Wine

[ikileo]

the biggest department store basement supermarket 'El Corte Ingles' carries it the last time i checked.

my friend bought it from Vila Viniteca in Barcelona.

 

[Beta_Tester]

all right, i will let her know. shes there sometimes. Lets see if she can find them.

Thx

 

[stayhappy21]

what u guys planned for your NDP weekend?

Guys! Need a bit of advice here.

Opening a couple of wines here over the NDP weekend. Nothing exciting. All Bordeaux. Line up as follow:

Chateau Haut Smith Lafite (Haut Medoc)
Chateau Malescott St Expery (Maugraux)
Chateau Lagrange (St Julien)
Chateau Rieussec (Sauterns)

Any advice for the order of opening? Which wine to be consumed first, followed by which wine?

All from the 2007 vintage.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ikileo]

wow, so young. i suggest you decant all of the reds in advance and open the sauternes bottle and let it sit overnight. if u don't have enough decanters, you can open the reds a day before and let the open bottle stand overnight in a cool room.

i haven't had experience with these wines from these vintages but even then there could be variation between the bottles. prior to serving you can take a sip of each one and arrange the order in the traditional 'lightest' to 'heaviest'.

from the cellar tracker tasting notes, it seems to suggest that you could start with the Malescot, followed by the SHL then the Lagrange and lastly the Rieussec.

but of course, please taste them prior to serving to get the most exact indication.


are u having these wines in a restaurant or at home?

 

[stayhappy21]

07 is too young to drink??
Some of the people I talked to regarding the wines shared that because it is not a fantastic vintage you can drink it from now.. The quality won't improve much, unlike the 2005 or 2009..

Good advice on opening the wines and taking a sip first before serving.. Will probably do that before the guests arrive..

Doing a get together at home, and am thinking of doing the serving of the wines in a 'democratic' manner: open up all the wines, introduce them to the guests, place them on a long table and let them decide which ones they want to pour and drink, own time own target while chatting over finger food..
(My guess is the men will be split over which is their favourite reds, while the ladies will probably fight over the Sauterns.. Heh..)

 

[ikileo]

07 is too young to drink??
Some of the people I talked to regarding the wines shared that because it is not a fantastic vintage you can drink it from now.. The quality won't improve much, unlike the 2005 or 2009..

Good advice on opening the wines and taking a sip first before serving.. Will probably do that before the guests arrive..

Doing a get together at home, and am thinking of doing the serving of the wines in a 'democratic' manner: open up all the wines, introduce them to the guests, place them on a long table and let them decide which ones they want to pour and drink, own time own target while chatting over finger food..
(My guess is the men will be split over which is their favourite reds, while the ladies will probably fight over the Sauterns.. Heh..)

It’s not a fantastic vintage but I believe each vintage has its place and there isn’t really such a thing as a ‘bad’ vintage (unless it’s like hail storms and lots of rot). Modern palates seem to consider sunnier vintages with riper fruit as better vintages while those vintages whose climates don’t allow for as much phenolic ripeness are considered as ‘bad’. While technically it is true, I am of the opinion (remember, it’s just an opinion) that good producers with good harvesting and wine making skills will make good wines regardless of vintage but what we get instead is a good wine that reflects the terroir and climate of that vintage.

If every vintage was sunny and ripe, it’d get boring really fast. And that’s just the nature and beauty about wine isn’t it? That each vintage, ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is different with its own personality. Anyone can make good wine in a favourable sunny vintage, but only the good producers can make a good wine in a less sunny one. Remember everyone has different palates, some may prefer a richer riper style while others prefer a leaner style with more smoothness

But relating back to ’07, sure it wasn’t as heralded as the ’05 or ’09 or ’10 etc… but there is still plenty of stuffing to go 10 years especially since these are good producers. Just as how the 2002 vintage, which was another ‘bad’ vintage, while will not likely age as well as other vintages, at the 10 year mark it’s drinking very nice now. The oak as been integrated well and the tannins are resolved to reveal a lean but elegant wine.

I’m not saying u can’t drink them now, but it still has potential to improve. I would want to avoid the shut down phase which tends (not 100%) to happen 4-8 years into the wine where it goes through an awkward phase before opening up again.

That being said, no harm trying it now to see where they are at. Let them slowly breathe overnight in the bottle, chill it slightly (if you can get it to near 20C) that would be great. You can stick in the fridge an hour before serving and let it warm up in the glass. We tend to serve reds too warm and whites too cold. Reds need to be cooler than our SG room temperature, while whites shouldn’t be drunk ice cold.

What food will you be preparing for your tasting? Try to get something to match the wines; nothing too spicy.

 

[stayhappy21]

Excellent advice!

I always liked reading your writings.. So much wisdom and knowledge in there..

We're pairing it with local food, like fried bee hoon, chicken wings, goh hiong, steamed dumplings, etc. May have curry chicken.

First time i am reading about the dumb phrase thingy. Thanks for that. So it means if we want to drink a Bordeaux (or is that applicable to all wines?) we should either drink the 08, 09 (which are less than 4 years old) or 04 and the vintages before 04 (more than 8 years old)?

I have tried a couple of Bordeauxs (mostly left banks), Australian Shirazs, Chilean Canemeres and some Chateaunef du Papes with this group with mixed success.. Overall they liked the CDP best.. But they also know how to pick the most expensive ones!!

 

[ikileo]

Excellent advice!

I always liked reading your writings.. So much wisdom and knowledge in there..

We're pairing it with local food, like fried bee hoon, chicken wings, goh hiong, steamed dumplings, etc. May have curry chicken.

