@kaolis We were disappointed. Nothing wrong with the wine, we just prefer syrahs in a more new world style. Similarly with the lamb, we tend to favor New Zealand or Australian lamb where the flavor is more pronounced. Had to give Flannery a shot though.
@davirom@kaolis Interesting. I did find some of the Flannery lamb to be more mild than I prefer - I love the gamey nature of lamb. But the rack we had the other night was top notch. I guess there’s just a range of outcomes?
@davirom@kaolis@klezman
You made me look, grass fed lambs are more gamey and in Australia and New Zealand they feed on grass, American lambs are mostly grain fed so less gamey. I guess that’s why I like the flannerys or the ones I had on our last trip to Oregon.
A bunch of bourbon and a rye last night at a tasting. All good to excellent. Brands you haven’t heard of for the most part, but I suspect will be making a splash in the coming years.
A colleague told me that it was National Carbonara Day yesterday. I don’t care if he’s right, I’m taking it as a reason to make carbonara.
NV Bernard Lonclas Champagne Blanc de Blancs Grand Brut
Well, today we drank this in for 4 minutes 13 seconds in SE Missouri (a little over 4 hour drive to get there).
Venus also made an appearance.
I guess I’m officially an umbraphile.
@hscottk
2017 Our Wines Pinot Noir
second day on this and I’m liking it better.
Damn, just barely gonna make day three; gotta think notes…
[edit] $#!t, it is Wednesday isn’t it!
Went to a nearby friend’s house in Copley, OH to see the show. We made a party out of it!
Started out with a meat and cheese tray, plus avocado and olive stuffed eggs, alongside some beet juice infused eggs. Paired with a Harvest Moon sparkling Gewurz.
Unpictured grilled Brats went well with a Luna Merlot.
Also enjoyed a lemon parmesan pasta with roasted veggies and roasted butternut squash, paired with a Moonlight & Roses Rose from Provence.
Totality! Lucky to have mostly clear skies.
Finally, munched on a “cookie eclipse” tray with some Moon Mountain Port and Harvest Moon LHZ. Good times!
Wow! Ya know, it’s nice that I have a deep cellar. I’d hate to be one of those people who go to the grocery store and buy a 2022 whatever.
This baby gets 93 and 94 points on Cellartracker, and I only have (had) one.
@chipgreen@InFrom@rjquillin the thing that still is not 100% clear is whether this is purely a terminology change or if it’s more substantial than that. Everything I’ve read suggests it’s nomenclature but time will tell.
Sushi night, so I’m thinking sparkling. The wine fridge ejected the iron horse. I’m thinking that +1 won’t drink that so I open the Buty. Much to my surprise, she loves the IH. Glad I have 2 more bottles. And, btw, it is delicious, even at 12 y o.
@jmdavidson1@karenhynes 12 years old is definitely in the drinking window for Iron Horse! Yum!
I just got a bottle of this and some Russian Cuvee that I’m looking forward to cracking open.
Sushi night, so I’m thinking sparkling. The wine fridge ejected the iron horse. I’m thinking that +1 won’t drink that so I open the Buty. Much to my surprise, she loves the I H. Glad I have 2 more bottles. And, btw, it is delicious, even at 12 y o.
@karenhynes An IH kinda evening it seems. Wonder what I can scare up, but dunno what supper is yet
2017 Iron Horse Vineyards Chardonnay Two Clones it is
@klezman There will be a learning curve. Before the steel we used a baking stone but the steel retains heat much better. With the steel on the floor of the (gas) oven and the pizza directly on the steel, we put the stone on a rack above the steel to simulate a smaller oven space and reflect heat to the top of the pizza, to cook it (we hoped) at a rate close to what the bottom was getting. It didn’t quite work, the bottom charred much faster than the top. Next time we may try a couple of things, like a lower oven temp (575F this time), less preheat time, and/or moving the stone to a rack closer to the pizza. They cooked in 5 minutes.
@davirom I’ve never tried it that way. I actually do the opposite - I don’t use a stone at the top (but I’ve thought about it) but to make the smaller oven I put the steel close to the top of the oven. Cooks pretty well and I’ve never had a burnt bottom. Oven only goes to 550. Takes about 10 minutes.
