Source: http://thecaveman.blogspot.com/2009/05/76-wynns-cabernet-sauvignon-1957.html
Canon Canon la Gaffeliere Cantemerle Cantenac Brown Carillon d\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Angelus
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Six from the Perrin Family
We?re always happy to taste new offerings from the Perrin family of Ch�teau Beaucastel fame, as they rarely fail to satisfy. We weren?t at all disappointed with the six we tried most recently, and here?s the full Rh�ne-down. 2010 La Vieille Ferme Luberon Blanc, 13% alc.: Perhaps the most appealing La Vieille Ferme Blanc bottling [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gangofpour/uncZ/~3/hXD9xMxEdaY/six-from-perrin
l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Interdit de Valandraud Lucia Lynch Bages Lynch Moussas Magdelaine
The Lost Symbol, Quantum Mechanics and How Randall Grahm helped me Reconcile Biodynamics
By a country mile as the crow flies over a buried cow horn on the vernal equinox, Biodynamics is the subject I’m most interested in amongst a myriad of conversational issues that compete against each other in the wine business. Yet, I’ve never been able to square with Biodynamics – the benefits or the bunkum – until now.
When Stu Smith of Smith-Madrone winery and author of the blog Biodynamics is a Hoax said in a recent interview, “It’s a fight between religion and science. There’s no question about it. The people that are mostly Biodynamic supporters are post-modernist skeptics of science” I paused and took it in. Yet, I was also confused about the boundary lines that he drew.
We live in a complicated world. It seems too tidy to draw boxes and say that BioD detractors are pragmatic and progressive in matters of viticulture who resent the piety of Biodynamic practitioners whilst the BioD folks shrug their shoulders when asked how Biodynamics works, eschewing modern day viticultural practice, gazing at a moon chart.
Meanwhile, as we’re noodling on these neat assignments, let’s also throw in secondary dubiousness with Demeter as the arbiter of standards (and depositor of checks), mix in the Biodynamic father Rudolf Steiner as an alleged charlatan and add a dash of societal convention that relies on burden of proof for outcomes.
With this heady stew, we now have perfect assignments along with swirling sub-issues that force the interplay of capitalism, spirituality, philosophy and science that is nearly impossible to reconcile amongst even the most reasonable people.
Harrumph.
The problem-solver in me needs to transcend partisan Biodynamic views. The facilitator in me wants to find common ground.
I want to know the truth about Biodynamics. Not necessarily THE TRUTH, but my own truth, a personal reconciliation even if it is: “There’s a lot in life we don’t understand and this is one of them.”
I’m okay with living in the space between so long as I’ve assigned value to the black of, “It’s a hoax” and the white of, “It’s religion.”
Why? Because unlike Smith’s assertion, there has to be more to Biodynamics than accepting the use of BioD practices as an article of faith.
Likewise, Biodynamics can’t be debunked as an article of faith, counter to science. If so, it presumes that the base of our collective human knowledge is at an end point. We know everything there is to know and so Biodynamics doesn’t fit because it’s not rooted with a base of empirical proof.
So, what if Biodynamics is neither religion nor science, but rather a hybrid of the two that isn’t fully understood?
After all, by its very definition, Biodynamics relates to: the study of the effects of dynamic processes, such as motion or acceleration, on living organisms.
That’s what I’ve been exploring. Undoubtedly, it’s not leading me to THE TRUTH, but it is leading me to a truth different than, “science” “hoax” and “religion.”
Katherine Cole’s new book Voodoo Vintners (see review) does an exceptional job of framing Biodynamics in a balanced manner, yet there’s one chapter that I found sticking with me long after finishing the book.
In Chapter Four titled, “Science … or Sci-Fi” Cole explores the emerging scientific realm of quantum mechanics – the idea that our bodies, minds and physical environment are a symbiotic elements of energy that interact and that our consciousness, our thoughts, can impact our world. Specifically, she cites a book called, The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe by Lynne McTaggert.