First time i am reading about the dumb phrase thingy. Thanks for that. So it means if we want to drink a Bordeaux (or is that applicable to all wines?) we should either drink the 08, 09 (which are less than 4 years old) or 04 and the vintages before 04 (more than 8 years old)?

I have tried a couple of Bordeauxs (mostly left banks), Australian Shirazs, Chilean Canemeres and some Chateaunef du Papes with this group with mixed success.. Overall they liked the CDP best.. But they also know how to pick the most expensive ones!!

Thanks, love sharing info with other wine enthusiasts. Food sounds ok, might need a bit more meat and I don’t know how the chicken curry will work.

The thing I always emphasize about a dumb phase is that it’s not 100% and that timing is a very very rough average. The variance in that timing is very wide. So that’s why people buy multiple bottles to drink over several years. The danger is applying a 4-6 year window to any and every wine you see. It take lots of tasting to realize its in a dumb phase.

U can read more here and in many other online resources: Aging of wine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

During the course of aging a wine may slip into a "dumb phase" where its aromas and flavors are very muted. In Bordeaux this phase is called the age ingrat or "difficult age" and is likened to a teenagergoing through adolescence. The cause or length of time that this "dumb phase" will last is not yet fully understood and seems to vary from bottle to bottle.[5]

Or from wine spectator

"A wine going through a 'dumb' phase is going through an awkward, transitional period as the wine evolves from youth to maturity. It mostly occurs in red wines. As a wine's fruit flavors start to decrease and the mature complexities of an older wine start to develop, the declining fruit and emerging complexity can cancel each other out. The wine will taste muted, you can barely make out the fruit flavors, and it just won't do much for you.

The cause is uncertain, and the time frame varies. If you have a case of something that you suspect is going through a dumb phase in your cellar, all you can do is sigh and wait another six months to a year before opening another bottle."

It's not common for 11-yr old wines to be going through a dumb phase. Another cause for muted aromas and flavors is TCA (corked wine). At very low levels of concentration, the characteristic mustiness can be difficult to detect; instead, the wine seems muted or dumb.

Your wine may taste perfectly wine or may be in an awkward/dumb phase, I have no clue. It may not even go through it at all, for some. Best is to taste it and find out. That’s also why some people just age wines for a long time to skip that potential phase entirely.

I can imagine why a CDP would be popular. Modern CDPs are very ripe and big which is quite appealing to the palate. Recently the group tasted an aged CDP from Chapoutier. I think it was a 1992 Chapoutier CDP Barbe Rac (100% Grenache) and it was a deliciously beautiful wine.

actually you should so the wines blind. wrap them up in foil so that they don't know the price. the only thing you should tell them is the region: bordeaux. and u can even ask them say how much they are willing to pay for the bottle.

 

[hkm520240]

Well today's Bibi Testamatta Vertical Tasting did not happen too.....

 

[stayhappy21]

Well today's Bibi Testamatta Vertical Tasting did not happen too.....

Hmm.. Sorry to hear that.. I can only understand the disappointment only too well.. Having to go through it twice.. The anxiety, the anticipation, the build-up, only to end with a call saying: the tasting is cancelled..

Well, the good thing that came out of it is you can join our private tasting this month!

 

[stayhappy21]

actually you should so the wines blind. wrap them up in foil so that they don't know the price. the only thing you should tell them is the region: bordeaux. and u can even ask them say how much they are willing to pay for the bottle.

I did! My folks know next to nothing about wine, except 'ho lim' (nice to drink) and 'bo ho lim' (not nice to drink).. I tried to tell them about the wines, where they are from, which regions, etc, which they are simply not interested.. So now i only tell them the country, and the year..

And the interesting thing is: after i serve the different wines, i asked them which is their favourite; they can always pick out the most expensive one as their favourite.. Must be an acquired skill..

 

[JamesTan.]

The Straits Wine Company

 

[stayhappy21]

New World Wine Experience 2012 @ Crystal Wines.
This Saturday 18/08, 10 am to 8 pm
250 Wines on Sale
20 labels for tasting

Anyone went for the event in the previous years before? Is it worth going?

 

[ikileo]

have to see the list first. it's good for those who haven't been before and can taste a wide spectrum of stuff. some nice deals to be found. but as usual, always do your homework.

 

[ikileo]

@james: hi james, welcome to the forum. u buy stuff from straits wine?

 

[ikileo]

anyone keen on a saturday dim sum lunch with wine? i know it's quite impromptu but let me know. it will be a white wine themed lunch. anyone can join in as long as you bring a bottle.

the theme was thinking of was 'Sauvignon Blanc Throwdown'.

 

[stayhappy21]

I dun mind.. And I have quite a few bottles of SB to clear..
But can we do it next Sat instead? Am planning to go for CW's tasting this Saturday.. Dun want to 'over-drink' on a Saturday afternoon.. My liver can't take it!!

Anywhere you have in mind for Dim Sum? Imperial Treasure? Yum Cha?

 

[ikileo]

imp treasure & Asia grand are my 2 usual places as their dim sum is good and the corkage is free.

actually wine lunch and then go tasting after that is ok. during tasting just spit loh. wait till u go for those wine events, 90 wines in 5 hours.

 

[stayhappy21]

Hey guys,

On a totally unrelated note, WEA is having the following offer:

Turkey Flat Shiraz 2010 (750ml) (JH 97/100)

$65 net
$59 - Six or more bottles

Valid till Thursday.

Am thinking of getting 1 or 2 bottles. If anyone else interested we can order together and get 6 or more at a lower price.

 

[ikileo]

that's a good producer, but not for me...i just bought 2 bottles of awesome champagne. so no more $$