@FritzCat:
Actually it’s almost 100% Wellington wine (+ 80 more bottles), I had to commandeer a closet to hold ‘Some’ of the cases purchased, been a great 2 years. I blew a years budget in 3 months when WineDavid helped Peter liquidate his inventory. He was our #1 followed closely by WineSmith, who was #2, but has moved up to #1, Hi RuthE
1998 Pedroncelli Morris Fay vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon with tenderloin in a (pedroncelli ) port reduction. Cork stained 3/4 , lots of sediment, plums , tobacco leaf, good acid, muted color with some bricking, medium body, still some tannin on the very long finish. Delicious
@chipgreen, @kawichris650, @RPM:
Well let’s start with this: as others have stated before; we know what we like and don’t mind paying for it. WE Love(ed) Wellington & WineSmith, arguably for different reasons, as well as many others along the way. (StillMan-anyone) We have never been educated in wine descriptors or the vocabulary to drill down to the wine Somalia dissertation of the grape. But we did stay at a Holiday Inn & were going to go on a RPM tour prior to CoVid -19, if that helps any.
Now to your question: We felt it was fully integrated and smooth, with some bricking evident, not passed it prime but showing its age well and it was very refined. I think @RPM said, he doesn’t open anything less then 20 years old. In contrast to Wellingtons ‘newer offers’, which was our experience to-date, surly a different wine, but still commands your attention. We pared it with a slow roasted Prime-prime rib, truly sublime!!
PS: From W00T 2009 to CaseMates we never felt comfortable asking to be Rats, just don’t have the ling-go, or the fancy rating cards / numbering system. We will leave that to the Expert Rat’ers!!
2017 WineSmith Sparkling Grenache Blanc De Noirs
Starting the festivities a bit early but since it’s just the three of us (me, myself, and I), who’s gonna tell??
Happy New Year to all of my Casemate friends!
May 2021 bring you health, happiness, peace, and prosperity!
Cheers!
Karen
Bringing out the big guns tonight - 2014 Corison Cab that we got on the old site Christmas day 2017. This will be the first of 6 bottles we got which we plan to open every 5 years starting tonight.
@hscottk It drank very well! I ended up decanting for about 2 hours given it’s so young. It paired nicely with all of our dishes including: Prime Rib Roast:
garlic rosemary butter, cabernet Jus; Potato Gratin
Pleasant Ridge Reserve, black truffles, chives;
Broccolini with roasted chestnuts, dried cherries, bacon, butter and Japanese Milk Bread Rolls.
It will be interesting to compare notes in 5 years to see the change in development!
@klezman@ScottHarveyWine@sosptuba I only had one bottle and I’ve been saving it for many years, maybe close to a decade. Figured a 2020 send-off was the right occasion, but sadly this bottle hadn’t held up. Still a small burst of bubbles on first pour but that dissipated quickly and it was flat. Still an ok flavour (sp?, ), but we ended up opening a different bottle for our toast. We probably just waited too long.
@kawichris650
It is in a great place, tannins have mellowed out , black fruit, long finish still has a youthful feel. Beautifully made wine with years left but if you’ve got em I’d start enjoying them!
@pjmartin@rjquillin at some point I’ll open a bottle and bawl at the same time… just found one of my 2006 Syrah Estate bottles hanging out with some of my old Mumms.
@CorTot Is that the 375 from the offer here? I did a 2015 (screwcap) vs 2014 (cork) and they were night and day with the 2014 quite a bit advanced, a little more than I thought it should. But I’ve gone back and had a couple more '14’s that seemed a little more in line with my expectations.
@CorTot@kaolis@radiolysis
And here I thought he just stepped up the vessel size in response to the times we’re living in.
btw – nice meeting your father, wish we’d have had more time to chat. He show you the pics of the assembly lab yet?
@kaolis@radiolysis@rjquillin yes, he text me the pictures. He was very impressed with the operation. He’s a chatty fella, thanks for letting him drop off the vino.
Last night, 2012 InZin 1.5L w/filet mignon, mashed potatoes, garlic bread and salad w/white French dressing. Out of a styrofoam cup.
A friend convinced us to try this new place his friend opened. They have a $29 special on Saturdays for filet and 2 sides and can bring your own wine because they don’t have a liquor license. I knew my friend preferred wine with a touch of sweetness, thus the InZin choice as I figured it had just enough sweetness to satisfy him and enough heft to be worthy of a filet, even though I am normally a “Slab and a Cab” guy.
Walked in and the place was tiny, with only 2 tables in front. More in the back, although I never got to see how many. Bright lights, with cheap tables, chairs and flooring. It had the feel of a fast food place or at best, a little greasy spoon diner.
Apparently my friend had left wine glasses there, so when the girl gave us styrofoam cups to drink from he asked for his wine glasses only to find out that the owner’s wife had taken them home!
At this point, I am seriously regretting our choice to come here but it turned out that the food was excellent. The filet was at least 2" thick and cooked to perfection. My wife got a chicken dish instead of the filet and with no corkage fee, we got out of there for $42 before tip - barely more than the $36 a waiter at another establishment tried to charge us for corkage alone a few nights earlier! What a strange dining experience…
2012 Ridge Syrah/Grenache Lytton Estate with a smoked short rib I picked up today. Costco Business Centres have everything! Except uncut bone-in USDA Prime rib.
Almost went for a Meeks Zin vertical with the 2010 after yesterday’s 2009, but changed direction a bit and went with a 2012 Wellington Estate Syrah. With cumin lamb, sauteed cabbage with pork, and pork xiao long bao. Like Klez, going with the “Chinese food on Christmas” sterotype, as we love doing every year. But what I’d really like is some of Scott’s rib roast.
Wine went well with the spicy cuisine. Cork was a mess, had to pour through a fine strainer. OTOH the cork on yesterday’s 2009 Zin was perfect. I think maybe Peter got a batch of lousy corks in the early teens, I often run into problems. (And here’s to having problems like that.)
@InFrom Irony is that after finally figuring out where to order from (i.e. whether to give this place one more chance) and what to order, they’re closed on xmas! So now I’m making a Thai red curry. We’ll get the Chinese food tomorrow or Sunday. Mostly because molarchae really wants Sichuan spicy wontons.
Day two on the 2010 St. Supéry Élu Meritage
and some slo-ox did it well.
So did the Flannery California Reserve Tenderloin Roast
Six hours @50 followed by about six minutes covered with grape seed oil to flash it off on a screaming hot grill.
I ~will~ be getting more of those next time they go on sale.
When @AndMo sent me the rat bottle for his offer, I took the opportunity to fill a case. Tonight I’m trying the 2017 Briceland Vineyards Rosé Pét Nat d’Orleans Ishi Pishi Ranch
Initial impression: this is wild!
@AndMo like no wine I’d smelled before. In as good way. Funk, Brett, red fruit, and just a great texture and acidity. Kind of like a sour beer but made with grapes. What was the blend on this one?
@klezman I think what seems like brett to you is smoke. This is mostly merlot. Not very ripe. Plus a hybrid grape called Jupiter, which is hard to pick out in all the complexity of this wine even when I know what it tastes like. It was an experiment to see is we could use smokey red grapes as a rose this way. The result of the test???
@AndMo@rjquillin The test was a rousing success in our books. We had it with a cheese and charcuterie plate and it held its own.
Smoky is also an apt description - I just picked brett because it reminded me so much of the character you get in sour beers, much of which I know is from Brettanomyces. Even though there are a bunch of things going on.
Plus, another grape I’ve never had before made its way in! Sweet!
2005 WineSmith Faux Chablis. Took delivery of 3 Marqués de Riscal Rioja today and had to make some adjustments in my controlled storage. Very much enjoyed it with our shrimp dinner. One more bottle left.
@ScottW58 Wine is very good, not a show stopper by any means, but more than adequate. This was a mag, had about 2/3 of a bottle left that went into a 750 and corked back up. Threw a duck breast at it Sunday night and last night was seared tuna and it was probably at it’s best last night. Need to check if I have any 750’s, if so will put in the pile to check in on. These drank quite nicely early on, obviously in a different stage now.
