win

win@thebarn.com

1040 discussions

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, We're on for tonight, 6:30, at Auriga. The remodelling is finished and we have a reservation for 8 people. Can probably find room/places for more people w/o too much trouble. Auriga Rest. 1930 Hennepin Ave, Mpls, 55403 612-871-0777 Who's coming to dinner: Bob Betsy Dave T. Russ and maybe Sue. Jim and Louise No's from Warren/Ruth and from Annette Stadelman. Update on Matt's father. Been a bit up and down as they dial in his medications. Family's in town. She/they hope to re-join us soon, perhaps next week. Here's some general info on S. France. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> ----- X-MessageWall-Score: 0 (smtp-relay.enet.umn.edu) Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2005 16:21:34 -0500 (EST) To: jellings(a)me.umn.edu Subject: The 30 Second Wine Advisor - WT101: The South of France From: The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> X-Sender: <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005 ________________________________________________________________________ TODAY'S SPONSORS: * FRENCH WINE EXPLORERS Join Robin Garr in the Rhone in June! http://www.wine-tours-france.com/RhoneValleyWineTour.htm * CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB Treat Yourself! http://www.cawineclub.com?Partner_ID=winelovers ________________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE * WT101: THE SOUTH OF FRANCE Our monthly tasting program features the Rhone, Provence and Languedoc. * E. GUIGAL 2000 SAINT-JOSEPH BLANC ($24.99) Diving right in with a report on a rich, aromatic Northern Rhone white. * ADMINISTRIVIA Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe. ________________________________________________________________________ WT101: THE SOUTH OF FRANCE During the 3 1/2 years since we began the Wine Tasting 101 program, our monthly topics have almost always featured a specific grape variety or type of wine, from our initial focus on a Cotes-du-Rhone in June 2001 to last month's celebration of dessert wines. This month, figuring it's time for a change of pace, we're experimenting with a new direction, featuring a wine region for a month of tasting and informal study in the friendly online environment of Wine Tasting 101. Let's begin with the South of France, one of my personal favorite wine- producing and travel regions, where I'll be leading a French Wine Explorers tour of wine enthusiasts in June. For purposes of this month's study, we'll focus on three broad Southern French regions: Languedoc, Provence and the Rhone. If you visualize the historic city of Avignon on the Rhone River at the center of a rough triangle with its base along the Mediterranean shore, Provence lies to the east and south, from the mouth of the Rhone past Marseilles and Nice to the Italian border. Languedoc stretches from the Rhone west to France's border with Spain; and the Rhone Valley - where we'll be touring in June - reaches north from Avignon along the east bank of the river, mostly, from Chateauneuf-du-Pape and the Cotes-du-Rhone through Cote-Rotie to Hermitage. Although each of these regions bosts its particular wine traditions and terroir, you'll find some family kinship among their wines, and many wine-grape varieties are familiar throughout: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Carignan among the reds; Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier in the whites. The reds tend to be full-bodied and hearty, featuring peppery, "meaty" and even "gamey" flavors. The whites at best are full, aromatic and rich, and the ros� wines crisp, tart and bone-dry, deliciously fruity and herbally complex. Many of the wines of the region are rustic and quaffable (and generally affordable, even given the rising Euro); but the standout wines take second place to few others in terms of quality, elegance, ageworthiness ... and price. For the top red wines, look for Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Cote-Rotie and Hermitage in the Rhone; Bandol in Provence, and Coteaux du Languedoc, particularly Pic Saint Loup, in the Languedoc. Finally, a word about vintage selection: It's worth noting that 2002 ranged from poor to disastrous through much of the region; floods in Chateauneuf-du-Pape literally wiped out much of the crop, and by and large, '02 red Rhones that reached the market have been lackluster. It wasn't quite so bad in the Languedoc, but in general it's a year to avoid. In contrast, 2003 was a heat wave year over much of France, yielding ripe crops that made full, powerful wines, easy to like although tending toward the alcoholic and "New World" in style. Couple all this with the rising price of the Euro against the dollar, making recent vintages increasingly pricey in the U.S., and you'll find a lot of retailers, depending on