@kaolis@klezman
fwiw I have never been a big fan, I don’t know they are always low alc (this bottle was 12.9) and never over extracted, at least the bottles I have tried. Maybe I just don’t like the vineyards fruit they use? I have had a couple of excellent chards they make. Who knows but can’t like everything
@kaolis@ScottW58 the ones I’ve tried have been rather bitter. Maybe too much stem or extra char on the barrels? Shrug. Agreed you can’t like everything.
2021 Sandlands Cinsault Lodi. Not on the label but it’s Bechtold vineyard. That is probably the thing that most confuses me about Tegan’s labels since most everything is single vineyard.
2017 Iron Horse Chardonnay, heritage clone. Stylistically right down the middle, it was a great accompaniment to a beautiful, warm spring day in the northeast.
@chefjess far sweeter than we expected based on the 2014. But classic and delicious. Needs more time to develop the secondary notes I love in Riesling.
@klezman@rjquillin@ScottW58 SOUSVIDE20 coupon code for $20 off, but you have to have $150 in your cart. Site says free ship over $248, but I’ve put $150 in my cart, used the coupon for the $20 off and the ship has been free…
@rjquillin Yum… so what say you? I’m down to a bottle or so of a case. Based on my last couple, I drank them too soon. But at that price point it’s kind of what I do.
@karenhynes@klezman@ScottW58 Marcassin delish, still evolving in a very nice way. Lots of haters out there but I’m a fan. SQN obviously a baby and I know there is word on the street these don’t change much over time, but trust me, it needs some time.
Lipitor, Viagra…you say tomato, I say tomahto
@TimothyB Nice stuff! I’ve got a few from that vintage hanging around seeing as how it’s a birth year wine in our house.
Hope you guys are doing well…it’s been too long since we’ve seen you!
Just had a bottle of the Martino Vina Violeta Malbec. First bottle. On Pop-N-Pour it was unremarkable. I was worried that I had bought a dud. However, the second evening it was much better. I’d even say it was good. Very pleased. So, if you pop one of these babies, let it breathe for a good long while.
A little late on this – last week Friend of Casemates @tercerowines had a San Diego winemaker dinner! All fantastic food, fantastic wines, and a great time! Poured was:
2021 tercero “The Outlier” Carrari Vineyard Gewurztraminer
2022 tercero Santa Barbara County Nouveau Mourvedre
2021 tercero Kessler-Haak Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir
2021 tercero Curtis Vineyard Cabernet Franc
2014 tercero Santa Barbara County Mourvedre
Thank you so much for attending the dinner and introducing yourselves! It was a pleasure spending time with you and your wife and I’m glad you enjoyed the wines! Please keep in touch!
@radiolysis@rjquillin@tercerowines Ron, you could also come up here for the event Larry is doing on the west side in May. molarchae has another thing that night, at least theoretically, but I’m hoping to go. I drive by the restaurant it’s at all the time.
Speaking of Tercero, we had some 2017 Verbiage Blanc before our Seder last night and for the first required glass of wine. Then we moved on to a 2006 Wellington Mohrhart Ridge Cabernet to go with the prime rib.
@tercerowines I enjoyed it. Nice complexity and balance, as you always provide. I’d bet it’s got plenty of ability to age, too. Got about 60% remaining now. Didn’t take significant notes since I was doing about 5 other things simultaneously - but even if I did, I don’t think I’ve ever had a CdP Blanc to compare it to!
@InFrom
It was an early birthday dinner for a good friend. We actually did a double blind tasting as a fun experiment to see which wine we each liked best, and to see if we could guess which was which.
Both wines were great of course, but we agreed we liked the Victory better and we were successful in identifying them. This experiment was MUCH easier than the time when we attempted to identify the six bottles pictured below.
Didn’t quite nail it, didn’t render/trim enough fat what with it being rolled… another chunk of pork belly secreto…stuffed with prosciutto, oven dried maters, pine nuts, provolone
@rjquillin I probably prefer AM, taste and particularly texture. Palmetto Farms is a quality product, Marsh Hen Mill I like too. AM can be fussy. The AM coarse grits, and other AM products, really do enjoy the overnight soak they suggest to bring out their best, of course you can do a shorter or no soak. Try the AM Pencil Cob grits, maybe a new fave.
With grilled cheese, tomato soup and potato chips. I don’t think it cracked 40° here yesterday. The wine was delicious, especially with additional air time.
