asked this question while tasting with Peter and Eduardo Ojeda, cellar master at Valdespino and La Guita. Here is what the interweb says is the definition of the word sapid: -- Perceptible to the sense of taste; having flavor. Doesn't it seem like an acidic wine? And obviously it's an oxidized wine, right? And no! Peter agreed. Anyway.At

Well made Bandol rosé definitely improves with age. This Pradeaux rose is only a year old, but already offers a glimpse of what time in the cellar will do. Been so busy lately with work that I just haven't had time to write here. But I want to share some recent "Whoa," wine and food that really knocked me out. More, please. Briny.

It's funny to think of a Sherry like Inocente as a candidate for the cellar. knew about this idea, and I know also that Jesus Barquin and Eduardo Ojeda of Equipo Navazos say that their biologically aged Sherries should be cellared for at least a year or two before drinking. little cloudy, almost. Yes, as it turns out.

I could probably grow old drinking exactly what's in my cellar now and be perfectly happy. This past month I bought two wines that are new to me and both, I must say, were excellent wines, things I would definitely buy again. like to drink it cool - cellar temperature, as you would a Beaujolais. So I'm trying to do this again.

If you know in advance that you will be opening a bottle of wine a few days from now, I suggest standing it up vertically in the cellar to let the sediment fall to the bottom of the bottle. It's not just an aesthetic issue—the sediment can be bitter, and its presence definitely changes the flavors of the wine. generally don't. Steak.

This year's best though is the Damiani Wine Cellars semi-dry Riesling 2010. Best Red - For me, this was definitely a year for the white wines, passing up some of my favorite reds all year and those I did taste were mostly mediocre at best. I guess saying that 2011 was not as eventful as 2010 would be understating it a little.

was in Jerez in October , and one night I had dinner at La Carbona with Peter Liem and Eduardo Ojeda, the cellar master at La Guita and Valdespino. loved this wine too, although it is definitely different from the other Lahaye wines I've had. Well, of the last few months anyway. And La Carbona is by not even a steakhouse.

This is definitely a wine that showcases ripe dark fruit, but that's only a part of the package. This is absolutely top notch wine, I bet it would improve with time in the cellar, and it sells for $20 before a mixed case discount. I've been having a hard time with red wine lately. There could be many reasons for my bias.

This, of course, ignores the fact that fino is by definition an aged wine, being anywhere from three to ten years old when it is bottled. The term palma is used by cellarmasters in their classification of the various casks in the cellar. For me, it's definitely a fino-amontillado now. So without further ado.

waiting for our 7pm dinner and what a fabulous day we have had at the Palais Coburg, viewing multi-million dollar wine cellars and meeting the celebrities of the wine world. Of course, everyone loved the Roumieu -- the 2008 Merryvale raised eyebrows as some asked "is this new vintage 'fine wine' and what is a good definition of fine wine.'".

Rich and assertive with a residual sugar of 8 grams per litre that is just under the legal definition of "dry." Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars semi Dry Riesling 2010. News USA 2010 finger lake rieslings dr frank's vinifera wine cellars genora hunt country vineyards keuka spring vineyards lakewood vineyardsFull flavored.

If I really wanted to drink a Lafon Meursault nowadays, I'd have to buy a bottle at auction because I've been told that, like many of Burgundy's great wines, these require many years of cellaring before they reveal all that they have to offer. I drank a white wine by Domaine des Comtes Lafon the other night the first time I have ever done so.

decided to open a bottle that isn't important to me, something that I would cull from my cellar. Look at my notes from Cellar Tracker and you'll see what I mean: 2/9/2008 : up there with the very finest Bourgogne i've ever had. Seems like a solid candidate for cellar-culling, no? This is an idea that I firmly believe in.

Well, we had places to go and people to see, so back on the road heading for Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars. Our first time at the Blue Heron and will definitely return when back in the region. Around the lake and now heading north on the East side our first stop was Ravines Wine Cellars. at least for now).

