Posts belonging to Category Pinot Noir

Kris-A and Kris-B visited Ontario recently. If you are not sure where that is… here is a map showing the vineyards. That is correct – Niagara Falls is in Ontario. The Krisses last contributed to tBoW with photos and comments on their trip to the Mosel. These guys have their heads and gullets in the right place – where wine is made and quaffed! It is becoming gradually clear that vinifera is truly a wild vine and can grow just about anywhere. This makes sense when one realizes that the proliferation of vinifera is less than 200 years old! Here is the report from two of our top tBoW team reporters. Since you will NEVER see these wines unless you visit Ontario please read about them now. But who knew Ontario has Wine Country? Check out the link so you can plan your own trip to yet another exotic unexpected land-o-wine. The Krisses certainly make it cool. (more…)

Touting a Garagiste – aka “G.” – purchase is always dicey. Like nostalgia, praising a great G. buy only works in retrospect. Rimmerman’s selections almost always sell out so there is no going back and buying in. You have to be there when it all goes down. There are other pitfalls when mainlining G. which Dotoré will insist we mention [ed. and we have in an earlier G. post] such as Rimmerman’s twist on the “availability principle,” as in “it’s not a question of price but availability.” With G. you have to strike early and decisively since it is apparent G. buys “on the come.” When you check your warehouse chart you will find many “pre-arrival” notes next to the wine for which you so willingly even anxiously..yes thrillingly!!…pulled the trigger! (more…)

Collectible kosher wines? The thought boggles the mind. How could inky purple Manischewitz syrup with a shelf life of 20 minutes get a Parker rating? Next you’ll tell me there are “growth” Bordeaux, as in those classified in 1855, that obey Talmudic law. Every year there are more customers than there are wines for those lucky labels classified under the five levels of Bordeaux Growths: wines such as Château Léoville-Poyferré a 2nd Growth St. Julien; or Château Malartic-Lagravière an unclassified yet coveted Graves; Château Pontet-Canet a 5th Growth Pauillac; and Château Le Crock a Crus Bourgeois Pauillac. Oh yes. Each one of those highly coveted labels has a kosher “edition.” N’kidding. (more…)

“This is Shotgun Tom Kelly” said the vintage KRTH 101 announcer as he loaded the Rascals “Lonely Too Long” into the queue. Shotgun followed that with Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrel and tBoW was smiling wide as he climbed his favorite bike trail – Dirt Mulholland.

Listening to radio programming from the 60s/70s cuts two ways like all nostalgia reminding us how old we are and how certain music can make us young again. Shotgun has that radio voice – full throat, between bass and treble, a “hip” knowing and cheery tone. What’s it got to do with wine?

If you do not have an aerator you should get one because it shares many qualities with the radio and 60s or 70s rock music and DJ styles. The aerator takes years off wines that are too young to be properly enjoyed [ed. or does it add several years?]. While we can enjoy wine when it is young, many wines do improve with age. The aerator makes that happen right away. BOOM! We tasted several wines recently that illustrate the benefit. Actually, we went crazy with the aerator! (more…)

Bracketology and March Madness will keep a blogger from posting on a timely basis. Early picks like Kansas State (8 seed beats 9 seed, your basic toss-up) and VCU beats Wichita State (the classic 12 seed upsetting a 5 seed) are just a setup for the next round losses like my senior big men from Vanderbilt losing to cheeseheads from Wisconsin. I had Vandy going to the the Final Four. Just saps my energy. It seems so much easier to pick wines, no? (more…)