Moderators: Jenise, Robin Garr, David M. Bueker
Hoke
Achieving Wine Immortality
11420
Sat Apr 15, 2006 1:07 am
Portland, OR
Ed Novak wrote:Ok... I know someone out there will jump all over me for what I'm about stir up, but here goes. I've been in the wine camp now for about 2 years, formally a die hard beer drinker. During these two plus years I've found that with food I can enjoy just about any wine, if paired properly. I'd put Cabs at the top of my list followed closely by almost all Italian wines, Tempranillos and Gernaches. My biggest disappointment to date? Bordeaux. I've tried a number of Bordeauxes... priced usually in the $10 to $20 a bottle range... 2006, 2008, 2009... and in general they all taste a little thin to me. Much like my experience with Pinot Noirs. If I have to make a general comment about both, I'd have to say watery.. thin... Having said all that, seems like in a game of word association, the phrase "great wine" would point towards France for many... and French wine would point you towards Bordeaux. So what am I missing?
Hoke
Achieving Wine Immortality
11420
Sat Apr 15, 2006 1:07 am
Portland, OR
Ed Novak wrote:Hoke... while not yet bitten beyond belief by the Burgundy bug, I did enjoy a bottle of Alex Gambal Bourgogne recently and it was a treat. And regarding both Pinot Noirs and Bordeauxs, I intend to continue to experiment. I wouldn't say I have dismissed them totally, however I'm just surprised that for both, in the $10-$20 category, something has yet to jump out after trying 7 to 8 different wineries. And then again, what I'm referring to thin might in time be better described as delicate... vs a big bold Cab or Barolo.
Jenise
FLDG Dishwasher
42713
Tue Mar 21, 2006 2:45 pm
The Pacific Northest Westest
James Dietz
Wine guru
1236
Wed Mar 22, 2006 6:45 pm
Orange County, California
David Creighton
Wine guru
1217
Wed May 24, 2006 10:07 am
ann arbor, michigan
Jon Peterson
The Court Winer
2981
Sat Apr 08, 2006 5:53 pm
The Blue Crab State
Jenise
FLDG Dishwasher
42713
Tue Mar 21, 2006 2:45 pm
The Pacific Northest Westest
Ian Sutton
Spanna in the works
2558
Sun Apr 09, 2006 2:10 pm
Norwich, UK
Brian Gilp wrote:I would not worry about it. Drink what you like currently and if your taste change in time, address it then. I believe that a lot of individuals when they first start getting really interested in wine think they have to like Bdx or Burg. One can waste a lot of time and money trying to prove that to be true when they may actually be happier with a Cal Cab or a CdP. If in time, you find that the Cal Cabs you have been drinking don't excite you the way they use to, then maybe you try Bdx again.
I look at my brother as an example of one who came to wine with no preconceptions. He first found port, then CdP/Cdr, and in time also Cal Zin and German rieslings. He is very happy with what he likes and buys to his preferences but will try anything and I have noticed lately that he owns more Bdx, Burg, and Chinon than ever before but still only a small portion of his cellar. In another 5 years who knows, they may actually make up a significant portion.
Carl Eppig
Our Maine man
4149
Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:38 pm
Middleton, NH, USA
Richard Fadeley wrote:Ed,
Although Bordeaux is one of my favorites (along with Burgundy, Loire, Rioja, Tuscany, and Piedmont (Italy)), I am reluctant to recommend Bordeaux to uninitiated friends. Bordeaux can be other-worldly, but only if you know how to handle it. By that I mean, mainly decanting and with better wines, aging. You just don't open a bottle of Bordeaux. It will need typically at least 2 hours in a decanter (all day won't hurt). I like to use a Pyrex measuring bowl, easy to pour back into the bottle. You will catch the heavy sediment going into the Pyrex, and the fine sediment going back into the bottle. Then about 20 minutes in the fridge. I am assuming you are starting with at least a Cru Bourgoise (left bank) or a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru (right bank), with about 6 years+ age ('03, '04, '06, '07's are drinking good now, with this decant). If after you do all that, don't expect a "big wine". Bourdeaux is not a red meat only kind of wine. They are very understated, food friendly, and at 13% ABV are not rewarding if you are looking for a buzz. You also need to work with Bdx, swirling to aerate the wine. I am a "two sniffs to one sip" kind of guy, and this is important with finer wines. If you don't do this you are missing the whole point. You might as well be drinking Yellow Tail. You cannot tell the difference between good (fine) wine and plonk without nosing the wine. This is what separates the "men from the boys" This all sounds like a lot of trouble, and it is, but is well worth the trouble if you want to taste the worlds finest wines. Same holds true for white wines, where you will find white Bdx and white Burgundies to be without equal in the white wine world (IMO). Enjoy, and keep us posted on your experiences.
Sam Platt
I am Sam, Sam I am
2330
Sat Mar 25, 2006 12:22 pm
Indiana, USA
Bill Spohn
He put the 'bar' in 'barrister'
9556
Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:31 pm
Vancouver BC
Bill Spohn
He put the 'bar' in 'barrister'
9556
Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:31 pm
Vancouver BC
Covert wrote:My guess is that Ed will never find a Bordeaux to be great, just by comparing his speak with other people with whom I have had experience and whose oenophilic outcomes I have observed over time.
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