Two Jakes 2013 Aspect and it was amazing fruit.
First one I’ve tried since splitting (ended up with 4 ). So I went back and I read notes about open in 2022 so I might have been a bit early but it was really good. I’ll hold off on the others to see.
2010 La Dama Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Love me some Amarone. OK on Pop-n-Pour, but
expect much more as it sits.
If you haven’t had an Amarone, get one of the classics
like Masi (my favorite for consistency), Tommasi or Allegrini. You’ll fall in love…
I’ve got far north of 50 of 'em in my cellar.
@FritzCat@kawichris650 We’ve been playing around with other appassimento wines and have enjoyed them all. I was expecting them to be, if not “sweet”, at least off-dry, but i’ve had regularly vinified wines that have so much more RS than the ones we’ve been lucky to try. Thumbs up on Amarone!
@kawichris650@radiolysis I have found that I’ve enjoyed all of the wines made with the appassimento method because they are rich and generally have lots of fruit…often making them seem sweeter.
@FritzCat 2nd night, it settled down…less acid, less tannin, easier drinking. The graininess/chewiness turned into a more viscous/glycerine mouthfeel. Oddly, it looked more opaque too. No discernible sediment (or crud, as I call it). My remaining 3 bottles should stay in the cellar for several years.
@FritzCat If you want Ty, he does deals on WineSpies often enough. And they seem to get the stuff that’s better than the EnTycement that WD can get these last few years.
If you’re not signed up already then we both get $ if you use this: winespies.com/invites/RgL9jcA0
1996 York Creek Vineyards Meritage with lamb rack. Sous vide to 45°C, then into a 450°F oven with a mustard and herb crust. Hoping this works out! It’s got 15 degrees before it’ll be overcooked in our books, so it should be ok.
Wasn’t home for Thanksgiving this year, so took advantage of a beautiful 70° day here in central Missouri to smoke up 13.5 pounds of goodness.
Went looking in the cellar for a tempranillo and found a 2012 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Reserva.
@bunnymasseuse@chefjess The cabernets, syrahs, and zinfandels are nowhere near peak, depending on your tastes. If you want youthful fruit, then get drinking. If you want additional complexity then they will continue to be very enjoyable for probably 1-2 more decades depending on vintage, although 2011 and earlier are already in a nice window.
@bunnymasseuse@klezman
Thank you. I was wondering about window. When ww and Wellington were ending the buying spree was in full force for Wellington so I have more than I realized. I’ll check dates and maybe just have a few that are pre-2011. That being said, the wine was delicious!
@kaolis@ScottW58 some people like to play a form of golf where putts in a 5’ range and under are called a gimme…
Makes golf a bit more fun. Just sayin.
@CorTot@kaolis@ScottW58 Makes it more fun if you can actually get the ball within 5 feet…
Also, if any of you know somebody who wants a very lightly used set of clubs, let me know. I’ve got one that I’m trying to get rid of.
Christmas Eve…yes, going to risk a visit with in-laws.
Our nephew, a new lawyer, has been developing his palate. I’ve plied him with a variety of good wines. Now, his go-to is Federalist Lodi Cab.
My selections for the evening are: 2006 Col Solare, 2006 Winesmith Mokelumne Cab Sauv (Lodi), and/or Turley 2016 Estate Cab. I was also thinking Austin Hope Cab, but that’s too predictable/formulaic. I’ll comment on the results.
The Winesmith Cab was Excellent!
The Col Solare was Very Good, but no match for the Winesmith.
There was a “92 Point” Tuscan opened that wasn’t bad, but not in the same league as the others.
Gave my nephew the $20 Casemates Coupon.
2016 Lagier Meredith Tribidrag
Call it what you will; Tribidrag, Crljenak Kaštelanski, Primitivo or Zinfandel. I like it.
We’ll see about this one.
I watched the videos with Dr. Meredith and the guys from Ridge, and had to buy a couple of bottles. https://exoticwinetravel.com/tribidrag-crljenak-kastelanski-zinfandel/
This bottle of Duke had a cork with an extremely hard top. When I first tried using a corkscrew it struggled to pierce through. It chipped the top and made a small divot. So I switched to an ah so and that worked, although the cork still put up a good fight. Just inserting the ah so without pushing the cork into the bottle was difficult. Anyways, the wine itself is delicious.
I remember a discussion back on the old site about how the color of the foil could indicate the age of the bottle, but I don’t recall the details. This was my last Duke with black foil and I’ve got one left with gold foil.
Had a 2006 Winesmith Cab Sauv, Mokelumne the other day. One of the best cabs I’ve had in a long time. Fabulous! I don’t know if I’ve already stated this, but it bears repeating.
@chipgreen Tannins were far more integrated than I expected. It showed richer and a bit Parkerized. But it was popped right off the truck. I need to give this one another shot in a few weeks.
With some friends we haven’t seen in almost a year, at a local Italian restaurant;
2018 Chehalem Rosé of Pinot Noir
2010 Giornata Il Campo
2009 Toccata Sangiovese
2009 Old World Winery Zinfandel Mounts Bench Vineyard
Ty Caton 2009 Upper Bench Merlot
Wow! Fantastic.
No recent Cellartracker Tasting Notes, but was getting
87s - 89s up until 2015, and most recent was a 92.
I’ll go along with the 92. This wine needed to be in
my cellar for a while.
2011 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Barbera 1.5L w/dinner at a local Italian restaurant, followed by;
Arbor Hill Sparkling Chardonnay (Finger Lakes) and
2018 Chehalem Rose of Pinot Noir w/some CAH.
Home dry aged steak and 1994 Ravenswood Dickerson Vineyard Zinfandel. This is damn good. Who says aged Zin is uninteresting?
I wish I’d known more than the grocery store-level crud Ravenswood was selling back then. These must have been great deals in the day.
@ScottW58 The large production stuff that I tried back then (like mid-2000s) was no better than any other mass production stuff. Among the reasons I thought I didn’t like Zinfandel. But now I stand corrected.
@ctmariner Second bottle I’ve opened. This was bottled supposedly October 5 and I opened a bottle Nov 7 right off the truck, pop and pour. Thought it was a little funky/tight/herby. Last night gave it an hour or so in a decanter and has really changed. Much more elegant, spice that I picked up in the first bottle was accentuated, red fruit, more of a complete package. Drank well throughout the evening. I drink my share of Bedrock zins and enjoy them but this is in a more restrained style. At least until bottle three
@rc70 it’s good! I do like their stuff. It’s one of the drivers I get most years from Rimmerman. For my tastes, it’s just starting to enter what should be a very long drinking window. Given the 2015 hype I got 4 of them and will probably wait at least 2 years before trying the next of this vintage.
1993 Schwaab-Kiebel Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spatlese Fuder #7
Picked this up from Garagiste back in 2013. Whenever he finds stashes of old Riesling we buy up. This stuff is great.
2012 Scherrer Winery Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
Got this from WTSO. Maybe if Fred needs to do another inventory dump he could come here and earn new customers! @WineDavid49
This week will be all bourbon hot toddies, until I run out of my batches made with imported higher end gold PGTips. 5 32oz plastic growlers now in the fridge seeping with cinnamon.
Some Austin Eastciders version I was not a fan of, and 4 helpings of Toddy From a secret club in Downtown. Gifted 6 of my mini PN tonight to fellow club members.
@chipgreen@hscottk@klezman Correct. On hiatus right now. Still had a small amount of case goods remaining last time we talked. It’s tough out there for the small winemakers. He still does some consulting and I’m holding out hope production resumes.
How was the 2012 chard? Last bottle I had, my private note was that it could go another decade. It’s built much like the faux chablis.
Hey, this christmas eve i enjoy Oatmeal Cookie Shot. Got to know about it when i was searching drink for our christmas party. My wife made it and we(me and my 2 sons) just love.
