tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post465999501722861307..comments2024-03-22T00:35:12.415-07:00Comments on HoseMaster of Wine™: "A Day in the Dust" 2015Ron Washam, HMWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-55395952830158670902015-07-27T11:15:05.365-07:002015-07-27T11:15:05.365-07:00Ron:
Well, thank you. That is what I thought you w...Ron:<br />Well, thank you. That is what I thought you were referencing, but I wanted to be sure. I completely agree on the walk around and time in the glass to open in the air. I don't have your tasting skills. But I almost always find wine changing in the glass in a short amount of time dramatically (but changing into what? as you noted). And some require significant decanting time. So I get your points.<br /><br />2012 was our first year of 3 in a row of significant crop volume increase. Thomas' point is well taken about how significant the stat is. After 2011 being a difficult harvest for many here, it's not surprising the 2012 quality is still a bit unknown. Folks did drop fruit the month or so before harvest, but there was still so darn much of it.Marcia Macomberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07237764449953259939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-51462413319406147022015-07-27T08:37:06.133-07:002015-07-27T08:37:06.133-07:00Thomas,
2012 was a vintage when the majority of vi...Thomas,<br />2012 was a vintage when the majority of vineyards, an overwhelming majority (there's another stat you can question), in my neighborhood reported larger than usual yields, far larger than usual. Of course it varies from vineyard to vineyard, just as the wines I tasted varied from vineyard to vineyard. Asking each winemaker what his yields were in '12 will just get more useless statistics, if not outright lies. But some of the wines, and damned expensive wines, certainly tasted dilute. Or was it youthful? Time will tell.<br /><br />Aren't all stats meaningless? Well, 90% of them. Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-40596803924361145302015-07-27T06:22:40.795-07:002015-07-27T06:22:40.795-07:00Wait a minute: 40% above average is a meaningless ...Wait a minute: 40% above average is a meaningless stat, unless you know what the average is. What if average is 2 tons an acre? A 40% rise takes it to 2.8 tons an acre. Still quality-oriented size.<br /><br />Plus, average is so wide sweeping it says little about the particular. <br /><br />Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07322028233207741737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-71075954360579336622015-07-26T19:05:01.549-07:002015-07-26T19:05:01.549-07:00Marcia Love,
Well, I've been here all along ju...Marcia Love,<br />Well, I've been here all along just waiting for you. I hope the Champagne is still cold, but I flat ran out of Cialis.<br /><br />As you know, 2012 provided a wildly bountiful crop. A lot of reports said as much as 40% above average. That can certainly lead to a dilution of intensity and flavor in a wine. But wines these days are released so early in their development that I'm not always sure if a wine tastes a bit thin because it was overcropped, or if the wine simply hasn't had the chance to fill out in the bottle. Young Cabernets can often fool even an experienced taster. A year from now a wine I thought was a bit thin might be voluptuous and rich. It happens. And at a walkaround, crowded, Napa wine tasting, it's especially hard to be certain.<br /><br />Now if you were able to sit with those wines for a few days, taste them after a lot of exposure to air, you'd have a much better idea of whether the wine was shallow, or just in need of more time. But that's a luxury we never have in these situations. Which is why I think assigning scores or ratings in that kind of situation is dishonest and self-aggrandizing. And I can do that without assigning scores.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-28125453829138290262015-07-26T18:48:43.268-07:002015-07-26T18:48:43.268-07:00Shitty Common Tater here... As always, I'm lat...Shitty Common Tater here... As always, I'm late to the game. Does it count that I've had this tab open in my browser for at least 3 days before I had time to read it? (Never mind the bad browser management....)<br /><br />Unsurprisingly, at least half the fun is reading the commentary from the online Algonquin Table after the post. Well done, everyone! Indeed the Rutherford Haze was a line The HoseMaster couldn't walk away from once it popped into his head. Ditto "raising the stakes"! For the HoseMaster they're like little puppies poking their heads at the bars on a shelter cage going, "Take me home! Take me home!" You just can't leave them behind with those sweet puppy faces! And you just can't NOT tell those jokes. (Like the double-negative?)<br /><br />Can I ask for more explanation on your overcropping comment? (I usually sheepishly head for email to ask that type of a question directly.) But in reading all your subsequent notes in the post (which were very informative, as always), I didn't quite follow. Is that b/c, as you noted, you don't mention all the cabs you didn't like -- only the ones you did? Or are you debating overcropped vs. too young? Just curious.