Saturday was my 45th, and Betsy invited some friends for dinner. She
had to play matinee, so cooked maniacally in the morning, and jumped
right back in on return (I was in charge of turning off stove at one
point, and appetizers).

To start we had pat=E9 and olives, along with cold shrimp with a
delightfully simple warm cocktail sauce (ketchup, vinegar and butter
warmed, then spiked with horseradish). The starter wines we

NV Oudinot Champagne
A nice lighter-styled Champagne, some biscuit and white flowers on
nose, crisp green apple fruit with a clean yeasty finish. B/B+

2004 Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet
Does anything more need to be said about this? Light yet with
structure, brilliant seashell/seashore nose with clean fruit and long
finish. B++

All my friends attending like wine, but none are geeks, so I looked for
a theme that would be fun, instructive (without me being pedantic), and
not ruinously expensive (I love sharing wine with friends, but I do try
to save my most precious bottles for those who might appreciate what is
being offered- hope that doesn't make me a pretentious A$%hole!).

So how about that misunderstood grape, Merlot? I decided on an Anti-
Sideways theme, put together menu cards (with the dishes and the wines)
entitled "Well,. I AM going to drink some F%^&ing Merlot!"

First courses was a take on Balthazar's grilled trout with lentils and
spinach. A complex and beautiful dish (though I did do a misflip on one
filet, luckily it was an extra).
http://www.wineloverspage.com/user_s...rc_573968.html

I thought I'd pair the geriatric Merlots with this, figuring the
resolved tannins would make a nice soft backdrop. It was an ok match,
but I think a younger lighter more acidic wine (a Beaujolais, light
Northern Rhone as Bob suggested, or maybe a drier Freisa) would be way
I'd go next time - and there will be a next time for this dish.

1982 Dalem (Fronsac)
Ok, so a 23 yr-old satellite wine is pretty chancy. And indeed this
seemed a bit overmature when served (a few minutes after being
decanted). Somewhat tired old Merlot fruit, with an overlay of damp
forest floor and mushrooms. OK but just ok. But surprisingly this had
improved strongly when revisited later (maybe 90 minutes?). Resolved
tannins, good red plum and blackberry fruit, some earth and cedar
intertwining with that loamy/mossy note. There's also a sweet roasted
hazelnut aroma dancing around there. Not great, but good. B+

1983 Beau-Sejour-Becot (St. Emilion)
This is even more chancy, as it's a 375 from an underperforming estate.
It's on the downslide, but not as much as I feared. The fruit is not
very vibrant, but it's smooth and easy to drink, with lots of cigarbox
and leather. There's a tiny bit left in the decanter, retasted at same
point as the Dalem it's deader than Generalissimo Franco. But on
opening, B/B-

Main Course was Beef Short Ribs with Creamy Leeks served with mashed
potatoes. Really delicious, and served with 3 Merlots:

1999 Albini Family Vineyards Merlot (Russian River Valley)
I thought this was obviously New World, but 2 guests immediately
assumed it was the Bordeaux, from the huge dose of earth and herbs on
the nose. Rich deep black plum and blackberry fruit (maybe a little
blueberry), lots of earth, and a long tannic finish. Good
concentration, very nice wine (Merlot is not first thing I think of
when I hear RRV). A-/B+

2001 Ch. Magdelaine (St. Emilion)
I picked this after Alex R. posted a note saying that Magdelaine has
the highest Merlot (90%) of any St-=C9milion Premier Grand Cru
Class=E9. I decanted in mid-afternoon, returned to bottle just before
dinner,and it was served a couple hours later. Mistake!!!!! This was
rather tight on opening, but after the decant and wait it had settled
into a totally dumb state. These things are always guesses, and I
guessed wrong. I set aside my glass in frustration, and return after
the cheese course. Ah, this is more like it. Rather dense berry and
cherry fruit, loads of herbs with a light coffee note. A rather
distinct minerality on the finish, this merits an A- at the end.

1999 Neyers "Conn Ranch" Merlot (Napa)
Big typically Californian Merlot. Rather lush texture, very sweet dark
plum fruit. More fruit-forward and fruit-driven than the others, it's
an impressive wine but better on its own than with the food. Some
toasty oak and chocolate aromas. A B, if not really my style.