@kaolis Fun stuff! How was the wine and the 05 east block from your previous dinner? I would ask about the Campo Grande but I know that shit is good got me a shoulder to smoke in the future
@ScottW58 Shoulder should be interesting for sure, a lot of meat for us here though…however more Campo Grande arrived today, had to try the tenderloins you just had, a St Louis rib rack, the Wagyu/Iberico blend and a couple of others…the East Block was absolutely outstanding. Did nothing but evolve and gather depth of flavor and finish over about 4 hours or so, from the winery on release. The Grand-Pontet also hitting on all cylinders tonight. Futures on release. Had one a bit ago that was kind of meh but this was lively and fresh and picked up momentum with time. I’m a few hours ahead of you and looking at the bottle and damn it looks empty!
@rjquillin
I think you should pull a meh red. It’s the only way you’ll be able to gauge where it is on your scale. I’ve only had a small taste but it seems to be a serviceable red blend “daily drinker”. Nothing exciting, nothing off-putting. Curious to know if others think it will improve with some age or it’s more of a “drink now”.
Well, well, look what found its way out of the cabinet after a decade or so! (A Cabernet from the cabinet! ) Drinking remarkably well. Lurking behind is last night’s bottle, a 2012 from this year’s BD.
Really enjoyed it, and I was surprised to learn that there was a connection, in spirit and in sourcing, between her Bourriquot and the one that Havens made. So interesting, and so wild that both wineries met their ends so abruptly, due to factors beyond the winemakers’ control, and despite being held in high regard.
@klezman Nothing as biblical as what Emily went through, but my recollection is something like there were investors and the money dried up in the financial crisis, forcing him to close the winery.
@kaolis
I have found the mountain wines from 2011 to be aging just fine. That doesn’t make them '12s or '13s but does allow me to pick and choose which is good since I am still working my way through even older vintages! I only have 1 Marcassin Pinot and it’s a 2010. A “special occasion” wine for me, any drinking window advice?
@chipgreen@kaolis I find the 2011s to generally be great. Especially since it returned to a more classic style. If you prefer wines heavy on fruit, though, probably not your vintage. The really marginal spots, though, may not have gotten quite ripe. Shrug. I’m loving that vintage for Zin.
@chipgreen Ok, my usual useless advice. Drink or hold as they say
I’ve had a few with a few left of the 2010’s but last bottle was a couple of years ago. I’m not a notetaker but my two cents is it would be enjoyable now but no hurry to get at it.
Lunche today…ok too many pics and wrong forum maybe but I added a beverage so that should count…so maybe y’all have done this, but cheater pastrami. And it’s really good. Bought a chunk of corned beef from Walmart, soaked overnight to draw out some salt, dry rub, in the smoker yesterday to 165F, out of the smoker and steamed to 200F.
Caldillo Duranguense or Durango beef and vegetable stew. Pic is from the cookbook cause the dish was destroyed before pics and maybe the best daily drinkers I ever had!
2015 Chappellet Signature Cab.
Somebody said that it’s the perfect middle of the road California Cabernet, with a decent QPR.
I, however, have not been buying them the past few years…they are getting, what I would consider, pricey.
Yes we are…
@Mark_L
Oops, Ron and I are usually pretty good about starting a new thread.
Happy Wednesday!
@kawichris650
Now that is a pour worthy of a serious evening of Welly.
@kawichris650 @rjquillin
That looks like a Mega Pint. Cheers!
@jmdavidson1 I’ve a smattering from that producer, tasty
2013 Woot Cellars The Pouracle - Still holding well
Last Word
2013 Sandler Syrah with Flannery lamb tenderloin.
@davirom I might have one of those still hiding somewhere, how was it?
@kaolis We were disappointed. Nothing wrong with the wine, we just prefer syrahs in a more new world style. Similarly with the lamb, we tend to favor New Zealand or Australian lamb where the flavor is more pronounced. Had to give Flannery a shot though.
@davirom @kaolis Interesting. I did find some of the Flannery lamb to be more mild than I prefer - I love the gamey nature of lamb. But the rack we had the other night was top notch. I guess there’s just a range of outcomes?
@davirom @kaolis @klezman
You made me look, grass fed lambs are more gamey and in Australia and New Zealand they feed on grass, American lambs are mostly grain fed so less gamey. I guess that’s why I like the flannerys or the ones I had on our last trip to Oregon.
A few really great bottles while entertaining family over the week.
