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Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Tim York » Fri Aug 22, 2014 4:07 pm

I seem to be making most of the posts here. I guess that is because France where I now live provides so many characterful wines at accessible (here) prices.

Arbois Chardonnay "En Chante Merle" 2010 - Régine & Jean Rijckaert - Alc.13% -(c.€10)

The most striking thing about this wine was its bouquet which was a bright medley of passion fruit, white flowers and minerals. The same elements carried through onto the medium bodied palate with a laser like precision and were underpinned by an excellent balance of crisp acidity and round "gras" with hints of honey towards the finish. There was no sign of oxidative wine-making which was once very prevalent in the Jura region. In the past, I have found some of Rijckaert's wines, especially from the Mâconnais, somewhat let down by excessively caramelised finishes and also by poor ageing under Nomacorc closures, but neither of those applied here. Very good. QPR! and I'll buy more if not sold out.

A word of warning to those seeking a varietal Chard. The operative word here is Arbois and the result bears no resemblance to the creamy, tropically fruited, slightly sweet, high alcohol and often heavily oaked varietal Chards from warmer climates.
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Fri Aug 22, 2014 4:26 pm

Always appreciate your posts Tim. As you are aware, prices here in AB are so high that is extremely difficult to find anything that fits this wine focus. Plus I have really cut back on buying of late as i have too much in the cellar already :) .
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Tim York » Fri Aug 22, 2014 4:42 pm

Bob Parsons Alberta wrote: Plus I have really cut back on buying of late as i have too much in the cellar already :) .


Bob, logically that should apply to me too as I have over 1000 bottles in my cellar. But most of these are 10+ years old and I have a hankering for younger brighter wines with new flavours........ :roll:
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Jenise » Sat Aug 23, 2014 3:12 pm

2013 Scaia Garganega/Chardonnay blend
Italy
$11 locally here in Washington

Killer blend of two good grapes with melon, apple and white grapefruit notes. Great balance and lively acidity, and more body than you usually associate with garganega (the Soave grape). Had it in a restaurant where I had no idea of shelf price and was blown away when I found it in a local shop for so little--I took all they had.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Chateau dela Presle Sauvignon

by Dan Smothergill » Sat Sep 06, 2014 2:34 am

I've been buying this Loire wine for however many years and am always surprised at how good it is. The Sauvignon taste is subtle lemony rather than grapefruit and very refreshing. At $10 in Rochester, NY it makes me wonder why I keep trying those unknown wines at twice the price that are rarely as good and too often disappointing.
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Pecorino - The Wine

by Dan Smothergill » Sat Sep 06, 2014 5:43 pm

The name of a well - known Italian cheese from sheep's milk, Pecorino is also an indigenous Italian grape that nearly became extinct. Rescued by Guido Cocci Grifone in the Marche in the 1980's, he grafted it onto American rootstock and propogated it. High in both sugar and acid, the grape makes a delightful white wine with big mouth feel and a taste of almonds. Apart from the mouth feel, it reminds me of the Friulano from Northeast Italy. The perfumey nose of the 2012 Saladini Pilastri Pecorino could be ratched down a notch or two. Otherwise, it's a terrific buy at $10 at Premier in Buffalo.
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Jenise » Sat Sep 06, 2014 7:48 pm

Dan, I've had pecorino and remember liking it quite a bit. Like so many good Italian whites, I wonder why no one grows it here.

Can contribute a surprising vote (from me, who is not so into reisling) for the 2012 Chateau Ste Michelle Dry Reisling. I've had it before here and there, liked it okay but never been a buyer, but I'm going back for more of this. The 2012 is absolutely delicious--ripping acidity, great body, terrific minerality and dry, dry, dry. Here's the best compliment I can pay it: it doesn't even taste American. Nor does it taste German, in fact blind I might have guessed Italy. It's a stunner.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Tim York » Sat Sep 13, 2014 6:01 am

I complained in passing in another thread that French wine press recommendations disappear quickly from Foire aux Vins shelves but nevertheless I have picked up a decent selection of bottles in the 5-10€ range at Carrefour and Intermarché.

