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+--- Thread: what was the last wine... (/thread-17204.html)
- megawill - 08-19-2003
you had that you heard good things about or was highly rated by a trusted source that you just didn't care for...or at the very least thought was 'over-rated' or on the flip-side that you hadn't heard or read great things about that really surprised you?
The wine buyer at the Coop where I buy a fair amount of wine was speaking highly of some 8-10 dollar Spanish Tempranillo's earlier this summer, and I found them to be on the thin side (maybe I've been drinking too much shiraz).
After reading much about the 'value' that is currently taking place in Spanish reds I'd just about given up, thinking I just didn't care for the Spanish Reds...
Then quite by chance this weekend, I got a last minute bottle from my small-town grocer, of 1997 Bodegas Montecillo Reserva Rioja ($18.00 bottle), simple because I didn't care for a mass marketed variety for my Saturday grill. This was simply as delicious of a red I've had in quite sometime. Very refined and mellow, not overly oaked, plum and berry with a hint of chocolate...wonderful...(91-92 pts)...
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megawill
- Bucko - 08-19-2003
Trusted sources don't lead me astray or they're not trusted sources. I see a lot of hyped wines that I personally do not care for due to the style. I don't like fat, high alcohol, oaky, full-blown wines. I prefer a leaner style and Spanish reds often provide that at a good price to boot. I just had a Montecillo recently:
1998 Montecillo, Crianza, Rioja, Spain, $10. Brick in color, you’ll find a host of red and black fruit on the nose, with a touch of perceived Brett(?). There is a pleasing balance of fruit, tannins and acids, with a nice peppery streak. Great food wine. 85/87.
- Drew - 08-20-2003
I've also been disappointed with the continuing, explosive, over blown style of many Aussie and California wines. There are many current offerings of Cab, Merlot and Shiraz (Syrah) that show Zin alcohol levels that I've not seen in past years. The current trend seems to be:
1. Americans have developed a taste/demand for these wines and wineries are delivering.
2. Alcohol levels are boosted to add a sweetness/flavor dimension that satisfies #1.
Drew
- Innkeeper - 08-20-2003
Not all Spanish wines are leaner and not meaner. The very popular six dollar Borsao/Campo De Borja has weighed in at 14% alcohol in the '01 and '02 vintages.
- Thomas - 08-20-2003
Drew has hit on the right spot--too much bigness (over the top) and too little finesse, but I find this trait goes beyond wine; it permeates dining practices, entertainment, the arts, you name it.
As regards wine, Spanish or otherwise: there are literally hundreds of thousands of wines out there, it is foolish to indict a complete segment for suffering disappointment from a few within the segment. Just keep trying as many as you can; you will be rewarded by a lot of them, and you will be disappointed by some, but you will definitely have a good time all in all.
- wondersofwine - 08-20-2003
Two wines I really enjoyed without foreknowledge about them--2000 Chateau Behere (Pauillac, Bordeaux)--only about $30 a bottle, gets more press in Great Britain than in USA--highly rated by "Decanter" magazine; and 2002 Rose' des Glacieres Domaine Fallence Sainte Marie (Languedoc, France)--a rose' from 100% Syrah grape. The Behere had what I considered a classic Bordeaux bouquet (cassis, cedar, etc.) and a smooth taste now even though it is described as being able to keep for two decades. The rose' had a raspberry-like flavor and was refreshing served chilled on a hot July day.
Overrated--possibly the 2001 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon--will it mellow out in 15 years and still have some fruit left? I'm not sure. I don't really have enough experience with aging Cabernets to judge.
- dananne - 08-20-2003
I find at times when a bottle is disappointing, it has more to do with my own inflated expectations than anything else.
If I pick up a bottle I've never tried and have never heard anything about, I go in, generally-speaking, without any real expectations. If I've had and greatly enjoyed previous vintages or other wines from the particular producer, or when something has been hyped to the stars (either with high ratings, by merchants, or just word of mouth), my expectations seem to rise and I'm more easily disappointed. Also, I find it easier to get disappointed after paying a steeper price for a bottle -- I expect more, and if I don't think I've gotten more, I kick myself for not buying several bottles of a less expensive wine that I know I'll like for the same $. Oh well, it's all part of the wonderful world of wine exploration and experimentation!
- Auburnwine - 08-20-2003
I have to say that I was really disppointed by the 1994 Bodegas Montecillo Gran Reserva Rioja. It was decent, but I had expected something more. Our friends at WS had it high in their Top 100, as I recall.
- Drew - 08-21-2003
Right on dananne, I'm the same way. That's why I try to match my palate with others, pro and non-pro, and then follow their suggestions. I've had better exerience with that then blindly following the "Gospel" of WS and others.
Drew