Tag Archives: QPR All Star

Muscadet I Say

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“It’s what I’m buying for white wine these days…”

The wines from Muscadet Sevre et Maine probably aren’t for everyone. I have a lot of friends who really enjoy these whites for their racy minerality, but I also know at least one very cool wine dude who simply can’t abide. (I won’t mention your name, Bob!) The appellation lies about as far west in the Loire Valley as you can go without wandering into the Atlantic. The grape variety, Melon de
Bourgogne, is hardly fashionable, but it’s perfect for this region when the wine is made well. Not surprisingly, they are excellent with seafood.

I’m always on the lookout for good Muscadet, and this one does more than yeoman’s duty, especially at this price.
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The Whole Cluster

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“This Michigan Riesling would make a great match for trout
harvested from a Michigan lake or stream…”

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Michigan has been a Riesling state for as long as wine has been made here, and Chateau Grand Traverse (CGT) led the way on Old Mission Peninsula right from the get-go in the mid-70s. We’ve been fans of their Whole Cluster Riesling for quite a few years, going back to when it was one of Sean O’Keefe’s “specialty wines” at his family’s winery. Sean has since moved on to make very fine wine at Mari Vineyards, while CGT has continued producing this bottling without a hiccup. When I saw the latest vintage a few days ago at a decent price, I didn’t hesitate to pick one up, and it was a very good choice indeed.
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Love for Le Ronsay

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“We like Brun’s wines a lot. They are totally devoid of guile, pretense or artifice.”

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As I was enjoying this wine a few nights ago, I couldn’t help but recall with some amusement the clique that used to dominate a certain major publication’s wine forums back around the turn of the century. These guys worshiped high-end California Cabs and First Growth Bordeaux. They had more dollars than sense, and were prone to spewing the bloated (not to mention bogus) notion that Gamay is somehow a second-class grape variety not worthy of serious consideration.

Anyone who’s had good Beaujolais, and in particular, the wines of Jean-Paul Brun knows what a ridiculous assertion this is. We’ve had a number of them over the years, ranging from Brun’s Domaine des Terres Dorees Beaujolais l’Ancien Vieilles Vignes to his Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent, and they have never failed to please. The selection reviewed here may be labeled “Beaujolais,” but it drinks like one of the more prestigious crus. As I wrote back in 2009, “We like Brun’s wines a lot. They are totally devoid of guile, pretense or artifice.”
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Bargain Saint-Emilion

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“…a nice glass of claret that’s already drinking well in its relative youth…”

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I’m always ready to drink good Bordeaux that’s anywhere near a decent drinking window, be it Left Bank or Right. That’s not always an easy bottle to buy off the shelf these days, especially if you have QPR in mind. I happened upon this little number in the Madison Heights Costco last week, and wondered, “How bad can it be at this price?” Turns out, it’s not only good, it’s much more approachable than I might have expected.
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A QPR White Rhone

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“…the rich fruit and mineral play very well together…”

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We’ve been enthusiastic fans of Domaine Sainte-Anne’s various Côtes du Rhône Rouge bottlings for several years now, but they also make a delicious, very reasonably priced white. Located in Saint-Gervais, and owned and operated by brothers Jean and Alain Steinmaier, Domaine Sainte-Anne doesn’t even have a website, with its only online presence being one page on a Danish site. The wine label is also rather plain looking (I didn’t say boring), so it seems that the Steinmaiers are primarily concerned with the quality of the wines they bottle, which, in our experience, has been very fine indeed.
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Bastardo’s Best Red Buy

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“If you like big, chewy reds, this is a QPR superstar…”

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(Note: Bastardo’s Best Buys was a recurring feature on the old Gang of Pour site. Bastardo is a red wine grape grown in various parts of Europe. Bastardo is also my Gang nickname that I continue to go by.)

I picked this up for my wife Kim a few days ago our friendly neighborhood Costco. We’ve been fans of Bertrand’s wines since 2005, so this was an easy choice, and after tasting it, I went back for more the very next day. Frankly, I suspect that it might not be around for long at this price, given the quality.
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