Here is a sample-

Touraine Gamay 1ère Vendange Marionnet
Palette (tiny appellation near Aix-en-Provence) Ch.Bonnaud (famous Ch.Simone cost 3x this)
Jura Chard Sarres - Rijckaert
Cahors Chapelle du Closs - Triguedina
Fleurie la Madone - Dom.la Madone
Morgon - Souchon
Savoie Chignin-Bergeron - Fils R.Quénard
St.Nic.Bourgueil Mélanie - Taluau
Bergerac Tour des Gendres Primo de Conti
Saumur-Champigny Terrages - R-N Legrand (a favourite domaine of mine)
C. Languedoc Montpeyroux C. Truffières - Aupilhac

Super U and Leclerc whose Foires have not yet opened also seem to have some interesting offers :wink: . Best appears to be Auchan but there is no nearby branch :( .

Some of these will surely be good enough for me to post a TN here in due course.
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Jenise » Sat Sep 13, 2014 10:24 am

Speaking of wine values, I'm doing a zinfandel tasting next Friday (the nabe group), and I promised ALL zinfandel, which means four or five inexpensive self-pour wines and six more serious versions to sit down to. The self-pours are usually white, but because there have historically been a lot of good values in the $10ish category I decided to keep it all zinfandel this time, although as the advertisement said "No white zin or Jenise quits." So Bob and I opened two potentials, a Ravenswood Lodi Old Vines and a Rancho Zabaco (a Gallo label), the other night for a little palate calibration. Egads. The Zabaco is extra sweet and polished, almost artificial tasting, and 15.2% to boot, and the Ravenswood tastes like bug spray. These are not the good, inexpensive zinfandels I remember. Were they really there or am I just dreaming?

If anyone knows of any zin under $13 that would be worth me looking for, I'd love to hear from you!
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Doug Surplus » Sat Sep 13, 2014 9:45 pm

Jenise, I've found the Zins in that price range to be wildly inconsistent. For example, Gnarly Head - had a couple of really good bottles several years back, but then later vintages were sweet and bland. I remember Rancho Zabaco as pretty good for a while also, but again, after that, not so good. Closer to $20 you can get Dry Creek Heritage Vines which TomHill recommended - I found it rather drinkable myself.
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Jenise » Sun Sep 14, 2014 1:43 am

Doug, at $20, that's a candidate for the sit-down end of the tasting, a category that's been easy to fill; what's giving me fits is the quaffers for which the price needs to be under $13. I haven't found a decent quaffer yet: tonight I can also rule out Zinopolis, Viano and Parkers Street (whoever they are). But thanks for confirming my recollections which are very similar to yours, that there WAS a day when the Zabaco was a decent QPR wine, for instance. Isn't now.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Tim York » Sun Sep 21, 2014 3:18 am

I have already started quaffing my <€10 purchases from les Foires aux Vins at Carrefour and Intermarché and, so far, none are disappointing.

(A brief aside about les Foires aux Vins. These are organised by the main supermarket chains and some others in the autumn and have become an institution. The bedrock of their offer is Bordeaux and many famous châteaux, first and second wines, were on offer for reasonable prices, mainly from the under-rated 2011 & 2012 vintages. In addition there are interesting cuvées from other regions' artisan growers in small quantities which would not normally interest supermarkets at other times. The fly in the ointment is that the best of these sell out very quickly.)

Here are my TNs -

2009 Château Tour des Gendres Bergerac Rouge Primo de Conti - France, Southwest France, Dordogne, Bergerac Rouge (9/15/2014)
I often tend to think of Bergerac reds as rather bland Bordeaux right bank look alikes but, as befits one of the region's best regarded estates, this wine was different. There was a tangy saline spine, minerals and and crisp acidity to complement some dense red fruit. The presence of 30% Malbec in the blend may have had something to do with this personality. At present, it did not fully convince me but a little more age may help. Fair QPR at €7.

2013 Domaine de la Charmoise Gamay Touraine Terroir de Silices - France, Loire Valley, Touraine (9/16/2014)
As in previous vintages, this wine is thoroughly enjoyable and moreish. Quite light bodied and lean but full of lively red fruit, crunchy minerals, mouth-watering acidity and nicely grippy finish with a friendly level of alcohol (12%), it is hard to resist pouring out another glass. And at €6 it represents wonderful QPR. I also have some bottles of the theoretically superior 1ère Vendange cuvée; it will be interesting to see how that performs.