The framework for Cole’s mention is the notion of “intention” in the vineyard. The idea that, as she notes and deftly discredits in the paragraph, “The belief is that the preparations aren’t merely herbal treatments for plants; they’re carriers of the farmers’ intentions, which have been swirled into them through the powerful act of stirring. While it isn’t a requirement for Demeter certification, intention is that little bit of witchcraft that separates the most committed practitioners from the unbelievers.”
Yet, what energy forces and “intention” distills down to is not a rejection of science, but an embrace of the most cutting edge of science.
Randall Grahm, the founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard, is quoted from his blog in the book noting, “The world of wine exists in a non-Euclidean space, and certainly partakes of the quantum universe; there are great discontinuities in what we know or imagine we know.”
With that, I made a mental note to pick-up, The Field.
Later, I read Ideal Wine by David Darlington, which covers some of the some topical area with more insight into the scientific quantum mechanics link and Biodynamics, including Steiner’s founding of the philosophical area of anthroposophy, a pre-cursor philosophy to the more scientifically-rooted, legitimized quantum mechanics.
After I purchased The Field, I noted that it had a cover blurb that said, “The author and science featured in The Lost Symbol.”
The Lost Symbol is author Dan Brown’s follow-up after the wildly successful book, The DaVinci Code.
By now I’m deep into the proverbial rabbit’s hole. The Lost Symbol is a mediocre story, but an incredible mix of historical insight, cutting edge new science in quantum mechanics and its relation to modern day man’s role in seeking spirituality. And, unlike the DaVinci Code that took some liberties with the line between fact and fiction, Brown is quick to point out in the preface of The Lost Symbol that, “All rituals, science, artwork, and monuments in this novel are real.”
And Brown does, in fact, lean on the ideas in The Field and McTaggert’s subsequent book called, The Intention Experiment whilst the cottage industry of “decoding” The Lost Symbol books gives validation to the basis for the ideas presented.
For the two people that have read this far, all of this is pretty heady stuff and not easily explainable, which might partly account for the obfuscation in Biodynamics and wine. You have to be really, really intellectually curious to spend the time, but here’s where I’m at and here’s my recommendation if you want to follow a similar path:
Biodynamics isn’t about science vs. religion or “post-modernist skeptics of science” as Smith put it. The entire conversation is wrong. It IS about science that isn’t fully understood – quantum mechanics. In fact, there’s a growing body of evidence that science and religion are one and the same. This may be pseudoscience to some, but, regardless, the wine and Biodynamics conversation needs to be about whether you believe in the cutting edge of science or whether you need empirical proof in the here and now. Talking about anything else is bloviating with half-truths from ideological positions.
Further, anybody interested in wine and trying to understand Biodynamics from a wine perspective is wasting their time by reading about Biodynamics through the lense of the agricultural practices. Don’t spend any time on Nicolas Joly, or Monty Waldin, or any of the leaders in the field. You’ll never get past the weird preparations and the attempt at the explanation thereof.
Instead, any attempt at understanding Biodynamics needs to come through a view of the emerging science side. Get a notebook to take notes. Read The Lost Symbol first. Then, read a decoding book about The Lost Symbol. This acts as an accessible introduction to a number of ideas. Again, the ideas and facts are real, the story is fiction. From there, read The Field and skim The Intention Experiment. Then read Voodoo Vintners and Ideal Wine.
Once this has been completed, fill in the gaps with internet research on Steiner and some of his history with Theosophy and later Anthroposophy and then wade into Google and Amazon.com searching for, “Quantum physics, God, Consciousness.” Balance all of this with some quick searching on metaphysics to understand the delta and overlap between science, religion and philosophy.
If, after having done this, you haven’t completely confused the shit out of yourself, you’ll have gained a new enlightenment the least of which will be akin to Oliver Wendall Holmes quote, “Once the mind has been stretched by a new idea, it will never again return to its original size.”
As I mentioned earlier, when seeking a truth, I’m okay with “There’s a lot in life we don’t understand and this is one of them” and that’s where I come down on Biodynamics, but the conversation must not be framed in black and white terms. Everybody around Biodynamics – the proponents and the detractors are operating in the gray and there is no one particular truth, but, and this is a big but, we might not be too far away from a deeper understanding.
