Clovis Côtes du Rhône 2016

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn Red BlendLeave a comment

2018-06-25 Clovis Côtes du Rhône 2016.jpg

I’m losing my ability
and/or desire to analyze
the wines that I drink.

I just want to hug them.

This one’s eyeballs
are bulging out because
I’m hugging it so tightly.

When I first sip a French
blend, my hope is that it
tastes like WINE. Not
THIS or THAT, just WINE.

(See “musing” below.)

None of the fire-breathing
volatiles of a Spanish
Garnacha and only a
smidgen of the Syrah pepper.

Something magical produced
after the wedding.

This one is light enough
for me and it looks like
there is no oak.

http://tedwardwines.com/tech-sheet/clovis-cotes-du-rhone

Lunch today was
finely diced golden?
potatoes fried on an
antique cast iron
griddle with SmartBalance,
salt and pepper.

I decided to cook the
potatoes AFTER I picked
the wine.

Somehow I knew that
this WOULD BE
PERFECT.

It was.

Now, as I take my last
few sips for the day,
I MIGHT BE tasting some
pepper.

Tannins too, from the
skins, I ASSUME.

I will never LEARN
this stuff.

My lot in life is
to be in a state of
bewildered ignorance
whenever I take the
first sip of wine.

It SEEMS blissful.

The Syrah has me
wondering…

Can I afford Condrieu?

What is the most
diluted (by white wine)
form of Syrah out there?

Are there ANY Syrahs
that aren’t peppery?

I REALLY ENJOYED
this one.

Story Time…

Vino 100 used to have
“wine tastings”
(with cheese)
on Friday afternoons.

Thank you Michael and
greetings Chad.

On one “special” occasion,
Thrace Bromberger was
there promoting her
GustavoThrace wines.

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

I was there “early”
and got the chance to
abuse her with questions.

“Boss”: What’s up?
ME: It’s 3pm on Friday,
I have to leave.
“B”: Where are you going?
ME: Vino 100.
“B”: I want to be a consultant.
ME: OK, then. Shut up and listen.
TO SOMETHING.

She was a lawyer or
SOMETHING with a kid
in little league baseball.

Gustavo had a kid on
the same team.

They met at a game
and she convinced him
to be the brains
behind a private
label/brand of wine
while she handled
the business and marketing
end.

Everything was “contracted
out” except the actual
blending of the grapes
and winemaking.

She said that he could
just smell the “stuff”
and KNOW whether it
was going to become
WINE or NOT.

“Bottle Shock” is a
must-see movie for any
wine lover.

ESPECIALLY
THOSE
THAT
AREN’T
FAMILIAR
WITH
CHARDONNAY
ADAM

And while I was
groping for my
map and flashlight,
I came upon this…

The 20+ Most Classy Wine Quotes of All Time

Enough of THAT
intellectual nonsense,
this is how WINE is
supposed to work…

Knock Knock.
Whose there?
Orange.
Orange Who?
Orange you glad
the sockets aren’t
labeled LEFT and RIGHT?

But, but, but…

What about THIS wine?

Only this…

MORE STORY TIME…

When I was a
tender, young, live-at-
home-college-student,
my father “observed” that
I “had no ambition”.

I remember rejoicing
to my neighbor as
we sped away on my
motorcycle on route
to the nearest bar,
that I did in fact
have ambition.

I wanted to pull the
tab on every beer can
I could find.

Luckily, I failed.

We learn from our
failures.

Now I just want to
know WINE when I
drink it.

How hard is that?

It depends upon
which Romanian
gymnast we have to
compete against.

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/fivering_circus/2016/08/how_bela_and_martha_karolyi_transformed_u_s_women_s_gymnastics.html

(just search for “wine”)

True or False?

All FINE wine drinkers
enjoy life.

Send me your answer
after you have
surveyed 80% of the
potential survey
participants.

Or GET this wine and
skew the statistics
a bit.

Day Two…

Obviously, I had way
too much fun drinking
this wine on Day One.

Not much left for today.

I’m still impressed.

This STYLE of Rhone
area wine should be
near the center of
my taste preference target.

Near the lighter
Sangiovese wines.

