NV Jaume Serra Cava Brut, Spain: Retail $15? Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Parellada. It was our first full day in Seoul and the hotel sent us a half-bottle of this Jaume Serra Cava. For me, this was my first trip to Korea, my wife’s parents’ birthplace, and I had been warned that wine in the country was both rare and, therefore, expensive. So when this cava showed up, I kind of expected it. I had also never really met a cava I liked. Not even close. As a self-proclaimed champagne snob, cava, for me, is a poor-man’s prosecco. I know that is pretentious, but did I mention the champagne-snob thing? Well, this is really not that bad. In fact, I might even like it. Tart, fruity, refreshing, and pretty close to dry, I was prepared for a lot worse here, which is why I found this particularly tasty? Very Good. 88 Points.
2024 360° Loire Sauvignon Blanc, Loire Valley, France: Retail $14. I was in Seoul for the first time and we were hanging out in the hotel lounge, where this was one of the available wines. It’s OK. Pale, with a ton of grapefruit and a touch of cat pee on the nose with a fairly subtle mouthfeel, somewhat in need of acidity, surprisingly. Like I said, it’s OK, maybe even a little better as I would likely stick with this at a wedding if the only other choice were Bud Light. Good. 86 Points.
2025 Casas del Toqui Chardonnay Contigo, Central Valley, Chile: Retail $11. Interesting nose, not off-putting, but interesting with some melon and even a bit of kiwi. The palate, however, is pretty close to regrettable. This is Chardonnay? Wow (and not in a good way). Just odd and well, regrettable. Maybe even a yuck. Ouch. Below Average. 75 Points. And that is being kind.
NV Devaux Champagne Cuvée D Brut, Champagne, France: Retail $65. 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay. Aged for at least 5 years on the lees. Founded by another widow, Claude-Joseph Devaux in 1843, Devaux is now one of the more respected cooperatives in Champagne, located in the Côte des Bar region. We were strolling around the Meyongdong neighborhood in Seoul, and I saw a couple of bottles of wine in a 7-11 and went in to explore. After minimal searching, I found this in the back for 54,000 Wan (under forty bucks). Yellow, almost golden in the glass, with oodles of yeastiness at the fore and plenty of golden apple to go along with it. The palate is tart, even quite tart, on the verge of too tart, but the yeastiness soon comes roaring in, firmly asserts itself, and dominates the proceedings through the finish. And that’s fine by me (and also suggests that this bottle had been on the shelf for a while). In a country where I had been told repeatedly that wine was really scarce and near-prohibitively expensive, this champagne would like a word. Excellent. 91 Points.
2023 Cascina Radice Piemonte Toto, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $10. Synthetic stopper. 70% Cortese, 30% Chardonnay. We were on the southern end of the Korean Peninsula, overlooking Haeundae Beach in Busan, South Korea. The hotel gave us not one, but three bottles of this wine for us to “enjoy” during our stay. And, well, it isn’t horrible (it is much better than what they are serving in the Marriott lounge, and it is not even close), and I might even “like” it. Quite pale in the glass with hints of tree fruit and maybe some citrus. Maybe. The palate is similar with rumors of some fruit, a quick shot of tartness (don’t blink), and a feeble try at a finish. I said I like it, and I guess I do, but when applying my litmus test (“Would I drink this or Bud Light at a wedding?) I do think I would choose this over crappy domestic beer. But just barely, we are talking within a whisker. From a malnourished cat. Good. 84 Points.
NV Devaux Champagne Blanc de Blancs, Champagne, France: ₩ 69,000 ($46USD). I was in Korea with the family and everyone had been telling me how expensive and rare “good wine” was in the country. Well, at a random 7-11 in the capital, I found a Deveaux Brut for just under forty bucks (₩56,000). And it was fabulous. So I went back for another bottle, and I found this BdB for about ten bucks more. So I went for it. Tons of lemon rind and yeastiness on the nose and quite tart, even extremely tart, on the palate right from the jump. With tons of that lemon zinginess and equal amounts of baked croissant. It is fairly austere, which isn’t bad in any way, but it could use some food, for sure. Still, it’s pretty darned fantastic. Excellent. 92 Points.
the drunken cyclist 