Category:Expensive wine

Holiday wine gift guide 2022

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

wine racks at a storeThe Wine Curmudgeon’s holiday wine gift guide 2022 — value, value, and more value

Once again this year, the WC received the same sort of news releases for holiday season wine gifts — lots of overpriced items that hardly anyone actually needs. That means you, Yeti wine cooler.  Plus, and as always, lots and lots of plus for the Coravin opener, which begs the question: How many Coravins does one person have to have?

Which doesn’t those of us much good who want quality and value, as well as a gift we will enjoy. Which brings us to the blog’s 2022 holiday wine gift guide. As always, keep the blog’s wine gift buying guidelines in mind:

• Give the gift of the blog, and save the WC from all that Substack subscription advice.  One year of the newsletter at 20 percent off, just $56. Click this link to send a gift subscription. Use the email address of the person getting the subscription where it asks for an email, add a credit card, and they’ll get the $10 Hall of Fame, the Cheap Wine of the Year, and all of the rest — plus the rants and analysis that have made the blog what it is.

• Windows on the World, 35th edition ($21): There are probably a trillion wine books, including mine (which is almost out of print). But the Zraly is almost certainly the best overall look at wine and how to make sense of it. I own a couple of editions, and it has been the textbook for most of the college wine classes I have taught. And if it seems like I recommend it regularly, that’s because it’s that good.

• The Language of Yes Syrah 2020 ($40, sample, 13.9%) is a collaboration between Randall Grahm, who is about as iconoclast as wine gets, and E&J Gallo, which isn’t. Ever. In any way. Hence, it’s an interesting and well-made wine that doesn’t taste particularly a Randall Grahm wine, and especially a syrah. Remember this? Instead, it’s less meaty, but fruitier (black fruits) and more rich. And, because it is what it is, it has received high praise from the Winestream Media. That’s something that doesn’t always happen with Grahm wines.

• Yes, wine glasses seem sort of cliched — until yours break and you need new ones And then they’re expensive and confusing.  But a company called made-in has quality glasses — four red and four white for $69.

Photo:”More Wine Racks” by Didriks is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

More holiday wine gift guides:
• Holiday wine gift guide 2021
• Holiday wine gift guide 2020
• Holiday wine gift guide 2019

Expensive wine 162: 10000 Hours Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

10000 Hours Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 bottle
10000 Hours Cabernet Sauvignon 2019/$26-$40

Once again, Washington state producer offers quality and value – and just in time for the holidays

Thank you, 10000 Hours.

In an era when finding expensive wine worth writing about has become past difficult, this Washington state producer has done the blog proud twice.

The first was in January, with its red blend. Today, we have the 10000 Hours Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 ($30, sample, 14.5%), which takes the red blend in a decidedly Washington state cabernet direction.

That means a dense, rich red wine that doesn’t taste like it came from Napa – so less obvious oak, more intriguing tannins and lots and lots and lots of black fruit. So layers and layers, though hardly subtle. The winery’s tasting notes probably wax a little more poetic about espresso beans than they should, but I’ll forgive the excess. The wine is that well done – and it’s hardly the kind of style that I wax much poetic about.

The rest of the technical stuff: Five grapes the blend, though 84 percent cabernet; the grapes come form Washington state’s Red Mountain, a highly acclaimed region; and this wine will age maybe 8 or 10 years, another plus at this price.

Highly recommended, and just the thing for a holiday dinner for a red wine drinker who wants to go a slightly different direction.

Expensive wine 161: Garnier et Fils Petit Chablis 2020

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Garnier et Fils Petit Chablis label
Garnier et Fils Petit Chablis 2020/$23-30

Believe it or not, less than $30 buys top-notch white Burgundy

One of the biggest ironies in the almost 15 years that I’ve written the blog is that it has almost become more difficult to find expensive wine to review than cheap wine. One would think the problem should be just the opposite.

But this is the wine business, so common sense doesn’t often apply.

Why the contradiction? Shouldn’t it be easier to find a quality $40 wine than a quality $10 wine? Not these days, when $40 doesn’t buy the quality it used to (thanks, premiumization). In addition, since I buy most of the wine I review – and I’m not part of the 1 percent – quality expensive wine is increasingly out of my reach. One Dallas wine shop advertised value red Bordeaux the other day – for $45. Gulp.

Which is a roundabout way of introducing the Garnier et Fils Petit Chablis 2020 ($28, sample, 12%), chardonnay from Chablis in the Burgundy region of France. It’s everything a wine at this price should be, and then some — one of those wines that reminds me why I started doing this and why it can still be enjoyable.

The Garnier is a delightful, thoughtfully crafted and fairly priced white Burgundy in an age where there don’t seem to be any. Look for almost tart lemon fruit, as well as some apple and pear, and that wonderfully almost flinty finish that marks a Chablis.

Highly recommended — chardonnay for those of us who want to taste the wine and not the oak, and to appreciate paying more for a wine that is worth paying more for.

Imported by Martine’s Wines

 

Expensive wine 160: Vietti Arneis 2021

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Vietti Arneis bottle
Vietti Arneis 2021/$17-$27

Happy birthday, Mom – this one’s for you

Arneis is an Italian white grape that is known and appreciated by Italian wine geeks, but its fame doesn’t extend much past that. First, it’s an Italian white grape; second, it’s not pinot grigio. And, when it comes to Italian wine, whites take a back seat to reds, and the only white most people care about is pinot grigio.

Which is a shame, because arneis can make subtle, fascinating wine that tastes almost nothing like anything else. The grape usually offers nut flavors (I get almond), as well fresh stone fruit and a bit of richness and minerality.