A really nice night with good friends. Lively conversation
(nature/nurture, would a thinking/caring god have created crusaders for
Intelligent Design classes, African waterholes, gender stereotypes,
etc.), fantastic food, mostly good wine.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency

DaleW wrote:
> Saturday was my 45th, and Betsy invited some friends for dinner. She
> had to play matinee, so cooked maniacally in the morning, and jumped
> right back in on return (I was in charge of turning off stove at one
> point, and appetizers).

Happy B-day, you young whippersnapper. What a shame that your birth
year was sandwiched between two incredible years in Bordeaux (mine and
Jean's -- nyah nyah nyah). As my best friend was born in '60, I know
from harsh experience that Port is about the best choice from that year.


> All my friends attending like wine, but none are geeks, so I looked for
> a theme that would be fun, instructive (without me being pedantic), and
> not ruinously expensive (I love sharing wine with friends, but I do try
> to save my most precious bottles for those who might appreciate what is
> being offered- hope that doesn't make me a pretentious A$%hole!).

No, it just makes you realistic and likely to avoid major
disappointment. I guess that it also shows that you have a passion for
wine -- what a shocker that is! ;-)

> 1982 Dalem (Fronsac)
> 1983 Beau-Sejour-Becot (St. Emilion)

Now, I do realize that these right-bankers are *mostly* Merlot, but both
have a fair amount of Cab Franc in them, too. Truth in advertising??


> A really nice night with good friends. Lively conversation
> (nature/nurture, would a thinking/caring god have created crusaders for
> Intelligent Design classes, African waterholes, gender stereotypes,
> etc.), fantastic food, mostly good wine.

It sounds like a great event, Dale. What a great idea doing a Merlot
event. I also have a number of them rotting in the cellar, awaiting our
upcoming 4th annual "cellar clearance" party. ;-)

Mark Lipton

On 3 Oct 2005 08:53:49 -0700
"DaleW" > wrote:

] Saturday was my 45th, and Betsy invited some friends for dinner. She
Happy Birthday, Dale. Great theme, too. Although it's gotten a bum
rap, merlot is still one of the worlds greatest cepages.

-E
--
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

Mark Lipton > wrote in news:dhrnhn$9p7$1
@mailhub227.itcs.purdue.edu:


>
> Now, I do realize that these right-bankers are *mostly* Merlot, but both
> have a fair amount of Cab Franc in them, too. Truth in advertising??
>
>
> Mark Lipton

Cab Franc was the other wine dissed by the movie in question- Then the hero
turns around and drinks Cheval Blanc!!

--
Joseph Coulter
Cruises and Vacations
http://www.josephcoulter.com/

Thanks Mark.

Well, Dalem is typically 85% Merlot, so under CA rules it could be
lableled Merlot. According to Neal Martin, these days Beau Sejour Becot
(they separate the name, unlike Duffau) is about 70% Merlot.
http://www.wine-journal.com/becot.html
So couldn't be called Merlot in CA.

Yeah, since I have no Cheval Blanc I thought about including a Havens
Bourriquot (Havens hommage to Cheval Blanc, the same classic cepage of
66%CF/34% Merlot). But would have been too much explaining to the
audience.

Thanks Emery. Merlot's bad rap is because there is an absolute ocean of
bad Merlot out there. But when it's good, it's good!

"As my best friend was born in '60, I know
from harsh experience that Port is about the best choice from that
year."

Yeah, I have one bottle of Fonseca left. When it's gone, I'm done with
birthyear wines!

"DaleW" > skrev i meddelandet
ups.com...
> "As my best friend was born in '60, I know
> from harsh experience that Port is about the best choice from that
> year."
>
> Yeah, I have one bottle of Fonseca left. When it's gone, I'm done with
> birthyear wines!


Happy Birthday, Dale.

Cheers!

Nils Gustaf
--
Respond to nils dot lindgren at drchips dot se

In article .com>,
DaleW > wrote:
>
>Thanks Emery. Merlot's bad rap is because there is an absolute ocean of
>bad Merlot out there. But when it's good, it's good!


Sort of like chardonnay...


Dimitri

Wishing a very happy birthday. Just think you only have 5 years till
your AARP letter comes so drink up. You don't want the brain cells to
recognize that letter. A well thought out tasting.

