaked–wearning blue eye shadow and hot pink lipstick, essentially. Can anyone who has had it share with me their thoughts (I believe it was 06 Cab Sav)?

QOTD: Most controversial wine, for me, is almost any Virginia Cab Franc. Around here, every winery does Cab Francs and Viogniers. I like a number of Virginia wines, but have almost never liked a VA Cab Franc (I can suck on a pepper mill anytime, thankyouverymuch). But I seem to be in the minority around here, as everyone at wine festivals loooooves the cab francs here. Meh.

And that may be true of every other cab franc in the world, but I won't know–I'm avoiding them for the time being.

Open one, than return the other two. http://www.winelx.com

man, that was a thunder swirl …

different strokes for different folks GV

about time u drank the goddamn wine … 🙂

thnx bro!

like the J Man said … Sierra Carche

I liked the Cliff Lede. I didn't think it was too fake. I don't like much make up on my women but maybe I do on my wine. I do think my palate is changing a bit because many juicy Cali reds can get too sweet and cloying after a glass or two. I'm leaning towards more of the old world wines like CdP and some Gigondas that aren't sweet at all. I think most of the ones I really like right now are a little new world though.

Pop that GEM TORO! It's good now and later. Agree on the Opus but I've only had a couple tastes here and there. Way overpriced! I thought they were coming down a bit last year when I saw some on sale buttt,,,,,

Coteau La Tour , Nerd appeal 🙂 Well 49 bones for a 2005 and 21 for a 2006, strange pricing, is the points so influential?
QOTD: Hey, we debate all wines and never agree 🙂 Different palates! But one question always come up with red, what is to big? and one comes up with withes, what is to sour? Me, for instance can tolerate almost any red, but when a white wine tastes grapefruit, I say it again Grapefruit, then I cannot drink it.