availability, still holding on to supplies of the generally good 2000 and 2001 vintages. Buy with care, but in evaluating older wines, consider the environment at your wine shop and avoid bottles that may have been displayed upright or in sunlight or kept at warm temperatures. In place of the usual "benchmark" wines, you're encouraged to try any wines of the region that interest you, and to post your comments and questions about them on the Wine Tasting 101 Forum. If you wish to look for some of the wines that I'll be tasting and reporting this month, here's my lineup: RHONE: * E. Guigal 2000 Saint-Joseph Blanc ($24.99) * Domaine de la Mordoree 2003 Cotes-du-Rhone ($14.99) * E. Guigal 2000 Cotes-du-Rhone ($13.99) * Domaine la Montagnette 2001 Cotes-du-Rhone ($9.99) LANGUEDOC: * Domaine Leon Barral 2001 Faugeres ($19.99) * Mas Amiel 2002 "Notre Terre" Cotes du Roussillon Villages ($12.99) * Chateau Lauret 2001 Coteaux du Languedoc Pic Saint-Loup ($11.99) * Hugues Beaulieu 2003 Coteaux du Languedoc Picpoul de Pinet ($8.99) PROVENCE: * Mas de Gourgonnier 2002 Les Baux de Provence ($12.99) * Domaine de Fondreche 2003 "Instant" Ros� ($9.99) Now, let's get the topic off to a flying start with my report on a recent tasting of an exceptionally fine white Rhone from Saint-Joseph, a Northern Rhone appellation on the west side of the river, opposite Hermitage. ________________________________________________________________________ E. GUIGAL 2000 SAINT-JOSEPH BLANC ($24.99) Clear gold in color, bright and showing no sign of age, this rich white Northern Rhone is probably predominantly Marsanne, although neither the label nor the Website discloses the blend. Its delicious and complex aroma features mixed white fruit with hints of almonds, honey and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied and rich in flavor, there's a pleasant whiff of toasted almonds behind abundant fruit, with plenty of zippy acidity for structure and food-friendliness. U.S. importer: Ex Cellars Wine Agencies Inc., Solvang, Calif. (Dec. 31, 2004) FOOD MATCH: This rich, food-friendly white would go well with a broad range of poultry or pork dishes and flavorful preparations of seafood and fish. It also made a fetching companion with a vegetarian dish from another part of the Mediterranean: Tuscan-style white beans long- simmered with fresh sage. VALUE: The price of this older stock remains fair for a wine of its character, but watch for the rising Euro to drive up prices of more recent vintages. WHEN TO DRINK: Saint-Joseph, like other quality Rhone whites, can age under decent cellar conditions with surprising grace, gaining richness and complexity with time. This one, despite presumably less-than-ideal conditions on a wine-shop shelf, is still youthful even at three years past its release. If you cellar it, though, taste periodically, as the oxidative qualities that lend subtlety in small amounts will eventually turn darkly nutty and Sherry-like as the wine passes its peak. PRONUNCIATION: Saint-Joseph = "SawN Zho-zeff" WEB LINK: The E. Guigal Website is available in French and English. For the English-language home page, click http://www.guigal.com/site/anglais/index.html FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: Find vendors and compare prices for Guigal Saint-Joseph on Wine- Searcher.com: http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Guigal+Saint+Joseph/-/-/USD/A?referring_s… ________________________________________________________________________ SUBSCRIBE: * WineLoversPage.com RSS Feed (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/rss/ * 30 Second Wine Advisor, daily or weekly (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/index.shtml * Wine Advisor FoodLetter, Thursdays (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/foodletter.shtml * Wine Advisor Premium Edition, alternate Tuesdays ($24/year) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/premium.phtml ARCHIVES: For all past editions: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml CONTACT US E-mail: wine(a)wineloverspage.com SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: For information, E-mail wine(a)wineloverspage.com ________________________________________________________________________ ADMINISTRIVIA To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, switch from weekly to daily distribution, or for any other administrative matters, click to http://www.wineloverspage.com/admin.php?id=20970&cs=7d1109b668af1f87d36d12e… We welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. We do not use this list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail to anyone. All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry. Wednesday, January 5, 2005 Copyright 2005 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved. ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 11 months

