2011 Gundlach Bundschu Gewurztraminer from the 2012 RPM Newbie Tour. Thanks to @neilfindswine for buying a bottle of this for everyone to sample after the winery declined to let us taste it upon request. Because of Neil’s generosity a number of us bought bottles of GunBun Gewurz.
@knlprez It’s good. Needed 15 minutes of air to start opening up. I only have two of this particular wine, but it’s amazingly well structured, not overripe in any way, and should go well with the steaks in 20 minutes or so when the kids are finally down.
Even though this Cabernet is the basis for the Victory, I tend to like the Karren more and the Mohrhardt even more. Nonetheless, wish I had more than two of this vintage.
@klezman
We did a 45 minute decant on this one, it was actually pretty tight upon opening. Drank over 2.5 hours and it held up really well. This is the 1st of 2 bottles we have of the 2003 and it’s in a really nice place right now. On the palate this has a lot of leather and tobacco, fruits are fading but you can still pick out some cherry cordials (chocolate and sweet cherry), but still fresh and has a ton of life left. Cherry cordials on the nose also, some oak as well, maybe some blueberries? Tannins are starting to resolve, but I wouldn’t hesitate to hold this for another 5 years+, it doesn’t taste like an 18 year old wine, and there’s no bricking at all.
We usually do not enjoy the HD cabs younger than 10 years. The non-vineyard designate cabs and nice and fruity, followed by Karen. The HD sit in a weird place for us, but the Mohrhardt (or Random Ridge before the name change) are definitely our favorite Wellington Cabs.
@knlprez I think I like Mohrhardt so much because it’s about 3 miles from the cost! I think it’s Red Car that buys their grapes now. And doubled Peter’s price.
@klezman
Their site does show a Mohrhardt cab, $85 a bottle. Really puts into perspective how well Peter priced his wines for consumers!
/giphy Expensive
@knlprez I picked up the 2013 and 2014 of that Gruet via WTSO, but haven’t seen anything more recent, and my stocks are getting thin. Wish I would see it again soon.
Was cleaning out a cellar I purchased and found a few mags of these.
It just may be Coravin instead of Wellington Wednesday tomorrow…
for science, after it settles a bit.
@InFrom@ScottW58
Yes it is…
Well, things could have gone better, or much worse, depending on how one cares to view it.
I did pick the bottle that absolutely, imo, was in the worst condition.
The Coravin was a fail, couldn’t get the needle in without moving the cork down; stop!
Reassess.
Clearly this wasn’t going to be just a sample pour…
Try the Durand.
So, a few, in progress pictures.
Totally soaked cork, as you can see. Some careful cleaning kept nearly all debris out of the bottle.
It’s not Whoa!, drinking well, blew your mind??
None of the above, best description…
hanging on by it’s finger nails (barely)
But it’s not totally over the hill either, pretty decent nose; no wet dog or Brett and if you can deal with a touch of VA, it’s pretty interesting. Still really stirred up from travel and pretty cloudy, but it’s got the color of a well aged cab with no browning at the rim.
This was a great bottle, and I’ll not cook with this one, but clearly the issues are entirely with the cork, not storage, well, ok storage affects the cork, but it’s not cooked from poor storage.
The VA does seem to diminish after some time in glass. Does that make any sense?
It was $15. I’ll roll the dice any day for a chance.
One down, three (well, actually one promised) so two to go.
@hscottk With the caveat that it was a heat damaged bottle from a shipping mishap, this was nonetheless in great shape. No rush at all if the rest of the bottles are undamaged. But you won’t go wrong trying a bottle now - think of it as a new world Brunello.
Have you ever taken Chipotle over to your mom’s house, forgetting to take a bottle of wine? Then remember that there’s a case or so in her basement that you couldn’t let SWMBO see you drag into the house. Then go down and see that it’s a mixed case of Ty Caton, pull a bottle out that says “Red Wine” on it, and think “good enough for Chipotle”. Damn! Ty Caton makes some fine “Red Wine”.
@rjquillin@ScottW58
Potato’s done hasselback style, salad is my version of a Caesar, self made dressing with 36 month aged Parmigiano Reggiano, dried cranberries & walnuts.
Making some beef stroganoff with flannery filet tails and drinking this, great use for a corivan during the time of covid when I can’t get together with people and drink a mag. Drink one bottle worth then when I want it again pop the cork oh and glad I have two of these or well if I ever see RJQ again
@rjquillin
ESOTERICA BY KENT RASMUSSEN MIXED REDS
QUANTITY: 1 CASE (12-BOTTLES) @ $129.99
ORDER wailing-classy-crayfish
DATE January 19th 2018 1:20pm ET
@rjquillin W. Woot only ended 12/31/17! The past deals list only goes back to 2/1/18, so I can’t be 100% sure, but my recollection is that the Kent was the debut offer in WD’s new venture.
@hscottk@Mark_L@rjquillin Once I re-sorted the view to show date created instead of most recent comment, it all fell into place. The Band Blend still shows as the first, but the KR is the third thing shown. With the other view I couldn’t even see it, which was confusing, since I knew I’d bought it in January. Anyhoo, the KR was the first one I bought, though I did pick up a couple of the Bernardus PN (Casemates #2) in a trade later on.
Casemates-collecting minutae aside, how was the wine? It was really nice. No visible signs of aging. The fruit and light tannins are still there but the acidity seemed muted, which I actually enjoyed. Lovely sipping before, during, and after dinner.
I ended up with a couple cases of the Rasmussen, have gifted a good number and drank a few as well. Perhaps time to revisit; I think I even know where they are.
@klezman
Next one I do half is yours! Daughters birthday so the damn kids took almost all of it home,it was a 15 pounder I gotta say it took a bit but I am really getting good at smoking brisket. I think it was the hardest thing to perfect with the smoker.
@ScottW58
My husband smokes a lot of pork but just picked up a huge brisket on sale. First time for brisket (I’m excited, one of my favs). Any special tidbits of advice?
2015 Woot Cellars Revelry. My compliments to the winemaker(s).
With excellent Szechuan takout – Cumin Lamb, Dan Dan Noodles, etc. We realized that the last time we got food from this place was almost exactly a year ago, just after what was apparently our last time in a movie theater before the lockdown.
Just made and demolished a mixed drink:
4 year old rum
splash of raspberry vodka
splash of cinnamon cordial
aromatic bitters
verjus from Navarro Vineyards
birch syrup (like maple syrup, but from birch)
Italian strawberries in syrup
Next we’re going to open the latest Costco find for $26+tax: NV Albert Lebrun Champagne Grand Cru
@neilfindswine
It held up very well. The cork was in great shape, the nose was wonderfully expressive, full of floral and tropical notes and it tasted fresh and vibrant despite 9 years in the bottle!
