On Friday, on our weekly excursion to a local fine "family" dining
establishment (NB: here in the Bible Belt, one cannot bring a child into
any restaurant if a bar is within eyesight, so the term "family
restaurant" is usually applied to places that don't serve alcohol and
have miserable food; fortunately, one of our favorite local restaurants
has a separate family room, but still serves alcohol there) we found the
2001 D'Arenberg "Footbolt" Shiraz for a very attractive price.

color: dark purple
nose: huge, jammy, almost grapey with eucalyptus
palate: rich, deep berryish fruit, decent acids and eucalyptus

Almost like a Cline Zin, very forward in a "fruit bomb" style, but with
a tart edge. Nice stuff if you like the style and a good match with a
spicy sausage stir-fry.

Last night, to celebrate my promotion to Full Professor, we opened two
wines with dinner:

1998 Ravenswood Teldeschi Zin

color: dark garnet with a hint of brick at the edge
nose: pure, berryish Zin fruit, a hint of pepper
palate: medium-full, deep raspberry and black cherry, clean, rich finish

No rough edges here. Surprisingly restrained for a Ravenswood Zin, this
was a real treat and perfectly mature. A great wine from an "off" year.

2001 Penfolds Bin 389

color: dark purple, almost inky
nose: briery, pepper and dark fruit
palate: rich blackberry fruit, moderate tannins, good structure and deep.

Opened out of curiosity, as this wine has received mixed reviews (RP has
damned it as "too acidic"). To me, this is a winner with many years
ahead of it. Glad I have more.

Mark Lipton

On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 20:48:13 GMT, Mark Lipton >
wrote:

>
>2001 Penfolds Bin 389
>
>color: dark purple, almost inky
>nose: briery, pepper and dark fruit
>palate: rich blackberry fruit, moderate tannins, good structure and deep.
>
>Opened out of curiosity, as this wine has received mixed reviews (RP has
>damned it as "too acidic"). To me, this is a winner with many years
>ahead of it. Glad I have more.

I haven't tasted the Bin 389 in a year or two. I've got notes on
several bottles of '97 and '98 and both wines are remarked as big,
mellow, warm, fruity and associated other friendly adjectives. Nothing
about acidic, but a couple of mentions of tannins that indicated a
long life potential.

Gotta get to the store and buy a couple of bottles.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org

"Mark Lipton" wrote in message ..
>
> Last night, to celebrate my promotion to Full Professor, we opened two
> wines with dinner:
>

What! No Champagne?

Congratulations, Mark.

--

st.h

On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 20:48:13 GMT, Mark Lipton >
wrote:

>On Friday, on our weekly excursion to a local fine "family" dining
>establishment (NB: here in the Bible Belt, one cannot bring a child into
>any restaurant if a bar is within eyesight, so the term "family
>restaurant" is usually applied to places that don't serve alcohol and
>have miserable food; fortunately, one of our favorite local restaurants
>has a separate family room, but still serves alcohol there) we found the
>2001 D'Arenberg "Footbolt" Shiraz for a very attractive price.
>
>color: dark purple
>nose: huge, jammy, almost grapey with eucalyptus
>palate: rich, deep berryish fruit, decent acids and eucalyptus
>
>Almost like a Cline Zin, very forward in a "fruit bomb" style, but with
>a tart edge. Nice stuff if you like the style and a good match with a
>spicy sausage stir-fry.
>
Hi Mark,

Glad I read your TN on the Footbolt. I bought some(2001) either last
year or early this year. It's back again because it was suppose to
have been such a big hit when it first hit the shelves.

It took one out and tried it to see if I should run down and get more.
It's a good price. I still liked it but there was something about it
that I couldn't recognize that made me decide to not purchase more.

The eucalytus! Not a lot but it's something I don't personally don't
like.

Appreciate your TNs.

All the best,

Larry
Southern Ontario

Mark Lipton wrote:

> 2001 D'Arenberg "Footbolt" Shiraz for a very attractive price.
> 2001 Penfolds Bin 389

Congratulations on the big one Mark. This means that you can stop
work and goof off now doesn't it?
Rush out to Sams Club and look for some Penfolds Bin 389. I saw it
a couple of days ago and could not believe the price - $18.49.
I also saw the Footbolt for sale very cheap at K&L and Total Wine,
around $16. I don't know if the 389 was a 2001 or an earlier release.
Bill

Congrats Mark! 2 milestones in one year!
Dale

Dale Williams
Drop "damnspam" to reply

Congrats Mark! 2 milestones in one year!
Dale

Dale Williams
Drop "damnspam" to reply

On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 20:48:13 GMT, Mark Lipton >
wrote:

>Last night, to celebrate my promotion to Full Professor, we opened two
>wines with dinner:
>
Promotion to Full Professor and becoming a father in such a short
period of time? What more could a man ask for? Congratulations on
both.

