Riccitelli The Party Malbec Uco Valley 2017

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn MalbecLeave a comment

2018-11-11 Riccitelli The Party Malbec Uco Valley 2017.jpg

Lace ’em up.

Frustratingly formidable capsule.

Dark ruby color.

Fruity nose.

A bit of the old tennies.

(Maybe I should use my
decanter on these???)

I’ll just air out the first
pour before taking my first sip…

Dark and pale.

No oakiness.

SOME milkiness.

Maybe some tannins.

JAMMY I assume.

14% ALC. (Not again!)

I need food…

Until that HAPPENS, I’ll take
a few more sips and decide
that this tastes “French”.

My mind jumps to Cahors.

Clos La Coutale.

I don’t know about this, so
I have to go to school.

The main curiosity is “ageing”.
Surely the French use OAK.

What is “elaborated”???…
http://closlacoutale.com/vin_en.html

And to go ploddingly into the weeds,
this link indicates that OTHER FOLKS
think that these TWINS? need to be
“aired out”.

https://www.vivino.com/clos-la-coutale-cahors/w/36304?year=2015

I’ll jump back to the skinny part
of South America now.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg.

Perhaps the accomplished wine
reviewer can make a flowery and
coherent statement about this wine,
but I’m left with a jigsaw puzzle
whose pieces don’t fit.

(Bear with me.)

Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

It’s like trying to figure out
if somebody spiked your strawberry
milkshake served in high tops with
kumquat juice or Jamaican rum.
Or both.

Wine Tennis Shoes.jpg

(That would be the milkshake in
high tops as opposed to the “somebody”.
I’m too woozy to deal with the finer
points of sentence construction
at this point.)

(Although, if it weren’t for the mustiness,
it might be appropriate to imagine
being served wine by “somebody” in high tops
at a “sports bar”.

Waiter (in high tops): What’ll you have.
OTWN: I’ll have a bar.
W: Do you need help carrying
it out to your car?

It’s not bad work (figuring out why
the wine is JACKED) if you can get
it. It’s just not what I applied for.

Saint Peter (holding a Barolo):
Why are you holding
that bottle of Malbec?
OTWN: I couldn’t figure it out,
so I couldn’t put it down.
SP: Didn’t you find it ?
OTWN: Yes, but I couldn’t determine
the relative weight to assign to
each characteristic so I could compute
why the wine was out of balance.
SP: You’re too analytic.
OTWN: You’re too judgemental.
SP: Go stand in the corner.
OTWN: I’ll trade you.
SP: Not on your life.

Sommelier: What are you eating tonight?
OTWN: Food.
S: What kind of wine would you like?
OTWN: Something just a little richer than rosé.
S: I’ll be back in a few minutes.
OTWN: Where are you going?
S: The French Alps.
OTWN: I’ll order an appetizer.

Day Two…

Ahhhhhhhh. That’s better.

This is the best part of
drinking a bottle over two days;
you almost always really enjoy
ONE OF THE DAYS.

Gina is nowhere to be found.

There are subtle herbal and
mineral “flavors” that are trying
to be appreciated.

The ALC is tolerable.

Let’s just enjoy this NOW.

This is why “wine tastings”
never made sense TO ME.

I have to align my senses to
the wine and BECOME THE WINE.

This takes time.

I have to feel the essence of
the wine pulsing through my being.

Just kidding. I just like the buzz.

Just kidding. I really am a
wine freak.

Just kidding. I just like to
have something nice with lunch.

All kidding aside, this wine is
like a Pinot Noir in a drum major
outfit.

(Apparently, there was some kidding
in the corner that escaped HIS
vacuum.)

Or maybe it is a wine that makes
you want to get educated…

https://vinepair.com/articles/6-universities-in-the-u-s-where-you-can-earn-a-degree-in-wine/

I need all six degrees because I get
cold in the winter.

APPARENTLY, the ALC in this Malbec
has me derailing at every thought.

Maybe I should try to discover
something about THIS PARTICULAR WINE.

Yawn.

Of SOME interest, this wine was “aged”
in concrete “vats” (eggs I assume).

If every wine was this good and
potent I would be homeless.