<br /><br />As you said, we can barely afford to subscribe here let alone taste any of those wines!Marcia Macomberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07237764449953259939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-20285002838242313632015-07-26T00:41:15.855-07:002015-07-26T00:41:15.855-07:00Have I missed some friction in the garden of Goode...Have I missed some friction in the garden of Goode and "Evil"?<br /><br />When someone boasts a PhD in plant biology (as Jamie does), that gets my attention.<br /><br />That bona fide supplants (no pun intended) the baseless opinions of countless opiners on the Intergnat.Bob Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02089688073031173053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-19641504453426638602015-07-25T12:35:28.222-07:002015-07-25T12:35:28.222-07:00Your first wife left you in the dust?? How many wi...Your first wife left you in the dust?? How many wives are in the Hosemaster past? ha ha.. You once threatened to cut Bob Henry off when he kept going on and on.. maybe you should.. most common taters are here for the laffs.. just sayin..Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11992278224164669829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-39629594566573264902015-07-24T14:40:34.811-07:002015-07-24T14:40:34.811-07:00Aaron,
Thanks for the kind words. The Chaix was te...Aaron,<br />Thanks for the kind words. The Chaix was terrific, and should age quite well. If you do drink it right away, try to give it several hours in a decanter before you drink it. <br /><br />I always wrestle with whether I should talk about wines I disliked. I don't because it seems as unfair to judge a wine poorly under those tasting circumstances as it seems nuts to give it a fixed score. So I try to talk about wines I liked the best, which implies, of course, that the other wines there didn't impress me as much. Though any wine that genuinely offended me in some way, I'd probably find a way to mention.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-71413338481609964172015-07-24T11:35:18.826-07:002015-07-24T11:35:18.826-07:00Thanks for the humor, always enjoyable. And it'...Thanks for the humor, always enjoyable. And it's great you put up a few that you loved, and the fact that they all aren't $$$$. Just simply $$. Still, probably not something I'll buy yet. I've reserved my >$100 for vintage ports, and even so I rarely buy any. Even though some of those Cabs will probably age as long or longer, I've got to keep to a budget. At least, until I win the lotto.<br /><br />The tip on the Chaix is great, I'm close to buying a bottle or two since it's (relatively) cheap, yet from what you say very good.Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09911398647505242281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-29259556294642558062015-07-24T07:35:38.879-07:002015-07-24T07:35:38.879-07:00Bob,
So you're excerpting Jamie Goode as thou...Bob, <br />So you're excerpting Jamie Goode as though he is in some way authoritative? Here? On my blog? Don't be an idiot.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-65811993135103778212015-07-24T05:24:10.647-07:002015-07-24T05:24:10.647-07:00This comment has been included by ther author.This comment has been included by ther author.Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07322028233207741737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-46042128904112437142015-07-24T01:02:55.252-07:002015-07-24T01:02:55.252-07:00Shifting subjects, let me drop in this well-earned...Shifting subjects, let me drop in this well-earned plug for an accomplished jazz pianist:<br /><br />Link: http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-concert-by-the-man-who-knows-everything-about-jazz-1437601886<br /><br />(The audiophile in me is irrepressible:<br /><br />http://www.discogs.com/Dick-Hyman-Swing-Is-Here/release/1344607<br /><br />AND<br /><br />http://www.discogs.com/Dick-Hyman-Dick-Hyman-Plays-Duke-Ellington/release/5692707<br /><br />AND<br /><br />http://www.discogs.com/Dick-Hyman-From-The-Age-Of-Swing/release/4591351)Bob Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02089688073031173053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-74501340197682185612015-07-24T01:02:03.139-07:002015-07-24T01:02:03.139-07:00"What I tasted over and over again was more a..."What I tasted over and over again was more akin to style than appellation. ... Almost every wine spoke to me of style more than place."<br /><br />I has been often stated by selective observers of the wine scene that riper wines lead to less distinctive "terroir."<br /><br />Link: http://napavalleyregister.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/wine/columnists/dan-berger/dan-berger-the-collapse-of-cabernet/article_704bc688-0712-11df-a231-001cc4c002e0.html<br /><br />Another (excerpted):<br /><br />"At last, it seems the big, extracted, over-ripe, over-oaked wines that got so much attention from top critics are now beginning to fall out of fashion. These wines have had any sense of place obliterated from them. ...