@ScottW58 Is that Manfred’s kids? I vaguely recall something about that…but more importantly, how was it?
@klezman
Call them what you will but Manfred and son make delicious wines, so yes is the answer to your question
@klezman @ScottW58 Nice lineup, might have to pull a Manfred wine out while it’s still red wine season
K&L had these on sale, so now I can afford to pop one young! 2019 Once + Future Wines Zinfandel Old Hill with Flannery lamb rack.
@karenhynes Brought the same bottle of barbera to Momma Onestas tonight.
2011 Wellington Zinfandel - Estate Vineyard - VERY good, as we all know!
With Meatloaf.
Aged hangers with a UC bankruptcy clearance
2017 Provenance Vineyards Deadeye
A really great bottles 94 Whitehall lane cab with Guisados tacos.
Sooooo I hear it’s April???
Finished up '21 Stars & Dust Young Vines chard, me likes
A bunch of bourbon and a rye last night at a tasting. All good to excellent. Brands you haven’t heard of for the most part, but I suspect will be making a splash in the coming years.
@klezman K&L tasting?
A colleague told me that it was National Carbonara Day yesterday. I don’t care if he’s right, I’m taking it as a reason to make carbonara.
NV Bernard Lonclas Champagne Blanc de Blancs Grand Brut
@CorTot
Slick
pork chops au poivre and some nice bubbles. Green stuff not pictured
Well, today we drank this in for 4 minutes 13 seconds in SE Missouri (a little over 4 hour drive to get there).
Venus also made an appearance.
I guess I’m officially an umbraphile.
Cleaning out the cellar - 2012 woot cellars Pinkie Swear - still holding up well!
@hscottk
2017 Our Wines Pinot Noir
second day on this and I’m liking it better.
Damn, just barely gonna make day three; gotta think notes…
[edit] $#!t, it is Wednesday isn’t it!
Went to a nearby friend’s house in Copley, OH to see the show. We made a party out of it!
Started out with a meat and cheese tray, plus avocado and olive stuffed eggs, alongside some beet juice infused eggs. Paired with a Harvest Moon sparkling Gewurz.
Unpictured grilled Brats went well with a Luna Merlot.
Also enjoyed a lemon parmesan pasta with roasted veggies and roasted butternut squash, paired with a Moonlight & Roses Rose from Provence.
Totality! Lucky to have mostly clear skies.
Finally, munched on a “cookie eclipse” tray with some Moon Mountain Port and Harvest Moon LHZ. Good times!
@chipgreen Excellent choice of appropriately named wines! (I just did a search and found a number of wines with “eclipse” in the names.)
@Mark_L
Sadly, nothing “Eclipse” in my cellar but several moon related labels!
@chipgreen nice job!
Wow! Ya know, it’s nice that I have a deep cellar. I’d hate to be one of those people who go to the grocery store and buy a 2022 whatever.
This baby gets 93 and 94 points on Cellartracker, and I only have (had) one.
Small+tall PN. corked. Oh well, we’ll have to try another one soon.
Shredded beef enchiladas and a rose.
No wine tonight. Making Sichuan noodles.
“International Chip” will report in shortly…
@chipgreen tardy rat…
@rjquillin
I was posting a rant on the Cellar Tracker site about the new subscription model while waiting for the churn. No way am I paying $500!
@chipgreen @rjquillin did I miss them making something mandatory? What I’ve seen so far wasn’t troubling.
@klezman @rjquillin
Apparently they will still accept whatever you pay (Eric replied to my post). I was not knowing.
@chipgreen @klezman @rjquillin They’ll accept payments at your preferred amount, but you won’t have access to all the features.
@chipgreen @klezman @rjquillin Per Eric’s reply this morning.
@chipgreen It was a very polite rant.
@chipgreen @InFrom @rjquillin the thing that still is not 100% clear is whether this is purely a terminology change or if it’s more substantial than that. Everything I’ve read suggests it’s nomenclature but time will tell.
@jmdavidson1
Nice! Two bottle Friday night!
I approve!
@jmdavidson1 @karenhynes 12 years old is definitely in the drinking window for Iron Horse! Yum!
I just got a bottle of this and some Russian Cuvee that I’m looking forward to cracking open.
@jmdavidson1
I approve it twice!!
Only one bottle for me tonight. It smells amazing!