A Partial Journey in Exploring Biodynamics:
Other stuff to read:
The science behind The Lost Symbol
Space photo credit: Wired.com
Domaine du Peyrot Alter Ego de Palmer Angelus Ausone Ausone (Cut Capsule)
Grape Radio Interviews Author Rex Pickett
My friends at Grape Radio have posted a great interview with Rex Pickett, the author of ‘Sideways’ and its sequel ‘Vertical.’ Although the guys spend much of the podcast talking about ‘Sideways’ Pickett does work in plenty of details about his latest novel. Between this and the written interview posted recently by Blake Gray, I [...]
Grape Radio Interviews Author Rex Pickett originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/sjlaqqM3PSg/
Beau Site Beaumont Beausejour Becot Beausejour Duffau Lagarrosse Bel Air Lalande de Pomerol
WBW 71: Rhones Not From The Rh�ne
When Wine Blogging Wednesday founder Lenn Thompson asked me to host this months’ tasting I was both honored and nervous. What theme would spark new participants to join the monthly virtual tasting? How could I come up with something original after 70 tastings? But after sharing three ideas on Twitter direct messages, we were set [...]
WBW 71: Rhones Not From The Rh�ne originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/4_t2_VZ5Kcs/
Napa Valley California Vinyard Wine Bottle Types of Wine Food and Wine
The Gentle Caress of Steve Jobs and Wine
When I heard the news that Steve Jobs, 56 (56!!), had died I was in the process of syncing my Apple iPhone to my Apple iTunes account via my Apple iMac, while uploading Apple Pages, Keynote and Numbers software to...
Labegorce Zede Lafite Rothschild Lafleur Lafleur Gazin Pomerol Lafon Rochet
Friday, October 28, 2011
Best Summer Sangria
This is a guest post from my wife Deanna who serves as the CMO of the Wellesley Wine Press. She also blogs at Casa Dwyer and you can follow her on Twitter.
Let's be honest. Not every bottle of wine is worthy of drinking on its own. I believe it's why Sangria was invented. This Summer I found myself craving a cool red drink that was approachable and delicious. I used several recipes and came up with what I think is a flavorful rendition wine lovers and newbies will both adore. I haven't yet seen my partner drink it, but, really, what does he know? *giggle*
Best Summer Sangria
(makes enough for 4 glasses)
Use a glass wine carafe like this one
.
3 oranges, 2 juiced, 1 halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 lemon, 1/2 juiced, half thinly sliced crosswise
a small handful of fresh raspberries
1/4 cup blue agave sweetener
1/3 cup Amaretto (I like Amaretto di Saronno)
1 bottle dry red wine, chilled
Ice cubes, for serving
Directions
In a large pitcher, combine fresh orange juice, blue agave, and amaretto; stir well. Add wine, orange slices, lemon slices and raspberries. Fill glasses with ice before serving.
Enjoy!
Editor's Note: Any red wine will do. I like tosacrifice pick an affordable juicy red like Grenache, Malbec or Monastrell, but really pretty much anything will work - even Two Buck Chuck. Like choosing your tequila when making a frozen margarita - it doesn't matter nearly as much when you're drinking it straight. Cheers.
Let's be honest. Not every bottle of wine is worthy of drinking on its own. I believe it's why Sangria was invented. This Summer I found myself craving a cool red drink that was approachable and delicious. I used several recipes and came up with what I think is a flavorful rendition wine lovers and newbies will both adore. I haven't yet seen my partner drink it, but, really, what does he know? *giggle*
Best Summer Sangria
(makes enough for 4 glasses)
Use a glass wine carafe like this one
. 3 oranges, 2 juiced, 1 halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 lemon, 1/2 juiced, half thinly sliced crosswise
a small handful of fresh raspberries
1/4 cup blue agave sweetener
1/3 cup Amaretto (I like Amaretto di Saronno)
1 bottle dry red wine, chilled
Ice cubes, for serving
Directions
In a large pitcher, combine fresh orange juice, blue agave, and amaretto; stir well. Add wine, orange slices, lemon slices and raspberries. Fill glasses with ice before serving.
Enjoy!