I’m still daydreaming
about Syrah.

https://winefolly.com/review/northern-rhone-wine-french-syrah/

It’s a good thing
this cat has the
attendant extra plays
because the
caution-abandoning
curiosity
may cause me to drown
in my own drool.

Certainly there is
SOMEONE in the Northern
Valley that treats
her grapes with
dignity and respect.

Hang in there.

Straight Shooter Pinot Noir 2016

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn Pinot NoirLeave a comment

2018-06-23 Straight Shooter PN 2016.jpg

Sometimes, there are days
when you NEED a drink
and the “notes” can just
WAIT.

Today isn’t one of those days.

Nevertheless, I (meaning
ME), decided to NOT take
notes RIGHT AWAY.

No first sip nonsense.

No aroma insanity.

No “mouth feel” superfluous
mumbo jumbo.

Then WHAT?

Just an “overall sensation”
after drinking HALF THE
FREAKING BOTTLE, and before
letting the world intrude.

GOOD.

GOOD WHAT? GOOD meaning
that it’s OK not to take
notes, or GOOD as an
indication that one might
like this wine?

YES.

Silliness Alert: The
author of this note has
ventured into a region
of silliness that 80%
of wine note authors
are unwilling to go.
Continued reading of
this note constitutes a
tacit recognition on
your part that you are
equally silly or more so..

Yes, this is the best
cinnamon PN that I can
REMEMBER drinking.

Have you (meaning ME
as I talk to myself)
ever had this one before?

I don’t remember.

Let’s consult the local
listings…

(Lemme say that there
is no FORMAL contraction
for “let me”, so I’m using
the US contraction
and hoping that you
and/or my imaginary
friends will join me as
I scan my old notes.)

Hmmm…

I HAVE HAD this one
before ON HALLOWEEN
and my prior notes were
“interesting” even to me,
AND even more so in hindsight.

Huh?

(I woke up this morning
with the overwhelming
urge to use a verb in the
present perfect tense.
I feel better now.)

Old note here.

Perhaps the first sip
TODAY put me into the
shut-up-and-enjoy mode.

All of a sudden, the
world is a peaceful and
wonderful place where
all things are
“as ordained” and
“in balance”.

Why aren’t WE ALL
drinking THIS stuff???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXFeeJ6LSMc

You have to imagine the
sixteen year old
future Option Trader
singing this song in
the church choir.

WITHOUT WINE!!!

(Although we (the boys)
sought to consume
other forms of libation
whenever the opportunity
arose.)

As the musical key
changes, I can detect
fermented grapes
distributing joy to
the enlightened inhabitants
of our planet.

The problem is that this
is a…

So what then?

Obviously we need to GROW UP.

¿Hay voluntarios?

OK then, you first.

But, but, but…

What about the wine?

Just Enjoy.

In an inner child-forward manner.

Hang in there.

Messmer Spätburgunder Rosé Trocken Pfaltz 2016

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn RoséLeave a comment

2018-06-21 Messmer Spätburgunder Rosé Trocken Pfaltz 2016.jpg

Try to remember
to get the wine name
right.

(I tried.)

I love the RED PN from
this producer, so I
jumped at the chance to
try the rosé.

The first sip tells
me that my instincts
are GOOD.

I expect this to be
from the PN grapes.

I don’t know yet.

The subtle perfume
tells me that it is.

I guess I’m getting
old and set in my
ways.

Wines are either
WONDERFUL or NOT.

Here’s a link…

https://www.skurnik.com/sku/spatburgunder-rose-messmer/

Notice that the
“import partner’s”
tasting note basically
says that the wine
is WONDERFUL.

BTW, Mr. Theise,
I eat my lunch in
“scenic surroundings”
every day and enjoy
wine in the process.

Aspiration accomplished.

I hope this is
a reasonable substitute
for “picnics”.

WHICH are for folks
that DON’T live in
pastoral settings.

Why travel to get
ticks and chiggers
when your pets bring
them home for lunch?

(I neither eat nor
feed insects.)

Additionally, if you
didn’t drink your
rosé ALL AT ONCE,
you could enjoy some
in the winter.

How hard is that?

Quite.

