What's your latest wine fascination?

Marc said:

The Arbois Poulsard I drank last night was pretty fascinating. So much flavor for a wine with a clear orange ruby color.

The Jura wines (white and reds) are pretty interesting as a group, only wish there were more available to try.

Marc, where did you find the Arbois? Sounds interesting, I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I've never had a pure/still poulsard.

Jura wines--have had almost none. One old white somewhere along the way that I can't remember much about now, and certainly never a red. What grapes are used in the reds?


Bob H--yes, that Minervois. Bought the 05. The 04's I was talking about are the Il Mimo nebbiolo.

[Jenise]

We all go through phases. We try a little of this and a little of that. Then along comes a magic bottle, maybe something beloved years ago that fell out of favor, or some new wine discovery has cast a spell on you and now you are paying extra attention to that grape or growing area. Whatever it is, it's your current 'jones'. You can't get enough of it.

What, for you, is that wine right now?

White burgundy, here.

Hungary. Oh, and dry Muscat, and for that matter dry Hungarian Muscat. I'm never satisfied with red wine these days...

Have you had Vignalta's (Italy) dry muscat? Just picked up a bottle. I've loved everything else this winery has done, so I'm looking forward to this.

Trying to expand my experience with Spanish wines. Currently enjoying a 1995 Baroja Gran Reserva Rioja and have two Crianzas to try in a comparison tasting. May help me decide what to bring if I come to Mo'Cool this year. I look forward to opening more German (and possibly Austrian or Alsatian) Rieslings this summer and may purchase some in DC late June (may contact Bassins and have them hold some for me.)

Vino Nobile!

Funky and old, old-style Portugal - as might have been noticable from certain recent posts.

Tis moving towards rosé season, and I'm looking forward to trying new releases. Just reported on the ESJ Bone Jolly, have Chivite rosado and the '06 Il Mimo in drinking rack

[Jenise]

Dale, you're another Il Mimo fan! That was my favorite rose of last summer, that and the Donjon. I just picked up five more bottles of the '04--that you have an 06 startles me. I'm not sure we ever saw an 05 up here.

Jenise, is the Donjon a Handpicked Selections wine from the Minervois? if so it is about $11 here which I think is a tad more than it should be, but it is very good. and yes here is also the 04 vintage.

Was red Burgundy, is Champagne, northern Italy and Tuscany are next in line. Alas, I can only scratch the surface of each with my resources.

What, for you, is that wine right now?

Mine is Spanish wine. Tempranillo, especially Rioja. But garanacha from Montsant and pinot or Cab from Penedes are also good.

Marc, where did you find the Arbois? Sounds interesting, I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I've never had a pure/still poulsard.

K and L Wines has a selection from Tissot, Puffeney, and a fabulous chardonnay from Dom de Montbourgeau from Etoile.

The wine last night was the 2004 Arbois Poulsard from Stephane Tissot. Beautiful translucent orange ruby color, lots of red fruits (strawberry/cranberry), light to medium bodied at most with 13.5% abv, crisp with some tannins but not drying. Lots of cracked black pepper. The bottle says sans soufre and n'est pas filtre.

The other Poulsard I really like is the 2002 Houillon Overnoy Arbois- Pupillin. It is fresh, tangy, earthy, complex and delicious. Some bottles have been bretty, but the good ones are fantastic. The Overnoy was from Chambers St. The Tissot Poulsard is a cleaner wine, good but not as interesting as the Overnoy.

Jura wines--have had almost none. One old white somewhere along the way that I can't remember much about now, and certainly never a red. What grapes are used in the reds?

I am a total beginner here, but I think the reds include Pinot Noir, Poulsard, which also goes by Ploussard, and Trousseau.

I have a friend who lives in Lyon, and one of these years I am hoping to visit and tour around the Jura. I've heard it is beautiful.

Anyway, the wines are a breath of fresh air. The reds are light enough to drink during the summer, and have plenty of acidity to accompany food. Maybe not to everyone's taste, but I've really liked the ones I've tried so far. They make me want to search out some more to try.

Dale, you're another Il Mimo fan! That was my favorite rose of last summer, that and the Donjon. I just picked up five more bottles of the '04--that you have an 06 startles me. I'm not sure we ever saw an 05 up here.

Jenise, I am to Il Mimo as Florida Jim is to the '99 Gilles Robin- author of a hundred mash notes. Even the 2003 was good. 2006 is everywhere around here now.

We all go through phases. We try a little of this and a little of that. Then along comes a magic bottle, maybe something beloved years ago that fell out of favor, or some new wine discovery has cast a spell on you and now you are paying extra attention to that grape or growing area. Whatever it is, it's your current 'jones'. You can't get enough of it.

What, for you, is that wine right now?

White burgundy, here.

Hungary. Oh, and dry Muscat, and for that matter dry Hungarian Muscat. I'm never satisfied with red wine these days...

Have you had Vignalta's (Italy) dry muscat? Just picked up a bottle. I've loved everything else this winery has done, so I'm looking forward to this.

Jenise, I have not. But I'm looking forward to a TN. Drink up!

While mostly an oldworld kinda guy, of late (say 1 year), I've been trouncing around Napa (averaging about once a month for 12 months) and really enjoying the juice. Favourities include Heitz, Phelps, Terra Valentine, Spring Mountain, Sattui and many more. ....just pocketbook is hurting a bit.

For the dinner that I made in Chateau d'Yquem, I had included a Royal Kébir Frédéric Lung, Algerian red wine 1945.

Some days later, my last daughter and her man come home with a big fat black truffle. I take in cellar a Pétrus 1974 for the truffle, and as I had bought some "feuilletés au jambon", I extact from the cellar a very dusty bottle on which what is written is "LUNG" and "1940".
From what I see it should be a white and it looks interesting to try this Algerian wine some days after the try of a 1945 red.

I open the wine : it is a rosé.
This is the greatest ever rosé that I have drunk.
And it is absolutely impossible to describe the wine.
The only thing that I knew is that it was a total pleasure.

This wine has fascinated me. And as The 1974 Pétrus was absolutely great (above any preconceived idea about the year), to know that an ordinary rosé is even better than a great Pétrus added to the pleasure.

That's large praise coming from you! I did not know that a rose could survive that long.

Probably French Rhones. I've had some really good cheap reds from Southern France that I realize are not the "best," but for $10 or so, they have so much more character and interest than the Castle Rocks and Gallos of California.

I seem to be hopelessly enamoured with big, Cali-style cabs. As a result, my bank account is suffering,as bargains in this grape are rare. The good news is- we're coming into rose season, so I can give my wallet a bit of a break.

CHEERS!

Art