EDF Wine thread
02-03-2010
, 02:06 AM
I will edumacate you a little
French wine is organised into small categories of wine called appellations. Appellations designate a geographic area of France, but also specify rules about what can and can't be done with the wine. For example, the appellation rules may specify which grapes can be used and whether irrigation is permitted, etc etc. Rather than labelling the wine with the varieties of grapes used, as is done in the New World, France labels the bottles with appellations. Since the same grape variety can be used to make very distinct styles of wine, the idea is that the appellation labels a certain style of wine.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape (translated: Castle of the Nine Popes) is a village and associated appellation in the southern Rhone Valley, in Southeastern France. So the wine you had wasn't exactly "called" Chateauneuf-du-Pape, that's more like the category of wine you had. The wine would be distinguished from other Chateauneuf-du-Papes by the name of the winery who made it. A number of grapes are permitted in the wine but most common are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. The wines are very well regarded and 1995 was a pretty good vintage which will be reaching its prime drinking window about now.
Wow this turned into an essay
02-03-2010
, 02:48 AM
Quote:
Hi NYCJOSH!
I will edumacate you a little
French wine is organised into small categories of wine called appellations. Appellations designate a geographic area of France, but also specify rules about what can and can't be done with the wine. For example, the appellation rules may specify which grapes can be used and whether irrigation is permitted, etc etc. Rather than labelling the wine with the varieties of grapes used, as is done in the New World, France labels the bottles with appellations. Since the same grape variety can be used to make very distinct styles of wine, the idea is that the appellation labels a certain style of wine.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape (translated: Castle of the Nine Popes) is a village and associated appellation in the southern Rhone Valley, in Southeastern France. So the wine you had wasn't exactly "called" Chateauneuf-du-Pape, that's more like the category of wine you had. The wine would be distinguished from other Chateauneuf-du-Papes by the name of the winery who made it. A number of grapes are permitted in the wine but most common are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. The wines are very well regarded and 1995 was a pretty good vintage which will be reaching its prime drinking window about now.
Wow this turned into an essay
I will edumacate you a little
French wine is organised into small categories of wine called appellations. Appellations designate a geographic area of France, but also specify rules about what can and can't be done with the wine. For example, the appellation rules may specify which grapes can be used and whether irrigation is permitted, etc etc. Rather than labelling the wine with the varieties of grapes used, as is done in the New World, France labels the bottles with appellations. Since the same grape variety can be used to make very distinct styles of wine, the idea is that the appellation labels a certain style of wine.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape (translated: Castle of the Nine Popes) is a village and associated appellation in the southern Rhone Valley, in Southeastern France. So the wine you had wasn't exactly "called" Chateauneuf-du-Pape, that's more like the category of wine you had. The wine would be distinguished from other Chateauneuf-du-Papes by the name of the winery who made it. A number of grapes are permitted in the wine but most common are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. The wines are very well regarded and 1995 was a pretty good vintage which will be reaching its prime drinking window about now.
Wow this turned into an essay
02-05-2010
, 06:17 PM
02-10-2010
, 05:51 PM
02-11-2010
, 01:15 AM
02-11-2010
, 10:50 AM
02-13-2010
, 08:58 PM
02-14-2010
, 07:31 PM
02-14-2010
, 08:16 PM
here is a good link to some decanting advice on ports:
http://fortheloveofport.com/zhidden/...e-hersh-method
Roy gives his general times at teh bottom of the page
AA, let me know how you like the igneous when you get it. It may need a long decant
had this with a rib eye that I pan grilled. Rhys is an awesome producer and is well worth getting on their mailing list. They mainly focus on pinot and it'll take a bit to clear the wait list, but they are easily my favorite cali producer:
http://fortheloveofport.com/zhidden/...e-hersh-method
Roy gives his general times at teh bottom of the page
AA, let me know how you like the igneous when you get it. It may need a long decant
had this with a rib eye that I pan grilled. Rhys is an awesome producer and is well worth getting on their mailing list. They mainly focus on pinot and it'll take a bit to clear the wait list, but they are easily my favorite cali producer:
- 2006 Rhys Alesia Syrah Fairview Ranch - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (2/14/2010)
nose: rich and expressive tones of black fruits, some smoke, dark red cherries, berries and a touch of cedary oak. Excellent depth and still a bit tight
taste: real good full body with a suave feel to it. Good tannins with delicious tones of black licorice, black fruits, some smoke tones, dark red cherries, and dark berries
overall: this got a good long decant of about 3 1/2 hours. Smooth and rich feel on the palate with a polished sense to it as well. Good depth and a real tasty syrah (90 pts.)
02-14-2010
, 11:38 PM
02-15-2010
, 01:57 AM
nycballer,
If you construct a fake wine review out of chunks of real wine reviews, nobody will notice
A "tight" nose is not at all mysterious. It means that the aroma is not very strong. It's the opposite of "explosive" or "aromatic". You'll also see "closed" for this.
Can't say I've ever seen "round" used for a nose, but when used about the palate it's the opposite of "sharp", basically meaning "intense", i.e. that the flavour sticks out. Examples of sharp flavours would be things like black pepper, lime zest, mint etc.
The use of synaesthetic descriptors - using tactile/visual ideas like "round" to describe flavors - seems strange to you because you're not into wine, but you wouldn't have difficulty with it in other contexts. For example, if I gave you the colours bright red, dark orange and light sky blue and asked you which was most like the noise a trumpet makes, I would be shocked if you didn't say the bright red. If I asked you which was the most "smooth" (as opposed to "spiky" or "sharp") I think you would be odds on to say the blue as well.
As for weird descriptors like pencil lead, people can sometimes go overboard on these things. But the more a wine reviewer can say about the impressions a wine gives him, over time this means that people who read that reviewer can predict whether they will like a wine or not. For instance, I once read a review where a Cabernet was described as tasting like "crushed rocks". I later had the wine and could see exactly what the guy meant and liked that feature of the wine. So if I see that in a review from him again later then I'll think "Hey, maybe I'll like that wine too".
If you construct a fake wine review out of chunks of real wine reviews, nobody will notice
A "tight" nose is not at all mysterious. It means that the aroma is not very strong. It's the opposite of "explosive" or "aromatic". You'll also see "closed" for this.
Can't say I've ever seen "round" used for a nose, but when used about the palate it's the opposite of "sharp", basically meaning "intense", i.e. that the flavour sticks out. Examples of sharp flavours would be things like black pepper, lime zest, mint etc.
The use of synaesthetic descriptors - using tactile/visual ideas like "round" to describe flavors - seems strange to you because you're not into wine, but you wouldn't have difficulty with it in other contexts. For example, if I gave you the colours bright red, dark orange and light sky blue and asked you which was most like the noise a trumpet makes, I would be shocked if you didn't say the bright red. If I asked you which was the most "smooth" (as opposed to "spiky" or "sharp") I think you would be odds on to say the blue as well.
As for weird descriptors like pencil lead, people can sometimes go overboard on these things. But the more a wine reviewer can say about the impressions a wine gives him, over time this means that people who read that reviewer can predict whether they will like a wine or not. For instance, I once read a review where a Cabernet was described as tasting like "crushed rocks". I later had the wine and could see exactly what the guy meant and liked that feature of the wine. So if I see that in a review from him again later then I'll think "Hey, maybe I'll like that wine too".