My last bottle of this vintage. Drinking very nicely - much better than the previous bottle I shared with friends 7-8 months ago which was slightly oxidized.
Hats off to the Tour-ists! Just had a 2013 Revelry and their blending skills have produced an excellent and age-worthy wine. Sure, Peter helped with the growing of the grapes, picking, pressing, fermentation, aging, bottling, labelling, blah, blah, blah. Well you all created a really great blend!
@woopdedoo
Glad you like it! I have been hoarding mine as others have said it needs an hours-long decant but sounds like it is entering its drinking window now.
There were 32 of us, so we split into 4 groups of 4 to start. 16 of us went into the lab and 16 waited in the tasting room. Each group came up with an initial blend, then 4 more groups of 4 went into the lab to tweak our blends into 4 final blends which we voted on. There was a tie between 2 of the blends, so we tasted again and voted on just those 2 to determine the winner.
Ironically, as part of the first set of 4 groups, our initial blend was almost identical to the winning blend but the group that was supposed to “tweak” our blend scrapped it altogether and started over. Their final blend was not one of the 2 that tied in the first vote.
@chipgreen@woopdedoo Yeah, we were in the first round also and had the same thing happen. I don’t recall our blend, but it was heavy on the PV, as all four of us liked it.
@FritzCat I’ve never really noticed it, but I typically spend so much time trying to convince my kids to eat the artichokes that I stop focusing on the wine.
@rjquillin week nights we do a hearty risotto as a main dish with chicken and veggies in it. Tonight’s was a side so we used Emirils 3 cheese risotto, pretty damn tasty.
@CorTot Interesting.
All the risotto recipes I’ve seen/used have the liquid added incrementally to the rice.
I like the dump and stir aspect.
Now, if only swmbo liked risotto as much as I do.
Saturday (before, during and after pulled pork sliders, mac n cheese and coleslaw):
2017 OTP Rosé
2010 The Crusher Big Orange Wilson Vineyard
2017 Nervi Conterno Gattinara Rosa
2007 Super Hero Wines InZINerator
2007 WineSmith Pinot Noir Penny Farthing
N.V. Vilarnau Cava Brut Rosado
2007 Hunt Country Vineyards Vignoles Late Harvest
Today with Easter Dinner (pork tenderloin with sauerkraut, redskin potatoes and mixed veggies):
2011 Hunt Country Vineyards Riesling Semi-Dry
@hscottk
Decent. Can’t complain for $7. There was something just a bit “off” on the palate, maybe some slight bitterness and/or salinity that seemed to interfere with the otherwise cherry/strawberry flavor profile. It wasn’t chilled as much as I would have liked, which may have played a role in my perception of it.
Drove down to Missouri (with an additional 6 cases of wine in tow, plus a lot of other stuff) and rewarded us (my wife and I) with a bottle of 2013 WineSmith Meritage (that was already at the house from a previous trip).
2015 Shafer TD-9, their Right Bank Bordeaux Blend.
Very good. Lots of flavor throughout the palate, long finish and great mouthfeel. The nose is good, but nothing really comes out of it, except perhaps some licorice that also shows up in the flavor. I am an over-extracted oak loving kinda guy, the sort that likes Caymus. This Shafer is less fruit-forward, although it is has lots of flavor, and I would consider it more restrained. Just finishing the dregs on the 3rd day, and it just keeps getting better. Decant!
But I’ve zero to kvetch about, especially tonight. Second half of 2011 Wellington Mohrhardt Ridge Cabernet with a mismatched 12 oz Flannery rib steak.
I don’t care if they’re mismatched if they’re always this tasty. Damn good stuff!
“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” 2013
Very good. A little acid for me, but I like my wine like my women. Good with food, and a fantastic nose.
@chipgreen
I have enjoyed all four that came in the pack last June (I think). If order again if they were to appear. I’ve not jumped on any of their whites since I don’t really drink much white.
Had a fabulous Marsanne/Roussane from Saint-Joseph with low country boil this weekend. A rich front with a beautiful mineral finish. I have a terribly hard time finding any kind of Roussane, and this was a great surprise.
@karenhynes@ScottW58
Heh, I edited out the corned beef comment since it didn’t match the pic but yeah, I have had corned beef between boxty at a local Irish pub.
@chipgreen@karenhynes@ScottW58 Boxty, we just had it last week in Dublin! Clearly I’ve been sheltered, I’m more about the potato latkes, not sure I knew about boxty. We saw it on a food/travel show on Netflix, before our trip.
@ScottW58 You totally got the rösti from berserkers, didn’t you? That guy cooks a lot of great looking stuff! Pastrami (or its lesser relative, corned beef) would be amazing with it…
And yes, @InFrom, there is a bit of a difference between latkes and rösti, but not a ton. Rösti are usually much larger than latkes, at least the ones I make!
@karenhynes I upload to imgur then just right click the image and copy image address. Then click the image thing in casemates and paste it in. Hit ok and post
Jana Old Vine Zinfandel 2006
Where the heck did that come from.
Still tasting fabulous. w/ Trader Joe’s Tamales
and some relatively spicy green salsa.
Nice to have a well-stocked wine cellar.
With grilled salmon, 2000 Arcadian Franchesca Pinot, easily the greatest california Pinot I have ever had the pleasure of drinking by a country mile! And a recent club release I don’t know how Joe dose it?
