Wine Critic 2006 thru June 2023 @RobertParker Wine Advocate,mostly for Portugal, Greece,USA OFF of West Coast (like N.Y. and VA). RECOVERED LAWYER! Good at politics,SyFy, music and other things. MarkSquiresWine@Mastodon.social; Instagram; Ex-Post.
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I'm a storage fanatic--I don't trust older wines on shelves or at auctions, necessarily. Been burned early, often. But there is also the issue of provenance. Posted this on TT awhile back. And yeah, sometimes there are bargains, but often prices have escalated dramatically too.
No one knows better than I how annoying it is to store wine, pricey,etc.But it's by far the best solution. We don't need a real cellar. Options exist. Older wines are available, but their provenance? Storage? When I pull a wine from my cellar I know those answers. Prices aren't always great,either.
At one, Esporão, they said: “Low pay and poor conditions where agricultural labor is concerned are a worldwide issue...Everyone gets transportation to and from work, a hot, sit-down lunch...company-paid lawyer..." etc.
When I nominated people for Michelin's green awards, the standards included things other than just vinification. Organics, yes. Solar panels, yes, but also matters concerning workers.
Les, you're not old. You're just nicely matured with the nuance of fine wine.
2/2 Don't forget velvety texture. Yeah, baby. This won't be my last note on this lovely '01. 14.1% alcohol, about $75 then. #wine #napa #cabernet
1/2 Labor Day was fruitful. 🙂🍷This wasn't hard work. A sexy vintage for Seavey, this '01 is fruit forward now, concentrated and a little unctuous, relatively, not quite as powerful as some, but maybe richer. Still, it's Seavey. That means it evolves and shows a backbone to support beautiful fruit.
Perhaps a lot of reviewers are fans, too, grateful to get tastes of fabled wines? But been some who could be tart-tongued, less true today I think. Parker, for one, got both banned and sued by some places. I always felt if you had no enemies at the end of a career, the reviewer hadn't done it right.
The good news is that you made the train. The bad news is that there is no point buying the lottery ticket because you used up your luck for the rest of the year.🤷
Yeah, I hate that. Big labels rarely fail completely. But at their price points--I assume this wasn't cheap--they have to be better than OK to meet expectations.
Calendar says it's September 1 and Labor Day. Aieeeeeeeeeeeeee. How did that happen? Where did the summer go? Did I fall asleep for a few months? More coffee, I think. ☕ Coffee solves many things.
Well, that should take care of that Nobel Peace Prize. 👍
I like Chablis, but nonetheless, I have none. I do not regret spending my money on Riesling though. 🫡
Very clever and I got a good laugh out of it. It still doesn't mean I want to drink Chardonnay, though. Seriously, in terms of still wines, I don't think I have a bottle of Chardonnay to my name.
I don't follow your politics as closely as perhaps I should, but from what I've seen he reminds me a lot of Chuck Schumer. The weakness of unprepared democracies trying to meet a moment.
The impersonation problem on TT drives me crazy. It is impossible to report it. When you can, they do nothing anyway. They clearly do not care. It is the wild wild West, as imposters just steal people's videos and set up phony accounts to monetize other people's work. Makes me want to not be on TT.
Allowed to have a sip of water whilst attending?
And he has nobody but himself to complain to regarding all the speculation. His constant lying and lack of transparency brings it on.
Very... Right wing legal guys have been trying to get it overturned for a while and I believe Thomas has already made some comments leaning in that direction
We have taken the dumbest (as well as the cruelest) people in the country and not only given them a seat at the table, but allowed them to run the meeting. It will take at least a generation to fully recover from this. Probably more, and we're going to need the guts to stomp on them unequivocally.
Capitalism! 🙃I believe it was Dom Symington--could've been Rupert--who made a statement recently that the era of cheap Port prices was over. But mostly, that's not true, with some exceptions.And single quintas and traditional LBVs make a lot of people happy without spending $260 on a Stone Terraces.
Sure, sure, you looked at 90 porn sites to just test age-verification laws. Of course. Got it. Understood. We believe you!
A pretty sober analysis. They are a weakened team on Defense. Their replacements may make it work, but it's going to be a chore. On 0, shouldn't be much problem unless 0-line injuries, but "Wide receiver: Better" you say--I wonder how AJ's body is holding up. We'll need WRs more and I'm unsure.
And now back to the #tennis. Should be a lot of fun.
This is why I say this isn't going away as quickly as some think. Everyone's like "well, if Trump is dead, there goes the charisma" we can reverse course. To some extent, but these people are masters in goalpost-shifting. Nothing's gonna slow down them down much. Religious and race are usually why.
Oooh. It's early, but I think you win BS today.
Few places have old vines, history, prestigious producers and...cheap prices. Often found cheaper at auction with 20 years on them than as new releases. Producers are trying to change that, with specialty bottlings like Graham's Stone Terraces. That's small production. But good luck. Port's a niche.
