Today my wife, and 18 year son and self went to see a movie called "The
Illusionist". Great Movie...highly recommend...no this is not stealth
marketing.

After the movie we went to the Dean and Deluca Wine bar and did a couple 2
oz tasting pours with a charcuterie plate of salami, cheese, pate, mustards,
black olive tapinade and rustic breads.

My wife started with a Miner Merlot followed by a Worthy Cab.
I had a Mt Eden Pinot Noir Santa cruz followed by a JL Chave Saint Josept
Offerus 2003.

This Chave was outstanding and I plan to aquire a case.

From what I gather it is either all Syrah or mostly all Syrah. Very elegant
wine. Great flavor. Seemed like a good food wine. Rhone.

These wines rarely have been seen in Charlotte. Glad to have tried tonight.
Earthy, complex, integrated dry tannin...long finish but flavorful from
beginning to end.

Amazing PQR..would be about $25-30 at retail.

"Richard Neidich" wrote in
ink.net:

Today my wife, and 18 year son and self went to see a movie called
"The Illusionist". Great Movie...highly recommend...no this is not
stealth marketing.

After the movie we went to the Dean and Deluca Wine bar and did a
couple 2 oz tasting pours with a charcuterie plate of salami, cheese,
pate, mustards, black olive tapinade and rustic breads.

My wife started with a Miner Merlot followed by a Worthy Cab.
I had a Mt Eden Pinot Noir Santa cruz followed by a JL Chave Saint
Josept Offerus 2003.

This Chave was outstanding and I plan to aquire a case.

From what I gather it is either all Syrah or mostly all Syrah. Very
elegant wine. Great flavor. Seemed like a good food wine. Rhone.

These wines rarely have been seen in Charlotte. Glad to have tried
tonight. Earthy, complex, integrated dry tannin...long finish but
flavorful from beginning to end.

Amazing PQR..would be about $25-30 at retail.




That would be correct, I am sitting on some right now, love that Syrah,
100% why mess around! I got mine for about 19.99 but it was a steal.

--
Joseph Coulter
Cruises and Vacations
http://www.josephcoulter.com/

Go steal me some then at that price :-)

I have the JL Chave Hermitage in my cellar from 96 and 98...but have never
had or had heard of this one especially at such a bargain.

I found a new one to enjoy!!!!


"Joseph Coulter" wrote in message
. 97.136...
"Richard Neidich" wrote in
ink.net:

Today my wife, and 18 year son and self went to see a movie called
"The Illusionist". Great Movie...highly recommend...no this is not
stealth marketing.

After the movie we went to the Dean and Deluca Wine bar and did a
couple 2 oz tasting pours with a charcuterie plate of salami, cheese,
pate, mustards, black olive tapinade and rustic breads.

My wife started with a Miner Merlot followed by a Worthy Cab.
I had a Mt Eden Pinot Noir Santa cruz followed by a JL Chave Saint
Josept Offerus 2003.

This Chave was outstanding and I plan to aquire a case.

From what I gather it is either all Syrah or mostly all Syrah. Very
elegant wine. Great flavor. Seemed like a good food wine. Rhone.

These wines rarely have been seen in Charlotte. Glad to have tried
tonight. Earthy, complex, integrated dry tannin...long finish but
flavorful from beginning to end.

Amazing PQR..would be about $25-30 at retail.




That would be correct, I am sitting on some right now, love that Syrah,
100% why mess around! I got mine for about 19.99 but it was a steal.

--
Joseph Coulter
Cruises and Vacations
http://www.josephcoulter.com/

St Joseph wines are, IMHO, highly under-rated. The problem lies in the
variance in quality. The St. Joseph appelation encompasses a vast region,
most known for the vineyards right across the Rhone from Tain Hermitage, but
extending way north and west. And the wines are as divers as the region.
We've found a number of really nice St. Joseph's - and all are at great
prices, I think simply because of the reputation of the appelation. I don't
think we've tried the 'Offerus' cuvee - but wll certainly look for it now
that i've read yours and Joe's comments - thanks!


"Richard Neidich" wrote in message
ink.net...
Today my wife, and 18 year son and self went to see a movie called "The
Illusionist". Great Movie...highly recommend...no this is not stealth
marketing.