@ScottW58
That is some high praise! Great cork integrity, that surely helped and between that and the pristine appearance of the bottle/label, great provenance too (as you would expect from the winery itself).
@rc70 Very good. I, too, have 09’s and 10’s. Per CT, this one of the three was the most approachable, based on the drinking windows. A well-crafted wine worth the reasonable TSO price. Decanted for an hour, which helped.
@jmdavidson1 Now, that seems like in the middle of the supposed “dumb phase” of PS. How was it? I got a couple 2010’s (KR PS) I’m wondering when to drink.
@radiolysis@woopdedoo I’ve boxed up some cases of PS, Amarone and Sauternes to let it get old. I hope my strategy works. (OMG, just went and looked, and there’s other stuff in there as well; Mollydooker, Two Hands, Michael David high end stuff and some Cab…better get that stuff out of there!)
@FritzCat@radiolysis Had to give it a try - was rummaging around some of my as-yet-unboxed stuff and wondered how it was coming along. Not that it was a PS, but Boss Monster took a while to mellow out.
Enjoying a 2014 Praxis Merlot, from last month. Pretty bold up front and spicy. Medium tannins. Smooths right out at the end. I’m going to give it a few more months befor I try again.
@ScottW58 My wife and I enjoyed it very much. I felt like it was more old world than CA: full-bodied but without being tannin-rich, spicy and sharp in aroma.
The Casemates boards do seem to eschew the wines found on the shelf in most normal wine stores for $10. My WineSmiths, Wellingtons, Scott Harveys, Pedroncellis, et al, are in my cellar for special occasions. They are my precious jewels! I am very thankful for the Casemates discount on wines because it makes your amazing wines fit more into my very ordinary Joe salary. My palate is being refined by you guys, but my wallet has to be able to keep pace! Thanks for asking.
@ejrunion@ScottW58@Winedavid49 Glad you enjoyed it! That’s the point, after all.
There are some good wines at grocery stores, there’s also a lot of plonk. I like picking up some Dry Creek Vineyard Fume Blanc - it hits my style preference for that grape. I’ve also been lucky enough to find some Bell at my local Safeway/Vons.
@ejrunion@klezman@ScottW58@Winedavid49 I do find myself eschewing (thanks for the opportunity to use this word!) $10 wines on the shelf these days. I might get some varietal I’m curious about a couple times a year at Trader Joes, but usually for <$10.
My main cellar defender is 3L Trader Joe’s box wine, Chardonnay (sometimes Pinot Grigio or Sauv Blanc to mix it up) and Shiraz. Including tax, that’s like < $3.50 / bottle. Quality varies, but average is certainly better than $3.50/bottle level. The worst was a couple months ago where I thought, yeah, that’s down toward $3.50 / bottle, but it still wasn’t horrible. I’ve also had a couple Shiraz boxes where the quality was quite high.
@klezman@PatrickKarcher@ScottW58@Winedavid49 NY doesn’t allow wine sales in supermarkets, so we have to rely on liquor stores. While we have some amazing retailers, the CA collection of wines seems to be based upon the big wine conglomerates - those mass produced for type and interest. I saw a Pedroncelli once, and every time I ask about other wines I have seen on Casemates I get a quizzical look. Imagine my shock when my family camped in Lake Tahoe two years ago and got groceries at a Discount Grocery Store. We found Dry Creek Valley reds for $7, and some other gems for between 6 and 10. Needless to say, I am very envious of your selection and opportunity!
@ejrunion@klezman@PatrickKarcher
You have some amazing retailers in New York that don’t cater to the big box Cali wines. If you’re looking check out Chambers, Crush, Astor, Empire or even wine library to name a few.
2011 Jean Edwards cab 74/41 with prime NY strip. Tannins well integrated, oak in check, good fruit. It’s drinking well now, but I’m in no rush to crack my remaining bottle.
@ScottW58 Dang, when did they sell them? I’d have bought some more. Had a lovely 2016 Gigondas last Tuesday, it was great with the filet of Wicklow beef and the Comeragh Hill lamb (we were in Dublin, having a grand time).
Sorry the picture is so dark, the label says Domaine Burle “Les Fouilles”.
@InFrom
Very nice! They didn’t sell them again that I noticed but I was looking at what I bought from them on the site and on the right side they have a box that shows if they are still available, it was so I bought another 6
2017 Turley Cinsault, Bechtold Vineyard. One of my favourite finds of the tour last summer. The 2018 gets released in a month or so and I need to check whether it’s a stock up sort of wine.
2008 BV Georges de La Tour
Ron Says: “Deep & Rich” Distinctly different than the Shiraz (Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy) that Judy likes. Distinctive body and good fuityness. I like it much better than the shiraz. Mellowed with air. I like it too. Judy likes the Mollydooker much better. No accounting for tastes.
Well, since the Clue thread is broken and I had to dine tonight without the company of my virtual pals to entertain me in figuring out the next offer…I thought I’d introduce you to my “date” for the evening. Casemateys, meet Mr. April.
@InFrom This was a freaking delicious wine. Touch of Brett, lots of earth, deep fruit, and still shockingly youthful.
A lot of similarities, actually, to the 2005 La Lagune that Scott brought.
@chipgreen@karenhynes@rjquillin@Winedavid49 Just having both the recent Rose and the SB. Both excellent. The SB is, for me, the perfect blend of fruit and minerality. Happy I got a case.
