The Wine Thread

Mikey081057

There is a beer thread.... and there may have been a wine thread ... i looked 3 pages deep and said fuggedaboutit... I worked too many hours this week... Enjoying a 2012 Girard Cab... and about to throw a ribeye on the grill... Very nice cab for not too much $$. I have a couple of 2010 Silver Oaks in the rack but this is a better value...

Let's keep each other up to date on some wines that are nice deals....

jeremymarcinko

Bogle merlot is incredible for the price.

And Clos du bois merlot is fantastic http://www.closdubois.com/2013-Clos-du-Bois-Merlot-California?pageID=BF0D8C25-D207-5CF8-26D8-481DE3969A92&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=10&

mantis

Frank Family, Reverie, Lava Vine,

Jaybeez

Estancia Pinot Noir is my wine of choice for the evening. Quite nice. A bit of Stanley Clarke on the TT and I'm set for the next 45 minutes or so.

afterburnt

Aint big on wine but I think I can do Pinot Noir, if that is the lighter red. Not bad at all. But I like beer after all the wine drinking Romans got their clocks cleaned by the beer drinking Vandals.

Mikey081057

"Pinot Noir... Peanut of the night"

WagnerRC

Where the hell is Tony. I have been to Italy 3 times. M y partner did give me an old hard sided suitcase to fill. I love the Italian culture

ken brydson

Not a wine fan. Occasional beer but give me a rum and coke any day. Oh, I mean EVERY day.

Willow

We are big fans of wine. We typically shop in the vintages section. Seeing as we do that we buy by the case when we find something we like. Right now we are in two cases, one is a Pinot Noir, the other is a Morgon. We also have 4 bottles left from a 3.5 case run we had during the summer which we call liquid gold as it is so tasty and only comes out now for special occasions. That one is called Domaine de l'herminette another Morgon. We like to stay with the lighter wines, lower in alcohol and sugar content. So we stick with Beaujolais, Morgon, Pinot Noir always from France. I don't remember what the two wines we are currently drinking are called, (from which estate)

polkfarmboy

I am a huge fan of sake but not allowed to drink it anymore because I get wild. I like 'ploppin bottles' non sake drinkers wont get that joke!

tonyb

I think we've had a wine thread before without much interest. Shame.....wine is much like audio, a good cigar, and women.....a flavor for everyone. If any of you guys who like wine have not been to Napa yet, do yourself a favor and go.

It's like if all you know about audio comes out of the big box stores like BestBuy, and then you find the better brands like Cary, Musical fidelity, Bat, Rogue, etc. You'll go home wondering why you keep drinking the junky wine. Life is too short for bad audio, bad food and drink, and a bad smoke. Same for you beer drinkers, you just can't go back to the Schlitz's of the world once you taste the good stuff.

Cool thing too about Napa, once you go often enough and get to know the locals, they will point you to some small family owned vineyards who don't even sell wine to the general public but make such high quality stuff some even blow away the big vineyards. All ya have to do is ask, they are more than willing to share a taste and even sell you a bottle if you ask politely.

Frank Family, the reserve lines are outstanding. Silver Oak....very good but hit or miss on the vintage. Duckhorn....could drink everyday for the rest of my life and be happy. Flora Springs....also good, their Trilogy is a bargain.

Every wine maker has certain levels of wine too, just like audio manufacturers. Go straight for anyones reserve lines. Who wants to go to Napa and taste wines you can get at your local stores ? Buy a few bottles at each winery, and you can ship it all home from there once you fill a case. Do not ship wine in the dead heat of summer, that's a guarantee it will be toast by the time you open it. Sign up if you want, once you find a winery you like, for their wine club. They will ship you x amount of wines as often as you like for x amount. Wines only available to members too and at reduced prices from their winery prices.

That said, bargains certainly exist that are not reserve wines....and from many other countries. Italy, Spain, Portugal....some south American wines. Haven't tasted anything from Australia that floats my boat yet. At your local store, if they have a card with tasting notes on it, read it. You know what you like, but you have to decipher the snobby tasters language.

For instance, some use colorful language like, "lively finish....very dark...unoffending...lingering.....pops out of the glass.....and so forth. These things mean different things to different people. If you like a nice smooth finish without tannins that grip the back of your throat, pay attention to how they describe the finish. If the tasters notes are short, it's nothing to write home about and they only wrote them because they were asked to. If the notes are long and descriptive, something to pay attention to. Don't simply go by the ratings on the them like 90-92, that's a very slippery slope much like AVR power ratings. The wine industry though lives by those numbers, and some simply are not correct. Use them as a guideline, coupled with tasters notes, and you'll make better choices picking wines for yourself.