After the movie we went to the Dean and Deluca Wine bar and did a couple 2
oz tasting pours with a charcuterie plate of salami, cheese, pate,
mustards, black olive tapinade and rustic breads.

My wife started with a Miner Merlot followed by a Worthy Cab.
I had a Mt Eden Pinot Noir Santa cruz followed by a JL Chave Saint Josept
Offerus 2003.

This Chave was outstanding and I plan to aquire a case.

From what I gather it is either all Syrah or mostly all Syrah. Very
elegant wine. Great flavor. Seemed like a good food wine. Rhone.

These wines rarely have been seen in Charlotte. Glad to have tried
tonight. Earthy, complex, integrated dry tannin...long finish but
flavorful from beginning to end.

Amazing PQR..would be about $25-30 at retail.

FYI... I have never had a California Syrah I really enjoyed. Nor have I
ever really enjoyed a Aus Shiraz.

Therefore my experience with Syrah is limited. I have had several JL Chave
Hermitage 96 and some 98 vintages. Those are my benchmarks.

I really enjoy the older world style vs new world. That said I had some
wonderful Syrah from Walla Walla this summer at a variety of wineries while
in Walla Walla. Most typified old world style.

FYI

Dick




"Ric" wrote in message
m...
St Joseph wines are, IMHO, highly under-rated. The problem lies in the
variance in quality. The St. Joseph appelation encompasses a vast region,
most known for the vineyards right across the Rhone from Tain Hermitage,
but extending way north and west. And the wines are as divers as the
region. We've found a number of really nice St. Joseph's - and all are at
great prices, I think simply because of the reputation of the appelation.
I don't think we've tried the 'Offerus' cuvee - but wll certainly look for
it now that i've read yours and Joe's comments - thanks!


"Richard Neidich" wrote in message
ink.net...
Today my wife, and 18 year son and self went to see a movie called "The
Illusionist". Great Movie...highly recommend...no this is not stealth
marketing.

After the movie we went to the Dean and Deluca Wine bar and did a couple
2 oz tasting pours with a charcuterie plate of salami, cheese, pate,
mustards, black olive tapinade and rustic breads.

My wife started with a Miner Merlot followed by a Worthy Cab.
I had a Mt Eden Pinot Noir Santa cruz followed by a JL Chave Saint Josept
Offerus 2003.

This Chave was outstanding and I plan to aquire a case.

From what I gather it is either all Syrah or mostly all Syrah. Very
elegant wine. Great flavor. Seemed like a good food wine. Rhone.

These wines rarely have been seen in Charlotte. Glad to have tried
tonight. Earthy, complex, integrated dry tannin...long finish but
flavorful from beginning to end.

Amazing PQR..would be about $25-30 at retail.

Hi Dick,

FYI... I have never had a California Syrah I really enjoyed. Nor have I
ever really enjoyed a Aus Shiraz.

Therefore my experience with Syrah is limited. I have had several JL Chave
Hermitage 96 and some 98 vintages. Those are my benchmarks.

I really enjoy the older world style vs new world. That said I had some
wonderful Syrah from Walla Walla this summer at a variety of wineries while
in Walla Walla. Most typified old world style.

When it comes to 'old world Syrah', I'm reminded of several 'table
wines' I enjoyed while in southern France. Most were
next-to-unlabelled, small production from some local vintners (names
escape me now, but there were most likely '94 vintage), but I do recall
some very distinct qualities you simply cannot find here in the States.
They all seemed lighter, softer, much more easy-going and not so much
of a production effort. I've not really found any Syrahs here that
compared to that -- although I have developed a flavor for some of the
richer 'Stateside' Syrahs.

My impression from recent vintages is that many Californian Syrahs are
simply too acidic. Way too heavy. It's as if the grape had one, last
breath before dying, and then was fermented. I'm under the impression
that some of the drier-climate and Mediterranean varietals being grown
in Calforinia, are being done so with increasing difficulty due to the
global warming and the like.

There are a few Oregon producers that make a decent Syrah. In recent
years, the southern portion of the state has really warmed up - but not
too much. Abacela (in the Umpqua Valley) has some really rugged, rocky
terrain in which they grow grapes you'd typically find in N. Spain
(Tempranillo, Syrah, Grenache, etc). However, in true New World style,
the wines are rich and fruit-forward. Even the Tempranillo is a little
heavy, though in their own way, very nice.

