Wine

[ikileo]

On another unrelated note, the tit-for-tat between the 2 wine retailers continues..

who? crystal and someone else? 1855? WEA?

 

[stayhappy21]

who? crystal and someone else? 1855? WEA?

The two big Cs in the local wine retail scene..

Check out their websites: they're both offering CDP and Sauvignon Blancs for their latest offers..

 

[ikileo]

ohhh CRY in one CORNER is it?

 

[hkm520240]

overall guys, how was the event?

Hehe I appreciate such opportunity to taste quite a good range of Bordeaux 2009 at relatively low cost. But the tasting was rather hectic due to time limit plus these young wines were served undecanted. I was 45 mins late but I am still happy I managed to taste all 30 wines with remaining times and still able to take notes and chat with looi, Baggio and Stayhappy in between sips. Plus I still can go back for 2nd pour for some of the wines.

My overall impression for 2009 is that it is slightly better than 2008 but not as good as 2005, so I wouldn't think that it lives up to the hype and represent a poor value when compare to 2008. Of course this is purely my personal view (based on this tasting) and I look forward to taste more 2009 in future when opportunity arise.

The whites: Only 2 whites and Smith Haut Lafite Blanc definitely stand out, fresh with plenty of fruits on palate, good weight, nice acidity and long.

The Reds: More wines tasted in this group and results are mixed. Many have dense fruits, good that not as ripe as 2003, but acidity is moderately low, only few good wines like Leoville Barton & Pichon Baron still possessed nice acidity backbone. Some wines are very good, structured, musculine, long finish with firm tannins.

The sweet: 2 desserts, 1 from Sauterns 1 from Barsac, both are good but in 2 different style. I slightly favour Suduiraut for its elegant and balance. Seems like a bit lack of concentration and acidity but I hope to re-taste it in future to form my 2nd opinion.

 

[ikileo]

i drank the Bodegas Darien Reserva that some of us bought from WEA on Sat dinner.

 

[hkm520240]

How was the wine? I don't think I will drink mine soon.

 

[looiwte]

Haha don't think it's nice otherwise ikileo would have said more!

About the Bordeaux tasting, I quite enjoyed it. Firstly, as stayhappy said, good venue and service.
I haven't drunk that much Bordeaux, so this was a good chance to try some at one go.
And at a very affordable price for such wines and a well-regarded vintage.
I think I've finally understood certain distinctions amongst the appellations - perfumed Margaux, minerally Graves and P-L, slightly stiff St Estephe, powerful Pomerol, structured and balanced Pauillac and St Julien etc.
As for the vintage, maybe we expected a lot with the hype but overall, I felt the wines on the day were all pretty good without being super complex and dense, and it mostly depended on your particular preference whether you liked them.

Some wines that stood out for me were the Rauzan-Segla, Giscours, Canon and all the St Juliens, especially the Talbot. Also interesting to note was the marked difference between the 1st and 2nd wines of Ch Beychevelle. One was simple and good, the other was simply super. A pity I didn't get to taste the Pichon-Baron. Stupid me left the best till the last, and when I finally got there, someone had just taken the last glass. To other noobs: don't make the same mistake!

 

[DrSheldonCooper]

I do enjoy some red wine occasionally but sometimes I like to drink it in a way you guys might consider blasphemous. I enjoy it chilled from the fridge.

One problem I face is that I do enjoy an occasional drink at home alone. I try to avoid finishing a whole bottle by myself though. How best to store it? Should I buy one of those glass corks etc?

Can you also advice on some nice snacks to pair with wines?

Thanks!

 

[ikileo]

Haha don't think it's nice otherwise ikileo would have said more!

i was tired and sleepy so i didn't post the notes.

at this stage, the Darien was ok. nose was quite unusual for a rioja that i'm used to. there was a distinct mineral note on the nose. not that i don't like minerals but it's weird for a rioja.

the roasted and slightly burnt character from the oak was present. Quite nice fruit, lots of red fruit and toasty oak notes.

a little disjointed and the alcohol was appearing at bit at the end. I drank over 2 hours. this might need sometime to settle down. flavour wise it's still nice.

if i had to put a score, maybe like a 87 at this stage. but it's got the potential to hit the 90s.