@chipgreen@jmdavidson1
As of a couple of hours ago O’Hare reported 5.3 inches. Some of the north/northwest burbs reported over 8. It’s still snowing now (at least where I am in the city). I guess I should expect a messy drive in the morning. At least it should melt away pretty quickly.
Brought these to Easter dinner. All were tasty!
2014 Drouhin Oregon Roserock Pinot Noir
2013 Skylark Wine Company Grenache
2013 Wellington Vineyards Petit Verdot Sarlo Vineyard
@ScottW58 Mismarked benchmark bin sale item. Delicious. CS/Mer/PV. Not many wine blends like this come out of Italy. Still have an '06 and an '07 to drink=lucky me. A wine I’m sure you would have enjoyed.
@jmdavidson1
If you mean the food you’re correct just wanted to pull something with some light fruit tonight, sadly this thing is all wound up tight. All structure and not much fun
Time to try all the wines that have arrived the last couple months! Really nice with some Flannery rib eyes. 2016 Domaine Saint Préfert Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Auguste Favier
@chipgreen@ScottW58 Yeah, I looked at the alc when we were halfway through the bottle and I found myself noticing the alcohol. That doesn’t usually happen. 32.6 proof!
At the end of it, I thought the wine aged well, but it was a little more alcoholic than I wanted after all was said and done. But it wasn’t overdone, wasn’t a fruit bomb, and had nice acidity and structure.
@rjquillin That’s been my experience with this wine. I blasted through a few way too quickly, as it turned out, but the wine has come around brilliantly.
2013 Long Point Zinfandel (regular, not Reserve)
Again, I’ve gotta plug Long Point. The ONLY great Finger Lakes Reds. This Zin is fabulous @15.8%. Tastes like a Port. Wow!
“Given” to me by the owner of my favorite wine store: Vinomania in Syracuse NY.
@Winedavid49 But there were bottles of Duke included in some mixed cases.
For what Peter sold Duke for, I can see how it could have been difficult to turn a $ on it as a stand-alone offer.
@rjquillin Hardly a reasonable comparison. This was never hinting at being not good. Just young. It’s pretty tasty, and I’m not sure it’s built to age long term but it’s good now and will get better for a few more years I’m sure.
@chipgreen@rc70@ScottW58 I saw them in the early 70s, in my mind’s eye it’s in the student center at college, but perhaps that’s the wrong location. I tried searching on the names of the band and the school, but closest hit I got was for a professor named Ian Anderson. Close, but no cigar.
Hats off to the Tour-ists! Just had a 2013 Revelry and their blending skills have produced an excellent and age-worthy wine. Sure, Peter helped with the growing of the grapes, picking, pressing, fermentation, aging, bottling, labelling, blah, blah, blah. Well you all created a really great blend!
@woopdedoo
Glad you like it! I have been hoarding mine as others have said it needs an hours-long decant but sounds like it is entering its drinking window now.
There were 32 of us, so we split into 4 groups of 4 to start. 16 of us went into the lab and 16 waited in the tasting room. Each group came up with an initial blend, then 4 more groups of 4 went into the lab to tweak our blends into 4 final blends which we voted on. There was a tie between 2 of the blends, so we tasted again and voted on just those 2 to determine the winner.
Ironically, as part of the first set of 4 groups, our initial blend was almost identical to the winning blend but the group that was supposed to “tweak” our blend scrapped it altogether and started over. Their final blend was not one of the 2 that tied in the first vote.
Winning blend vs. our initial blend:
50%Cab Sauv, 16%Merlot, 15%Cab Franc, 12%Malbec, 7%Petit Verdot.
50%Cab Sauv, 15%Merlot, 15%Cab Franc, 15%Malbec, 5%Petit Verdot.
@chipgreen @woopdedoo Yeah, we were in the first round also and had the same thing happen. I don’t recall our blend, but it was heavy on the PV, as all four of us liked it.
2013 Campesino Alina with grilled Mediterranean sea bass, grilled zucchini and oven roasted potatoes.
2011 Wellington Mohrhardt Ridge Cabernet
Yum
Popped one of the Leoni farm zins tonight to try. Very surprised by how good it is, very layered. Glad I grabbed a case.
2015 st. Supery Cabernet napa valley with fillet mignon, artichokes and a cheesy risotto
@CorTot how is it? Wine house had a couple cases marked down to $25 or so.
@klezman I’d say it’s decent at $25. Under $20 an absolute buy.
@CorTot Do artichokes attenuate the flavor of red wine for anyone else?
@FritzCat I’ve never really noticed it, but I typically spend so much time trying to convince my kids to eat the artichokes that I stop focusing on the wine.
Gloria Ferrer blanc de noirs With a grilled rib chop, risotto and fresh bread.
@CorTot Make or buy risotto? What kind?
The GF sounds good too…
@rjquillin week nights we do a hearty risotto as a main dish with chicken and veggies in it. Tonight’s was a side so we used Emirils 3 cheese risotto, pretty damn tasty.
@CorTot Interesting.
All the risotto recipes I’ve seen/used have the liquid added incrementally to the rice.
I like the dump and stir aspect.
Now, if only swmbo liked risotto as much as I do.
@CorTot @rjquillin No need to do incremental additions. Just ask Kenji!
https://www.seriouseats.com/2011/10/the-food-lab-the-science-of-risotto.html
@CorTot @klezman @rjquillin Pressure cooker version is nice. Haven’t tried Kenji’s method.
Furthermore Wines Blanc de Noir with fried calamari.
