Would be fun to see how these resolutions are going during the quarantine
I JUST came up with mine - enjoy more Chardonnay! Too often I relegate Chardonnay as a lesser wine, for what reason, I don’t know. It’s one we normally just enjoy for concerts in the park or if we have fish dishes. I freakin’ love Chardonnay, and after buying a bunch of Walter Scott from the Quarantine Relief forum, I recall exactly why I love it! Unfortunately Jen and I don’t have the same preferences in Chardonnay, other than a few like Hartford Court and Dehlinger, as she prefers a richer style, whereas I LOVE crisp and flinty. I’ve got plenty now, and will enjoy it while treating it as very much the equal to the other Burgundy varietal that takes up much of my cellar - Pinot.
Todd, it’s funny you mention Vincent Dancer. I have much less experience with white burgs than many on the board, but as i enjoyed Marcus’ 2017 Ribbon Ridge Chardonnay, it reminded me very much of Vincent Dancer’s 2014 Bourgogne Blanc!
You clearly have a broader experience I wouldn’t have a basis for comparison at all, as I’ve only that one wine of his (he’s hard to source locally). I thought the 2014 was very flinty, mineral-driven, even “lithe” as Markus suggests. Maybe a vintage characteristic of 2014 if later years have changed?
Bump! Time for those who made a ‘resolution’ to check back in.
I fulfilled my resolution, in spades. I purchased 66 bottles of Chardonnay (thus far) in 2020, and consumed 32 bottles (not including the Hartford Court or other ‘house’ bottles, which I don’t track on CT)
Last year, purchased and consumed 14 bottles
I also discovered how much I enjoy Godello, though I don’t plan to make that variety a resolution for next year!
If I’m honest, I’d give myself a grade of B- on this resolution.
I did a better job of eliminating mindless alcohol … e.g. two beers while watching Monday Night Football.
But Covid wiped out much of my resolve when it came to sticking to two glasses on midweek night.
I’ve been opening up more good bottles to soothe my pandemic rattled nerves. My wife doesn’t really like wine so I often drink alone, which I’m not crazy about. And it makes it hard to see very good Burgundy not drunk, so the third glass still comes all too easily…
I’m thinking of going dry in January again as well. It really is a powerful reset and mental exercise … at least for me
Tariff’s curtailed my French wine purchases (zero at Total Wine in 2020), and as the pandemic all but eliminated wine sale’s, the rest went down too. The lack of social gatherings cut down on the number of bottles opened, so much of the year was spent sampling the different Lite beers available (boring)…
Plan to retire end of next year so I want to purchase more special bottles to enjoy in retirement that are outside of my normal buying pattern. I have enough special bottles of the wines I normally drink to last until ninety past death. Looking for wines from Languedoc, Portugal, and South Africa. Or grape varieties like some of those unusual Italian ones you only hear about, or scheurebe, gruner, sylvaner, Mencia,aglianco,etc…
I appreciate your honesty. We are in the same situation. My wife rarely drinks anything; she’s both hypoglycemic (i.e. no residual sugar) and a super taster (i.e. tannins are off the charts bitter). So that 3rd glass… I hear you.
I am trying to do more tasting over multiple nights. This week, I had a 2014 Patricia Green Berserker Cuvée. It was pretty good on Day 1, but was much improved on day 2. And I recently bought a bunch of Pinot from Goodfellow. I’m pretty sure all of his wines will show better on Day 2 - and Day 3 for that matter. Not that that’s why I bought them, but it is a good side effect.
Anyhoo, there is a Dryuary thread started. I’ll ask the mods if I can create an “Official” thread as well.