Its founders, Jesús Barquín and Eduardo Ojeda, recommend that their biologically aged wines, the ones that are aged under flor , be cellared for a few years in order to reach their full potential of complexity and harmony. He likes to cellar Inocente for at least a year, he says. Peter said that the wine was absolutely fabulous. Bliss.

I'm aware of storage as an issue, and I know that the wines I've drunk in the very cellars where they were made are among the best wines I've had. Truly perfect storage is next to impossible, outside of the cellar that birthed the wine. Not tasted, necessarily, and definitely not aromatically young. They felt young.

So flawed definition and all, I convened the panel and we tasted 2009 "basic" German Riesling. 2009 Reichsrat Von Buhl Deidesheimer Herrgottsacker Riesling trocken , $16, Rudi Wiest Selections/Imported by Cellars International. 2009 Fritz Haag Rie sling , $18, Rudi Wiest Selections/Imported by Cellars International. some do not.

also learned about several producers whose wines I really liked, and would consider buying for my cellar. The other day I had the opportunity to taste wines representing all 7 of the Grand Cru climats of Chablis, something that I had never before done in one sitting. The Wine Doctor has a nice page that describes these vineyards, by the way.

This one will definitely have a place in my cellar. Following my interview with Jean-Marie Fourrier, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend a Domaine Fourrier tasting that featured several wines from the 2008 and 2009 vintages. Fourrier's importer Neal Rosenthal organized the event. So different from the 2009.

The wine school definition of filtration that I learned is this - 'filtration is the acceleration of the process of sedimentation.' We were friends, we tasted in each others' cellars, we opened bottles together, we really got to know each other. But to do that, you need a cold and humid cellar. didn't want to rack the wines.

Most of us would say yes, and that's probably because his practices in the vineyard and in the cellar reflect the values that are encapsulated within the grower Champagne ethos. Unless I am misunderstanding the definition of grower Champagne, Roederer's wines are grower wines, except for the NV Brut. have, and it's all pretty silly.

The palate is a disaster - way too evolved, no definition, not flawed, but unpleasant. Not too long ago I retrieved some wine from off-site storage, things that I meant to drink at about this point in their lives (and in mine), and also a few things to check in on. The results have not been terribly impressive so far. Live and learn.

So I got together with a group of Burgundy loving friends who all dug deeply into their cellars and we drank a load of wine - top producers, from villages to Grand Cru. Some of the wines greatly improved over the course of a few days, shedding bulk, gaining definition. The weather was not good - lots of rain and a lot of rot. Vivant.

The daughter was there in the Lafouge cellars, inside her mommy's belly, when her mommy tasted this very wine (and spat, thank you very much). 2nd daughter will definitely get something interesting from one or more of these producers. I've been thinking a little bit about birth year wines lately. So this producer is meaningful too.

Definitely a good party wine. Last March I posted a press release on a new collection of artisan wines in an innovative attractive new package. An international wine collection with six brands and ten items packaged in a new exciting premium 3L wine cask from the Octavin Home Wine Bar ™. The Chardonnay was not impressive.

One of the first things we're doing in the cellar around February is starting to pull samples of the wines that have finished secondary fermentation and running some rudimentary analysis to get a handle on what we have. Very definite impression of salt, minerality and dark red fruits. Finishes nicely. 3) Sweeter than the others. Chewy.

If I were showing Baudry's Rosé to other people who had never had it, or if I were cellaring some for the future, I'd take the 2008. The alcohol is under 11%, the wine is dry and full of minerals and it is definitely interesting. I try not to do laundry list posts that sound like "here's what I drank recently." Sigh of relief.

Very tight aromatically, but there are hints of chalky rock and citrus fruit, and there is a definite oxidative character to the fruit. The 2005 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis , about $25, imported by Wine Cellars (acquired from a private collection) was a ripe and fleshy wine that showed lots of flesh and interest for a regional wine.

What was spectacular about the event that it was not simply a lunch in the main dining room, but in the private cellar where presidents such as Richard Nixon and movie stars such as Liz Taylor kept their private bottles in decades past. Guests at the 21 Club. Did you know that the U.S. Over 20 million bottles were shipped to the U.S.

