Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Controversial subjects

If you have time, interest in these subjects and can read French, you will find 2 threads started by Jean Michel Comme (Pontet Canet) on the forum La Passion du Vin, with the heading: “de la terre au verre” (from earth to glass) :

The 1st : what is a terroir wine ?
The 2nd, up to what amount of alcohol a wine still remains a wine?

There’s plenty to read and reflect on. Why not give your opinion even though everything has been said. Still, the benefit, compared to a magazine, is being live, fast, incorrect, even sometimes aggressive, but it’s true that these subjects can easily be controversial.
You can also find a compilation of notes in the column “on primeur”. Written by Bertand Le Guern (the futures grid), this big work of compiling and analysis statistics to see if, for example, the notes given by some journalist as somewhat “bizarre”, or if a merchant has given a note to increase his sales or for friendship, or if Rolland’s wines are better rated by Parker than the wines from another “star”, etc…

There could be a consensus regarding great brands and 1st growths, but rarely on a new brand, even though for this year, you can find on top of the grid wines like Le Gay, Clinet and many Pomerols!

This confirms that 2008 is the year of Pomerol, with high notes, reflecting the quality of the vintage, even if very mixed.
But this is another story… Jean Michel Comme could write about it: what is a great year?

We drank an Argentinean wine: Val de Flores 2004, near Mendoza, owned by Rolland, 100% Malbec with vines more than 50 years old, balanced, not as extreme as Yacochuva. This makes me want to plant some Malbec in Maury.
Why not, when you get so much pleasure paired with a beef sirloin grilled in the fireplace on oak, with Peter Sisseck (Pingus) and my parents in-law.
Peter is often in Bordeaux working on the future Arsac 2009. It gives us the opportunity to see him more often.

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