advertisement


Christmas Wine II

Status
Not open for further replies.
52207724420_18981eefbb_z.jpg


I had never tried Clos des Papes before, so when A Client decided in April to dump some bottles of 2011 for £36 IB (=£46) I did a little research. Despite it being an iffy year it seemed to be rated highly, not least by its maker, so I grabbed the three on offer.

I was taken aback at first by how remarkably light and fresh it felt, at least compared to the 2009 Télégraphe I tried last week. It seemed more like a Saint Cosme Gigondas, but also having a distinct leathery/tarry edge to it. Vincent Avril said something like ‘the freshness of 2008 with the structure of 2009’. I may have got that the wrong way round, or even got the wrong dates, but you get the gist - memorable freshness and structure. The only drawback I can see - horribly moreish, but 15% ABV. Eek! I had a wee Leffe as an apéro rather than a Rochefort. Really, really lovely. If you see some more at a similar price, please avoid like the plague and tell me about it instead.

This was matched with Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (again) and now Cornell 1964 (again) because (a) I am boringly predictable and (b) they are both amazing.

I bought a tripod at a braderie yesterday, so this evening set up a shot, put out saucers of milk and cat food and played FMlJ through the Genelecs. This is roughly equivalent to calling out ‘here, kitty’ to the jazz-loving feral cat. Then I sat back for a few minutes and waited to operate the remote shutter via my iPad...
 
Marchbanks, I don't know about La France Profond, but it's ferociously hot here in Blighty. An old boy once told me that it's OK to take your 'wescoat' off after the end of May.

You're knocking off some superb bottles at the moment. I've had more than one pang of jealousy.
 
eternumviti said:
Marchbanks, I don't know about La France Profond, but it's ferociously hot here in Blighty. An old boy once told me that it's OK to take your 'wescoat' off after the end of May.

You're knocking off some superb bottles at the moment. I've had more than one pang of jealousy.
Click to expand...
Until today there has been a constant breeze which has kept things rather pleasant (or rather annoying for bike riding into the headwind.) Also one advantage of losing 25lbs of excess last year is not feeling hot and sticky in warm weather (there needed to be one, I was freezing from September to April.)

Some wag yelled ‘Professeur Tournesol!’ at me yesterday, which I thought was a bit off the mark. IIRC he wears a bowler and a (black) goatee, but I didn’t stop to argue the point. Another chap asked me if I was the man who used to [incomprehensible] so I thought ‘Non, desolé’ with a polite smile was safest there. Last week a lady stallholder at a different braderie called out ‘belle barbe, Monsieur!’ I thanked her and raised my trilby in her direction. She then spoiled it all by adding ‘Papa Noël, eh? Ha, ha!’ Oh well.

I think tonight’s selection may reflect the warm weather.
 
I see a string vest/knotted hankie on the head combo.

A bloke I used to work with wore a three-piece tweed suit in all weathers, and had a beard, not as splendid as Marchbanks's, but getting there. Around this time of year, we went to a meeting in Brussels. It was almost as hot as it is now, but the three-piece tweed suit was still being worn. The office in which the meeting was held had no air-conditioning, and the window could only be opened a couple of inches. It was all I could do to stay awake, but the tweed-suited bloke showed no sign of discomfort.
 
I’m feeling rather pleased with myself because I just found three bottles of Télégramme 2015, a shop in Newcastle, at a good price. But that’s not my reason for posting. I have a serious question.

I’ve had three bottles of Catina Alta Chardonnay over the past months - all the same year, all Historic Vines. The first was sour, the second was corked and the third was totally delicious.

My serious question is this: how consistent are wines with the same brand and the same year etc? Or is it just me, in different moods so tasting differently.

Re the @Marchbanks look - do you know Cordings on Piccadilly? If not, put it like this, it’s made for you. Years ago I had a friend who dressed in that style - tweed underpants and waistcoat with pocket watch and tartan tie etc. One day we were walking along the South Bank near the Festival Hall and some woman with a thick foreign accent stopped us and asked my friend if she could take his photo, he looked so cute and so typically English. I would have been proud (especially of the cute bit), but he was mortified and now dresses in clothes from Sports Direct.
 
Cordings is a fine shop, rescued from oblivion some years ago by one Eric Clapton. Not sure that MB would care for the prices though.
 
Space is the Place said:
Hi all i've been bought some Bordeaux 2006 vintage, where would it be best to keep it (i don't have a wine cellar!).
Click to expand...
I would recommend storing any wine you are keeping for a while somewhere with a temperature that varies between no more than 11 - 17C*, with a swing of no more than 2C in any given day. With all due respect to Dogberry, I think Jupiter probably fails on both counts. If you can’t manage that, and it is something worth looking after, it might be worth paying for storage. Or buying a wine fridge.

*the temperature in the ancestral cellars is currently 15C.
 
Last edited:

Jeex I'm thinking this has Brett.
What would I find distinctively on the nose and palate?
I'm getting a kind of sourness.
Got two bottles gonna have to return this.
 
52209790621_bd06123e39_z.jpg


The only rosé I brought over in the selection box. I’m late to the Tempier party so probably only preaching to the converted. But wow, it’s pretty wonderful, isn’t it? I honestly can’t think of a rosé I’ve ever enjoyed more, so thanks to those who pushed me towards it when I asked.

A word about my expression in the photo. FMlJ were playing a version of ‘Theme From Shaft.’ I think it’s a rather poignant song about the problems of being a responsible single parent. Being a Black Private Dick obviously doesn’t bring in enough dough, so to keep his family together he has to moonlight as a sex worker and ‘be a sex machine to all the chicks.’ Even then his peers moan about his not attending Mother and Toddler classes, or whatever the 1970’s Harlem equivalent was. And that’s the bit - ‘that cat Shaft is a bad mother’ that I was mouthing when I hit the shutter button.
 
eternumviti said:
Cordings is a fine shop, rescued from oblivion some years ago by one Eric Clapton. Not sure that MB would care for the prices though.
Click to expand...
Over 3 decades ago a friend worked there as a student and attracted the unwanted attention of another male, senior member of staff. I see it has changed hands. Didn't realise that it is now owned by the man who inspired ( not in a good way, https://ultimateclassicrock.com/eric-clapton-rant-rock-against-racism/ ) the Rock Against Racism movement. Trust he's revised his views.
The merchandise is as classic as ever.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.


advertisement


Back
Top