Precision

• November 2009

  Claybe - in fact, nothing is a good pairing with the Thanksgiving dinner. Someone mentioned a chardonnay overpowering the sides - it will be precisely the opposite problem. Think about it - you have turkey. Let's assume you roasted it. Most people overcook them and also insist... Read moreClaybe - in fact, nothing is a good pairing with the Thanksgiving dinner. Someone mentioned a chardonnay overpowering the sides - it will be precisely the opposite problem. Think about it - you have turkey. Let's assume you roasted it. Most people overcook them and also insist on putting them on their backs as they roast and rest, making the \juices run away from the breast, thereby ensuring that it's dry and inedible. But if you have a nice turkey, it's like roast chicken - one of the most versatile meats around. Goes with countless whites and any number of reds, from aged Rioja to Chianti to Cote du Rhone to old Bordeaux to fruity Pinot Noir to Zin to you get the picture. There's not one perfect match because turkey by itself works with almost everything. But you aren't pairing the wine with turkey. You're pairing it with gravy, yams, onions, herbs, cranberries, etc. People tend to make cranberries sweet (please don't say you're eating those things in a can) because cranberries have lots of acid. Much more than the wine. So now you have a fruit that's going to throw the balance of the wine out of whack. That's an impossible pairing. Then you have stuffing. Maybe you used sausage, oysters, chestnuts, cornbread, or who knows what. That's a whole separate problem. Potatoes are OK but if you have sweet potatoes, that's another issue, especially if you make them even sweeter with something like maple syrup. So in the end, there is no perfect match for the meal. There rarely is anyhow, but in the case of Thanksgiving, it's just about impossible to pair one wine with all the diverse dishes. Something like a Sauternes or sweet wine might actually work. But many people don't like those. Therefore I think the best move is not to worry about it at all and simply open and serve the wine that you love. It's really a lot less stressful. I gave up worrying about perfect pairings years ago. Regarding the pie - something ridiculously sweet like a tawny port or a really sweet sherry would be just fine. Coffee would be even better. If you have a vintage Port, I'd just have some nuts and cheese instead of pie. And if you have a large gathering, there's no reason not to open a few different bottles and let people just select what they want. My mother only drinks whites and usually only riesling, so we always have that and it's always off-dry, not dry. Something like lambrusco is a great idea, or a light fruity pinot, zin, tempranillo, garnacha, or similar wine.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Best Recommendations for... by GregT

  
  

• November 2009

  A precise recommendation really simmers down to how you sauce or otherwise prepare your stew, and the ingredients besides the beef. As well as the types of reds you like....

  Forum post in the topic Beef Stew and ?? ($25 range) by dmcker

  
  
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  November 2009

  Ramey Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2007

  Snoothrank: Starting at $34^.34

  This delicious Chardonnay manages to be light on its feet yet filled with rich citrus and mineral flavors and a crisp and precise feel in the mouth. Well balanced and easy on the palate, with a sense of purity and transparency that suggest it will age well.

  Wine review by Winebork

  
  
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  November 2009

  Tenuta Sette Ponti Crognolo 2007

  Snoothrank:

  Reticent on the nose but obviously deep and layered with slow to emerge jammy, spicy fruit with a nuance of oaky cocoa and a touch of a tarry, very extracted tone. In the mouth this is rich and powerful with ripe, precise fruit that shows fine balance and good mineral cut. With air... Read moreReticent on the nose but obviously deep and layered with slow to emerge jammy, spicy fruit with a nuance of oaky cocoa and a touch of a tarry, very extracted tone. In the mouth this is rich and powerful with ripe, precise fruit that shows fine balance and good mineral cut. With air this gains a lovely black cherry tone with some youthfully chalky tannins that don’t detract from the wine and add length to the finish. 92pts    (hide)

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
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  November 2009

  Fattoria di Gracciano Svetoni Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Torcalvano 2006

  Snoothrank:

  Shy at first with reticent notes of leather and funk emerging from the glass. With time this really integrates well with lovely notes of roses, white flowers and talc adding some detail to the dark, jammy, blackberry fruit. In the mouth this is chunky, dark and young with big... Read moreShy at first with reticent notes of leather and funk emerging from the glass. With time this really integrates well with lovely notes of roses, white flowers and talc adding some detail to the dark, jammy, blackberry fruit. In the mouth this is chunky, dark and young with big tannins. The fruit is backed by a big clay tone, and the mouthfeel remains structured and precise, if not fruit driven with a nice spicy finish. 88pts    (hide)

