Broadbentism: 1985 Chateau Chasse-Spleen

"Though rarely if ever underrated, it is definitely overdue for re-classification, the '85 being a prime example. Superb in cask and showing steady development. Most recently, still surprisingly deep in colour, with good nose, weight, flavour and balance. Went well with Supreme de Faisan Bonne-Femme in the Lord Mayor's apartment at Mansion House. Sir John Chalstrey, a surgeon, was Shrieval Sheriff when, as candidate for Lay Sheriff, I was defeated in the deciding ballot by just 16 votes. Perhaps as well. A whole year of lunching and dining in fancy dress would have been daunting - unless all the wine had been as good as the Chasse-Spleen. Last noted Oct 1996 ***" - MB

Premature Oxidation in Burgundy Whites

You have probably been hearing some whispers and — if you subscribe to any of the big wine magazines — full on debates about the oxidized wine problem in late ‘90s Burgundy vintages. Specifically, many consumers, as well as growers, have noted problems with premature oxidation in Burgundy whites from the 1996 through 1999 vintages.

Most experts agree that the problems are due mainly to newfangled corks. Long-story-short some materials used in traditional corks, which had been associated with cork taint, have been replaced by materials that have oxidant powers as well as, arguably, allow more air back into the bottle through the cork.

Other issues that seem to be adding fuel to the fire are somewhat new winemaking techniques such as stirring the lees (or sediment) in the barrels (the fancy schmancy term is battonage) and using less sulphur to protect the wine from oxidation.

What piqued our interest in this particular topic is that Vino Girl and Winemonkey scored some awesome White Burgs from or around the offending vintages at auction over the past year — or, err, we thought they were going to be awesome. Phew, I am happy to report that we came through unscathed with our 2000 Deleger Chassagne-Montrachet Dent de Chien and our 1997 Latour Criots Batard Montrachet which show no signs of tarnish.

We did, however, experience the phenomenon firsthand at a pre-sale tasting just last evening. The White Burgundy in question was just shy of gold in color and had a nutty flavor and worn-out palate. Although it was certainly not pretty to taste, it was worth it to see what all the hub-bub is about.

The good news here is that many critics, including Clive Coates at Decanter, are reporting that more recent Burgundy vintages, such as 2002, are showing no signs of advanced oxidation. Winemonkey and I have tasted a good deal of Whites from 2004 and 2005 and have thus far found them stellar. White Burgs are a personal fav, so I find myself sighing with relief. The only thing I have not seen addressed is what changed after 1999 that this problem is contained to a mere four vintages? Perhaps I should spend more time on the boards and find out what the self-professed experts are saying! Cheers.

The Fall of the Big House Wines

Recently, your very own winemonkey randomly stocked up the mini wine fridge with some under $10 quaffers. With a little bit of fond memory attached to the purchases, I chose to toss in Bonny Doon's 2004 Big House Red and 2005 Big House White. (I mean you can't drink First Growths everyday, right...hmmm.....actually, no, you can, I just can't afford to.)

Now, much can be said of eccentric winemaker and Bonny Doon owner Randall Grahm. His eclectic marketing style along with solid wines put him on the value map a long time ago. Last summer Grahm sold off his Big House and Cardinal Zin Brands to The Wine Group, LLC so I was interested to see what the last of his wines from these fun value brands would taste like. Sadly, disappointment reigned.

Was this my inevitable change of palate? Could I no longer appreciate a value brand? Was my conversion to wine snobbery so complete that I could not tolerate anything with a screwcap? Thankfully, no, no and no. Good wine is good wine regardless of pedigree and bad wine is bad wine just the same. I've had expensive, well-heeled bottles from all of over that have been atrocious and on the flip side, my dive into the bargain bin pulled up a number of interesting finds including a $3.50 bottle of Primitivo that knocks the socks off these sorry Big House offerings. (Yeah $3.50)

No wine fans, it looks like Randall got out while the getting was good. I remember these wines as having some interest and for what it was, they were a fun little wine. That said, it has been probably over five years (and many thousands of bottles) since I have tasted the Big House Red, but I would have thought it would more or less be on auto control. I thought wrong. To ensure I was not going out of my mind, these bottles were also tasted by vino girl (who had it blind against another value wine), as well as some other "non-wine" folks who all came to the same conclusion- "bleeeeech!"