So why the Vietti Arneis 2021 ($24, purchased, 12%) for my Mom’s birthday today? It’s softer, and not as almondy as some other arneis, but still very well done — subtle tropical fruit, a hint of that tell-tale minerality, and a fine mouth feel.

In this, it’s just the sort of wine she would appreciate – a bit off the beaten path, well-made, and something different to try. Mom is far from a wine geek, but she also understands that there is more to wine than her La Vieille Ferme rose. And yes, that sense of difference is something I got from her.

Happy birthday, Mom.

Imported by Dalla Terra

 

 

Mini-reviews 160: Elena Walch, Spanish monastrell, Jaboulet 45, Titus

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

woman holding wine bottles
“Quick — grab these wines. The WC didn’t hate everything.”

Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the fourth Friday of each month. This month, four reds – three of which the WC liked

• Elena Walch Ludwig Pinot Nero 2018 ($40, sample, 13.5%): Earthy, savory Italian pinot noir that bears more than a passing resemblance to red Burgundy – go figure. The fruit is sort of raspberry and the tannins are very reserved. Intriguing wine, but not easy to find (in addition to parsing the cost). Imported by Walch USA

• Castillo del Barón Monastrell 2019 ($9, purchased, 14.2%): This Spanish red, made with monstrell, is reliable from vintage to vintage – not too big or too rough, the tannins aren’t too noticeable, and the black fruit fits in nicely. Just the thing for a hearty weeknight dinner. Imported by Europvin

• Paul Jaboulet Aîné Parallèle “45” 2018 ($15, sample, 14.5%): French Rhone red is legendary for its reliability. So spicy and full with very syrah-driven dark rich fruit. But it’s not too heavy or too ripe, and the alcohol doesn’t show. Needs food. Imported by Fruit of the Vines

• Titus Cabernet Franc 2019 ($52, sample, 14.5%): Gorgeous Napa fruit in this California wine that has been turned into a dark, sweetish, very fruity red that isn’t particularly cabernet franc in style and, as two reviewers noted on Cellar Tracjer (the blogs unofficial wine inventory app), is “smooth.” I want more for $52 than smooth.

Expensive wine 159: Les 13 Lunes Apremont 2020

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

les 13 lunes aprmeont bottle
Les 13 Lunes Apremont 2020/$20-$25

This French white speaks to the joys of wine, and that everything doesn’t have to taste like everything else

The Wine Curmudgeon rarely has to search for expensive wine to buy for this feature. For one thing, too many of the samples I get cost more than $25; for another, the few expensive wines I buy for my enjoyment are usually perfect fits for this review.

This month, though, I had nothing to write about. I tasted a dozen or so high-priced red wines over the past six weeks, and none of them were worth writing about. What’s worse, they all mostly tasted alike, even though they came from different parts of the world and were made with different grapes.

So I spent the past week trying to find something to taste for this review that wasn’t a smooth, high-alcohol red wine; that was sort of available; and would be something I could wax poetic about. Because I was tired of dumping expensive, smooth high-alcohol red wines down the drain.

Finally, I found the Les 13 Lunes Apremont 2020 ($24, purchased, 10.5%). So yes, Friday the 13th was lucky.

This is a stunning French white made with an unknown grape, jacquere, from an even less known region, Savoie, near the French Alps. So yes, geeky, and made even more so since it’s certified biodynamic. Ah, but how it tastes: Not quite chardonnay and not quite viognier, but something completely its own — almost savory, “alpine fresh,” to quote a tasting note, and with a hint of tart green apple fruit, a floral sort of aroma, and an impeccably clean finish. And did I mention just 10 1/2  percent alcohol?

I drank this with a half chicken marinated in lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil, and then roasted with carrots and onions. Anyone who doubts food and wine pairings would have doubted no more.

Highly recommended — even though it’s an $11 wine in France. That’s usually the kind of price disparity that makes me crazy, but, in this case, I’ll just buy another bottle.

Imported by Paris Wine Company

Expensive wine 158: Sektkellerei Szigeti Brut NV

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Bottle of Sektkellerei Szigeti Grüner Veltliner Brut NV
Sektkellerei Szigeti Brut NV/$18-$28

Yes, Austrian sparkling wine, and well made and tasty

The Wine Curmudgeon may be one of the few people who gets paid to drink wine who doesn’t shout hosannas every time Austrian wine comes around. This is not to denigrate Austrian wine, which can be delightful. Rather, it’s to note that Austrian wine has long been a favorite of sommeliers and the Winestream Media, and you can imagine how that wears me out.

So what is the Sektkellerei Szigeti Brut doing here? Because, as cranky as I can be, remember the WC’s first rule of wine criticism: “Taste the wine before you write about it.” And, upon tasting, the Sektkellerei Szigeti Brut ($22, sample, 12.5%) is worth writing about.

Know that it’s made with gruner vetliner, the much respected Austrian white grape, but doesn’t seem to be very gruner-ish. Know, also, that that isn’t necessarily a problem, since gruner can get a bt bland if the winemaker isn’t paying attention.

Finally, know that it’s a quality, professional sparkler, much better than I thought it would be (see, thinking before tasting again). There is lots and lots of acidity that somehow isn’t a problem, as well as quality bubbles and almost a sort of creaminess. The fruit flavors are some sort of unripe pear and almost green apple thing, which again is not what I expected. Some tasting notes get a spiciness, which I didn’t, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was there.

Drink this, well chilled, on its own – porch wine, in fact – or pair it with richer seafood.

Imported by Winebow