Celebrated @drhellknow’s birthday with my two favorite wines: 2007 Winesmith RRV Pinot Noir and 2010 Cabernet Franc (from his collection. It’s nice having good friends!)
2007 Scott Harvey Old Vines Reserve Zinfandel from a Wooster Inn Wine Dinner. Just a room full of wooters.
Quite a collection of wines being served tonight.
Thank you for posting this and thanks to neilfindswine for doing that! This is the first I’ve heard of his gesture! I’m embarrassed and would have done what he did had I known!
@rpm@neilfindswine
I am sure you would have done the same but you didn’t have the chance as that was the overlap day and you and @woopdedoo were with the veterans. We met up with you later that afternoon at the Robert Craig tasting salon, which ironically turned out to be a better stop for the newbs than the vets.
We had a fun outdoor Chardonnay tasting on top of some wine barrels before heading inside to taste some of the big boy Cabs. That is where I fell in love with Howell Mountain Cab. Unlike what I heard (later) from the vets, we did not get any of the high pressure sales pitches - in fact the reps who took care of us were very laid back and willing to answer all of our questions.
@FritzCat Quite nicely. Plenty of life left (not surprising, considering it is from Clark). Somewhat tart upon opening, became smoother as the night progressed.
@Mark_L Thanks, opened one up and I agree with your assessment. Mouth-filling and yummy. I’ll put the second half of the bottle on the counter and see how it is tomorrow.
Starting with a still Basque apple cider we got in our Garagiste arrivals, then moving on to a 1989 Ravenswood Cooke Vineyard Zinfandel with a bison and beef steak side by side comparison.
@radiolysis
It’s drinking very well. Still quite young and lively. Fortunately I have several stashed away and I’m looking forward to seeing how they continue to develop.
After the 2011 Two Jakes Merlot, we opened a bottle of NV Glee Euphoria Blanc de Noirs, made by Sapphire Hill. One of my many UC bubbles buys and a good one at that! Seriously frothy mousse with pear and red apple aromas and similar palate plus some biscuit notes. Simple but fun easy drinker.
@hscottk@rjquillin CT doesn’t say you have this. You have the Klamath Cuvee.
It looks like I had one of the latter a few months ago and it was great.
The former has a few motes of being corked recently, and I had a 2009 Cabot Syrah that was corked semi-recently, too.
@klezman@rjquillin@rc70@scottw58 This was the generic HC Syrah. Was my 4th of 6 bottles from BD; first 3 were great. And this was definitely not corked. Could have been heat, but none of the other bottles had an issue.
I really can’t complain, overall. I’ve had very few compromised bottles over the years.
@chipgreen Got this from Garagiste after having had a “Riserva” bottling from the same producer a couple years prior. I liked the Riserva more than this one, and I liked this one younger more than at 5 years of age. It lost some of its floral distinctiveness. Could be vintage or could be the bottling, not sure.
@chefjess@Winedavid49 Love it, but you have to like Harvest Moon already, I suspect. Great bottle and I’d probably have to break the WBM if that showed up here.
@ScottW58
Seems like an adventurous pairing - how was it? For that matter, can you tell me more about the wine itself? I have never had a Cassis. What grape variety is it?
@chipgreen
I would not suggest this pairing but I had 3/4th of a bottle leftover from lunch it’s kind of a kitchen sink blend of Ugni blanc, Claudette, Marsanne, and Sauvignon blanc. Imagine your standing in a bed of flowers at the ocean and an ocean breeze comes in, that’s what it smells like. It’s hard for me to get my nose out of the glass, medium acidity and f’ing delicious everytime.
@hscottk First go at this and really enjoyed, a nice deal at $26. Medium bodied, plenty of fruit but in no way in the jammy sense, has a lightness and zip to it. Needs a little time to resolve some tannin. Day two was better, saved a small pour for day three and it was doing just fine. No gas or any other preservation techniques.
@klezman
It’s a delicious consolation prize. I was hoping to open some bubbles if the Browns won but this will have to do.
Fumbling through the end zone? What a jacked up rule that is! If you fumble out of bounds at the 1 yd. line, you get the ball at the 1 yd. line. If you fumble into and out of the end zone from the 1 yd. line, the other team gets the ball at their own 20. Seriously, why? Never mind the fact that it was an illegal hit which caused the fumble in the first place.
@chipgreen Yeah, that was a pretty mediocre non-call on the helmet hit. The fumble rule kind of makes sense because if the assumption is that the defending team “recovered” the fumble and took it out of bounds. Then it would legit be a touchback. But there’s no equivalent of a jump ball in gridiron football so how would you adjudicate which team gets possession?
@klezman
Why wouldn’t the team that fumbled retain possession just like they do if they fumble out of bounds? Oh well, yet another feather of futility to stick in the Browns’ Factory of Sadness cap.
2015 Peterson Winery Zinfandel Tradizionale West Vineyard
The assurances that I’d not notice the 16.5% alcohol are partly right. It’s somehow not hot on the nose, but I can taste the bitterness on the finish. It’ll be interesting to see how this opens up.
@ScottW58 Uh huh
I was referring to the discussion from the offer last month where the rats and winery both said it’s not a hot wine. I’m surprised they’re right on that, but it’s not the same as not really noticing the alcohol.
@klezman Cracked this open tonight lamb biryani. Yes, that abv is easily detected but somehow much less harsh than some other wines with 14.4% abv. Even only have a short decant. I’ve been consistently pleased with the QPR of Peterson’s wines.
@KingKoopa Yeah, balance is a different thing. Clark Smith is a firm believer in the “sweet spot” theory of alcohol levels in wine. Tiny changes from these sweet spots leave it seeming hot.
Love me some inexpensive Cava or Cremant for everyday drinking. Used one of Scott’s $20 off $50 codes on wine.com the other day to order 6 bottles of Segura Viudas Cava, which was already on sale for $10 each.
Finishing off that Orr Chenin Blanc - even better the second day.
Then on to 2014 Covalli Barolo with lamb racks. Garagiste mystery wine at $16.50 delivered.
2012 Château de Bel-Air Lalande de Pomerol
After some ragging on this in another thread, decided to pull a cord, despite it only arriving a few days ago.
Not disappointed;
with some leftover hangars, veggie paella and some truffle mac-n-cheese. Not a lot of greenery there.
