2011 Wellington Merlot, plenty of life left, which is a good thing as I’m drowning in Wellingtons. Not that that is a bad thing. Wellington makes a nice house wine.
I had Little Vineyards Band Blend Track 9. Opened it on Tuesday, been drinking it every night, and every night it’s gotten better. (I drink wine slowly). Will probably polish it off tomorrow. I’ve never had a Little vintage before, and I quite enjoyed it.
@tklivory And finished it off tonight. I think it hit its peak last night (third night after opening), though tonight was still enjoyable. Definitely an easy drinking red, and I’m glad I got it.
Last night was 2010 Wellington Merlot. Probably the best vintage of that wine I’ve had. Maybe because there was no Victory and so it all went into the varietal bottling?
Tonight - Amsterdam Brewery (from Toronto, obviously) Oktoberfest and Green Spot Irish Whisky
@foxrunner totally different. Duke is all the declassified wines that Peter felt were not good enough to go in his regular bottlings blended together.
Field blend is actually a vineyard of very mixed varietals that he picks and ferments together and is basically a natural blend.
Just finishing my last bottle of 2010 De Bortoli Petite Sirah (from Australia). The '10 was getting a bit old, so I’ve been finishing off the last few bottles recently. This bottle was a bit fresher than some, so it was a good ending of the bottling. It wasn’t a particularly heavy PS, but neither was it’s seven buck price.
My wife finished off a bottle of the 2012 Two Jakes PS and started working on a 2014 Bogle Phantom. Both were very drinkable (I sampled).
Started out with Ommegang’s Barrel-Aged Three Philosophers Ale (a Belgian Quad) that I was reviewing for my beer blog, and am now enjoying a glass of 2011 Two Jakes Cab Franc.
The first one I drank was awful. At the time I thought it was just because it was not a good wine generally speaking. I rated it an 81 in CellarTracker. I had avoided opening this bottle because I was worried it, too would not be good. I guess that first one was spoiled…
Much to my surprise/delight, this is drinking incredibly well. Probably the darkest Merlot I’ve ever seen. Color wise it could easily pass as a PS. Reminds me of the 1996 GunBun Merlot that was THE wine that got me into wine. My first real wine, which was just a random grab at the store. My best friend and I drank them and smoked cigars and just absolutely loved it, great times.
I suppose it’s somewhat fitting to have this wine bring up that memory. I lost that best friend to a brain tumor just last month. Wish he was still here to enjoy wine like this.
@vaaccess It was available right at the end. My first buy (and AFAIK, the first time it was offered) was in October, and then it reappeared in at least one Woot-Off and was on Woot+ a couple of times in mid-to-late December.
Wellington 2010 Zinfandel. Mighty tasty (but of course). I’d considered trying a new wine, but I just kept hearing this one call my name…so I answered. Alaskan King Salmon to complement the wine; life is good.
@Shrdlu I had one bottle of this left. I got excited when I found it an put it in a prominent spot on the rack to drink soon. So, of course that was what my wife grabbed when she needed a bottle to give away to someone who had stopped by. At least the report that I got back was that it was a big hit with the folks who god to drink it instead of me.
I wish I knew how long I’ve had this. Maybe 8 to 10 years. There is a lot of sediment in the bottle and on the bottle neck.
What used to be a very sweet raspberry desert wine has transformed into a something like a port. Never thought I’d keep something like that this long, but I lost them and found them in part because of Casemates. Cheers.
2008 Wellington Victory. Popped the cork and let it sit for an hour, poured it and let it sit for another hour, and while it isn’t my favorite Victory vintage, it’s still pretty delicious.
My first dip into the red label. I love the white label reserve, and quite disliked the InZin bottling, so i’m quite pleased to say i like it! Still a dash sweet, but in a good way.
@radiolysis Scott Harvey Zin is one of my favorite daily drinkers… Great to pull out when you just want a glass of wine and aren’t pairing it with food…
2005 WineSmith Faux Chablis.
My first bottle of this ever - happy to say I’m glad I stocked up on it! It’s holding up nicely paired with seasoned pork chops.
Yesterday afternoon/evening, in the spirit of a classic WW gathering in SoCal hosted by @TimothyB and his lovely SWMBO who put together an awesome spread of eats, some significent damage was done to some bottles seldom seen by many, along with some classics many are familiar with.
I’ll leave it to others attending to provide details of the eats and additional tasting notes.
Of the reds, for me, the Corison was wotn, followed by the Nicholas Cole. The Corison, despite CT drink by dates, tasted quite young and has many years remaining. My first encounter with the Cole was impressive as well. Just don’t know how to judge the others.
@chipgreen What he’s trying to say, I think, is that thanks to a post by @jmdavidson, I ordered some for our split. And after additional prodding, it was still being held at the retailer, I requested it be delivered to Klez (as I was going to be there) so we could do the split, and picked it up and brought it to the gathering. It was a last minute impulse to pull a cork.
@rjquillin Yeah the forums here really are seeming sub-mediocre currently. If someone was willing to do the user admin, we could make a Casemates forum on freeforums.net and then just post links here to the real discussions there. Technically, we could do the same back to the gourmet.w.c forums, but that would be a bit scuzzy.
2014 Roberts & Rogers CS Louer Family St. Helena. Picked up for $42 at Costco in San Ramon. VG and vg QPR. Excellent with prime rib roast, oven roasted potatoes and roasted Brussel sprouts.
@ScottW58 Great job whoever put those Philly Cheesesteaks together, they look delicious! The whole hog freaks me out a little even though the only pork I don’t like is pork barrel spending.
@chipgreen
Cheese steaks were excellent! A real Philadelphian had the meat and cheese shipped in ahh but there’s nothing like a whole roast pig! Don’t like the spending much either!
Little Vineyards Band Blend Track 9. This feels like it has aging potential, but it’s so yummy now, and given that we’re already into our third bottle of this case I don’t know that it’s going to last long enough for us to find out how it ages.
@klezman Similar to my previous CT note but with the addition of something floral on the nose, like a whiff of fresh cut flowers and some white cherry on the palate.
Definitely enjoyable. I was a little worried about this one because it arrived in frigid temps with slush in the bottle but it seemed fine with the exception of a lot of crystal tartrates that were leftover after the slush melted.
@chipgreen Yeah, my bottle (the gift one) arrived slushy and full of crystals too. My prior bottle, which arrived in slightly warmer weather, had none. Will they develop once I refrigerate it? Just wondering.
I need to open one of them soon, in any case. It sounds lovely.
@InFrom the crystals did not dissolve at room temp. I stood the bottle up for several days before drinking to let them collect at the bottom, then poured carefully while drinking. Did not have any noticeable crystals in the glass.
2015 Carmel Road Monterey Pinot Noir with cheese black olive pizza and some kind of baked pasta.
I’m starting to get a hang of this Pinot Noir stuff. I don’t like it on it’s own but with specific foods I think it is wonderful and that they compliment each other in ways most varietals cannot IMO.
2012 Wellington Petite Verdot with tri-tip steak, stuffed mishrooms, corn, asparagus, and tortellini. I think this is one of the first PV’s i have had. It was a long day at work. This wine is really good. I am drinking it too fast to really even let it open up in the glass. Very well balanced. No alcohol. Smooth medium tanins. Medium acid. Medium finish. Dark fruits. Very good. Should go well with the food if it survives the time it will take to cook.
@coynedj I would call it “restrained”. There wasn’t a whole lot on the nose and while it certainly compares well against many pinots I’ve had, it didn’t quite have that extra oomph that I’ve come to expect from Clark’s wines. I didn’t give it much time to breathe, so we’ll see how it goes tonight, or maybe it just needs a little more cellar time. Not that it was bad - it was far from that - but it didn’t reach the heights I was expecting. I’ll give my other bottles a bit more time.
@rc70 I was down to my last 09 and 10. This needs an hour decanting. No need to drink up though. Complex and still tannic. Would buy more if available at original pricing from Wine Spies ($39).
OK, so maybe there is like a foot of new snow on the ground. But inside, drinking a 2013 Pedroncelli Friends White (from the 2014 RPM tour) and eating crostini with Veleta Spanish sardines (BD purchase). YUMM!!!
@jmdavidson1
What is this snow you speak of?? I think that is the only thing I have not tried from Veleta, need to remedy that! Hope you have some of her olive oil and tuna?
@jmdavidson1@ScottW58 Just talked to Nola this afternoon sorting out some order details. In addition the Jamon it seems I’ll have a mystery assortment coming to make up the difference in an over payment. I do know she’ll be including some tuna.
@ScottW58 Nola just extended the free shipping (excluding wines) on the BD thread until Monday the 19th. Besides sardines and tuna, anything else I should put into the shopping cart?
@jmdavidson1@ScottW58 My stuff from BD hasn’t shipped. I shouldn’t spend more $, but if I did would she consolidate? A good bottle of EVOO wouldn’t be a bad idea…
@jmdavidson1@klezman
Manchego, but I a little of each just to try, plus threw in a pack of sardines Ask her i’m sure she would throw in a bottle or two if you order something else? And yes she will consolidate.
@jmdavidson1@ScottW58 Maybe I can email her and ask for a single of the EVOO. $15 for a half litre is a lot more expensive than what I normally pay, and I don’t use it enough to justify the 6-pack. Or I can snag one from you
@vaaccess We visited Blenheim in 2013 along with a dozen or so other wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail. Located within walking distance of Trump Winery, IIRC. Or was it Trump that was within walking distance of Jefferson… or both? Anyway, we were a little disappointed with Blenheim. They only had like 6 wines on their tasting menu and one of them was sold out. The wines we tasted were “meh”. I was surprised not to see guitars hanging on the walls and Dave Matthews merchandise available for sale. Does he still own the winery?
@chipgreen Yes, he still owns the winery and I agree…I thought they would have leveraged him in marketing a bit more…
Their wines are ok, as you said. I think the Petit Verdot is actually on the good side of things. Better than OK, but not great.
Blenheim is close to Trump, yep. Jefferson is close, too, but a bit of a drive. My wife and I hit those three last year, actually, I think Jefferson was the best of the three. Trump Winery, even when it was Kluge, was not good. They had an Old World Red that was marginal bordering on good, but everything else was substandard and that hasn’t changed.
@vaaccess We were actually fans of Trump’s sparkling wines, particularly the Rosé. We picked up some of those along with some of the white Chard Port, aka Crú and the aforementioned Old World Red.