2007 WineSmith Pinot Noir with chicken vesuvio.
@karenhynes
You predict poll questions too now?
@chipgreen
Saturday (before, during and after pulled pork sliders, mac n cheese and coleslaw):
2017 OTP Rosé
2010 The Crusher Big Orange Wilson Vineyard
2017 Nervi Conterno Gattinara Rosa
2007 Super Hero Wines InZINerator
2007 WineSmith Pinot Noir Penny Farthing
N.V. Vilarnau Cava Brut Rosado
2007 Hunt Country Vineyards Vignoles Late Harvest
Today with Easter Dinner (pork tenderloin with sauerkraut, redskin potatoes and mixed veggies):
2011 Hunt Country Vineyards Riesling Semi-Dry
@chipgreen thoughts on the OTP rosé?
@hscottk
Decent. Can’t complain for $7. There was something just a bit “off” on the palate, maybe some slight bitterness and/or salinity that seemed to interfere with the otherwise cherry/strawberry flavor profile. It wasn’t chilled as much as I would have liked, which may have played a role in my perception of it.
Two proper meals if you ask me
@chipgreen
@ScottW58
comfort food FTW
Second half of a 2010 Ridge Ponzo Zin
With molarchae not drinking right now I get to try everything on day 2!
Wife opened up a 2015 PWR Viognier The People’s Viognier Salem Ranch vineyard
@CorTot
Power to the People Right On!
Drove down to Missouri (with an additional 6 cases of wine in tow, plus a lot of other stuff) and rewarded us (my wife and I) with a bottle of 2013 WineSmith Meritage (that was already at the house from a previous trip).
2015 Shafer TD-9, their Right Bank Bordeaux Blend.
Very good. Lots of flavor throughout the palate, long finish and great mouthfeel. The nose is good, but nothing really comes out of it, except perhaps some licorice that also shows up in the flavor. I am an over-extracted oak loving kinda guy, the sort that likes Caymus. This Shafer is less fruit-forward, although it is has lots of flavor, and I would consider it more restrained. Just finishing the dregs on the 3rd day, and it just keeps getting better. Decant!
@ScottW58 No postings? All is well? Feudi di San Gregorio Irpinia Serpico 2003.
@jmdavidson1
I have been wondering as well…
@chipgreen @jmdavidson1
Still here just been drinking some baller wines that might offend Klez and RJQ so I didn’t post here
Anyways tonight made some chicken and waffles and what goes better with fried chicken that Champagne? and the remnants of a Kelley Fox Pinot…
@chipgreen @jmdavidson1
@chipgreen @jmdavidson1 @ScottW58 Offend? Ha! Jealous, well, maybe a little.
But I’ve zero to kvetch about, especially tonight. Second half of 2011 Wellington Mohrhardt Ridge Cabernet with a mismatched 12 oz Flannery rib steak.
I don’t care if they’re mismatched if they’re always this tasty. Damn good stuff!
@jmdavidson1 how was this JM?
@ScottW58 Delicious. Better than the 2001.
THe balance of the rat bottle from last night. Still tasty!
@CorTot nice!
“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” 2013
Very good. A little acid for me, but I like my wine like my women. Good with food, and a fantastic nose.
@FritzCat
I am finishing up my 2007. It’s only “mostly dead”!
@chipgreen
2016 Meadowcroft Pinot Noir, Carneros
@karenhynes
What do you think? I have come close to pushing the button on Meadowcroft a few times, both here and other sites but never quite did.
@chipgreen
I have enjoyed all four that came in the pack last June (I think). If order again if they were to appear. I’ve not jumped on any of their whites since I don’t really drink much white.
@karenhynes
Thanks, maybe next time they are up I’ll bite.
Did an older Burgundy that was very good!
1:
Had a fabulous Marsanne/Roussane from Saint-Joseph with low country boil this weekend. A rich front with a beautiful mineral finish. I have a terribly hard time finding any kind of Roussane, and this was a great surprise.
@erisire I remember very much enjoying the Roussanne when we visited Cass Winery in Paso Robles a few years ago.
Made a Rosti threw a runny fried egg on it with some Marie Sharps Habanero pepper sauce and I am very very happy!
@ScottW58
Had to google Rosti. Now I’m hungry!
@chipgreen @ScottW58
It’s delicious!
@karenhynes @ScottW58
Looks kinda like Boxty, which I love.
@chipgreen @karenhynes corned beef on it and a runny fried egg hmm
@karenhynes @ScottW58
Heh, I edited out the corned beef comment since it didn’t match the pic but yeah, I have had corned beef between boxty at a local Irish pub.
@karenhynes @ScottW58
Here we go!
@chipgreen @karenhynes yes!
@chipgreen @karenhynes @ScottW58 Boxty, we just had it last week in Dublin! Clearly I’ve been sheltered, I’m more about the potato latkes, not sure I knew about boxty. We saw it on a food/travel show on Netflix, before our trip.
That looks great, with the corned beef.
@ScottW58 You totally got the rösti from berserkers, didn’t you? That guy cooks a lot of great looking stuff! Pastrami (or its lesser relative, corned beef) would be amazing with it…
And yes, @InFrom, there is a bit of a difference between latkes and rösti, but not a ton. Rösti are usually much larger than latkes, at least the ones I make!
@InFrom @klezman
interesting how easy it is to miss post’s in this fourm.
Yes I did
With real bacon burgers and homemade mac and cheese! Hideous label IMHO but pretty good juice inside
Hey, @ScottW58, how do I post pics?
