This straw-colored Chardonnay offers a moderately intense aromatic array of tangerines, white peaches, honeysuckle and crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, fresh and with imperceptible alcohol (listed as 13%), it delivers flavors in line with the aromas and has no detectable wood. Sadly, the mid-palate hollows out and the watery finish is quite terse. Pernot is one of my favorite producers, but this comes across as nothing more than production-line, overcropped Chardonnay that is selling at an inflated price. Enclosed with a Diam 5 cork. Drink now-2026.
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This deep ruby blend of 85% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre can best be described as "silky smooth" in every sense of the descriptor. Possessing a core of black and red bramble fruits that are accented with Provençal herbs, pickling spice, iron and menthol, it is a medium-bodied red with low-to-medium acidity, soft tannins, minimal wood and well-integrated alcohol (despite being listed as 15.5%). Dense on the mid-palate and concluding with a long, smooth finish, this is a wine with virtually no rough edges. Serially sampled over three hours from a bottle that had been Vinturi-decanted, it showed best after the first hour in carafe. Enclosed with a Diam 5 cork. Drink now-2034.
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Comprised of 100% Carricante, this wine was ordered from a restaurant's wine list and serially tasted over a two-hour interval. Limpid, straw-colored and beautifully aromatic, it offers an olfactory package of blood oranges, green apples, lemon verbena, wet stones, chamomile and ginger. Light-to-medium-bodied, vibrantly acidic, unoaked and with well-integrated alcohol (listed as 12.5%), it delivers flavors reflecting the aromas. Saline-laden and dense on the mid-palate, it proceeds to a lengthy, crisp finish. This thoroughly enjoyable white checks all the boxes for an apéritif and companion to light fare. Drink now-2027.
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9/24/2022 9:49:00 PM - Thanks for following my new 2 months in Roma story! It is a work in progress:-). Will definitely check out your Italy story for some ideas and suggestions!
1/23/2020 7:28:00 PM - Hi Nyccablover. Your comment about memorializing the trips with CellarTracker stories is exactly why I make the effort to do it. Our most recent trip to England, Ireland and France will forever be remembered with just a mouse click, as has been the case with previous trips. Happy New Year to you as well. Looking forward to reading about your next journey!
1/23/2020 10:43:00 AM - Hi La Cave d'Argent - Thanks for your kind message! Glad you are enjoying the Piemonte write-up. Still in progress with a few more days to capture - as you know it is very time consuming. I love writing about the trips though - because it is a great way to relive the experience and then ensure I can remember it in future. Also I find other people's reports so helpful when planning that it is a bit of payback to share my own. Happy New Year and hope your wine travels in 2020 treat you well!
7/18/2019 8:19:00 AM - Hi Nyccablover. Thank you for your nice message. I'm still working on the Italy write-up, but should have it done within the next few days. I read your Australia/Singapore write-up, which is epic! Although our trip to Australia probably won't be for another year or two, I will definitely refer to your tasting story. Sounds like June is a good time to go if it is like October in NYC (which is when we like to visit the Big Apple).
11/6/2017 8:11:00 PM - Thanks dchain. Our livers and brains are still in recovery mode. It will probably take until next October for them to be ready again. ;-)
11/6/2017 7:32:00 PM - Thanks for such a great write up of the NY event, I am exhausted from reading it let alone the eating and drinking marathon you and your wife embarked upon! Thanks for taking one for the CT team! Keep on drinking and making your notes!!
10/30/2015 7:05:00 AM - It appears that the photo problem is a Google issue, one which I cannot solve. I have therefore uploaded the photos to my Shutterfly site and have re-posted them in my 2015 NYWE write-up. Fortunately they are now showing up in the final product. I greatly appreciate you bringing this to my attention.
10/29/2015 7:56:00 PM - Although the photos show up perfectly on my computer, when I attempt to view them on my wife's computer they do not show up. This has never been the case before, as I am posting them from Google Photos exactly as I have with previous stories. Interestingly, I can get a photo to temporarily show up on my wife's computer when I re-paste the image link, but the photo then gets deleted within CellarTracker after about 30 minutess. I am not sure what is going on, but I have sent e-mails to Eric and Andrew in an attempt to find out. Thanks for giving me the heads up.