Duck Pond Cellars (Willamette Valley) has lots of acreage, especially
in the Columbia Valley of SE Washington state, and they produce a
pretty good Syrah, both under the Duck Pond and Desert Wind Vineyard
labels. It tends on the lighter side of things.

I've found a few good Syrahs up and down the Columbia Gorge, both
Oregon and Washington. The relatively dry, continental, slightly higher
altitude climates make for some lovely, aromatic Syrahs that aren't too
heavy. The Hood River area (now part of the newly formed Columbia River
AVA) is seeing a lot of new wineries springing up. The relatively
fertile, but also dry and warm, volcanic valley, just north of Mt.
Hood, is producing some very unique wines these days. It's a lovely
tour if you ever want to pass through during harvest time (not simply
for wines, but also the endless apple/pear/nut orchards...)

It's interesting though... it's much easier to find a Columbia Gorge
Syrah with a WA State label than OR... I just think many of the
vintners in this state haven't yet realized that Oregon's 45th Parallel
puts it not only on-par with Burgundy in terms of climate, but also,
with recent warming trends, has opened up a lot of opportunities to do
a decent job of the more 'southern' varietals as well.

Cheers,

David

"Richard Neidich" wrote in
ink.net:

Today my wife, and 18 year son and self went to see a movie called
"The Illusionist". Great Movie...highly recommend...no this is not
stealth marketing.

After the movie we went to the Dean and Deluca Wine bar and did a
couple 2 oz tasting pours with a charcuterie plate of salami, cheese,
pate, mustards, black olive tapinade and rustic breads.

My wife started with a Miner Merlot followed by a Worthy Cab.
I had a Mt Eden Pinot Noir Santa cruz followed by a JL Chave Saint
Josept Offerus 2003.

This Chave was outstanding and I plan to aquire a case.

From what I gather it is either all Syrah or mostly all Syrah. Very
elegant wine. Great flavor. Seemed like a good food wine. Rhone.

These wines rarely have been seen in Charlotte. Glad to have tried
tonight. Earthy, complex, integrated dry tannin...long finish but
flavorful from beginning to end.

Amazing PQR..would be about $25-30 at retail.


Chave produces a Domaine St. Joseph and the Offerus, which is a negotiant
wine. The Domaine wine is usually a big step up.

John

Thanks for the tip on a steal... I ordered a case at $18.99 at Wine Library.
It turns out in Charlotte it actually cost $34 a bottle for the same wine.
So I saved $15 a bottle at Wine library in New Jersey somewhere.

The retailer showed me his distributor cost book...shows the landed cost to
store is $22.48 a bottle. I am buying with shipping for less than their
cost.

Amazing.




"Joseph Coulter" wrote in message
. 97.136...
"Richard Neidich" wrote in
ink.net:

Today my wife, and 18 year son and self went to see a movie called
"The Illusionist". Great Movie...highly recommend...no this is not
stealth marketing.

After the movie we went to the Dean and Deluca Wine bar and did a
couple 2 oz tasting pours with a charcuterie plate of salami, cheese,
pate, mustards, black olive tapinade and rustic breads.

My wife started with a Miner Merlot followed by a Worthy Cab.
I had a Mt Eden Pinot Noir Santa cruz followed by a JL Chave Saint
Josept Offerus 2003.

This Chave was outstanding and I plan to aquire a case.

From what I gather it is either all Syrah or mostly all Syrah. Very
elegant wine. Great flavor. Seemed like a good food wine. Rhone.

These wines rarely have been seen in Charlotte. Glad to have tried
tonight. Earthy, complex, integrated dry tannin...long finish but
flavorful from beginning to end.

Amazing PQR..would be about $25-30 at retail.




That would be correct, I am sitting on some right now, love that Syrah,
100% why mess around! I got mine for about 19.99 but it was a steal.

--
Joseph Coulter
Cruises and Vacations
http://www.josephcoulter.com/

In article . net,
"Richard Neidich" wrote:

Thanks for the tip on a steal... I ordered a case at $18.99 at Wine Library.
It turns out in Charlotte it actually cost $34 a bottle for the same wine.
So I saved $15 a bottle at Wine library in New Jersey somewhere.

