+- WineBoard (https://www.wines.com/wineboard)
+-- Forum: TASTING NOTES & WINE SPECIFIC FORUMS (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-200.html)
+--- Forum: Spanish Wines/Varieties (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-35.html)
+--- Thread: 1998 Remirez de Ganuza Reserva (/thread-10307.html)
- Capocheny - 05-03-2005
Tasted this terrific wine at a celebration dinner the other evening and it was TASTY! The Sommelier recommended this as I wanted something 360 degrees from Burgundy in the way of nose and taste.
I'd never even heard of this wine before but I can say this much... "I'm sure glad it was recommended and I'd love to have a few bottles in my cellar!" [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
It's made up of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano. 14% alcohol and is aged in barrel for 24 months (if I'm reading my Spanish correctly!)
The nose is of dark, dark fruit (reminds me of an aged dark fruitcake), nutty, vanilla, coffee, spices, woody, truffles (?) and almost tarry! ... hard to describe for me because I've not tasted that much Tempranillo before. :-) It was a big wine and the finish stayed on the palate a good long time. It was a dark, ruby, black cherry/plum color. As it opened up... the taste became much more rounded and softened up beautifully, caressing the palate.... smooooth! Gads, I'm gushing!!! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] It was tasty! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
If I could locate some of this wine for my cellar I'd be very happy. Unfortunately, I've not managed to find any in my neck of the woods! I'm not sure where this wine was sourced from by the restaurant (The Vancouver Club.)
You folks down in the US get some phenomenal wines that we'll NEVER see up here (unfortunately!).
Anyway... it was delicious and I'd wholeheartedly suggest it to any of you who enjoy/love Spanish wines.
Cheers
- TheEngineer - 05-03-2005
The BC Licqour site only shows 13 Tempranillo choices....respectfully suggest that you take the 99 Southbound.....
Ontario's LCBO shows 34 and some are nice...I know that they have a program to sell wines to people who cannot get to the stores...wonder if it applies to BC.
BTW, BC Liquor has a program to bring wines in that they do not carry. It's on this website
http://www.bcliquorstores.com/en/customerservice/specialorders
[This message has been edited by TheEngineer (edited 05-03-2005).]
- Capocheny - 05-04-2005
Hello E,
Thank you for the note... I did call the BC Liquor Control Board to ask about bringing in some of this wine on a special order basis. Unfortunately, they're unable to access any more of it from their suppliers.
As for the 99 Southbound... [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] I have so much wine waiting for me down in Seattle that it'll take me more than a few trips down to pick them up. My Harlan's Estate wines get delivered to Seattle and I head down to pick them up upon arrival.
I usually try and make it over the mountain to Calgary, Alberta once ever couple of months. Their wine stores put ours to shame and, best of all, they're mostly privatized. As a result, they're able to bring in wines that we don't get out here in BC. Plus, their prices are, on average, 15 to 20 percent lower than ours. It makes the cost of the trip very worthwhile. For example, I bought my 2000 Bordeaux Futures there and managed to get a few bottles each of the Chateau Le Pin and Chateau Petrus. So, if you have the opportunity of getting into Calgary, it's well worth the stop over. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
I've managed to locate a few bottles of the 98 Rimerez from a couple of different suppliers in NY... they're just in the midst of confirming availability. If they're available... I'll have them shipped to Seattle as well.
BTW, have you tried the 2001 Valsacro Dioro Selecione? It's another Rioja and I've been told it's quite tasty as well. I have a case in the cellar but, since I prefer my wines with a bit of bottle age to them, I just haven't gotten around to cracking a bottle yet.
So many wines.... and so little time! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
Cheers
- TheEngineer - 05-04-2005
Thanks! I have not been getting to Alberta of late but may need to find a reason to stop by. Gonna be in Regina, Sask next week ... maybe a bit of a detour [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
The first time I was in Calgary, I was stuck in traffic travelling north on 1st Ave. 7th street looked entirely empty save for a few street cars........so I turned onto it...... Little did I know that it was their Light Rapid Transit line.... [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
[This message has been edited by TheEngineer (edited 05-04-2005).]
- Capocheny - 05-04-2005
Hello E,
That's what I did when I first started driving here in Vancouver, BC! There's no experience/feeling like a train coming towards you, right? :-(
Once you've driven in Calgary a bit... it's fairly easy to find your way around.
If you do happen to find yourself in Calgary... try these wine stores:
1. Willow Park Wines: (http://ww2.willowpark.net:8080/1409/home.do) - 296.1640
[Terrible website but the store is amazing! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] They have lots of Bordeaux, some Burgundies, and a whole lot of inventory! Suitable for a kid in a candy store, which is what I am EVERYTIME I go in there! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]] It's well worth the trip out there...