[wine] N. Rhones at Auriga on Thursday

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Happy New Year, etc. I wasn't in on the discussion, but it sounds like we're doing N. Rhones at Auriga this week. Thursday, 6:30. Not sure if the re-mod is finished or if we're in the back or what. N. Rhone includes Cote Rotie, St. Joseph, Hermitage, Croz Hermitage and a few others. FFI here: http://www.wine-pages.com/regions/rhoneexp.htm Cheers, Jim The Rh�ne Valley Continuing a line almost due south of Burgundy lie the vineyards of the Rh�ne valley. This is an area of contrast. In the North, some of the world's longest-lived wines are produced: rare and aromatic whites; tannic and massively structured reds. In the South, a veritable sea of hearty everyday red is produced, but so too are the famous and high quality wines of Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas, as well as sweet wines of high quality. Geography and climate The Rh�ne river begins life way to the north in Switzerland. As it makes it way down through the length of France it widens to become the central feature of the Rh�ne valley, which spans roughly between Lyons and Avignon. The Rh�ne valley divides neatly into north/south regions at the town of Valence. The Northern Rh�ne is a land of steep, steep slopes carved into granite hillsides by the progress of the river over thousands of years. Vines cling to near vertical surfaces, or terraces carved into the rock. It is predominantly a red wine area, but some rare and expensive whites come from here. Towards the south, the steep slopes give way to a broad valley floor which is baking hot in the summer. An enormous quantity of mediocre red wine is produced, but pockets of superb quality exist. map Grapes There are two great grapes of the Northern Rh�ne: Syrah - the noble red wine grape (often called Shiraz outside France) Viognier- for white wines and, interestingly, a small proportion of some reds Marsanne and Roussanne are also grown for white wines. In the Southern Rh�ne a large variety of grapes is permitted. These include: Grenache, Syrah, Mourv�dre and Cinsaut for reds Grenache Blanc, Picpoul, Roussanne and Marsanne for whites. The great wines of the Northern Rh�ne � Cephas Along with those in Germany's Mosel valley, the vineyards here are amongst the steepest and most difficult to work in the world. The Northern Rh�ne's finest wines are the Syrah reds: also some of the world's greatest wines. These include the famous, powerful, rich and long-lived duo of Hermitage and C�te-R�tie. The winemakers of the north are largely long-established, family-owned concerns who have worked these daunting slopes for decades. Hermitage The famous wine of Hermitage takes its name from the hill of Hermitage above the town of Tain. These are historically regarded as the "manliest" of French wines. Deep, dark and serious, these wines are strapping, tannic and vigorous in youth, developing complexity and finesse as they age over 20 years or more. White Hermitage is also produced, from Marsanne and Roussanne grapes. C�te-R�tie C�te-R�tie is an unusual red wine that may contain up to 20% of the white Viognier grape in its blend. This is rarely done however, more often the wines are 100% Syrah. C�te-R�tie shares some of the character of Hermitage, but generally is more approachable when young, is more aromatic, and has a more graceful appeal. Other red wines Look out for Crozes-Hermitage, a more easily available wine made from less formidable slopes around Hermitage. It is a Syrah with some of the quality, but at a fraction of the price. The co-operative of Tain l'Hermitage has a good reputation. St-Joseph and Cornas are other Syrahs with strong personality at a fraction of the price of Hermitage. The vineyards sit on the opposite bank of the river. White wines The north is also the home of rare and expensive white wines made from the Viognier grape, such as Condrieu and Ch�teau-Grillet. These wines are clean and highly aromatic yet at the same time powerful and full-bodied. They are also very expensive and can be very long lived. Ch�teau-Grillet is highly unusual in that it is an Appellation Contr�l�e that is under the ownership of only one producer. Top producers include: Guigal, Jaboulet, Chapoutier, Chave, Grippat. -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 11 months

[wine] Aussies at Bobino on Thursday.

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, As you know, Matt's father is having some serious medical trouble. They are post poning the evening at Chez Stadelman. Bob had made a reservation at Bobino for 6:30, this Thursday. Style du jour remains Most Anything Aussie... Of course a good ringer Shiraz/Syrah from somewhere far (say West Coast US) or most anything from somewhere near (NZ, S. Africa, etc.) is always in good fun. Bobino 222 E. Henne 612-623-3301 Bob Lori Betsy Nicolai Karen Jim/Louise Your_name_here Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from ANNETTE STADELMAN <mandastad(a)msn.com> ----- X-MessageWall-Score: 0 (smtp-relay.enet.umn.edu) X-Originating-IP: [24.245.15.127] X-Originating-Email: [mandastad(a)msn.com] X-Sender: mandastad(a)msn.com From: ANNETTE STADELMAN <mandastad(a)msn.com> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] thursday Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2004 13:16:41 -0600 X-OriginalArrivalTime: 27 Dec 2004 19:17:00.0920 (UTC) FILETIME=[A4297F80:01C4EC48] X-Virus-Scanned: ClamAV 0.80/633/Thu Dec 16 19:56:33 2004 clamav-milter version 0.80j on slurp.thebarn.com X-Virus-Scanned: ClamAV 0.80/633/Thu Dec 16 19:56:33 2004 clamav-milter version 0.80j on slurp.thebarn.com X-Virus-Status: Clean X-Virus-Status: Clean X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.1.0-r109828 (2004-12-04) on slurp.thebarn.com X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.0 required=5.0 tests=MSGID_FROM_MTA_HEADER autolearn=ham version=3.1.0-r109828 X-archive-position: 141 X-ecartis-version: Ecartis v1.0.0 Errors-to: wine-bounce(a)thebarn.com X-original-sender: mandastad(a)msn.com Precedence: bulk X-list: wine Happy Holidays all: Hope everyone had a nice Xmas. Based on how our week is going, Matt and I are rescinding our offer to host the group this Thursday. His Dad went into the hospital on Xmas day and back again this morning for siezures compounded by a myriad of other health issues not uncommon for an 86 yr. old. Things will likely turn worse before they get better and we would rather reschedule our event for a later date, not to mention the fact that we already have 2 funerals to attend this week..... Kind of a morose weekend (including the Vikings loss)! Hope yours was better! annette ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 11 months