The Marques de Concha Casa, at $20, was definitely the best of the three, although the Casillero del Diablo was a great buy. This is the third of the Carmenere wines I tasted this month. As I stated in my previous two articles, Carmenere is one of the wines I've pushed aside in the past, but have placed on a list to re-examine in 2010.

It has good acidity and will probably improve over the next 5-plus years in the cellar, and I'm happy to have a few more bottles to watch this unfold. have less experience with the 2007 Gilbert Picq Chablis 1er Cru Vosgros , $29, Polaner Imports, than I do with the Vieille Vignes, but in 2007 this wine is a definite step up.

The Pavelot Dominode showed a definite layer of gravelly stone underneath the pure and spicy red fruits. It had a lovely perfume and although it was drinking very well, it never fully unraveled and I imagine that it will do very well with 7-10 years of cellaring. Why Savigny-lès-Beaune? They lie on hills with southern exposure. Flawed?

began by reading and talking to friends, and this definitely served me well. Unless you often buy at auction, or have been buying and cellaring wine for a very long time, you're probably like me - you drink scores of younger wines for every truly mature bottle you drink. hope I have the patience to cellar wines for decades like this.

The winery is Cline Cellars. One of the first wineries on the road to wine country, Cline Cellars is located 45 minutes north of San Francisco in Sonoma-Carneros. The tasting room is located in an 1850s farmhouse and the wine is the Cline Cellars Cashmere 2008. This disease is not reserved for just women. Here's what I learned.

ve got no money or no space in the cellar or whatever, I’m just going to miss it.”. My own sense is that five to 10 years ago, Riesling was definitely in on the ascent. Is Riesling a hard sell? Has the bubble burst on his Champagnes made by those who grow the grapes? Just how good is 2009? We discussed these topics–and more.

The same sensibility extends to the cellar, where she makes the wines without filtration, without cold-stabilization and without any sulfur at disgorgement. would love to give you detailed tasting notes, but we attacked the Prévost and Selosse before drinking this, and that's definitely the wrong order for these wines. Perhaps fewer.

It's like smelling and drinking a textbook definition of Rhône Syrah: meaty, olive-y, deeply fruited, and peppery, floral hints in the background. This is a wine that deserves to survive the next decade in the cellar so it can reveal all of its charms. Joseph. Pierre Gonon planted his family's white grape vines there in the late '50s.

This is not complicated wine, nor does it seem to be a good candidate for the cellar, but it is perfect in its simplicity. thought it was great, with a mineral imbued darkly fruited nose, very clean, and a deeply fruited palate with grainy texture and firm tannins that will support more than a few years in the cellar.

I'll be back to Fox Run for the annual Deck the Halls event and will definitely bring home some more. Sometime near the end of the year, I would like to post all that I have learned and the wines that I have come to enjoy over the past two years. Tonight, Shirley baked trout with Cajun spices, cole slaw, corn and Cajun fries.

Parker opined after the flight that it was very definitely a Medoc and probably a first growth. When he said, “the worst thing you could do is die with a full cellar,” the room burst into laughter and a smattering of applause. On Wednesday evening I attended a tasting of fifteen wines from Bordeaux 2005. Parker called it “shut down.”

am definitely one of those people. thought the 2007 was delicious at first too but it was also very angular and sharp, needing time in the cellar find its inner harmony. Without hesitation he said "Muscadet." It tickles me that this guy whose wines sell for hundreds of dollars a bottle, drinks $15 Muscadet.

We blind-tasted the wines and individually picked our two favorites for current drinking, along with a wine that we would want for the cellar. Keith declared that he would happily buy his favorite for his own cellar. The Huards was unanimously selected as the wine we would want in the cellar for aging. Alice loved this wine.

love Burgundy and Beaujolais, and Poulsard is definitely of the same phenotype. Beautiful now, and seems like a good candidate for the cellar. I've recently emerged from a bit of a "red wine stand-still." I've wanted to branch out some more. Not merely for the sake of branching out - I wish there was more red wine that I really like.