In article .com>,
"DaleW" > wrote:

> Saturday was my 45th, and Betsy invited some friends for dinner. She
> had to play matinee, so cooked maniacally in the morning, and jumped
> right back in on return (I was in charge of turning off stove at one
> point, and appetizers).
>
> To start we had paté and olives, along with cold shrimp with a
> delightfully simple warm cocktail sauce (ketchup, vinegar and butter
> warmed, then spiked with horseradish). The starter wines we
>
> NV Oudinot Champagne
> A nice lighter-styled Champagne, some biscuit and white flowers on
> nose, crisp green apple fruit with a clean yeasty finish. B/B+
>
> 2004 Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet
> Does anything more need to be said about this? Light yet with
> structure, brilliant seashell/seashore nose with clean fruit and long
> finish. B++
>
> All my friends attending like wine, but none are geeks, so I looked for
> a theme that would be fun, instructive (without me being pedantic), and
> not ruinously expensive (I love sharing wine with friends, but I do try
> to save my most precious bottles for those who might appreciate what is
> being offered- hope that doesn't make me a pretentious A$%hole!).
>
> So how about that misunderstood grape, Merlot? I decided on an Anti-
> Sideways theme, put together menu cards (with the dishes and the wines)
> entitled "Well,. I AM going to drink some F%^&ing Merlot!"
>
> First courses was a take on Balthazar's grilled trout with lentils and
> spinach. A complex and beautiful dish (though I did do a misflip on one
> filet, luckily it was an extra).
> http://www.wineloverspage.com/user submitted/recipes/rc 573968.html
>
> I thought I'd pair the geriatric Merlots with this, figuring the
> resolved tannins would make a nice soft backdrop. It was an ok match,
> but I think a younger lighter more acidic wine (a Beaujolais, light
> Northern Rhone as Bob suggested, or maybe a drier Freisa) would be way
> I'd go next time - and there will be a next time for this dish.
>
> 1982 Dalem (Fronsac)
> Ok, so a 23 yr-old satellite wine is pretty chancy. And indeed this
> seemed a bit overmature when served (a few minutes after being
> decanted). Somewhat tired old Merlot fruit, with an overlay of damp
> forest floor and mushrooms. OK but just ok. But surprisingly this had
> improved strongly when revisited later (maybe 90 minutes?). Resolved
> tannins, good red plum and blackberry fruit, some earth and cedar
> intertwining with that loamy/mossy note. There's also a sweet roasted
> hazelnut aroma dancing around there. Not great, but good. B+
>
> 1983 Beau-Sejour-Becot (St. Emilion)
> This is even more chancy, as it's a 375 from an underperforming estate.
> It's on the downslide, but not as much as I feared. The fruit is not
> very vibrant, but it's smooth and easy to drink, with lots of cigarbox
> and leather. There's a tiny bit left in the decanter, retasted at same
> point as the Dalem it's deader than Generalissimo Franco. But on
> opening, B/B-
>
> Main Course was Beef Short Ribs with Creamy Leeks served with mashed
> potatoes. Really delicious, and served with 3 Merlots:
>
> 1999 Albini Family Vineyards Merlot (Russian River Valley)
> I thought this was obviously New World, but 2 guests immediately
> assumed it was the Bordeaux, from the huge dose of earth and herbs on
> the nose. Rich deep black plum and blackberry fruit (maybe a little
> blueberry), lots of earth, and a long tannic finish. Good
> concentration, very nice wine (Merlot is not first thing I think of
> when I hear RRV). A-/B+
>
> 2001 Ch. Magdelaine (St. Emilion)
> I picked this after Alex R. posted a note saying that Magdelaine has
> the highest Merlot (90%) of any St-Émilion Premier Grand Cru
> Classé. I decanted in mid-afternoon, returned to bottle just before
> dinner,and it was served a couple hours later. Mistake!!!!! This was
> rather tight on opening, but after the decant and wait it had settled
> into a totally dumb state. These things are always guesses, and I
> guessed wrong. I set aside my glass in frustration, and return after
> the cheese course. Ah, this is more like it. Rather dense berry and
> cherry fruit, loads of herbs with a light coffee note. A rather
> distinct minerality on the finish, this merits an A- at the end.
>
> 1999 Neyers "Conn Ranch" Merlot (Napa)
> Big typically Californian Merlot. Rather lush texture, very sweet dark
> plum fruit. More fruit-forward and fruit-driven than the others, it's
> an impressive wine but better on its own than with the food. Some
> toasty oak and chocolate aromas. A B, if not really my style.
>
> A really nice night with good friends. Lively conversation
> (nature/nurture, would a thinking/caring god have created crusaders for
> Intelligent Design classes, African waterholes, gender stereotypes,
> etc.), fantastic food, mostly good wine.
>
> Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
> wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
> drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
> promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency
>

DaleW wrote:

> Saturday was my 45th, and Betsy invited some friends for dinner. She


Happy birthday, Dale!