2005 Havens Bourriquot, a Cab Franc, Merlot blend from Napa Valley. Bought it a long time ago, when ('TSO, 'OOT???) were selling a bunch of Havens.
Very Good! Not over the hill at all, Cellar Tracker folks are giving it a 92-93 point rating. SWMBO says “Bandaids”, which is usually a sign of Bordeauxs.
@chipgreen IDK, I didn’t taste any Brett whatsoever, but then I didn’t taste bandaids either. Oh no!..The 'Rona! I know that Brett isn’t the same as Cork Taint, but I can taste Cork Taint from 6 feet away.
I’m currently taking inventory of my beer collection. I came across 6 of these that have been stashed away for the past 8 years. Decided to try one and holy crap is it ever good.
@rjquillin
Funny you mention that, in all the years I have been buying this wine almost all the bottles had soaked corks, never had a bad bottle tho. When I pulled this cork it seemed shiner than most? Maybe they are trying to improve that?
Don’t know what I’m cooking yet, but decided to pop another recent Garagiste arrival: NV Union Champagne de Saint Gall Champagne Le Selection
These were $20+shipping and molarchae grabbed half a dozen.
Finished up the 2011 Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz,
then had some 2010 Turnbull Esate Cab with 4-week dry-aged rib steaks, grilled on the Weber in the snow, walking around in thongs (not the underwear). Damn…This! is America!
@rjquillin@ScottW58 What are you getting, Scott?
I think we’re in for 3 SC, and 1 each of Bearwallow, Silver Eagle, and Occidental
molarchae has adopted your stance of buying fewer bottles but allowing ourselves to spend a bit more.
@klezman@rjquillin
I always said molarchae was the smart one in the family oh and damn better looking! 3 SC and 3 Summa. TRB is a hell of a winemaker imho
@rjquillin '13 was darn good. Very lightly colored, with cherry and a touch of earth. I got mine from Total Wine many years ago. I’ve been wanting to drink, but it kept getting lost in rearrangement.
@ScottW58 Drinking well, in a good spot. Might have only been one more vintage of Savoy after this. Big fan, I’ve purchased since the initial '05 offering, has been fun to follow. He just purchased some orchard land in the Sebastopol area, estate wines on the horizon.
2005 Kelley Creek Flow
Sonoma County Bordeaux Blend
SWMBO detects “Band Aids”, which I’ve been told is Brett. In fact, she can’t drink it, so I popped “twisted” a QPR for her, which she likes just fine.
I like it a lot. A nice aged Bordeaux blend.
I can’t taste Band Aids, but I am very sensitive to Cork Taint.
@klezman@rjquillin
I brought sake (in addition to Iron Horse) to Buffalo one year and only 1 person out of 12 drank any (Don’s son’s girlfriend) so I gave her the bottle to take home.
I have yet to acquire the taste for it myself but I have a mixed case or so laying around, so who knows? I’ll keep trying from time to time.
@chipgreen@klezman@rjquillin Hey it’s February so no more January wine for me… as far as sake, some buds are big fans but I have troubles enjoying it. I’ve had the cheap stuff and the good stuff and it doesn’t do much for me
@chipgreen@kaolis@klezman@rjquillin On a couple of company visits to Japan (and domestic travel with a Japanese manager), I had a number of occasions to “enjoy” sake (both cold and warm, and definitely preferred cold). Never really found it to be my “cup of tea”. Hint: avoid the “fermented squid guts” (Shiokara 塩辛) on on the tables of the Japanese restaurants – probably my least favorite memory of Japanese dining.
@chipgreen@kaolis@klezman@Mark_L
Didn’t recall the name, had to ask swmbo.
She called it ‘pickled’. Looking at the pics, yeah, had that; multiple times both here and in Japan. Perhaps you got some that was not so good, I found it tasty.
Most sake poured at domestic, US, restaurants that is served other than cold is absolute, imo, plonk. Generally, again imo, so bad that if served at room temp you would pour it dtd. Otoh, cold sake, served from a masu, can be delightful. Try for at least a Junmai Ginjo if not a Junmai Daiginjo grade.
@chipgreen@klezman@rjquillin
Sorry, I don’t even play here often but couldn’t resist. Hey I’m hiding from this bug now for almost a year, so every day is Groundhog Day, I’m surprised I even noticed
![enter image description here![][1]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
2008 Wellington Vineyards Victory
@catcoland how was it?
@bunnymasseuse Very tasty, still good fruit and little sign of age. I’m glad because I’ve got 9 more bottles.
2011 Gundlach Bundschu Gewurztraminer from the 2012 RPM Newbie Tour. Thanks to @neilfindswine for buying a bottle of this for everyone to sample after the winery declined to let us taste it upon request. Because of Neil’s generosity a number of us bought bottles of GunBun Gewurz.
Flannery NY strips and roasted carrots. No green stuff.
2009 Wellington Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Handal-Denier
@klezman
I’m happy for Peter but always sad when we open one of his wines knowing we won’t be able to reload. Hope it was good!
@knlprez It’s good. Needed 15 minutes of air to start opening up. I only have two of this particular wine, but it’s amazingly well structured, not overripe in any way, and should go well with the steaks in 20 minutes or so when the kids are finally down.
Even though this Cabernet is the basis for the Victory, I tend to like the Karren more and the Mohrhardt even more. Nonetheless, wish I had more than two of this vintage.
@klezman
We did a 45 minute decant on this one, it was actually pretty tight upon opening. Drank over 2.5 hours and it held up really well. This is the 1st of 2 bottles we have of the 2003 and it’s in a really nice place right now. On the palate this has a lot of leather and tobacco, fruits are fading but you can still pick out some cherry cordials (chocolate and sweet cherry), but still fresh and has a ton of life left. Cherry cordials on the nose also, some oak as well, maybe some blueberries? Tannins are starting to resolve, but I wouldn’t hesitate to hold this for another 5 years+, it doesn’t taste like an 18 year old wine, and there’s no bricking at all.
We usually do not enjoy the HD cabs younger than 10 years. The non-vineyard designate cabs and nice and fruity, followed by Karen. The HD sit in a weird place for us, but the Mohrhardt (or Random Ridge before the name change) are definitely our favorite Wellington Cabs.
@knlprez I think I like Mohrhardt so much because it’s about 3 miles from the cost! I think it’s Red Car that buys their grapes now. And doubled Peter’s price.
@klezman
Their site does show a Mohrhardt cab, $85 a bottle. Really puts into perspective how well Peter priced his wines for consumers!