Hard to be more definitive than that. It requires skill in the cheese cellar and it is time consuming and expensive -- "For the cheese producer, the great advantage to vacuum-sealing in plastic is that it eliminates all the turning, rubbing, and brushing of traditional aging." Edward Behr does not use that kind of language often.

Gouges wines, in general, require a lot of time in the cellar before revealing their charms. Adam and I both thought that the wine was excellent, although we both thought it would continue to improve with a few more years of cellaring. The fruit is dark and smoky, and is infused with a subtle but definite animale character.

Savennières wines are world-class whites from Chenin Blanc, wines with enormous cellaring potential, but they are wines that can be austere in their youth, like a barren moonscape - nothing but rocks and sand. Both the 2002 and the 2004 Bel Ouvrage seem like they will develop beautifully with cellar time. Why the outsider status?

just checked my cellar notes and 19 out the last 23 bottles of Chinon that I drank at home were Baudry wines. This is a vigneron who is still establishing himself, and who seems to be doing the right things in the vineyards and in the cellar. great example of modern Chinon - nicely ripe and extracted, and still definitely of its place.

Our first stop was at Damiani Wine Cellars. put this stop first because it is definitely my favorite New York winery. short ride north of Damiani is the Red Newt Cellars. I am just sitting back enjoying one of the many New York Finger Lakes wines I brought home from last weeks tour. The first was a must do. They were all sweet.

At the top of my list is Dashe Cellars. I'm not bringing this home to mommy anytime soon, but trust me, this is definitely worth a looksee. Dry Creek Valley has become a Mecca of sorts for those seeking world class zinfandel. Make no mistake about it, these wines will age gracefully. on the finish. I'd be remiss not to mention A.

The fourth vintage of Polish Hill, it was bottled under cork (they switched to screwcap around 2000) and had mid-shoulder fill (if the bottle had shoulders, that is) and came directly from the cellar of Jeffrey Grosset (pictured right), one of only a few bottles remaining. At the outset, it was a single vineyard wine of tiny production.

Although ready to drink now, the vibrant acidity of this wine will reward additional cellar aging. Definitely a wine I am going to stock up on. I am just going to begin by saying the Clos Du Bois Calcaire 2006 is probably the best Chardonnay I have ever had. Made me feel good, I don't win that often. Drink now through 2011."

La Bota de Manzanilla #8 is pungent on the nose with brisk salt air and a rich nuttiness, all framed by a subtle character that I just don't know how to describe, other than to say that it smells like a beautiful old wine cellar. 8 is no longer available and I don't know the price, #9 retails for about $65. Excitement!

A few weeks ago, I reviewed a Fingerlakes red table wine from Damiani Wine Cellars of Hector, NY. This was definitely not one of them. Although I do mostly white wine in the summer (some reds), this will definitely be on my list for the cool evenings on the patio or when friends come over to just chill out.

love Cuvée Domaine in general because although it is most definitely a serious wine that benefits from short to mid term aging, it drinks beautifully when young. In that year the wine was deeper and more structured than usual, and although delicious, seemed to need overnight air before showing its best, or perhaps a bit of time in the cellar.

ChampagneGuide.net offers a complete description of Boulard's history, vineyard and cellar work, and you should subscribe if you haven't already done so, and check it out. MMIII most definitely showed the hot muscle-car character of 2003, although it retained it's elegant side too. I'm thinking.wait for it.herbed roast leg of lamb.

By Days 3-5, this was clearly progressing in a much more elegant fashion than the East Bench or Paso Robles, without losing definition or dark fruit notes. Tags: Cellar Selection 2004 2 stars USA Central California 3 stars Ridge Vineyards 2007 Sonoma Napa Valley I'm happy to say that 2007 zinfandel so far has exceeded expectations.

This is the "entry level" wine, which is a joke because it is a complete wine, ripe, complex, cellar-worthy. Great definition and clarity for a full bodied wine from the Roussillan, with a lovely perfume of ripe fruit and lots of interesting mineral and soil tones. think we have another two years of hard times ahead, maybe more.