Saint Peter: Why did you
spend the last years of your
life in the gutter.
OTWN: I discovered Malbec.
SP: Why didn’t you control
yourself?
OTWN: I did.
SP: Say what?
OTWN: I drank ONLY MALBEC
to excess.
SP: Go stand in the corner.
OTWN: No way, those peeps
have erect pinkies.
SP: It’s OK. They’re pretentious
CA Chard drinkers.
OTWN: I need an inspirational
hymn first.
SP: How about…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_LF9NFKPlo

Sommelier: I’m back, where’s OTWN?
Waiter: He was raptured after the crab cakes.
S: But he didn’t get to take
this fine French, high altitude,
wine with him.
W: That’s OK, he took Argentina.
S: Ah, that explains the
polar axis shift.
W: And the currency crash.

But, but, but, what about
THIS WINE THAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED
TO BE CONCENTRATING ON?

It’s gone. I’m giving it
demerits on “sustainability”.

OTWN: Why didn’t HE save HIMSELF?
SP: He is our chief wine maker.
OTWN: What does that have to do
with it?
SP: A good winemaker must be
born again.
OTWN: Heavens to Betsy!
SP: Of course, but she was
a his sommelier.
OTWN: Did they have kids?
SP: Go stand in the corner.
OTWN: Like hell I will!
SP: Exactly.

Hang in there

Apollo Ausonia Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2015

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn MontepulcianoLeave a comment

2018-11-07 Apollo Ausonia Abruzzo 2015.jpg

The wine whose name was voted
most likely to roll off your tongue.

I like to practice saying the
name when I’m in the tub.

Why is it that the high ALC
wines seduce you more than
usual to DRINK MORE?

I DON’T KNOW.

Somehow, I made it home with
this fire breathing wine
from southeast Italy.

Holy Moly. This wine is WAY OFF TARGET.

The wine is fine. No problem.
I generally “like” MdA.

It’s just that the ALC content
is way up there; 14.5%.

I’m going to spontaneously combust.

I decided to have this
(I knew it would be relatively
full bodied, but this is
ridiculous) wine with Kielbasa
sausages that I intended to
“render” into submission.

Neither the wine nor the sausages
were palatable early on.

The sausages were too “gnarly”
and the wine was too “milky” and
“smokey”.

As time wore on, the sausages
gave up some fat and the wine
usurped my “critical thoughts”.

(I thought I was signing up for
a continuing education course to
study bugs but found out that I
had to learn about goofy words first.
I get extra credit if I use “u”
words that I have to look up in
the dictionary.)

That can be a deadly combination.
(Eating fat and drinking too much.
Not Entomology and Etymology.
Don’t be silly.)

I have a serious quantity of
“yard leaves” to deal with before
I “ascend”, so I’m cutting my lunch
short.

All things considered, I’d rather
be the entity being raked into the
gutter at this point if I could hang
onto the last few sausage bites and
sips of wine.

The good news is that I can
enjoy this decadent pleasure
again TOMORROW after I get
my sinuses steam cleaned.

But, but, but, what about
the wine.

Milky and smokey sensations
delivered on a flaming tongue.
Say no more.

Maybe tomorrow I can actually
TASTE SOMETHING in this wine AND
open a winning trade.

I don’t like being a…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf-AmedKfRc

Day Two…

I have no recollection.

(It’s not the wine’s fault.
My memory subscription expired.)

You can get educated here…

http://www.ausoniawines.com/en/product/apollo-montepulciano-dabruzzo-d-o-p-spontaneous-fermentation/

Try not to fall in love.

Hang in there.

Observation…

If you click on the “DIARY” menu option
(for a minute I thought they grew cows)
at ausoniawines.com you will notice that
NO ENTRIES HAVE BEEN MADE
FOR THE PAST THREE AND HALF YEARS.

I assume that the winemakers are dead,
for surely otherwise, they would have
SOMETHING TO SAY.

e.g.

11/11/2018: The Chard is fully fermented
and we invited the family over for a tasting.

My brother-in-law is now asleep under
the tractor so I can’t do any more work
today.

It’s 11:30am.

Maybe I should shop for cheap vineyard
properties in Argentina before they disappear.
(The properties, not the relatives.
Stay tuned to learn what happens to
Malbec country.)

Francesca says that the Trebbiano is
already sold out so we’ll be celebrating
THAT tonight with a community hayride.

If we can wake up her brother.

Hang in there.