/giphy Expensive
Prime ribeyes, asparagus, champagne (sparkling wine??) risotto.
2003 Wellington Handal-Denier Cabernet Sauvignon with the meal and a 2015 Gruet Grand Blanc de Noirs before dinner.
SO and I have been together 9 years, time flies when you’re drinking wine! Cheers everyone!
@knlprez I picked up the 2013 and 2014 of that Gruet via WTSO, but haven’t seen anything more recent, and my stocks are getting thin. Wish I would see it again soon.
@radiolysis
We are wine club members and enjoy their reserve wines a lot. This one is pretty good!
Japanese New Year
And this is what happens when you have two women in the house…
@rjquillin Looks like fun!
@InFrom Tradition now for over 15 years, tho one couple from Yuma has dropped out the past two years. Now, just the three of us.
Made some French onion soup with this,good god not many people in california are making wine this good!
@ScottW58 It’s also 20 years old now…
@ScottW58 He’s not even making wine any more, I thought.
@klezman
Sadly he is not.
Was cleaning out a cellar I purchased and found a few mags of these.
It just may be Coravin instead of Wellington Wednesday tomorrow…
for science, after it settles a bit.
@rjquillin Whoa!
@rjquillin you bought a cellar!? I thought you had several already. Is this like storage wars?
@rjquillin
One of the great ones, I hope it survived!
@CorTot i was thinking more like “We Bought a Zoo”
@rjquillin
Totally shot, hanging on by it’s finger nails, drinking well, blew your mind?? What say you?
@ScottW58
@rjquillin @ScottW58 OK it’s Wednesday now.
@InFrom @ScottW58
Yes it is…
Well, things could have gone better, or much worse, depending on how one cares to view it.
I did pick the bottle that absolutely, imo, was in the worst condition.
The Coravin was a fail, couldn’t get the needle in without moving the cork down; stop!
Reassess.
Clearly this wasn’t going to be just a sample pour…
Try the Durand.
So, a few, in progress pictures.
Totally soaked cork, as you can see. Some careful cleaning kept nearly all debris out of the bottle.
It’s not Whoa!, drinking well, blew your mind??
None of the above, best description…
hanging on by it’s finger nails (barely)
But it’s not totally over the hill either, pretty decent nose; no wet dog or Brett and if you can deal with a touch of VA, it’s pretty interesting. Still really stirred up from travel and pretty cloudy, but it’s got the color of a well aged cab with no browning at the rim.
This was a great bottle, and I’ll not cook with this one, but clearly the issues are entirely with the cork, not storage, well, ok storage affects the cork, but it’s not cooked from poor storage.
The VA does seem to diminish after some time in glass. Does that make any sense?
It was $15. I’ll roll the dice any day for a chance.
One down, three (well, actually one promised) so two to go.
Here’s another one that should be interesting…
@InFrom @rjquillin
nice!
The durand is the king! Nothing it can’t handle
@rjquillin @ScottW58 So interesting, thanks for documenting it for us.
2010 Wellington Meeks Hilltop Ranch Zinfandel
2011 Vino Noceto Sangiovese AX-1
@klezman How was it? Drink/hold? I’ve been holding mine and need a reason to pop one.
@hscottk With the caveat that it was a heat damaged bottle from a shipping mishap, this was nonetheless in great shape. No rush at all if the rest of the bottles are undamaged. But you won’t go wrong trying a bottle now - think of it as a new world Brunello.
Have you ever taken Chipotle over to your mom’s house, forgetting to take a bottle of wine? Then remember that there’s a case or so in her basement that you couldn’t let SWMBO see you drag into the house. Then go down and see that it’s a mixed case of Ty Caton, pull a bottle out that says “Red Wine” on it, and think “good enough for Chipotle”. Damn! Ty Caton makes some fine “Red Wine”.
Three guesses…
@rc70
Nice! Hollenback potatoes? Oops hasselback
@rc70 @ScottW58
Sure looks like them. What’s the greenery?
@rjquillin @ScottW58
Potato’s done hasselback style, salad is my version of a Caesar, self made dressing with 36 month aged Parmigiano Reggiano, dried cranberries & walnuts.
@rc70 @rjquillin @ScottW58 What’s in your dressing?
With leftover spaghetti
@ScottW58
Ooh. Yummy
2008 Ty Caton Petite Sirah
Excellent
@FritzCat missing our friendly PSycho right about now, and our old NOVA gatherings for PS!
Making some beef stroganoff with flannery filet tails and drinking this, great use for a corivan during the time of covid when I can’t get together with people and drink a mag. Drink one bottle worth then when I want it again pop the cork
oh and glad I have two of these or well if I ever see RJQ again 
2016 Esoterica PN, the last remaining bottle of my first Casemates order.
@InFrom
???
@rjquillin
ESOTERICA BY KENT RASMUSSEN MIXED REDS
QUANTITY: 1 CASE (12-BOTTLES) @ $129.99
ORDER wailing-classy-crayfish
DATE January 19th 2018 1:20pm ET
@InFrom
But…
Your FIRST CM purchase?
Really?
Ok, thought that one came much later on.
Clearly, still delirious.
@rjquillin W. Woot only ended 12/31/17! The past deals list only goes back to 2/1/18, so I can’t be 100% sure, but my recollection is that the Kent was the debut offer in WD’s new venture.
@InFrom @rjquillin Pretty sure the debut was Little Vineyards Band Blend #9, but the KR was very early on. What do you think of the wine?
@hscottk @InFrom @rjquillin You are correct on the Little Vineyards Band Blend Track 9.
@hscottk @Mark_L @rjquillin Once I re-sorted the view to show date created instead of most recent comment, it all fell into place. The Band Blend still shows as the first, but the KR is the third thing shown. With the other view I couldn’t even see it, which was confusing, since I knew I’d bought it in January. Anyhoo, the KR was the first one I bought, though I did pick up a couple of the Bernardus PN (Casemates #2) in a trade later on.
Casemates-collecting minutae aside, how was the wine? It was really nice. No visible signs of aging. The fruit and light tannins are still there but the acidity seemed muted, which I actually enjoyed. Lovely sipping before, during, and after dinner.
@hscottk @InFrom @Mark_L
Little Vineyards Band Blend Track 9 was #1 followed by
Bernardus Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir as #2 and
Kent was #3
followed by Tercero and Zaca Mesa.
I ended up with a couple cases of the Rasmussen, have gifted a good number and drank a few as well. Perhaps time to revisit; I think I even know where they are.
