Former Wine Critic @ Robert Parker Wine Advocate, reviewing wines there from 2006➡️June, 2023, primarily for Portugal, Greece, USA off of West Coast (esp. NY, VA), & others in E. Europe, Middle East. Retired.
Recovered trial lawyer.😱Long retired. Interested in lots of things besides wine & law--travel, photography, politics, film, music, art and SyFy, among others.
Header photo: Santorini, Greece.
This is a new instance for me, but I've been at Masto a couple of years longer than Nov. '24!
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2/2
Holding perfectly, quite youthful.
P.s. Ramadas is a pergola training system for vines, FYI; metal, means unoaked.
1/2
Record-setting heat April 1 (84F, 29C), and no April Fool's joke there. Vinho Verde time!
Arrochela & Camizão's '17 Ramadas Metal is a blend (1931 Arinto & Azal vines) only made in the best years. It has the stuffing to hold up to bigger foods, but the balance to be drunk alone. It's ripe and round, with integrated acidity to enliven it. From the old vines to its price (upper $30s) to the fine depth to alc. at 13.5%,--not exactly stereotypical Vinho Verde. Call it just a fine white. #wine
This 2009 is old vines Baga is from an esteemed estate near Bairrada. Winemaking by the J. Portugal Ramos team. Always loved the reds. In '09, it's big & deep, with a bit of a woody overlay plus roasted plums, but it retains a bright feel & acquires more finesse with air. On opening, it just coats (and grips) the palate, but it's never ponderous, always lively. It evolves in the glass well, getting younger. 13.5%, $80s these days
RE: https://epicure.social/@wineworldnews/116318228133223862
For inventorying a collection, now this seems like a good use of AI. Would like to see it in action. For $4300 for a 100 bottle cooler--well. That's another story.
"This data is synced to Samsung’s SmartThings app, so you can track your collection without manually logging anything."
Greeks, Santorini and others, check. Rieslings, dry & off-dry, check. Portuguese whites, including Vinhos Verdes, check. Cider, check. (Don't worry, I have more categories, but not everything fits into one photo.)
And why isn't there a white wine glass icon? Making do.🥂
1/2
Well, Summer is not here yet, but I hear it's coming and this week in the mid-Atlantic region it's going to be hitting 80F (27c) on consecutive days.🤗
(You people sweltering in other parts of the country, don't AT me. For my region, that's a pretty good number for this time of year.)
Doing a little digging, getting some things ready, chilling them down. I mean, summer does have to be planned carefully. It's just a start, to be sure.
to part 2 in reply
2/2
Yes, had fun with filters! (And wine.) Mouro is one of the top estates in the region, although by no means the only high-quality one.
14.5%, $40s these days.
Always liked Haut-Marbuzet, but some claimed it wouldn't age. 31 years and counting on this '95, it's in fine shape, nothing left to prove,can easily hold more.
A little tight on opening,bright,mature & nuanced, classic Bordeaux with finesse & lead, ultimately gentle, subtly concentrated
Decay's not an issue; loved the focus & grip on the finish. Fully ready but lively, not at all urgent to drink it up.Prime time wine, not much more I could ask for. 13% alc, $21 retail then
Evidently, resistance is futile. Philadelphia is conquered by robots. I am not sure this was a good thing.
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