86 Beaucastel: drink up

Emery Davis

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Aug 24, 2012, 5:05:51 AM8/24/12

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If you've got any of this hanging about it is IMHO time to send it on
it's way. For a long time this wine was very dumb and it never had
overwhelming fruit or structure. It's now quite lean, but also elegant
and layered, not very bretty, enjoyable but clearly fading. The color
was very light brick also.

I have a few bottles left that need to be programmed, this one did not
stand up well to a very good leg of venison with spiced cherries and
figs. (Always particularly satisfying to eat maple-fed game...)

-E

Mark Lipton

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Aug 24, 2012, 11:13:41 AM8/24/12

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Emery,
It's interesting to hear about this wine. Back when Jean and I moved
here in 1990, we were dismayed to learn that Indiana law forbade
bringing one's own wine to restaurants*, meaning that we had to rely on
the (largely pathetic) wine lists of local restaurants. The one
exception was an old school "Continental" restaurant that had '86
Beaucastel on its list for $35 retail (!!) Well, for the next year we
would occasionally stop by and order selectively off their menu (I
ritually got the duck in orange sauce as the least offensive offering)
and order a bottle of the Beaucastel. After a year or so, we'd finished
the last one from their list and never returned (it closed a few years
later). At that young age, it was young and somewhat simple, but I'm
not terribly surprised to hear how it's developed.

Mark Lipton

* In response to our question about corkage fees, the hostess at one
local restaurant, after having the concept explained to her, responded
"That's like bringing your own eggs and bacon to a diner!" Yikes!

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

lleichtman

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Aug 24, 2012, 1:27:52 PM8/24/12

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We do not have corkage in NM either and it causes a 4x wholesale markup on all of our wines and not great wine lists either. I think they try harder when they have to compete with what you can bring.

Emery Davis

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Aug 24, 2012, 1:35:05 PM8/24/12

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Heh, you probably put them out of business when you stopped going. All
that margin! :)

Bi!!

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Aug 24, 2012, 2:06:09 PM8/24/12

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No corkage in Ohio either but having lived here in Columbus since 1978
I have a fairly good relationship with a number of restauanteurs that
welcome my bottles. I always ask, I always buy a bottle from the menu
and I always tip as if I bought the bottle there. Emery..thanks for
the notes. Ihave two bottles left of the '86.

st.helier

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Sep 5, 2012, 2:57:13 AM9/5/12

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"Emery Davis" wrote .......

>
> (Always particularly satisfying to eat maple-fed game...)

Tell me more - does Bambi climb trees to eat succulent leaves, or is your
deer crossed with beaver?

:-)

Emery Davis

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Sep 7, 2012, 9:44:08 AM9/7/12

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We haven't adopted the antipodal habit of giving cute names to stuff we
eat. Here it's "it" as in instructions to dog: go get it! Sadly the
dog, who is somewhat overweight but less so than I, never comes
particularly close to bagging the enemy. But points for enthusiasm and
all that.

These deer eat all parts of the maple plant, bark, twigs, leaves. The
rarer the plant the more they enjoy it. (I suspect some of the shady
characters have hacked my stock spreadsheet. Imagine Rudolph with shades
and a cig hanging out of his mouth, pulling the porkpie down with his
little hooves, damn them.) ;)

st.helier

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Sep 7, 2012, 3:15:58 PM9/7/12

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"Emery Davis" wrote .......

Ah, and here I was, thinking that you were partaking of venison naturally
flavoured with hints of Acer Saccharum.
My mistake - your satisfaction was gained from an act of pure
vengeance!!!!!!!!!!
Or, perhaps my original thoughts may not have been far from the mark.
Was it not Homer who wrote "“Revenge is far sweeter than flowing honey” ?

Regards from springtime in the antipodes.