My friend is an asshole...(I'm the first comment, he's the reply)
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My friend is an asshole...(I'm the first comment, he's the reply)
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Alright y'all, it's time for another edition of Wine Jong Reviews Somewhat Fancy Wines. Here are the rules:
- No reading other people's dribble on the internet first - I don't want their bougie tastes influencing mine
- No real knowledge of what the fuck I'm doing, or what a "young syrah" even is
- No idea of how people review wine. Some idea of how people review coffee and whiskey.
Okay, let's begin. Today we're drinking the 2019 Saint Cosme Saint-Joseph from Gigondas. Who is Saint-Joseph? How about Saint Cosme? Where is Gigondas? All good questions, which I definitely don't know the answer to. There is a helpful compass rose on the label though, letting me know which way North is.
Color: wine colored, you dip shit.
Nose: Plum, oak, vanilla, clear alcohol on the nose. Wasn't expecting alcohol on the nose. Is that a red flag? Can't ignore at this point.
Taste: Raspberry/cherry, oak, light vanilla. Fruit forward, bracing acidity, surprisingly soft and big bodied (surprising only to someone who knows fuckall about wine I guess - I didn't expect something to be both "soft" and "acidic" if that even makes sense ). Lingering impression of chalk, which I think in winespeak is called "minerality"?. Barest hint of spice, but that could be the alcohol burn.
Finish: Dry. I don't know what else to say. Very dry? I guess that's relative. Definitely dry though.
--
If I wanted something like this but with an acidity that was less "on the nose", what would I buy?
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Very good winemaker and very good location-- but its St. Joseph not Gigondas. St Joseph is a northern rhone appelation, Gigondas is a few hours south. I don't know that wine but I would bet it's majority Syrah, rather than most Southern Rhones which are more grenache heavy. Just like in coffee, nerds about wine tend to dig acidity a great deal as it makes for wines that go great with food, wines that aren't "flabby" (e.g. overly just fruit and booze) and wines that age well.
For a fun comparison, a decent Aussie shiraz (same grape as syrah) will likely have less acid but still show similar fruit character. Penfolds is widely available and they rarely put out any swill.
If you're feeling spendy...a bottle of something from Hermitage is the most classical expression of syrah I can think of. (Note..Crozes Hermitage is not hermitage...it's much different soil and aspects of the famed hill.) Cote Rotie and Cornas are also excellent.
Wine Jong doesn't make up shit, he just reads what's on the label. WTF even is a Gigondas?Quote:
Originally Posted by doebedoe
But yeah, valid point about the acidity. To be fair, I was sipping on this while cooking (lamb), so I'll pour myself another glass when I sit down to eat. And I don't want a totally neutered bottle, maybe just something not as edgy. We'll see when I drink this with dinner.
And shiraz and syrah are the same thing?? Shiraz just sounds cheaper, like the rhinestone of the wine world. Damn.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...cb79632504.jpg
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Okay yeah the whole wine and food thing, I get it, I really fucking get it.
Food softens the acidity, brings out way more mineral complexity (while still maintaining the fruity goodness), and takes the edge off the finish.
Damn this works well.
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Organic German Weissburgunder in a liter bottle!
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You're hooked! There's food specific wine, there's cocktail wine, there's swill, and there's those rare, very special universal (excluding swill) wines. Wines that both improve the food and are improved by the food are what it's all about.Quote:
Originally Posted by tgapp
Please pour into proper stemware prior to future reviews. Is that a farg’n beer snifter of sorts?Attachment 401448
It's a special commemorative glass from the first annual Moscow Homebrewing Festival and Competition, which I attended. I like to think that literally everything I have drank out of this glass is better than what I had in it that day.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doremite
I have real glass stemware, likely in a box somewhere. Drinking out of that would threaten my status as winejong though.