We really liked the Jefferson Meritage and also their Petit Verdot. I don’t remember if Blenheim had a PV when we were there but we liked the VA PVs in general. Usually a blending grape because of the intense tannins, the VA PVs seem to have a softer, rounder profile/mouthfeel that makes them quite drinkable as a pure varietal.
We are attending a wedding in Arlington this July and may have to arrange a side trip back to VA wine country on our way home. We really liked a lot of the wineries we visited. My personal favorite was probably Steve Case’s Early Mountain Vineyards.
@chipgreen Yes, white wines (and similar) are going to be really quite good in VA these days. They’ve come a long way for sure. We’re more into heavier reds so at times VA struggles in that space. PV is probably one of my favorites here and I think I’m going to flip my “vineyard” over to that, frankly, assuming I continue to give it a go…
For me, my all-time favorite place in VA is Veritas. I think their venue is really nice and their wines are usually among the best I’ve had in VA. That said, I don’t get out there as much as I would like to so I’m sure there are others that are superb. If you have the time and you want to enjoy a nice view, Afton Mountain Vineyards is super close, and they have a gorgeous view down from the mountain…though their wines were not as good. That said, I think they are under new ownership so they could be turning a corner at some point…
There’s probably a lot of good write-ups on wineries in VA, so I’ll give you some other options in case you want to vary your trip a little. (All close together.)
Blue Mountain Brewery isn’t far, and is a great place to eat. They have really good food, and some great beer, too.
Farther down the road, if you’re into harder stuff, there’s a great distillery called Silverback distillery. Love their stuff, though the venue isn’t fancy by any means. Just beware…they pour some good sample sizes, so if you’re driving be smart about how you do it.
Finally, a but farther down the road, there is a superb cidery called Bold Rock that is super awesome. Not only is the venue really quite nice, but their ciders are superb, perhaps you’ve seen them in the stores…they are pretty popular around here.
Finally finally…If you want a non-alcholic activity, check out Carter Mountain Orchard which is also nearby. Peaches should be in season, it’s a fun activity to go out and pick your own or you can just buy the ones they’ve already picked if you prefer…
So yeah, that’s basically just one road in VA’s wine country and I just named a few along that path. There’s a LOT of places to go…Hope all this helped!
@rjquillin got some a couple weeks ago and then noticed Friday they had been cleaned out. Funny how some stuff with a recognizable label just disappears immediately and others sit for what is probably years.
I opened the 2013 praxis merlot last weekend and that drank really well for the price. I bought a bit more of that.
In a New York state of mind, with a fabulous Szechuan meal. Now if I can only figure out how to post a photo of the label. 2014 Hermann J. Weiner Cab Franc, from the Seneca Lake AVA. One of our favorite FL wines.
Woot Cellars Help Yourself Cab, again. It’s really, really good right now. Our best endorsement is probably the following: This wine was on sale from Oct '17 through Dec '17. In that time, after tasting the first bottle, we ended up buying 5 1/2 cases. As of now, Feb. 10th '18, we have 4 cases left.
@xandersherry Wow!. I think I have 1.5 cases, but 5.5 is crazy! Its really great wine though, and amazing QPR, so I cannot really blame you. Good for literally any occasion. Food, picnic, holidays, gift, whatever.
BTW, did you get the recent broken earth offering on casemates? They made the Help Yourself Cab.
@Twich22 Yeah, we liked the first couple of bottles from the first order so much that I maxed out every time it went up for sale after that. I don’t think it has much aging potential so it’s nice to have a good stash of a go-to CS that we can drink over the next year or two without dipping too deeply into stuff that should really sit for a bit longer.
I did not get the earlier red blend. I thought about it several times, but the description was pretty far off the styles we normally prefer, and that coupled with the fact that it was just too much of an unknown quantity, I decided to pass.
I did pick up some PULL Merlot that Woot offered in December, and while it’s no Help Yourself, it’s been fine as well.
Decided to try this again, without 12 wines in front of it 2004 Nicholas Cole reserve great bottle! Also tried this instapot recipe 30 minutes are you kidding me, I love this thing! which was just fantistic. https://twosleevers.com/now-later-butter-chicken-pressure-cooker/
@ScottW58 Small world, I just tried her recipe on Thursday! It was a big hit. Probably the greatest success anybody has ever had with a recipe, many have said.
What a super-easy recipe! I had to adapt a little because I used shrimp instead of chicken. It’s brilliant that the recipe produces enough sauce for two meals. I used a regular pressure cooker, I don’t have an electric one.
How’d the wine do with all the spice and ginger?
Somewhat incongruously there was a couple giving out samples of butter chicken made with their special butter chicken spice mix at one of the wineries we stopped at during @bahwm & @ddeudeg’s Niagara-on-the-Lake extravaganza a few weeks ago. I didn’t buy any of the wine there, but I couldn’t resist a box of the spice mix. On the plane ride to Buffalo the day before, I’d read the New Yorker article about the woman who came up that recipe for her blog, so it just seemed meant to be.
@bahwm@InFrom
Yeah great recipe! Super easy and 30 minutes are you kidding me… thanks for the idea I will try some shrimp with the leftover sauce although I don’t have much leftover, it was so good I could drink the stuff wine worked well.
@rjquillin
Better! My palate was not muddled drinking 12 other wines first! BTW looks like you gave me an extra bottle of the wine, unloading the box I still had 6 left. I will either pay you or return it in the future. Such a great recipe I’m going to make it again this week.
@ScottW58 I baked the shrimp separately – I mixed a little of the spice mix with a couple teaspoons of o. oil, coated the shrimp with it, and roasted in a hot oven until it was the consistency we like. Then I just swished it about in the makhani sauce for a minute, et voila!
Yeah, I managed to take out about half the sauce before I added the shrimp. There was still plenty enough left for dinner.
It was Wellington, so I thought I’d try it (normally I don’t drink Cab Franc). Decent little wine…but what else would you expect? I’ll try it tomorrow night with dinner (pork steak, most likely).
Last night was a big dinner:
2016 Fincke’s Widow bubbles (from winc)
2013 Wellington Duchess
2013 Iron Horse Unoaked Chard
NV Vino Noceto Nutz
2007 Winesmith Barbera Penny Farthing
2010 Golan Heights Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
2011 Scott Harvey Old Vine Reserve Zin
2011 Domaine Paul Croses Côte de Nuits Villages
2014 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Berserkers’ Cuvée
2013 Wellington Vineyards Zinfandel Meeks Hilltop Ranch
NV Wellington Vineyards White Port
Tonight:
End of the Duchess and something I suspect we’ll be seeing here tomorrow night. Although since I didn’t get any email or other info with the mystery box, I’m not actually sure.
2013 Nativ Irpinia Campi Taurasini ‘Eremo San Quirico’ Aglianico.
This was my first Italian wine, as well as my first Aglianico. I enjoyed it because it was totally unlike any wine I have had before. The taste was just so different from anything I have had. It tasted more like plum juice than grape juice. It held up fine to the food I ate. There did not seem to be a lot of tannins or acidity. No taste of alcohol. Just a lot of plum. Maybe some raisin. It was smooth. Fairly easy to drink. A fun experience. I would enjoy serving this to family and friends just to see their expression. I got a case so I will probably do so in the future.
Made salmon on the grill. (Yes, I still grill even with 21 inches of new snow on the ground. This is Chicago, where snow doesn’t stop us from living.) Made a sauce of dry vermouth, shallots, heavy cream and lemon juice. Also did a cauliflower parm risotto. Opened two whites: 1) '13 Campesino Alina and 2) '13 Pedroncelli Friends White. Both paired well.
@baekdusan Even those “in the know” might not know what I meant by that, haha. There were several times on wine.woot where certain vintages of Wellington wines were offered but buyers ended up receiving different vintages instead. I specifically remember 2009 Victory being shipped to people who thought they had ordered 2008 because I was already sitting on some 2008s and didn’t order (but would have if it had been advertised as 2009). There were at least a couple other vintage mix-ups with Wellington as well.
@baekdusan@chipgreen And you weren’t the only one this happened to. For the most part, I was pleased, but is sure did add additional confusion to the already confused CT attempt-at-inventory.
@baekdusan@chipgreen I think they did. But my CT is so mixed up it’s really difficult to know.
Expecting one thing and getting another (and not realizing it till months later) is a bit of a CF however.
Makes ordering what you (think you) don’t have a more of a crap shoot.
@jmdavidson1
The porchetta was very tasty, hard not to enjoy if you like pork. Living in Salt Lake I have the luxury of enjoying all of Creminelli’s various products as they are a local company.
@jmdavidson1@ScottW58 FWIW the 2011 Cadaretta Cab was blown out at $20 by garagiste awhile back. Granted, 2011 was a sub-par vintage for WA just as it was for CA but that was a nice price!
@chipgreen@ScottW58 Full Pull had the same vintage for $30/bottle. Casemates’ price beat that (as WD usually does beat other pricing). Wish this offer had come before FP, since this was free S&H.
Last night, at a sushi place, 1997 Haubs-Barzen Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese. Ridiculously short cork, but solid value from Garagiste.
Tonight was 2013 Wellington Chardonnay. Eventually I’ll need to slow down drinking these…
2006 Mollydooker Carnival of Love. My wife and I are drinking through the back side of our vertical each Valentines Day. The 2005 last year (only year with cork) was more pruney, and soft. The 2006 with Stelvin was much more opulent, yet elegant and not the fruit bomb its accused of. Anyway, we loved it with NY strips. Next up 2007 Velvet Glove.
@jmdavidson1
How is your Dubrul drinking? I seem to remember liking Owen Roe but it’s been a long time since I had one. So I went with a CT barrel project 2015 Rasa Dubrul vineyard Merlot, really nice!
@ScottW58 wanted to check this one out; 'cause, ya know, I ~need~ to purchase more bottles.
In fairness, it has been open now five days, no Ar, no repour, and at room temp. I think yesterday or today it was at it’s best.
@rjquillin we do things very differently. I never leave an open bottle out for days but will leave several 1/2 bottles with Stelvins closed up tight for a week sometimes if I would rather open something else.
Off to a local Italian ristorante, which allows BYOB (+ corkage), so 2003 Monsanto Nemo Mulino Toscana (100% CS) and 2007 Biserno il Pino di Biserno (bdx)
With a mess of bbq ribs and chicken, 2013 Woot Cellars Revelry. Feeling the Wellington love. Which is good, b/c my spouse just idly remarked in response to a TV commercial we just saw, “maybe I should try Match.com.” Trust the AbV to bring out what people are really thinking!