@hscottk @Mark_L @rjquillin
If that’s not good reason to open a bottle, I don’t know what is.
Making room in the fridge so smoked a whole packet! Excellent if I don’t say so myself
and a 15 Di Co Farella…needs time.
@ScottW58 A whole packer brisket?! Wow!
If you have leftovers you need to get rid of we’d be happy to swing by and pick them up
@klezman @ScottW58 Why didn’t you and @chipgreen let us know that tonight was Smoked Brisket Night? Damn that looks good.
@klezman
I gotta say it took a bit but I am really getting good at smoking brisket. I think it was the hardest thing to perfect with the smoker.
Next one I do half is yours! Daughters birthday so the damn kids took almost all of it home,it was a 15 pounder
@chipgreen @InFrom @klezman
I thought you guys were vegetarian
@ScottW58
My husband smokes a lot of pork but just picked up a huge brisket on sale. First time for brisket (I’m excited, one of my favs). Any special tidbits of advice?
2015 Woot Cellars Revelry. My compliments to the winemaker(s).
With excellent Szechuan takout – Cumin Lamb, Dan Dan Noodles, etc. We realized that the last time we got food from this place was almost exactly a year ago, just after what was apparently our last time in a movie theater before the lockdown.
@InFrom
Wish we purchased more than a half case of those, really great wine!
@InFrom Wasn’t that 2013?
@InFrom
Happy to have helped create the blend! I squirreled away 2 cases, think I still have at least 20 left.
@hscottk Only if you insist on going by what’s on the label!
Suppose my reading glasses would’ve helped last night. 
Just made and demolished a mixed drink:
4 year old rum
splash of raspberry vodka
splash of cinnamon cordial
aromatic bitters
verjus from Navarro Vineyards
birch syrup (like maple syrup, but from birch)
Italian strawberries in syrup
Next we’re going to open the latest Costco find for $26+tax: NV Albert Lebrun Champagne Grand Cru
Storybook Mountain Zinfandel, 2008
Same as we had at the Paris Restaurant in Vegas,
ten years ago. Thought we should start the year right.
2015 Graybehl Grenache Mathis Vineyards.
…those were the days my friend! How’s that holding up after a good spell of bottle age?
@neilfindswine
It held up very well. The cork was in great shape, the nose was wonderfully expressive, full of floral and tropical notes and it tasted fresh and vibrant despite 9 years in the bottle!
2013 Woot Cellars Revelry - Still very good and I’m glad I have a case remaining yet.
@Twich22 One of my favourites - one bottle remaining for me. How’s it doing?
@klezman drinkin real nice. Smooth but still lots of flavor.
Yesterday: 2019 Jana Sauvignon Blanc
Today: 2010 Two Jakes Petite Sirah
No clue what I’m going to eat with it?
@ScottW58 We paired with Thai food several times.
How about some nice grilled shrimp?
@InFrom
@InFrom
with some fregola and spanish seasoning
You read my mind
@ScottW58 OMG that looks yum.
Celebrated @drhellknow’s birthday with my two favorite wines: 2007 Winesmith RRV Pinot Noir and 2010 Cabernet Franc (from his collection. It’s nice having good friends!)
@KitMarlot
That 2007 RRV Pinot is sublime…
2013 Wellington Vineyards Syrah Charlie Walker’s Corner
2007 Scott Harvey Old Vines Reserve Zinfandel from a Wooster Inn Wine Dinner. Just a room full of wooters.
Quite a collection of wines being served tonight.
@msten
You can’t spell Wooster without Wooters.
Those were the days…
This is the '08 and it’s drinking quite nicely. I’m kind of bummed I’m down to one '09 left from the case. The QPR with these was through the roof.
@rc70 I’m looking forward to finding another one of those in my cellar.
@radiolysis did we do a 3-way split on this one?
@rjquillin I think I split with coworkers on that? So long ago…
Since I forgot yesterday was New years…
Thank you for posting this and thanks to neilfindswine for doing that! This is the first I’ve heard of his gesture! I’m embarrassed and would have done what he did had I known!
@rpm @neilfindswine
I am sure you would have done the same but you didn’t have the chance as that was the overlap day and you and @woopdedoo were with the veterans. We met up with you later that afternoon at the Robert Craig tasting salon, which ironically turned out to be a better stop for the newbs than the vets.
We had a fun outdoor Chardonnay tasting on top of some wine barrels before heading inside to taste some of the big boy Cabs. That is where I fell in love with Howell Mountain Cab. Unlike what I heard (later) from the vets, we did not get any of the high pressure sales pitches - in fact the reps who took care of us were very laid back and willing to answer all of our questions.
2015 Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico Riserva
2006 Ridge Zinfandel York Creek
2013 WineSmith Meritage. Glad I’ve got the majority of my case to still enjoy!
@Mark_L How’s it drinking now. I’ve got some too.
@FritzCat Quite nicely. Plenty of life left (not surprising, considering it is from Clark). Somewhat tart upon opening, became smoother as the night progressed.
@Mark_L Thanks, opened one up and I agree with your assessment. Mouth-filling and yummy. I’ll put the second half of the bottle on the counter and see how it is tomorrow.
@Mark_L Considering the gravity of the day, we had to wash the Meritage down with a wee dram of Any Gorilla.
@FritzCat @Mark_L What strong juice do you have lind up for today then?!?
@klezman @Mark_L Just the two Winesmiths. Totally satisfying…almost as much so as today’s news.
2012 Laura Michael Zinfandel
Day three. No special treatment. Just a cork and back in the fridge. Would’ve thought I opened it up ten minutes ago.
2013 Engracia Syrah Deerfield Vineyard, that was a good one. All gone now.
@InFrom We had a 2013 Wine Woot Syrah doubleheader this weekend – Wellington Wednesday fell on Saturday this week. The Estate vineyard, specifically.
Starting with a still Basque apple cider we got in our Garagiste arrivals, then moving on to a 1989 Ravenswood Cooke Vineyard Zinfandel with a bison and beef steak side by side comparison.
2004 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot (2003 was last week, this 2004 one surprisingly better)
With some hangers and duck fat roasted fingerlings. And some green stuff
@ScottW58
That Rivers-Marie thread got you thinking…
@chipgreen
just a baby but I had to try one.
You seem to understand me
@kawichris650 how’s it doing? I think I have one more stashed away for the future
@radiolysis
It’s drinking very well. Still quite young and lively. Fortunately I have several stashed away and I’m looking forward to seeing how they continue to develop.
