Davis don’t you handle public procurements?
Also, by the way, everyone enjoys your wine writing here. You are universally loved. And your wine buddy Marc F - damn, that guy can turn a phrase.
No.
That’s awfully kind. A stretch, but kind.
Marx, on the other hand, is a one of a kind. He’s is so phucking funny and off the wall! That cycling trip we all just took to the beach was hysterical. His palate is golden. And his metaphors, the best. A very close friend. And the cool thing is, I met him on eBob. Wine is but a fraction of what we talk about.
Sorry for the typo. I thought you did some form of technical writing.
It’s not faux superiority, it’s actual superiority. These people are bad at what they do and are often total assholes about it. They deserve way worse than the mild, friendly ribbing they’re getting in this thread. If you’d rather start a thread punching down and criticizing CellarTracker randos, go ahead. But those people aren’t charging people money for their opinions or calling themselves professional writers, and it’s the latter thing that really grates. I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be for real writers (or aspiring ones), barely scraping by in this era when it’s increasingly hard to make a living in the trade and no less grueling to get any good at it, to have to look on and see somebody raking in huge amounts of money with tripe like, “This is a striking wine whose vertical lift and closing shades of nuance exude depth in every dimension. Readers should not hesitate to buy it by the case.” And frankly, this is not a victimless crime. I have to read this shite in my email box 50 times a day. The first retailer that announces a blacklist of critics they will never use to sell wine no matter how hype-y the note is will get 100% of my business. I am not kidding.
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I met Alfert on Grinder
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I did a long time ago. I have been doing more legal and semi-legal (e.g. mandatory disclosures for quality issues) for quite a while now. I often find it very difficult to switch from legalese to more engaging, creative prose. It takes a special wine to summon the muse.
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The outrage is at least entertaining.
That’s the whole point!
I hereby dub thee Gluteus Maximus Levenberg.
It was more a general statment. If you like St. Emillion (I’m not the biggest fan) but you never bought this wine from this winery because it didn’t perform as well as others, you would miss this 2018 in which they obviously produced a better-than-expected, a great wine. If you, as a St. Emilion lover, would base your decision just one what you had before, you would miss a potential opportunity.
In my case. I still didn’t buy the wine (there’s enough 2018 in my cellar - soon) but if I would venture out and buy some more St. Emilion or if I see go for a St. Emilion in a restaurant, I would probably choose this La Gaffeliere with a high likelihood that I drink a better wine than without knowing what the critics said.
WTF is Asian-style tea? Assam? High-mountain oolong? Puerh? Genmaicha?
To contrast it with the stuff that mint- and chamomile-loving Californians call tea.
Sure, but what is the flavour/aromatic profile of “Asian-style tea”? Not-mint and not-chamomile is a not-answer.
Sort of like a tea expert describing a tea as having “wine-like flavors.”
Crushed mineral?
2015 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino
“The Il Poggione 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows a darker and more concentrated appearance than many of its peers. The wine is beautifully abundant and fragrant in the most exuberant and expressive manner. You will recognize aromas of moist soil, tobacco and smoke. Candied cherry hovers over the entire bouquet. Fruit is sourced from older vines (all over 25 years old). Il Poggione occupies a special spot within the Montalcino appellation, and the area always produces slightly more concentrated and powerful wines. I find that to be particularly true in this gorgeous 2015 vintage. I am also very attracted to that almost > dusty note of crushed mineral > that rides long on the full-bodied finish. Il Poggione’s Brunello is also distinguished by firm, youthful tannin that need a few more years to unwind.”-Monica Larner, Wine Advocate - 97 points
The bolded sentence brings to mind the 1980 Doonesbury strip below.
A period, Allen, we need a period!
2017 Domaine Thibert - Pouilly Vinzelles - Les Longeays
“A cool and restrained nose consists mostly of various white-fleshed fruit aromas that are nuanced by floral, spice and soft wood hints. > There is even better volume if perhaps not quite the intensity to the caressing yet punchy medium weight flavors that exhibit more evident minerality on the more complex and sneaky long finish. > Excellent quality here and this is well-worth considering.” Allen Meadows, 90-93
Well, now I’m dying of curiosity to see the Doonesbury cartoon. Inquiring minds need to know.
That would be sand. Clearly the wine should have been decanted. Appalling blunder for a wine writer.