2013 Domaine des Souchons Morgon - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon (9/18/2014)
This wine is very mineral (flint) and invigorating but with less charm and more backbone and seriousness than the Marionnet Touraine Gamay which I opened a day or two ago. Good QPR at €6.

2013 Cave de Gortona Sancerre - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre (9/20/2014)
This bottle reminds me of the Sancerre which I used to quaff joyfully with seafood in Paris brasseries a generation ago before the appellation acquired the pretension, occasionally justified, of making great wine. It was bracing but not quite bone dry and full of juicy citrus tinged fruit and flinty minerals with a firm saline spine. Good wine and good QPR for Sancerre at €9.
Posted from CellarTracker

Going through my CT notes, I also claim an older bottle from my cellar for this value thread. According to the RVF, its 2010 can be had for as little as €12 from the cellar door, which is where I bought my bottle about 10 years ago.

1999 Château Lamartine Cahors Cuvée Particulière - France, Southwest France, Cahors (9/19/2014)
This wine is holding up remarkably well; quite a lot of a TN dating from 2008 still applies. Colour was a still youthful red of medium density with little bricking. The nose was expressive with red berries and touches of tar and wet leather. The palate showed similar aromas to those on the nose displayed in a classically well balanced mouth-shape with a good body of fruit, more underlying roundness than I noted in 2008, firm tannic structure and good length with tar notes becoming more prominent on the finish. This wine is in the savoury register with noticeable acidity and a certain rigour and classy austerity. There were none of the oaky notes which are controversial in Probus, Cèdre, Lagrézette and big brother Cuvée Expression from this estate. Very good and fine QPR. Very few wines of this class can be had for €12.

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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Sun Sep 21, 2014 9:57 pm

Lamartine, I have a few vintages here Tim. Never quite sure how long to hang onto them.
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Tim York » Mon Sep 22, 2014 2:06 am

Bob Parsons Alberta wrote:Lamartine, I have a few vintages here Tim. Never quite sure how long to hang onto them.


Bob, it depends which cuvée. I've never had the basic but I guess that it can be tackled quite young up to 10 years. This cuvée Particulière was excellent at 9 years and still going strong at 15 years. Cuvée Expression sees a lot of oak and I would hold off opening it for about 10 years; about a year ago the 2000 was excellent. The RVF guide has recently stripped this estate of its star, mainly because of the heavy oaking of Expression, and Paul Strang also criticises this aspect.
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Sam Platt » Tue Sep 23, 2014 9:34 am

Monroe Prosecco

$7.99/btl at Aldi

Appearance: Light straw yellow. Persistent bubbles.

Nose: Citrus with some nice floral notes.

Taste: Dry, fresh and light. Notes of lemon and toast with a sturdy minerality. Medium finish.

Suitable by itself, as Kir or even better with a couple blackberries tossed in. A great buy at $7.99.
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Robin Garr » Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:03 am

Sam Platt wrote:Monroe Prosecco ... A great buy at $7.99.

Whoa, I may need to hop over to the Sunny Side to get me some of that, Sam. I don't think Aldi has wine in its shops on this side of the Mighty Ohio.
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Richard Fadeley OLD » Sat Oct 04, 2014 3:15 pm

I discovered this little Bordeaux blanc, 2013 Cht. Palene, Bordeaux (Entre-Deux-Mers). Clean and bright (12.5% ABV), from 60% semillon, 30% sauvignon blanc and 10% sauvignon gris, this is an easy drinking wine, perfect as an aperitif or with oysters or a goat cheese spread. Great value @ $10. Found in local Total Wine here in Columbia, SC.
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Wed Oct 08, 2014 7:06 am

Tim York wrote:I complained in passing in another thread that French wine press recommendations disappear quickly from Foire aux Vins shelves but nevertheless I have picked up a decent selection of bottles in the 5-10€ range at Carrefour and Intermarché.

