Smoke and Minerals
Speaking of the language of wine, here are two unusual words for you to swish around in your mouth. Like most wine words, their foundation may be based in other “languages,” but they’ve had no problem making the transition..
- Acolaust (n): A person who enjoys indulging in sensual pleasures; a sensualist. Have I met any acolausts in the Napa Valley? Only one or two…hundred! It’s hard to make wine if you don’t have an affection for texture. And taste. And touch.
- Afflatus (n): Inspiration, especially a divinely inspired creative impulse. The word comes from the Latin ‘afflare,’ which means ‘to breathe on.’ Ever had any wines that made you think of Heaven’s breath? Here are 2 divinely inspired wines with equally divine – ie, great bang for the buck - prices (in this gal’s opinion and in no particular order):
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- Boheme Wines 2004 Que Syrah Vineyard Syrah. A Syrah that tastes of smoke and minerals? Yes, please! $50/bottle does not a table-wine make, but for a great Syrah from a phenomenal vineyard – one of the coldest along the Sonoma Coast – it qualifies as a superior value for one of my favorite special occasion wines.
- Chateau Coufran, Haut-Medoc, 2003. Here we have a Merlot-based Bordeaux from the LEFT Bank that combines the lean, mineral-y quality I so love about Medoc and Haut-Medoc wines with the chewable, blackberry compote quality of Merlot. I do so love anomalies, especially when they cost less than $25. This wine’s getting increasingly hard to find, but I did find a few bottles left on BlackTie wines’ site.
Both wines make me think of bouquets of wild violets and just-sharpened pencils. That graphite quality certainly sends me over the moon (I have a thing for school supplies). BUT, it's the combo that makes these wines - for me - more than a passing crush. "Love?" Robert James Waller wrote in Slow Waltz for Georgia Ann. "I cannot analyze that. It is of a piece. Taken apart, it becomes something else, and the gull-like melody that is ours disappears."
Who's to judge what sings to our hearts?
Brooke
1 Comment
Reader Comments (1)
Those wines sound scrumptious. The prices look divine. :) Found anything equally inspiring widely available in the U.S. (read: available in Oklahoma) for less than $20? Just wondering....
Cindy