[wine] thursday

by ANNETTE STADELMAN

Happy Holidays all: Hope everyone had a nice Xmas. Based on how our week is going, Matt and I are rescinding our offer to host the group this Thursday. His Dad went into the hospital on Xmas day and back again this morning for siezures compounded by a myriad of other health issues not uncommon for an 86 yr. old. Things will likely turn worse before they get better and we would rather reschedule our event for a later date, not to mention the fact that we already have 2 funerals to attend this week..... Kind of a morose weekend (including the Vikings loss)! Hope yours was better! annette

20 years, 11 months

[wine] Barbera, Piedmont at Tratoria Da Vinci

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, The 510 was wonderful, as always. This week, we're doing Barbera and other fine things from Piedmont at Tratoria Da Vinci. Trattoria da Vinci 400 Sibley St., St. P, 55101 222-4050 It's in the "far end" of down town St. Paul, near the Farmer's Market. If you're traveling on I94, take the 7th St. Exit. Who? Bob Betsy Dave Nicolai Karin Jim Joe Cassel Fred/Kim Other things. Would be good to re-expand our Italian options. Perhaps January/February would be a good time to get into the place at Raymond and University in St. Paul (Biagio?) Still planning/hoping to be at Chez Stadelman next week. Not sure what the theme is. Current working limit is 10 people. Who? Matt/Annette Betsy Bob Dave Jim/Louise Warren/Ruth Nicolai Karin Russ/Sue Fred/Kim Cheers, Jim -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 11 months

[wine] TN Burgundies at 510 on 12-16-2004

by russellmccandless＠frontiernet.net

Happy birthday to Jim! The 510's good food, as usual. A large turnout; think we had sixteen. W1: sharp/thin on nose, full and smoky midpalate, thins out on finish. Ballot-Millot, 2002 Bourgogne Chardonnay. W2: rich oaky chardonnay nose, midpalate lacks structure, pedigreed white Burgundy flavor, finish emphatically alcoholic, pretty good though. Verget, 2002 Saint-Veran "Vigne de St-Claude." W3: excellent smoky nose suggestive of Chablis, midpalate lacks structure, interesting and attractive tasting wine but lacks W2's flavor distinction, finishes with good length but only fair power. Mestre-Michelot, 1999 Bourgogne Chardonnay. W4: amylic licorice nose, OK midpalate, citric finish, lacks interest. Bouchard Pere & Fils, 2002 Puligny-Montrachet. (Highly disappointing, if this was a representative bottle.) W5: mute nose with SO2 showing, big sweet citric and characteristically chardonnay midpalate, touch unconcentrated but tasty, good length, nice wine. Joseph Drouhin, 2002 Beaune 1er Cru, Clos des Mouches. (Still needs some time.) 1.1: young looking; small but round and rather new world pinot nose, astringent and medicinal mouth entry, tannic, decent fruit and structure, some alcohol showing and short on fruit at the finish, good wine though. Antonin Rodet, 1998 Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Vieilles Vignes. 1.2: lighter young color; pure but bashful nose; lacks concentration but OK fruit, some tannin; aromatic finish, more attractive tonight than 1.1 but generally a smaller wine. Louis Auguste, 2002 Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits. 1.3: color suggests more age; very reticent nose of spice, licorice, acid; full-smooth mouth entry, medicinal fruit; quite alcoholic on finish, shortish too. Pierre de Champvigne, 1996 Mercurey 1er Cru, Clos Voyen (Chevaliers de Tastevin bottling). (Some doubt expressed at table about whether this was a perfect bottle, although of course this is pretty old Mercurey.) 1.4: deep red, sizeable pure nose with the alcohol showing, big spicy alcoholic wine in the mouth, some tannin, lots of structure, big aromatic finish is the best feature, lacks length though. Mestre-Michelot, 2002 Santenay 1er Cru, Gravieres. 2.1: full purple; rich and meaty nose; full and smooth, lots of fruit without much sweetness, focused and true; finishes as it tastes, some alcohol but considerable finesse, excellent length, extremely good bottle. Vincent Girardin, 2001 Santenay 1er Cru, Gravieres. (This has put on weight since release and was showing very attractively tonight.) 2.2: medium to light red, nose medicinal but characterful, smooth mouthfeel but still tannic, midpalate lacks fruit, at an awkward age? The wine has presence all the way thru to the finish but seems to be sleeping? Jean-Jacques Girard, 2002 Savigny-les-Beaune. (Needs retasting. As a 2002, probably not "asleep" in the sense of what wines often do around their fourth year, but could be suffering from shipping shock or some such.) 2.3: medium red, color showing some age; very reticent nose; hard, medicinal, peppery, lacks fruit in this company, big wine though; in this company, no finish. Rene Engel, 1999 Vosne-Romanee. (This one, on the other hand, may well have been asleep. Good producer, fine vintage.) 2.4: dark red; sizeable cola nose, big astringent, medicinal unsweet fruit in the mouth, really good, moderately aromatic finish with more sweetness showing, decent length, could use time, this is very good. Maurice Ecard, 2001 Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru, Narbantons. (This one has REALLY put on weight since release.) 3.1: light red, lovely if not large sweet nose, smells of pure young red berry fruit; smooth midpalate, lots of darker fruits, tannic at the back end, highly aromatic finish, lovely wine, extra long. Bouchard Pere & Fils, 2002 Beaune 1er Cru, "Beaune du Chateau." (Reportedly available at Surdyk's priced in mid-$20s; remarkable value at that sort of price.) 3.2: dark color showing some age, distinguished maturing nose, mineral and vegetal components in addition to the fruit; smooth, smoky midpalate with BIG fruit, vegetal tastes following thru from the nose, very well structured; big aromatic and alcoholically hot finish, still needs some time. Joseph Roty, 1995 Gevrey-Chambertin, Cuvee de Champs-Chenys. 3.3: quite dark; big tarry nose; some lack of concentration and fruit but the flavor is distinctive; some tannin left but seems mature, power and length not all one could wish for. Faiveley, 1990 Beaune 1er Cru, Champs-Pimont. 3.4: dark color, sizeable nose still mostly primary, midweight in the mouth, balanced, smooth and pure, very attractive, minerals and tar with the fruit, flavor almost suggests nebbiolo, dark red cherry, touch of alcohol showing; excitingly smooth transition to finish, sweet and aromatic, good length, this is excellent. Bertagna, 1995 Vougeot 1er Cru, Clos de la Perriere. (Reported to be currently available at Haskell's. Caveat emptor.) Merry Christmas!

