What did you drink last night?

I know Kahn's quite well, having lived for the last 19 years in Lafayette and shopping in Indy. Not my favorite store, but it does occasionally have some interesting wines. Was Jim the cheapskate or his partner?

Mark Lipton

"cshubs" skrev i melding news: snipped-for-privacy@news.giganews.com...

Had Chill Out, a BiB of Californian Shiraz. Good body, quite jammy, soft wine. Not bad for the price. The day before: Schloss Vollrads Riesling Trocken 2008. A pleasant, surprisingly dry wine with good minerality and acidity. Showed very well when warmed up some. Probably entry-level of their offering, but well made and I'll buy some more. The day before that: Pra Soave Classico superiore 2008. A test bottle to see if this was as good as reported. Quite. Good body, fruity and dry with obvious aromas of pear. Lingering aftertaste with a hint of bitterness. Less acidity than I normally seek, but it didn't matter much with this one. Reports said ageworthy up to 3 years - not sure about that. Have another bottle to let SWMBO test, then perhaps buy more.

:-) Anders

I opened a mag of 2004 Patz and Hall Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir. Really well made California PN. Lot's of cherry/red fruit notes with a distinctive minerality which reminded my of good Gevrey.

Hi Mark,

Jim is the cheapskate-- thus the ugly box store-- whereas his ex-partner, whose name I can't think of, wanted to stay higher end, both in stock and in the brick-n-mortar in Carmel.

I stayed because I needed the work and because I knew it was a great way to learn about wine (and beer and liquor). I still have many wines I got on discount while working there. The employee price for most bottles was cost + 10%, so not bad.

Btw, I meant to say that that 1869 bottle is Lafite, not Mouton.

I live about 5 mi from downtown. Moved here in 1994 to be an editor for Macmillan.

cliff

It was Jim. After the split, Joe opened the higher-end store in Carmel (Vine & Table).

When I 1st started working there in 2006, it was at the old original location. That was kinda cool. I was on staff for the move to the big, cold, impersonal giant metal box. I was laid off 1/09.

I haven't yet been to Vine & Table. One of the bigger attractions of that Carmel store was the food selection, actually -- good cheese selection and they had some fine olive oils, too. Most of my Indy purchases were actually made at Hamilton Beverage in Carmel before Rod sold out to UPL and it went to the bow-wows. I also had a friend who used to work part-time at the 21st Amendment on 86th, but he's no longer employed there, either. I liked the old Keystone Kahn's store, too. It was cramped and packed with wine, just like most of my favorite bookstores. Ah, for the days gone by...

Mark Lipton

• I have one bottle left of the 1970 Mouton (Chagall label) and a couple of the 1973s (Picasso). Not for sale.

Tonight I opened my last bottle of Ch. Larose-Trintaudon, Haut Medoc, Cru Bourgeois, v. 1978. Eating alone -- with some mixed nuts, a rather nameless Cheddar and a small fritatta. This 33-year-old Bordeaux is definitely over the hill (like me!)

Amber on the edges and almost burned, earthy and chewy, but a bit of fruit left -- drinkable.

The "Ernies San Francisco" price label says $6.90 which means I bought it in about 1982.

I still have one or two bottles each of about perhaps 200 bottles like this -- both Bordeaux and Burgundies. 1964 through 1986. Some Ridge Zins from 1968 - 1980. A few Napa and Sonoma Cabernets from the same periods.

Cheers! More later...

earle

"Freddy and Willy at the Gym" This is my wife's favorite. The winery was sold a few years back and for a couple of years we couldn't find it in the stores. It reappeared a year or so ago.

When you get around to opening them, I'm definitely interested to hear what old Ridge Zins are like. I've heard many times that Zin is best drunk within 10 years, but I've quite enjoyed some older ones.

Andrew.