Which wine you guys drink on new year
Making some ribs
2011 Wellington Vineyards Zinfandel Meeks Hilltop Ranch - last one of these. This is gonig to happen more and more often, but it’s sad to see the last of a Wellington wine.
@klezman
I found a box or mixed whites I didn’t yet have in CT.
Upon entering, I saw wine-searcher found inventory in the US. A few different bottles in PA, and a couple were only $10 each for, iirc, a cab and zin.
@klezman@rjquillin Neither am I…but when home gyms were scarce and expensive, I drove down to PA three times and picked up a couple. Made some decent scratch on those trips. Wine…nah.
William Chris High Plains Mourvedre 2017, with seared filet mignon. This is how good it was: spouse after having one sip says “did they have more at the store?”.
@ScottW58 I’ve been thinking about trying these for a while…so I picked up a 6 pack.
Next year we really have to drink together again! And I need to buy a LOT less wine.
GSM, doesn’t matter which GSM, they all have a funny aftertaste. How would you describe it?
This one was 2016 Two Hands, Hopes and Dreams, Barossa Valley. Love Two Hands, Love G, Love S, Love M, but GSM is just strange, and that strangeness also exists in Carmenere and Pinotage. What is it? I can’t put my finger on it.
2009 E. Guigal Hermitage Blanc (93% Marsanne, 7% Roussanne) w/ Pelmeni (Russian Ravioli), garlic cheddar mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts.
The food and wine were delicious and everything paired wonderfully but the waiter tried to charge us $36 for the corkage! Umm, no. After we asked nicely, the fee was lowered to $20.
@chipgreen I most always share the bottle with the server, upfront, and have even left the remainder at (most) times. Occasionally I’ll ask for pairing suggestions from among daily specials.
There are a couple of establishments this has resulted in no corkage, or, perhaps, for only a single bottle when three or four were opened, if done discreetly so only one was displayed at a time.
@rjquillin
We left the remains of a Scott Harvey Barbera mag with the manager to share with another table at the last restaurant we went to. Admittedly, we did not offer tonight but the main reason we were there was because wifey had seen on social media that they offered corkage (and it was the owner who stated $20 in the thread, apparently).
We scoped the menu out online ahead of time so already had an idea what we would order, which is why I selected a Northern Rhone white. The waiter did a fine job all night so I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
When we questioned the corkage amount and told him that we expected it to be $20 per the owner’s social media post, he said “nobody tells me anything” but I couldn’t help thinking that someone must have told him something or did he just pull the $36 fee out of his ass?
@rjquillin
While I don’t feel that anything was actually waived since it should have been $20 in the first place, I still tipped him 25% of the total (amended) bill. We try to help out local restaurants, including the workers.
2009 Turley Howell Mountain, Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel.
Pop-n-pour, sniffy-sniff from a Riedel Zin glass; Olollieberry jam, crazy legs.
First taste; Jammy, very dry, too much alcohol, long finish.
@ScottW58 Love it too. Been a Muscadet fan forever. Drank these occasionally and since 2014 I buy six or twelve of this and maybe two or three mags so I can hang on and let a few age. I’ve added a few of the La Pépié bottling but haven’t ventured into the others. The '18 doesn’t have the cut of maybe some recent vintages my humble, but even though it’s crept up a buck or two, the wine is a steal
@kaolis
Yes great juice and I try to buy a 6 pack every year, just had my last 10 and it was wonderful. And I agree a bit less cut on the 18 but still a delicious wine. Less cut on a Briords is still better than most
Ficklin Vineyards Tawny Port, Aged 10 years, Lot No. 9. Just finished this, and it was very enjoyable. It was a bottle I’d bought back in 2010 when a local store was going out of business. I should have bought them out.
Cheer From Over Here, Casemates holiday wine - Said to be Pedroncelli Sonoma Classico 2018. I haven’t had the 2018 yet, but have heartily enjoyed the '15 and '16. Those blends were darker, a bit thicker and smokier (more Merlot) This one is nice, a bit brighter, more red fruits. Less tannin. But it is right off the truck after spending an extra day in the sub-freezing NEOhio weather. No question, an excellent value that I will enjoy (and gift appropriately.)
2018 Cheer from over here, right off the truck. Enjoyed on its own. Not sure if the acidity is there to stand up to hearty foods. Overall, a perfect daily drinker @$8 a bottle.
Stopped by a friend’s house to drop off some sauerkraut balls and a gift of 2007 Pedroncelli Four Grapes Port. He invited me in, and along with his wife, we enjoyed a bottle of 2018 Dr. Konstantin Frank Pinot Gris.
@pseudogourmet98 If you look at the menu and decide the kinds of food you want it might help narrow your choices.
For these sorts of fun wine lists I usually pick a price point and/or a variety/region and see how many choices that leaves me. With a Spanish dinner and a fairly deep selection of Spanish wines I’d probably stick to those. And on the third page there was a 2006 wine for $50 or so, which sounds like a good deal to begin with if it’s in your wheelhouse.
The number of pages is also pretty misleading in this case because there are only 3-5 wines per page it seems. If you want to see a huge wine list, check this out: https://la.osteriamozza.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2014/08/Wine-List-12.2.pdf It’s “only” 76 pages, but there are 20-30 wines per page.
@klezman@rjquillin
When you’re ready to cross that off your list, let me know and we’ll put you up and join you. Bern’s is 20 minutes from our new home in Tampa.
@hscottk@kaolis@klezman@pseudogourmet98@rpm
I am now subject 0007.
Does that make me better than Bond?
Seriously, 7th person in SD to be accepted into the Novavax “SARS-CoV-2 rS with Matris-M1 Adjuvant” study with a 2/3 probably of getting something other than saline.
@ScottW58 Last of a three pack, glad I don’t have another. Let’s just say on the downhill slide, with the first two being consumed relatively early and much more enjoyable.
@CorTot Thank You! I bought a case of the 2012 RandyZin…because my name is Randy. I’ve always thought it was cheap plonk with my name on it. Didn’t realize it was Harvest Moon. Gonna try me a bottle with this insight and a whole new perspective.
This is what it looked like at the end of a great run on W00T, plus 2 wine refrigerators. WOW time does fly.
@PLSemenza At a glance, I see 30 of those distinctive tops in the racks. Probably should make a concerted effort to reduce that number.
@FritzCat:
Actually it’s almost 100% Wellington wine (+ 80 more bottles), I had to commandeer a closet to hold ‘Some’ of the cases purchased, been a great 2 years. I blew a years budget in 3 months when WineDavid helped Peter liquidate his inventory. He was our #1 followed closely by WineSmith, who was #2, but has moved up to #1, Hi RuthE
@PLSemenza What is this “budget” you speak of?
@FritzCat
It’s a complex formula proofed by Einstein:
$$$XBottles/AVBL:SqFt-{401K(ROI)} VS Life Expectancy<>ZeroSumGain+/-NetWorth.
@PLSemenza I think the SqFt factor is the most relevant.
@FritzCat @PLSemenza
I’m thinking Ft³ would yield a more favorable outcome.
Decided to celebrate Wellington Wednesday with a 2011 Merlot.
Getting on board with Wellington Wednesday this week: 2012 Wellington Vineyards Syrah Estate Vineyard Sonoma Valley
Following the Port theme but a little late for Wellington Wednesday.
Wellington… weekend?
2009 Wellington Meeks Zin
@InFrom how was?
@bunnymasseuse Mellow and fruity, still primo.
1998 Pedroncelli Morris Fay vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon with tenderloin in a (pedroncelli ) port reduction. Cork stained 3/4 , lots of sediment, plums , tobacco leaf, good acid, muted color with some bricking, medium body, still some tannin on the very long finish. Delicious
@pjmartin
Sounds, and looks, delicious!
Merry Christmas!
2008 Wellington victory with a rib roast at the in-laws.
2011 Wellington Merlot
Always excellent
Only 6 Wellington’s left, well plus a Victory Magnum. We really miss Peter
@PLSemenza
Thoughts?