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
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  November 2009

  Chateau St. Jean Robert Young Vineyard Chardonnay 2006

  Snoothrank:

  I rate this Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay only a tad behind the outstanding 2006 Chardonnay from the Robert Young Estate Winery itself,and since the price of the Chateau St. Jean version is about half as much, it is a relative bargain. Quite a different style than the Robert Young... Read moreI rate this Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay only a tad behind the outstanding 2006 Chardonnay from the Robert Young Estate Winery itself,and since the price of the Chateau St. Jean version is about half as much, it is a relative bargain. Quite a different style than the Robert Young Estate Winery bottling - a little less fruit-driven, a little spicier and toastier, and with a livelier, higher-acid feel to it. Excellent, rich, complex nose of ripe peach fruit and a heavy dose of nutmeg/cloves spices and butterscotch. Ripe, full texture, but with plenty of acidity backing it up, making it feel crisp, clean, and precise. Really an excellent price for a Chardonnay this classy.    (hide)

  Wine review by Winebork

  
  

• November 2009

  Roast Duck is great with Pinot. I like the combination of mushroom and filet, ie beef wellingtonesque dishes I would characterize the styles as Burgundian for the Felton Road and very much what Oregon is hoping for with the Maysara. So one wine is rather bright and precise while... Read moreRoast Duck is great with Pinot. I like the combination of mushroom and filet, ie beef wellingtonesque dishes I would characterize the styles as Burgundian for the Felton Road and very much what Oregon is hoping for with the Maysara. So one wine is rather bright and precise while the other is earthier, a bit more obviously oaky and certainly a little denser. Epoisses can make Pinot explode.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Recipe needed that will make... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
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  November 2009

  Vigna Rionda Massolino Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda 1989

  Snoothrank:

  This was a great change of pace with a nose decidedly on the mineral, austere, and strict end of the spectrum It was spicy with oak and mineral tones, though the oak was almost all absorbed leaving just a hint of spicy cinnamon, sweet baking spice and Graham cracker that added to the... Read moreThis was a great change of pace with a nose decidedly on the mineral, austere, and strict end of the spectrum It was spicy with oak and mineral tones, though the oak was almost all absorbed leaving just a hint of spicy cinnamon, sweet baking spice and Graham cracker that added to the bouquet. The fruit was intact, spicy and sweet with limestone and incipient notes of truffle adding depth. On the palate this was seamless with a soft and sweet entry, which builds to a sweet, black, plummy midpalate that is precisely balanced with very fine tannin and acids. The acids and mineral note draw out the finish giving this cut and fantastic definition and length as the finish segues from fruit to a sweet baking spice finale. This is very youthful but a gorgeous wine. 95pts    (hide)

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
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  November 2009

  Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero 1989

  Snoothrank:

  This smelled quite bloody at first, down right like an abattoir but with ... presented itself with great precision possessing a lovely sweetness matched by the complex, layered notes of dried herbs, earth, tobacco and salted capers that drove through the long, powerful finish.... Read moreThis smelled quite bloody at first, down right like an abattoir but with ... presented itself with great precision possessing a lovely sweetness matched by the complex, layered notes of dried herbs, earth, tobacco and salted capers that drove through the long, powerful finish. 2009-2030 93pt    (hide)

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
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  November 2009

  Tenuta Caretta Barolo Cannubi 1989

  Snoothrank:

  Perhaps the surprise of the evening with a simply knockout array of aromatics. Classic notes of prosciutto fat, old Middle Eastern spice tones, smoke, leather, mint and minerals are all enmeshed in a precise core of crystallized red raspberry fruit. In the mouth this was fine but... Read morePerhaps the surprise of the evening with a simply knockout array of aromatics. Classic notes of prosciutto fat, old Middle Eastern spice tones, smoke, leather, mint and minerals are all enmeshed in a precise core of crystallized red raspberry fruit. In the mouth this was fine but lacked the punch promised by the nose though there was plenty of rich, dark fruit with an almost salty mineral edge that added nice length to the wine. The tannins here are significant and pretty hard so while this will definitely benefit from some added time in the cellar to soften them I doubt they will ever actually resolve. A wine I would prefer to drink too early, while the fruit is still intact, than too late, when the tannins will be all that remains. Still a great bottle of wine to drink until 2019. 92pts    (hide)

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

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