Editor's Note: Any red wine will do. I like to
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/lPRAXxZZXqc/best-summer-sangria.html
Caronne Ste Gemme Carruades de Lafite Certan de May Charmail Chasse Spleen
Academy of Wine Communications-FLX: February Meeting this Thursday, 2/25/10
Update: February meeting canceled due to winter storm warning for the region.� We’re working on setting up our next meeting for Thursday, 3/18/10.� Watch here for more details. February’s meeting of the Finger Lakes Chapter of the Academy of Wine Communications will be held on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at Three Brothers Wineries & Estates [...]
Source: http://familylovewine.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/awc-meeting-this-thursday-22510/
Leoville Las Cases Leoville Poyferre Les Forts de Latour Les Tourelles de Longueville l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Evangile
Palate Tuning and the Permanent Record
I’m aware that there are at least three strata of consumers who use wine reviews (and likely many more).
1) People that calibrate their palate to that of a critic so they can make very informed purchase decisions. These people are few and probably most closely aligned with Robert Parker or niche critics like Allen Meadows of Burghound or Charlie Olken of the Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine.
2) The broad swath of consumers who use scores, perhaps with some deference to the score-giver, to make retail purchase decisions. With these folks, all things considered equal while balanced against price, a 91 is better than an 88 so they go with the higher score on the shelf-talker.
3) Online armchair wine researchers are an emerging category of users. Searching for a wine presents a sort of blotter file like the dreaded “permanent record” of school days gone by. Consumers use search to research wines, validate a thought, sway indecision and incent action, sometimes in conjunction with #2.
This is linked, but separate from a recent working study presented under the banner of the American Association of Wine Economists called, “The Buyer’s Dilemma – Whose Rating Should a Wine Drinker Pay Attention to?” For a well-considered post on this topic, see Joe Roberts post at 1WineDude.
For my part, I’ve done very little wine reviewing on this site preferring instead to make any specific wine the context for bigger ideas or points I want to make (no pun intended). However, as I’ve gotten into the groove with my Forbes.com column, where there is a much broader audience, a wine-of-the-week column does have merit and I’ve started reviewing wines with more regularity.
Doing so is fun, but the most that I hope for is to be a part of the permanent record as noted in item #3. I certainly don’t have visions or a desire for anything more, but just the same, doing any sort of reviewing does open a can of worms, particularly in the case of the 2009 Red Car “Trolley” Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, a wine that I recently reviewed and gave four stars to – which equates to a generalized “90-94” score. I don’t give precise numeric ratings. If I had to, I would have given the Red Car a 92, I liked the wine – it was earthy, nuanced, layered, balanced and it required some thought to figure out, all hallmarks of a good wine.
So, consider me SHOCKED when I saw the Wine Spectator review for this very same wine and Jim Laube gave it an 81. I was less shocked, but slightly curious when I saw that Steve Heimoff at Wine Enthusiast gave it an 86 and Stephen Tanzer gave it an 88.
Can you imagine somebody searching online for the Red Car and seeing search results that present a disparate spread along the lines of Spectator’s 81, Heimoff’s 86, Stephen Tanzer’s 88, CellarTracker’s average score of 89 and a score under the Forbes masthead of 90-94?
It would be a real WTF moment that creates more confusion instead of the consumers desired order.
This disparity in scores brings me to my point, which is the point of the Wine Economist working paper – whose score should you listen to? Well, Joe Roberts, rightfully so, says listen to your own palate. However, with the preponderance of existing and emerging wine reviewers out there, combined with an ever burgeoning tsunami of information about wine online, that’s easier said than done. The real need is for meta-aggregation of scores, a sort of super wine review database.
Neil Monnens and his Wine BlueBook represents this on some level with his monthly newsletter that aggregates wine scores for individual wines from three or more critical scores giving it a QPR rating, but this is just the tip of the iceberg compared to where information is going.
Methinks that if a stats wonk can assign a Quarterback rating to NFL quarterbacks, and Sagarin ratings for college football, there has to be a way to create a meta-rating database based on regression analysis that accounts for palate preferences across a wide diversity of reviewers to create a super score for a wine that acts as the ultimate arbiter. And I won’t be surprised if, in the near future, this emerges.