Here is a sample-

Touraine Gamay 1ère Vendange Marionnet
Palette (tiny appellation near Aix-en-Provence) Ch.Bonnaud (famous Ch.Simone cost 3x this)
Jura Chard Sarres - Rijckaert
Cahors Chapelle du Closs - Triguedina
Fleurie la Madone - Dom.la Madone
Morgon - Souchon
Savoie Chignin-Bergeron - Fils R.Quénard
St.Nic.Bourgueil Mélanie - Taluau
Bergerac Tour des Gendres Primo de Conti
Saumur-Champigny Terrages - R-N Legrand (a favourite domaine of mine)
C. Languedoc Montpeyroux C. Truffières - Aupilhac

Super U and Leclerc whose Foires have not yet opened also seem to have some interesting offers :wink: . Best appears to be Auchan but there is no nearby branch :( .

Some of these will surely be good enough for me to post a TN here in due course.


This one passed me by Tim! Which vintage for the Cahors Triguedina?
Do you have something from Cahors for the WF this month, also the Montpeyroux has me licking my chops :D .
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Tim York » Wed Oct 08, 2014 10:48 am

Bob Parsons Alberta wrote:This one passed me by Tim! Which vintage for the Cahors Triguedina?
Do you have something from Cahors for the WF this month, also the Montpeyroux has me licking my chops :D .


Bob, both the Cahors and the Montpeyroux were 2011. I guess that the latter will be drinking well but three year old Cahors is a lottery. If the chef proposes a suitable dish, I may open a Cahors but perhaps not that one.
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Tim York » Mon Oct 20, 2014 10:45 am

2010 Cave de Turckheim Riesling Brand - France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru AOC (10/15/2014)
Picked up from the left-overs from the Foire aux Vins at Leclerc for <€10, I was not expecting a lot from this wine and was very agreeably surprised. At once the nose showed the trademark floral aromatics with touches of white fruit, petrol and flint. The palate was medium bodied and beautifully shaped with greatest intensity towards the finish. It was dry but did not seem bone dry due to the gracious aromatics, showed plenty of florally tinged fruit and minerals, hints of spice, crisp juicy acidity and a saline spine. Very good. I have just picked up two more bottles at a price increased by €1 :( .

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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Brian K Miller » Fri Oct 24, 2014 3:31 pm

2012 Domaine Richou "Les 4 Chemins" Anjou Vin Rouge. Cab Franc (80%) and Cab Sauv (20%)

For once a back label marketing blurb gets it right...."succulent blend"! This is all about delicious high toned plum skin and savoriness found in some natural wine Loire Valley cab franc blend.

I quite enjoy this flavor profile!

Imported by Vintage 59. $17! (And I am sure it is available cheaper elsewhere, but...)
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Brian K Miller » Fri Oct 31, 2014 12:21 pm

2013 "Camp" Alexander Valley Merlot.

Another absolutely killer wine from Hobo Wine Company.

How does Kenny Litkaprong do it so consistently and for so cheap? ($16).

Even in an achingly young wine, there is stunning red cassis fruit already, with an earthy floor, great acidity, and a delicious touch of funkyness that adds something important to the wine. When I think about all the mediocre $40 Napa and Sonoma merlot out there...those winemakers should be embarrassed!
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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Tim York » Wed Nov 05, 2014 3:28 am

I'm acquiring quite a taste for the wines of Savoie which very often have, like this one, an attractive freshness and fruit from local grape varieties. The main snag is that even here they are not very numerous of the shelves, although Leclerc supermarket runs a few from a producer whose efforts have not so far impressed me as being amongst the best. I got this one, somewhat overpriced, in Paris.

2013 Pascal & Annick Quenard Vin de Savoie Mondeuse "La Sauvage" - France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie (11/4/2014)
This is a delicious wine, dangerously moreish but modest in alcohol (12%). Aromas are like a cousin of red N.Rhône but with more pronounced sour cherry and pepper elements and a touch of red currant. The palate shows medium/light body of linear shape with good intensity of fruit, an ivy tang, plentiful minerals, lively acidity and nice grip from fine tannins on the quite long finish. Still decent QPR at Lavinia's price of €13 but probably available elsewhere <€11.

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Re: Wine Value - It's not a focus it's a way of life!

by Brian K Miller » Thu Nov 06, 2014 12:50 pm

11 Euros. Jeezou. A few lucky producers aside, we make Central Valley fruit loops wine for that price in California. :(
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