Wine Focus - December: Visited by three spirits

[David M. Bueker]

Coming a little out of left field on this one. In the vein of Scrooge being visited the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, what are your wines of the past and do you regret no longer drinking them, what are your wines of the present, and what wines would you like to (realistically) try in the future?

More of a conversation than a compilation of tasting notes. I’m trying to figure out which of my past regrets aren’t just price related!

Regret is probably a strong word! But the biggest example for me would probably be Loire cabernet franc, which was central to my early years of wine. I still enjoy the wines, but have narrowed my focus and Loire cab franc rarely makes the cut.

When I do revisit some of those favorites, I often think that I should drink more of them. And I have very fond memories of Breton, Baudry and Rougeard, 20 years ago. But in my case, the cabernet and other similarly-structured grapes are often less suited to the foods I eat than pinot noir/Spätburgunder/syrah/gamay, which is the main reason for my evolution.

I am with Rahsaan ref. CF.

Am really still interested in Iberian reds and whites...downtown has a great selection as always.

[David M. Bueker]

I like Baudry a lot, and so still drink a bit of Loire Cabernet Franc. I also look for it elsewhere, as I fundamentally like the grape.

I have a lifelong whiplash relationship with Zinfandel. Sometimes I cannot get enough of it. Other times I recoil at the thought. Thankfully it’s more the former than the latter, as I own a ton of it.

I used to be able to get Clape Cornas easily. Then it got Parkerized and I haven't been able to find it anywhere. And J. L. Chave Hermitage Rouge is now priced way outside my range of comfort.

I'm very fond of Emilio Lustau's almacenista Sherries but I haven't been able to find them since the Winecellar of Silene in Waltham MA closed.

-Paul W.

chacun a son gout, can't imagine "leaving" Loire CF (Baudry is a fave, but so many great producers)

I guess my Ghost of the Past would be Zinfandel. Used to buy, especially Ridge, only couple bottles left now. I think in past 10 years I've likely bought maybe 6 bottles (likely all Sky).Also much less likely to buy Gewurz, and with a few exceptions Brunello.,

My wines of present are ....lots! Bdx, Burg (red and White), Nebbiolo, Beaujolais, OR PN and Chard, and so many more

Can't predict future but have been buying more Spanish (Mencia, Albarino) and Assyrtiko. And my German Riesling focus has been getting drier.

[David M. Bueker]

Clape Parkerized? How so? I’m not a big N. Rhône buyer, but Clape isn’t terribly hard to find.

Chave definitely has moved up in price, but also seems to have stalled. Where other wines are cresting $400, Chave seems to show up around $250 (yes, still expensive) where it’s been for any number of years.

For wines of the past, for me that would be vintage Porto. I stopped buying it shortly after 2000 because I most likely won't live long enough to enjoy it at maturity.

-Paul W.

[David M. Bueker]

I should have stopped buying vintage Port years ago, but kept buying through the 2016 vintage.

Wines of the past for me would be California Cabernets and Zinfandels. Like Dale, I used to buy a lot of Ridge wines, not so much any more (though recent vintages under Shauna Rosenblum have reawakened my interest). Another wine of the more recent past is Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The alcohol levels are too high for us these days. Present interests are Gamay, Pinot Noir (Burgundy and Spatburgunder), Syrah and Nebbiolo. Future interests are all those vins de garde that I've been waiting on for decades now (do you hear me, magnum of 2012 Clape Cornas?)

[David M. Bueker]

Sipping on a Rosso di Montalcino, and realizing that I need a Ghost of Do Over. I love Italian reds, and came to them much too late in my journey.

I like Baudry a lot, and so still drink a bit of Loire Cabernet Franc. I also look for it elsewhere, as I fundamentally like the grape.

I have a lifelong whiplash relationship with Zinfandel. Sometimes I cannot get enough of it. Other times I recoil at the thought. Thankfully it’s more the former than the latter, as I own a ton of it.

Always on the lookout for world wide CF too. Found some nice examples in my BC travels..also Ontario .

[David M. Bueker]

There are also some Virginia wineries doing good things with Cabernet Franc, though it’s highly unlikely they would be available in Canada. Heck, they are hard to find outside of Virginia!

[David M. Bueker]

Opened a 2004 Branaire (St. Julien) last night, and a bit of an Ebenezer moment. It’s not a flashy wine, but it just gave me joy to drink a classic/classy Bordeaux. I forget Bordeaux too often, and I need to keep Bordeaux in my heart all year long!

