WTN: Bad Wines

Last night we had dinner at the home of a colleague of my wife's. He loves wine but, well, follows a different path. Dependency on the kindness of friends can be a cross.

2008 Michel Picard Beaujolais Villages 12.5%
Bleh. Barely recognizable as Gamay and Beaujolais. Mediocrity at its finest. They dump this stuff on Brazil, since other countries must know better.

2006 Terrazas de los Andes Afincado Malbec Mendoza 14.0%
This is the top cuvee from this huge winery. My experience with large Malbec producers is that going up the ladder means more concentration, supermaturity and new oak, so one should stick to the lower cuvees (but avoid Alamos at all costs). This had massive aromas of oak, chocolate, coffee and blackberries. Disappointingly thin palate, acid in one room, sweetness in another, suggesting the usual tartrate additions. Little pleasure to be had; I can say in its favor that it wasn't too hot.

Yesterday, in a Brazilian message board, someone posted an interview with Parker from October 2009 Revue du Vin de France. There's stuff to disagree with, but the eloquence with which he critiques terroirists is impressive. But I mention it because he says something about new world chardonnay that I have found to be true of most of the reds as well, and that I found surprising, coming from him:

The preponderant number of new world Chardonnays must be consumed within 2-3 years after the vintage. As enjoyable as they are, they often have all their components playing against one another rather than in complete harmony. Perhaps because most new world Chardonnays must be acidified, when one tastes them, the overall perception is one of separate but equal building blocks of acid, structure, fruit, and wood.

[David M. Bueker]

Bleh!

The Parker comment is interesting. I wonder if some of the better wines to my taste (e.g. Montelena, Ramey's lower level cuvees) see less overall "manipulation" than say Beringer Private Reserve.

With notable exceptions----you always must make notable exceptions to such generic comments----I'd agree with that quote, Oswaldo.

Indeed, I can't think of a single thing one can say about wine that doesn't have exceptions. Good thing that doesn't stop us from saying things! Keeping that caveat always in mind.

Indeed, I can't think of a single thing one can say about wine that doesn't have exceptions. Good thing that doesn't stop us from saying things! Keeping that caveat always in mind.

Which speaks to the all-encompassing wonderfulnessosity of wine, nez pah?

And it's kinda hard not to speak in the macro (whether in regard to terroir or style), even though we drink in the micro.

So for every one of those chardonnays described, I can put up a Hanzell, for instance.

Trouble is, there's damned few Hanzells out there to take exception with.

[David M. Bueker]

Indeed, I can't think of a single thing one can say about wine that doesn't have exceptions.

It's wet.

Indeed, I can't think of a single thing one can say about wine that doesn't have exceptions.

It's wet.

Some are dry.

[David M. Bueker]

Indeed, I can't think of a single thing one can say about wine that doesn't have exceptions.

It's wet.

Some are dry.

But still wet.