@kawichris650 @radiolysis
ME TOO. LOOKING FORWARD TO TRYING THEM.
@chipgreen
@chipgreen I’m slow. For a second I wondered why you were shouting.
@chipgreen @klezman
Same.
2015 The Princess and the Peasant Carignan. #BD12
@hscottk Drinking while BD-ing sounds dangerous.
@InFrom Now you tell me!
@hscottk If you’d asked, I would’ve told ya!
While I was stone-cold sober the entire time, I managed to spend like a drunken sailor!
1996 Ravenswood Cabernet Franc
2009 Dunham Cellars Riesling Late Harvest Lewis Vineyard
2013 Peterson La Stupenda Barbera with baked polenta and meatballs.
@karenhynes That sounds really good!
2015 Halcon Pinot noir Wentzel vineyard with a pork roast.
My last 2008 Congruence cab. Thanks for the memories!
@hscottk
Yup thanks for the memories
After the 2011 Two Jakes Merlot, we opened a bottle of NV Glee Euphoria Blanc de Noirs, made by Sapphire Hill. One of my many UC bubbles buys and a good one at that! Seriously frothy mousse with pear and red apple aromas and similar palate plus some biscuit notes. Simple but fun easy drinker.
Hot toddy, recovering from an overdone night into 2021!
Cabot 2010 Syrah. Heavily oxidized with a strong whiff of alcohol and flavors of stewed fruit. You win some, you lose some.
@hscottk
Thanks for the sitrep, hope others are doing better.
@klezman
Adam, can you dig into the locker up there, box K20, and pull one of these and it’s cork to see how it’s doing?
@hscottk
That’s a shame, I show I drank my 2 from this years BD purchase on 5/31 & 8/22 and both were drinking very well.
@hscottk
Eh not all corks are created equal.
@hscottk @rjquillin CT doesn’t say you have this. You have the Klamath Cuvee.
It looks like I had one of the latter a few months ago and it was great.
The former has a few motes of being corked recently, and I had a 2009 Cabot Syrah that was corked semi-recently, too.
@klezman @rjquillin @rc70 @scottw58 This was the generic HC Syrah. Was my 4th of 6 bottles from BD; first 3 were great. And this was definitely not corked. Could have been heat, but none of the other bottles had an issue.
I really can’t complain, overall. I’ve had very few compromised bottles over the years.
2015 Mario Lucchetti Lacrima di Morro d’Alba
@klezman
I am a fan of Lacrima in general. What do you think of this one?
@chipgreen Got this from Garagiste after having had a “Riserva” bottling from the same producer a couple years prior. I liked the Riserva more than this one, and I liked this one younger more than at 5 years of age. It lost some of its floral distinctiveness. Could be vintage or could be the bottling, not sure.
@klezman I had the ‘17. Floral nose, tannins, medium body. Good with or without food. Tasted Italian. Great for a sawbuck.
Might as well throw in some 2015 Graton Ridge Petite Sirah dessert wine tonight for good measure
One of my new favorites! garnacha so not to offend @infrom
@ScottW58 Excelente!
2012 Ca‘ Rozzeria Barolo Tre Comuni
Starting off nicely…bright and fresh. Tannins are picking up steam with air.
One last bubbly bottle for the Berserker charity week: 2013 Harvest Moon Zinfandel Sparkling Russian River Valley
@klezman @winedavid49
Nice! How is it?
I’ve been asking WineDavid for a Harvest Moon sparkling red since we last saw it on woot.
@chefjess @Winedavid49 Love it, but you have to like Harvest Moon already, I suspect. Great bottle and I’d probably have to break the WBM if that showed up here.
2017 E11even Petit Verdot. Not perfect with the after dinner chocolate/immolation of our democracy.
2016 Ca‘ Rozzeria Chianti Classico Riserva.
2019 Gård Vintners Grenache Grand Klasse Reserve Lawrence Vineyards With some take out.
…and then you noticed the “Tytanium” logo?
I hope Mom appreciated it!
@chipgreen Leftover Tytanium can lead to day-drinking.
And, fortunately mom doesn’t drink wine.
With some Texas chili
@ScottW58
Seems like an adventurous pairing - how was it? For that matter, can you tell me more about the wine itself? I have never had a Cassis. What grape variety is it?
@chipgreen
it’s kind of a kitchen sink blend of Ugni blanc, Claudette, Marsanne, and Sauvignon blanc. Imagine your standing in a bed of flowers at the ocean and an ocean breeze comes in, that’s what it smells like. It’s hard for me to get my nose out of the glass, medium acidity and f’ing delicious everytime.
I would not suggest this pairing but I had 3/4th of a bottle leftover from lunch
@ScottW58
Sounds nice!
2018 Beau Vigne Cult Cabernet Sauvignon
2014 Scherrer Winery Zinfandel Old and Mature Vines Scherrer Vineyard Alexander Valley
2003 York Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Track
@klezman
Have you tried the '06 yet?
Or did I not get you one?
Just saw Vivino has them for $48.
Yowsa.
@rjquillin tried an 06, I think, of the estate. Check CT.
@kaolis Thoughts? I’ve heard good things.
@hscottk First go at this and really enjoyed, a nice deal at $26. Medium bodied, plenty of fruit but in no way in the jammy sense, has a lightness and zip to it. Needs a little time to resolve some tannin. Day two was better, saved a small pour for day three and it was doing just fine. No gas or any other preservation techniques.
2012 Hunt Country Late Harvest Vignoles
@chipgreen Yum
@klezman
It’s a delicious consolation prize. I was hoping to open some bubbles if the Browns won but this will have to do.
Fumbling through the end zone? What a jacked up rule that is! If you fumble out of bounds at the 1 yd. line, you get the ball at the 1 yd. line. If you fumble into and out of the end zone from the 1 yd. line, the other team gets the ball at their own 20. Seriously, why? Never mind the fact that it was an illegal hit which caused the fumble in the first place.
@chipgreen Yeah, that was a pretty mediocre non-call on the helmet hit. The fumble rule kind of makes sense because if the assumption is that the defending team “recovered” the fumble and took it out of bounds. Then it would legit be a touchback. But there’s no equivalent of a jump ball in gridiron football so how would you adjudicate which team gets possession?
@klezman
Why wouldn’t the team that fumbled retain possession just like they do if they fumble out of bounds? Oh well, yet another feather of futility to stick in the Browns’ Factory of Sadness cap.
@chipgreen Just try being a Maple Leafs fan…
@chipgreen @klezman Nice season for your Browns. I’ll trade my QB (Trubisky) for yours noooooo problem!