Also, much better at cellar temp than at room temperature. This will definitely appeal right now to folks who like a richer and more concentrated style. used to participate regularly in WBW - it was one of the reasons that I started blogging. even hosted once , a little over a year ago. Recently I've kind of dropped the ball. wonder.is

The palate still has some grip - this wine will most definitely improve with 3-5 in the cellar, but it is smooth and approachable now, and entirely delicious with ripe fruit and snappy acidity. Literally, it is as easy as this: break the stale bread apart into chunks and plop them in the blender or food processor. Mmmm, pork-a-licious.

Jeremy has access to an incredible cellar loaded with wonderful wines from all over France - he can pull out whatever he likes for dinner. think I basically maintained my dignity, but I definitely was emitting the "I covet" vibe. Jeremy Seysses in the cellar. "I consider myself primarily a grape grower." - Jeremy Seysses.

These are definite crowd pleasers that won’t break your wallet. Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, Cinsaut, these are the most popular grapes of Southern France and vignerons (French winemakers) play around with them in the cellars to create their own identities. Ah, the Holidays. Speaking of the perfect gift what about wine.

Every visit without exception was excellent, an incredible learning experience, compelling wines, and the excitement each time of walking into a dark cellar full of barrels, glass in hand - what wines will they pour and what will they taste like? One of my favorites was our visit to the cellars of Philippe Pacalet in Beaune.

Think about it for a moment - the wine has been in barrels large enough to hold about 300 bottles worth, resting in a cold humid cellar for a year. There are definite clues, but it's tough to be exact. People who know about the evolution of wine from barrel to bottle to cellar through the years. Why would it be difficult?

Lunch was definitely in order, and so we went to La Toute Petite Auberge in Vosne-Romanée where I ate a wonderful entrecôte of Charolais beef. If money were no object, I would buy that 04 we had with out lunch for my own cellar. I'm happy with the little Burgundy cellar I've amassed, but I'm way over-represented by $50 wines.

Based on my utterly informal and amateur observations, there are some 2005 Muscadets that will cellar very well, and others that might not improve all that much. I'm not sure that there is much point in long-term cellaring this one. The top vineyard in the estate and always a wine worth cellaring. That they don't age as well?

At this price point, this is a wine that I would definitely recommend to anyone who is interested in the Northern Rh ô ne. Let me tell you that Lyle was completely and absolutely right about this wine - it was wonderful and totally compelling (I already purchased more for the cellar). Most of the reds were just too enormous for me.

In honor of their 20th anniversary, the Dressner folk dug into the cellar and set out a load of wines from their inaugural vintage. These are piercing wines of great definition, and they can seem like turtles, just their head visible underneath all of that shell. The Italian wines - I didn't taste 'em. How thoughtful is that?

So wasn't Deetrane lucky that one of the head honchos at Acker Merrall, where he cellars all of his wine, contacted him say that another client was looking to buy Brunello with a few years of age under $100 a bottle. This is a definite buy 4-bottles and drink over the next 18 months wine. Very busy times lately, as you know.

Coeur D' Alene Cellars founded in 2002 is located in Coeur D'Alene Idaho just east of the Northeastern border of Washington State. Coeur D'Alene Cellars focuses mostly on the Rhone varietals Syrah and Viognier along with Cabernet Franc and the of course the usual suspects Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Idaho? Yes, Idaho. Cheers

This is the one that I must buy for my own cellar. should pull the few bottles I have out of the cellar and drink them over the next year or two. love these wines, but let me tell you - they definitely got a mixed reception from this crowd. The more I learn about wine, the more I realize that I don't know. Who knew. Raveneau.I

It isn't a wine to be cellared, but its forest berries and nice structure made it a very nice quaffer, especially at $9 a bottle. But definitely check out an Aragon wine if you are presented with the opportunity. OK, maybe it is just geographically challenged Wine Tasting Guy who doesn't know where Aragon is. But I found out today.