@karenhynes I upload to imgur then just right click the image and copy image address. Then click the image thing in casemates and paste it in. Hit ok and post
@ScottW58 Probably just the nerd in me, but I love the label - very Star Trek-y in the typeface department.
@klezman yeah a bit furturistic for me
@klezman @ScottW58
Looks like it jumped out of a video game.
@karenhynes @klezman
Haha exactly!
@karenhynes @ScottW58
Agreed! But I say that’s a feature not a bug.
@karenhynes @ScottW58
Or just upload the image directly to Casemates via the same button without loading to Imgur!
Jana Old Vine Zinfandel 2006
Where the heck did that come from.
Still tasting fabulous. w/ Trader Joe’s Tamales
and some relatively spicy green salsa.
Nice to have a well-stocked wine cellar.
2013 Betz Family Cuvee Frangin with grilled lamb chops, parm. potatoes and creamed spinach.
With grilled salmon, 2000 Arcadian Franchesca Pinot, easily the greatest california Pinot I have ever had the pleasure of drinking by a country mile! And a recent club release
I don’t know how Joe dose it?
@ScottW58
That is some high praise! Great cork integrity, that surely helped and between that and the pristine appearance of the bottle/label, great provenance too (as you would expect from the winery itself).
@chipgreen @ScottW58 Nice bottle!
Arcadian is great…too bad they didn’t participate in BD this year!
Tomorrow’s offering!
@hscottk look at this guy!
2016 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Barbera. Fresh from the FedEx delivery.
2007 Wellington Victory
@rc70
And…?
Wishing I had some mags of this.
@rjquillin Dark fruit,spices. For me this is in prime drinking time however no rush needed has long life left.
2008 Charles Woodson Twenty-four CS.
@jmdavidson1
How was it, I enjoyed my 08’s , have some 09&10 left.
@rc70 Very good. I, too, have 09’s and 10’s. Per CT, this one of the three was the most approachable, based on the drinking windows. A well-crafted wine worth the reasonable TSO price. Decanted for an hour, which helped.
2017 Pedroncelli Rosé of Zinfandel. Trying to boogie through this vintage so I have room for the 2018.
2007 Kent Rasmussen Esoterica PS Chavez Leeds Vyd.
@jmdavidson1 Now, that seems like in the middle of the supposed “dumb phase” of PS. How was it? I got a couple 2010’s (KR PS) I’m wondering when to drink.
@PatrickKarcher After an hour it drank very well. Fruit is muted, tannins soft. Or is it dormant? Not sure.
2005 EMH Black Cat CS
@jmdavidson1
How was this?
@ScottW58 Solid. In its drinking window.
Sunday night
2012 Joseph phelps Cabernet napa estate
2009 Wellington Cabernet mohrardt ridge
2011 Cowhorn Sentience Estate Grown Syrah
@jmdavidson1 Tell me that’s a VDDD wine…or making fun of them!
2001 Vina Otano Rioja Gran Reserva
Also drinking a Bonus Level 2014 PS - Wow, it can still use some bottle time.
@woopdedoo I’ve crammed my bottles wayyy back in the back. I’m hoping to wait for it to be 10 years old to pop the first.
@radiolysis @woopdedoo I’ve boxed up some cases of PS, Amarone and Sauternes to let it get old. I hope my strategy works. (OMG, just went and looked, and there’s other stuff in there as well; Mollydooker, Two Hands, Michael David high end stuff and some Cab…better get that stuff out of there!)
@FritzCat @radiolysis Had to give it a try - was rummaging around some of my as-yet-unboxed stuff and wondered how it was coming along. Not that it was a PS, but Boss Monster took a while to mellow out.
2014 Zepaltas Pinot noir risuena
NV Hidden Legend Pure Honey Mead. My first ever mead. Tasted like boozy honey?
Enjoying a 2014 Praxis Merlot, from last month. Pretty bold up front and spicy. Medium tannins. Smooths right out at the end. I’m going to give it a few more months befor I try again.
2012 Twisted Oak Viognier w/Chinese
Am a heretic if I say that I’m drinking a Mondavi Private Selection Meritage 2015?
@ejrunion Not sure why you would say that? how was it?
@ScottW58 My wife and I enjoyed it very much. I felt like it was more old world than CA: full-bodied but without being tannin-rich, spicy and sharp in aroma.
The Casemates boards do seem to eschew the wines found on the shelf in most normal wine stores for $10. My WineSmiths, Wellingtons, Scott Harveys, Pedroncellis, et al, are in my cellar for special occasions. They are my precious jewels! I am very thankful for the Casemates discount on wines because it makes your amazing wines fit more into my very ordinary Joe salary. My palate is being refined by you guys, but my wallet has to be able to keep pace! Thanks for asking.
@ejrunion @ScottW58 well put!
@ejrunion @ScottW58 @Winedavid49 Glad you enjoyed it! That’s the point, after all.
There are some good wines at grocery stores, there’s also a lot of plonk. I like picking up some Dry Creek Vineyard Fume Blanc - it hits my style preference for that grape. I’ve also been lucky enough to find some Bell at my local Safeway/Vons.
@ejrunion @klezman @ScottW58 @Winedavid49 I do find myself eschewing (thanks for the opportunity to use this word!) $10 wines on the shelf these days. I might get some varietal I’m curious about a couple times a year at Trader Joes, but usually for <$10.