 

[ikileo]

I do enjoy some red wine occasionally but sometimes I like to drink it in a way you guys might consider blasphemous. I enjoy it chilled from the fridge.

One problem I face is that I do enjoy an occasional drink at home alone. I try to avoid finishing a whole bottle by myself though. How best to store it? Should I buy one of those glass corks etc?

Can you also advice on some nice snacks to pair with wines?

Thanks!

Hi DrSheldonCooper, welcome to the forum. Chilling a red wine is not blasphemous, the usually recommend a serving temp for red wine in the 15-18 degrees range.

Fridge temps can do down to single digits so you can pour it in the glass for it’s warm up a little bit to around 18C that’s fine. Personally for me I decant/bottle breathe the wine before the dinner, then 30 mins before serving I place it in the fridge while it is still opened for it to cool down and still continue to breathe.


As for the solo drinker. There are many ways.
- You can buy the WineSave, which is like a neutral, non reactive gas like argon, that’s heavier than air which u spray into your bottle to minimize/stop the oxidation process.

- The cheaper way is if u know u can’t finish, pour out half of the wine into a half bottle, close/screw it up and put it back in the fridge. Then you just drink the other half. By placing it in a half bottle, the surface to wine ratio is very small and the space for oxygen is much less so your oxidation will be vastly reduced. But still try to drink it up by the next day.

- If you are drinking a well made wine, a number of them actually taste better on the second day, so just leave it in the bottle in the fridge and try again the next day.

Snack? There’s the classic cheese and cold cuts. Chicken wings, pizzas. Most finger food is fine.

 

[looiwte]

ohhh CRY in one CORNER is it?

Haha! I think the 2007 Usseglio CdPs are a great deal though, at 50 bucks a pop. But I'm a bit tired of pre-ordering at the moment - pre-payment, waiting months for the wines to come etc.

 

[looiwte]

Btw has anyone here tried wines by Sean Thackrey, from California?

First heard about him in Oz & James Wine Adventures.
Then came across this vid: Obsessives - Winemaker - YouTube
He has a website here too: Sean Thackrey :: wine-maker

Really interesting individual who bucks the trends and looks towards ancient texts for winemaking advice. It'd be interesting to taste his wines!

Just that the prices of his top wine started heading north once Parker reviewed them.

 

[ikileo]

i think FP has some wine sales for some of their premium wines. quite good prices.

'06 Chateau Suduiraut for $80+
'04 Alter Ego Palmer
'05/'07 Calon Segur
'0? Gruaud Larouse
a Chave Hermitage
and several more.


i would like to try their Rieslingfreak from Clare Valley. pretty good reviews online and potentially age worth. $30+

dunno which outlets has this but i know their new outlet FP Xtra opposite Expo (next to CHangi City Point) has.

 

[looiwte]

Oh, I'm their wine club member so got notice of their Private Sale at Xtra Changi last Sat. But I didn't go down as need to reserve time slot, freakin far for me, and went to the Bdx tasting. Seems like only that outlet having the sale so far...

 

[looiwte]

Anyone tried Mencia wines from Ribeira Sacra, NW Spain? Have been hearing good things about them. Only place I know that sells a wine from this appellation is Straits Wine.

http://www.edsoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Mencia.pdf

 

[ikileo]

Oh, I'm their wine club member so got notice of their Private Sale at Xtra Changi last Sat. But I didn't go down as need to reserve time slot, freakin far for me, and went to the Bdx tasting. Seems like only that outlet having the sale so far...

yeah good for me cos i work next door...

 

[ikileo]

i saw mencia in another place before, they are available at ewineasia.com

 

[looiwte]

Oh yes... these are from Bierzo in Galicia. Had to do a double take when I saw their top wine - 900 big ones!

 

[ikileo]

might pick up the Rieslingfreak from Fairprice this evening. i really need a mid week break. these 3am sleeps and 8am meetings have to stop!

 

[stayhappy21]

might pick up the Rieslingfreak from Fairprice this evening. i really need a mid week break. these 3am sleeps and 8am meetings have to stop!

Maybe something for you to do to take your mind off work: organise the year end thingy!

Let's work together to get the date, time and venue confirmed first, shall we? Then we can go down to who's bringing what coloured wines from which parts of the world..

Come on, come on.. You know you need a drink..