Ultimately, the ongoing debate about wine scores is for naught. The horse has already left the barn. A better conversation might be around shaping the future and the fact that the best answer to, “Whose Rating Should a Wine Drinker Pay Attention to?” might be, “Trust your palate,” but it might also be, “Tune your palate against the database.”
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/palate_tuning_and_the_permanent_record/
To Kalon Fruit on the Cheap: The 2008 Robert Mondavi Oakville Cabernet
Although there was some significant damage in other areas it looks like the hurricane wasn't as devastating as some feared it might be. I'm grateful for that and hope you and your family are safe.
It's been a few months since Wine Spectator dropped a big 94 point rating on the 2008 Robert Mondavi Oakville Cabernet. With a $45 release price and relative high 7,700 case production this wine becomes one to seek out - especially since discounters typically offer it for less than $35.
The meat of the Robert Mondavi line-up consists of the Napa Valley Wines (~$24), District Wines (~$45), and the Reserve Wines ($135). I last checked in with the Oakville bottling in the 2005 vintage. I caught a case of it on what I thought was a really good price - around $25/bottle. I slowly made my way through that case, enjoying a bottle once a month. It was so enjoyable and consistent. Outstanding Napa Cab every time at a relatively affordable price point..
Spectator didn't rate the '05 Oakville and neither did The Wine Advocate. Advocate rated the '08 Oakville just 89+ points so this is a wine Spectator really liked and Advocate thought was so-so. Some have suggested this wine as a candidate for Wine Spectator's wine of the year. I think the rating is a little low to take the top spot (they seem to go for wines rated 95 or better) but I wouldn't be surprised to see it in the Top 10. We shall see.
Although the '08 Oakville has been out for while I haven't seen it in Massachusetts yet. The Costco in Waltham still has the '07 for $29.99. I get the feeling the distributor may be trying to clear out the '07s before releasing the '08s. I spotted the '08 for $39.99 in New Hampshire. Not the greatest price in the world but I thought it would be interesting to get a handle on whether it was worth seeking out more.
I opened the bottle the same night I bought it. Is it one to back the truck up for? Not exactly, but it is made from 93% To Kalon fruit (pronounced "tow-kuh-lawn" - a famous vineyard that is 550 acres of Mondavi and 89 acres Beckstoffer which produces some of the most sought after wines in America). I'd recommend checking out a bottle or two if you're a fan of big Napa Cabs. This one is huge.
2008 Robert Mondavi Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon
15.5% Alcohol
7,700 Cases Produced
$45 Release Price ($32-$40 street price)
A bold Napa Cab of great concentration and density that enters the room with a confident swagger. Complex aromas and flavors of rich blackberries, sweet spice, plums, and vanilla beans. A little overpowering at points (15.5% alcohol) but with adequate aeration this comes together nicely. Would like to check in again in a year but for now I'd be in for 1-3 bottles of this at a target price of $30-$33.
92/100 WWP: Outstanding
Wine-Searcher
CellarTracker
Website
On Twitter
I spotted a bottle of the more affordable '08 Napa Valley bottling so I bought it to see if there was an uptick in its quality as well. There's not. It's just as good as it always is - a solid 88-90 point Napa Cab you can find anywhere - usually at a very favorable price point:
2008 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
15.0% Alcohol
93,000 Cases Produced
$28 Release Price ($18.39 at Costco)
Comes off a bit brash at first but with some time it settles down and becomes quite enjoyable. Black currant, plum, acidity, tannins - all the classic Napa markers are here. Hard to imagine someone feeling shorted with this one south of $20. 15.0% alcohol and it shows early on.
89/100 WWP: Very Good
Sometimes, it doesn't take a lot of research to find outstanding wines at reasonable price points. The Robert Mondavi wines present tremendous value year in and year out. For example the 2006 Reserve Cab was one of the best wines I've ever tasted and can be had for around $80 if you shop around.
Question of the Day: Have you checked in on Robert Mondavi Cab lately? What do you think?
Chauvin Cheval Blanc Cheval Blanc (Bin Soiled) Cheval Blanc (Damaged Label) Cissac
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