The retailer showed me his distributor cost book...shows the landed cost to
store is $22.48 a bottle. I am buying with shipping for less than their
cost.

Amazing.




I find Wine Library to generally be the best buy when I go online
looking for wine prices. They carry a fairly large stock. Haven't been
to the store that I think is just outside of NYC in NJ, but it looks
large based on the web tour at which I looked.

John Gunn wrote:

Chave produces a Domaine St. Joseph and the Offerus, which is a negotiant
wine. The Domaine wine is usually a big step up.

Indeed. I've had mixed experiences with the Offerus (different sources
maybe?) but the '99 Chave St. Joseph was an absolute beauty last year.

Mark Lipton

p.s. Good to see you around these parts again, John. Your thoughts on
food/wine pairings have been missed.

Mark Lipton wrote in
:


p.s. Good to see you around these parts again, John. Your thoughts
on food/wine pairings have been missed.

Thanks, Mark. I'm impressed you remember my few posts from years gone bye.

John

Tried a bottle that I purhcased last week at Dean and Deluca. It seem more
massive than the wine I tried at the store. Bottle Variation? My taste?
something.

That said I have a case on the way when the temps are cooler.

Are these ageable and will they improve or are these a drink young sort of
wine?



"Joseph Coulter" wrote in message
. 97.136...
"Richard Neidich" wrote in
ink.net:

Today my wife, and 18 year son and self went to see a movie called
"The Illusionist". Great Movie...highly recommend...no this is not
stealth marketing.

After the movie we went to the Dean and Deluca Wine bar and did a
couple 2 oz tasting pours with a charcuterie plate of salami, cheese,
pate, mustards, black olive tapinade and rustic breads.

My wife started with a Miner Merlot followed by a Worthy Cab.
I had a Mt Eden Pinot Noir Santa cruz followed by a JL Chave Saint
Josept Offerus 2003.

This Chave was outstanding and I plan to aquire a case.

From what I gather it is either all Syrah or mostly all Syrah. Very
elegant wine. Great flavor. Seemed like a good food wine. Rhone.

These wines rarely have been seen in Charlotte. Glad to have tried
tonight. Earthy, complex, integrated dry tannin...long finish but
flavorful from beginning to end.

Amazing PQR..would be about $25-30 at retail.




That would be correct, I am sitting on some right now, love that Syrah,
100% why mess around! I got mine for about 19.99 but it was a steal.

--
Joseph Coulter
Cruises and Vacations
http://www.josephcoulter.com/

"Richard Neidich" wrote in
ink.net:

Tried a bottle that I purhcased last week at Dean and Deluca. It seem
more massive than the wine I tried at the store. Bottle Variation?
My taste? something.

That said I have a case on the way when the temps are cooler.

Are these ageable and will they improve or are these a drink young
sort of wine?

My belief is that the Offerus will not improve a whole lot. I have not
tasted this vintage, but I usually think of it having a five to eight year
life span.

As I mentioned before, the Domaine St. Joseph is quite a different wine and
will reward time in the cellar.

John

John, Thanks.

I am not real knowledgable of St. Joseph vs Offerus. Can you explain
differences. Are both 100% Syrah, etc.

"John Gunn" wrote in message
67.5...
"Richard Neidich" wrote in
ink.net:

Tried a bottle that I purhcased last week at Dean and Deluca. It seem
more massive than the wine I tried at the store. Bottle Variation?
My taste? something.

That said I have a case on the way when the temps are cooler.

Are these ageable and will they improve or are these a drink young
sort of wine?

My belief is that the Offerus will not improve a whole lot. I have not
tasted this vintage, but I usually think of it having a five to eight year
life span.

As I mentioned before, the Domaine St. Joseph is quite a different wine
and
will reward time in the cellar.

John

"Richard Neidich" wrote in
ink.net:

John, Thanks.

I am not real knowledgable of St. Joseph vs Offerus. Can you explain
differences. Are both 100% Syrah, etc.

The offerus is a negotiant wine produced the JL chave from purchased
grapes. The domaine wine are grapes from Chave's vineyard in St. Joseph.

John