Alexander Koppitsch Weißburgunder Authentisch 2017

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn Pinot BlancLeave a comment

2018-11-05 Alexander Koppitsch Weißburgunder Authentisch 2017.jpg

Un
Freaking
Be
Lievable

This is the first white
wine I have “enjoyed” from the
recent Lukas haul and I picked
it out today for lunch because…

I KNEW IT WAS DIFFERENT AND
COULDN’T WAIT TO TRY IT.

The first sensation I had was
the whiff after I opened the bottle.

Apple.

After much tasting, the flavor is
neither sweet nor green. Just apple.

Frightfully delicious.

Plenty of acidity for that beloved
and lip smacking tartness.

This is a “lightly filtered” wine.

Alexander & Maria Koppitsch

The top of the bottle is seductively
cloudy. I can’t wait for the dregs.

After drinking this wine, you can wipe
the slate clean and start all over again
trying to describe what you desire in a
white wine.

There might be the most delicate citrus
fruit flavors surfing on the pomace.

Initially I detected a bit of oily/waxiness
but it is not something that lingers.

I am dumbfounded as to how simple, clean and
delicious this wine is.

After reading about this wine and the winemakers,
I feel like royalty.

What a treat to be drinking a wine produced with
such care and dedication.

And from Austria.

There are places on this planet that SHOULD
produce more fine wine and there are places
that should call it a day.

How about their Pinot Noir?

Or the Zweigelt?

Or rosé?

Lest you think that this wine has
left me silly-challenged,
Alexander reminds me of one of
the dudes in ABBA.

https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2018/07/16/abba-a-swedish-perspective

The waxiness is still there but is
just perfect to smooth out the acidity
as it goes down the hatch.

Mamma Mia.

Hang in there.

Laurence & Remi Dufaitre Côte de Brouilly 2015

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn BeaujolaisLeave a comment

2018-11-03 Laurence and Remi Dufaitre Côte de Brouilly 2015.jpg

This might be my best Beaujolais experience yet.

Wonderful aroma and flavor of Bourgogne.

I might be getting “used to” this stuff.

Excellent paleness and acidity.

All I need is a roasted duck.

Too bad because I’m having
soy glazed “beef bits” on
Ciabatta.

The wine clocked in at $27 and
is definitely worth the extra
few bucks I paid over my usual
bottle price average.

Here’s a link to the tech sheet…

Click to access SP4DU.pdf

I was 99.9999% sure that this
is Beaujolais (as opposed to PN),
but I had to look it up to be sure.

But, but, but, what does the wine
TASTE LIKE.

French Bourgogne wine?

Pale cherry coke?

Who cares.

I’m in heaven.

Is that “minerality” hiding
behind the shy fruit?

I didn’t see anything on the tech sheet
about the wine being filtered through
greensand.

This MIGHT BE the first time I noticed
minerality in a red wine.

And then there’s the quality that
allows the wine to linger during a
“leisurely lunch”.

One of my “life fantasies” is the
concept of Cooking/Eating/Drinking
in a continuous and simultaneous
process carried out at a snail’s
pace.

Imagine sipping Chard, eating Petit
Basque cheese, and chopping onions
while the meat browns SLOWLY in the
skillet as you sit on the patio
watching the moon rise.

It shouldn’t be THAT hard to keep
just three balls in the air.

This wine can be sipped slowly because
it is SO SATISFYING.

My Sino-European lunch concoction
was “unusual”.

This concludes episode one of
“The Edge of Rosé”.

Stay tuned for
“As Brouilly Turns”…

https://www.discoverbeaujolais.com/discover-the-wines/intense-and-generous/cote-de-brouilly/

OK, OK, it’s diorite.

And my pick for a traditional
pairing…

https://www.discoverbeaujolais.com/portfolios/croque-monsieur/

Day Two…

I’m sipping this wine today to
relieve the stress of DST ending.

To my pleasure, I was greeted by
a substantial amount of “sludge”
at the bottom of the bottle.

Amazing.

This has been a wonderful treat.

Hang in there.

Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux BRUT 2016

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn BrutLeave a comment

2018-11-01 Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux 2016.jpg

I promised myself that I would
take “good” notes while I enjoyed
this one.

Sorry, it’s too good for notes.

This has been a “life changing”
sort of wine experience.

An insolvable puzzle winds its way
through my subconscious.

Why aren’t we drinking this stuff
for breakfast and lunch EVERY DAY???

I don’t know.

