So sorry, Walt... Never had a crust on me. We Cubans of a certain extraction

So sorry, Walt... Never had a crust on me. We Cubans of a certain extraction and persuasion have a thing for meticulous personal hygiene.

And I’m not saying that Mrs. Robinson has not put out her fair share of favorable assessments of wines I consider utterly impotable. But hey, at least that’s only part of the time. She does write wonderfully, which tends to soften my judgment a little (retired Comp Lit PhD type here), without the tacky repetitiveness of certain folks from Maryland. So, I’d still fight alongside her, as long as it’s a battle I believe worthy. Pavie, yes. Calvario? Hell no! I can fight a good fight, but never out of blind idolatry, believe me. And I will always question those who lead the charge (almost as hard as I question myself).

Oh, and I do believe some clarification is in order: My main objection to Mr. de Gregorio’s top wines is not related to their ";fruit"; component. As far as I can tell, my every note on those wines has had harshest comments for the drying, palate-lacerating levels of oak involved. Oh, well, and also the price.

Naturally, I would expect Mrs. Robinson to have swallowed some of the hype surrounding many of those costly Spanish New-wave concoctions I love to hate. If memory serves, her guide when she has toured Spain has been a certain portly gentleman of my acquaintance, a fine journalist who started his own winemaking concern not too long ago and whose writings often involve praise for precisely those wines. Know what I’m sayin’? Give Dante a guide who is passionate about the marketing of Hell and you’ll get a very rosy ";Inferno"; indeed...

Don’t believe da hype--it’s the sequel!

M.

M.