Lon Rombough has died. He was one of our foremost grape experts, and a friend, my mentor for hybrid grapes. He grew dozens of important grape varieties (and apples, quinces, and other fruits, too), published important books on fruits, was kind enough to let me visit (in Aurora OR) and learn from him, and even came to one of my wine tastings (of hybrid wines--the kind of grapes he grew).
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Lon Rombough
Lon Rombough has died. He was one of our foremost grape experts, and a friend, my mentor for hybrid grapes. He grew dozens of important grape varieties (and apples, quinces, and other fruits, too), published important books on fruits, was kind enough to let me visit (in Aurora OR) and learn from him, and even came to one of my wine tastings (of hybrid wines--the kind of grapes he grew).
Sean Sullivan's Top 100 Washington Wines
Friday, January 27, 2012
Reds vs Whites, part 2
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Why do "Pro" wine scores vary so much, sometimes, from amateur drinker scores?
I BALZINI
Colli della Toscana Centrale Black Label 2006
Score: 92Release Price: $60 Country: Italy Region: Tuscany Issue: Oct 31, 2009 Offers blackberry character, with cassis bush and cedar. Full-bodied, with currant and berry notes and hints of new oak. Long and silky, with a little too much new wood. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Merlot. Best after 2011. 1,200 cases made. –JS |
Tasted by DesMarteau on 12/12/2011 & rated 88 points: - Purple color. It's overly acidic with a medium body. Bright texture with a long finish - Needs a bit of time. (875 views) | |
Tasted by Cresus on 12/10/2011 & rated 90 points: Nice medium bodied Tuscan. Well balanced, good acidity. Nose of some berries. Tasty. (817 views) | |
Tasted by Atwellian on 11/12/2011 & rated 83 points: Better than last bottle. Still a bit thin but his bottle had better balance. Black currant, chocolate, weak mid-palate, decent finish. Still not a great QPR. (1777 views) | |
Tasted by goodericman on 11/4/2011 & rated 85 points: Just ok. Slight mustiness that blew off after about an hour. It's possible the bottle was slightly corked. Previously had a corked bottle from this supplier. But after some time, mellow cabernet and merlot flavors emerge, but with with a slight metallic taste. Short finish. Relatively simple wine. (1739 views) | |
Tasted by Anonymous on 10/31/2011 & rated 90 points: there was some good complexity here, very smooth, - great blend - looking forward to the next bottle at some point in the future (1719 views) | |
Tasted by Iceman611 on 10/22/2011 & rated 89 points: Exceptionally dry, dusty earth dominates the flavor profile. Even with cheese this is an interesting but tough wine. (1671 views) | |
Tasted by lizaambler on 10/17/2011 & rated 84 points: Needs more time. Extremely dry, with some bitterness. (1693 views) | |
Tasted by nlassow on 10/17/2011: Really needs air time. we gave it an hour+. Like other notes mention this is for sure the little brother to the white label. Would have expected the Merlot to add a nice layer of complexity to this but falls short of expectations. Not bad, but not going to impress anyone. (1820 views) | |
Tasted by DAE on 10/16/2011 & rated 88 points: Needs at least 30 minutes of breathing and then really develops. (1714 views) | |
Tasted by Atwellian on 10/13/2011 & rated 81 points: Pleasant, simple, not particularly interesting. Lacks depth, complexity, and not enough acidity or tannins for balance. Some bitter notes. Smooth finish. (1590 views) | |
Tasted by mikeaukenbals on 10/6/2011 & rated 89 points: after drinking both, i'm guessing that the black label is clearly inferior to white label. nothing special and still a bit tight now. (1707 views) |
Wow--Spectator gives it 92 and I happen to be able to buy this $60 (retail release price) wine for just $20. But after I read the CT notes, I'm not going to buy it. The combined weight of many drinkers' cautionary notes , including some mid-80s scores, is concerning. I am not one to proclaim that only the wine pros can properly understand a wine--that would be ridiculous.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
She's got "legs" and knows how to use them
The phenomenon, called the Gibbs-Marangoni effect after the two scientists who first explained it, occurs because of four properties of chemical physics. First, if the molecular attraction between solids and liquids called interfacial tension is slightly greater than thesurface tension which holds the liquid molecules together, the liquid "crawls" up the glass (assuming the glass is clean). Of wine's two primary components, alcohol evaporates faster than water. As the ethanol evaporates, gravity takes over, the surface tension is broken and the water runs back down into the glass in rivulets. These "legs" or "tears" are observable because of the difference in the way alcohol and water each refract light. The phenomenon occurs most readily in wines above 12% alcohol. Although ethanol, wine's primary alcohol, is a major contributor to the "body" of a wine, a high content does not alone guarantee fullness or texture in wine.
APPLICATION: Legs are the Lava Lamps of wine tasting; they provide contemplative amusement, but shed precious little illumination on the subject at hand. Next time someone showily remarks that a wine "has great legs," explain the principal and enlighten them. Or don't. In fact, you may get more satisfaction from chiming-in that you think "the wine also displays a great ass" and let it go at that. For a good parlor trick, cover a "weeping" glass with a card. The effect stops (no evaporation). Remove the card, the glass soon returns to "tears".
(photo credits to ShutterStop and The Bottle Stop)
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Distributors going out of business
There isn't much press on this (which is interesting in and of itself), but I've learned that two of my wine distributors went out of business. They are Domaine Selections and Bacchus.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Auction madness
The economy must be getting better:
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
reds versus whites
Here is a stunner:
Wine and Your Health: Getting Real
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There are reasons to think that wine consumption will slowly decline in the US, according to this article by Rob McMillan. Crushing stude...
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Here are two articles on wine and our health: 1. First article : Grapes are a superfood that lower bad chloresterol. Many of their healthy ...