The red was, at best, over simplistic, tart and out of balance and, at worst, undrinkable. The white showed marginally better (meaning not offensive) with some pleasant flowery and white fruit aromas, but was utterly insipid in the mouth. My immediate thought was white wine flavored water. Plonk, plonk, plonk, plonk, plonk. Sheesh.

Frankly, my memory may be clouded (I did drink quite a bit back then) and these wines may have never lived up to expectations, but it is my feeling that this type of experience is why people don't "get" wine. They start off like all of us drinking random inexpensive bottles and get hit with swill after swill and soon go back to drinking beer and bringing mags of Yellow Tail to parties.

Fear not budding wine enthusiasts- there is better wine out there! Stay the course! It gets better, I promise!

These Big House wines can be had for around $10 virtually everywhere, but in my opinion skip 'em and buy the six pack.

Calistoga AVA Still Pending

Two grandfathered wineries are holding up the creation of a long awaited Calistoga AVA in Napa Valley. Calistoga Cellars and Calistoga Estates both use the Calistoga name but are not located there nor do they use 75% of grapes from the would-be viticulture area. The current law does not allow wineries to use misleading names but since these wineries were in existence prior to the 1986 law they are grandfathered in. Bo Barrett of Chateau Montelena has been leading the charge for a Calistoga AVA and is even trying to line up grape sources for the wineries that don’t meet the requirements. And so the saga continues.

Not Quite Sparkling Wine

A short, funny anecdote for all you Drink The Good Stuff readers. Vino Girl was in Bermuda this past weekend (before you act all jealous it was windy and rainy and never reached 70 degrees, ok?!) and spent some time at the Veranda Bar at Elbow Beach. The resort was beautiful even through the clouds but I am not sure how savvy the bartenders are beyond the fancy rum drinks Bermuda is known for. Order a Dark & Stormy -- no problem. Feel like a Rum Swizzle -- right away! But get a sudden hankering for a glass of vino and you might run in to some trouble.

The Chardonnay they had as the "white by the glass" was pretty horrible so one evening before dinner I asked if they had any sparkling wine. The bartender looked at me with a perplexed expression before he explained to me that, no, they did not have any sparkling wine. They did, however, have Champagne which, although not sparkling, was similar. It took everything in my power to steady myself on my barstool and stifle the big laugh that was ready to burst out of my mouth. I composed myself and answered that a glass of Champagne would be just fine.

Now I am not a big enough wine snob to think that everyone should know that Champagne is sparkling wine but sparkling wine is not necessarily Champagne and all the nuances in between but, come on, a bartender?!? Anyway, although it was not quite sparkling, the Perrier Jouet was quite nice. ;) Cheers!

CA Vineyard Values Increasing

Vineyards in Napa and Sonoma are rising in value after a decline of nearly 30% starting in 2001. The upward trend has been attributed to large companies looking to purchase wine properties to round out brand portfolios as well as a change in U.S. tastes toward higher end products. Currently, the average vineyard price in Sonoma is a whopping $75,000 to $90,000 per acre of vines, an increase of $10,000 an acre from last year.

Mondavi’s Dirty Laundry to Air

"The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty" is due in bookstores in June. Wall Street Journal contributor Julia Flynn Siler authored the book and, although she has no personal history with the Mondavi’s she conducted extensive research and interviews — including with Mondavi family members — in an attempt to provide an unbiased account of the troubled clan. The book is expected to cause quite a stir and no advanced copies are available for review.