20 years, 11 months

[wine] Well Aged LeRoy Brgndy at N. Oaks Winestreets

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Our friend Jason passes along this info. Happy shopping! I belive the North Oaks Winestreets is on Hwy 96 near Hwy 10. FKA: Cellars 859 Vlg Ctr Dr, N. Oaks. Hwy 96 to Hodgson Rd. N. 651 483-1767 C, J ----- Forwarded message from Jason Kallsen <jason(a)twincitieswine.com> ----- Reply-To: jason(a)twincitieswine.com From: Jason Kallsen <jason(a)twincitieswine.com> To: "'Jim L. Ellingson'" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> Subject: RE: [wine] Red/White Burgundy at 510 on Thursday Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 18:00:20 -0600 Jim: Winestreet North Oaks just took delivery of a ton of Leroy Burgundies, both red and white, from the 96 thru 99 vintages. Good prices. Pass info to everybody. Jason -----Original Message----- From: wine-bounce(a)thebarn.com [mailto:wine-bounce@thebarn.com] On Behalf Of Jim L. Ellingson Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2004 10:57 AM To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] Red/White Burgundy at 510 on Thursday Bit of an update and some ides on future events. Also an article on 2002 Brgndy from Wine Enthusiast. Their vintage chart shows 1999 and older white and 1997 and older red Burgundies to be ready. Karin would like to do Zinfandel at her home some Sunday. Matt/Annette would like to have us over on Thursday 30 December. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 14:38:45 -0600 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: Red/White Burgundy at 510 User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.4i Greetings, Lots of interesting wines, good food at Erte. Bruschetta, chx-wild_rice soup, steaks were very good. This week (9/16/04) we're doing White and/or Red Burgundy at the 510. Head count may be an issue.... Ten pours is a practical limit. If **ALL** of the couples share a pour, then we're at 11. The 510 Restaurant 510 Groveland Ave MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55403 Phone: 612-874-6440 Who's coming Fred (Kim is doubtful) Jim/Louise Russ/Sue Warren/Ruth Betsy Bob B-Dave Karin Lori Nicolai Roger 11 pours 14 people Cheers, Jim -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 * ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 11 months