@karenhynes been liking those as well.
Just received a '16, '17, '18 vertical delivery.
@karenhynes An IH kinda evening it seems. Wonder what I can scare up, but dunno what supper is yet
2017 Iron Horse Vineyards Chardonnay Two Clones it is
@karenhynes @jmdavidson1
Anson Mills Trentino flint corn soft polenta integrale, broccoli and chicken accompanied the IH. No pic, gone in a flash
@jmdavidson1 @rjquillin
I went with Tuscan bean and kale soup and some baked clams.
Got a midwest vs California Reserve Flannery showdown with a 1994 Winesmith Cab Franc
Trying out the baking steel for homemade pizza with a 2010 Virage red wine.
@davirom Great stuff!
@davirom What’d you think of the steel?
@klezman There will be a learning curve. Before the steel we used a baking stone but the steel retains heat much better. With the steel on the floor of the (gas) oven and the pizza directly on the steel, we put the stone on a rack above the steel to simulate a smaller oven space and reflect heat to the top of the pizza, to cook it (we hoped) at a rate close to what the bottom was getting. It didn’t quite work, the bottom charred much faster than the top. Next time we may try a couple of things, like a lower oven temp (575F this time), less preheat time, and/or moving the stone to a rack closer to the pizza. They cooked in 5 minutes.
@davirom I’ve never tried it that way. I actually do the opposite - I don’t use a stone at the top (but I’ve thought about it) but to make the smaller oven I put the steel close to the top of the oven. Cooks pretty well and I’ve never had a burnt bottom. Oven only goes to 550. Takes about 10 minutes.
Went to a restaurant with an old friend and did a study of different styles of winemaking
@ScottW58 Putting a '12 or '13 Marcassin Chard into service in the next few days I think. How was it?
@kaolis Really delicious! The Rhys not so much
@kaolis @ScottW58 the few times I’ve tried Rhys I also haven’t liked it that much. What do they do that’s so different?
@kaolis @klezman
fwiw I have never been a big fan, I don’t know they are always low alc (this bottle was 12.9) and never over extracted, at least the bottles I have tried. Maybe I just don’t like the vineyards fruit they use? I have had a couple of excellent chards they make. Who knows but can’t like everything
@kaolis @ScottW58 the ones I’ve tried have been rather bitter. Maybe too much stem or extra char on the barrels? Shrug. Agreed you can’t like everything.
2016 Meeker Cabernet Sauvignon Scharf Family Vineyard Dry Creek Valley
2021 Sandlands Cinsault Lodi. Not on the label but it’s Bechtold vineyard. That is probably the thing that most confuses me about Tegan’s labels since most everything is single vineyard.
Ok too many pics but it’s an interesting cut. Thought I had a Secreto, a shoulder cut, but it was a belly Secreto, from the underbelly.
@kaolis what’s that iridescent green/yellow dino looking thing in the background of the third pic?
Ahhh, looks tasty too…
2017 Iron Horse Chardonnay, heritage clone. Stylistically right down the middle, it was a great accompaniment to a beautiful, warm spring day in the northeast.
Made a chow fun type of stir fry. Yum.
@klezman
How was the Zilliken? I had a 2010 Auslese recently that was fantastic!
@chefjess far sweeter than we expected based on the 2014. But classic and delicious. Needs more time to develop the secondary notes I love in Riesling.
Just fine with takeout tilefish, lardon sweet corn risotto
2013 Meeker Syrah, Dry Creek Valley
2021 Zeppelin “Constructo”
Campo grande in a Sherry garlic shallot thyme sauce. Stupid good! Green stuff not shown
@ScottW58 @kaolis
where do you two get the Campo grande?
@kaolis @rjquillin
Eatcampogrande. Com
@kaolis @rjquillin @ScottW58 they ever have sales?
@klezman @rjquillin @ScottW58 Kind of not really, mainly on higher priced offerings. At least that’s been my observation.
@ScottW58 sauce looks and sounds great!
@kaolis
It was oh and had some soaked raisins to balance out the sherry. A Spanish sauce so I read.
@klezman @rjquillin @ScottW58 SOUSVIDE20 coupon code for $20 off, but you have to have $150 in your cart. Site says free ship over $248, but I’ve put $150 in my cart, used the coupon for the $20 off and the ship has been free…
@kaolis @klezman @ScottW58
on the eatcampogrande site?