10/29/2015 3:12:00 PM - Wow, the NYWE is on my bucket list and I've been following your excellent posts. However, I'm unable to view any pictures, which tell half the story. I've tried Chrome, Firefox on my PC and Safari on my iPad but the links to photos are non-existent. I wonder if other CT members are having the same problem?
Cheers
Arch57
7/7/2015 5:40:00 AM - Just reviewed your very descriptive posting of the Aspen Food and Wine festival. Very detailed and with pictures to boot. Thank you for your thoroughness about your experience.
5/12/2015 8:15:00 PM - Thanks...I have now actually read the article ;-). Construction of the cellar was definitely a "labor of love," but it has resulted in so many great experiences with our friends. Sharing good wine and food with people you love is what it's all about!
5/12/2015 8:01:00 PM - Hope you liked the article. I was reading tonight and thought, "I think I've read tasting notes by that guy!" Sure enough ;) Congratulations on the publication and living a good story!
5/10/2015 8:11:00 PM - Your kind words are much appreciated. Believe it or not, I still have not seen the article. Out here (on the West Coast) our Wine Spectator issues come a day or two later than the rest of the country. I hope to see it tomorrow!
5/9/2015 8:32:00 PM - I just read the article in Wine Spectator and instantly recognized the picture in the article and your handle. A great story and one of persistence for the Money Pit.
12/2/2014 11:31:00 AM - Very impressed (and thankful!) you took all those notes and pics (you got us in the background of your Champagne reception shot!) from the WE Experience. Great job! I can't believe I tried 218 wines in those 2.5 days. Moving too fast to take notes from anything but the seminars. Great Kramer, Larry T. and poor Helen/John...sad/painful. We were also at the 9/11 site on Monday choking back the lacrimation. A must see for all Americans. Cheers again! Mark
11/16/2013 6:21:00 PM - Fantastic notes from your Napa trip, you musta wore out at least one pen... Also love your dream wine pick from my birth year. If you're ever in Eugene... Mark (UCSD class of '83)
2022 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Chardonnay Bourgogne Côte d'Or
5/1/2024 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 85 Points
This straw-colored Chardonnay offers a moderately intense aromatic array of tangerines, white peaches, honeysuckle and crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, fresh and with imperceptible alcohol (listed as 13%), it delivers flavors in line with the aromas and has no detectable wood. Sadly, the mid-palate hollows out and the watery finish is quite terse. Pernot is one of my favorite producers, but this comes across as nothing more than production-line, overcropped Chardonnay that is selling at an inflated price. Enclosed with a Diam 5 cork. Drink now-2026.
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2021 Les Halos de Jupiter Châteauneuf-du-Pape
4/30/2024 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 93 Points
This deep ruby blend of 85% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre can best be described as "silky smooth" in every sense of the descriptor. Possessing a core of black and red bramble fruits that are accented with Provençal herbs, pickling spice, iron and menthol, it is a medium-bodied red with low-to-medium acidity, soft tannins, minimal wood and well-integrated alcohol (despite being listed as 15.5%). Dense on the mid-palate and concluding with a long, smooth finish, this is a wine with virtually no rough edges. Serially sampled over three hours from a bottle that had been Vinturi-decanted, it showed best after the first hour in carafe. Enclosed with a Diam 5 cork. Drink now-2034.
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2022 Francesco Tornatore Etna Bianco
4/30/2024 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 91 Points
Comprised of 100% Carricante, this wine was ordered from a restaurant's wine list and serially tasted over a two-hour interval. Limpid, straw-colored and beautifully aromatic, it offers an olfactory package of blood oranges, green apples, lemon verbena, wet stones, chamomile and ginger. Light-to-medium-bodied, vibrantly acidic, unoaked and with well-integrated alcohol (listed as 12.5%), it delivers flavors reflecting the aromas. Saline-laden and dense on the mid-palate, it proceeds to a lengthy, crisp finish. This thoroughly enjoyable white checks all the boxes for an apéritif and companion to light fare. Drink now-2027.
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