@PLSemenza
I’m curious as well. How was the Zinfandel?
@chipgreen, @kawichris650, @RPM:
Well let’s start with this: as others have stated before; we know what we like and don’t mind paying for it. WE Love(ed) Wellington & WineSmith, arguably for different reasons, as well as many others along the way. (StillMan-anyone) We have never been educated in wine descriptors or the vocabulary to drill down to the wine Somalia dissertation of the grape. But we did stay at a Holiday Inn & were going to go on a RPM tour prior to CoVid -19, if that helps any.
PS: From W00T 2009 to CaseMates we never felt comfortable asking to be Rats, just don’t have the ling-go, or the fancy rating cards / numbering system. We will leave that to the Expert Rat’ers!!
1994 Ravenswood Zinfandel Beaterra
Nice way to kick off Channukah! Happy Channukah to those who celebrate!
2017 WineSmith Sparkling Grenache Blanc De Noirs
Starting the festivities a bit early but since it’s just the three of us (me, myself, and I), who’s gonna tell??
Happy New Year to all of my Casemate friends!
May 2021 bring you health, happiness, peace, and prosperity!
Cheers!
Karen
@CorTot I was thinking that as well, but couldn’t find the bottle…
2012 Wellington Petit Verdot. Only 45 Wellington left. Several mags, one jeroboam.
@msten
Last one
@msten
@msten sitting on about 3 cases left.
Bringing out the big guns tonight - 2014 Corison Cab that we got on the old site Christmas day 2017. This will be the first of 6 bottles we got which we plan to open every 5 years starting tonight.
@sosptuba How was it?
@sosptuba I got a 2008 I’m itching to open over the holiday break some where.
@CorTot @sosptuba That 2008 should just be starting to wake back up in teenager mode!
@hscottk It drank very well! I ended up decanting for about 2 hours given it’s so young. It paired nicely with all of our dishes including: Prime Rib Roast:
garlic rosemary butter, cabernet Jus; Potato Gratin
Pleasant Ridge Reserve, black truffles, chives;
Broccolini with roasted chestnuts, dried cherries, bacon, butter and Japanese Milk Bread Rolls.
It will be interesting to compare notes in 5 years to see the change in development!
Just a little rib roast and a couple of bottles for my wife and a couple of the kids, it could be worse but I hate this year.
@ScottW58 Flannery, or should I just not ask?
@rjquillin
Why would you ask??
@ScottW58
Good point.
@rc70 How’s it drinking? It’s been a couple of years since I opened one.
@trifecta I didn’t even know that existed! How was it?
@klezman @trifecta Same here - details please! Maybe @ScottHarveyWine could provide some into too
@klezman @ScottHarveyWine @sosptuba I only had one bottle and I’ve been saving it for many years, maybe close to a decade. Figured a 2020 send-off was the right occasion, but sadly this bottle hadn’t held up. Still a small burst of bubbles on first pour but that dissipated quickly and it was flat. Still an ok flavour (sp?,
), but we ended up opening a different bottle for our toast. We probably just waited too long.
With Holy Grail Wagyu burgers, both delicious.
Pretty sure this is the greatest wine I ever bought from a flash site. And pretty sure the wine will outlive me!
@ScottW58 weirdly I’m on their mailing list. Never bought from them or ever had any interest. I guess I’ll have to keep my eyes out for it.
@ScottW58
All the Notre Vin were good QPR but that 2010 is an outstanding bottle, fortunate to still have 6 and a few of other vintages left.
Sometimes you’ve just got to drink a Superhero.
@rc70
How’s the '09 doing? If I recall correctly, that’s one of Peter’s favorite vintages of Victory.
@kawichris650
It is in a great place, tannins have mellowed out , black fruit, long finish still has a youthful feel. Beautifully made wine with years left but if you’ve got em I’d start enjoying them!
2013 Williams Selyem Pinot, Burt Williams’ Morning Dew Ranch
@karenhynes
I love that wine! Nice pull
both were great, Qupe has lots of life left
2010 Congruence CS Rsv
@jmdavidson1 Always wanted to try that one.
@hscottk @jmdavidson1
It’s a good one!
A lot of nice bottles tonight…
2012 Wellington Vineyards Marsanne
with truffle pasta and chicken
/giphy 2008-Wellington-victory
/giphy 2013-WootCellars-VinitwodelFinito
Wellington Wednesday. Last merlot
. These were always great. 2012. Drinking well 
@pjmartin ah fudge forgot it was Wellington Wednesday.
@bunnymasseuse @pjmartin Me too. Here it’s WineSmith Wednesday. The 2010 Cab Franc.
@bunnymasseuse @pjmartin
2012 Wellington Vineyards Marsanne
finishing up a bottle from earlier
@pjmartin @rjquillin at some point I’ll open a bottle and bawl at the same time… just found one of my 2006 Syrah Estate bottles hanging out with some of my old Mumms.
Bottles like this is why I drink wine!
@CorTot Is that the 375 from the offer here? I did a 2015 (screwcap) vs 2014 (cork) and they were night and day with the 2014 quite a bit advanced, a little more than I thought it should. But I’ve gone back and had a couple more '14’s that seemed a little more in line with my expectations.
@kaolis yes sir. I recently picked up my split from @radiolysis, I haven’t tried the ‘15 yet but this particular ‘14 was a little bretty IMHO.
@CorTot @kaolis @radiolysis
And here I thought he just stepped up the vessel size in response to the times we’re living in.
btw – nice meeting your father, wish we’d have had more time to chat. He show you the pics of the assembly lab yet?
@kaolis @radiolysis @rjquillin yes, he text me the pictures. He was very impressed with the operation. He’s a chatty fella, thanks for letting him drop off the vino.
@CorTot Tried another 2014 tonight. Horribly corked. I am sensitive to TCA, but man this was pop the cork knew it was bad. Down the drain it went
@InFrom Just getting ready I’d think.
@rjquillin It was in a fine fettle. Though a bottle I had a couple of years ago was pretty dandy.
@InFrom @rjquillin I haven’t found Peter’s wines to go through a dumb phase. Just a graceful ageing curve.
@klezman @rjquillin That’s been true, in my experience.
Last night, 2012 InZin 1.5L w/filet mignon, mashed potatoes, garlic bread and salad w/white French dressing. Out of a styrofoam cup.
A friend convinced us to try this new place his friend opened. They have a $29 special on Saturdays for filet and 2 sides and can bring your own wine because they don’t have a liquor license. I knew my friend preferred wine with a touch of sweetness, thus the InZin choice as I figured it had just enough sweetness to satisfy him and enough heft to be worthy of a filet, even though I am normally a “Slab and a Cab” guy.
Walked in and the place was tiny, with only 2 tables in front. More in the back, although I never got to see how many. Bright lights, with cheap tables, chairs and flooring. It had the feel of a fast food place or at best, a little greasy spoon diner.
Apparently my friend had left wine glasses there, so when the girl gave us styrofoam cups to drink from he asked for his wine glasses only to find out that the owner’s wife had taken them home!
At this point, I am seriously regretting our choice to come here but it turned out that the food was excellent. The filet was at least 2" thick and cooked to perfection. My wife got a chicken dish instead of the filet and with no corkage fee, we got out of there for $42 before tip - barely more than the $36 a waiter at another establishment tried to charge us for corkage alone a few nights earlier! What a strange dining experience…
@chipgreen David, what was the name of the place?
@msten
Grille 91 in Green/Uniontown
2012 Ridge Syrah/Grenache Lytton Estate with a smoked short rib I picked up today. Costco Business Centres have everything! Except uncut bone-in USDA Prime rib.
@klezman I love going to Costco Biz before parties. I always eye the whole lamb and wish I was having an even larger party…
Huckleberry bourbon cocktail to start, 2007 Château Lanessan with braised short ribs.
We’re going to stereotype it up and order some Chinese food. Put a bottle of this in the fridge: 2009 Alexandre Le Brun Champagne Dilection Rosé
Double dose of NV Gruet Blanc de Noirs. We need it around here.