In virginia, when I was reviewing them, there was a small fad for aging wines in whiskey barrels. Ew.
All Republicans do these days is lie. My favorite is the little trick where you ask them about something and they go, "well I haven't had time to read that yet." It's all of 10 pages. And the time never seems to arrive.
I can't begin to say how many of those offers I took up. 😆Got a nice collection of stuff if I played my cards right.
I was too obscure. You said alphabet challenge, so "v" for Venus de Milo and hoping it wasn't "d" for de Milo, which in retrospect made very little sense. 🤦
So, V? Hoping not D. 😇
Had some of the Vielles Vignes as I recall. Overall , excellent vintage in the region
So, you're saying he's not going to heaven?
I would like to see for myself. As long as you are buying, I am willing to experiment #wine
His ability to invent personas and to become whatever he thinks is wanted is amazing. Only chameleons have powers like that. I wonder what his name will be on inauguration.
Which is why they are doing the usual GOP thing--making sure the elections are not free and fair. It's gonna be ugly, and unlike Nov 2024, this time the election deniers and crooks are in charge in lots of places.
I want a jubbe of 1990 Romanée-Conti. A boy can dream.
Add his "heaven" speculation and poor appearance, the former from one of the least religious prez we've ever had, like he's gotten a sobering message we don't know. But Presidents have gotten sick before and ducked out of sight without actually dying. Trump's penchant for secrecy works against him.
That's partly true. Flip side: Is it too late, or do they need Trump for another year? Maybe they don't need popular approval because there aren't going to be normal events any more. So Peter Thiel doesn't care what anyone thinks of Vance. Voters have been boxed in, he hopes. Musk will help.
I never not finish something, but the slog made me stop this series for years. Your mileage may differ. I finally did finish. --And yes, Prime deserves all the blame in the world for canceling the brilliant streaming version.
Jordan to me is too longwinded at times, but at his best he was fantastic. The Sanderson conclusions were exciting, remedying that slog, but were nothing like the intricate, nuanced series Jordan had created. It's a rollercoaster series. Could literally skip a few middle books, read summaries.
It's a troubled series IMHO. The first 5 books were arguably the best fantasy I EVER read. Then,the series went into what fans and detractors alike called the "slog," where the 800 page books had mostly nothing happen. Come back at book 11. Then, Jordan dies and the series is completed by Sanderson.
One can only wonder what you have to do to get through to the majority of Missouri voters how contemptuous these GOP politicians are of voters and voting. Is there any pathway left?
Ah, 7-4. So reinstated 6-3 in the Supreme Court? Trump certainly seems to think so.
Don't even get me started on Shepard's legal citations. It was so painful. Then, one day, they came out with these services called Lexis and Westlaw. Angels sang. The sun came out. It never rained again.
I have so many stacked up. I don't think I'm going to live long enough to read them all. 🙄 And yet I keep buying new ones. Is this a disease?
I used to be really good at those.
Trump is nothing if not stubborn, but it is true he doesn't have a lot of inherent loyalty to RFK Jr. Still, you can yell and scream all you want, but what can you do about it if he does not assent to removal?
I always like a good joke going into a holiday weekend...let frivolity begin. Um, I assume he's joking.
Good that we learn now how many demonstrably unqualified candidates there are for higher office. Avoids mistakes like Fetterman
Rarity indeed. So...next level...what happens if explicit arguments are made at trial, after indictment, for nullification? In my area, as a lawyer, I think a judge might have tossed me in jail.😜 Andrew Hamilton is honored every year here in theory...but theory is one thing.
"petty...dangerous...unAmerican...." The very definition of Donald Trump.
If Dems can force GOP to pay a price for this in 2026, then maybe there is a way to exert independent pressure. If not, or if Trump manages to succeed in perverting the elections, it is pretty much game over. At that point, it is an audience of one. Can you convince Trump to undermine RFK?
Racism rots minds away.
Ignoring issues like new legislation, the impeachment math doesn't work. Without Trump's assent, he isn't going anywhere. Impeachment must start in the GOP house (not happening, safe to say) and requires 2/3rds of the Senate for conviction and removal, even more impossible.
And yet, now that RFKJR is in fact confirmed and in power, Cassidy can't do much about it unless Trump is willing to fire him. The GOP certainly isn't impeaching him. They just laugh at criticism. They'll blame Biden and move along.
My Eagles may find this haunts them in the NFC championship game, where the Pack is likely to arrive and be a bigger force, but getting him out of the NFC East...yeah baby. Cowboys won't ever win anything with Jerry Jones in charge. I hear he's taking the long plan to winning, though. 🤣
A sucker born every minute..
Purely invented controversy. Good Lord.