@jmdavidson1
Nice flavor, mainly red fruits.Smooth tannins long finish. I had last glass this afternoon - thought it was better than last night, have a couple more bottles will probably revisit in a year or two. Don’t believe it has peaked at this point.
2015 Campesino ISA, paired with Veleta canned sardines, freshly shucked oysters, grilled calamari, shrimp and scallops, a toasty baguette, two tasty chesses and an Asian salad.
@klezman@dave@snapster
Oh yeah, I do recall you mentioning that.
It does rather reduce the usefulness of them when one whispers and the other doesn’t hear it. Really needs to be some icon alerting the receipent that they have a message to read.
@rjquillin@ScottW58 The emails work fine. I just don’t want them interrupting my day, especially when I don’t have time to respond. So I turned them off. Since they don’t want to let me get emails for whispers but not the rest, I simply don’t get any of them. Frustrating.
@klezman@rjquillin@ScottW58 What about adding a rule in your email client to sort them off, so that they’re not in your focus until you have time to take a look at them? Not a perfect solution, I know, but it might be a option in the meantime.
2011 Ty Caton Ballfield Syrah, this is in a really nice place. Have two more bottles,going to move them into this years drink up don’t see them improving and really enjoyed this bottle.
Angeline pinot noir 2016. I noticed this was on the lower spectrum in price, however I liked it more than the pricier ones. It was earthy, some smoke, licorice at the mid palate/finish, medium bodied. It was rated low as a Pinot; are there similar Pinots close to what I had?
Nothing to write home about, but pleasant enough. Part of a six bottle package from the last days of WW, and the other two are good solid grocery store wines, at a decent price (Waterbrook CS and Canoe Ridge CS).
2015 Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling
…to cut the heat of Bonchon’s spicy wings
Followed later by;
2010 Iron Horse Vineyards Russian Cuvée
NV Domaine des Caillots Touraine Sparkling Brut
2009 Twisted Oak Parcel 17. I always love this wine. The hard part is rationing them out properly!
Later - 2012 Anselmann Cabernet Blanc Beerenauslese, Pfalz. $13 at Trader Joe’s is an auto-try. Now I did think it said Cab Franc when I bought it, but so it goes. Cabernet Blanc is apparently a hybrid of Cab Sauv and an unknown complex hybrid that confers some disease resistance.
@klezman Speaking of Trader Joe’s, I finally made it to the Cleveland area store and was surprised to find that they do carry the $10 Rack & Riddle produced sparkling Rosé you guys have been talking about for… a couple years now? Took me awhile to notice it on the shelf at floor level with a non-descript label, even though it was with the rest of the rather small selection of bubbles.
Grabbed a couple bottles - look forward to trying it out and most likely returning for a bunch more. Thanks to you and CorTot (and Kyle?) for the multiple heads-ups that kept it in the back of my mind all this time.
@ScottW58 nice work!
I really enjoyed the bottles we had at Spanish wines woot gathering a few years ago. I should seek out more older bottles from Spain.
@ScottW58 Always baller Gotta love it.
How is that Unico? Those are rather pricey.
I’ve enjoyed all the LDH I’ve tried, including that ridiculously old white Rioja.
We’re drinking a 2005 Domaine des Monts Luisants Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Monts-Luisants
@klezman
Well when someone is cooking a 75 day dry aged rib, roasted duck leg, with Fennel in Bechamel sauce, roasted potatoes in garlic and duck fat and chocolate souffle etc what the hell I threw in a Bollinger and Sauternes Epic night! Where is my lipitor.
@ScottW58 Niiice! Bollinger, the official Champagne of
I was actually looking for a Château Suduiraut the other night (I have some '07s) but found the Doisy-Daëne first, so went with that.
Attended a Downton Abbey themed dinner, complete with “butler” service. Will have to get my wife to fwd some pics.
The Nicolas Noble Champagne (from Underground Cellar) was delicious and, until recently, pretty exclusive.
“The Élysée Palace is the official residence of the President of the French Republic. Nicolas Noble Champagne represents the French Excellence during all official international events at the Élysée Palace.”
@ScottW58 I’m drooling over here. On all counts. You guys went all out, eh? (At least I assume so, since that’s your kitchen with all that amazing-looking food.) Where’d you get 75-day dry-aged rib?
@klezman
That kid I met at Augustine wine bar picks up the primes at Costco and ages them himself and bonus he offered to come over and cook up the feast those friggin souflles were to die for.
Tonight
2013 Blakeslee Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir Sheila
last night
2013 Blakeslee Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir Estate Reserve
both GO purchase
2013 Scott Harvey Zinfandel Winemakers Reserve
2014 Iron Horse Vineyards Chardonnay Estate
both 'TSO
Broke the mold last night. Beer and tacos at Helio Brewing (Phx). Both were delicious. Put it on your list of places to go here. 2006 Nicholas Cole Camille as a post dinner sipper.
Tonight we celebrate the return of The Walking Dead with our last Wellington Victory mag. This one, a 2006, is the youngest we’ve had in this form factor.
@radiolysis I bought a set of the StandArt glasses, boy are they nice after the plain-jane ones I’ve been using. Next year I’ll get a couple of Gold on BD now that I’ve discovered the glass can make a difference.
2000 Pedroncelli cab with Sous vide prime filet mignon and grilled asparagus. Amazing nose of cigar box, cedar, and a hint of dark fruit. Medium to long finish. Take that, Monday!
Tonight I had 2014 Guthrie Family Wines Petite Sirah Archival. It was the second night after opening. The first night was decent (I likely didn’t give it enough time to open up), but tonight? Wow. I was very impressed. Just a lovely, full-bodied wine that had its own unique characteristics, smooth taste with excellent but not overbearing fruit and a lovely finish. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and now that winery is on my radar.
@tklivory I’d just come here to say about the same (I’m guessing it was even the same WW purchase). I’m happy to hear that it opened up on the second night, although it was pleasant enough this evening.
2012 Elias Mora Toro , this is drinking wonderfully. @scottw58 mentioned last week drinking a 14, knew I had some stashed somewhere so hunted them down this weekend, they are a great QPR.
@ScottW58 Garagiste purchase from 05/2015, the last one. Solid wine and in its drinking window. Should be paired with a steak, or the like, altho I didn’t.
@ScottW58 I got a few of those too. His mystery Pinot Noirs tend to be, at worst, great party wines and cellar defenders. At $12, no complaints if that’s where it ends up.
2013 Scott Harvey Zin Mountain Selection. This is what is up for sale right now, it’s delicious. Already have a case but will probably grab a case at this price - cellar saver - BBQ season around the corner.
Pics below of the Downton Abbey themed dinner my wife and I attended recently. 10 course meal included;
Appetizers
Bone broth soup
Cold salmon w/lemon dill sauce and caviar
Halibut
Swordfish
Mixed greens salad w/red vinaigrette dressing
Roasted chicken
Lemon sorbet
Steak w/brussel sprouts and asparagus
Dessert
We provided the Nicolas Noble champagne, E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage and Doisy Daene Sauternes. Host & Hostess provided Korbel Brut Sparkling and Chateau Ste. Michele Chardonnay while the other couple in attendance provided a 2012 Hahn Meritage.
We drank the Korbel as an aperitif and with the appetizers and salmon. The Chard was a nice match to the bone broth soup. There was some overlap with the halibut and swordfish - Korbel, Chard and Nicolas Noble.
The Nicolas Noble was delicious with the salad then once again some overlap with the chicken - Chard, Nicolas Noble, E. Guigal and Hahn Meritage. Water with the palate cleansing lemon sorbet, then E. Guigal and Hahn with the steak and veggies. Coffee with dessert.
Also, as a side note, the young man (Spencer) hired to be our butler for the evening is an Golf Course Management student at Kent State University and works in the bag room at Firestone Country Club.
@chipgreen
Looks like a great time! and I like that kind of driven kid which reminds me I just picked up a new TaylorMade M2 5 wood that I need to take out to the course for a spin this weekend
Post away folks!
@CorTot Still with beer icon? Get with the program! Wine! And yes, I see that you are well past the edit window…
Again
@pseudogourmet98 I like beer.
Two Jakes Petite Sirah (2012). I opened it two nights ago, and tonight will be the last night for it. I’m happy that there’s more in the cellar. :-}
2011 Wellington Merlot, plenty of life left, which is a good thing as I’m drowning in Wellingtons. Not that that is a bad thing. Wellington makes a nice house wine.
Sisters came over tonight, daughters are all home so screw it…some Monte Rosso is in order!
I gotta say I love my sexy new toy
@ScottW58 I know what it is, but part of me is also 12 and wants to ask when you will sound the horn for the attack on Isengard.
@tklivory your thoughts were cleaner than mine
@CorTot
That’s why I like you so much
@CorTot Just tryin’ to keep this place rated PG
@tklivory Why?
@klezman … That’s actually a good question.
I had Little Vineyards Band Blend Track 9. Opened it on Tuesday, been drinking it every night, and every night it’s gotten better. (I drink wine slowly). Will probably polish it off tomorrow. I’ve never had a Little vintage before, and I quite enjoyed it.
@tklivory And finished it off tonight. I think it hit its peak last night (third night after opening), though tonight was still enjoyable. Definitely an easy drinking red, and I’m glad I got it.
Last night was 2010 Wellington Merlot. Probably the best vintage of that wine I’ve had. Maybe because there was no Victory and so it all went into the varietal bottling?
Tonight - Amsterdam Brewery (from Toronto, obviously) Oktoberfest and Green Spot Irish Whisky
@klezman I have been wondering if Peter didn’t make a Victory in 10, and 11 for a particular reason? Thoughts from the Wellyperts?
@foxrunner poor vintage, he felt the wines from that year didn’t meet his standards for a victory. Oddly enough he bottled way more duke those years.
@CorTot Thanks! Was the Duke a higher end product than the Victory?
@foxrunner The Duke was basically a kitchen sink blend and was Peter’s entry level red. He also made a similar white called Duchess.
@foxrunner yes, it was a NV kitchen sink red blend. $10 at the winery.
@CorTot Gotch ya. I have a pair of the field Blend from Wellington out of the mystery cases. Wondering if they are the same just renamed?
@foxrunner totally different. Duke is all the declassified wines that Peter felt were not good enough to go in his regular bottlings blended together.
Field blend is actually a vineyard of very mixed varietals that he picks and ferments together and is basically a natural blend.
@CorTot iirc, the Duke also consisted of leftovers, where there wasn’t enough of something for a bottling.