They can be funky and a bit rustic, but they evolve beautifully in the glass and in the cellar, and offer a clean and pure expression of the terroir that is Layon. This is a definite re-buy, although the price forces me to consider the occasion instead of just grabbing another and tucking it away, as I would if it were under $20.

So off to Chase Wine Cellars to visit my (new) friend Jeff Blaum. Definitely a great food wine. From Chase Cellars I called the people of The Terraces Winery. It was started by Heidi Barrett (Screaming Eagle) and finished by Russell Bevan (Bevan Cellars) - two winemakers with two VERY different personalities. Nice wines.

wine I will definitely keep an eye out for in the future. tasted some nice Chardonnays by Foxglove/ Varner Wines , L'Angevin , DuMol and Neiman cellars. Drew Neiman of Neiman Cellars is someone I had not met before, but whom I engaged in conversation as I noticed a wine I was familiar with on his table. don't know. great wine.

Like the Quintarelli it possessed layers and depth that I could draw few comparisons to, and definitely had the "what was that?" Lastly, there are the mythical whites of the Fiorano estate from Prince Alberico Boncompagni Ludovisi - or as Eric Asimov of The New York Times describes puts it, the Prince and His Magic Cellar.

definitely have not spent enough time at home with dinner and M. The grapes fermented very slowly for a year in the cold cellar. I went to the Polaner Spring Portfolio Tasting today at Gotham Hall in Manhattan. In three and a half hours I made it through most of Dressner and some other interesting wines too. Pinon's wines. Not with M.

Aside from Baumard and Foreau, this is actually somewhat representative of what I have sleeping in the cellar too. Not that I don't enjoy the wines, because I definitely do. When I was thinking about splurging on wine, I also started wondering about my overall drinking habits. Nothing too random here, except for maybe the Cassagnoles.

liked them enough to bring two of them home to meet my family, and I will definitely explore them further. If you had that bottle in your cellar, would you honestly open it for a bunch of nincompoops like me who have never even tasted a Vin Jaune? The acidity is definitely there, it tingles the sides of the tongue.

First thing I noticed was the unusual color - this wine had a distinct peach hue, very faint, but definitely there amidst the golden yellow. And I loved the wine enough to buy both a second bottle AND a bottle of the 2000 vintage wine for the cellar. But this is how I learn about new wines I want to try - your recommendations.

And if you're into cellaring wine, these will improve for at least a decade, probably longer. This wine is like a prizefighter in training - no sweet or fatty foods, lots of sleep, and definitely no sex, but this is just training. Here is a concentrated and intense Loire Cab Franc that will reward time in the cellar.

And yes, I am definitely capable of being that cheesy. read somewhere that the wines of Calon-S é gur require about 86 years of cellaring before they drink well, so I decanted almost four hours in advance and kept my fingers crossed. I know it's a touchy time to talk about Bordeaux , but I'm going for it anyway. Do you do that?

The Muri-Gries Estate & Monastery Wine Cellar (how would you like to be the person to answer the phone at that place?) definitely recommend seeking this one out. I was fortunate to be able to attend the Alto Adige Grand Tasting this afternoon. For the most part it was salespeople/marketing professionals doing the pouring. Not me.

The tannins are definitely prominent but they are winding their way through the fruit of the wine layering the tongue and quenching the thirst. I had so much fun talking about two of the Italian wines in our starter kit last week that I though I would riff on a couple more this week. Anyway let's talk Aglianico. Taurasi also became a DOC.

decided about 6 months ago that I wanted to out-do these people, the folks who taste blind and confidently declare "this is definitely an Opus One, and the slightly lower concentration makes me think it's an 02. Some people can taste a wine blind, knowing nothing about it at all, and are able to identify it. Do these people train for this?

Quite a lovely thing that they're doing, definitely worth poking around their site. In the cellar, Gilles treats the grapes and then the fermenting juice, as delicately as possible. I went back to Black Mountain Wine House , this time with an old buddy, and we grabbed prime seats at the bar for the evening. They're all like that.