Notwithstanding this
nonsense,
God Bless Skurnick
and Mr. Theise.

https://www.skurnik.com/terry-theise/

I’ll re-screw-cap
this one
Til Tomorrow…

What kind of wine
were THOSE BABES
drinking?

Day Two…

Patient: I’m troubled.
I talk to my dead dog
BINKS all the time and
all she cares about is
what’s for lunch.
Shrink: What IS for lunch?
P: Sauteed Honey Baked
turkey and Meunster on
toasted wheat bread.
S: AND THEN?
P: Messmer rosé.
S: He seems OK to
me BINKS. Let’s eat.

Since I use snowflakes
(the frozen water kind)
for bookmarks, I
easily lose my place.

If I didn’t take
notes I would not be
aware that PN MAKES
REALLY GREAT ROSÉ.

Sorry PN…

Now I’m wondering
about the relative
merits of the
various grape
varieties used in
rosé.

Learning never tasted
so good on an empty
mind.

I’m not sure that
I have yet to convey
the extent to which
I have enjoyed this wine.

Silly me.

Hang in there.

Poggio Anima Asmodeus Sicily 2013

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn Nero d'AvolaLeave a comment

2018-06-20 Poggio Anima Asmodeus Sicily 2013.jpg

Ah, this is better.

A robust, yet light
wine to soothe the
soul after that
Garnacha dragon.

Dark plums approaching
pruney, but not quite
there.

So…, DELICIOUS.

This has me
EPHEMERALLY
interested in
Sicily.

If this wine is
a respectable
ambassador for the
island, then why
aren’t we more wired
into the place?

I DON’T KNOW.

The lunch special is
sauteed smoked sausage
and polenta so this wine
selection was a no-brainer.

I moved the bottle to
the fridge right after
I got home from
road-tripping
the armadillo.

There’s nothing like
an act of “pest control”
to prepare you for
the trading day and
a memorable lunch.

The wine is WONDERFUL.

Just a pure and
beautiful wine with
no hair or warts.

Perfectly groomed.

Low ALC and inconspicuous
oak.

All the flavors come
together to create a
harmonious symphony.

http://www.poggioanima.com/offering-details.php?name=asmodeus

Since the website
is focused on the
2015 vintage, it
might actually be a
treat to be drinking
the 2013.

And no armored plates…

Day Two…

One of the NEAT
things about drinking
a wine over two
days is that you
have better (or better)
expectations on the
second day.

This wine IS a
respectable ambassador
from Sicily.

Hey Garnacha, I have brain
damage…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30eWs90CJk8

Where’s Estella when
you need her?

Hiding in the Garnacha pips.

Hang in there.

Castillo de Monséran Garnacha Carineña 2014

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn GarnachaLeave a comment

2018-06-19 Castillo de Monséran Garnacha Carineña 2014.jpg

This one is so
far out of my
“safe zone” that
the first sip has
me trying to steady
myself.

The bottle say 13%
ALC, but this hit
me like a port wine.

Maybe it’s the tannins.

There’s a strong
“aromatic” easily
picked up by the
nose and taste buds.

Fiery. This is
freaking fiery, but
not like hot pepper.

More like peppermint?

How bizarre.

I’m guessing big oak,
but I will investigate.

After regaining my
balance, I think I
taste something nutty.

Complexity comes to mind.

My description of
the tannins is
“plaited”.

This wine is a
gordita in pigtails.

OMG, there’s sludge
caked to the side of
the bottle up to the neck!!!

Did they use a
hydraulic press
on these grapes?

Sheesh.

Day Two…

I’m still two inches
off the bottom and
I’m picking up
“sludge flakes” in
my glass.

This wine is
outrageously FULL
of something.

Maybe the wine was
“pressed” in a
gas centrifuge,
filtered through
a colander, and
aged in six inch
thick oak thimbles.

How elegant!

Waiter: Which wine
would you like with
your five alarm
chili?
Diner: I’ll have the
one of those Spanish
golden triangle wines.
W: I’ll call
the hazmat team.
D: Don’t bother,
I’m from Barcelona.
W (aside): He can’t
spell either.

My mouth feels
like I ate a
rosemary bush.

I’ll have to stick
to rosés from this
area unless I can
find something just
a WEE BIT LIGHTER
IN STYLE.