Almost went for a Meeks Zin vertical with the 2010 after yesterday’s 2009, but changed direction a bit and went with a 2012 Wellington Estate Syrah. With cumin lamb, sauteed cabbage with pork, and pork xiao long bao. Like Klez, going with the “Chinese food on Christmas” sterotype, as we love doing every year. But what I’d really like is some of Scott’s rib roast.
Wine went well with the spicy cuisine. Cork was a mess, had to pour through a fine strainer. OTOH the cork on yesterday’s 2009 Zin was perfect. I think maybe Peter got a batch of lousy corks in the early teens, I often run into problems. (And here’s to having problems like that.)
@InFrom Irony is that after finally figuring out where to order from (i.e. whether to give this place one more chance) and what to order, they’re closed on xmas! So now I’m making a Thai red curry. We’ll get the Chinese food tomorrow or Sunday. Mostly because molarchae really wants Sichuan spicy wontons.
@klezman Closed on Christmas? The nerve!
@InFrom @klezman Now I want some Thai…
Happy New Year everyone!
2005 Winesmith Faux Chablis - cork disintegrated but still tasting wonderful
2011 Wellington Cabernet Sauvignon - also tasting wonderful
2004 Nicholas Cole Reserve. Wishing good health for everyone in 21.
2010 St. Supéry Élu Meritage
Day two on the 2010 St. Supéry Élu Meritage
and some slo-ox did it well.
So did the Flannery California Reserve Tenderloin Roast
Six hours @50 followed by about six minutes covered with grape seed oil to flash it off on a screaming hot grill.
I ~will~ be getting more of those next time they go on sale.
@rjquillin
That is my favorite Meritage. They also make my favorite Sauv Blanc.
When @AndMo sent me the rat bottle for his offer, I took the opportunity to fill a case. Tonight I’m trying the 2017 Briceland Vineyards Rosé Pét Nat d’Orleans Ishi Pishi Ranch
Initial impression: this is wild!
@klezman You’re welcome
@klezman Wild and…?
@AndMo like no wine I’d smelled before. In as good way. Funk, Brett, red fruit, and just a great texture and acidity. Kind of like a sour beer but made with grapes. What was the blend on this one?
@klezman I think what seems like brett to you is smoke. This is mostly merlot. Not very ripe. Plus a hybrid grape called Jupiter, which is hard to pick out in all the complexity of this wine even when I know what it tastes like. It was an experiment to see is we could use smokey red grapes as a rose this way. The result of the test???
@AndMo @klezman
You’re both making me want to try some of this.
@AndMo @rjquillin The test was a rousing success in our books. We had it with a cheese and charcuterie plate and it held its own.
Smoky is also an apt description - I just picked brett because it reminded me so much of the character you get in sour beers, much of which I know is from Brettanomyces. Even though there are a bunch of things going on.
Plus, another grape I’ve never had before made its way in! Sweet!
@klezman @rjquillin Well, I don’t have enough of that to do a Casemates deal, but I can offer you some at a good price if you like. andrew@bricelandvineyards.com
2005 WineSmith Faux Chablis. Took delivery of 3 Marqués de Riscal Rioja today and had to make some adjustments in my controlled storage. Very much enjoyed it with our shrimp dinner. One more bottle left.
@kaolis Ahhh, yes please!
@kaolis
Your lighting is fantastic! How is the wine?
@ScottW58 Wine is very good, not a show stopper by any means, but more than adequate. This was a mag, had about 2/3 of a bottle left that went into a 750 and corked back up. Threw a duck breast at it Sunday night and last night was seared tuna and it was probably at it’s best last night. Need to check if I have any 750’s, if so will put in the pile to check in on. These drank quite nicely early on, obviously in a different stage now.
Another bottle that makes me happy I drink wine, wow!
@ScottW58
Nice, I picked up a few 16’s recently, haven’t had one yet but appears I have something to look forward to.
@rc70
Yes you do! I have some of those too.
Winding down, kind of, here…
@kaolis
Having all kinds of fun lately! Merry Christmas
2014 Halleck Vineyard Pinot Noir, Hillside Cuvee, Sonoma Coast
1998 Drei Donà (Tenuta la Palazza) Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore Riserva Pruno with beef tenderloin.
2019 basically a tasty barrel sample, fun to drink but I’m way too old to be buying stuff like this!
@ScottW58 Never too old…
Picking wines early for a change!
1998 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard
2003 Alois Kracher Zweigelt Beerenauslese
And some zoom board games with friends.
The Kronos is fabulous. Room-filling aromas, beautifully middle-aged, and delightfully complex and complete.
Bergevin Lane Moonspell Cabernet Sauvignon 2014.
Happy New Year, peeps! Good riddance 2020!
Drone footage
Two Jakes 2013 Aspect and it was amazing fruit.
). So I went back and I read notes about open in 2022 so I might have been a bit early but it was really good. I’ll hold off on the others to see.
First one I’ve tried since splitting (ended up with 4
@kitkat34 funny. Openned same bottle last night! With albondigas. Great bottle.
2010 La Dama Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Love me some Amarone. OK on Pop-n-Pour, but
expect much more as it sits.
If you haven’t had an Amarone, get one of the classics
like Masi (my favorite for consistency), Tommasi or Allegrini. You’ll fall in love…
I’ve got far north of 50 of 'em in my cellar.
@FritzCat
Impressive!!!
If @Winedavid49 could hook us up with Amarone, I’d be on cloud nine!
@FritzCat @kawichris650 We’ve been playing around with other appassimento wines and have enjoyed them all. I was expecting them to be, if not “sweet”, at least off-dry, but i’ve had regularly vinified wines that have so much more RS than the ones we’ve been lucky to try. Thumbs up on Amarone!
@kawichris650 @radiolysis I have found that I’ve enjoyed all of the wines made with the appassimento method because they are rich and generally have lots of fruit…often making them seem sweeter.
@FritzCat 2nd night, it settled down…less acid, less tannin, easier drinking. The graininess/chewiness turned into a more viscous/glycerine mouthfeel. Oddly, it looked more opaque too. No discernible sediment (or crud, as I call it). My remaining 3 bottles should stay in the cellar for several years.
Still drinking well but if you still have I would drink sooner rather than later.
2008 Ty Caton PS - pretty good.
Winebid @$18 ea.
Oh My! The new stuff is $44 at the source.
I’m OK with this.
@WD, we needs some Ty!
@FritzCat If you want Ty, he does deals on WineSpies often enough. And they seem to get the stuff that’s better than the EnTycement that WD can get these last few years.
If you’re not signed up already then we both get $ if you use this: winespies.com/invites/RgL9jcA0
@klezman Thanks Klez…I’ve done Winespies for forever, and check it every day. Love the lockers.
@FritzCat @klezman
Interesting; WS shipped a partial locker, eight bottles, unrequested last week.
Just looked and they still show in stock.
This could get interesting.
@klezman @rjquillin Good luck with that.
@FritzCat @klezman
More interesting, they still show the second locker with 11 bottles in stock as well, but that’s expected.
Go figure.
@klezman @rjquillin I recently had two lockers-full shipped to me, and it went smoothly.
@FritzCat @klezman
Yeah, I’ve had no issues in the past either.
It’s just why ship an un-requested partial locker/case.
Makes no sense.
2011 Halcon Esquisto with dinner from Bonchon. Love that place!
@chipgreen Sounds like Champagne would go well with it too!
1996 York Creek Vineyards Meritage with lamb rack. Sous vide to 45°C, then into a 450°F oven with a mustard and herb crust. Hoping this works out! It’s got 15 degrees before it’ll be overcooked in our books, so it should be ok.
@klezman Uncork that '96 yet?
Still can’t decide if I like the '96 or '97 better.
@rjquillin opened it around when I posted that. A lamb rack later, it’s all gone. Quite nice. Haven’t had the 1997 yet.
@klezman You did get a '97 in the case though, didn’t you?