@kaolis @rjquillin @ScottW58 thanks! Finally time to try it after Passover
Well, I had the '19 first, followed by the '17, so, time for the '18; with salmon and some fine yellow polenta and greens to keep the girls happy
@rjquillin Yum… so what say you? I’m down to a bottle or so of a case. Based on my last couple, I drank them too soon. But at that price point it’s kind of what I do.
@kaolis Still too early to tell with the '18, but the '17 is tops at this point.
@rjquillin agree ‘17 in a good spot
'12 Marcassin, '21 Distenta III Syrah
@kaolis
oh yeah how were the wines?
Holy shit is that a big hunk of foie on that steak! Living large, makes me want to pop a Viagra or 2
@kaolis @ScottW58 I had the same question about the foie gras.
But did you mean Lipitor and not Viagra?
@kaolis @klezman @ScottW58
He’s very excited about the foie gras!
@kaolis @karenhynes @klezman
Pretty sure you don’t need Viagra with that dish!
@karenhynes @klezman @ScottW58 Marcassin delish, still evolving in a very nice way. Lots of haters out there but I’m a fan. SQN obviously a baby and I know there is word on the street these don’t change much over time, but trust me, it needs some time.
Lipitor, Viagra…you say tomato, I say tomahto
@kaolis @karenhynes @klezman
Haters gonna hate! I really enjoy them too.
@kaolis @karenhynes @ScottW58 never had Marcassin. Why do some dislike?
@kaolis @karenhynes @klezman
Having cult status and being very expensive and from California doesn’t help them
@kaolis @karenhynes @ScottW58 that’s why I’ve never tried. But that’s not hating at all!
Happy Wednesday!
Having this with shrimp scampi and linguine.
I decided to add some mussels for good measure.
Garlic, chili and cumin roast chicken or pollo AJocomino with Marsh Hen mill Carolina Rice green stuff not pictured of course.
@ScottW58 That chicken looks good, reminds I’m Rhone challenged.
Taste buds were getting a little weary, found the Bedrock on the list for $85
@kaolis and at only 2x community average; not bad.
Protein looks tasty too
@kaolis @rjquillin
Yup nice deal from a restaurant list.
@rjquillin @ScottW58 Another hunk of foie in the foreground, perhaps two more little blue pills? ha!
@kaolis @rjquillin @ScottW58 yeah, great find. How was it? I’ve got some aging but night be 2019 instead.
@klezman @rjquillin @ScottW58 It was good, it was happy with about an hour in a decanter
@jmdavidson1 rings a bell for some reason
@karenhynes almost went with an Amavi syrah tonight, but ended up with a Halcon
@CorTot concise weekly recap
2011 Halcón Vineyards Esquisto
Flannery Flanken style short ribs, Anson Mills yellow coarse grits with green stuff; kale, rainbow chard and dandelion greens
@rjquillin What is this kale thing ye speak of?
@kaolis When your Japanese wife has her sister visiting, green happens.
With salmon and T-bones.
Last night was dry aged rib steak and a 2008 Lagier Meredith Syrah. My first from her and it was excellent.
@klezman Was really tempted with her BD offer, but was case purchase only and I just have too much wine. Well, less than you guys, but still….
This wine is Merbill-approved
@TimothyB Nice stuff! I’ve got a few from that vintage hanging around seeing as how it’s a birth year wine in our house.
Hope you guys are doing well…it’s been too long since we’ve seen you!
@TimothyB
Hopefully it was more than just the two of you!
@rjquillin There is a very appropriate WC Fields quote that the internet does not know about…
Just had a bottle of the Martino Vina Violeta Malbec. First bottle. On Pop-N-Pour it was unremarkable. I was worried that I had bought a dud. However, the second evening it was much better. I’d even say it was good. Very pleased. So, if you pop one of these babies, let it breathe for a good long while.
Cheapie Italian, fresh pasta, not mine…whipped up a quick marinara and fennel sausage
A little late on this – last week Friend of Casemates @tercerowines had a San Diego winemaker dinner! All fantastic food, fantastic wines, and a great time! Poured was:
2021 tercero “The Outlier” Carrari Vineyard Gewurztraminer
2022 tercero Santa Barbara County Nouveau Mourvedre
2021 tercero Kessler-Haak Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir
2021 tercero Curtis Vineyard Cabernet Franc
2014 tercero Santa Barbara County Mourvedre
Thank you so much for attending the dinner and introducing yourselves! It was a pleasure spending time with you and your wife and I’m glad you enjoyed the wines! Please keep in touch!
