In keeping with my goal to drink up everything old in my cellar I opened a couple of bottles yesterday with a lightly smoked slow cooked brisket.

1990 Chateau de Pommard. I bought this bottle at the Chateau on a trip we made back in 1992. We dropped in at the Chateau and while the wines were not very good, the winemaker was happy to see us and we tasted through a number of wines. I bought the bottle to make him happy. The wine was brick in color with the aroma of old wine. Oxidized cherries and apples with an underlying black dirt and mushroom note. SOmewhat thick and candied on the palate with the initial impression of sweet cherries followed quickly by razor sharp acidity and fierce tannins. Still drinkable and the brisket took the edge off but not worth dwelling on. "C-"

1999 Luna Canto Napa Blend. I had met John Kongsgaard many years ago and this was one of his projects and he urded me to try the wine. I liked it and bought a couple bottles on release. Canto was a Sangiovese/Cab (60/40) blend and at the time was Luna's top wine. The wine was still dark purple in the glass. Lots of black cherry and blackberry notes on the nose. Medium weight, soft and smooth on the palate almost juicy. A fair amount of smokey notes and vanilla on the finish. Great with the BBQ. "B"

On Tuesday, June 10, 2014 11:53:03 AM UTC-4, Bi!! wrote:
> In keeping with my goal to drink up everything old in my cellar I opened a couple of bottles yesterday with a lightly smoked slow cooked brisket.
>
>
>
> 1990 Chateau de Pommard. I bought this bottle at the Chateau on a trip we made back in 1992. We dropped in at the Chateau and while the wines were not very good, the winemaker was happy to see us and we tasted through a number of wines. I bought the bottle to make him happy. The wine was brick in color with the aroma of old wine. Oxidized cherries and apples with an underlying black dirt and mushroom note. SOmewhat thick and candied on the palate with the initial impression of sweet cherries followed quickly by razor sharp acidity and fierce tannins. Still drinkable and the brisket took the edge off but not worth dwelling on. "C-"
>
>
>
> 1999 Luna Canto Napa Blend. I had met John Kongsgaard many years ago and this was one of his projects and he urded me to try the wine. I liked it and bought a couple bottles on release. Canto was a Sangiovese/Cab (60/40) blend and at the time was Luna's top wine. The wine was still dark purple in the glass. Lots of black cherry and blackberry notes on the nose. Medium weight, soft and smooth on the palate almost juicy. A fair amount of smokey notes and vanilla on the finish. Great with the BBQ. "B"

Thanks for notesd. Too bad about the Pommard - surprised by acids, not by tannins. Never heard of Luna Canto before.

On Tuesday, June 10, 2014 12:30:25 PM UTC-4, DaleW wrote:
> On Tuesday, June 10, 2014 11:53:03 AM UTC-4, Bi!! wrote:
>
> > In keeping with my goal to drink up everything old in my cellar I opened a couple of bottles yesterday with a lightly smoked slow cooked brisket.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > 1990 Chateau de Pommard. I bought this bottle at the Chateau on a trip we made back in 1992. We dropped in at the Chateau and while the wines were not very good, the winemaker was happy to see us and we tasted through a number of wines. I bought the bottle to make him happy. The wine was brick in color with the aroma of old wine. Oxidized cherries and apples with an underlying black dirt and mushroom note. SOmewhat thick and candied on the palate with the initial impression of sweet cherries followed quickly by razor sharp acidity and fierce tannins. Still drinkable and the brisket took the edge off but not worth dwelling on. "C-"
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > 1999 Luna Canto Napa Blend. I had met John Kongsgaard many years ago and this was one of his projects and he urded me to try the wine. I liked it and bought a couple bottles on release. Canto was a Sangiovese/Cab (60/40) blend and at the time was Luna's top wine. The wine was still dark purple in the glass. Lots of black cherry and blackberry notes on the nose. Medium weight, soft and smooth on the palate almost juicy. A fair amount of smokey notes and vanilla on the finish. Great with the BBQ. "B"
>
>
>
> Thanks for notesd. Too bad about the Pommard - surprised by acids, not by tannins. Never heard of Luna Canto before.

Luna is a Napa producer founded in 1995. Originally planted to Pinot Grigio and Sangiovese with a smattering of Cab. John Kongsgaard was the first winemaker there. Canto was their "top cuvee" of Sangiovese and Cab. They changed course in 2000 and aimed more towards the supermarket wine exchanging quality for quantity.

