Note that we never got any selections in Week 25, so I’m thinking if interest has died down, maybe we can think of a new format for '08. I’ve got a few ideas, but let’s see how things turn out this week.
Hope one of the missing makes a selection. I had received a response from threnodyangelfire that sounded like a selection was being made, but that never happened. Helen’s Eidolon & Sioux Chief had also responded but wanted to wait till after the New Year rolled around so we might have participation coming from them as well.
John, if we don’t get a selection by this weekend then perhaps we should think about alternate formats. I really appreciate the discussion that’s taken place and I think (hope) that I’ve learned something, so my preference is not to let this die. I know that I’ve tried wines I never would have thought of trying, and that’s definitely a good thing.
It’s looking like we’ve run out of sommeliers. I’d like to hear your suggestions for a new format, John. One thought I had was that we could have a “perpetual” wine thread, like the perpetual soups that are simmering on the fire in certain cultures. People could add random tasting notes on whatever struck their fancy. Add what you like, take away whatever appeals to you. Not very structured, though; we might decide to go with a bit more of a theme.
In the meantime, seeing as there is no thread to hijack: I bought a bottle of CARM Douro Grande Reserva on New Year’s Eve to bring to my in-laws (who are Portuguese, as is the wine). A bit more than I would have spent on myself, but money well spent nevertheless. It reminded me one heck of a lot of a particularly full Cabernet, although from what I can tell the principal grape is Touriga Nacional. Amazingly powerful in taste, rich on the tongue. Ordinarily, a glass of very nice wine says to me “Have another glass”, but in this case I was quite content to sip as if it were a Port.
Before the holidays I had received an email from a local wineshop with a special notification. One of their distributors had discovered some forgotten cases of half-bottles of another Douro, Quinta Do Crasto Reserva Old Vines (which scored #47 on the Wine Spectator Top 100 list of 2006). Having truly enjoyed the CARM, I popped out at lunch and picked up some of the Quinta Do Crasto.