Try Before You Die (Recommendations).

rediguana

Chateau Joanin Becot (2002) - Cotes de Castillon -> About E27 from O'Briens

This satisfyingly inky blend of (mostly) Merlot and Cabernet Franc doesn't come cheap but is money well spent nonetheless. The female vigneron (Juliette Becot) has concocted an enticingly feminine Bordeaux, right from the bottle's slinky pink cap to its subtly understated label to its supple, sensuous, silky contents.

If you want to experience what cassis / blackcurrent flavours are in a wine, drink this. Oaky aromas of smoke and sweet spice are also in evidence and the lingering finish leaves you wanting more.

Perfectly in balance and, with an ABV of 13 degrees, goes down easily.

If you baulk at E27 for a bottle of wine for yourself, this is excellent present material for the lady (or ladies) in your life.

Frankiestylee

Seriously?

rediguana

Yeah, Frankie - for real.

By the way, I'll be adding more wines as I try them. I work for O'Briens so the bulk of them will be from there, though not necessarily. It's not shameless self-promotion either - any wines sold as a result of my enthusing would need to come from my particular store for me to benefit. Also, we would never sell enough of any individual wine above E20 to make it profitable for me to promote them. I'm just reducing the risk for people by trying before they buy and sharing my happy experiences in wine.

The unhappy experiences I'll keep to myself

Please feel free to add to this thread anyone.

El Stuntman

have you sampled your (O'Briens) San Felice Brunello di Montalcino?

rediguana

El Stuntman wrote:

have you sampled your (O'Briens) San Felice Brunello di Montalcino?

No, not yet, sorry. I'm not long with the company and have only bought four wines so far, although I've tasted all the promoted wines. One was San Felice "Poggio Rosso" (Chianti Classico Riserva). This was amazing. It normally costs E33 but is down to E25 for April. We tasted it along with two Bordeauxs (priced in the twenties) and it comfortably surpassed them. Very rich, a great food wine.

Another gem from the promoted wines is the Savigny-Les-Beaune. I think it's normally E28 or something but is down to E20. O'Briens get a lot of wines from Chanson, so prices are always keen, even before reductions. It's quite full-bodied, and oaky, and can be a bit of a mouthful to drink on its own. But don't let that put you off. A bottle goes a long way and it would be a nice one for Sunday dinner. Good ageing potential.

E20 is still too much for many people to spend on a bottle. If this is you, try Rizzardi Pinot Grigio (fruity Italian white). It's down to ten from fourteen. It's always selling out and I love it, even though I'm a bit sniffy about cheaper wines

El Stuntman

rediguana wrote:

No, not yet, sorry. I'm not long with the company and have only bought four wines so far, although I've tasted all the promoted wines. One was San Felice "Poggio Rosso" (Chianti Classico Riserva). This was amazing. It normally costs E33 but is down to E25 for April. We tasted it along with two Bordeauxs (priced in the twenties) and it comfortably surpassed them. Very rich, a great food wine.

thanks for the recommendation, will give it a go - I'm big on trying out the better Italian reds at the moment. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano etc. (I'm saving Barolo until last)
Also some of the stuff we get from Puglia now is very good

rediguana

El Stuntman wrote:

thanks for the recommendation, will give it a go - I'm big on trying out the better Italian reds at the moment. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano etc. (I'm saving Barolo until last)
Also some of the stuff we get from Puglia now is very good

I love Vino Nobile, I don't drink enough of it. Barolo I haven't had great experiences with but, as you hinted at, you gotta splash out the cash on it. Don't waste your time with the Tesco one, it's disappointing (this isn't Tesco-bashing - I've had great Saint Chinian and Rioja Reserva from Tesco).

I was at a dinner recently in Ely HQ where the bold theme was matching fish with red wines. Anyway, the chef managed to juxtapose Halibut (robust, meaty fish) with Nebbiolo (the hefty grape from Barolo). All the wines came from a charasmatic Italian called Roberto Bava. His stuff is excellent, and much of it can be found in Berry Brothers. His sparkling white - Totocorde, Altanlanga DOC - is addictive, and beats any Champagne I've tasted for inviting biscuit aromas. See his website www.bava.com for his full range, though I'm not sure if Berry Brothers stocks them all.

Anyway, I'm sure nobody noticed but I've been absent for three days as I received a nonsensical ban (drunken candour on a different forum). Continuing the theme of the outlaw, I had a punt on Red Label Zinfandel by legendary Mafia director, Francis Ford Coppola, tonight (available from -gasp! - O'Briens, E17). It comes with an uninspiring garish maroon label, but the contents of the bottle show more finesse. Alcohol is low for a Californian - just 13%. I got liquorice, smoke, chocolate and spice on the nose.

Although a pleasent drink in itself, it probably benefits from food. After my first glass, I made myself a midnight snack of two baps of chicken, melted gruyere cheese and sundried tomato paste, and the wine was much improved, possibly because I was a bit drunker. Or if you like decanting, try that. The vintage is 2003 so it's still youngish, maybe decanting might soften it.

Anyway, it gets 7/10 on my unscientific and spur-of-the-moment rating scale. It loses a point for an ugly label, a point for being slightly expensive and a point because the taste didn't blow me over. It's still good though, and is impressive in its own brazen way.

Incidentally, I should never have called this thread "Try before you die". How many times do you come across a wine like that? The next one IS one of those though. It's a Rioja Reserva from Gleeson's. I won six bottles in a prize, one of which is left. I'll drink it after my holiday next week and give Boards the lowdown on it. Rioja at its best. Pricey stuff though, not sure where you can get it but it's certainly E40-E50. Wouldn't it be money well spent though? My NCT cost E49 last Sunday. I'll never see that cash again and it gave me no pleasure to have some guy tell me that my car works.

El Stuntman

rediguana wrote:

Anyway, I'm sure nobody noticed but I've been absent for three days as I received a nonsensical ban (drunken candour on a different forum). Continuing the theme of the outlaw, I had a punt on Red Label Zinfandel by legendary Mafia director, Francis Ford Coppola, tonight (available from -gasp! - O'Briens, E17). It comes with an uninspiring garish maroon label, but the contents of the bottle show more finesse. Alcohol is low for a Californian - just 13%. I got liquorice, smoke, chocolate and spice on the nose.

that's some coincidence, I had that in Noo Yawk last year and loved it

I'm quite a big fan of the more unusual varietals such as Zinfandel and Pinotage

This week, however I shall be mainly drinking.....Albarino, the best kept secret in Spain

rediguana

El Stuntman wrote:

that's some coincidence, I had that in Noo Yawk last year and loved it

I'm quite a big fan of the more unusual varietals such as Zinfandel and Pinotage

This week, however I shall be mainly drinking.....Albarino, the best kept secret in Spain

Coppola also has a Chardonnay. Same aesthetically-challenged label, haven't tried contents yet. You can be sure it's buttery and rich and good. Same price as the red.

I love Zin but I've yet to be won over to Pinotage. The few times I've tried it it's tasted like unripe Cabernet Franc, which shouldn't really be the case as South Africa gets such consistent sunshine. Having said that, I've only had Pinotage 2-3 times in my life so I can't really comment. What I need is a "Wines of Stellenbosch" Trade Fair so that I can taste lots of them in one go and, undoubtedly, become a fan.

That's the way it was with me and Carmenere, Chile's contribution to the wine world. I tried it in Diep (Asian fusion restaurant) in Ranelagh and it was so-so. But I was at a Chilean exhibition in the Hilton in Charlemont a couple of months back, and I quaffed an unseemly volume and variety of Carmenere. At its best, it is intense, concentrated berry bliss. Apparently, it was confused with Merlot for a time. I can't see the link myself, but I'm not so sure my palate is all that sensitive. I wish I could recommend the O'Briens Carmenere but it's just seven quid or something. I flee from wines below a tenner. The actual value of the wine contained therein is negligible, see http://www.wineboard.ie/wine_information/market.php?wineinfo=market and scroll to the bottom to see what you're actually getting for your money when you buy a bargain E7 bottle. Having said that, my half-Italian buddy buys it by the case load. Maybe he got the Italian looks but kept the Irish taste.

Anyway, final word - Albarino. It truly is a Spanish secret. Buy a Spanish white labelled "Rias Baixas" and it'll be Albarino. It's the highest Spanish classification along with Rioja (Ribera Del Duero gets its promotion next year). It has its home in Galicia, in Spain's North-West. The weather there is similar to on Ireland's cursed shores - mist, rain and depressed temperatures. Their flagship, peachy white is ideal matching fare for the seafood that makes up a large part of the local cuisine. I bought O'Briens' Martin Codax Rias Baixas (2005) on Saturday to have with my Bombay Pantry post-work takeaway. So stupefied was I by the combination of Naan, Pilau, curry, lamb and Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" though, that I fell soundly asleep before I could appraise the wine itself. It's about E15, if that serves as any guide.

Portugal's Vino Verde (green wine!) uses the same grape, except they call it Alvarinho. I think Donnybrook Fair sell one.

El Stuntman

rediguana wrote:

I love Zin but I've yet to be won over to Pinotage. The few times I've tried it it's tasted like unripe Cabernet Franc, which shouldn't really be the case as South Africa gets such consistent sunshine. Having said that, I've only had Pinotage 2-3 times in my life so I can't really comment. What I need is a "Wines of Stellenbosch" Trade Fair so that I can taste lots of them in one go and, undoubtedly, become a fan.

the problem with South African wines is that we get very little of the good stuff here and an awful lot of, well, awful plonk. I agree an SA wine show would be a greta idea (hint, ahem O'Briens!)

I have to travel there quite a bit for work so I usually bring back quite a few bottles, will trade you a good Pinotage for something interesting!

vinho verde is pleasant enough but is definitely the poor cousin of Albarino. decent Portugese reds on the other hand....

rediguana

El Stuntman wrote:

the problem with South African wines is that we get very little of the good stuff here and an awful lot of, well, awful plonk. I agree an SA wine show would be a greta idea (hint, ahem O'Briens!)

I have to travel there quite a bit for work so I usually bring back quite a few bottles, will trade you a good Pinotage for something interesting!

vinho verde is pleasant enough but is definitely the poor cousin of Albarino. decent Portugese reds on the other hand....

South African wines aren't so popular with O'Briens customers. Shame really, a sommelier I used to work with in Harvey Nichols maintains they are the most underpriced of all wines due to their unpopularity. So your tenner on a SA bottle gets you better quality wine than, say, the same money spent on French or Australian. That was his theory anyway.

Anyway, I'm off on my holidays for a few days. It was supposed to be Valencia but the weather sucks there and all the hotels are booked out because of some festival, so I changed the flights to Milan.

I just had a light pre-flight lunch of Tortillas, Greek Yogurt, Tomato and Pepper sauce, leaves and chicken / prawns seared in garlic / pepper / Champagne. The Champagne is Jacquart 1996 (courtesy of the good people at Gleesons) and was soundly polished off by my girlfriend and I. We're just about sober enough to board our Ryanair flight. It has been my experience so far that a little inebriation helps to dull the pain of flying with them.

El Stuntman

rediguana wrote:

I just had a light pre-flight lunch of Tortillas, Greek Yogurt, Tomato and Pepper sauce, leaves and chicken / prawns seared in garlic / pepper / Champagne. The Champagne is Jacquart 1996 (courtesy of the good people at Gleesons) and was soundly polished off by my girlfriend and I. We're just about sober enough to board our Ryanair flight. It has been my experience so far that drunk-to-the-point-of-falling-over inebriation helps to dull the pain of flying with them.

I FYP, enjoy Milano ya lucky barsteward

cooking with shampoo is good fun, I made a champage (OK Prosecco) risotto recently which was adjudged a success

rediguana

I'm back from my Italian trip. Great country, I'd love to live there. A lot of scams going down, but I'm sure you'd be wide to those within a short time.

The wines I drank were overwhelmingly white because (a) It was sunny, (b) Girlfriend stubbornly refuses to drink red, and (c) Girlfriend is semi-Pescetarian, so there was a lot of fish being eaten. She's lucky she's so beautiful or I'd never tolerate her.

Thankfully, even confining yourself to just one colour can provide an interesting experience in a wine-saturated country like Italy. We had Gewurztraminer a couple of times from the Alpine region (Trentino / Alto Adige). Girlfriend normally drinks Kopperberg Swedish Cider, so this lush, rich, lychee-mangoey wine was her initial introduction to the grape and remains a firm favourite with us both. Rolly's Bistro in Ballsbridge serve a great one, the name of which escapes me right now (Trimbach? It's definitely Alsatian anyway).

We also drank the obligatory Pinot Grigio but quality was patchy. The IGT stuff was insipid and watery with an ABV of just 11.5%. In a ristorante (I know, I know, we should've been in a Trattoria), this pallid wine is about E21. Once we made the quantum leap to E30, we were rewarded with very satisfying, lightly-oaked wine that was unrecognisable from its cheaper masquerader and went perfectly with my octopus and angler fish.

We also had Verdicchio - distinctive and appealing, available from any shop with a reasonable Italian section. And, finally, Sardinian Vermentino. Girlfriend adored the latter and this fresh, perfumed white was her favourite until the last night when she discovered she loves oak. I should've guessed - she's crazy for butter and nuts.

The only reds I tried were a rich, smokey, moreish half-bottle of Dolcetto d'Alba which room service brought me with a gorgeous pizza on my first night when I arrived late... and a ten euro glass of Brunello di Montalcino in a ristorante in Duomo. Ragazza ("girlfriend" in Italian!) took the business card from this place as it was so brilliant. I'll get the name later and add it to the thread. Well worth a visit if you're in Milan. Massive wine list and lots available by the glass.

They never charged that stupid "Coperta" either. This is a mystery charge that appeared on most of our other restaurant bills, ranged from E5 to E10 and was explained in all kinds of inventive ways by the staff. Bread isn't free either in most places (quite the opposite) and watch out for extra coffees on bills.

That said, I'm a fan of Italy. I'll be dusting off my Michel Thomas Italian CDs and plotting how I can escape the Stillorgan Road and start a better wine-and-sun suffused life for myself in Tuscany or Trieste.

rediguana

Oh yeah, the Man Utd team were staying at the same hotel as us. We came back on the Tuesday to find armed police around our hotel and ropes cordoning off the entrance. Lots of girls were milling around with camera phones and pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The team, when they eventually arrived, were immediately spirited away. Ronaldo signed a few autographs. But Loius Saha was the most gentlemanly there, he spent the most time with the gawping fans. I even got a photo of him with my girlfriend, though standing next to him did nothing to enhance her holiday tan.

I'm an Everton fan. So after EFC's mauling at ManU's hand recently, I was happy to see them exit the CL last night. Ye should've saved ye'r four goals for the San Siro

El Stuntman

ha, I forgot about this thread! Sounds like you had a great trip mr rediguana (if that is your real name).

opinions please on these O'Brien's offerings:

Domaine Barons de Rothschild Quinta do Carmo (Portugal), €18. I'm very open minded on Portugese wine and this looks well worth a try. Have you sampled it?

La Croix Bonis 2003 (reduced to €18 from €24), I don't tend to drink a lot of stuff from the St Estephe appellation, should I change my mind?

rediguana

El Stuntman wrote:

ha, I forgot about this thread! Sounds like you had a great trip mr rediguana (if that is your real name).

opinions please on these O'Brien's offerings:

Domaine Barons de Rothschild Quinta do Carmo (Portugal), €18. I'm very open minded on Portugese wine and this looks well worth a try. Have you sampled it?

La Croix Bonis 2003 (reduced to €18 from €24), I don't tend to drink a lot of stuff from the St Estephe appellation, should I change my mind?

I had the Croix Bonis but I didn't particularly like it. Having said that, I just tasted it in work. I'm sure it wasn't done justice by being sampled at 10am with no food or anything. I don't drink much left bank Bordeaux myself. When my ship comes in, maybe. Anyway, the verdict is that E18 will get you much better wine.

The Portugese stuff is nicer. Quinta Do Carmo is not only Portugal's premier winery, it's also controlled by eminent French house Chateau Lafite Rotschild, as you can guess from the name! The wine is unlikely to have you grasping for superlatives but it's very pleasant, composed as it is of consumer-friendly grapes such as Shiraz, Cab-Sauv and Tempranillo (of Rioja fame). The eighteen euro bottle is the middle one of its range. There's also a baby one called "Dom Martinho" (E12) that is completely unoaked. No need to feel cheap buying this one - it's good enough for Eamon Gilmore, Labour TD, to whom I sold a bottle recently. However, he couldn't be enticed to splash out on the second bottle that would've landed him his free (okay, subsidised) bottle of Dom Martinho Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Left-wing frugality, I guess. For those who aren't aghast at spending E36 on a Portugese wine, there's a Reserva too, which I haven't tried and know nothing about. Older vines, probably, more new oak, from grapes from the best land. Some schtick like that, I'd say.

The good news is that I DO have an eighteen euro wine to enthuse over. Part Two comes after I put on my risotto. Watch this space etc.

rediguana

I meant nineteen euros.

The wine is "Cordillera" and comes from Curico in Chile. Again, there is a foreign name behind it, in this case Miguel Torres, the giant of Catalunya, whose name will be familiar to even the most casual of supermarket wine buyers.

This is fantastic stuff. It's one quarter Merlot, 10% Syrah, and 65% Carinena. The latter grape I had to look up on the net to find out what the hell it is. No need for alarm though, it's just good old Mazuelo, which is one of the grapes used in Rioja.

The wine itself itself is absolutely beautiful. Almost sweet, and intensely dark and concentrated. The vines (the Carinena at any rate) are over one hundred years old. For those unfamiliar with oenology, old vines are a good thing. They don't yield as many hectolitres as newly-planted vines, but the grape juice is wonderfully dense and the flavours concentrated.

But don't take my word for it. This wine has won Gold medals in competitions in (ahem) Greece (1999 Vintage) and (cough) Japan (2001 Vintage, the one I'm drinking). Seriously though, it's brilliant - quite possibly my favourite wine of the year so far. Buy it.

Torres has another stunner too. Spanish this time, called "Mas La Plana", and is a Canernet Sauvignon. Weighs in at thirty quid, like liquid chocolate. Next on my list. I never bought a bottle before, I just had a glass at the "Straffan Wines" launch. Gorgeous.

El Stuntman

rediguana wrote:

I meant nineteen euros.

The wine is "Cordillera" and comes from Curico in Chile. Again, there is a foreign name behind it, in this case Miguel Torres, the giant of Catalunya, whose name will be familiar to even the most casual of supermarket wine buyers.

This is fantastic stuff. It's one quarter Merlot, 10% Syrah, and 65% Carinena. The latter grape I had to look up on the net to find out what the hell it is. No need for alarm though, it's just good old Mazuelo, which is one of the grapes used in Rioja.

The wine itself itself is absolutely beautiful. Almost sweet, and intensely dark and concentrated. The vines (the Carinena at any rate) are over one hundred years old. For those unfamiliar with oenology, old vines are a good thing. They don't yield as many hectolitres as newly-planted vines, but the grape juice is wonderfully dense and the flavours concentrated.

But don't take my word for it. This wine has won Gold medals in competitions in (ahem) Greece (1999 Vintage) and (cough) Japan (2001 Vintage, the one I'm drinking). Seriously though, it's brilliant - quite possibly my favourite wine of the year so far. Buy it.

dammit, now I have to overcome my snobbish bias against Chilean wine! OK, I will give it a go

now here's one right back at ya; Dr Loosen's Riesling. Very good stuff, very good indeed....don't know if O'Briens do it (I got it from James Nicholson)?

rediguana

El Stuntman wrote:

dammit, now I have to overcome my snobbish bias against Chilean wine! OK, I will give it a go

now here's one right back at ya; Dr Loosen's Riesling. Very good stuff, very good indeed....don't know if O'Briens do it (I got it from James Nicholson)?

