Samuli Pasanen

Bien de Altura wines made by Carmelo Peña are worth seeking out. Subtropical vineyards at 1100-1400 meters above sea level.

Feeling elevated.

Wines from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Arrived yesterday and I’m already quite impressed. Any recommendations for places to visit? I’ll be hopping around Grand Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarote for a few weeks.

Perks of doing a podcast episode on cult wines. Pignan is an insanely good wine and this 2010 was singing today. 😋

YouTube video by Jancis Robinson JANCIS ROBINSON Pinot Noir

These old Jancis Robinson documentaries are great fun.

youtu.be/9peUBwyJSwA?...

First aid kit.

And for some reason I find the Napa Chardonnay vs Burgundy much suitable comparison than Bordeaux vs Napa reds. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a Napa red that reminds me of Bordeaux. Maybe I haven’t tasted enough, but those two are so so different. Maybe some 100% new oak wines might be a like 🤷‍♂️

2024 I got to taste Montelena Cab 2013 and Chardonnay 2018. Cab was awesome, just the right age: good freshes and fruit still there and aging adding complexity and drinkability to it. Chardonnay was good, but one can find cheaper & better wines from southern burgundy IMO // Judgment of me 2024

I’ve lived pretty close to those guys for a long time! I don’t know the chateau, but will look it up! 🥸

Agreed!

Carrying wine casks over frozen Lake Erie (Ohio) in 1913. Every winter, workers carted huge wooden casks filled with wine in horse-drawn sleighs across a frozen Lake Erie from Kelleys Island Winery to Sandusky on the mainland. Today, only winery ruins are left.
www.atlasobscura.com/places/kelle...

I guess sweet Bordeaux is the opposite of trendy, but with little bit of age they are tasty. I got the Cerons for my niece as she just turned 18 and stunningly she liked it (or faked liking it very well). The Caillou was from a friend and happened to be from my birth year. 🎄 Merry Christmas!

Great minds drink the alike! 🍷🍾

wine | Bramaventu intro

So great! Will have a bottle I got from there in the xmas table. This was pretty cool project I found while there:

www.bramaventu.com/bramaventu

Banyuls was correct! This is from Templiers where they age the wines outside in barrels.

Correct!

Yes! Very near. 😎

Nope! But the vineyards do look a bit same as somewhere in Greece.

Quiz: where do they make & age wine like this?

We decided to go light with food and use party budget on decent bottles. No complaints!

My local wine bar in Finland had some gems for our company’s Christmas party. 😍

I’m writing a story about wine travel in France with trains and a bike. Went to Jurançon in October and just loved it. One of my favorite regions. This amphitheater vineyard was bonkersly sweet spot.

Played around with the drone a bit as well. This is Château Carsin, organic winery and vineyard. Did my first harvest here back in 2012.

Had the pleasure of drinking a bunch of Domaine de Villaine last night. Bangers. Pinots were great as well, but the whites really hit the right spots for me.

And of course I should have said Lopez de Heredia, not Tondonia.

Question: what winery / visit to a vineyard has made the biggest impression on you?

I can go first: Tondonia blew my mind even after many years in the wine business. Amazing place: a working piece of history. Just incredible.

Fun trip with fellow wine nerd @vsaarinen.bsky.social

Good thing I didn’t ask about the price when my friend opened it. But of course the name alone in this case will carry quite a bit of value.

This is a story worth reading, if you're into amazing wine stories.

Lost my Montelena virginity tonight in Loupiac. Napa as, I know it, is definately not my top regions, but this wine was very enjoyable and balanced. Still very youthful. Good Monday red.

Went to open doors weekend at Pessac-Leognan. Tasted some nice wines, but the newly renovated Chateau Olivier was just stunning. Beautiful place to visit if in Bordeaux area. Their wines are also good quality/price for the appellation. I’m a big fan of Pessac-Leognan whites.