My main cellar defender is 3L Trader Joe’s box wine, Chardonnay (sometimes Pinot Grigio or Sauv Blanc to mix it up) and Shiraz. Including tax, that’s like < $3.50 / bottle. Quality varies, but average is certainly better than $3.50/bottle level. The worst was a couple months ago where I thought, yeah, that’s down toward $3.50 / bottle, but it still wasn’t horrible. I’ve also had a couple Shiraz boxes where the quality was quite high.
@klezman @PatrickKarcher @ScottW58 @Winedavid49 NY doesn’t allow wine sales in supermarkets, so we have to rely on liquor stores. While we have some amazing retailers, the CA collection of wines seems to be based upon the big wine conglomerates - those mass produced for type and interest. I saw a Pedroncelli once, and every time I ask about other wines I have seen on Casemates I get a quizzical look. Imagine my shock when my family camped in Lake Tahoe two years ago and got groceries at a Discount Grocery Store. We found Dry Creek Valley reds for $7, and some other gems for between 6 and 10. Needless to say, I am very envious of your selection and opportunity!
@ejrunion @klezman @PatrickKarcher
You have some amazing retailers in New York that don’t cater to the big box Cali wines. If you’re looking check out Chambers, Crush, Astor, Empire or even wine library to name a few.
2013 Wellington Syrah Charlie walker
2016 Halcon Pinot Noir Bearwallow Vineyard
We had a few and they’re marked down at K&L to $25. We picked up two additional.
2014 Bonny Doon Gravitas
N.V. Vilarnau Cava Brut Rosado
90% Trepat, 10% Pinot Noir
100% Delicious
2011 Jean Edwards cab 74/41 with prime NY strip. Tannins well integrated, oak in check, good fruit. It’s drinking well now, but I’m in no rush to crack my remaining bottle.
2016 Red Newt/Kelby James Russell Cab Franc Rose
2004 Elyse Rutherford Petite Sirah
Noticed that TSO had more of these so time to pop another one with grilled Tri-tip and a bunch of leftover crap from this weekend
Love this wine!
@ScottW58 Dang, when did they sell them? I’d have bought some more. Had a lovely 2016 Gigondas last Tuesday, it was great with the filet of Wicklow beef and the Comeragh Hill lamb (we were in Dublin, having a grand time).
Sorry the picture is so dark, the label says Domaine Burle “Les Fouilles”.
@InFrom
Very nice! They didn’t sell them again that I noticed but I was looking at what I bought from them on the site and on the right side they have a box that shows if they are still available, it was so I bought another 6
This tri-tip and the warm weather are reminding me of the concert on the green…paging Cory
@ScottW58 Yeah, it’s too damn hot today! Back to normal tomorrow at least.
@klezman pretty sure today is the normal? Don’t be fooled by global cooling!
@ScottW58 yes, I need to figure that out.
2012 3 Wine Men Cab. Drinking great. Amazing how these wines hold up over time.
2017 Turley Cinsault, Bechtold Vineyard. One of my favourite finds of the tour last summer. The 2018 gets released in a month or so and I need to check whether it’s a stock up sort of wine.
Yes, I want a few bottles of this. Fresh, juicy, lower alcohol, and still with some depth and savouriness.
2017 Kelley Fox Ahurani Pinot that just came off the truck, like a laser beam of delicious on my palate
Lagunitas hop stoopid
2008 BV Georges de La Tour
Ron Says: “Deep & Rich” Distinctly different than the Shiraz (Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy) that Judy likes. Distinctive body and good fuityness. I like it much better than the shiraz. Mellowed with air. I like it too. Judy likes the Mollydooker much better. No accounting for tastes.
N.V. Campbells Muscat Rutherglen
2009 Eagles Trace Latitude 38, this is drinking wonderfully!
2010 Pedroncelli 3 Vineyards Cabernet
2015 Balletto Pinot Noir, RRV, with pesto linguine and shrimp.
…and a cannoli. Apparently Pinot goes really well with cannoli.
Well, since the Clue thread is broken and I had to dine tonight without the company of my virtual pals to entertain me in figuring out the next offer…I thought I’d introduce you to my “date” for the evening. Casemateys, meet Mr. April.
@karenhynes “A table with a view” takes on a whole new meaning…
@karenhynes
Gotta say i love it! although I would prefer miss April
@karenhynes @ScottW58
I’m with Scott on this one!
@chipgreen @ScottW58
Just trying to keep y’all entertained!
@karenhynes @ScottW58
It’s all good
2014 Chamisal “Monologue” Pinot Noir
Black & Tan (Guiness/Harp) w/fish fry, then…
2007 WineSmith Cabernet Franc
2014 Big Basin Vineyards GSM Rose
TJs Brut Rosé. Nothing super complex, but went well with sushi.
Gosset Champagne Brut Excellence
2005 Havens Black & Blue
@klezman Still holding up?
@InFrom It’s only 4pm here…I’ll find out in a few hours…
@InFrom This was a freaking delicious wine. Touch of Brett, lots of earth, deep fruit, and still shockingly youthful.
A lot of similarities, actually, to the 2005 La Lagune that Scott brought.
@InFrom @klezman
Agree really delicious and very happy to finally get to try that wine, thanks!
2012 Sanford Pinot Noir, La Rinconada Vineyard
2011 Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta
2012 Baker Lane Syrah Sonoma Coast
Flannery NY Strips and fixins
2009 Wellington Sonoma Valley Merlot
Cork fell apart.