@tercerowines @radiolysis
Yeah, this was on my go-to list as well, but out of town company ended that desire.
Nice pics and pours.
@radiolysis @rjquillin @tercerowines Ron, you could also come up here for the event Larry is doing on the west side in May. molarchae has another thing that night, at least theoretically, but I’m hoping to go. I drive by the restaurant it’s at all the time.
@klezman @radiolysis @rjquillin yep, trying to get out and about as much as possible!!!
I will be coming back down to SD in June - June 6th at Finca in North Park and then a winemaker dinner on June 8th at Vinya Wine Bar.
Speaking of Tercero, we had some 2017 Verbiage Blanc before our Seder last night and for the first required glass of wine. Then we moved on to a 2006 Wellington Mohrhart Ridge Cabernet to go with the prime rib.
@klezman how was that 2017? I had a bottle a few weeks back and thought it was a singing version of a CdP blanc. Your thoughts?
@tercerowines I enjoyed it. Nice complexity and balance, as you always provide. I’d bet it’s got plenty of ability to age, too. Got about 60% remaining now. Didn’t take significant notes since I was doing about 5 other things simultaneously - but even if I did, I don’t think I’ve ever had a CdP Blanc to compare it to!
Happy Wednesday!
@kawichris650 Celebrating anything in particular, or just doubling up ala @karenhynes?
@InFrom @karenhynes @kawichris650
Nice pairing!
@InFrom
It was an early birthday dinner for a good friend. We actually did a double blind tasting as a fun experiment to see which wine we each liked best, and to see if we could guess which was which.
Both wines were great of course, but we agreed we liked the Victory better and we were successful in identifying them. This experiment was MUCH easier than the time when we attempted to identify the six bottles pictured below.
Burgers and Burgundy night
burger with a lot of Cotija cheese, guacamole, bacon and pickled jalapenos. Good God is this delicious!
@ScottW58 Good lookin’ burg(s)!
Didn’t quite nail it, didn’t render/trim enough fat what with it being rolled… another chunk of pork belly secreto…stuffed with prosciutto, oven dried maters, pine nuts, provolone
@kaolis Anson coarse white in the bg?
@rjquillin Palmetto Farms white was last night’s starch of choice
@kaolis How does that generally compare to the A-M?
@rjquillin I probably prefer AM, taste and particularly texture. Palmetto Farms is a quality product, Marsh Hen Mill I like too. AM can be fussy. The AM coarse grits, and other AM products, really do enjoy the overnight soak they suggest to bring out their best, of course you can do a shorter or no soak. Try the AM Pencil Cob grits, maybe a new fave.
With grilled cheese, tomato soup and potato chips. I don’t think it cracked 40° here yesterday. The wine was delicious, especially with additional air time.
@chipgreen Brrr…soup and sammie weather!
Walmart beef filet, baked starch, fresh picked leafy green stuff
@kaolis Fun stuff! How was the wine and the 05 east block from your previous dinner? I would ask about the Campo Grande but I know that shit is good
got me a shoulder to smoke in the future 
@ScottW58 Shoulder should be interesting for sure, a lot of meat for us here though…however more Campo Grande arrived today, had to try the tenderloins you just had, a St Louis rib rack, the Wagyu/Iberico blend and a couple of others…the East Block was absolutely outstanding. Did nothing but evolve and gather depth of flavor and finish over about 4 hours or so, from the winery on release. The Grand-Pontet also hitting on all cylinders tonight. Futures on release. Had one a bit ago that was kind of meh but this was lively and fresh and picked up momentum with time. I’m a few hours ahead of you and looking at the bottle and damn it looks empty!
A perfectly reasonable Thursday-at-lunch wine, right? (I’m a day behind, i know…)
@radiolysis
An exceptionally good Thursday lunch!
@karenhynes should I pull a meh cork?
Liking those North Block and Deer Gate IH bottles.
@rjquillin
I think you should pull a meh red. It’s the only way you’ll be able to gauge where it is on your scale. I’ve only had a small taste but it seems to be a serviceable red blend “daily drinker”. Nothing exciting, nothing off-putting. Curious to know if others think it will improve with some age or it’s more of a “drink now”.