I thought the 13%
ALC would buy me
something, but I guess
not, unless it is
was just less ripe
grapes.

Since I don’t routinely
eat wild boar on the
hoof, I can’t imagine
what food would pair
well with this one.

Propane Plumpers?

Flambo Fillets?

C4 Seafood?

Red Beans and Ricin?

Finally, there was
something “volatile”
about this wine that
I was not able
to put my finger on.

Hang in there.

Erath Resplendent Pinot Noir 2015

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn Pinot NoirLeave a comment

2018-06-16 Erath Resplendent PN 2015.jpg

This one is too good
for MY words.

Beautiful, clear
presence in the glass.

Indiscernible yet
alluring perfume.

Taste bud seducing paleness.

Perfectly smooth tartness.

Redemptive second
voice flavors.

Silky tactile comfort.

I can ALMOST hear
this wine cooing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXTe3K7BllM

It is difficult to
enjoy the wine when
your knees, forehead,
and hands are planted
in the earth.

Rise my son and enjoy
the fullness of my
bounty.

Your homage is noted
but now is this the
time of celebration
and elation.

I have to take a
giant step back and
ask if Oregon PN can
compete with Borgogne
PN ON BALANCE.

I don’t know.

The question is whether
I would take an “average”
Oregon OR Borgogne PN
if BOTH were offered.

I DON’T KNOW.

Wait a minute…

Hang in there.

Gérard Bertrand Corbières 2014

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn Red BlendLeave a comment

2018-06-14 Gérard Bertrand Corbières 2014.jpg

At what time of
day do you start
thinking about which
wine you are having
for lunch.

I usually start at…

Since I was going
to have the savory meat
pies from Andre’s, I
wanted a “fuller than
(my) normal” RED.

I can’t remember what’s
in the cooler, so my
wine selection had to
wait until the market
opened and the dog woke
up and moved away from
the cooler door.

Hmmmm.

Corbières. That works.

I consider this to
be the French wine
that ordinary men
can drink every day
to make them feel
princely.

After just a few sips,
I feel like a king.

Call in the winemaker
and let me offer her
a chalice of gold as
a token of my
appreciation for this
year’s vintage.

Exploding with scrumptious
and voluptuous black fruit.

Gorgeous, soft tannins
that surround you like
a swarm of loving bees
bestowing kisses upon
your lips.

The slightest hint of
“leafy green things” that
lets you know that it’s
from SOUTHERN FRANCE
FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.

This one eschews Carignan
for the other varieties
allowed in the AOC’s
red wine.

That alone makes this
wine a “must try”.

I’m “real particular”
about Syrah.

It’s like, if you love
Syrah, you’ll like
Corbières, but not
vice versa.

Several weeks ago I
was drinking a “more
generic” Languedoc blend
and wondered why I wasn’t
drinking Corbières,
right then and there.

I didn’t know, but
this time I made sure
that I was getting
EXACTLY what I wanted,
whether I asked for it
correctly or not.

Huh?

For a brief period of
time, right BEFORE Lukas
in Martin City opened,
(and Vino 100 folded)
I stopped at the VINO 100
store every other Friday
on my way home from “work”.

That’s where I was
introduced to Corbières.

It was a mind altering
experience.

(Doesn’t take much.)

This one has 14% ALC, so
I have to be good and
put a stopper in it
today, SOONER rather than
later.

Tonight I will be visited
by the…

Most people didn’t know
how much Gary loved
Corbières.

Day Two…

It’s like Christmas
morning only I KNOW
what I’m getting.

Anti-braised home grown snow peas.

And…

Better have the wine before
the food insanity ensues.

No matter, both are so
good that the sequence of
consumption doesn’t matter.

Life is good when
you have…

Good Food (I want you)
Good Wine (I need you)
Peace of Mind (Ain’t no way)

Oh well…

Hang in there.

Schloss Gobelsburg Cistercien Rosé 2016

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn Rosé, RoseLeave a comment

2018-06-13 SCHLOSS GOBELSBURG Cistercien Rosé 2016.jpg

 This one is a repeat
impressor, but still
hard to “spell”.

I don’t remember what
it is like, EXACTLY.

