Flichman Vineyards

Nov 12, 2009 - I recently had a chance to attend a wine tasting for Flichman from Argentina.  I especially enjoyed the experience because I had a chance to chat with the winemaker, Luis Cabral de Almeida.  From my standpoint, it didn't hurt that he was pretty hot also. We began with a bottle of their Chardonnay for $8.  Frankly I didn't want to taste a bottle of $8 Chardonnay as I hate that overly oaked buttery flavor of vanilla predominating, but I was pleasantly surprised.  It was delightful and easily equal to wines I have enjoyed at twice the price.  In fact every one of the wines' price points was spectacular.  Although there were some I preferred more than others, I enjoyed all of them. All the others, with the exception of an interesting and delightful champagne (for about $8!!) all the rest were red.  In fact, even the champagne was made in part from Malbec also! - 0 Comments

Napa Valley

Nov 03, 2009 - Hello Everybody, How is everybody doing? I hope that everybody is having a great day. I am currently planning a trip during the Christmas Holiday up until New Year's Day to Napa Valley. - 2 Comments

Liquid Memory: Why Wine Matters: A Review

Oct 20, 2009 - I was reading the NY Times' book reviews and I came across an interesting review on the book, Liquid Memory: Why Wine Matters by Jonathan Nossiter. (262 pp. Farrar, Straus & Giroux $26) As background, I would hope that every serious wine drinker has seen Modovino by this time, a movie ostensibly about the world wine trade.  if nothing else it is fascinating.  I will admit here and now that I am no fan of Robert Parker nor of that other popular wine magazine which seems like it is at every checkout counter.  however I dislike them for different reasons.  Parker, at very least, knows something about wine, but his mere favorable  mention of a given wine has been known to send it soaring.  There are many popular examples.  The other magazine, which shall go unmentioned, has attempted to manipulate wine drinkers into various drining habits.  Not without its merits, especially in areas of travel articles, there is a common joke in the wine trade that when a wine is panned in the magazine, it is said that the winery probably forgot to pay its bill.  In any case, I thought this review was a pretty good one, of not only the book but the way in which we find the wine world today, so I am posting it here.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. - 0 Comments

Older Bordeaux tasting notes

Oct 14, 2009 - I haven't seen any posts in ths area for quite some time so I hope no one will mind my notes on a recent tasting.    I had the opportunity recently to taste a few of the many good bottles from the 80's and the results were delicious. I tasted an 83 Boyd Cantenac and Prieure Lichine both from Margaux, an 82 Lanessan from the haut medoc and finally an 85 Lynch Bages which is a Pauillac.  The bottles had been stored reasonably well and the fills were very good, although the two Margaux had corks which were almost wet to the top and crumbled.  Having just found a bottle from 1998 which was leaking in a case of my own, there can be no better advice than to constantly monitor your wines, especially if they are still in a wooden case. While 82 Bordeaux put Robert Parker on the map (he declared it the wine of the century) and subsequently led the way to his favorable word on any review raising the price of wine,  it was fun looking back and seeing what these were all about.   Though fortuitously donated by another cellar, I was looking forward to tasting mature wines I had never been able to experience when they were young.  Each was carefully standing upright for 4 days and then decanted carefully one hour before serving. - 0 Comments