[wine] Red/White Burgundy at 510 on Thursday

by Jim L. Ellingson

Bit of an update and some ides on future events. Also an article on 2002 Brgndy from Wine Enthusiast. Their vintage chart shows 1999 and older white and 1997 and older red Burgundies to be ready. Karin would like to do Zinfandel at her home some Sunday. Matt/Annette would like to have us over on Thursday 30 December. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 14:38:45 -0600 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: Red/White Burgundy at 510 User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.4i Greetings, Lots of interesting wines, good food at Erte. Bruschetta, chx-wild_rice soup, steaks were very good. This week (9/16/04) we're doing White and/or Red Burgundy at the 510. Head count may be an issue.... Ten pours is a practical limit. If **ALL** of the couples share a pour, then we're at 11. The 510 Restaurant 510 Groveland Ave MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55403 Phone: 612-874-6440 Who's coming Fred (Kim is doubtful) Jim/Louise Russ/Sue Warren/Ruth Betsy Bob B-Dave Karin Lori Nicolai Roger 11 pours 14 people Cheers, Jim Burgundy.s 2002 Vintage By Roger Voss Burgundy.s 2002 vintage is in bottle, and it.s now clear that the excitement that.s been brewing over the wines is absolutely justified. .They are great wines, there is no doubt about that,. says Fr�d�ric Drouhin of Maison Joseph Drouhin. .In the white wines, we had both ripeness and acidity. In the C�te d.Or reds, the wines have the ability to age for decades. They have color, fruit.they are charming. The alcohol, the acidity and the tannins are all in balance. .It.s rare to have a great vintage in both white and red,. Drouhin explains. .That happens once a decade. You have to go back to 1999, 1985 or 1978 to find similar vintages.. It was even a dream vintage for the winemakers. Gr�gory Patriat, winemaker of the Jean-Claude Boisset brand, says, .It was so easy to work. You had to control yields, of course. But if you did that, you couldn.t have had it better.. Vintage 2002 continues the run of successful vintages (some for reds, some for whites, some for both) that Burgundy has seen since 1996. Demand is intense, despite the weak dollar against the euro. British buyers have been particularly active, so wines may be available from the United Kingdom, if they are not accessible from your usual American supplier. Many top producers. wines are already sold out, and only canny importers are likely to get enough wine to satisfy demand. As for price, these 2002 wines are not cheap. The 2002s cost at least 10 percent more than the 2001s, and buyers who did not get enough of the great 1999s are coming back into the market with a vengeance. With such a small crop of 2003 wines in the pipeline, the prices for 2002 are likely to harden even further. You could pay as much as $175 for a top grand cru wine, while a village wine will cost around $60 a bottle. Drouhin believes that .for the consumer who can.t wait, the reds can be drunk in the next two to three years. The fruit will certainly please an American palate. But,. he cautions, .of course, fruit is only part of the wine. Great wines only reveal their heritage and quality and their terroir after aging.. He believes that while the village wines and entry-level Burgundy will be drinkable after five years, the premier crus will need 10 years, the grands crus even longer. Although, as Drouhin says, the wines will age, they are also immediately, tantalizingly attractive. I tasted nearly 200 wines, mainly reds, for this month.s Buying Guide, and one fact stood out: The fruit is so delicious, so mouthwateringly drinkable that it will be hard to keep these wines for the decades they deserve. While acknowledging the high quality of the reds, Louis-Fabrice Latour of Maison Louis Latour believes that .the whites could be even better than the reds. They have not been this good since 1996. [2002] has great sweet fruit, with lovely acidity and crisp flavors.. Certainly his signature Corton-Charlemagne is powerful and concentrated, the hallmark of a great vintage. For Burgundy growers, 2002 was a miraculous year. While the Rh�ne Valley and Languedoc in the south suffered appalling rains and floods at harvest time, Burgundy somehow escaped. .It was amazing, the rain stopped 100 miles south of here. We had sunshine,. says Michel Lafarge of the Volnay domaine of the same name. While Bordeaux.s pre-harvest heat wave turned rain-sodden 2002 from a potential disaster into a near-miss, in Burgundy the fine weather just went on and on. As with much of France, the weather during July and August 2002 was mixed. Burgundy got more rain than it usually does; by early September, rot had begun to set in. In mid-September, everything changed: The sun shined, while the northeast wind kept the conditions cool and dry, perfect for long, even ripening. Because Burgundy typically harvests toward the end of September, there was time for potential disaster to be turned into good fortune. This was especially true of the more northerly areas, including Chablis and the C�te de Nuits. They harvest later there than in Beaune or M�con, and, accordingly had a longer period to benefit from the late summer sunshine. It.s no surprise that these are the two regions.one white, one red.that produced the most consistently outstanding wines in 2002. The two stellar villages in the C�te de Nuits are Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny. The wines here already show the individual characters of each village: Gevrey is rich and muscular, Chambolle is softer, more exotic. Vosne-Roman�e.s wines have enormous structure but some of them seem to have missed out on the intense 2002 fruit character. Further south, in the C�te de Beaune, the vineyards around Beaune itself have produced red wines where the fruit really shows its paces. The best from the premier cru vineyards are packed with soft, rich, juicy fruit that will develop relatively quickly. They are unlikely to age as well as the wines from the C�te de Nuits, but will be great to drink in about 2010. In the C�te de Beaune, the whites also score well. Both Puligny and Chassagne grand crus are enormously rich, yet have some intense acidity from the cool wind during final ripening. They should age well as a consequence. Any lover of Burgundy should buy these wines, despite their high prices. This year, if it comes to a choice between Bordeaux 2003 and Burgundy 2002, I would go for Burgundy without hesitation. In the short term, these wines will offer much pleasure and, in the long term, the region.s greatest will join the pantheon of the best wines of the last 20 years. It is, as Bernard Repolt, joint managing director of Louis Jadot, says: .a classic year, well balanced with great acidity in both whites and reds.. That, to me, spells .buy.. Printed from HTTP://WWW.WINEMAG.COM/ISSUES/SEPT04/BURGUNDY.HTM Copyright Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Subscribe Today! -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 11 months

