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Christmas Wine II

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I think I may have found a lovely bargain.

The Wine Society's BULGARIAN HERITAGE, MAVRUD, KARABUNAR ESTATE, 2017 (13.5%) ( £8.95).

It's a new one to the LIST. I like to think that my suggestion to bring in some Bulgarian reds (made a few years back to the Society) has borne fruit.

Described in the LIST as 'dry red', I would say it is full-bodied- with distinctive flavour -and, when I opened the bottle- a delightful, perfumed aroma escaped.

As if this is not enough -the bottle is like no other. The label is a wonderful design, unique, with Bulgarian letters embossed in raised characters- making it easy for the blind who read Bulgarian to get a thrill.

A wonderful bargain i.m.o. Do try it and let us know what you think.
 
A wee Эльзасский Рислинг Bruno Sorg 2019.
Don't know how much you can trust Google seems to have translated letter for letter.



"O, for a draught of vintage! that hath been
Cool'd a long age in the deep-delved earth,
Tasting of Flora and the country green,
Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!
O for a beaker full of the warm South,
Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,
With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,
And purple-stained mouth;
That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,
And with thee fade away into the forest dim:"
 
I spotted Saint Cosme CdR 2020 on a Lille merchant’s website today at 8.95€ (£7.70). One for the future, but a great price (approaching Guigal levels) and very hard to find when ready to drink. I contacted them and offered to pay up front. No worries, they said, we’ll label a box ‘keep until September’ for you and you can pay on collection - at today’s price. That’s service, I’ll be buying more from them when I get there.
 
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eternumviti said:
I read today that Jim Clendenen has died. The wine world has suddenly lost some of its colour.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/wi...anta-Barbara-vintner-who-changed-16183065.php
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Probably the only US winemaker I could name, unless Francis Ford Coppola counts. Even then I’ve only just realised I spelled his name wrongly, putting the d after the wrong n. Reading between the lines of that obit he could obviously be a feisty chap. He (and by extension this thread) is responsible for six of the total of seven US bottles in the ancestral cellars, which are 2015 PN Isabelle. None tried as yet - is it too soon to open one in his honour?
 
That is sad RIP. The opposite of a focus group corporate winemaker. I admire him for holding out against the Robert Parker ethos.
68 is too young even for a 'legendary bon vivant'. Apparently he was well known for his world-class wine and his long, epic lunches...
When Paul Draper, 85, joins him that will be the end of that.
edit I would say a bottle of 2015 Isabelle (named after his daughter) would be most fitting.
 
BTC3 said:
Do you have any details of the Aana, how different is it to the regular Ch. Musar?
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Resurrecting an old question, I opened a bottle of Ch. Musar Aana 2016 last night. I have had Ch. Musar 2001 (and I still have one bottle left).

Regular Ch. Musar is Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault. The Aana is Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache (listed in that order - no idea exactly of percentages).

The Aana 2016 was big. Much bigger than I recall the Ch. Musar 2001 (opened December 2020). After a one hour decant, a really fragrant and very deep concentrated damson signature on the nose but not too big on the palate. After another hour the palate was just as much damson as the nose: mouth-filling and a very long finish. I was strongly reminded of eating damsons from the tree in my parents' garden and Carlsbad plums at Christmas. I wouldn't say it was great but it was very enjoyable indeed.

I suspect I should consider opening my last Ch. Musar soon for a much more proximate comparison, and replenishing supplies while Waitrose has it on special offer.
 
Marchbanks said:
Thanks for the advice. I'll move one to the Aldi cooler in readiness. Perhaps not today though, I will need to bulk up a bit first in order to lift one of those giant bottles.
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Perhaps you can get one of those people you’re offering a hugging service to, to move it for you. Just choose a suitably strapping lass, or lad, once the hugging has been dealt with.
 
Dogberry said:
Put it next to your Kylie Minogue rosé.
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I think that was Ronsay, not rosé... anyway, it will go in the 15C section, not the 10C section with the rosé. Oh yes, it’s a dual temperature job (remember it came from Aldi, it’s not just any old tat.)
 
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So there it was - RIP Jim.

I enjoyed it very much. Much more than that I shouldn’t say as an extreme PN novice (this was only the fourth bottle I can ever remember opening.) - I’ll leave the in depth qualitative analysis to those better qualified. But it certainly had all those PN things I read about - heady bouquet, pale colour, delicate but alluring taste. Definitely a lot better than a NZ one (admittedly less than half the price) that I had recently. I’ll be keeping my eyes open for another 25% off everything sale at Majestic in order to get some more.

Which only leaves the question of the bloody bottle. Using a bottle of Pigeoulet for comparison and applying Fourier analysis, differential Calculus, proof by induction and the back of a Tesco receipt I worked out that the ABC bottle contained twice as much glass. Why??
 
I was quite tempted to buy one just to see what you're all talking about, but it's too expensive for me. And I was put off by a comment on the Majestic website which said that it tastes big time of new oak. If I ever see it for sale in a bar or restaurant I'll try it.
 
mandryka said:
I was quite tempted to buy one just to see what you're all talking about, but it's too expensive for me. And I was put off by a comment on the Majestic website which said that it tastes big time of new oak. If I ever see it for sale in a bar or restaurant I'll try it.
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Same here mbe, although Jancis says PN is not
the best traveller.
 
mandryka said:
I was quite tempted to buy one just to see what you're all talking about, but it's too expensive for me. And I was put off by a comment on the Majestic website which said that it tastes big time of new oak. If I ever see it for sale in a bar or restaurant I'll try it.
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I wouldn’t pay Majestic’s list price either. But according to CT I paid £37, which while still a lot in my book makes it at least a possibility.

I must admit I didn’t particularly notice any oakiness, and I’m a bit of an oakophobe.

The first review on CT says ‘this left an impression, coming after two burgs.’ I thought this was quite a coincidence as I was also drinking mine after having a burger, but only the one. I wondered if he had had his with spinach and aioli coleslaw too. After a few moments I realised that wasn’t what he had meant at all.
 
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Marchbanks said:
51188370117_e32818e7e3.jpg


So there it was - RIP Jim.

I enjoyed it very much. Much more than that I shouldn’t say as an extreme PN novice (this was only the fourth bottle I can ever remember opening.) - I’ll leave the in depth qualitative analysis to those better qualified. But it certainly had all those PN things I read about - heady bouquet, pale colour, delicate but alluring taste. Definitely a lot better than a NZ one (admittedly less than half the price) that I had recently. I’ll be keeping my eyes open for another 25% off everything sale at Majestic in order to get some more. ...
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That label style looks familiar. Looking in my cellar book (OK - my Excel spreadsheet) I see a positive note from Nov.2016 for Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir, Central Coast, USA 2012; and another good note from May.2017 for Au Bon Climat Santa Maria Valley pinot noir "La Bauge Au-dessus" 2012.

The Au Bon Climat wines are high the list of PN wines that I enjoyed. There haven't been that many that got there for me. I am still looking. I think the Isabelle is somewhat higher up their range than the ones I tried. Nice.
 
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