@rjquillin Yup. Decided the 1996 was likely to have a shorter life given the strength of the 1997 vintage in Napa.
Wasn’t home for Thanksgiving this year, so took advantage of a beautiful 70° day here in central Missouri to smoke up 13.5 pounds of goodness.
Went looking in the cellar for a tempranillo and found a 2012 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Reserva.
@Mark_L
Damn nice looking bird!
@Mark_L @ScottW58 Seconded!
30 hour sous vide brisket and 2007 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Bosconia
Very enjoyable, but definitely a sipping wine.
Wellington Wednesday.
Wellington 2010 Mohrhardt Ridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
@chefjess I just can’t pull the cork on my Wellington’s tho I know they are getting close or past window… and never to be replaced.
@bunnymasseuse @chefjess The cabernets, syrahs, and zinfandels are nowhere near peak, depending on your tastes. If you want youthful fruit, then get drinking. If you want additional complexity then they will continue to be very enjoyable for probably 1-2 more decades depending on vintage, although 2011 and earlier are already in a nice window.
@bunnymasseuse @klezman
Thank you. I was wondering about window. When ww and Wellington were ending the buying spree was in full force for Wellington so I have more than I realized. I’ll check dates and maybe just have a few that are pre-2011. That being said, the wine was delicious!
@bunnymasseuse @chefjess I had a 2010 Mohrhardt 2.5 years ago I thought was too young still, and a 2008 more recently I thought was excellent.
@chefjess @klezman yeah I’m looking for complexity, and if I’ve been this patient then I can clearly wait longer.
@CorTot Well??
@kaolis agreed, much fresher. Shockingly so.
@CorTot Yeah kind of night and day different
With a smoked chicken.
@ScottW58 Rough night
@kaolis
Hey I missed 7 par putts of 5 feet or less today, it was either this or kill myself!
@kaolis @ScottW58 some people like to play a form of golf where putts in a 5’ range and under are called a gimme…
Makes golf a bit more fun. Just sayin.
@CorTot @kaolis @ScottW58 Makes it more fun if you can actually get the ball within 5 feet…
Also, if any of you know somebody who wants a very lightly used set of clubs, let me know. I’ve got one that I’m trying to get rid of.
@CorTot What’d you think? I’ve been really impressed by most of them.
@klezman , this was a bit more subtle than I like my Syrah, but tasty and went real well with sous vide tri-tip this evening.
@CorTot I had a 2014 Nellessen Vineyard a few weeks ago. It packed a punch despite its very low alcohol and lighter weight.
2013 Woot Cellars Consumerus Holiday Red Wine
2017 Bovin Vranec (Macedonia)
My first go at Vranec, second ever Macedonian wine. I forget the variety but the other one I tried was a white.
Christmas Eve…yes, going to risk a visit with in-laws.
Our nephew, a new lawyer, has been developing his palate. I’ve plied him with a variety of good wines. Now, his go-to is Federalist Lodi Cab.
My selections for the evening are: 2006 Col Solare, 2006 Winesmith Mokelumne Cab Sauv (Lodi), and/or Turley 2016 Estate Cab. I was also thinking Austin Hope Cab, but that’s too predictable/formulaic. I’ll comment on the results.
@FritzCat good luck with the education!
The Winesmith Cab was Excellent!
The Col Solare was Very Good, but no match for the Winesmith.
There was a “92 Point” Tuscan opened that wasn’t bad, but not in the same league as the others.
Gave my nephew the $20 Casemates Coupon.
@CorTot
Bought a bottle of this at the winery on our honeymoon. Good stuff!
@chipgreen recently spotted at Costco at a nice discount.
@chipgreen @CorTot
down here as well.
Going to start with a sour beer before the sun sets, as per molarchae’s instructions that one must drink during the day on Xmas!
coravined this last month and it’s still great tonight.
@ScottW58 another rough night…how many putts you screw up today?,ha!
@kaolis
I’m anticipating a bad Saturday coming up
2009 Louis Latour Saint-Véran “Les Deux Moulins”, France
Only one day left of work this year so might as well get to drinking!
2016 Lagier Meredith Tribidrag
Call it what you will; Tribidrag, Crljenak Kaštelanski, Primitivo or Zinfandel. I like it.
We’ll see about this one.
I watched the videos with Dr. Meredith and the guys from Ridge, and had to buy a couple of bottles.
https://exoticwinetravel.com/tribidrag-crljenak-kastelanski-zinfandel/
@FritzCat That was a fun video - watched it a while back.
@FritzCat The Tribidrag was very good. Will drink the remainder tomorrow.
It’s Wellington Wednesday!!!
This bottle of Duke had a cork with an extremely hard top. When I first tried using a corkscrew it struggled to pierce through. It chipped the top and made a small divot. So I switched to an ah so and that worked, although the cork still put up a good fight. Just inserting the ah so without pushing the cork into the bottle was difficult. Anyways, the wine itself is delicious.
I remember a discussion back on the old site about how the color of the foil could indicate the age of the bottle, but I don’t recall the details. This was my last Duke with black foil and I’ve got one left with gold foil.
Had a 2006 Winesmith Cab Sauv, Mokelumne the other day. One of the best cabs I’ve had in a long time. Fabulous! I don’t know if I’ve already stated this, but it bears repeating.
2019 The Prisoner at the Chop House in Charleston, WV.
After a middling Cahors…
@InFrom BTW these are bubbles I would buy again.
Did a virtual Ethel M chocolate tasting with:
2019 Division Winemaking Chenin Blanc “L’Isle Vert”
2017 Harvest Moon Late Harvest Zinfandel
And with dinner and East Coast New Years:
NV André Chemin Blanc de Noirs Premier Cru
Dé Négocé OG N.44, Ruthérford cab
@hscottk
Does it have that “Rutherford dust” profile?
@chipgreen Tannins were far more integrated than I expected. It showed richer and a bit Parkerized. But it was popped right off the truck. I need to give this one another shot in a few weeks.
Bought a few of these based on some great bottles of this on woot so many years ago. Still great!
@ScottW58
Whatchoo talkin’ 'bout, Wallis?
Must have been before my time, I have no recollection of Wallis on the old site. I do still have a few Meeker Diamond Mt. Cabs from WW, however.
@chipgreen @ScottW58 That looks like Ridge in the background…
2013 Esterlina Riesling, Cole Ranch AVA
2015 Scott Harvey Vineyard 1869 Zin, night 2
With some friends we haven’t seen in almost a year, at a local Italian restaurant;
2018 Chehalem Rosé of Pinot Noir
2010 Giornata Il Campo
2009 Toccata Sangiovese
2009 Old World Winery Zinfandel Mounts Bench Vineyard
@chipgreen
That Giornata was a real sleeper.
@rjquillin
Agreed. I was a little concerned, based on the few notes in CT but it was solid. Good fruit and paired well with the food.
@CorTot
I plowed through a lot of those a while back how’s it holding up?
@CorTot @ScottW58
I also went through my case of this quickly over summer here in FL. Really liked!
@ScottW58 honestly I don’t love this. Cork stain was a bit high so maybe an off bottle. Candace didn’t dig it either.
@CorTot
Well you can’t love everything, then again I like my rose pretty young, you know not brown
Die no mite
meant to grab the 16 oh well old eyes 
@ScottW58
Jimmie “J.J.” Walker approves!
Really happy to have some of these older ones.
Ty Caton 2009 Upper Bench Merlot
Wow! Fantastic.
No recent Cellartracker Tasting Notes, but was getting
87s - 89s up until 2015, and most recent was a 92.
I’ll go along with the 92. This wine needed to be in
my cellar for a while.
2006 York Creek Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Track
2016 Onesta Mentida
@CorTot
Pink Crack!
2011 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Barbera 1.5L w/dinner at a local Italian restaurant, followed by;
Arbor Hill Sparkling Chardonnay (Finger Lakes) and
2018 Chehalem Rose of Pinot Noir w/some CAH.
2013 Halcon Vineyards Prado Alder Springs Vineyard
2018 Inspiration Vineyards Syrah Palindrome Vineyard
GO find for $5. Really effed up not getting a full case.