Go Hawks
2015 Peterson Winery Zinfandel Tradizionale West Vineyard
The assurances that I’d not notice the 16.5% alcohol are partly right. It’s somehow not hot on the nose, but I can taste the bitterness on the finish. It’ll be interesting to see how this opens up.
@klezman
If you can’t notice alcohol in a 16.5 abv wine your palate is shot
@ScottW58 Uh huh
I was referring to the discussion from the offer last month where the rats and winery both said it’s not a hot wine. I’m surprised they’re right on that, but it’s not the same as not really noticing the alcohol.
@klezman Cracked this open tonight lamb biryani. Yes, that abv is easily detected but somehow much less harsh than some other wines with 14.4% abv. Even only have a short decant. I’ve been consistently pleased with the QPR of Peterson’s wines.
@KingKoopa Yeah, balance is a different thing. Clark Smith is a firm believer in the “sweet spot” theory of alcohol levels in wine. Tiny changes from these sweet spots leave it seeming hot.
@klezman And… that is why Clark is the new auto-buy
, RIP Wellington
Night Two of Cava Week.
@InFrom
Good?
Love me some inexpensive Cava or Cremant for everyday drinking. Used one of Scott’s $20 off $50 codes on wine.com the other day to order 6 bottles of Segura Viudas Cava, which was already on sale for $10 each.
@InFrom how was yours? We quite enjoyed ours, it didn’t last long.
@CorTot It was pretty good, we had it once before and went back for more. Yeah, it did go pretty fast.
That Cava WD had on here over the summer was good, particularly the white.
@chipgreen That’s a nice deal!
2018 Martin Ray Synthesis Pinot Noir
Roasted chicken with Zaatar rub and this is really nice.
@ScottW58 thoughts?
@CorTot
This is a good one imho, have not tried the nebbiolo yet.
@ScottW58 Where’d you get your zaatar? I’ve only ever brought it back from Israel
@klezman
Well for those of us who cannot bring it back from Israel
https://www.amazon.com/Spice-Way-substitute-Additives-Perservatives/dp/B01NBUZ1R8/ref=sr_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=zaatar&qid=1611512626&s=grocery&sr=1-11
2017 Kendric Syrah
Finishing off that Orr Chenin Blanc - even better the second day.
Then on to 2014 Covalli Barolo with lamb racks. Garagiste mystery wine at $16.50 delivered.
@klezman
Yeah I liked that Orr chenin a lot and it is very young. Tonight it’s back to Spain
@ScottW58 Never had that bottling - that’s their top end, isn’t it? Or Imperial Gran Reserva, I suppose.
@klezman
This is not the Gran Reserva but it’s really nice, picked it up to fill out a case from Garagiste a while ago.
2017 Bedrock Pato Heritage. First bottle I had was corked, Morgan replaced it, and this one is great!
@klezman
Nice! never had that one, 13 Goodfellow Whistling ridge tonight with Chilean sea bass sizzling butter Olive oil and roasted potatoes.
@ScottW58 nice! Is that one ready to drink or need a ton of air or time?
@klezman
It’s drinking really well and even better tonight!
2014 Twisted Oak Syrah
Very smooth, quite tasty. Now to decide on what to have for dinner.
2013 Meeker Syrah. Drinking well with a nice savory, olive profile. Good structure and balance.
2014 L’Ecole No.41 Columbia Valley Syrah
2009 Maison Louis Latour Library White with 2020 Alaskan Halibut prepared with salt/pepper/garlic white wine with rice & spinach
2012 Château de Bel-Air Lalande de Pomerol
After some ragging on this in another thread, decided to pull a cord, despite it only arriving a few days ago.
Not disappointed;
with some leftover hangars, veggie paella and some truffle mac-n-cheese. Not a lot of greenery there.
And that brisket looks damn fine @scottw58.
2017 Longplay Hi Tone Pinot Noir…very smooth.
2012 Handley Pinot Noir Anderson Valley
2005 Havens Bourriquot, a Cab Franc, Merlot blend from Napa Valley. Bought it a long time ago, when ('TSO, 'OOT???) were selling a bunch of Havens.
Very Good! Not over the hill at all, Cellar Tracker folks are giving it a 92-93 point rating. SWMBO says “Bandaids”, which is usually a sign of Bordeauxs.
@FritzCat Damn good with Nachos!
@FritzCat
I thought “bandaids” was a sign of Brettanomyces.
@chipgreen IDK, I didn’t taste any Brett whatsoever, but then I didn’t taste bandaids either. Oh no!..The 'Rona! I know that Brett isn’t the same as Cork Taint, but I can taste Cork Taint from 6 feet away.
I’m currently taking inventory of my beer collection. I came across 6 of these that have been stashed away for the past 8 years. Decided to try one and holy crap is it ever good.
@kawichris650 Hanging out in WI for a bit, just picked up a few Central Waters brews
An old favorite, 2014
2018 Limerick Lane RRV Zin
2013 Turley Zinfandel Sadie Upton
2017 OTP Rosé
2018 municipal winemakers Debra rose
2007 Moran Manor Anagram
2020 Concha y Toro Malbec Reservado
Sterling Vineyards Blanc de Blancs
A tannic monster! But nice fruit hiding behind
give it another 10 years or leave it for your children!
2014 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett
2010 Sun River Vintners Souzão Angelica Red Heaven Vineyard Red Mountain
2015 Thomas Fogarty Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Series Nelson Family Vineyard
Another old favorite, I think RJQ reminded me to pick some of this up
@ScottW58
How was the cork?
I recall mine 50% saturated.
@rjquillin
Funny you mention that, in all the years I have been buying this wine almost all the bottles had soaked corks, never had a bad bottle tho. When I pulled this cork it seemed shiner than most? Maybe they are trying to improve that?
2012 Rapture Cabernet from Michael & David Phillips, Lodi. Yummy
2014 Château Paradis Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence Essenciel de Paradis
I thought I was out of these, found another one.
Tasty and inexpensive.
Always a great night when I drink one of Kelley’s wines!
@ScottW58 Love this wine. Should have bought more!
2017/2018 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
The '17 has a bit more pucker power, a plus for me.
Neither are ready, imo, Scott…
@rjquillin
You called
@ScottW58 Whenever I pull a cork on a < 10 year CS, I think of you and wonder why I do such things.
@rjquillin
So you admit you’re smart to try new wines before you get in too deep and find out you don’t like them, nice.
