Wine Spectator Wine of the Year Top Ten: #8 and #7 Revealed
Bordeaux, Rhone, Top 10 Wines of the Year, Wine Spectator, WOTY
#8: 2005 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape
#7: 2005 Chateau Pontet Canet Pauillac
Looks like the Spectator is going heavy on a couple of things this year:
First, the 2005 vintage in France (and likely California for Napa Cabs) reigns. They’re just avoiding 2006, which makes sense for Bordeaux given that the 2006 stock hasn’t really hit the marketplace yet, but not so much for the Rhone where the 2006’s are plentiful. I guess they just don’t find the 2006 Clos des Papes as good as the 2005 Beaucastel?
Second, the Bordeaux shaped bottle dominates the Top Ten. I noticed this yesterday when I first looked at the silhouettes of the bottles, and Tim pointed to it in his comment as well. The Spectator does really seem to telegraph their choices through the graphics. Of the wines revealed thus far, only one of four is in a Burgundy-shaped bottle (the Beaucastel, of course). Of the six still to be announced, there’s but one lonely Burgundy-shaped bottle left. I’d expect this to be either a 2005 (Red) or 2006 (White) Burgundy, or a California Chardonnay.
Pinot Noir from stateside is probably a non-starter, as nobody has raved about the 2006 offerings from Kosta Browne and the likes, which were under-performers from a point-perspective.
FYI we have a contestant on the boards, with one entrant listing the 2005 Pontet (but no “Canet”) in his entry. Good for at least partial credit!
More madness follows tomorrow.
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get your wine on
2008 “Bebame” Red, El Dorado County, California
Cabernet Franc (65%) and Gamay (35%) from - gasp - California! And only 13% ABV, pretty modest by California standards. If I tasted this blind I would probably have said it’s from the Loire Valley. It has pretty much nothing in common with the full bodied iterations of Cab Franc coming out of Napa. Juicy, light, delicious quaffing wine.$18 a bottle
2006 Telegramme Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge
Really balanced and smooth, this is a bargain of a Chateauneuf. Yeah, the 07s are lauded but what would I prefer to drink? This! It’s the second label of Vieux Telegraphe, from the same property but from younger vines. And it’s a deal at $33 a bottle.2006 or bust!
NV Barcino Cava: LA Times Wine of the Week!
Delicious and just in time for New Year’s Eve…this is the LA Times Wine of the Week, and we have plenty in stock. Order online, pick-up in-store!$14 a bottle!
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3/8/10: First domaineLA Wine Tasting at Susan Feniger’s Street: 5 Wines, $15:
Just a quick note to let you know that a week from today, on Monday, March 8th, 2010, I’ll be hosting the first domaineLA wine tasting event at Susan Feniger’s Street, with the Manincor winery of Italy. The importer and winemaker will both be present to chat about the five wines being poured (including an unusual and delicious dry moscato), and the wines will be paired with light bites.
The best news is that the event will cost just $15 a person…a bargain! Swing by between 6PM and 8PM — I hope to see lots of you there!
Susan Feniger’s Street, 742 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Oh, and you can buy tickets in advance, online by clicking here:
3/8/10: First domaineLA Wine Tasting at Susan Feniger’s Street: 5 Wines, $15
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wine jargon
Frizzante
From Wikipedia: Frizzante is an Italian wine term term for semi-sparkling wine (as opposed to Spumante, which is generally used for fully sparkling wines). Frizzante wines generally owe their bubbles to a partial secondary fermentation in tank. You might notice a light fizz or tingly sensation on the tongue with a Frizzante wine, compared to the more carbonated sensation that more fully sparkling wines yield.
Scorekage
Okay, so we made up this word yesterday after a great restaurant experience. We brought a bottle of wine with us, expecting to pay a corkage fee. But the restaurant either forgot to charge us the $15, or decided to be nice to us. We scored! Hence, “scorekage” has entered our lexicon. This can also refer to BYO friendly restaurants that don’t charge for corkage under any circumstances.
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domaine547 In the Blogosphere! Imbibe Magazine Unfiltered
November 11th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Kosta Brown? Argh! If I wanted over-extracted vanilla-laced oak juice I would buy grocery store Cabernet.
November 12th, 2008 at 4:51 am
What betters 2005?