It probably costs about as much
as a Starbucks coffee, so it can’t
be price.

Availability? I found it in Paola
AND I found it at Lukas.

How available is that?

Desirability? Give me a break.

Saint Peter: You’re dead and
you’re smiling. What gives?
OTWN: I just had brunch.
SP: BUT YOU ARE DEAD.
OTWN: That was part of the deal.
SP: Deal?
OTWN: I sold The Devil calls
on the last two years of my
life for the priviledge of drinking
BdL every day till I die.
SP: Not a bad trade,
BUT YOU’RE DEAD NOW!
OTWN: I thought I would live
forever HERE in the land of
miracle-working winemakers.
SP: Hand me your glass.
OTWN: Borgogne?
SP: B-b-b-baby…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFRk0FfaQi0

But, but, but, what is
this stuff anyway.

Here’s a few links that can
fill in the blanks…

WTH is “AoP”???

If you wish to enter into
the kingdom of French wine,
ye must be born again.

This is just for reference.

Because the AoP term is new,
and wine can be old, we will
see the AOC/AOP flipflop for a while.

http://www.internationalwineguild.com/aoc–aop

Where does it come from???

This map is good enough if
you have some idea of where
Corbières and “The Languedoc”
are situated.

http://www.languedoc-france.info/04140301_blanquette.htm

What is Mauzec???

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/wine/mauzac-obscure-french-grape-has-notable-role-in-wine-history/article32072002/

What does “Blanquette” mean???

I got the impression that
it meant “little white grape”.

Sounds reasonable but I think
that is WRONG.

This indicates that it
“refers to” the downy white hairs
found on tiny new leaves of the
Mauzac vines.

http://www.vindefrance-cepages.org/en/encyclopedie-des-cepages-de-france-mauzac-21

Then confusingly, it is synonymous
with several grape varieties, one
of which is Mauzac.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanquette

When was the BdL AOC created???

I got the impression that the
AOC was created recently to preserve
the Mauzac vines that were being
ripped up in favor of Chard and
other varieties more in vogue.

This indicates that the AOC was
formed in 1938.

http://www.languedoc-france.info/04140301_blanquette.htm

I guess that’s “recent” for the French.

What do the goofy names mean???

http://www.languedoc-france.info/04140301_blanquette.htm

Sweet or Dry???

Both. Luckily, we’re drinking Brut/dry.

And for extra credit…
https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-blanquette+de+limoux
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-wine-france-limoux/frances-oldest-sparkling-wine-fights-for-its-future-idUSLNE85C00820120613
http://www.wineguy.co.nz/index.php/81-all-about-wine/647-limoux-wines

Now I’m thirsty again.

Hang in there.

Incânta Pinot Noir 2017

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn Pinot Noir, UncategorizedLeave a comment

2018-10-28 Incânta Pinot Noir 2017.jpg
Ah yes.

Romanian Pinot Noir.

I always get a “tannin sensation”
from these.

I have no idea as to what or why.

Maybe they run the skins and seeds
though a wringer so they get every
last bit of “stuff” off/out of them.

This one is “richer” than I might
expect.

The tannins keep it from being an
easy drinking fruit bomb.

Then there is this pale herbiness.

Like maybe a combination of basil
and mint.

I’m having it with free food.

Maggiano’s Mom’s Lasagne.

It’s ALL RIGHT.

To be any better it would have to
have just a wee bit less fennel
(It. sausage?) and the wine would
have to be Barbaresco.

I could get used to the fennel,
but I will never get used to
Barbaresco substitutes.

So…

When I received this wine in the
6/$60 deal, I glanced at the label
and saw “Wine of xxxxNIA Vintage 2017”.

My mind turned the incomprehensible into
“CaliforNIA”.

Oh boy, another WHATEVER wine.

NOT SO.

This wine is a treat and is
recommended to PN lovers.

I just might have the wine leftovers
with chicken thighs braised with
garlic and thyme.

There’s still a few sips left for today and
I AM enjoying each one.

Was there a hint of chocolate in that sip?

Chocolate covered wild cherries
with a hint of mint.

I should get a prize for drinking
ONLY half of THIS bottle.

Or something…

St. Peter: We weren’t expecting you.
OTWN: I suffocated.
SP: HOW?
OTWN: I tried to hold my breath until
I could finish that Romanian PN.
SP: Here, take a sip of this,
it will make you feel better.
OTWN: What is it?
SP: Your leftovers.
OTWN: Good heavens.