Just finishing my last bottle of 2010 De Bortoli Petite Sirah (from Australia). The '10 was getting a bit old, so I’ve been finishing off the last few bottles recently. This bottle was a bit fresher than some, so it was a good ending of the bottling. It wasn’t a particularly heavy PS, but neither was it’s seven buck price.
My wife finished off a bottle of the 2012 Two Jakes PS and started working on a 2014 Bogle Phantom. Both were very drinkable (I sampled).
Just finishing up a 2013 Victory I opened a few days back, and letting a 2012, of the same, decant.
There are other things around, but want to “keep it in the family” until I can give whatever I choose next, a fresh start.
Started out with Ommegang’s Barrel-Aged Three Philosophers Ale (a Belgian Quad) that I was reviewing for my beer blog, and am now enjoying a glass of 2011 Two Jakes Cab Franc.
@xandersherry We opened this last weekend with Cajun Pork Tenderloin. Very tasty.
I’ve been waiting to finally open a Wellington Victory. The 2012 went perfect with a NY strip from a 1/4 we always get from family in Iowa.
Tonight a couple of bottles from GO to go with our pork kebabs.
2015 esterlina reisling cole ranch
2013 praxis merlot Alexander valley
Drinking an Emmolo (Napa) Merlot - 2012
The first one I drank was awful. At the time I thought it was just because it was not a good wine generally speaking. I rated it an 81 in CellarTracker. I had avoided opening this bottle because I was worried it, too would not be good. I guess that first one was spoiled…
Much to my surprise/delight, this is drinking incredibly well. Probably the darkest Merlot I’ve ever seen. Color wise it could easily pass as a PS. Reminds me of the 1996 GunBun Merlot that was THE wine that got me into wine. My first real wine, which was just a random grab at the store. My best friend and I drank them and smoked cigars and just absolutely loved it, great times.
I suppose it’s somewhat fitting to have this wine bring up that memory. I lost that best friend to a brain tumor just last month. Wish he was still here to enjoy wine like this.
@vaaccess My condolences.
Having some Woot Cellars Help Yourself in a pot of red gravy.
CT Link
@mike808 Ya know, I’m not sure I remember that Woot Cellars wine…But I LOVE the “1 Billion is a really large number!”, that’s awesome! hahahaha
@vaaccess It was available right at the end. My first buy (and AFAIK, the first time it was offered) was in October, and then it reappeared in at least one Woot-Off and was on Woot+ a couple of times in mid-to-late December.
My last Tröegs mad elf
2011 Iron Horse Pinot Noir Estate - pre dinner
2006 Beau Pere Cellars cab sauv chalk hill - with dinner
2008 Ardente cabernet
2012 Castello Romitorio il toro Toscana
@klezman how did that 2008 Ardente turn out? And didn’t that winery change around management and winemaker that year?
@TechnoViking Sitting with him now. Improving with time, same as the bottle I had a week or so ago.
'09 Laura Zahtila Zin Oat Hill
@baekdusan How is this, I have a 3 year vertical that I need to drink up?
Wellington 2010 Zinfandel. Mighty tasty (but of course). I’d considered trying a new wine, but I just kept hearing this one call my name…so I answered. Alaskan King Salmon to complement the wine; life is good.
@Shrdlu I had one bottle of this left. I got excited when I found it an put it in a prominent spot on the rack to drink soon. So, of course that was what my wife grabbed when she needed a bottle to give away to someone who had stopped by.
At least the report that I got back was that it was a big hit with the folks who god to drink it instead of me.
I wish I knew how long I’ve had this. Maybe 8 to 10 years. There is a lot of sediment in the bottle and on the bottle neck.
What used to be a very sweet raspberry desert wine has transformed into a something like a port. Never thought I’d keep something like that this long, but I lost them and found them in part because of Casemates. Cheers.
2008 Wellington Victory. Popped the cork and let it sit for an hour, poured it and let it sit for another hour, and while it isn’t my favorite Victory vintage, it’s still pretty delicious.
@xandersherry At least your wife didn’t give away the Victory
@chipgreen LOL! No worries about that happening. She likes Victory at least as much as I do, and probably even more.
2013 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel.
My first dip into the red label. I love the white label reserve, and quite disliked the InZin bottling, so i’m quite pleased to say i like it! Still a dash sweet, but in a good way.
@radiolysis Scott Harvey Zin is one of my favorite daily drinkers… Great to pull out when you just want a glass of wine and aren’t pairing it with food…
2005 WineSmith Faux Chablis.
My first bottle of this ever - happy to say I’m glad I stocked up on it! It’s holding up nicely paired with seasoned pork chops.
2013 Rudius Syrah Hudson Vineyard
2005 Winesmith Syrah Mangle’s Ranch
2007 Wellington Cab Sauv Karren Vineyard
With our best friends.
Yesterday afternoon/evening, in the spirit of a classic WW gathering in SoCal hosted by @TimothyB and his lovely SWMBO who put together an awesome spread of eats, some significent damage was done to some bottles seldom seen by many, along with some classics many are familiar with.
I’ll leave it to others attending to provide details of the eats and additional tasting notes.
Of the reds, for me, the Corison was wotn, followed by the Nicholas Cole. The Corison, despite CT drink by dates, tasted quite young and has many years remaining. My first encounter with the Cole was impressive as well. Just don’t know how to judge the others.
The Appetizers, Absinthe:
Obsello Absenta Verte Esmeralda Liquors
NV St. George Spirits Absinthe Verte White Blend
Absinthe Helfrich
[url=https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/emile+pernod+berthe+de+joux+absinthe+france?Xlist_format=&Xbottle_size=all&Xprice_set=CUR&Xprice_min=&Xprice_max=[/url]
NV Lucid Absinthe White Blend
NV Les Fils d’Émile Pernot Un Émile Absinthes Distillées 68 White Blend
La Maitresse Rouge
The dinner, reds:
2004 Twisted Oak The Spaniard Tempranillo Blend
2006 Yorkville Cellars Cabernet Franc Rennie Vineyard Cabernet Franc
[url=https://www.cellartracker.com
/wine.asp?iWine=549070]2006 Quinta do Vale Meão Douro Meandro[/url] Red Blend
2013 Alfaro Family Pinot Noir Trout Gulch VineyardPinot Noir
2008 Vino Noceto Sangiovese Dos Oakies
1993 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon
2014 Château SénéjacRed Bordeaux Blend
2004 Nicholas Cole Cellars Reserve Red Bordeaux Blend
For dessert, Madeira & Sauternes:
NV Henriques & Henriques Madeira Sercial 10 Years Old Sercial
NV Henriques & Henriques Madeira Verdelho 10 Years Old Verdelho
NV Cossart Gordon & Co. Madeira Bual 10 year Medium Rich Bual (Malvasia Fina)
NV Rare Wine Co. (Vinhos Barbeito) Madeira Historic Series New York Malmsey Special Reserve Malmsey (Malvasia di Lipari)
NV Henriques & Henriques Madeira Terrantez 20 Years Old Terrantez
2001 Château Suduiraut Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend
@markDaSpark @javadrinker, @coffeemate, @klezman @ScottW58 with apologies to others for whom I don’t yet know your handles here. Those not attending truly missed out on a memorable evening.
Well, ran out of editing time.
This is a problem.
So apologies for comments and the url’s that didn’t quite make it or are misplaced.
Didn’t have this problem on Wine.Woot!
Shouldn’t have it here.
We need a workable solution.
@snapster @dave
@rjquillin
Well what took so long sheesh ?!
@ScottW58 I’m guessing you brought the Nicholas Cole?
@chipgreen
Correct but thanks to jmdavidson and rjq we would have never had it.
@chipgreen What he’s trying to say, I think, is that thanks to a post by @jmdavidson, I ordered some for our split. And after additional prodding, it was still being held at the retailer, I requested it be delivered to Klez (as I was going to be there) so we could do the split, and picked it up and brought it to the gathering. It was a last minute impulse to pull a cork.
@rjquillin Well done!
@rjquillin Yeah the forums here really are seeming sub-mediocre currently. If someone was willing to do the user admin, we could make a Casemates forum on freeforums.net and then just post links here to the real discussions there. Technically, we could do the same back to the gourmet.w.c forums, but that would be a bit scuzzy.
2014 Roberts & Rogers CS Louer Family St. Helena. Picked up for $42 at Costco in San Ramon. VG and vg QPR. Excellent with prime rib roast, oven roasted potatoes and roasted Brussel sprouts.
2013 Halcon Vineyards Petite Sirah Tierra Theopolis Vineyard
Figured I’d drop by the store and try something different. Meh, it’s different…I grabbed some other pinots too.i found it pairs nice with cheese.
Superbowl party we had whole hog and Philly cheese steaks…oh yea there was wine but who cares
@ScottW58 whole pig?! Nice!
@ScottW58 Great job whoever put those Philly Cheesesteaks together, they look delicious! The whole hog freaks me out a little even though the only pork I don’t like is pork barrel spending.
@chipgreen
ahh but there’s nothing like a whole roast pig! Don’t like the spending much either!
Cheese steaks were excellent! A real Philadelphian had the meat and cheese shipped in
2010 Iron Horse Cuvee 50
2009 Meeker Pink Elephant
NV Wellington The Duke X
@chipgreen How was the IH 50? Sitting on a bottle myself.
@bolligra The IH 50 was very good, it went so fast I only got a small glass.
Little Vineyards Band Blend Track 9. This feels like it has aging potential, but it’s so yummy now, and given that we’re already into our third bottle of this case I don’t know that it’s going to last long enough for us to find out how it ages.
@xandersherry yea. Im mad i didnt get a case. I have already finished 2 of my 4 bottles
2014 WineSmith Grenache Blanc de Noir
w/some California Rolls
@chipgreen What are your thoughts on it?
@klezman Similar to my previous CT note but with the addition of something floral on the nose, like a whiff of fresh cut flowers and some white cherry on the palate.
Definitely enjoyable. I was a little worried about this one because it arrived in frigid temps with slush in the bottle but it seemed fine with the exception of a lot of crystal tartrates that were leftover after the slush melted.
@chipgreen Yeah, my bottle (the gift one) arrived slushy and full of crystals too. My prior bottle, which arrived in slightly warmer weather, had none. Will they develop once I refrigerate it? Just wondering.
I need to open one of them soon, in any case. It sounds lovely.
@InFrom the crystals did not dissolve at room temp. I stood the bottle up for several days before drinking to let them collect at the bottom, then poured carefully while drinking. Did not have any noticeable crystals in the glass.