On Tue, 10 Jun 2014 08:53:03 -0700, Bi!! wrote:

> I bought the bottle to make him happy.

Sorry to hear it didn't hold up.

You clearly know this but I'll mention it for those who might not: since
wine tasting is almost always free in France it's considered polite to
leave with a bottle (at least). Even if you're getting on a plane later,
you can always use it for a picnic, stew, or give it away.

Some Americans don't follow this formula, which can in part explain the
lukewarm reception given them in certain circles.

-E

On 6/11/14 1:15 AM, Emery Davis wrote:
> On Tue, 10 Jun 2014 08:53:03 -0700, Bi!! wrote:
>
>> I bought the bottle to make him happy.
>
> Sorry to hear it didn't hold up.
>
> You clearly know this but I'll mention it for those who might not: since
> wine tasting is almost always free in France it's considered polite to
> leave with a bottle (at least). Even if you're getting on a plane later,
> you can always use it for a picnic, stew, or give it away.

And this explains why we only schedule (yes, schedule!) visits with
winemakers whose wines we know we like (or, on occasion, new ones who
come highly recommended from a reputable source).

Mark Lipton
--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On Wednesday, June 11, 2014 1:15:09 AM UTC-4, Emery Davis wrote:
> On Tue, 10 Jun 2014 08:53:03 -0700, Bi!! wrote:
>
>
>
> > I bought the bottle to make him happy.
>
>
>
> Sorry to hear it didn't hold up.
>
>
>
> You clearly know this but I'll mention it for those who might not: since
>
> wine tasting is almost always free in France it's considered polite to
>
> leave with a bottle (at least). Even if you're getting on a plane later,
>
> you can always use it for a picnic, stew, or give it away.
>
>
>
> Some Americans don't follow this formula, which can in part explain the
>
> lukewarm reception given them in certain circles.
>
>
>
> -E

Good tip Emery. I did know this and have always made it a practice. I did buy a couple bottles which we consumed on the trip. We were visiting a friend and had a little time to kill. Chateau de Pommard is/was a fairly commercial sort of winery with no appointments necessary. There were no other visitors there that day and the winemaker took us to the cellar and was quite generous with what he opened although as I recall, nothing was incredibly special. What I do remember was that we ordered and paid for the wine at the Chateau and the wine was waiting for us at the guardshack as we departed.

On 10/06/2014 11:15 PM, Emery Davis wrote:
> On Tue, 10 Jun 2014 08:53:03 -0700, Bi!! wrote:
>
>> I bought the bottle to make him happy.
>
> Sorry to hear it didn't hold up.
>
> You clearly know this but I'll mention it for those who might not: since
> wine tasting is almost always free in France it's considered polite to
> leave with a bottle (at least). Even if you're getting on a plane later,
> you can always use it for a picnic, stew, or give it away.
>
> Some Americans don't follow this formula, which can in part explain the
> lukewarm reception given them in certain circles.
>
> -E
>
Two weeks ago I was on a cycling holiday with my b-i-l in the Medoc and
the St. Emilion region. Despite being tempted by the numerous
"dégustation" signs, the thought of having to buy a bottle stopped us,
despite having some wine shipping bags in our luggage. In fact, we have
always followed this rule during previous cycling holidays in Burgundy
and Provence.
We wanted to visit one or two of the better chateaux, where one usually
pays ‚¬8-10 for the privilege, but one had to book at least 4 months in
advance.
Graham

On Wed, 11 Jun 2014 10:40:22 -0400, Mark Lipton wrote:

> On 6/11/14 1:15 AM, Emery Davis wrote:
>> You clearly know this but I'll mention it for those who might not:
>> since wine tasting is almost always free in France it's considered
>> polite to leave with a bottle (at least). Even if you're getting on a
>> plane later,
>> you can always use it for a picnic, stew, or give it away.
>
> And this explains why we only schedule (yes, schedule!) visits with
> winemakers whose wines we know we like (or, on occasion, new ones who
> come highly recommended from a reputable source).
>
Hi Mark,

Calling first is always a good idea, but I confess we enjoy cruising
around occasionally without rdv, just stopping here or there as the mood
takes us, or asking a local who's making good wine Most people are happy
enough with "Hi, was passing by and thought it would be a good
opportunity to discover your wines." And in France of course it is
frequently the winemaker or their family (sometimes even young kids) who
receive you, which for us adds to the pleasure of the encounter.

Although in fairness sometimes things can be a bit hit or miss this
way!