Rumble On - more musings about wine

I love inexpensive wines as long as I am not making concessions in the taste department simply because they are inexpensive.

I make that concession all the time. I drink Barde Haut and La Louviere, even though I personally prefer Cheval Blanc (make mine the '83, please) and Haut Brion. I drink a lot of Lafarge Bourgogne and village Volnay, even though the Clos des Chenes is my favorite. I drink a lot more Produttori del Barbaresco than Giacosa, but would never claim I prefer the former.

I like all of the wines I drink (more than once), but admit to making concessions.

I see your point. I would like to think that drinking Barde Haut, La Louviere, Lafarge Bourgogne and Volnay is a concession to our not being rich rather than a wine concession, but it is inescapable that there is at least some concession.

Off topic: Is 2000 Barde Haut anywhere near ready?

[David M. Bueker]

There are choices and there are concessions. I don't see Dale (or Oswaldo) making concessions. I see him making good choices with his money. Value is probably the wrong word to use in wine. Every inexpensive wine I buy has to pass my personal taste test before it enters my cellar in a quantity of more than 1 bottle. There's no "settling for less" going on, just ferreting out the really good from the ocean of good.

Jeff - I wish I had your strength to go that long without buying more wine. I need to have your strength to go that long without buying wine. I have an idea...

Jenise - when the next thing comes up I am sure we will think of it simultaneously.

For about 2 years I was on a "fewer but better" kick, building up treasures in the cellar. Now I'm building up daily drinkers as I went through a period where I wanted everything in the cellar to age. Argh - is there no balance?!?!

The eternal problem. My wife shakes her head when I explain we have 400 bottles but nothing to drink...
cheers,
Graeme

[Jenise]

Jeff - I wish I had your strength to go that long without buying more wine. I need to have your strength to go that long without buying wine. I have an idea...

I can't even go a day. Went to the store today for dinner groceries. Stopped to talk to the wine guy (remember, our grocery stores are also our fine wine stores here, or at least some of them are) about some possibilities for our neighborhood tasting next month. Decided to buy one bottle of a Washington cab I'd not yet tasted to drink tonight with burgers. And what else did I end up with? A Lafarge Aligote, 2 Tokaji Aszus, an 05 Marechal Bourgogne Gravel, 2 Lopez Heredia whites, 1 Lopez Heredia Rose, and 7 bottles of a great Loire Cremant. 14 bottles--it isn't safe to leave home! (Re the Cremant, I had actually purchased a single of this some time ago, stuffed it in the outside fridge, and then promptly forgot where I bought it and why--other than that it was a Loire bubbly, whose merits you and I have discussed at least WRT Huet's. So it sat in the outside fridge until September 9th when I needed an impromptu bubbly to celebrate a friend's birthday. And was I amazed--it was exceptionally tasty, something I would not have been surprised to pay $40 for and would have been willing to spend again. So when I saw it on the shelf today for a mere $14ish, I had to take every bottle, right? )

[David M. Bueker]

Heck even work isn't safe. People forward me e-mails and thread links. I'm bombarded.

I can't even go a day. Went to the store today for dinner groceries. Stopped to talk to the wine guy (remember, our grocery stores are also our fine wine stores here, or at least some of them are) about some possibilities for our neighborhood tasting next month. Decided to buy one bottle of a Washington cab I'd not yet tasted to drink tonight with burgers. And what else did I end up with? A Lafarge Aligote, 2 Tokaji Aszus, an 05 Marechal Bourgogne Gravel, 2 Lopez Heredia whites, 1 Lopez Heredia Rose, and 7 bottles of a great Loire Cremant. 14 bottles--it isn't safe to leave home! (Re the Cremant, I had actually purchased a single of this some time ago, stuffed it in the outside fridge, and then promptly forgot where I bought it and why--other than that it was a Loire bubbly, whose merits you and I have discussed at least WRT Huet's. So it sat in the outside fridge until September 9th when I needed an impromptu bubbly to celebrate a friend's birthday. And was I amazed--it was exceptionally tasty, something I would not have been surprised to pay $40 for and would have been willing to spend again. So when I saw it on the shelf today for a mere $14ish, I had to take every bottle, right? )

You need therapy. I need therapy. We all need therapy.

[David M. Bueker]

Group therapy on its way (only without the snarky remarks & inside jokes).

Group therapy on its way (only without the snarky remarks & inside jokes).

I actually did group therapy for a few years while living in New York and it was very interesting and quite useful. There's a sensational novel by Irving Yalom called the Schopenhauer Cure that revolves around a therapy group, fascinating for anyone interested in this kind of thing.

[Jenise]

You need therapy. I need therapy. We all need therapy.

I know (big sigh). If I gave up wine altogether, I might miss the treasure-hunting part of it the most.