Vino

>Last night, to celebrate my promotion to Full Professor, we opened two
>wines with dinner:

Mark

A hearty congratulations on this. As a lowly community college instructor, I
consider this quite an accomplishment.

I'll have to pass on the zin though. Like jazz, country music, and warm
weather, it's just not to my liking.

Tom Schellberg

On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 20:48:13 GMT, Mark Lipton >
wrote:

>Last night, to celebrate my promotion to Full Professor, we opened two
>wines with dinner:

Great news Mark ! I'll open a good bottle tonight for you.

Mike

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France
email link http://www.tommasi.org/mymail

st.helier wrote:
> "Mark Lipton" wrote in message ..
>
>>Last night, to celebrate my promotion to Full Professor, we opened two
>>wines with dinner:
>>
>
>
> What! No Champagne?

Actually, milud, there was a bottle of bubbly. Alas, it was badly
corked, so no notes and very little bubbly consumed. Later that day,
Jean was eyeing a magnum of Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label, but we settled
instead for some heavily discounted CdPs.

>
> Congratulations, Mark.

Thanks!
Mark Lipton

Larry wrote:

> The eucalytus! Not a lot but it's something I don't personally don't
> like.

Keep in mind, Larry, that "eucalyptus" is just the best word I can find
for what I was tasting. My actual term for it is "terpene," but since
that doesn't mean much to non-chemists, I fumble for other descriptors
such as "pine sap," "balsam," "eucalyptus" etc. Other people who've
written about the '01 Footbolt have referred to leather, so take your
choice as to what you don't like about it.

Mark Lipton

Vino wrote:


> Promotion to Full Professor and becoming a father in such a short
> period of time? What more could a man ask for?

sleep :P

Congratulations on
> both.

Thanks!
Mark Lipton

Dale Williams wrote:

> Congrats Mark! 2 milestones in one year!
Yup, and not the easiest combination of events, but fortunately I've
survived both experiences and still have been able to have a nice wine
now and again!

Thanks, Dale!
Mark Lipton

Dale Williams wrote:

> Congrats Mark! 2 milestones in one year!
Yup, and not the easiest combination of events, but fortunately I've
survived both experiences and still have been able to have a nice wine
now and again!

Thanks, Dale!
Mark Lipton

Mike Tommasi wrote:


> Great news Mark ! I'll open a good bottle tonight for you.

You're so kind, Mike! ;-) I hope that you liked it.

Mark Lipton

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 00:08:04 GMT, Pantheras >
wrote:

>Mark Lipton wrote:
>
>> 2001 D'Arenberg "Footbolt" Shiraz for a very attractive price.
>> 2001 Penfolds Bin 389
>
>Congratulations on the big one Mark. This means that you can stop
>work and goof off now doesn't it?
>Rush out to Sams Club and look for some Penfolds Bin 389. I saw it
>a couple of days ago and could not believe the price - $18.49.
>I also saw the Footbolt for sale very cheap at K&L and Total Wine,
>around $16. I don't know if the 389 was a 2001 or an earlier release.
>Bill

If it happens to be the 2000 Bin 389, grab whatever is available.
2000 was renowned by Penfolds for the non release of the more
expensive Bin 707. The juice for that wine was blended into the 389,
so it is a) more forward than most 389's at a young age, and b) has
loooong legs, and should last for years.

Footbolt is a good seller in my shop, as a $20AUD wine it is great
value, rather unique taste, and part of the burgeoning D'Arenberg
stable, which Aussies are learning to appreciate. (I still prefer
their "Laughing Magpie" Shiraz-Viognier). Recently had a bottle of
their 2000 "Dead Arm Shiraz", and although enjoyed by all, (probably
needs a few more years), it was blown away by a bottle of 1998 Mt
Langi Shiraz, which has finally emerged from a very long 'dumb' phase,
experienced by frequent hopeful tastings...:>)

Hooroo....

In article >, says...
>
>Larry wrote:
>
>> The eucalytus! Not a lot but it's something I don't personally don't
>> like.
>
>Keep in mind, Larry, that "eucalyptus" is just the best word I can find
>for what I was tasting. My actual term for it is "terpene," but since
>that doesn't mean much to non-chemists, I fumble for other descriptors
>such as "pine sap," "balsam," "eucalyptus" etc. Other people who've
>written about the '01 Footbolt have referred to leather, so take your
>choice as to what you don't like about it.
>
>Mark Lipton

Interesting how tastes differ. I really like subtle eucalyptus in a lot of my
wines. The Millat Cabs (Napa) offer up quite a bit, though well integrated in
the other common Cab flavors. The same for little hints of pine/balsam - not
so much as with a Retsina, of course, but tiny notes, I find nice.

You make me want to break out my D'Arenberg Broken Fishplate Shiraz and taste
it now! We had the Dead Arm recently in an Hermitage tasting, as a New World
counter-point, and it was nice. That one had some years on it though, so it
was closer to the French Syrahs.

Thanks for the TN's,
Hunt