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Total joke. I assume a Moscow Homebrew Festival rivals those in Idaho.Quote:
Originally Posted by tgapp
Mmm that frappato
Shiraz is just Aussie speak for Syrah. Apparently in Aus they actually pronounce the a as a short vowel too. Fucking aussies, I love ‘em but…Quote:
Originally Posted by tgapp
Have you had any good Pinot Noir yet? I feel like Pinot is your wine given your coffee tastes.
Bubble bath?Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruiser
Louis Barroul owns the Chateau St. Cosme in Giogandas. Estate wines are labeled Chateau St. Cosme. He is also a negotiant, someone who buys other producers juice or wine and bottles under his name. Guigal is another estate and negotiant in the Rhône.Quote:
Originally Posted by tgapp
Barroul negotiant wine is labeled St. Cosme. Generally high quality and good price. The St Cosme Giogandas is really good and usually less than 20 per bottle
One of the great rabbit holes of wine geekery. You'll never look back. Danger Will Robinson.Quote:
Originally Posted by neufox47
i haven't, no. i mean - i've had plenty of pinot when i was mostly playing the "best bottle i can find for $15 or less" game, and now i'm playing the "best bottle i can find for $50 or less" game.Quote:
Originally Posted by neufox47
and honestly - with coffee, i just like really great coffee. i do tend to drink a fair bit of weird-ass naturals and funky processed coffees, but well-done coffee is well-done coffee. at first blush (and on it's own) i found that Rhone from last night to be a bit bracing (not unlike a good Kenyan), but food softened it and brought out additional complexity/minerality. i would pick up another bottle in a heartbeat.
now i'm even more confused. i thought gigondas was some sort of WWE wrestling move, like a suplex or something. maybe something you yelled at the beginning of a dinner party.Quote:
Originally Posted by irul&ublo
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places to start with a good pinot bottle?
The French system can be confusing but it mostly makes sense once you get used to it. Each appellation (aoc) represents a specific land area and there are rules to follow on what kinds of grapes can be grown, somethings on how they are farmed like plant density and pruning techniques, and maximum harvest amounts. Appellations often share a name with the principal town or village from where they are from but they can also stack inside each other.Quote:
Originally Posted by tgapp
Gigondas is a “cru” aoc within a very large catch all cotes du Rhone aoc. It’s also the name of a village, where the physical address of your wine was made.
St Joseph so also a cru within cotes du rhone, albeit quite a bit to the north. Normally it falls in with the other northern crus- cote roti, condrieu, croze hermitage, hermitage, and cornas. So if you liked this one you can keep looking there. All of the red wine in the north is 100% Syrah. IGP Collines-Rhodaniennes Syrah (what I’m drinking tonight) is another option in the same camp, largely made by the same producers- and cheaper!
Gigondas, and the rest of the Rhone valley are blended wines typically Grenache dominant, but they have a lot of flexibility on what they can do. The climate is warmer in the south (lower acidity) and the terrain is much steeper in the north.
And then, keep in mind - everything changes *every* year. Which adds to the complexity over time.
TGapp - Buster has some great recommendations. I’m a huge fan of Windy Oaks in Santa Cruz.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buster Highmen
Filled that big bowl with nice fresh snow to keep the wine cold and it all froze around the bottle!Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Don't Surf
Anybody want a winery? Kurt & Vicki are retiring and selling Rulo winery in W2. 2.5m
https://www.crexi.com/properties/654...walla-walla-wa
Popped my first bottle of de negoce 274 and man is this a good cab for $30 a bottle delivered. So elegant. I’ve had a lot of bottles that were $50 - $150 that were no where near as good as this.
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Managed a quick Garagiste pick up before our flight home on Monday. 25 bottles stuffed into two checked bags, survived to refill the stores with some interesting bottles - Tasmanian, Croatian, Dolimiti, Cali Sangiovese, nice Chablis and even a *Gigondas* to ponder.