2015 Carmel Road Monterey Pinot Noir with cheese black olive pizza and some kind of baked pasta.
I’m starting to get a hang of this Pinot Noir stuff. I don’t like it on it’s own but with specific foods I think it is wonderful and that they compliment each other in ways most varietals cannot IMO.
Part 2 of a 2015 Esterlina Riesling
2015 Campesino Isa Rose
@klezman When was part 1?
Thoughts?
@rjquillin last night. Good wine. Well worth the price paid and then some.
With Wagyu steaks this makes me very very happy! Glad I loaded up on these.
@ScottW58 What glass are you using?
@baekdusan My six-pack just arrived from BD,
but darned if I can remember the name.
old:fail
Gabriel-Glas methinks
@baekdusan
Gabriel glass regular a fantastic every day stem. I do have the gold’s but I don’t usually break them out on weekdays.
@ScottW58 you are too good at making me jealous of your culinary exploits!
@klezman
eh I put 3 kids through college so I can splurge now whenever I want
@ScottW58 I’ll drink to that…In twenty five years or so
2012 Capezzano Carmignano at a nice little ristorante in Sonoma. Paired nicely with papparadelle and duck ragu.
@jmdavidson1
Nice choice on the pairing! Hopefully they didn’t mark it up too much?
@jmdavidson1 You currently out west?!
@rjquillin In San Ramon until tomorrow.
@ScottW58 $32 at an enoteca next to the restaurant.
2012 Wellington Petite Verdot with tri-tip steak, stuffed mishrooms, corn, asparagus, and tortellini. I think this is one of the first PV’s i have had. It was a long day at work. This wine is really good. I am drinking it too fast to really even let it open up in the glass. Very well balanced. No alcohol. Smooth medium tanins. Medium acid. Medium finish. Dark fruits. Very good. Should go well with the food if it survives the time it will take to cook.
Tonight will be a 2005 WineSmith Second Fiddle Pinot Noir, with salmon. Looking forward to this.
@coynedj curious how that one is doing
@klezman @coynedj also curious…
@coynedj I would call it “restrained”. There wasn’t a whole lot on the nose and while it certainly compares well against many pinots I’ve had, it didn’t quite have that extra oomph that I’ve come to expect from Clark’s wines. I didn’t give it much time to breathe, so we’ll see how it goes tonight, or maybe it just needs a little more cellar time. Not that it was bad - it was far from that - but it didn’t reach the heights I was expecting. I’ll give my other bottles a bit more time.
@coynedj Second night was a little better - the extra time helped. But I’m still going to wait a bit before opening another bottle.
@coynedj Thanks for the notes and the follow-up!
@coynedj Agreed, thanks for the follow-up!
I started with Gonzalez Byass Sherry Palo Cortado Anada 1987, and then opened a bottle of Wellington Estate Vineyard 2013 Malbec. Long day at work!
2012 Iron Horse North Block Single Clone Pinot Noir.
Making some Flannery custom burger blend burgers and opening a bottle of 2010 Wellington Meeks Zin
@klezman
Sounds delicious what’s your blend?
@ScottW58 this one was dry aged steak ends, prime hanger, wagyu chuck, and prime brisket
2013 Vallin Syrah Santa Barbara County
2006 Westwood Pinot Noir North Coast
2009 Twisted Oak Syrah-Viognier, aka Sir-Ron-Yeah
El Jefe makes delicious wines
@klezman I had absolutely nothing to do with it.
A Tribute to Grace Shake Ridge Grenache with every kind of leftover imaginable. Damn good wine! food not so much.
2013 Zaca Mesa Z Blend
@CorTot just picked up mine. How is it?
@rjquillin Candace drank it, I didn’t actually get to try it.
2009 Liquid Sky CS
@jmdavidson1
How’s this doing, I have 3 sets of 09,10,11 vertical that I keep thinking about testing out.
@rc70 I was down to my last 09 and 10. This needs an hour decanting. No need to drink up though. Complex and still tannic. Would buy more if available at original pricing from Wine Spies ($39).
@rc70 Day 2, much smoother and more complex.
@jmdavidson1
Sounds like I have a weekend plan shaping up - Liquid Sky vertical tasting and some Flannery NY from recent BD purchase.
'13 Lady Hill Cuvée Etienne Lucier Slide Mountain
@baekdusan How is this drinking? I picked this up from TSO back in July and have left it on the shelf.
2007 PharoahMoans Syrah WestSide
A little something FedEx dropped off. I had 3 cases to choose from, I picked white.
2008 Rhys Horseshoe vineyard pinot, meh I have had more duds than winners from them ymmv.
2012 Scott Harvey Zin Mtn.
OK, so maybe there is like a foot of new snow on the ground. But inside, drinking a 2013 Pedroncelli Friends White (from the 2014 RPM tour) and eating crostini with Veleta Spanish sardines (BD purchase). YUMM!!!
@jmdavidson1 Sounds loverly.
@jmdavidson1
What is this snow you speak of?? I think that is the only thing I have not tried from Veleta, need to remedy that! Hope you have some of her olive oil and tuna?
@ScottW58 I do have her tuna, but none of her evoo. Can’t believe I left sunny 75 degree Cali weather to come home to this.
@jmdavidson1
That tuna is so freaking good I just eat it right out of the can
@jmdavidson1 @ScottW58 Just talked to Nola this afternoon sorting out some order details. In addition the Jamon it seems I’ll have a mystery assortment coming to make up the difference in an over payment. I do know she’ll be including some tuna.
I wonder when she’ll be shipping my lomo and chorizo. Not that I’m in a rush, though.
@ScottW58 Nola just extended the free shipping (excluding wines) on the BD thread until Monday the 19th. Besides sardines and tuna, anything else I should put into the shopping cart?
@jmdavidson1
If you have never tried the olive oil I highly recommend it. Crap now I have to go look.
@ScottW58 I’m a little biased towards Italian OO and EVOO, but maybe I should think outside the box.
@jmdavidson1
I was the same way… until I tried it ymmv
@jmdavidson1
damn you! just went for a bunch of cheese
@jmdavidson1 @ScottW58 My stuff from BD hasn’t shipped. I shouldn’t spend more $, but if I did would she consolidate? A good bottle of EVOO wouldn’t be a bad idea…
@ScottW58 Looks like it only comes in 6bottle increments, no?
@ScottW58 Which cheese(s) do you like?
@jmdavidson1 @klezman
Ask her i’m sure she would throw in a bottle or two if you order something else? And yes she will consolidate.
Manchego, but I a little of each just to try, plus threw in a pack of sardines
@jmdavidson1 @ScottW58 Maybe I can email her and ask for a single of the EVOO. $15 for a half litre is a lot more expensive than what I normally pay, and I don’t use it enough to justify the 6-pack. Or I can snag one from you
@jmdavidson1 @klezman
Sorry I’m on a tight budget with this stuff, I strech my 6 bottles to last a year.
Last night we had a Momokawa Sake with ramen.
Tonight I’m making brisket for Shabbat dinner and need to pull a bunch of bottles out.
Drinking a Virginia Wine – 2014 Blenheim Petit Verdot
@vaaccess We visited Blenheim in 2013 along with a dozen or so other wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail. Located within walking distance of Trump Winery, IIRC. Or was it Trump that was within walking distance of Jefferson… or both? Anyway, we were a little disappointed with Blenheim. They only had like 6 wines on their tasting menu and one of them was sold out. The wines we tasted were “meh”. I was surprised not to see guitars hanging on the walls and Dave Matthews merchandise available for sale. Does he still own the winery?
@chipgreen Yes, he still owns the winery and I agree…I thought they would have leveraged him in marketing a bit more…
Their wines are ok, as you said. I think the Petit Verdot is actually on the good side of things. Better than OK, but not great.
Blenheim is close to Trump, yep. Jefferson is close, too, but a bit of a drive. My wife and I hit those three last year, actually, I think Jefferson was the best of the three. Trump Winery, even when it was Kluge, was not good. They had an Old World Red that was marginal bordering on good, but everything else was substandard and that hasn’t changed.
@vaaccess We were actually fans of Trump’s sparkling wines, particularly the Rosé. We picked up some of those along with some of the white Chard Port, aka Crú and the aforementioned Old World Red.
We really liked the Jefferson Meritage and also their Petit Verdot. I don’t remember if Blenheim had a PV when we were there but we liked the VA PVs in general. Usually a blending grape because of the intense tannins, the VA PVs seem to have a softer, rounder profile/mouthfeel that makes them quite drinkable as a pure varietal.
We are attending a wedding in Arlington this July and may have to arrange a side trip back to VA wine country on our way home. We really liked a lot of the wineries we visited. My personal favorite was probably Steve Case’s Early Mountain Vineyards.
Any recommendations?
@chipgreen Yes, white wines (and similar) are going to be really quite good in VA these days. They’ve come a long way for sure. We’re more into heavier reds so at times VA struggles in that space. PV is probably one of my favorites here and I think I’m going to flip my “vineyard” over to that, frankly, assuming I continue to give it a go…
For me, my all-time favorite place in VA is Veritas. I think their venue is really nice and their wines are usually among the best I’ve had in VA. That said, I don’t get out there as much as I would like to so I’m sure there are others that are superb. If you have the time and you want to enjoy a nice view, Afton Mountain Vineyards is super close, and they have a gorgeous view down from the mountain…though their wines were not as good. That said, I think they are under new ownership so they could be turning a corner at some point…
There’s probably a lot of good write-ups on wineries in VA, so I’ll give you some other options in case you want to vary your trip a little. (All close together.)
Blue Mountain Brewery isn’t far, and is a great place to eat. They have really good food, and some great beer, too.
Farther down the road, if you’re into harder stuff, there’s a great distillery called Silverback distillery. Love their stuff, though the venue isn’t fancy by any means. Just beware…they pour some good sample sizes, so if you’re driving be smart about how you do it.
Finally, a but farther down the road, there is a superb cidery called Bold Rock that is super awesome. Not only is the venue really quite nice, but their ciders are superb, perhaps you’ve seen them in the stores…they are pretty popular around here.
Finally finally…If you want a non-alcholic activity, check out Carter Mountain Orchard which is also nearby. Peaches should be in season, it’s a fun activity to go out and pick your own or you can just buy the ones they’ve already picked if you prefer…
So yeah, that’s basically just one road in VA’s wine country and I just named a few along that path. There’s a LOT of places to go…Hope all this helped!
@vaaccess Thanks for the great suggestions! We did visit Veritas and that was definitely near the top of our list as well.