Very good.
@FritzCat did you use an ah-so?
@Winedavid49 I did not…I don’t have one…Amazon to the rescue. Thanks for the suggestion.
@winedavid49
Could we get a clue in the “what are you (perhaps in the future) drinking tonight” thread here?
@rjquillin
Or just fix the Clue thread?
@chipgreen @rjquillin @winedavid49
…or start a new Clue thread?
@chipgreen @karenhynes @Winedavid49
Yeah, new thread would work as well; hopefully it won’t get killed off…
@chipgreen @karenhynes @rjquillin @Winedavid49 Just having both the recent Rose and the SB. Both excellent. The SB is, for me, the perfect blend of fruit and minerality. Happy I got a case.
@woopdedoo
The Alysian SB?
With a simple chicken salad. Should have brought this one over for Lea last night
2013 Dominio del Plata Ben Marco Malbec to go with grilled salmon (with a teriyaki sauce), Hawaiian rice and steamed snow peas.
@jmdavidson1
Snow peas. How appropriate for today.
@jmdavidson1 @karenhynes
We had flooding and tornado warnings here although supposed to get a “wintry mix” overnight.
@chipgreen @jmdavidson1
As of a couple of hours ago O’Hare reported 5.3 inches. Some of the north/northwest burbs reported over 8. It’s still snowing now (at least where I am in the city). I guess I should expect a messy drive in the morning. At least it should melt away pretty quickly.
@chipgreen @jmdavidson1 @karenhynes
Well I want to see a picture of a wine bottle chilling in the snow!
@ScottW58 If I knew how to post pix, like you, I would do it. (Technology challenged). BTW, the snow is already melted. Happy to see my lawn again.
2007 Beni di Batasiolo Vigneto Corda della Briccolina to go with Costco chicken, orecchiette in a mushroom/fontina/parm sauce and al dente broccoli.
With Chicken Adobo, both so good!
@ScottW58 I always wonder what to pair with adobo, the vinegary-ness of it.
2010 Ty Caton Cabernet Collection - Terraces
2010 Ty Caton Cabernet Collection - Little Hill
2008 Bugay Vyds CS Incline One-Five Rsv. Prime drinking window and a steal from the winery.
2010 Ridge Ponzo Vineyard Zin
Nice wine! with crack chicken
@ScottW58 Really hard to go wrong with a Cabot.
Even if it is an infant.
Indian creek '08 old vine red with Mexican food.
Warm day in SoCal
2016 Campesino Grenache Isa
Seder number 2!
2010 Iron Horse Classic Brut
2004 Esterlina Cole Ranch Riesling
2012 Pavi Dolcetto
2011 Carmel Cabernet Sauvignon, Upper Galilee
2014 Kendric Pinot Noir
NV Navarro Navarrouge
2010 Winesmith Cabernet Franc
2015 Scott Harvey Zin 1869
Brought these to Easter dinner. All were tasty!
2014 Drouhin Oregon Roserock Pinot Noir
2013 Skylark Wine Company Grenache
2013 Wellington Vineyards Petit Verdot Sarlo Vineyard
2007 La Massa Giorgio
@jmdavidson1
Nice! how was it?
@ScottW58 Mismarked benchmark bin sale item. Delicious. CS/Mer/PV. Not many wine blends like this come out of Italy. Still have an '06 and an '07 to drink=lucky me. A wine I’m sure you would have enjoyed.
With every leftover imaginable!
@ScottW58 Not a typical flavor profile for PN, would you say?
@jmdavidson1
just wanted to pull something with some light fruit tonight, sadly this thing is all wound up tight. All structure and not much fun 
If you mean the food you’re correct
2014 Cadaretta Syrah
2012 Baker Lane Syrah Estate Vineyard
2013 Scott Harvey Barbara Mtn Selection
@jmdavidson1 How is good old Barb?
@InFrom Almost as good as this barbera.
@jmdavidson1 I just brought one of those home from the office yesterday.
Fresh off the truck…well a month ago.
Last two nights was a Perrachon Beaujolais, Moulin-a-Vent Les Terres Roses. Solid. Rimmerman picks good Bojo options.
Time to try all the wines that have arrived the last couple months! Really nice with some Flannery rib eyes. 2016 Domaine Saint Préfert Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Auguste Favier
2011 Vellum CS
2017 Boscoe Grenache Blanc
1999 Turley Dogtown Zinfandel
@klezman
That reminds me, I need to drink that bottle of 1999 Wellington Zin in my cellar. How is the Turley holding up?
@chipgreen surprisingly fresh! Who says 16.3% wines don’t age?
@klezman
Wowza! That’s Swilly territory!
@chipgreen @klezman
Only people who just buy wine by the numbers.
@chipgreen @ScottW58 Yeah, I looked at the alc when we were halfway through the bottle and I found myself noticing the alcohol. That doesn’t usually happen. 32.6 proof!
At the end of it, I thought the wine aged well, but it was a little more alcoholic than I wanted after all was said and done. But it wasn’t overdone, wasn’t a fruit bomb, and had nice acidity and structure.
2013 Cornerstone Cellars Syrah, Grigsby Vineyard.
Totally different than the Baker Lane Cuvee from last night – this one is a bold syrah, nodoubtaboutit.
2010 Wellington Vineyards Syrah Estate Vineyard
2011 Vino Noceto Sangiovese Riserva
With PIZZA
Not all that great a bottle when picked up back in late '16.