<br /><br />"Look at Bordeaux. In the 2010 vintage, some wines were being made at 15 or even 16% alcohol. This isn’t necessarily a crime on its own, although there aren’t many high alcohol reds that are at all interesting, but in Bordeaux, which has terroirs capable of finesse, balance, complexity and ageability, to make this sort of over-ripe big wine is morally questionable. There aren’t that many great terroirs in the world, and if you are lucky enough to be a custodian of one, then you are deranged if you lose that terroir, either through picking too late and using too much oak, or by allowing wine faults to drown out the quiet voice of the vineyard.<br /><br />"Can we taste terroir? This is one objection to the emphasis on terroir, and I think it’s a legitimate one. Certain sites are capable of greatness, for sure. But when two winegrowers make wines from the same vineyard, can we recognize that vineyard blind, even when both wines are made very well in a manner sympathetic to terroir expression? This is tricky. I’d say, sometimes yes, sometimes no. Terroir is important, but the link between soils and wine flavour is a complex one."<br /><br />Link: http://www.wineanorak.com/wineblog/uncategorized/do-we-overstate-the-importance-of-terroirBob Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02089688073031173053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-11428784268817676842015-07-23T23:47:20.079-07:002015-07-23T23:47:20.079-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13849290999060380035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-59341917596387428622015-07-23T22:50:38.896-07:002015-07-23T22:50:38.896-07:00Hey Common Taters,
Don and Thomas, that's one ...Hey Common Taters,<br />Don and Thomas, that's one of those jokes that just appears out of nowhere. It surprised me and made me laugh, so I hate it. But Rutherford haze makes as much sense as Rutherford dust, which is why it works. The stupider the pun, the more I like it.<br /><br />Thanks, Leo, I try.<br /><br />Susan Darling,<br />I count on the fact that you haven't tasted the wines. That's how I look smart. Which isn't easy.<br /><br />A million smooches back, Darling of Mine<br /><br />Gabe,<br />Man, you just driveby me every now and then. Loyalty among Common Taters is shitty. Thanks for the kind words. I resent those who write about big tastings as though there is no context. It's intellectually corrupt. With wine, context is supremely important. As are dick jokes.<br />Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-44203826626846135752015-07-23T22:35:10.398-07:002015-07-23T22:35:10.398-07:00Steve H is writing comedy and you're doing win...Steve H is writing comedy and you're doing wine reviews? The world has gone topsy-turvy.<br /><br />I really enjoyed this as a review of the entire tasting, as opposed to a single wine review. Context is everything. I'm a big fan of Freemark Abbey, loved your description of "walkaround tastings", and really appreciate that you managed to make a dick joke and a joke about Rutherford B. Hayes.<br /><br />CheersAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13849290999060380035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-47902208188718176982015-07-23T19:32:39.531-07:002015-07-23T19:32:39.531-07:00This is extra enjoyable and educational. I ended u...This is extra enjoyable and educational. I ended up googling the 19th President and watching Vladimir Horowitz playing from YouTube. <br /><br />All wine reviews from HoseMaster are truly appealing because they've cast the charms that allure over the bottles that were covered. The most recent piece on Limerick Lane Zins is also terrific. I guess since most of us, your readers, have not tasted the wines, we can't comment much on this piece. Great that HoseMaster tells people about good bottles from California. Californian Wine Ambassador & HoseMaster? Maybe there is correlation there.<br /> <br /><br />Smooch.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04358440123116736195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-60278387629346699822015-07-23T16:23:40.238-07:002015-07-23T16:23:40.238-07:00OK, I'll admit it: Ruherford Haze made me laug...OK, I'll admit it: Ruherford Haze made me laugh too. But I gotta stop encouraging this Hosemaster feller.Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07322028233207741737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-72509161844776671282015-07-23T16:09:43.517-07:002015-07-23T16:09:43.517-07:00----raised the stakes ! Love this fine irony, than...----raised the stakes ! Love this fine irony, thanks.LeoFerrandohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01252029922865499638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-85103613622366833462015-07-23T14:38:23.518-07:002015-07-23T14:38:23.518-07:00I laughed out loud at your stupid joke, and then I...I laughed out loud at your stupid joke, and then I had to explain my behavior to my wife. She knows me too well. Thanks for another fun read.<br />Rutherford haze! Jeez...Don Clemenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01018421143636593792noreply@blogger.com