2014 Bedrock Oakville Farmhouse vineyard, fantastic wine! With corned beef and a bunch of the usual other crap…
2014 Erin Pinot Noir Lindsay’s Vineyard. With butternut squash ravioli and tomato basil pine nut sauce.
2013 valley of the moon Pinot noir with Chicken parmigiana. Terrible on the PNP but opened up nicely.
@CorTot Ha, you grabbed some of that as well.
Healthy discount from average CT pricing for a pretty decent bottle.
@rjquillin got some a couple weeks ago and then noticed Friday they had been cleaned out. Funny how some stuff with a recognizable label just disappears immediately and others sit for what is probably years.
I opened the 2013 praxis merlot last weekend and that drank really well for the price. I bought a bit more of that.
Home infused tequila. Raspberry, Jalapeño, lemon and lime zest.
@jml326 Was that four different tequila infusions, or were all four in one? Either way, how did it turn out?
2012 Onesta Cinsault. With a delicious roasted chicken and brussels sprouts dish that may be behind a paywall (sorry if so).
@InFrom
Looks good, no paywall.
2015 Longridge Pinotage, Stellenbosch
2014 Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon a costco closeout pickup I need to check out before there is no more, with some Flannery meat.
@rjquillin I am continually jealous with the frequency some of you guys enjoy Flannery beef. @WineDavid49, get them on that gourmet site you run!
In a New York state of mind, with a fabulous Szechuan meal. Now if I can only figure out how to post a photo of the label. 2014 Hermann J. Weiner Cab Franc, from the Seneca Lake AVA. One of our favorite FL wines.
Enjoying a 2011 Wellington Merlot. Good grief Wellington wines are amazeballs.
Drinking onesta https://casemates.com/forum/topics/onesta-wines-cinsault#5a7f8f8e1a581006f4c0a75c
'11 Vidon Pinot Noir 3 Clones
2012 Wellington Syrah Estate Vineyard
2013 Wellington Chardonnay with bbq’d lobster tails
Wellington, nom.
Woot Cellars Help Yourself Cab, again. It’s really, really good right now. Our best endorsement is probably the following: This wine was on sale from Oct '17 through Dec '17. In that time, after tasting the first bottle, we ended up buying 5 1/2 cases. As of now, Feb. 10th '18, we have 4 cases left.
@xandersherry Wow!. I think I have 1.5 cases, but 5.5 is crazy! Its really great wine though, and amazing QPR, so I cannot really blame you. Good for literally any occasion. Food, picnic, holidays, gift, whatever.
BTW, did you get the recent broken earth offering on casemates? They made the Help Yourself Cab.
@Twich22 Yeah, we liked the first couple of bottles from the first order so much that I maxed out every time it went up for sale after that. I don’t think it has much aging potential so it’s nice to have a good stash of a go-to CS that we can drink over the next year or two without dipping too deeply into stuff that should really sit for a bit longer.
I did not get the earlier red blend. I thought about it several times, but the description was pretty far off the styles we normally prefer, and that coupled with the fact that it was just too much of an unknown quantity, I decided to pass.
I did pick up some PULL Merlot that Woot offered in December, and while it’s no Help Yourself, it’s been fine as well.
Decided to try this again, without 12 wines in front of it
2004 Nicholas Cole reserve great bottle! Also tried this instapot recipe 30 minutes are you kidding me, I love this thing! which was just fantistic. https://twosleevers.com/now-later-butter-chicken-pressure-cooker/
@ScottW58 Small world, I just tried her recipe on Thursday! It was a big hit. Probably the greatest success anybody has ever had with a recipe, many have said.
What a super-easy recipe! I had to adapt a little because I used shrimp instead of chicken. It’s brilliant that the recipe produces enough sauce for two meals. I used a regular pressure cooker, I don’t have an electric one.
How’d the wine do with all the spice and ginger?
Somewhat incongruously there was a couple giving out samples of butter chicken made with their special butter chicken spice mix at one of the wineries we stopped at during @bahwm & @ddeudeg’s Niagara-on-the-Lake extravaganza a few weeks ago. I didn’t buy any of the wine there, but I couldn’t resist a box of the spice mix. On the plane ride to Buffalo the day before, I’d read the New Yorker article about the woman who came up that recipe for her blog, so it just seemed meant to be.
@bahwm @InFrom
wine worked well.
Yeah great recipe! Super easy and 30 minutes are you kidding me… thanks for the idea I will try some shrimp with the leftover sauce although I don’t have much leftover, it was so good I could drink the stuff
@ScottW58 Trying the chicken tonight, but in a regular p-cooker.
Was the Cole as good tonight as it seemed after fewer than twelve bottles a week ago?
@rjquillin
Better! My palate was not muddled drinking 12 other wines first! BTW looks like you gave me an extra bottle of the wine, unloading the box I still had 6 left. I will either pay you or return it in the future. Such a great recipe I’m going to make it again this week.
@ScottW58 I baked the shrimp separately – I mixed a little of the spice mix with a couple teaspoons of o. oil, coated the shrimp with it, and roasted in a hot oven until it was the consistency we like. Then I just swished it about in the makhani sauce for a minute, et voila!
Yeah, I managed to take out about half the sauce before I added the shrimp. There was still plenty enough left for dinner.
@InFrom
Ha yeah I would imagine shrimp would not do well in a pressure cooker
2013 Wellington Vineyards Cabernet Franc Baron Vineyard
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2507325
It was Wellington, so I thought I’d try it (normally I don’t drink Cab Franc). Decent little wine…but what else would you expect? I’ll try it tomorrow night with dinner (pork steak, most likely).
2013 Zaca Mesa Z Blanc White Blend… Love white Rhone varietals and am really glad I picked this up…
Last night was a big dinner:
2016 Fincke’s Widow bubbles (from winc)
2013 Wellington Duchess
2013 Iron Horse Unoaked Chard
NV Vino Noceto Nutz
2007 Winesmith Barbera Penny Farthing
2010 Golan Heights Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
2011 Scott Harvey Old Vine Reserve Zin
2011 Domaine Paul Croses Côte de Nuits Villages
2014 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Berserkers’ Cuvée
2013 Wellington Vineyards Zinfandel Meeks Hilltop Ranch
NV Wellington Vineyards White Port
Tonight:
End of the Duchess and something I suspect we’ll be seeing here tomorrow night. Although since I didn’t get any email or other info with the mystery box, I’m not actually sure.
@klezman I hope you had company!
Nice lineup, most I recognize, others not.
Incoming rat bottle headed your way?
@rjquillin If molarchae and I drank all those ourselves, we would not be around to tell you about it
2013 Nativ Irpinia Campi Taurasini ‘Eremo San Quirico’ Aglianico.
This was my first Italian wine, as well as my first Aglianico. I enjoyed it because it was totally unlike any wine I have had before. The taste was just so different from anything I have had. It tasted more like plum juice than grape juice. It held up fine to the food I ate. There did not seem to be a lot of tannins or acidity. No taste of alcohol. Just a lot of plum. Maybe some raisin. It was smooth. Fairly easy to drink. A fun experience. I would enjoy serving this to family and friends just to see their expression. I got a case so I will probably do so in the future.
‘13 Wellington Malbec, delicious!
@bolligra Peter did well with the “M’s” he bottled.
Merlot
Malbec
Marsanne
@rjquillin Yep
Tonight a little Mourvedre 2008 Domaine de la Tour du Bon Bandol Cuvée Saint Ferréol
@ScottW58 Mmmm…Mourvedre. I keep thinking I need to get some Bandol. Then I look at the pile of wine in my house.
Made salmon on the grill. (Yes, I still grill even with 21 inches of new snow on the ground. This is Chicago, where snow doesn’t stop us from living.) Made a sauce of dry vermouth, shallots, heavy cream and lemon juice. Also did a cauliflower parm risotto. Opened two whites: 1) '13 Campesino Alina and 2) '13 Pedroncelli Friends White. Both paired well.
@jmdavidson1 How is the Alina holding up? Still have a bottle or two floating around.
Last night (Mardi Gras party):
2009 Iron Horse Ocean Reserve
2012 Iron Horse Wedding Curve
2016 Esoterica (Kent Rasmussen)
2016 d’Arenberg The Hermit Crab (Viognier Marsanne)
2012 Rockus Bockus
2013 Rockus Bockus
2012 Stag’s Leap Petite Sirah
2015 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Sonoma County
2013 I Bastioni Chianti Classico
2015 Darkhorse Cabernet Sauvignon
2014 Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Shiraz
2015 Palistori do Valgiano
2016 Albero Spanish Jumilla DOP Monastrell
2014 Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon
2015 Badet Clement Revelation Chardonnay
Last night, 2009 Iron Horse Brut Rosé
Didn’t even know I had any 2009, it was supposed to be 2008. I think they pulled a Wellington on me!
@chipgreen For those not in the “know”, what is meaning of “they pulled a Wellington”?
@baekdusan Even those “in the know” might not know what I meant by that, haha. There were several times on wine.woot where certain vintages of Wellington wines were offered but buyers ended up receiving different vintages instead. I specifically remember 2009 Victory being shipped to people who thought they had ordered 2008 because I was already sitting on some 2008s and didn’t order (but would have if it had been advertised as 2009). There were at least a couple other vintage mix-ups with Wellington as well.
@baekdusan @chipgreen And you weren’t the only one this happened to. For the most part, I was pleased, but is sure did add additional confusion to the already confused CT attempt-at-inventory.
@chipgreen @rjquillin Did any of these mix-ups work in your favor?
@baekdusan @chipgreen I think they did. But my CT is so mixed up it’s really difficult to know.
Expecting one thing and getting another (and not realizing it till months later) is a bit of a CF however.
Makes ordering what you (think you) don’t have a more of a crap shoot.
2013 Clayhouse Estate Tempranillo
2013 Pedroncelli Zinfandel Mother Clone
Creminelli Porchetta Pork Roast
How was the porchetta. I gifted one to some of my Italian friends. They said it was good, but I want to be sure they were not just being polite.
@jmdavidson1
The porchetta was very tasty, hard not to enjoy if you like pork. Living in Salt Lake I have the luxury of enjoying all of Creminelli’s various products as they are a local company.
Another Washington winner! 2015 Kevin White Winery La Fraternité
@ScottW58 Another Full Pull purchase? Did you notice that today’s Cadaretta was on Full Pull a few weeks ago (more a few more bucks of course)?
@jmdavidson1
Yes full pull purchase…did not see or I passed on cadretta offer?