Day Two…

I did make the braised chicken
thighs.

Theresa brought home a loaf of ciabatta
yesterday, so I adorned pieces of that
with SmartBalance and let them warm up
in the skillet at the end of the braising
time.

So good.

Notwithstanding the tannins, I actually
found myself trying to “chug” the wine.

Strange.

Hang in there.

Gabbiano Promessa Pinot Grigio 2015

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris, UncategorizedLeave a comment

2018-10-28 Gabbiano Promessa Pinot Grigio 2015.jpg

At least I didn’t get demerits
for not showing up for class.

There is absolutely nothing wrong
with this wine.

I paid $7.64 for it in Paola.

This would be my pick as a
“party wine” when the food focus
is Italian.

I had fun with this wine back
in June so I won’t waste any
more words “appreciating” a $7 wine.

On the other hand, in June, I didn’t
have a outer-wall-integrity-challenged-
hot-water-heater-flexible-interconnect
pipe with which to enjoy my wine.

Hang in there.

Kettmeir Müller Thurgau Alto Adige – Südtirol 2015

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn Müller ThurgauLeave a comment

2018-10-23 Kettmeir Müller Thurgau Alto Adige - Südtirol 2015.jpg

After several minutes in diacritic hell,
I can finally write my notes.

I didn’t take notes in real-time,
but I can assure you that this
is a wine YOU SHOULD NOT PASS UP.

Whether this wine tastes like this
or that is not the interesting thing.

The interesting thing is how this
wine can make ME feel like an idiot.

(The good thing is that even inexpensive
wines have this effect.)

My first thought was how wonderful it
is to be having a GERMAN wine made from
a lesser known grape variety.

Then I couldn’t figure out what a GERMAN
wine was doing with a DOC designation.

Back to school…

Here’s a map of Italy that shows you where
the region fits in to the big scheme of
things.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trentino-Alto_Adige/S%C3%BCdtirol

Here’s a map that shows how the region
is snuggled around VENETO.

Top 5 wine hotels in Italy’s Veneto

To me, the “upper right of Italy”
is MOST DESIRABLE for white wine.

Let’s see how Müller Thurgau
fits into the regional picture…

https://www.altoadigewines.com/en/home.html

And finally, a little grape history…

https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/white/muller-thurgau

So now I can feel smart until I see
another one of these on the store shelf again.

Hang in there.

MDZ Malbec 2017 Mendoza, Argentina

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn MalbecLeave a comment

2018-10-26 MDZ Malbec 2017.jpg

Another of the 6/$60 wines.

Jammy.

Milky.

Flabby.

Pruney.

The wine is fine.

It’s just not my cup of tea.

There may be a detectable
“herbal character” to help
break the monotony.

At least the wine weighs in
at a scant 13% ALC.

The wine went well enough
with the pork Bolognese leftovers
which I heavily “augmented”.

Yesterday, I made my triannual trip
to Lukas in Overland Park and one of
the wines recommended (and purchased)
was A FREAKING MALBEC.

It was fermented in “concrete eggs”,
so I had to buy it.

I’ve only had TWO Malbecs over the past
TWO years and neither one spent time
in concrete.

Getting back to this wine, as I reach my
half bottle limit for the day, I’m picking
up a distinct “tartness”.

Tomorrow will be interesting.

Day Two…

Tomorrow (today) IS BETTER.

My “palate” is zeroed in and now
I can just enjoy the wine without
ALL THAT TRAUMA.

Lightness.

Beautiful dancing red fruit.

Great background choreography.

Left handed violin players.

Autistic savant economics professors.

Ooops. My leash broke.

Hang in there.

Cosentino The Chard Lodi 2012

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn ChardonnayLeave a comment

2018-10-21 The Chard Lodi 2012.jpg

The wine was “interesting”.

I would say that the wine had
“way more FLAVOR than I can comprehend”.

Maybe I should try a Chard from
this AVA again if I get the chance.

This would be a “try it and tell
me what you think” kind of wine.

Since I gravitate to Chablis,
CA Chard is a big huge question mark.

It might be interesting to seek
out a CA Chard that has “particular”
characteristics and see how the
chosen wine hits my wine target.

I’ve never given CA Chard
a second thought.

How dumb is that?

Hang in there.