[Jenise]

Have you been buying during this market reversal? I have no business doing that but admit to picking up the occasional souvenir when I'm at Costco. Picked up some Cantemerle for $32 a few days ago.

Wines of the past are definitely Australian (classic, not so much the Parkerized stuff). I got into wine in my early 20s when visiting the Hunter and Yarra Valley, always have a soft spot for the wines. (And I was a little shocked when I started buying wine in the US, and realized the Aussie wines on the shelves were nothing like the stuff I had in Australia.) Drank a lot more Hunter Sémillon then and more accessible (both in terms of ease of drinking young + price for my student budget) Yarra Valley Shiraz and Pinot. Don't drink them as much, mainly due to access/availability - it sounds like there are a lot of really exciting up and coming producers in areas like the Yarra right now making outstanding Pinot and lighter, more aromatic Shiraz, but I rarely see them in the US. If I see Grosset Polish Hill Riesling or Tyrrell's Sémillons, they're an instant buy. But I come across them very rarely.

Present - Riesling, Loire Cab Franc, Northern Rhone dominate. That's a 'long' present for me - have been buying/filling the cellar with those for ~15 years now, and don't see that changing. Most NRhones have become a lot more expensive, but there's still some terrific value there and great under the radar producers (Rousset in Crozes, Faury in St. J). But Riesling and Chinon remain among my favorite wines and still very affordable.

BTW, I don't get the sense that Clape has Parkerized at all. The younger wines are certainly more accessible, but I think that's the result of more ripeness these days everywhere, and the wines being more fruit forward and easier to drink young. But they are still classic Cornas for my taste, not at all oaky or spoofy, and a bottle of the '14 recent was amazing - really clear, fresh fruit over a base of stone.

Future - Nebbiolo. Got far more into Barolo and Barbaresco in the last couple of years, started buying a lot more for the cellar. Looking forward to drinking them in a couple of decades!

[David M. Bueker]

Have you been buying during this market reversal? I have no business doing that but admit to picking up the occasional souvenir when I'm at Costco. Picked up some Cantemerle for $32 a few days ago.

I have been pretty good lately. Only grabbing stuff where inventory is very low (Chianti), bubbles (permanent hall pass), and very little from my favorite California mailers. Given that my part time job is now extended through next year I am still not officially cut off.

Wine spend this year was probably 30% of last year.

BTW, I don't get the sense that Clape has Parkerized at all. The younger wines are certainly more accessible, but I think that's the result of more ripeness these days everywhere, and the wines being more fruit forward and easier to drink young. But they are still classic Cornas for my taste, not at all oaky or spoofy, and a bottle of the '14 recent was amazing - really clear, fresh fruit over a base of stone.

By Parkerized I meant that it was touted by Parker and then became very difficult to find. I didn't mean that the style had changed or that it had become an over-oaked fruit bomb. Far from it. Sorry I wasn't clear.

One of my wine merchants once observed that Parker's ratings were essentially a five-point scale. If a wine was rated above 95 you can't find it. If it was rated below 90 you can't sell it.

-Paul W.

[David M. Bueker]

I have never, never had a hard time finding Clape at retail.

[David M. Bueker]

Thinking more about the present, and I realized that I am drinking a lot more Chardonnay than I used to. Granted that's a very low bar, but Chardonnay at least is on the radar now. And given that it's a constant holiday accompaniment to lobster crumble it's definitely Christmas Present!

Past - My past is way way longer than my future, so there are just so many that were once loved and no longer drunk: Mateus Rose, German liebfraumilchs..........
Present - With boat cruises on the Douro this and last year I have been buying a lot of Portuguese table wines, and on last years cruise I finally got the taste for Port and have been buying a selection as I try and find a favourite. And as we usually have pasta once a week, I keep buying Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Future - I'll keep buying claret, that's a fixed point all my drinking life. I'll keep my stock of Pinotages topped up. I'm a sucker for Ridge Zins, but oh my, their price is shooting up and may stop me. ( I've just bought an offer of six Ridge Buchignani Ranch Carignan, and they have ATP on the capsule). And I'll keep my Champagne and other sparkling wine topped up. And I'll try anything I haven't had before.

Ah, yes, Leapfrog Milk. It, and its partner-in-crime Zeller Schwarze Katz were my mother's favorites when I was growing up. She was very fond of May Wine and planted woodruff in our garden so she could make her own.

-Paul W.