@jmdavidson1 @ScottW58 FWIW the 2011 Cadaretta Cab was blown out at $20 by garagiste awhile back. Granted, 2011 was a sub-par vintage for WA just as it was for CA but that was a nice price!
@chipgreen @ScottW58 Full Pull had the same vintage for $30/bottle. Casemates’ price beat that (as WD usually does beat other pricing). Wish this offer had come before FP, since this was free S&H.
'15 The Princess and the Peasant Carignan
Last night, at a sushi place, 1997 Haubs-Barzen Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese. Ridiculously short cork, but solid value from Garagiste.
Tonight was 2013 Wellington Chardonnay. Eventually I’ll need to slow down drinking these…
Some Victory seemed in order for Valentine’s Dinner!!!
@vaaccess Nice… Peter’s favorite vintage!
@chipgreen I was not aware, it is quite tasty!!!
@vaaccess Amazing vintage. Helps that my team won the blending competition for it on the 2010 Tour also
A whiskey and stuff drink
2010 Winesmith Cabernet Franc
With Prime tri-tip in the sous vide.
N.V. Champagne Collet Champagne Brut - With pizza with my bride. Happy valentines everyone’
2015 Princess and the Peasant Pinot Noir, appropriate for Valentine dinner.
2011 Expression Pinot Noir (I caught the gold ring this time).
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1785322
@Shrdlu Oh, the Gap’s Crown, that one was so good. I first got it in that mixed pack on Woot, and later grabbed the pack of this alone.
2006 Mollydooker Carnival of Love. My wife and I are drinking through the back side of our vertical each Valentines Day. The 2005 last year (only year with cork) was more pruney, and soft. The 2006 with Stelvin was much more opulent, yet elegant and not the fruit bomb its accused of. Anyway, we loved it with NY strips. Next up 2007 Velvet Glove.
2010 Owen Roe Dubrul Vyd with grilled lamb chops, parm’n potatoes and broccoli
@jmdavidson1
How is your Dubrul drinking? I seem to remember liking Owen Roe but it’s been a long time since I had one. So I went with a CT barrel project 2015 Rasa Dubrul vineyard Merlot, really nice!
@ScottW58 Solid bottle, but now a wow wine.
@ScottW58 S/B not a wow.
woot cellars Large Bold Text zin
With burgers
'01 Bodegas Ramon Ramos Toro Montetoro Seleccion Reserva
Flannery and some '12 Mt Veeder CS.
Why not. It’s Thursday and I’m already home.
@rjquillin
A 12?? Don’t you have older bottles, like a lot of them?
@rjquillin @ScottW58 I think he tends to like’em young. In case you follow some of his posts.
@ScottW58 wanted to check this one out; 'cause, ya know, I ~need~ to purchase more bottles.
In fairness, it has been open now five days, no Ar, no repour, and at room temp. I think yesterday or today it was at it’s best.
@rjquillin
What? Are you taking one sip a night to make it last 5 days??
@ScottW58 not ~every~night. And I do have other open bottles. Currently eight.
Just killed off a '13 Tierra as well.
Paul does good things.
@rjquillin we do things very differently. I never leave an open bottle out for days but will leave several 1/2 bottles with Stelvins closed up tight for a week sometimes if I would rather open something else.
@CorTot not truly “open”. Opened, but re-corked.
That CS was a brute at pnp and needed it.
2010 Wellington Meeks Zin. Starting the holiday weekend a day early.
Off to a local Italian ristorante, which allows BYOB (+ corkage), so 2003 Monsanto Nemo Mulino Toscana (100% CS) and 2007 Biserno il Pino di Biserno (bdx)
Big dinner tonight! I’m bringing 2014 Gerard Boulay Clos de Beaujou Sancerre, 2001 Chateau Suduiraut, 1997 Valdicava brunello and 1993 Corison cab.
@ScottW58 Just a usual Friday, huh?
@jmdavidson1 Pre Falltacular WB dinner.
@rjquillin Last time I checked, fall was Sept-Nov. This would be pre-pre-pre…no?
@jmdavidson1 falltacular
Bummed. $150 buy in and work has prevented me from attending, but it (work) does allow excessive purchasing.
@jmdavidson1
Charity dinner… like Ron said only 150 wines but I tasted 15
2007 Winesmith Pinot Noir with baked salmon. This is singing; the mouth is great but the aromas are intoxicating.
@pjmartin That is a tried-and-true combo in my house. Mmm.
@pjmartin I had that same combination two weeks ago (to celebrate the retirement letter I left on my supervisor’s desk
).
@Mark_L @pjmartin congrats, now you can be hired back as a consultant at 1.5x the price.
With a mess of bbq ribs and chicken, 2013 Woot Cellars Revelry. Feeling the Wellington love. Which is good, b/c my spouse just idly remarked in response to a TV commercial we just saw, “maybe I should try Match.com.” Trust the AbV to bring out what people are really thinking!
@InFrom “Oh, this is what you like?”
@chipgreen
Zackly! And only 2 days after Valentine’s Day.
Ouch!!!
2013 Blakeslee Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir Estate Reserve
2009 iron horse brut rose with my bride out to dinner for a late valentines dinner.
2010 Waters Cab Sauv.
@rc70 Your impressions of another WA state cab…
@jmdavidson1
Nice flavor, mainly red fruits.Smooth tannins long finish. I had last glass this afternoon - thought it was better than last night, have a couple more bottles will probably revisit in a year or two. Don’t believe it has peaked at this point.
2015 Campesino ISA, paired with Veleta canned sardines, freshly shucked oysters, grilled calamari, shrimp and scallops, a toasty baguette, two tasty chesses and an Asian salad.
Nigerian Jollof Rice, fried Plantain, salad and
2014 Kendric Vineyards Pinot Noir
@rjquillin How many of those Kendric did you get? Am I going to be sad I “only” got 4?
@klezman “only” 4 as well; and likely.
I need to drink more PN so I can get a better handle on what they’re like.
@klezman @rjquillin You need to drink it along with 3 or 4 control bottles to really be able to tell what it’s like.
@klezman you don’t get whispers?
@rc70 The meat in the Jollof was goat, with some craw-fish.
I’d not have guessed goat; had to ask.
@rjquillin I don’t get notifications by email. Too irritating. I really dislike the implementation of “private messaging” on this site.
@klezman @dave @snapster
Oh yeah, I do recall you mentioning that.
It does rather reduce the usefulness of them when one whispers and the other doesn’t hear it. Really needs to be some icon alerting the receipent that they have a message to read.
@klezman @rjquillin
Really? I got one it seems to work fine…man you old white people really must hate change!
@klezman @ScottW58 as far as I’m concerned, if I whisper at someone, and also have to send them a separate email to tell them to look, it’s a fail.
Klez doesn’t know it’s there unless I notify him. I sent you one as well, with no response.
@rjquillin @ScottW58 The emails work fine. I just don’t want them interrupting my day, especially when I don’t have time to respond. So I turned them off. Since they don’t want to let me get emails for whispers but not the rest, I simply don’t get any of them. Frustrating.
@klezman @rjquillin @ScottW58 What about adding a rule in your email client to sort them off, so that they’re not in your focus until you have time to take a look at them? Not a perfect solution, I know, but it might be a option in the meantime.
@klezman @rjquillin @ScottW58 @xandersherry Not a bad idea.
2011 Ty Caton Ballfield Syrah, this is in a really nice place. Have two more bottles,going to move them into this years drink up don’t see them improving and really enjoyed this bottle.
2011 Wellington estate Syrah and a 2016 Navarro rose
With a rib roast, artichokes and sautéed mushrooms
@CorTot we had the same Wellington last night. Brilliant wine.
Back to reality…2007 Notre Vin cab with Flannery New Yorks, gotta try 1 of every vintage
@ScottW58 NV and Flannery? Living large. Nice.
'08 Congruence Cabernet Sauvignon
@baekdusan Gonna open one of those this week. How is it?
2003 Corison CS with NY strip steak, baked potato and peas.
@jmdavidson1 Nice! How’s the 2003 this time?
@karenhynes This bottle was well preserved and delicious. Last one had issues and I don’t know why.
@jmdavidson1 @karenhynes
Umm July shipping?
@karenhynes @ScottW58 July 14, 2011
@jmdavidson1 @karenhynes
never bought another summer offering.
I had some bleeders from one of those shipments back then too
Angeline pinot noir 2016. I noticed this was on the lower spectrum in price, however I liked it more than the pricier ones. It was earthy, some smoke, licorice at the mid palate/finish, medium bodied. It was rated low as a Pinot; are there similar Pinots close to what I had?
2015 Six Prong Cabernet Sauvignon Alder Ridge Vineyard, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2488273
Nothing to write home about, but pleasant enough. Part of a six bottle package from the last days of WW, and the other two are good solid grocery store wines, at a decent price (Waterbrook CS and Canoe Ridge CS).
Venison flank
1986 BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve
Gotta celebrate a promotion properly!
@klezman Wowza! Congrats!
@klezman
Indeed you do, congrats!
@klezman Way to go.
Now you can up your purchases again!
@rjquillin Only if my stock becomes valuable…
@klezman Congrats!
@klezman Congrat’s.
@klezman Congratulations!
@klezman Congrats!
2015 Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling
…to cut the heat of Bonchon’s spicy wings
Followed later by;
2010 Iron Horse Vineyards Russian Cuvée
NV Domaine des Caillots Touraine Sparkling Brut
Finishing up the NV Domaine des Caillots Touraine Sparkling Brut
Interesting blend of 50% Chenin Blanc, 40% Menu Pineau (aka Arbois), 10% Chardonnay
2015 Fattoria Moretto Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Secco and 2014 Biggio Hamina Cellars Pinot Noir Noel Vineyard with crab legs and artichokes
You do live well. Dinner tonight in an excellent tapas restaurant in Albuquerque, so a tempranillo and a garnacha off their wine list.
@jmdavidson1
Mmmm I have been thinking about finding a good tapas restaurant around here lately! All good I hope?
@jmdavidson1 @ScottW58 I wonder if the one in Santa Monica is still there. We had a nice little gathering there back in 2010 or so.
@jmdavidson1 @klezman
It is but it’s not very good anymore.
2009 Twisted Oak Parcel 17. I always love this wine. The hard part is rationing them out properly!
Later - 2012 Anselmann Cabernet Blanc Beerenauslese, Pfalz. $13 at Trader Joe’s is an auto-try. Now I did think it said Cab Franc when I bought it, but so it goes. Cabernet Blanc is apparently a hybrid of Cab Sauv and an unknown complex hybrid that confers some disease resistance.
