Jump to content

Wine Tasting, 2nd round. A bottle of Chinon from Green and Blue.


Recommended Posts

Oooh bugger, I shouldnt make these commitments until I check my diary.


I am in Cardiff, at a conference and am staying with friends over the weekend - BUT


We intend to make a purchase from Sainsbos do a group taste test and put our thoughts on the forum - probably Saturday. He that is OK.


Sorry.

OK - here we go. A taste test of 2 similar wines from opposite sides of the planet.


New Zaland - Montana. East Coast Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 - its notes say "achieves a mellow balance between fruit sweetness and savoury tannins, leading to a silky finish with intense darfruit characters" - ?6.99 - Sainsbos


France - Calvet Reserve Bordeaux, Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 - its notes say "generous blackberry and raspberry flavours emphasise its long, fruity and scy finish" - ?6.99 - Sainsbos


So, there you have it. Two Merlot/Cab Sauvs - one new and one old world.


We l be tasting tonight with food and I will post our thoughts tomorrow morning.


Sorry for the delay, sometimes life just gets in the way.


Cheers.

Not gonna make this weeks tasting now, no chance to get to sainsbos and out to lunch tomorrow. Have to be next week.


I will be interested to hear your thoughts on the old v new wines though Mr Paleontologist.


who's choosing next week?


(only about 5 of us doing this - yet to catch on it seems)

Oh come on - somebody has to take part! We have tasted:


New Zealand Montana - Weak nose on opening bottle. Taste - some tannin but not overly harsh, flavours = vanilla, damsons, but over all a bit thin. However we then left the wine for some 45 minutes resting in the glass and found it somewhat improved. The nose developed into a more fruity and satisfying experience with a bouquet redolent of dark summer fruits with plummy overtones. Given a further 30 minutes the nasal passages dedected chocolate overtones and "serious vanilla stuff and brighter fruit in the mouth - possibly even cherries - morello perchance". Great legs and colour. If you are a dusky leg man/woman this is for you.


French - Calvet Reserve - Nose on opening = strong and fruity, damsons, plums. First taste was all tannin, overly dry and rather thin. Left for 45 minutes - nose had disappeared, the tannin taste had softened but the taste was lacking in structure. Being good English folk we gave this wine a further 30 minutes to redeem itself. The nose returned. The mouth experience was softer with some improvement in flavour but still disppointing.


Overall - both wines benefit from time and possibly decanting (which we didnt do) and certainly need to be allowed to breathe for an couple of hours. Could well benefit from serving with food. We prefered the New Zealand.

I'm going out today all day and would go in on the way to get them but Sainsbury's on a sunday is a no go area as it seems to be a popular family day out for some reason and is to be avoided at all costs.

Gosh, that was a long sentence, should have had some punctuation.

sorry, we'll be back on for next week.

Poor, poor Michael!


I shall buy a bottle of the white tomorrow, and poison my liver in your name dear heart.


I gave it up for the children - just tell them ...their mother... I loved them.


Friends? Well you can choose your friends, God just dishes you out your children, you don't get to choose them. Michael, just tell them I looked great in white jeans, and I tried my best - (sob)...


I shall dig my old corscrew out of the back of the knife drawer, and blow the dust off it just for you...

How about you choose again Michael P. I'll definitely do it this weekend.

Sainsbury's is closing on Wednesday this week until the 28th so we either must buy elsewhere or go in next couple of days for the wine.

Actually I was thinking about giving up alcohol altogether for the sake of my liver after quite a heavy weekend on the sauce. But maybe I could just try to ration myself, 2 glasses max.

I haven't been able to get to Sainsbo's for the wine but will make a concerted effort after this weekend to buy the wines. Thing is I've never tasted a damson so won't be able to comment on that bit.


Please don't sulk Galapagos.


I'm happy to find something for next weekend if you like.

  • 2 weeks later...

I did buy a white as well but it's a cheapy one. Sainsbury's own white burgundy Bourgogne 2005 about 4.99 I think.

My fave white at the moment (not a huge white drinker) is a Sainsbury's 'Taste the Difference' Muscadet. Slips down a treat.

Dear Asset,


I am allowing Ana to remain in my home for the time being while I consider her situation. I must admit I am feeling broody, and I may even do the charitable thing (in the manner of Angelina/Madonna et al) and adopt the sproglet before Ana returns home - in order to preserve her honour you understand. I would hate for her to suffer, for having a child out of wedlock, and I am curious to find the paternity of this child. If it looks like Mr Papapdopalopagus - I may compel him to provide financial support, if it looks like anyone closer to home - hell hath no fury like a dulwichmum...


I am rather warming to the idea of a new baby in the house, I just would not be prepared to put my pelvic floor through the trauma of giving birth myself again.


For the time being I allow Ana to do only light household chores - you know, dusting, painting the guttering, digging our new swimming pool (we would have destroyed so many established plants if we had tried to get a digger in the back garden).


DM

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • The current wave of xenophobia is due to powerful/influential people stirring up hatred.  It;'s what happened in the past, think 1930s Germany.  It seems to be even easier now as so many get their information from social media, whether it is right or wrong.  The media seeking so called balance will bring some nutter on, they don't then bring a nutter on to counteract that. They now seem to turn to Reform at the first opportunity. So your life is 'shite', let;s blame someone else.  Whilst sounding a bit like a Tory, taking some ownership/personal responsibility would be a start.  There are some situations where that may be more challenging, in deindustrialised 'left behind' wasteland we can't all get on our bikes and find work.  But I loathe how it is now popular to blame those of us from relatively modest backgrounds, like me, who did see education and knowledge as a way to self improve. Now we are seen by some as smug liberals......  
    • Kwik Fit buggered up an A/C leak diagnosis for me (saying there wasn't one, when there was) and sold a regas. The vehicle had to be taken to an A/C specialist for condensor replacement and a further regas. Not impressed.
    • Yes, these are all good points. I agree with you, that division has led us down dangerous paths in the past. And I deplore any kind of racism (as I think you probably know).  But I feel that a lot of the current wave of xenophobia we're witnessing is actually more about a general malaise and discontent. I know non-white people around here who are surprisingly vocal about immigrants - legal or otherwise. I think this feeling transcends skin colour for a lot of people and isn't as simple as, say, the Jew hatred of the 1930s or the Irish and Black racism that we saw laterally. I think people feel ignored and looked down upon.  What you don't realise, Sephiroth, is that I actually agree with a lot of what you're saying. I just think that looking down on people because of their voting history and opinions is self-defeating. And that's where Labour's getting it wrong and Reform is reaping the rewards.   
    • @Sephiroth you made some interesting points on the economy, on the Lammy thread. Thought it worth broadening the discussion. Reeves (irrespective of her financial competence) clearly was too downbeat on things when Labour came into power. But could there have been more honesty on the liklihood of taxes going up (which they have done, and will do in any case due to the freezing of personal allowances).  It may have been a silly commitment not to do this, but were you damned if you do and damned if you don't?
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...