@rjquillin @ScottW58 That’s why, assuming Erica Orr will be on BD, I need to try a couple from my six pack.
2018 Fratelli Perata “Bel’Bruzzo” Montepulciano.
A new-to-me grape from a new-to-me Paso winery. Quite tasty!
2008 Broc Cellars Grenache Dry Stack Vineyard
@chipgreen
Ohh I haven’t had a Broc in a while, how is it drinking?
@ScottW58
Very well. Hardly showing its age at all!
Just pulled out my bottle of 2013 Matthew Gibson Winery Syrah Estate from the 2018 RPM Tour.
@WineDavid49, you should see if you can get them on here!
Monticello vineyards Presidential red Cabernet '17
@CorTot 2005 was my first woot years ago!
Don’t know what I’m cooking yet, but decided to pop another recent Garagiste arrival: NV Union Champagne de Saint Gall Champagne Le Selection
These were $20+shipping and molarchae grabbed half a dozen.
2011 Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz
Delicious!
2018 Domaine Vincent Paris St. Joseph Les Cotes
I like this now but I think I’m going to love it in five years.
Finished up the 2011 Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz,
then had some 2010 Turnbull Esate Cab with 4-week dry-aged rib steaks, grilled on the Weber in the snow, walking around in thongs (not the underwear). Damn…This! is America!
@FritzCat
Haha, “thongs”. Sounds like you could have used some “rubbers” instead.
@chipgreen @FritzCat There’s a reason we call them flip-flops now – no disambiguation needed.
With the Rivers-Marie offer burning a hole in my inbox, we decided to go fancy tonight: 2011 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge Vineyard
Damn this is good.
@rjquillin @ScottW58 or anybody else want a bottle or two from my offer?
@klezman @rjquillin
Thanks for reminding me
@rjquillin @ScottW58 What are you getting, Scott?
I think we’re in for 3 SC, and 1 each of Bearwallow, Silver Eagle, and Occidental
molarchae has adopted your stance of buying fewer bottles but allowing ourselves to spend a bit more.
@klezman @rjquillin
oh and damn better looking! 3 SC and 3 Summa. TRB is a hell of a winemaker imho
I always said molarchae was the smart one in the family
@klezman @ScottW58
Never had one, sure.
What’s the offer.
2009 Mayo Family Winery Zinfandel Antonio’s Cuvee Unti Vineyard
No Rick & Morty fans?
2015 Cooper Vineyards Barbera, Amador
With tri-tip roasted potatoes and green stuff!
@CorTot
Lol
@ScottW58 laughing at my lack of a comma or choice of wine? Or both?
@CorTot
Laughing at your green stuff
@CorTot Haven’t seen that one down here…
Good enough to see if you could pick up a couple?
@rjquillin I think I’ll grab a few to put aside for awhile. I’ll snag you a couple.
@CorTot
2013 Au Bon Climat “La Bauge Au-dessus” Pinot Noir
@radiolysis
I’ve got the '10 of that, how is the '13?
Do I need to think about drinking it yet?
CT thinks I liked it in '15, Costco of all places.
@rjquillin '13 was darn good. Very lightly colored, with cherry and a touch of earth. I got mine from Total Wine many years ago. I’ve been wanting to drink, but it kept getting lost in rearrangement.
2009 Gallo Barrelli Creek Vineyards Cabernet
The perfect accompaniment to tube steaks.
NV Pierre Mineral Champagne Brut
2014 et fille Pinot noir, deux vert vineyard
Etude rose
Colene Clemens Pinot Noir Dopp Creek 2018
2017 Salem Wine Company Pinot Noir
@kaolis
How is that drinking it’s been a while since I had a Kutch
@ScottW58 Drinking well, in a good spot. Might have only been one more vintage of Savoy after this. Big fan, I’ve purchased since the initial '05 offering, has been fun to follow. He just purchased some orchard land in the Sebastopol area, estate wines on the horizon.
2007 Meeker Grenache Forklift
Looks like most of these are long ago consumed.
Last of the 2019 campesino Isa Rose
@CorTot Haven’t had this since the 2015. Looking forward to trying the 2020.
NV Bnektar Blood Amulet Hard cider with Cranberry & raspberry
2005 Kelley Creek Flow
Sonoma County Bordeaux Blend
SWMBO detects “Band Aids”, which I’ve been told is Brett. In fact, she can’t drink it, so I popped “twisted” a QPR for her, which she likes just fine.
I like it a lot. A nice aged Bordeaux blend.
I can’t taste Band Aids, but I am very sensitive to Cork Taint.
Making some sushi tonight, so we’re opening bubbles: NV Gustave Goussard Champagne “Purnoir” Zero Dosage
@klezman Canadians drink bubbles rather than sake with sushi?
@rjquillin depends on the day!
We learned it from our Buffalo friends.
@klezman @rjquillin
I brought sake (in addition to Iron Horse) to Buffalo one year and only 1 person out of 12 drank any (Don’s son’s girlfriend) so I gave her the bottle to take home.
I have yet to acquire the taste for it myself but I have a mixed case or so laying around, so who knows? I’ll keep trying from time to time.
@chipgreen @klezman @rjquillin Hey it’s February so no more January wine for me… as far as sake, some buds are big fans but I have troubles enjoying it. I’ve had the cheap stuff and the good stuff and it doesn’t do much for me
@chipgreen @kaolis @klezman @rjquillin On a couple of company visits to Japan (and domestic travel with a Japanese manager), I had a number of occasions to “enjoy” sake (both cold and warm, and definitely preferred cold). Never really found it to be my “cup of tea”. Hint: avoid the “fermented squid guts” (Shiokara 塩辛) on on the tables of the Japanese restaurants – probably my least favorite memory of Japanese dining.
@chipgreen @kaolis @klezman
Ok, new thread up. Geeze…
@chipgreen @kaolis @klezman @Mark_L
Didn’t recall the name, had to ask swmbo.
She called it ‘pickled’. Looking at the pics, yeah, had that; multiple times both here and in Japan. Perhaps you got some that was not so good, I found it tasty.
Most sake poured at domestic, US, restaurants that is served other than cold is absolute, imo, plonk. Generally, again imo, so bad that if served at room temp you would pour it dtd. Otoh, cold sake, served from a masu, can be delightful. Try for at least a Junmai Ginjo if not a Junmai Daiginjo grade.
@chipgreen @klezman @rjquillin
Sorry, I don’t even play here often but couldn’t resist. Hey I’m hiding from this bug now for almost a year, so every day is Groundhog Day, I’m surprised I even noticed