The bottle must be topped off before corking and cellaring. The cork goes in and the bottle rests in the cellar for at least 15 months (3 years for vintage Champagne) and depending on the producer and the type of wine, for much longer. It is not all that popular, although there is definitely a niche for it. No sugar?

So this is an investment, not just in the Burgundy type of cash, but also in cellar space. If you spend $55 on a Burgundy, are you definitely getting the finest example? Had I used this kind of thinking a few years ago I would have purchased and cellared some of the 2002 Le Bourg. This retails for approximately $35. Bordeaux?

In this post you can see photos of the cellar, the producer petting his cat, the producer looking like Vincent Price, and most importantly, an amazing photo where you can literally see the difference between organically and non-organically farmed vineyards. A definite rebuy," she says. Some are surprisingly inexpensive. hear that.

It lacked the focus and definition that I found in the Loire wines, but it was very good, and I think a good value. people liked it enough to put it in second place, and 2 more people put it in third place, so it definitely appeals to some palates. That's a fun thing to do on a summer evening though, so no complaints. Another time.

There are a few in my cellar, and I agonize over opening them because they are so special and so dear in price. And Beaujolais.well Beaujolais definitely deserves its own WBW, and it's been getting some blogging attention lately already. What do you think of when you hear "Burgundy?" For many of us, these are not everyday wines.

definitely got it. Bedell Cellars Cupola blend was the darkest wine of the flight, with an earthy and floral nose. also liked the Bedell Cellars Reserve Merlot, a wine that to me was quite different from the others. One of those stunning afternoons that reminds you how good it is just to be alive. How would these wines hold up?

In most vintages, Closel's Clos du Papillon improves with upwards of 10-15 years in the cellar, and in better vintages the wine can age like a vampire - it just will not die. Aromas of yellow apples and flowers, quinine (like in tonic water), and honey, with definite minerality. That rules out a lot of wine. Whatever, do what you want.

And this is particularly true with the American consumer, who is often absorbed needlessly in an over-emphasis on the particular and definitive instead of the referential and inferred (this should be entirely different topic, mostly having to do with language versus understanding, and I wheep, this is the land we live in and the language we speak.)

As my hands took over my mind said sianara and floated down the block into my building, up five flights of stairs, entered my pad and went straight into my "wine cellar." Wow, it definitely is summer. Mostly reds in the "cellar." am happy to report the wine was in fact in the "cellar" and in theory everything should work out.

La Rioja Alta is an old school producer, cellaring their wine for many years until they feel it's ready for release. But based on this bottle, I will definitely be back. The other night I was drowning and who came to the rescue? Deetrane, that's who. He's sort of like a wine superhero. Wine Man, if you will. Utterly ridiculous. Anyway.

Lopez de Heredia is a famous producer in Rioja, known for excellent wines that are held in the estate cellars for many years before release. fascinating wine and a definite rebuy That doesn't happen too often for me, but when it does I am very happy. while ago I read Eric Asimov's post on a rose from Rioja and felt so inspired. 2005 R.

3" is a wine that I would not necessarily seek out to buy for my cellar, but I would gladly drink anytime. definitely liked this wine, but at $45 for a half, it's just too easy to do better in the dessert wine world. I'm already a believer in Long Island wine. already like them. They typically clock in between 12-13.5% alcohol. Yummy.

definitely think that the environment in which I drink wine has a big impact on my experience of that wine. hope, though, that the few expensive bottles I have taste as they "should," as the wine tasted when I decided, based on that taste, to buy more of the wine for cellaring. am not complaining about this, so don't get me wrong.

Over the hill, flat with no discernable acidity, not unpleasant but definitely past its prime. Next visit I plan on helping the Father in-law translate his writing pad full of scratches and notes to Cellar Tracker I'm lucky because my father in-law likes wine and keeps some good bottles in the house. 500 bottles of wine in the bins!

Not everyone is A Burghound, nor does everyone have the cellar depth to hang with Bill Nanson at Burgundy Report. Lenn offered to show me around the North Fork of Long Island, something that I have not yet taken him up on, but definitely will, and this offer based on the camaraderie he felt after reading one blog entry? You're it