[wine] Verdict in phony Burgundy trial

by russellmccandless＠frontiernet.net

(This is from Wine Spectator's web site) Judges Issue Verdict in Burgundy Fraud Case Chanson's former managers were found guilty, but current chairman Etienne Bizot was acquitted By Per-Henrik Mansson Posted: Friday, December 10, 2004 A French court has acquitted Etienne Bizot, scion of the family that owns Bollinger Champagne, from any wrongdoing in the case of the scandal-ridden Burgundy house Chanson Père & Fils, which Bollinger's parent company bought from the Marion family in 1999. But former Chanson executives François and Philippe Marion each received a one-year suspended prison sentence and were fined 40,000 euros. At the trial in Dijon on Oct. 13, the Marion brothers pled guilty to charges that, between 1998 and 2000, they illegally blended Burgundies with wine from other appellations, which is a crime under France's strict Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée laws. Chanson's cellar master, Marc Cugney, was sentenced to an eight-month suspended prison term, but was not fined. He had explained in court how his bosses had asked him to make the illegal wines, and how he complied without denouncing them or resigning. Bizot, who was charged with knowingly selling the Marions' fraudulent wines after taking over management of Chanson, adamantly proclaimed his innocence during the trial, breaking down in tears after his integrity was questioned. After the verdict was read in court on Dec. 8, Bizot celebrated with a 1996 Bollinger Champagne Grande Année. "Justice has been made, but it has been a difficult time," said Bizot, 42, Chanson's nonexecutive chairman. The verdict was supposed to be announced on Nov. 17, but the court delayed it until this week. A Burgundy trade organization, the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne (BIVB), had asked for a postponement so that the fraud case, which is viewed as one of the worst in Bugundy's history, wouldn't be a source of negative publicity before the region's annual Hospices de Beaune auction. That event, which was held on Nov. 21, attracts French and international media. The Marion brothers had supervised Chanson's winemaking for 34 years. For many vintages, starting in 1966, they said, they ignored French laws by blending wine types and appellations, which they argued improved quality. The Marions' lawyer, Olivier Morice, argued in court that these practices, which included adding Alicante from southern France to deepen the color of the reds sold as "Burgundies," were in line with the winemaking techniques used at other Burgundy shippers. He asked the three judges to show clemency toward his septuagenarian clients. The prosecution had asked for the Marions to be sentenced to one year in jail and fined 30,000 euros each. Given that the maximum fine for similar crimes is 37,000 euros, the court made clear its displeasure with the brothers by imposing a heavier penalty. There was never any doubt that the men would escape spending time in prison, given their ages and the white-collar nature of their crime, lawyers said. The Marions left the Beaune-based winery in 2000, when Société Jacques Bollinger and its representative, Bizot, took full charge. Bizot set out to improve the wines at Chanson, which is a négociant firm but also owns vineyards in several of Beaune's premiers crus. Since the 2001 vintage, Chanson has dramatically improved the quality of its wines. Bizot said he learned of the Marions' deceptive winemaking techniques in late 2000, and a couple of months later he denounced the brothers to police in Dijon and authorities in Paris and Beaune. A police investigation found that Chanson's cellar contained more than 700,000 bottles of illegal "Burgundies." However, Bizot became a target of the investigation as well. He was a director on Chanson's board, and then its CEO, in 1999 and 2000. Bizot told investigators that he was unaware that, during that time, Chanson had been selling some fraudulent wines to unsuspecting buyers. The Marions accused Bizot and Bollinger of hypocrisy, charging that the Champenois knew perfectly well what was going on at Chanson and in Burgundy in general. Eventually, prosecutors brought charges against Bizot this past summer. Although the full text of the reasoning behind their judgment has not yet been made public, the judges apparently believed Bizot more than the Dijon prosecutor, Jean-Claude Dumarets. "This was a painful period for Etienne, but he is innocent, that much is clear with this decision," said one of his lawyers, Gilles Boisséson. "Bollinger's actions were perfectly transparent."

