The Wine Curmudgeon

Expensive wine of the month 8: Gaja Barbaresco 2005

One of the anchors of an ever changing wine world is a certain kind of Italian wine, which keeps what's best about Italian style and tradition and combines it with modern winemaking techniques. The Gaja (about $175, sample) is such a wine. But why not? They have been making wine since 1859.

The Gaja is a red wine made with nebbiolo in the Barbaresco region (which is why it's called a Barbaresco). It has that long Italian finish and incredible tannins that will solve the mystery of why tannins can make wine better. There is the requisite acidity and enough fruit so that U.S. palates won't be disappointed. The alcohol is a bit high at 14 percent, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. And you'll even note the aroma of violets.

This is a wine to share with someone for a special occasion -- roast pork or slowly braised beef will do. Open the Gaja at least an hour ahead of time and maybe longer. And if you want to buy it now and put it down, it should be good for 20 years or longer.

Gaja, Barbaresco, nebbiolo, expensive wine, wine reviews, Italian wine

Mini-reviews 8: Beaujolais nouveau, Pomelo, Wily Jack, Las Perdices

Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the final weekday of each month.

· Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2009 ($12, purchased): The Wine Curmudgeon, disappointed with the continuing decline in quality of the Nouveau, has stopped reviewing it. I may also stop mini-reviewing it. This is sour yet grapey, an uninteresting wine.

· Mason Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Pomelo 2008 ($10, sample): Some citrus nose, grassy a mouth and lemon pith finish. Thought I would enjoy it more than I did, though there is nothing really wrong with it.

· Wily Jack Chardonnay 2008 ($8, sample): This wine arrived in a PR kit that had a faux branding iron. The wine was much better than the gimmick -- solid grocery-store chardonnay that is perfectly acceptable.

· Las Perdices Syrah/Viognier 2007 ($16, sample): The Argentine red blend is very nicely done, with lots of bright fruit but lowish alcohol for a New World label. The viognier really softens the wine.

Beaujolais Nouveau, Mason Cellars, Wily Jack, Las Perdices, white wine, red wine, cheap wine, inexpensive wine, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, red blend

Happy Thanksgiving from the Wine Curmudgeon

The blog is off today, but will be be back tomorrow with the monthly mini-reviews. Until then, enjoy the holiday and this video, courtesy of Bolitochrome at You Tube -- another argument for screw caps:

Wine of the week: Louis Jadot Macon-Villages 2008

Twenty-five years ago, before Robert Parker and the Wine Magazines and five-figure bottles of French wine, Americans who drank French wine mostly drank three or four kinds. They were cheap, pleasant and Gallic -- what more did one need?

We drank Beaujolais, usually the Georges DuBoeuf; Vouvray (the Wine Curmudgeon has fond memories of B&G Vouvray, which he used to buy at the K&B drug store in Thibodaux, La.); the Bordeaux blends from Mouton Cadet; and Macon-Villages.

Not all those wines have consistently held up over the past three decades, but I'm still drinking the Macon, which is chardonnay from Burgundy made by Louis Jadot ($12, purchased). In fact, it's on sale in Dallas for $9 and I'm going to pick up a case.

Would that more U.S. winemakers understood how to make a consistent, quality chardonnay like this, with the requisite varietal characteristics (green apple and sturdy acid) and no trace of fake oak. Serve it tomorrow for Thanksgiving or with leftover turkey sandwiches. Highly recommended, especially if you can find it for $10 or less.

French wine, wine reviews, white Burgundy. Macon, Louis Jadot, chardonnay

And the winnner is. ...

Frankly, the Wine Curmudgeon couldn't decide who should win the bottle of Tormaresca Neprica, part of the blog's birthday celebration. So there are two winners -- Ryan, for his inspired poetry, and Emily, who managed to combine wine, being a graduate student, and grading papers in the same answer.

Ryan, you didn't leave an email address, so you'll have to email me so I can get your contact information.

Thanks to everyone who entered. One reason why I enjoy doing this is because the readers and visitors make it so much fun.

Winebits 105: Thanksgiving wine suggestions

Thanksgiving wine wisdom from around the cyber-ether:

· Dave McIntyre at the Washington Post: "Open one of everything." Is it any wonder that Dave is the Wine Curmudgeon's kind of guy?

· Eric Asimov in the New York Times: "As always, please don’t contort yourself trying to find only the specific bottles we recommend. These bottles are simply examples of the types of wines that ought to work well at Thanksgiving." This, actually, may be the best advice any important wine writer has ever given. And he even recommends a New York wine.

· Stephen Meuse in the Boston Globe: The only time I've ever seen the word apothegm used in a wine review (or anywhere else, for that matter). But his advice is sound, and he recommends Massachusetts wine. What's with these big deal wine writers suddenly hopping on the DrinkLocalWine.com bandwagon?

holiday wine, Thanksgiving wine

Thanksgiving wine 2009

Wine writers traditionally agonize over Thanksgiving, which I've never understood. They get so hung up on food pairings and recommending expensive pinot noir that they miss the point of the holiday -- which is that we should enjoy our friends and family and not worry about wine. Who cares if cabernet sauvignon doesn't go with turkey, or that chardonnay and cranberry sauce isn't proper? Thanksgiving is about sharing and having fun, and the wine that you drink should be part of that. It's not about scores and oaky and toasty.

But that may be changing, and it's a welcome sign. Jon Bonne', the highly-esteemed and influential wine writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, said his Thanksgiving wine column: "My advice, then? Don't worry. Drink what you like. No one's going to put you in wine jail. It's going to be OK."

That's as revelatory as it is welcome, given that most big-time wine writers are usually the worst agonizers. That Bonne' says it's OK to forgo the perfect pinot noir means the wine world is changing, and changing for the better. Because, if Aunt Dorothy likes white zinfandel, who are you to tell her she can't drink it at Thanksgiving?

Whatever you do, though, think variety – some white, some red, some bubbly. The Wine Police, as Bonne noted, will not arrest you for trying to make your guests happy. After the jump, some thoughts and wines to start with: