I know wine reviews are totally subjective and heavily varied depending on the person reviewing, but with that said, does anyone know a good site that has reviews? I just need something to steer me in a general direction, and to give me new things to try..

Thanks,

Martin

"There are very few personal problems that cannot be solved through a suitable application of high explosives."

Wine Spectator has online ratings, similar to CA (sister mag). Lot's of online wine shops also have reviews, similar to cigars. Personally, I subscribe to Robert Parker Wine Advocate newsletter, as he seems most independant from the trade (although not perfect).

Wine Spectator is a good one and the only one I know.

O Man, thanks for the "Troll" definition yesterday. I was in the process of thanking you, when the thread got yanked in total.
That link you sent ought to be in Savona's warning at the top of this forum. I didn't realize the veriety of troll possiblities. Really opened my eyes.
Thank you, again.
--Paleto

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"Time is a thief, it will steal your tomorrows. So, smoke a cigar today."
--BB King (and a little Paleto)

Paleto...no problem...I was quite impressed by the trollabilities of that poster, and quite impressed how quickly CA acted.

It was quick. I finished typing and hit "Post Now" then got the weirdest response. When I went to look at what I wrote, it was gone.

##############################
"Time is a thief, it will steal your tomorrows. So, smoke a cigar today."
--BB King (and a little Paleto)

Check with segundo22. He has written reviews for the spectator from time to time. He may be able to redirect you.

Jerry

You are what you repeatedly do, Therefore excellence is not an act but a habit.

Perhaps we could just move onto user favorites? I'm, looking for a smooth wine to go with a cigar, probably not for dinner or anything. I've been looking at a couple soave's but not sure how they would go with a cigar.

"There are very few personal problems that cannot be solved through a suitable application of high explosives."

There was a thread a while back called "Best wine for the Buck". My favorites for cheapies was Fr. Cotes du Rhone and Spanish Ribera del Dueros ($10). Cal 2002 Cabs are real good for a bit more ($15 for Justin). If you want whites, French Macons are good at $8-15 (chardonnay grape, Andre Bonhomme is good). I also like most Alsatian Rieslings. Best Cal Chard I've had lately is Ch. St. Jean '02 for $11, but most Cal Chards are over oaked fruit bombs designed for twenty something chicks to drink with seltzer. If you want to spend real money, Cal Cabs from 2001 are awesome, any Bordeaux from 99-01, with 00 being $$$$$. Always like Rhones. Paleto can tell you all about Spanish wines, I'm sure.

All these reds go well with a cigar. You want a big tannic wine for cigars. Whites, give them to your date.

Thanks O Man, I'll search for that thread :-)

"There are very few personal problems that cannot be solved through a suitable application of high explosives."

Thanks for "reviving" that thread! I had one last night that was perfect with my PAdron 5K... Hell n' back Zinfandel. A powerful but smooth red that really complimented the flavor profile of the cigar IMHO.

"Life is like a pile of crap; most of the time it stinks and after a while it gets really hard."

Hardlined,

Give me an idea of what yoou are looking for and I can steer ya in the right direction. Tell me what strength and flavors you are looking for.


Seg..

I dunno, smoothing smooth, and creamy, the #1 factor being that it has to go good with my cigars. I'm not a big nutty flavor, maybe something more like blackberry or any of the berries.

As for strength, it doesn't really matter, just as long as the flavors are there.

Anything under 20 bucks, or 30 if its a really good wine. There are even more wines than cigars, I don't even know where to start! heh

Thanks for any recommendation you can think of..

quote:

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Originally posted by segundo22:
Hardlined,

Give me an idea of what yoou are looking for and I can steer ya in the right direction. Tell me what strength and flavors you are looking for.


Seg..

---

"There are very few personal problems that cannot be solved through a suitable application of high explosives."

Harlined,

Decided to go ahead and get the ansewers to you whil realxing drinking a 2001 Girardin Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru. It is nice and buttery.

Ok on wines you mentioned something that goes with cigars, not too heavy and fruity overtones.

Well depending ont he cigars that you smoke. I am going to start ont he light side and work my way to the heavier and dark side.

Rieslings
Mostly overlooked as a sweet wine that is to be indulged by women and weak wine drinker. fact is that many of the true classic reislings are some of the berst in the world. I am going to nake from sweet to fruit. Need to try a few of these as is is subjective as to what you individual flaovr profile will be.

Louis Guntrum Nierstaller Riesling $15 range sweet and light

Bonny Doone Critique of Reisling $12 range gets a little apple and pears

Wegeler Bernstkller or Domaine Weinbach- these are in the $25-30 rnage and are total fruit bombs. Lots of apple, pear, citrus and floral notes, really on the drier to medium dry side.

Chardonnay- Most people pair these with white fish and or seafood. I have found that these are enjoyable to the palate at any time.

Light- Not so heavy, these are a little "wet" and dont have the acidic wqualities of the bigger ful whites.

Kendall Jackson Vinters reserve $17 range and pretty much the benchamrk of the California Chard.

Cakebread or Arrowood. These are the medium family of Chards and can be enjoyed for that mis of the road experience

Stags Leap Chard or Chalone - Higher end dry whites.

The above a re wines that I would pair with cery light cigars such as NC Montecristo, Macanudo and some similar lines.

Going to the re dfamilies we are going again from fuit to dry.

Pinot Noir- Most overlooked wine on the market. these are the wines that are going to give you the fruit and nutty balance to the tannins. Look for blackbeery, currant, cassis, and floral properties in these wines.

Light- Mondavi Pinot Noir- light annd in the $15 range. Lots of floral tones and light on the fruit.

Medium- Byron Pinot Noir a medium wine that is know for the blackabrry and cassis flavors.

Full- Patz and Hall alder springs- Wonderful and you get the cassis and rose flavors in the wine. One of my favorites in teh $35 range.

Going to the Merlots now that have the flavor profile with mild tannins

Some of the standouts:

KJ merlot- Overlooked, but a solid merlot

Byron Estate and Modavi reserve- good middle of the road merlots .

Hartwell- for the merlot lovers a little more pricey that the others loook in the $65 range.

Caberents- these offer the tannins and the fruit of the berry and also blend in some of the deeper flavors. I can spend all night naming these and other red blends:

Stag's Leap
Hawk's Crest (For those that do not know this is the wine that fails to meet Stag;s expectation a great wine at a great price)
cask 23
Opus One
Silverado
Heitz

There are tons and the prices can jump up really quick on these wines as the aging potential is there.

I am going to throw some of the others in a group together:

Zins (Thue red wines as white wins is the best way to waste a grape)

Look to the Aussies for the best of these

Penfolds ( Make a good cab as well)

For one of the last categories I am going to lump dessert wines together:

Ports wines-Some of the best wines for cigar smoking- Warres, Graham's, Fladgate,
llok for the good years also try the tawny as well as it is a little moer stringent.

Whites: Blended like Dolce, Guntrum Eiswein, and some fot he late harvest reslings.

Sauternes: Some start in the $2 range and can go up to over $300 for a split of Chateau d Yquem.

Well I hope that I have steeresd you a little. Catch me after a fewer glasses of wine and I can make more sense. Finishing my second bottle now, bloods almost thin enough to go to bed. Post questions and I will get back to you.


Seg..

Wow thanks, such a through answer. I was looking into port also. The problem I have with scotch, bourbon and stuff like that, I feel that the strong alcohol drowns out the taste (at least for me) so thats why I decided to go to wines

I smoke cigars in the medium to full range. Some are milder I guess.

ERDM
Fonesca Sungrown
Cantero
Perdomo (most of them)
Some Indian Tabac Vintage, and Cameroon Legend.
Avo
Torano

Cigars of that nature.

I'm also looking for a wine that I could maybe hold onto for 10-20 years, maybe for a unseen occasion down the line. Should I buy a good vintage year from that past couple years, or wait for another good year to come along?

Thanks in advance for all the help!

"There are very few personal problems that cannot be solved through a suitable application of high explosives."

[This message was edited by Hardlined on October 16, 2004 at 01:46 AM.]

Segundo...great list! Definitely agree with you on reislings. I've had a few Zind Humbrechts that are some of the most intense wines I've ever had, red or white. Also JJ Prum for the German style...light and intense, if that is possible. Personally, I tend to go for Euro wines and find some of the petit chateau (in top years like '95, 96, 00) or cru classe (in good years 99, 01) of Bordeaux to be good value. Faugeres from St. Emilion is an outstanding petit, and Duhart and Grand Puy Lacoste are great cru classe. All for $20-30. Euro wines tend to go better with food than Calis, I find.

Hardlined...if you want to keep a wine for 10-20 years, make sure you have a cool, calm place to store it as temperature variations will stress the wine. A basement or closet works pretty well, your dining room or kitchen (worst place possible) less well. If you have no basement and are getting serious, you can buy a 50 bottle cellar (think wine fridge or wine humi) for about $500.

Just my 20 centavos

Seg is the man!!

You are what you repeatedly do, Therefore excellence is not an act but a habit.

St. Emilion it is hard to get a wine form there that is not good.

Hardlined,

There are two types of collectors, much like cigars. Collectors that consume for the appreciation of the work of art (That is me), and other collectors that let the articles appreciate in value and sell them.

So, first you must decide upon which you are going to go. The difference is that the second type will pay 300-500 a bottle for a future lot of a frist growth wine. Where as the consumer collector will look for the "Diamond in the mine" that can be bought and stored and be the excellent bottle of wine it is meant to be.

I tend to find that the maximum aging of California wines (Read Caberents and blended reds) peak at the 7-15 year mark. We (Historically) have not been making wines here for long. We have a lot to learn, in my opinion, on the aging and storing process from the French and Germans. French wines can continue to age for 100s of years if the conditions are opitmal. One of the best wines that I have ever had was at a James Beard Foundation dinner and a exec at FedEx bout 2 bottle of 1921 Chateau d Yquem for dessert. It was a sublime experience. I have also had some 1950 to 1970 Bordeaux that is out of this world. Upon comparison bottles of CA reds that are intended to age well, tend to lose a little of the luster that they have at the mid age mark. I have found this evident on many of the bg named reds such as I have a case of the inaugural 1979 Opus One that is just done for. I think that it is actually over its prime. I am hoping that it makes a swing back in right direction.

So bottle for aging:
Bordeauxs
Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Chateaux Margeaux
Chateau Mounton Rothschilds

I could spend all day going through these.

I recommend getting some of the following and holding them no more that 20 years. You should be good and also these will appreicate in value:

Stag's Cask 23 (160 range)
OPus One (120 range)
Ferrari Carrano Tresor reserve (60 range)
Silverado (45 range)
Frog's Leap (60 range)
Heitz Cellars (Martha's or Bella Oaks Vineyards)
Spotteswood (60 rnage)
Decoy (45 range)
Chateau Beycheville (75 range)
Nickel and Nickel (Reds by Far Niente)(All Vineyards except Dragonfly as it is new)


That ought to get a you a good start on reds anyway. If you have any other questiions, let me know I can help you out.


Seg..

Well the wine spectator site is down till the 20th

Segundo...awesome reviews there. I'm trying to get into wines more as my taste for beers isn't as strong as it used to be.

I really love the white merlot. I had this bottle of it a few years ago and haven't been able to find it since. It cost about 30 bucks and it started with an "M". I know it's not much but any thoughts?

There are litterly tons of white Merlots now. These have become quite poplar bottles of wine. Many misconcetions of how wines are red and white. Mostly it has to do with the skin of the grape being removed.

There are some huge white Merlots out there. Let me do a little checking and I can see what I can dig up on some white Moerlots for you.


Seg..

One site that I found that has a lot of wine info that is easy to read and understand is www.vino.com