Yes, the IH pinots are very enjoyable.
Well, well, look what found its way out of the cabinet after a decade or so! (A Cabernet from the cabinet!
) Drinking remarkably well. Lurking behind is last night’s bottle, a 2012 from this year’s BD.
@InFrom
And lurking behind that is a Pedroncelli
@InFrom next time a kabinett from the cabinet?
Those Bourriquots are excellent.
@klezman Of course, why didn’t I think of that!
Really enjoyed it, and I was surprised to learn that there was a connection, in spirit and in sourcing, between her Bourriquot and the one that Havens made. So interesting, and so wild that both wineries met their ends so abruptly, due to factors beyond the winemakers’ control, and despite being held in high regard.
@InFrom what happened with havens? I don’t remember there being a story.
@klezman Nothing as biblical as what Emily went through, but my recollection is something like there were investors and the money dried up in the financial crisis, forcing him to close the winery.
@InFrom that got Peter too. And Bell. Bummer.
Enjoying a 2020 Scott Harvey mountain selection Barbera. Figured I earned it after doing a bunch of yard work today.
'13 Victory; I needed an attitude adjustment, and this seems to be working
@rjquillin Grumpy gone?
OG N.289 2020 Muscadet. I don’t hate it enough to pour it down the drain but struggling to get through these
With Costco food court pizza.
Anybody know what Beau is doing these days?
@chipgreen
Don’t think he has made wine for a few years at least.
2017 Flying Goat Pinot Noir Rancho Santa Rosa Vineyard
CM type deal from Garagiste and it’s a winner for me.
'13 Welly and Flannery ribeye
@rjquillin Yum…those were just on sale, think I missed it though
@kaolis @rjquillin looks like a great spread!
Someone whispered in my ear to get at the '11 so threw a veal chop at it. Not an outstanding example but doing just fine in a difficult harvest.
@kaolis
I have found the mountain wines from 2011 to be aging just fine. That doesn’t make them '12s or '13s but does allow me to pick and choose which is good since I am still working my way through even older vintages! I only have 1 Marcassin Pinot and it’s a 2010. A “special occasion” wine for me, any drinking window advice?
@chipgreen @kaolis I find the 2011s to generally be great. Especially since it returned to a more classic style. If you prefer wines heavy on fruit, though, probably not your vintage. The really marginal spots, though, may not have gotten quite ripe. Shrug. I’m loving that vintage for Zin.
@chipgreen Ok, my usual useless advice. Drink or hold as they say
I’ve had a few with a few left of the 2010’s but last bottle was a couple of years ago. I’m not a notetaker but my two cents is it would be enjoyable now but no hurry to get at it.
Lunche today…ok too many pics and wrong forum maybe but I added a beverage so that should count…so maybe y’all have done this, but cheater pastrami. And it’s really good. Bought a chunk of corned beef from Walmart, soaked overnight to draw out some salt, dry rub, in the smoker yesterday to 165F, out of the smoker and steamed to 200F.
@kaolis
Nice! I bet Scott would approve of your meat-to-bread ratio.
@kaolis @kawichris650
Yes I approve! Oh man I’m trying this very very soon
@kaolis @kawichris650 @ScottW58 I’ve done cheater pastrami in my cheater smoker - definitely a winner.
@kaolis @kawichris650 @klezman
Nice! can’t wait
Caldillo Duranguense or Durango beef and vegetable stew. Pic is from the cookbook cause the dish was destroyed before pics
and maybe the best daily drinkers I ever had!
@ScottW58
Oh and I used the Morgan ranch waygu kabobs for the beef yum.
@ScottW58 Dang need to do that, never heard of it. And love them kabobs
@ScottW58 Six bottles of that CdR on the way. Getting a bit warm but one day transit
@kaolis It’s the Patti Jinich recipe, never knew Tomatillos and beef would do so well together?
@kaolis Uh-oh well I hope you like them as much as I do…did I forget to say ymmv
@ScottW58 Fills a small hole and for the price you’re off the hook no matter…
2015 Chappellet Signature Cab.
Somebody said that it’s the perfect middle of the road California Cabernet, with a decent QPR.
I, however, have not been buying them the past few years…they are getting, what I would consider, pricey.
Vino was Lot 267 De Negoce, tasty
@kaolis
Yum! That pie looks fantastic!