20 years, 11 months

[wine] Red/White Burgundy at 510

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Lots of interesting wines, good food at Erte. Bruschetta, chx-wild_rice soup, steaks were very good. This week (9/16/04) we're doing White and/or Red Burgundy at the 510. Head count may be an issue.... Ten pours is a practical limit. If **ALL** of the couples share a pour, then we're at 11. The 510 Restaurant 510 Groveland Ave MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55403 Phone: 612-874-6440 Who's coming Fred/Kim Jim/Louise Russ/Sue Warren/Ruth Betsy Bob B-Dave Karin Lori Nicolai Roger Cheers, Jim December 10, 2004 MONTALCINO JOURNAL Museum Puts Life, Truth and, It Hopes, Sales in a Wine By IAN FISHER MONTALCINO, Italy - With a wine as famous as the Brunello di Montalcino made here - and with a million tourists who come each year because of it - you might expect the museum that opened in this ancient Tuscan hill town in November to be a shrine to luxury and prestige. But the exhibits are more ordinary: how local cobblers or dressmakers lived; a rustic pitchfork carved from a branch; records of Jews who settled in this part of Tuscany at least since the 13th century. "Maybe you like Brunello, maybe you don't," said Stefano Cinelli Colombini, one of the top producers of the wine, who is opening the museum at his winery here, Fattoria dei Barbi. "But Brunello is unique. What we want to show is the connection between the wine, the territory and this culture. Brunello was created here by these people, who wore these dresses, who used these tools. Brunello cannot exist without them." Sounds simple enough, but like the wine itself, it's a little more complicated: Mr. Colombini's quaint museum is also a craftier version of the sales pitch that Italian wine producers throughout the country's varied regions are making to revive the sagging demand for Italian wine: that, as some of them say, you are buying Italian culture in a bottle. In the last few years, Italian wine exports have fallen by about 10 percent, a problem caused by a mix of the ever weaker dollar against the euro, which makes European products more expensive abroad, and continuing competition from good, less expensive wine from countries like Chile, Australia and South Africa. High costs in Italy - and, some argue, greed on the part of winemakers - makes cutting prices difficult. So the Italian wine industry is deep in a campaign not to compete directly on price or quality, but to emphasize what is distinct, and distinctly Italian, about its wine: how certain Italian wines go with Italian food; the life and history in the places, like here in Montalcino, where wine is made; the almost uncountable strains of grapes particular to Italy. "Ottavianello!" declared Umberto Benezzoli, a wine expert, as he swirled a glass at a conference of more than 1,000 winemakers in Turin in October. "Personally, I'd never heard of it until yesterday. It was on its way to extinction!" Ottavianello, it turned out, is the name of an obscure grape that a wine producer from the southern region of Apulia, Academia dei Racemi, found neglected in its vineyard - and decided to turn into a varietal wine of its own, rather than blending it with others. The company's exports to the United States, an important market, have dropped in recent years from 30 percent of what it produces to less than 10 percent, and like other winemakers at the conference, it is looking for an edge by selling wine that could come only from Italy. "This kind of grape tastes of our territory," said Cosimo Spina, 43, the company's winemaker, whose hands were stained purple. "You can't say the same of cabernet. That's French. It can't represent us." The notion of marketing Italy as a land of unique history and culture is not exactly new. (James Joyce, living unhappily in Rome, once likened the nation's hawking of its past to a man "exhibiting to travelers his grandmother's corpse.") And, certainly, it is no guarantee of success. The almost fetishistic devotion to Tuscany among foreigners has not faded, but wine sales still have dropped. Some experts say that what Italy really needs is a more organized effort to cut prices and to simplify for foreign drinkers an already too complicated range of wines. "People are put off," said Michele Shah, a wine consultant and writer who helped organize the Turin conference. "They don't know what they are drinking." Here in Montalcino, sales do not seem to be an immediate concern for Mr. Colombini, even if this question of culture and wine certainly does. It was a change in that culture that first inspired the museum two years ago. Montalcino, a town nearly emptied after a distant highway built in the 1960's replaced one that had enriched it since Roman times, has been flooded in the last two decades with outsiders as Brunello developed into one of Italy's best and most expensive wines, fetching $50 a bottle and up. Half of the 300 producers of Brunello, he said, are foreigners, as are half the town's 5,000 residents. "We had more or less an invasion," Mr. Colombini said. "Now our problem is to save the tradition and character of our community and to share our culture with the newcomers." "We want them," he added. "But we need them to be a part of our culture." So with the help of residents who scoured their attics, he collected 10,000 photographs of old Montalcino; the contents of typical houses of middle-class families and workers; tools from blacksmiths, cobblers (especially important on a stop along the old Roman road) and, of course, winemakers. The new museum, which also will include a room for a bottle each from the 300 producers of Brunello, this month, provides a further attraction for a winery that already draws some 50,000 visitors a year. Those are numbers that few Italian wineries can boast, yet each claims a local grape and a unique tradition in pressing, aging and bottling it. Italian vintners are banking on that singularity to attract new drinkers, shape tastes and, they hope, eventually lift sales. "It is impossible to think of the wine without the culture that generated it," Mr. Colombini said. "That's the mistake of most technicians. They think that a wine is like a wheel, like a car you can build anywhere. They think wine is a technical thing. But it's not true." "You can produce a superb cabernet anywhere," he added. "It's not a problem. But you can't produce this wine somewhere else." -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 12 months

Jump to page:

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

win