2. Bin 905 (www.bin905.com) - 261.1600
Generalists... check out the website. They're located in the same neighbourhood as Merlot Vinoteca.
3. The Wine Cellar (http://www.thewinecellar.ab.ca)
Located right on the downtown 8th Avenue Mall. They have some nice stuff but a bit more costly than some of the other stores.
4. Merlot Vinoteca. I know they've moved down into the trendy 17th Ave and 4th Street area recently. They have some terrific Italian wines, ie: 1997 Castello di Ama, etc.
5. The Wine Cottage - 543.8900
Downtown... his prices are well above most other retailers but he does a thriving business on the internet.
6. The Wine Shop - 229.9463
(Occassionally, they'll have something interesting but not all that often.)
7. Metro Vino - 205.3356 - No website
The owner, Richard Harvey, knows his stuff and has some smaller production wines in stock (usually.) Plus, he always has some wines open for tasting too! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
Here are a couple of great restaurants too:
1. Catch - Sorry, I don't have the details on hand for this relatively new restaurant. Good wine list... GREAT food!
2. La Chaumiere 139 17th Ave SW 403.228.5690
Ask for Joseph or Milan as your wait-staff. GREAT wine list! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] We had a 82 Petrus and a Grange (? vintage) there one evening between a friend and I! Happy, happy!!! Email me for a personal recommendation if you'd like, ok?
Cheers
- TheEngineer - 05-04-2005
CPCY,
Many thanks for the 411! That's a lot of information!
- SusieQ - 05-09-2005
Hi - Was sent to this location from the "Newbies" site as I also live by Calgary. A REALLY great place to look for wines (Other than the ones you mention - which are great fun but somewhat expensive - add Eau Claire to that group)is the 17 Av SW liquor store (17th Av and about 8 or 10th st SW) Called Royal Liquor. They often have the leftovers from various conventions, wine shows and tastings, will give you a discount on case lots and you get air miles!! Prices are a little more reasonable and the staff is well informed.
- Capocheny - 05-09-2005
Hi SusieQ,
I would have added both Eau Claire Wines and Royal City Liquors to the list but I decided not to because I have some concerns about the temperatures in their stores. My preference is always to purchase high-end wines from stores that have temperature controls in them... especially wines like 82 Haut-Brions, 61 Petrus, 89 Margaux, 96 Leroy, 95 Lafite, etc.
At Eau Claire Wines... often times, the sunlight from above falls directly onto some of their wines. It's probably not a huge problem (since most of these wines are built to be drunk earlier rather than later...) but I'm not all that apt to recommend folks to them for this reason.
There's also a big wine/liquor store up on 16th Avenue NE... but I cannot recall the name of the store. They often have some nice wines there. And, the room temperature is more on the cool side, which scores big points in my book as far as high-end wines go!
If you're flying... there's a nice little wine store located in the airport terminal. Sorry, I can't recall the exact name (???Cloud 9???) of the store. Back a few years ago, I found/ purchased a case of older Bordeaux from them at an (amazingly) GREAT price... a real BARGOOON! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
Lastly, Center Street North also has a nice wine room where the temperature is controlled for high-end wines. I've purchased from them in the past as well...
So many wines... so little time!
Cheers
- SusieQ - 05-10-2005
We recently discovered Cloud 9 at airport while waiting for flight and they do have the best prices, don't they?! I am not very sophisticated in choosing wines and we have just built our cellar and are starting to collect so I didn't realize about the temperature of the stores (our cellar is about 12 degrees). Thanks for the info.
- Capocheny - 05-13-2005
Hello SusieQ,
Cloud 9 had some nice collectibles in a cabinet at the back of the store... since I've not been in Calgary for a little while I'm not sure what they have in stock now. But, things are about to change since I'll be there next Friday. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
The nice thing about being a novice wine drinker is that there is a LOT to learn and the more you know... the more you realize you don't know. So, I feel I'm very much a wine novice too. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
My advice to you is to taste, taste, taste... and attend as many formal presentations on wines as possible. We were fortunate enough to attend a presentation given by Janis Robinson back a year plus ago at Diva @ The Metropolitan Hotel in Vancouver. It was a most enlightening experience and I learned oodles from her. I'd encourage you to attend these presentations.
Also... talk to the different wine merchants and learn from them. One fellow who is really knowledgeable about wines (in Calgary) is Richard Harvey at Metrovino. He knows his stuff! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
In regards to your cellar, if you're serious about collecting wines, do yourself a favor and buy a proper wine cooler. I know they "can" be a hefty investment but then... so are your wines! Some coolers are better than others so do your due diligence. Eurocave units are pretty nice but they also come at a pretty hefty price! My particular cellar runs at a constant temperature of 55 degrees...
Above all.... have fun with wines!
Cheers