@rjquillin
Wowza! I wonder why Jon has not made an appearance on Casemates…
@chipgreen
I have a faint recall that WD mentioned something about licensing.
I will tell you tomorrow
/giphy wink
Home dry aged steak and 1994 Ravenswood Dickerson Vineyard Zinfandel. This is damn good. Who says aged Zin is uninteresting?
I wish I’d known more than the grocery store-level crud Ravenswood was selling back then. These must have been great deals in the day.
@klezman
Supermarket crud?? Those were “no wimpy wines”
@ScottW58 The large production stuff that I tried back then (like mid-2000s) was no better than any other mass production stuff. Among the reasons I thought I didn’t like Zinfandel. But now I stand corrected.
2013 Turnbull Estate, Napa Valley Cabernet
Very Good.
@kaolis how was it - I had a case of this delivered on Friday but not tried it yet.
@ctmariner Second bottle I’ve opened. This was bottled supposedly October 5 and I opened a bottle Nov 7 right off the truck, pop and pour. Thought it was a little funky/tight/herby. Last night gave it an hour or so in a decanter and has really changed. Much more elegant, spice that I picked up in the first bottle was accentuated, red fruit, more of a complete package. Drank well throughout the evening. I drink my share of Bedrock zins and enjoy them but this is in a more restrained style. At least until bottle three
@kaolis Sounds good - thanks for feedback - may wait until January to try one - will give a good decant!
2015 Domaine de Saint Siffrein Châteauneuf-du-Pape
@klezman
How is that, I almost opened a 2016 mag of that tonight but went with the 18 Saint Cosme CDR simply because I had 2 of them
@rc70 it’s good! I do like their stuff. It’s one of the drivers I get most years from Rimmerman. For my tastes, it’s just starting to enter what should be a very long drinking window. Given the 2015 hype I got 4 of them and will probably wait at least 2 years before trying the next of this vintage.
1993 Schwaab-Kiebel Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spatlese Fuder #7
Picked this up from Garagiste back in 2013. Whenever he finds stashes of old Riesling we buy up. This stuff is great.
2012 Scherrer Winery Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
Got this from WTSO. Maybe if Fred needs to do another inventory dump he could come here and earn new customers! @WineDavid49
2011 Turley Mead Ranch Zinfandel
This week will be all bourbon hot toddies, until I run out of my batches made with imported higher end gold PGTips. 5 32oz plastic growlers now in the fridge seeping with cinnamon.
Some Austin Eastciders version I was not a fan of, and 4 helpings of Toddy From a secret club in Downtown. Gifted 6 of my mini PN tonight to fellow club members.
@rc70 blast from the past, how is that doing?
Kicking things off with an unlabeled 2012 Engracia Chardonnay.
@chipgreen Is Engracia still making wine?
@chipgreen @hscottk
@trifecta might know more insider details…
@hscottk @klezman @trifecta
Sadly, no.
@chipgreen @hscottk @klezman Correct. On hiatus right now. Still had a small amount of case goods remaining last time we talked. It’s tough out there for the small winemakers. He still does some consulting and I’m holding out hope production resumes.
How was the 2012 chard? Last bottle I had, my private note was that it could go another decade. It’s built much like the faux chablis.
Now onto a 2011 ZAP Heritage Zinfandel made by Scott Harvey. Delicious with brownies!
Hey, this christmas eve i enjoy Oatmeal Cookie Shot. Got to know about it when i was searching drink for our christmas party. My wife made it and we(me and my 2 sons) just love.
Which wine you guys drink on new year
@TimSeifert9
Looks like fun. I would probably prefer something closer to a ginger snap. For New Year’s it’s Champagne, of course!
Making some ribs
2011 Wellington Vineyards Zinfandel Meeks Hilltop Ranch - last one of these. This is gonig to happen more and more often, but it’s sad to see the last of a Wellington wine.
@klezman
I found a box or mixed whites I didn’t yet have in CT.
Upon entering, I saw wine-searcher found inventory in the US. A few different bottles in PA, and a couple were only $10 each for, iirc, a cab and zin.
@klezman @rjquillin Montgomery County…5 cabs in stock…“do it!”
@FritzCat @rjquillin Hahaha…like I’m going to order wine from the PA liquor store??
@klezman @rjquillin Neither am I…but when home gyms were scarce and expensive, I drove down to PA three times and picked up a couple. Made some decent scratch on those trips. Wine…nah.
@FritzCat @rjquillin Well, it’s about a 3-4 day drive for us. Hard to imagine that being worth anything!
2016 Pedroncelli Cabernet Franc, Barrel Select
Yup December 3rd 2015
Wet City Making Out With Berries Sour
2015 Domaine du Grand Montmirail Gigondas Cuvée Vieilles Vignes. Still a nice WTSO find.
@InFrom
Yup one of the best one’s imho
@InFrom @ScottW58 Makes sense, as it was your recommendation that persuaded most of us to buy it! I’m also a big fan.
@hscottk @InFrom
Lol and good to hear
2019 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir. Solid and well-priced.
Finishing up a 2017 QPR…
2013 Longplay Jory Bench Reserve/ Lia’s Vineyard.
@dawnlac
How is that? I’ve been close to buying those wines but never pulled the trigger.
@ScottW58
I am a wine club member so really like Todd’s wines! I love all the wines mostly the PN since I am not a Chard drniker.
@ScottW58
Sorry, drinker
@winedavid49
Would love to see a Longplay offer. Know he partcipates with Berserker day
@dawnlac @Winedavid49
Thanks will grab some of those next BD
2016 Wind Gap Wines Chardonnay Gap’s Crown Vineyard
with some of Nola’s Paella
2016 Harvest Moon Pinot Noir
2013 Harvest Moon PN
William Chris High Plains Mourvedre 2017, with seared filet mignon. This is how good it was: spouse after having one sip says “did they have more at the store?”.
@disstone8
Looks great!
@disstone8 what’s the main course?!
They are doing good things in washington!
@ScottW58 I’ve been thinking about trying these for a while…so I picked up a 6 pack.
Next year we really have to drink together again! And I need to buy a LOT less wine.
@klezman
Truer words were never spoken!
2008 14 appellations.
2006 Moran Manor Anagram. Lower, resolved tannins and zippy acidity. My last one. These were nice daily drinkers.
GSM, doesn’t matter which GSM, they all have a funny aftertaste. How would you describe it?
This one was 2016 Two Hands, Hopes and Dreams, Barossa Valley. Love Two Hands, Love G, Love S, Love M, but GSM is just strange, and that strangeness also exists in Carmenere and Pinotage. What is it? I can’t put my finger on it.
A modern wine that’s tasty none the less, clock’s in at 13 abv.
2009 E. Guigal Hermitage Blanc (93% Marsanne, 7% Roussanne) w/ Pelmeni (Russian Ravioli), garlic cheddar mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts.
The food and wine were delicious and everything paired wonderfully but the waiter tried to charge us $36 for the corkage! Umm, no. After we asked nicely, the fee was lowered to $20.
@chipgreen I most always share the bottle with the server, upfront, and have even left the remainder at (most) times. Occasionally I’ll ask for pairing suggestions from among daily specials.
There are a couple of establishments this has resulted in no corkage, or, perhaps, for only a single bottle when three or four were opened, if done discreetly so only one was displayed at a time.
@rjquillin
We left the remains of a Scott Harvey Barbera mag with the manager to share with another table at the last restaurant we went to. Admittedly, we did not offer tonight but the main reason we were there was because wifey had seen on social media that they offered corkage (and it was the owner who stated $20 in the thread, apparently).
We scoped the menu out online ahead of time so already had an idea what we would order, which is why I selected a Northern Rhone white. The waiter did a fine job all night so I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
When we questioned the corkage amount and told him that we expected it to be $20 per the owner’s social media post, he said “nobody tells me anything” but I couldn’t help thinking that someone must have told him something or did he just pull the $36 fee out of his ass?