Outrageously tart.

I’m not going to cheat
and look to see if I
made notes previously.

Within all that tartness,
I’m picking up a tiny bit
of the honeycomb.

I’m NOT picking up a
particular citrus flavor
today.

(Previously, I imagined
tangerine.)

Maybe something softer.
Pear? Tropical?

Here’s the official
scoop…

https://www.gobelsburg.at/en/wines/schlosskellerei-gobelsburg/rose-cistercien

I didn’t get this
one as cold as I
like on day one.

I need more/better
wine bottle chillers.

Day Two…

After a night in the
fridge, the wine is
icy cold and a comfort
during the back-to-back
FOMC/ECB press conferences.

A rare event like a…

Hang in there.

Scarpetta Frico Rosso 2016

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn Red BlendLeave a comment

2018-06-12 Scarpetta Frico Rosso 2016.jpg

I brought home 26 bottles
OF VARIOUS WINE
from Lukas recently.

This was the “I can’t
wait to try” one.

And not because it was
probably the least
expensive one I bought.

It was Zach’s description.

Another direct hit.

Although this is a blend
of Sangiovese, Cab Sav,
and Merlot, it is still
light enough to stay
in my bull eye.

I’m not positive about
the grape blend but you
get the idea.

Light, yet busting with
flavor, and with just a
hint of oak.

I’m in between garlic/peppercorn
cheese with crackers, and
Szgediner Pork Goulash
(from Andre’s)
with polenta.

The wine is REALLY TART.

Just delicious.

Apparently, you don’t
HAVE TO club CS and Merlot
to death to make good wine.

And you don’t have to
break the bank to get
a perfectly fine wine.

It came to pass that,
in the era of grape
variety and viticulture
proliferation, the earthbound
inhabitants found
sustenance in the form
of fermented juice in the
all corners of the planet.

Those that chose to eschew
this largess escaped to Mars.

God turned THAT planet into dust.

Someday He will restore
Mars like he did Earth.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+2%3A1-11&version=NIV

Then we can have the
best of BOTH worlds.

It is interesting to
consider that two
thousand years ago you
could prove that you
are GOD by making
“the best” wine.

Some things ever change.

As long as the wine
is palatable…

Day Two…

I’m having the leftovers
after eating a BLT
for brunch.

Just a gorgeous, tart
fruit bomb.

I’ll shut up because
I don’t want to go…

Are those sugar crystals
in the bottom of my glass?

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Sean Minor Central Coast Pinot Noir 2016

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn Pinot NoirLeave a comment

2018-06-10 Sean Minor Central Coast PN 2016 front.jpg

Whoosh.

And it’s gone…

Sometimes the wine just disappears.

Too soothing to analyze.

Too comforting to second guess.

Too “roundly on target” to cause
you to adjust your sights.

Bingo.

Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.

Extra play.

My favorite “flipper” machine was
“Lawman”.

How many dimes/quarters? did I pour into
this monster as I was was drinking $0.25
beers on Sunday nights?

Sheesh.

I haven’t found a video that
contains the WHACK sound when
you get an extra play.

The third video is REALLY INTERESTING.

What does this flipper machine
stuff have to do with “fine wine”.

Everything.

Something has to “ground you”
into your “current existence”.

We don’t always know what thing
is doing the grounding.

It is just “stuff” happening.

When we finally look up, we go
Ah, that’s what was happening.
I wish I had been more aware.

Sometimes we are aware,
sometimes not.

Today I’m aware of an
ocean of fine wine being
produced for my enjoyment.

What am I DOING ABOUT IT?

I’m flipping enjoying it.

I just need an extra play now.

I am NORMALLY put off by
“family stuff” on the back
of wine bottles, but I
will excuse this one because
IT IS GOOD.

2018-06-10 Sean Minor Central Coast PN 2016 back.jpg

Also, note that this
“approachable” wine
is from the “Central Valley”.

“Mars” would be a more
definitive AVA though it
may be less approachable.

You can observe the phenomenon here…

Click to access CA_WineMap_2011.pdf

Some of the grapes in this
one might be tan line free.

Who knows?

The daisies won’t tell.

I had to snort this
stuff when I was a
kid.

Hang in there.