--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

"DaleW" > wrote in message
oups.com...
Saturday was my 45th

Belated Happy Birthday, Dale! :^D

Tom S

No 1960---A rotten year, except in Scotch, Rum or Amignanac
"Ken Blake" > wrote in message
eenews.net...
> DaleW wrote:
>
> > Saturday was my 45th, and Betsy invited some friends for dinner. She
>
>
> Happy birthday, Dale!
>
> --
> Ken Blake
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>
>

In article >,
says...
> Mark Lipton > wrote in news:dhrnhn$9p7$1
> @mailhub227.itcs.purdue.edu:
>
>
> >
> > Now, I do realize that these right-bankers are *mostly* Merlot, but both
> > have a fair amount of Cab Franc in them, too. Truth in advertising??
> >
> >
> > Mark Lipton
>
> Cab Franc was the other wine dissed by the movie in question- Then the hero
> turns around and drinks Cheval Blanc!!
Chatueau Petrus is a merlot and cab franc blend, and they seem to do
alright in the wine world.
Of course, I've never had any, but judging from the poll I did on
Squires' bulletin board, neither have most other serious wine drinkers.

Salut/Hi Steve,

le/on Tue, 04 Oct 2005 04:07:32 GMT, tu disais/you said:-


>Chatueau Petrus is a merlot and cab franc blend, and they seem to do
>alright in the wine world.

That's Chateau (there's no need for the first 'u') by the way.

Are you SURE that there's much Cab Franc in Pétrus, I thought it was pretty
near to 100% Merlot. As are most other Pomerols, by the way.

>Of course, I've never had any, but judging from the poll I did on
>Squires' bulletin board, neither have most other serious wine drinkers.

I've had Pétrus a couple of times - once at the shed and once at a tasting
of premium wines my brother arranged. when young it had a magic "opulence"
about it that reminded me as much of youngish DRC wines as anything.

--
All the Best
Ian Hoare
http://www.souvigne.com
mailbox full to avoid spam. try me at website

Salut/Hi D. Gerasimatos,

le/on Mon, 3 Oct 2005 20:12:25 +0000 (UTC), tu disais/you said:-

>In article .com>,
>DaleW > wrote:
>>
>>Thanks Emery. Merlot's bad rap is because there is an absolute ocean of
>>bad Merlot out there. But when it's good, it's good!
>
>
>Sort of like chardonnay...

Or wine in general.


--
All the Best
Ian Hoare
http://www.souvigne.com
mailbox full to avoid spam. try me at website

Salut/Hi DaleW,

le/on 3 Oct 2005 08:53:49 -0700, tu disais/you said:-

>Saturday was my 45th, and Betsy invited some friends for dinner. She
>had to play matinee, so cooked maniacally in the morning, and jumped
>right back in on return (I was in charge of turning off stove at one
>point, and appetizers).

Many happy returns. How nice it would be to be only 45! I could go back to
buying Hermitage and Port and other long lived wines again.

Sigh. As an official wrinkly, at least I can get cheap fares in the States.
--
All the Best
Ian Hoare
http://www.souvigne.com
mailbox full to avoid spam. try me at website

On Tue, 04 Oct 2005 12:04:26 +0200
Ian Hoare > wrote:

] Salut/Hi D. Gerasimatos,
]
] le/on Mon, 3 Oct 2005 20:12:25 +0000 (UTC), tu disais/you said:-
]
] >In article .com>,
] >DaleW > wrote:
] >>
] >>Thanks Emery. Merlot's bad rap is because there is an absolute ocean of
] >>bad Merlot out there. But when it's good, it's good!
] >
] >
] >Sort of like chardonnay...
]
] Or wine in general.
]

Exactly! There are oceans of bad wine made from all cepages, especially
the "noble" ones. I wonder, do we think there is more bad merlot by
percentage than chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon or pinot?

-E

--
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

Emery Davis > wrote in
:


>]
>
> Exactly! There are oceans of bad wine made from all cepages,
> especially the "noble" ones. I wonder, do we think there is more bad
> merlot by percentage than chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon or pinot?
>
> -E
Oh dear! What a contest you have proposed. If my tastes were to rule the
day (sorry folks, I just watched Vanity Fair) it would have to be
Chardonnay. There is just a sea of it out there and most I wouldn't think
of touching. (But then I think there may be more bad cs than merlot so who
knows)


--
Joseph Coulter
Cruises and Vacations
http://www.josephcoulter.com/

Emery Davis wrote:

> Exactly! There are oceans of bad wine made from all cepages, especially
> the "noble" ones. I wonder, do we think there is more bad merlot by
> percentage than chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon or pinot?