The past few years have been very kind to it.
@rjquillin That’s been my experience with this wine. I blasted through a few way too quickly, as it turned out, but the wine has come around brilliantly.
@klezman @rjquillin i have at least a couple left.
Looking forward to trying one sometime soon.
@CorTot @klezman
@rjquillin don’t tell Scott!
@CorTot @rjquillin
It’s okay as I have no room to store Meh in my cellar
2014 Iron Horse Classic Vintage Brut
NV Gruet Sauvage
2014 Furthermore Pinot Noir, Graton Ridge, RRV
2016 Beaujolais-Villages Les Grandes Terres, Quentin Harel.
2012 Jeff Hill Pinot Noir
2013 windrun Pinot noir
2013 Long Point Zinfandel (regular, not Reserve)
Again, I’ve gotta plug Long Point. The ONLY great Finger Lakes Reds. This Zin is fabulous @15.8%. Tastes like a Port. Wow!
“Given” to me by the owner of my favorite wine store: Vinomania in Syracuse NY.
Casemates QPR. Even with $10 corkage, decent QPR. Very fruity.
2015 Woot Cellars Under the Mistletoe. To celebrate the dusting of snow we got last night and current temp of 32F. Still pretty tasty!
@catcoland Gotta love Chicago weather (or leave it!).
NV Momokawa Ruby Junmai Ginjo
@winedavid49
Another Brandini?
2009 Liquid Sky Cab Sauv
2013 Tercero Watch Hill Grenache
K&L has these on clearance for $22. Definite buy at that price.
2007 K-J Grand Reserve Cabernet - Sonoma
Meh, but I’m a fruit-forward kinda guy.
Sadly my last bottle
@ScottW58 I’m holding a few of those to see how they age. And since I liked the 2012 better than the 2013, the 12s are at the end of the line!
2014 Navarro Pinot Noir Method a l’ancienne unfiltered
2013 Marotti Campi Rosato Marche IGT
2014 Eagles Trace Pinot Noir Valhalla Vineyard
Duke
@rjquillin of all the wellington offers we’ve done over the years, we never did a Duke offer. at least not on it’s own.
@Winedavid49 But there were bottles of Duke included in some mixed cases.
For what Peter sold Duke for, I can see how it could have been difficult to turn a $ on it as a stand-alone offer.
2011 Hunt Country Vineyards Meritage
Let’s try this again…my girl Arianna
2012 Twisted Oak Syrah
2014 Acha Grenacha paired with baked cod over roasted fennel with a garlic/lemon aioli, oven roasted potatoes and couscous salad with arugula.
Trying to taste all the new arrivals, 2016 and boy is this good and will only get better imho. With Cuban beef in the slow cooker. Thanks Cory!
@ScottW58 you’re always welcome.
2008 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
2011 Cerbaiona Toscana Montepulciano with grilled lemon chicken, rigatoni in a vodka sauce and a caprese salad.
2013 Handal-Denier Zin
@klezman Is that coming around yet, like the Noceto '11 Sangio did?
@rjquillin Hardly a reasonable comparison. This was never hinting at being not good. Just young. It’s pretty tasty, and I’m not sure it’s built to age long term but it’s good now and will get better for a few more years I’m sure.
@klezman
Didn’t intend to imply that; just asking.
and, btw, it’s now May.
2013 I Veroni Chianti Rùfina Riserva
@klezman
How is this?
@ScottW58 Better on day 2 - was kind of rough yesterday. On the younger side, but tasty. More leathery than most.
2010 Chateau St. Jean CInq Cepages
2001 Ardente Grande Rsv CS Atlas Peak
@jmdavidson1 You may want to post in the newer thread…
Last night with so called Indian butter chicken, and the leftovers tonight.
@ScottW58 You, too, Buster, getouttahere. Last night was not part of April, neither was the night before.
I love that butter chicken.
@InFrom
Hey! I happen to like one thread for tasting notes! Once the month is over it drops out of site forever. And I dare to be different!
@InFrom @ScottW58
@chipgreen @InFrom
I love that song, thanks Chip!
@chipgreen @InFrom @ScottW58
Memories, I was a major Tull fan back in the early 70’s - high school days. Thank You!
@InFrom @rc70 @ScottW58
Saw them in concert 1978, lucked into 13th row center floor seats. Good stuff!
@chipgreen @InFrom @rc70
Nice! One of my major disappointments in life was never seeing them in concert…and pink Floyd
@chipgreen @rc70 @ScottW58 I saw them in the early 70s, in my mind’s eye it’s in the student center at college, but perhaps that’s the wrong location. I tried searching on the names of the band and the school, but closest hit I got was for a professor named Ian Anderson. Close, but no cigar.
With grilled salmon…
2014 Cowan cellars Pinot noir Anderson valley with a nice thick sous vide pork chop
@CorTot Wise guy!
@CorTot
I guess April is my month to start this thread.
You can’t April Fool me!
@mediocrebot Are we going to have this all month?
@InFrom @mediocrebot
Maybe we will be safe by May?
@chipgreen @CorTot
iftfy
@CorTot @rjquillin
I think what you mean is IFTFM
I was perfectly happy with it.
@chipgreen @rjquillin this is wonderful chaos!
2019 folks…
@rjquillin As crappy as that year was, little did we know how very crappy things could get.
Loved 2019
and yes I still have more Congruence a year later! Good work Cortot
@ScottW58 nice bottle!