@klezman Speaking of Trader Joe’s, I finally made it to the Cleveland area store and was surprised to find that they do carry the $10 Rack & Riddle produced sparkling Rosé you guys have been talking about for… a couple years now? Took me awhile to notice it on the shelf at floor level with a non-descript label, even though it was with the rest of the rather small selection of bubbles.
Grabbed a couple bottles - look forward to trying it out and most likely returning for a bunch more. Thanks to you and CorTot (and Kyle?) for the multiple heads-ups that kept it in the back of my mind all this time.
2008 Congruence CS. Still drinking very nicely.
@jmdavidson1 You drink these frequently. I don’t have any. We should fix that!
@karenhynes Congruence went out of business, ergo he sold off the inventory, of which I have bought quite a few.
@jmdavidson1 Sad for me. Yay for you! Hope you’re having a good trip. Let me know when you’re back in town for a bit.
@karenhynes March is looking good. That Italian restaurant is looking good, no?
@jmdavidson1 Always. I had some delicious lasagne there last friday.
2011 Wellington estate syrah
A little Spanish wine with burgers.
@ScottW58
Garagiste? how is it, I know I have a few just not sure exactly where.
@rc70
Actually Last bottle, I have had 4 or 5 vintages of this and I seem to love every one
'14 Le Coteau de mon Reve Gigondas
2010 Ty Caton Cab Sauv - Caton Vineyard Sonoma
2012 Twisted Oak Syrah - Viognier, which was a pleasant complement to some halibut and asparagus. Life is good.
A simple but oh so delicious Bourgogne from BD with Chimichurre chicken.
2014 Lachini Pinot Noir The Grape Republic
Halcon Esquisto, 2013
Last night;
NV Gremillet Champagne Nicolas Noble
2010 E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage
2005 Château Doisy-Daëne
Preparing for what could be an epic night!
@ScottW58 ¡Vamos a España!
Actually, had a quick glass of wine and some tapas pre-movie, looking at a little trip to la bella Napoli a little later on.
@ScottW58 nice work!
I really enjoyed the bottles we had at Spanish wines woot gathering a few years ago. I should seek out more older bottles from Spain.
@ScottW58 Always baller
Gotta love it.
How is that Unico? Those are rather pricey.
I’ve enjoyed all the LDH I’ve tried, including that ridiculously old white Rioja.
We’re drinking a 2005 Domaine des Monts Luisants Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Monts-Luisants
@klezman
Epic night! Where is my lipitor.
Well when someone is cooking a 75 day dry aged rib, roasted duck leg, with Fennel in Bechamel sauce, roasted potatoes in garlic and duck fat and chocolate souffle etc what the hell I threw in a Bollinger and Sauternes
@ScottW58 Niiice! Bollinger, the official Champagne of
I was actually looking for a Château Suduiraut the other night (I have some '07s) but found the Doisy-Daëne first, so went with that.
Attended a Downton Abbey themed dinner, complete with “butler” service. Will have to get my wife to fwd some pics.
The Nicolas Noble Champagne (from Underground Cellar) was delicious and, until recently, pretty exclusive.
“The Élysée Palace is the official residence of the President of the French Republic. Nicolas Noble Champagne represents the French Excellence during all official international events at the Élysée Palace.”
@chipgreen
Nice! I’ve had that dd before with klez I think and thought it was fantastic!
@ScottW58 I’m drooling over here. On all counts. You guys went all out, eh? (At least I assume so, since that’s your kitchen with all that amazing-looking food.) Where’d you get 75-day dry-aged rib?
@klezman
those friggin souflles were to die for.
That kid I met at Augustine wine bar picks up the primes at Costco and ages them himself and bonus he offered to come over and cook up the feast
@ScottW58
If he’d do it for us, too, we’d happily supply a primal. How was it?
@klezman
yeah it was fantastic! Sorry but we are adopting the kid 
How does it look
@ScottW58 Even better…then there’s a higher likelihood we’ll meet him!
@ScottW58 You may want to pass along this amazing cooking tip I learned about on meh this morning. Who’da thunk it?
@InFrom
Yes I apply this method to all fish!
@ScottW58 I love it for chicken, too! I wonder who first discovered this hack?
@InFrom @ScottW58 Before you cook it?!
That is cooking it…
@rjquillin @ScottW58 WHAT??? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! THAT’S WHAT COOKING IS??? (Who knew?)
2007 Wellington Victory with Costco prime tri tip with my custom rub, both wonderful.
2012 Wellington Cab - Sonoma because we were still thirsty.
Tonight
2013 Blakeslee Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir Sheila
last night
2013 Blakeslee Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir Estate Reserve
both GO purchase
2013 Scott Harvey Zinfandel Winemakers Reserve
2014 Iron Horse Vineyards Chardonnay Estate
both 'TSO
Broke the mold last night. Beer and tacos at Helio Brewing (Phx). Both were delicious. Put it on your list of places to go here. 2006 Nicholas Cole Camille as a post dinner sipper.
Tonight we celebrate the return of The Walking Dead with our last Wellington Victory mag. This one, a 2006, is the youngest we’ve had in this form factor.
2012 Harvest Moon RRV Zinfandel
@klezman I’m nabbing some when Randy puts it up, whatever year it is.
Finishing off the SH Zin with some Flannery burgers.
@rjquillin Gonna have to try some Flannery beef one of these days. What mix were your burgers?
@bolligra Wagyu Sliders, damn they are tasty. Two or three with some sides is a quick and easy feast.
Finishing a vina Robles '12 red 4 with beef dip sandwich’s.
2013 Wellington Chardonnay with some blackened rockfish and dirty rice. I got to try out my new Gabriel-Glas Gold glasses as well!
@radiolysis I bought a set of the StandArt glasses, boy are they nice after the plain-jane ones I’ve been using. Next year I’ll get a couple of Gold on BD now that I’ve discovered the glass can make a difference.
@bolligra Breakfast of champions?
@bolligra Last night lol. Came with a mystery case, was in pretty good shape!
@bolligra Yeah, the cork looks fine, and the wine doesn’t look brickish. Nice!
@bolligra I had the 1999 during this last Xmas. Man, that was really good. I wish I held onto it for just a little longer… by myself…haha
2000 Pedroncelli cab with Sous vide prime filet mignon and grilled asparagus. Amazing nose of cigar box, cedar, and a hint of dark fruit. Medium to long finish. Take that, Monday!
@hscottk Ped is so worth the additional time in cellar.
Trying the first of two pinots of Nicholas Harbour Burgundy from BD and it’s a rebuy!
Tonight I had 2014 Guthrie Family Wines Petite Sirah Archival. It was the second night after opening. The first night was decent (I likely didn’t give it enough time to open up), but tonight? Wow. I was very impressed. Just a lovely, full-bodied wine that had its own unique characteristics, smooth taste with excellent but not overbearing fruit and a lovely finish. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and now that winery is on my radar.
@tklivory I’d just come here to say about the same (I’m guessing it was even the same WW purchase). I’m happy to hear that it opened up on the second night, although it was pleasant enough this evening.
I’ll look forward to tomorrow evening. :-}
2012 Elias Mora Toro , this is drinking wonderfully.
@scottw58 mentioned last week drinking a 14, knew I had some stashed somewhere so hunted them down this weekend, they are a great QPR.
@rc70
I remember loving those 12’s!
@rc70 @ScottW58
CT thinks I’ve got some '08’s of those from an old WL purchase.
Guess I should go prospecting as well.
@rc70 @rjquillin
I think I got most of mine from wine library and a few from garagiste plus Last bottle. A really fine qpr!
2009 Agharta CS White Label, Mtn Terraces Vyd
@jmdavidson1
How is that drinking JM?
@ScottW58 Garagiste purchase from 05/2015, the last one. Solid wine and in its drinking window. Should be paired with a steak, or the like, altho I didn’t.
A throw away Garagiste purchase to fill in a case for shipping, a little sweet but a darn nice little find imho.
@ScottW58 I got a few of those too. His mystery Pinot Noirs tend to be, at worst, great party wines and cellar defenders. At $12, no complaints if that’s where it ends up.
Tonight is Seagrams Seven and Vanilla Coke. No wine tonight.
Inexpensive fun!
@ScottW58 A: Involuntary Commitment. Q: What wine do you serve at a shotgun wedding?
Naked Wines purchase…2016 Marchesi Zin. Went well, surprisingly so, with hamburger mac-n-cheese. But, what doesn’t go well with that?
2013 Scott Harvey Zin Mountain Selection. This is what is up for sale right now, it’s delicious. Already have a case but will probably grab a case at this price - cellar saver - BBQ season around the corner.
Pics below of the Downton Abbey themed dinner my wife and I attended recently. 10 course meal included;
We provided the Nicolas Noble champagne, E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage and Doisy Daene Sauternes. Host & Hostess provided Korbel Brut Sparkling and Chateau Ste. Michele Chardonnay while the other couple in attendance provided a 2012 Hahn Meritage.
We drank the Korbel as an aperitif and with the appetizers and salmon. The Chard was a nice match to the bone broth soup. There was some overlap with the halibut and swordfish - Korbel, Chard and Nicolas Noble.
The Nicolas Noble was delicious with the salad then once again some overlap with the chicken - Chard, Nicolas Noble, E. Guigal and Hahn Meritage. Water with the palate cleansing lemon sorbet, then E. Guigal and Hahn with the steak and veggies. Coffee with dessert.
@chipgreen
Hell of a nice spread Chip! I would have pretty much devoured everything
@ScottW58 I took full advantage!
Also, as a side note, the young man (Spencer) hired to be our butler for the evening is an Golf Course Management student at Kent State University and works in the bag room at Firestone Country Club.
@chipgreen Nice!
@chipgreen
Looks like a great time! and I like that kind of driven kid which reminds me I just picked up a new TaylorMade M2 5 wood that I need to take out to the course for a spin this weekend
@ScottW58 He didn’t come with 75-day dry aged beef or the skills to cook it but he did a heckuva job serving what the hostess prepared.
@chipgreen
All I know is i’m pretty jealous seeing all that caviar you rich guys and gals are putting down!
Awesome!!! Nicely played.
Tonight, 2010 Paul Lato Cinematique Syrah (Larner Vyd) to go with grilled lamb chops, crostini and ratatouille.
@jmdavidson1 Hey, it’s March! Time for a new thread!
@InFrom Just in time, too, after that onslaught of .jpgs!
@chipgreen Great way to end the month!