I'm a little late here but I'll second the recommendation to ask Buster.Quote:
Originally Posted by tgapp
With that said, I'm a big fan of Oregon Pinot. If you want something that's easy to find and pretty representative, it's maybe cliché, but I don't think you can go wrong with Domaine Drouhin. That's puts you pretty squarely in the $50/bottle category. Across the street from Domaine Drouhin is Domaine Serene which is also good.
this is drinking like a young wine. lots of bright berry. interesting. glad my brother has ‘too much of it’.
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Opulent super Tuscan with 70/30 Sangio and Cab clocking in at 15.5% on the label. Showing really well at 13yo. Gonna be decent with my sous vide rack of lamb here in a bit!
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I'll wave my pinot from 9318
I guzzle Oregon Pinots cause there are so many good ones in the 30-60 range and I get to stop in on the way to the coast. Serene beats the drouhin by a nose for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buke
I’ve been lucky to drink a lot of this stuff now that it’s local. Order online, drive down the road to the compound, get greeted by a goofy wandering yellow lab, walk into the unstaffed storage area, find your name and drive off. Plus there is some great hanging meat to ogle (Rontele’s favorite thing to do).
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3 points for Art. 2 for the wine and 1 for the Rontele dig.
If we’re back on Oregon Pinots I’m a slut for Lemelson and Patty Green (in addition to Droughin and Serene).
Camarda still owns and produces? Kinda knew him in a previous life.
My buddy, Sean Larkin's vineyard:
https://jacklarkin.com
Prolly one of the best Cab Francs in Napa.
Also, he is the brains behind Larkans
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Too bad that the product is not carried in UT. But, if you are just about anyplace else from Cali. to The Cape, give it a try. I'd bet that you will enjoy it.
Yeah. The compound I mentioned above is basically his house and a bunch of out buildings for production, storage and events. Obviously ships in the grapes from his Richland locale. His place is really architecturally cool as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by oftpiste
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I would be the first to admit I do not know shit about wine from Yurp, so maybe you guys could help educate me. Yesterday, Mrs L2S showed me an 8 pack of Bordeaux wines she had purchased for about $12 a bottle. She brought me a glass and I thought it tasted fantastic and went to ask her which bottle she opened. Turns out it was the last of the Pessimist (Costco for $18) that we had the previous night. She opened the French wine next and while good, the color was a bit lighter (easy to see through) and definitely lighter on the pallet (not my thing). So any suggestions I can find for $20 or less to share with her?
Mouton Cadet for $12 is good all day long. It is a very popular wine in France and is easily bought here. Also, Château Morin Saint-Estèphe for $20 earned a 93 rating.
Not Bordeaux, but recently picked up a Bodega Garzon Tannat Reserva from Costco that was great. Never had a Tannat before, this one is from Uruguay. Lots of body, but really easy drinking and smooth. Will be looking for more when I go back.Quote:
Originally Posted by liv2ski
The trick is that the pessimist has a little bit of residual sugar. That's what makes it feel fat and viscous (and satisfying) on your palate. It's a premium category that is really gaining traction in the us market. Daou, who make the pessimist, does a Cabernet that you'd prolly dig. Also worth looking for Napa Valley Quilt red blend or Cabernet. St Hubert's may also be available in your area and they do a red blend and a cab that share that profile. The Unshackled wines may be another option in your budget.Quote:
Originally Posted by liv2ski
We love the Daou cab and quite frankly, I love most everything from Paso Robles these days. We have 3 wine clubs memberships and they all send us outstanding wines but the average price for wine club members is $35 a bottle. :frown: If I could find good wine for $20 a bottle I would be much happier.
Drouhin on the table tonight.
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Livin' the dream yo.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Art Shirk
small world. My brother’s best friend is his nephew, also named Chris. Fun spot on Vashon especially when you’re there with friends n family treatmentQuote:
Originally Posted by oftpiste
Nothing unique but a can’t go wrong Caymus Cab got cracked tonight to accompany a smoked/reverse sear ribeye.
Really looking forward to trying this gift from a client of mineAttachment 405667
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