I didn't think O'Briens did Dr. Loosen but then I stumbled across a bottle yesterday. It's about a tenner or something. I'll try it and report back. And I was looking for Riesling and all as I cut a nice (but simple) recipe for "Coq Au Riesling" out of an old "Food & Wine", which I'm making tonight. I have Pinot Blanc and Chenin Blanc in the fridge though, so I can't really justify buying more white until I have dispatched those two. They're on borrowed time though, don't worry, I'll get that Dr stuff over the weekend.

El Stuntman

just back from Bordeaux:

made an unexpectedly pleasant discovery of Bordeaux whites - very, very good and excellent value. usually semillion/sauvignon blends, really excellent and had the many the glass of these (especially from Graves) to wash down the local sea creatures.

Any Bordeaux whites on the O'Briens shelves?

sharkman

Cervaro della Sala 2001 , Had this in the Burj Al Arab last year and can heartily recommend it .

rediguana

El Stuntman wrote:

just back from Bordeaux:

made an unexpectedly pleasant discovery of Bordeaux whites - very, very good and excellent value. usually semillion/sauvignon blends, really excellent and had the many the glass of these (especially from Graves) to wash down the local sea creatures.

Any Bordeaux whites on the O'Briens shelves?

We have a couple of Bordeaux blancs but I haven't tried them. Everyone's uber-familiar with Sauvignon Blanc but Semillion by itself is well worth trying too. The Hunter Valley, in NSW Australia, makes a fine example, by all accounts. I had one recently from the Barossa Valley (South Australia). Weighty and redolent of honey and quince, it would make a great match with simple roast chicken.


I must make a trip to a wine area one of these days. I've been to a couple before, during my Southern hemisphere adventure, but I knew nothing about wine in those days, except that it could be a cost-effective way of getting very drunk (wine boxes, don't you know...). My girlfriend is something of a sybarite, so I'm thinking I could arrange something at one of those vineyards-cum-spas that seem to be all the rage these days.

rediguana

sharkman wrote:

Cervaro della Sala 2001 , Had this in the Burj Al Arab last year and can heartily recommend it .

The mind boggles as to what it might have cost at that wonderfully decadent hotel! I see it costs some E35 on the net. Reviews seem good, although it seems to depend on whether or not you like oak.

>>>Edit<<< Um, I just saw in work today that O'Briens sells it! Though I didn't catch the vintage. It's thirty-five quid.

rediguana

The 2002 Rioja vintage was, in the ever-euphemistic jargon of wine producers, "challenging". Robert Parker was less measured, giving it just 76/100 and advising "caution". The Wine Anorak website speaks of variable quality and, while judging it at 87/100, advises sticking to top names.

You can always expect keener prices when the vintage isn't so great. Mitigating that is the fact that the 2002 crop was the smallest in ten years, thereby supporting prices. The fine "Marques de Murrieta" Rioja Reserva sells for about E18 but is excellent value for this price.

It's nearly all Tempranillo, but it also has some Grenache and a dash of Mazuelo (Carignan). The nose, though earthily impressive, is restrained. It is really on the palate that this wine shines, offering velvety tannins, subtle hints of cinnamon and the obligatory "red fruits". I finished a glass ten minutes ago and I can still taste it, so the finish is beyond reproach. If you like red wine, you'll love this.

Last night I had this with an M&S Lamb ready meal (I was too beat after work to cook) and it matched like a dream. Today at lunch I had it with another M&S meal - trout this time - and roast veg, and it was another unqualified success. This latter match looks shakey on paper, particularly given the 14% ABV the wine is carrying, but it's a measure of the wine that it in no way overpowered the hapless fish.