Yep, couldn't schedule at CVS in Philly. "Not available"
2/2 Around $21, 13.5% alcohol. #crete #greece #wine #liatiko
1/2 The 2016 Liatiko, a Cretan value from Douloufakis, is holding well, but this is a good time to dive in. Darker red fruits dominate. There is still some tannic pop, but it's more approachable these days. (It still needed some air.) Tight, focused & a bit earthy, it's a nice food wine. #wine
That is a poorly worded poll question which assumes the truth of Trump's allegation,thus putting the rabbit in the hat, but I have to say, 56% is nothing to write home about under the circumstances.That's not much of a margin. This "I'm just fighting crime thing" seems to be working to some extent.
Ha. That child looks a lot like me at that age. Even had a similar outfit
This is extremely aggressive. Under normal circumstances I would say they call in the American ambassador and expel that person. They may be afraid of provoking a reaction.
As of the time I quit a couple of years ago, prices seem to be rising pretty fast in the United States for a lot of familiar bottlings. I am a big fan of the Sigalas Kavalieros. 2015: $60. 2022: $119 It's not always that bad, but bargains are sure harder to find
I wrote about this periodically when I was reviewing Greek wines and it has been building for a while. (Years with weather problems sure haven't helped.) But there has been a catastrophe coming for a long time. #wine #greece
Yes, I really feel like the 2026 midterms will provide the solution to everything. 😬
A few months ago Chuck Schumer gave his explanation of what his strategy was and it was shockingly pathetic. He sort of thought it was going to work out by itself if they just stay the course and not panic. That's an oversimplification, but not far off. We are doomed.
Issues are maybe related, but a separate conversation. Much of the establishment has been acting like business as usual can fix the problem. They are not meeting the moment, and they seem lost in the current time, clumsy and outclassed in strategy and tactics.
Always right on the money, Mike Lukovich, captures the vibe perfectly.
That's a very appealing article, with some of my favorite fictional characters. In times gone by, drinking a lot more, just like smoking a lot more, was just the way things were.
😃
I like that a lot. It's infrared?
I would like to see a reporter ask Trump what a blockchain is and then pull out a key chain loop as a gift for him. "They're especially attractive in gunmetal!"
It's not like we have a deficit or debt that the GOP has been complaining about for years [decades]. What better use of resources?🙄
I follow Jane's definition of wine. It might be good competition for a Kir, though! Really, it's like they are asking to be smacked in the teeth for this. They're wearing a sign that says "kick me." Market as a a wine-based pumpkin delight for the fall.😁
Well made Riesling just ages so, so well... It is not much of a risk if well stored.
Alas...When there are lots of actions, but no consequences and no one willing to hold him accountable, there doesn't seem to be much of a difference as a practical matter.
Hello. I received no notice that you followed me. Which I suppose is fine in terms of following, but how do you follow me without a notification provided from Bluesky?
Absolutely hilarious headline
I think a lot of the maga types did. They have a view of the world that wouldn't always make sense in the 18th century let alone the 21st. It's a lot easier to create a racist theocracy if no one is looking.
One thing I can confidently say about Miller is that he is not exactly sane. Seriously, there is something fundamentally wrong with this guy. He needs help.
I was pretty sure it was going to go fast. For one thing, they don't want to give anyone a chance to regroup and fight back. For another they understand that midterms are coming. Plus, their agenda is so radical that they want to keep changing the subject so that you lose focus.
This is one of my favorite wines from Mendes (winery now bought up by the Symingtons). It doesn't have all that much skin contact, at least it didn't pre-acquisition. I haven't had one lately.
At this point, I think I am blocking 9 out of 10 people who follow me for one reason or another, but what was your reason for this one? I would have muted it until I saw what track record of posts developed.
On TikTok, a lot of people speculating that he doesn't look good for the near future. Some of them even have medical credentials. But it is all just speculation. And I don't know that I see improvement in our lives from JDV coming.
Seems completely inexplicable
Well, I for one am grateful! You just know the way this is going, between RFK and Trump, there's going to be a toilet paper shortage again. Now, we're going to have something we can use in an emergency.
Fully depressing, but pretty much what I've been saying and thinking.
He has breached so many barriers, destroyed so many norms, nothing shocks anymore. If we still had a functional country, he would be removed.
😄
The appellation system was a great marketing tool for wineries, but when you have a winery of the stature of Lafleur, there is probably little they still have to gain from it. And evidently, they think, restrictions to suffer. I wonder where the system goes if the famous wineries bow out.
And 500 word character limits. But having neither, that is like the worst of all possible worlds and it becomes such a hassle sometimes to create here. It takes so much extra time.
As Republicans do, he is now taking words used by Democrats in another context, this time Fox News. There, by the way, we actually saw email messages from Fox News to the White House giving advice on various political issues. All too obviously, anything Trump doesn't like is deemed misconduct.
And pretty much everybody is. 😜
They look so cool. Then, you cross your fingers and hope it's not 6 mpg. 😅 But they had the cool part down for sure.
Not everyone in Newson's position would show as much fight, but for sure the power he has also makes him the centerpiece vs. say, AOC,because he is the head of the largest state in the United States. It is large enough to be a powerful country on its own. He has resources.