Perhaps not bad, Emery, but for my tastes there's more *boring* Merlot
on the market than one would find in most other varieties. Even
Chardonnay, for all the faults I find with many renditions of it,
presents something to either like or dislike; many Merlots OTOH are just
bland: soft, cherry/oaky with utterly predictable flavors and no
character whatsoever. No doubt this view is colored by my location:
YMMV (however, I've had several exceedingly boring and "international"
Merlots from France, too).

Mark Lipton

DaleW wrote:

> Thanks Emery. Merlot's bad rap is because there is an absolute ocean
> of bad Merlot out there. But when it's good, it's good!


Yes. By and large, if a wine is labeled "Merlot," it's much more likely to
be bad than a merlot-based wine (like Pomerols) that doesn't use the name.
That's a generalization, of course, and like all generalizations, it isn't
always true.

--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

I'm with Mark on this one. While I enjoying my "I AM drinking F$%^ing
Merlot" party, I actually understood Miles' plaint (at least as far as
varietally-identified , and therefore usually New World wines). The US
"give me a glass of Merlot" rage of the early/mid 90s has led to a SEA
of boring characterless Merlots. While there are plenty of bad
Chardonnays and CS (I'll leave PN out of the discussion, as until
recently many producers didn't make) out there, if faced with having to
order a glass of unknown wine from a producer, I'd always order the CS
or Chard before the Merlot. I'm not sure I can name a single under-$20
New World Merlot I'd like to have in my house. But could come up with a
dozen Cabs or Chards (ok, half-dozen Chards), plus Zins, PNs, & Syrahs.

Ah, that's what I was trying to say (didn't see your response before I
answered/agreed with Mark). Thanks Ken.

"DaleW" > skrev i melding
oups.com...
Saturday was my 45th

Hi Dale
Was away for a long weekend, so didn't know before today - congratulations!

This ng will soon have my annual Mosel report if I find the time and no
serious objections are voiced...
:-) Anders

On Tue, 04 Oct 2005 09:52:54 -0500
Mark Lipton > wrote:

[]
] character whatsoever. No doubt this view is colored by my location:
] YMMV (however, I've had several exceedingly boring and "international"
] Merlots from France, too).
]


Hi Mark,

I think location has a lot to do with it. I've certainly had some
boring cheap Merlots from France, but I'd say it is far out-weighed
(out-volumed?) by awful Bordeaux here. What's more, much like the
"merlot is wonderful" crowd in the states, most folks here will simply
select Bordeaux over all other comers, regardless of the quality,
because "Bordeaux is best."

I'm guessing most of these wines are largely CS, although there is
no doubt plenty of CF and some Merlot in there too. Truth is they're
often so astringent it's difficult to tell the CS from the CF!

Perhaps a German correspondent might see an ocean of bad Riesling,
where an Aussie sees one of Shiraz... Thank goodness for variety, eh?

-E

--
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

In article .com>,
says...
> I'm not sure I can name a single under-$20
> New World Merlot I'd like to have in my house.

Flora Springs has a Merlot that's less than $20 that's pretty good.

Ian Hoare > wrote:

> Are you SURE that there's much Cab Franc in Pétrus, I thought it
> was pretty near to 100% Merlot. As are most other Pomerols, by
> the way.

There is 5% of cabernet franc in the 11.5 hectare vineyard,
although in recent vintages (since Christian Moueix manages the
estate) the wine is mostly 100% merlot.

M.

Salut/Hi Michael Pronay,

le/on Sat, 15 Oct 2005 18:10:03 +0200, tu disais/you said:-

>Ian Hoare > wrote:
>
>> Are you SURE that there's much Cab Franc in Pétrus, I thought it
>> was pretty near to 100% Merlot. As are most other Pomerols, by
>> the way.
>
>There is 5% of cabernet franc in the 11.5 hectare vineyard,
>although in recent vintages (since Christian Moueix manages the
>estate) the wine is mostly 100% merlot.

Thanks for confirming that. I thought I was gooing senile.

--
All the Best
Ian Hoare
http://www.souvigne.com
mailbox full to avoid spam. try me at website