@chipgreen #frustrating, and that’s a premium fee!
I will add, typically, and assuming good service, a portion of the waived corkage to the tip.
@rjquillin
While I don’t feel that anything was actually waived since it should have been $20 in the first place, I still tipped him 25% of the total (amended) bill. We try to help out local restaurants, including the workers.
2009 Turley Howell Mountain, Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel.
Pop-n-pour, sniffy-sniff from a Riedel Zin glass; Olollieberry jam, crazy legs.
First taste; Jammy, very dry, too much alcohol, long finish.
@kaolis
Love this wine! What do you think?
@ScottW58 Love it too. Been a Muscadet fan forever. Drank these occasionally and since 2014 I buy six or twelve of this and maybe two or three mags so I can hang on and let a few age. I’ve added a few of the La Pépié bottling but haven’t ventured into the others. The '18 doesn’t have the cut of maybe some recent vintages my humble, but even though it’s crept up a buck or two, the wine is a steal
@kaolis
Yes great juice and I try to buy a 6 pack every year, just had my last 10 and it was wonderful. And I agree a bit less cut on the 18 but still a delicious wine. Less cut on a Briords is still better than most
Ficklin Vineyards Tawny Port, Aged 10 years, Lot No. 9. Just finished this, and it was very enjoyable. It was a bottle I’d bought back in 2010 when a local store was going out of business. I should have bought them out.
@DickL
It was that Ficklin good?
Cheer From Over Here, Casemates holiday wine - Said to be Pedroncelli Sonoma Classico 2018. I haven’t had the 2018 yet, but have heartily enjoyed the '15 and '16. Those blends were darker, a bit thicker and smokier (more Merlot) This one is nice, a bit brighter, more red fruits. Less tannin. But it is right off the truck after spending an extra day in the sub-freezing NEOhio weather. No question, an excellent value that I will enjoy (and gift appropriately.)
@pjmartin Got mine today, gonna gift the heck out of it.
Drinking some '97 Vintage Port tonight.
@FritzCat @pjmartin Haven’t tried it yet, should I keep or gift? Not like I have room, har har.
@bunnymasseuse @FritzCat
I like the Sonoma Claasico. This version if not the same, is tasty. I will be drinking but also gifting.
@pjmartin Tried it yesterday evening. It’s very good!
The Four Vines is a 2008, my camera pics are clear but losing something on the upload
@kaolis
That seems to be a good night’s work!
Hand-crafted Hot Toddy day (and evening), bulk created a 32oz growler for later consumption.
Finished a bottle of the J. Wilks pinot noir offered here a month or so ago.
2018 Cheer from over here, right off the truck. Enjoyed on its own. Not sure if the acidity is there to stand up to hearty foods. Overall, a perfect daily drinker @$8 a bottle.
NV Gruet Sauvage. Didn’t taste like much. It was always my least favorite of the Gruet NV, but this was an especially poor showing.
Stopped by a friend’s house to drop off some sauerkraut balls and a gift of 2007 Pedroncelli Four Grapes Port. He invited me in, and along with his wife, we enjoyed a bottle of 2018 Dr. Konstantin Frank Pinot Gris.
@chipgreen ahhh…Dr. Kevorkian…he makes some killer wines.
@FritzCat
/giphy rimshot
@kaolis I don’t recall the vintage I had but those are pretty solid at the discounters price.
Brought back great memories from the beginnings of my wine journey
and still a great label fwiw
2020 Dashwood Sauv Blanc (NZ)
2017 Suncé Barbera Reserve St. Olof Vineyard
Yeah, Wednesday, should have been a Wellington,
but this wasn’t a slouch either.
2019 Tenuta di Ceppaiano Bianco Toscana
NV San Antonio Winery “Classic Chianti”
The Chianti was an impulse buy when getting takeaway pizza. For being a plonk wine, it was surprisingly enjoyable.
Not the first from this flash site coming up, tasty enough though, wasn’t even compelled to put a little bit of that dish soap in it
344 page Wine list for tonight…
Don’t even know where to start.
@pseudogourmet98
This is where a good Somm should be your friend.
@pseudogourmet98 If you look at the menu and decide the kinds of food you want it might help narrow your choices.
For these sorts of fun wine lists I usually pick a price point and/or a variety/region and see how many choices that leaves me. With a Spanish dinner and a fairly deep selection of Spanish wines I’d probably stick to those. And on the third page there was a 2006 wine for $50 or so, which sounds like a good deal to begin with if it’s in your wheelhouse.
The number of pages is also pretty misleading in this case because there are only 3-5 wines per page it seems. If you want to see a huge wine list, check this out: https://la.osteriamozza.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2014/08/Wine-List-12.2.pdf It’s “only” 76 pages, but there are 20-30 wines per page.
@klezman @pseudogourmet98
Or check out the list for Bern’s in Tampa.
A bucket list item for me, that, if this nastiness hadn’t have happened, I’d have crossed off last July.
Bern’s wine list
While it’s only 187 pages, I could only find a single page with less than 25 listings.
Oh, and the dessert wine list is separate item.
@klezman @rjquillin
When you’re ready to cross that off your list, let me know and we’ll put you up and join you. Bern’s is 20 minutes from our new home in Tampa.
@klezman @pseudogourmet98 @rpm
Good chance we may even get rpm to join in that one…
@klezman @rjquillin @rpm
That would definitely be an evening to remember. Once COVID is in the rear view mirror, let’s work on a date.
@klezman @pseudogourmet98 @rjquillin @rpm Someday i will make to Bern’s… and declare bankruptcy the next morning
@hscottk @pseudogourmet98 @rjquillin @rpm If I can get a variance from molarchae (or get her to join) then I/we will be there too!
@hscottk @klezman @pseudogourmet98 @rjquillin @rpm Never been, I’m a six hour drive away. But I realize smaller groups are ideal.
@hscottk @kaolis @klezman @pseudogourmet98 @rpm
They are currently taking reservations for 12 or less.
A “mini rpm” tour of sorts.
@hscottk @kaolis @klezman @pseudogourmet98 @rjquillin with rpm as long as it’s between November and June…
@hscottk @kaolis @pseudogourmet98 @rjquillin @rpm We will hopefully all be vaccinated sometime around May/June…
@hscottk @kaolis @klezman @pseudogourmet98 @rpm
I am now subject 0007.
Does that make me better than Bond?
Seriously, 7th person in SD to be accepted into the Novavax “SARS-CoV-2 rS with Matris-M1 Adjuvant” study with a 2/3 probably of getting something other than saline.
Drink that!
Count me in
2013 Chester’s Anvil Hattori Hanzo. I split a case of this and really regret that decision. Getting better with each passing year.
@hscottk …with Flannery CA reserve NY strip. Because it’s Monday.
@hscottk
Nothing wrong with Monday done right!
@hscottk @ScottW58 Well done!
I kind of wished I’d gone in on those deals for Berserker Day.
2013 Wild Horse Pinot Noir Cheval Sauvage
Swill of the night, first time I’ve seen the WS score embossed on the capsule. And a bottle sticker too…
2017 Anne Amie Estate Dry Riesling, Yamhill-Carlton with grilled salmon, side of potatoes, spinach and tomatoes
Don’t judge
@kaolis
Lol how was it?
@ScottW58 Last of a three pack, glad I don’t have another. Let’s just say on the downhill slide, with the first two being consumed relatively early and much more enjoyable.
2019 Henri Bourgeois Pineau d’Aunis Coteaux du Vendômois Le Vert Galant
This one helped me get a wine.com coupon to work out. It’s pretty tasty, too!
2015 Hawks View Pinot Noir
Over the last couple of nights a 2014 harvest moon randy zin & a 2018 municipal winemakers chenin blanc .
@CorTot Thank You! I bought a case of the 2012 RandyZin…because my name is Randy. I’ve always thought it was cheap plonk with my name on it. Didn’t realize it was Harvest Moon. Gonna try me a bottle with this insight and a whole new perspective.