Of course, better wines cost money, especially when we talk reserve lines from Napa. If you want wine just as good at half the price, look at Italian wines. The Borolo's and Brunella's are a bargain. Felsina Chianti's are also good. The difference is, wines from Italy have a more earthy taste, and wines from Napa have a more lively, lighter taste....generally speaking. Like I said, pay attention to the notes, if the taster's note is like a kid in a candy store and he can barely hold back his excitement, you know it's worth a try. Especially from people who taste wine all day for a living. It takes something special to turn their heads and write long descriptive tasting notes.

tonyb

Jaybeez wrote: »

Estancia Pinot Noir is my wine of choice for the evening. Quite nice. A bit of Stanley Clarke on the TT and I'm set for the next 45 minutes or so.

If Pinots rub your sack the right way, Try Flowers...Chaplain...Wright, nice and smooth and tasty, goes with anything.

tonyb

WagnerRC wrote: »

Where the hell is Tony. I have been to Italy 3 times. M y partner did give me an old hard sided suitcase to fill. I love the Italian culture

.....and I'm wondering why you came back.lol

I'm going mid year, so Tony is a broke mf right now. If any of you guys ever seen the show," I'll have what Phils having", check out the episode where he does Florence Italy. Captures the essence of the Italian culture.

Phil is the former writer for "Everyone loves Raymond". His wife in real life was Roberts wife on the show. Funny, entertaining, yet informative.

tonyb

Oh, btw.....download the Vino app to your phone. Take a picture of the label and it gives you reviews, stores it for you too if you like it. Create your own personal wine cellar on your phone.

Comes in handy for guys like me who can't remember their own name sometimes.

MrBuhl

@tonyb Duckhorn is one of my favorites, I have Decoys and Paraduxx going back several years, we did the tasting & tour there last time we were in Napa and it's a great experience too!

Big fan of the Cain Winery in CA as well as DeLille Cellars in WA for slightly off the beaten track offerings. Over the holidays I had a Franciscan Cabernet for the first time that was really great!

Mikey081057

I like Kathryn Kennedy cabernets. Very hard to get. A very nice (relatively inexpensive) winery is Dry Creek. Very good Chards. and very drinkable cab and zin for the price. I am going to try Frank Family.. Any particular vintage stand out?

tonyb

Mikey081057 wrote: »

I like Kathryn Kennedy cabernets. Very hard to get. A very nice (relatively inexpensive) winery is Dry Creek. Very good Chards. and very drinkable cab and zin for the price. I am going to try Frank Family.. Any particular vintage stand out?

Their 2009 reserve Zin is outstanding. One of the few wines I've come across that the taste represents the nose perfectly. All of their reserve wines are good, regardless of vintage. Their lower lines you see at the stores, good but not great and a bit pricey for whats in the bottle. Compared to others though, still a fine tasting wine. Their lower cabs go for 45 bucks a bottle. Good cab, but like I said, once you taste their reserve lines, no going back.

Frank Family was, or still is, I dunno, owned by the former CEO of Disney.

tonyb

tonyb wrote: »

Mikey081057 wrote: »

I like Kathryn Kennedy cabernets. Very hard to get. A very nice (relatively inexpensive) winery is Dry Creek. Very good Chards. and very drinkable cab and zin for the price. I am going to try Frank Family.. Any particular vintage stand out?

Their 2009 reserve Zin is outstanding. One of the few wines I've come across that the taste represents the nose perfectly. All of their reserve wines are good, regardless of vintage. Their lower lines you see at the stores, good but not great and a bit pricey for whats in the bottle. Compared to others though, still a fine tasting wine. Their lower cabs go for 45 bucks a bottle. Good cab, but like I said, once you taste their reserve lines, no going back.

Frank Family was, or still is, I dunno, owned by the former CEO of Disney. They consistently win top awards.

Mikey081057

tonyb wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

Mikey081057 wrote: »

I like Kathryn Kennedy cabernets. Very hard to get. A very nice (relatively inexpensive) winery is Dry Creek. Very good Chards. and very drinkable cab and zin for the price. I am going to try Frank Family.. Any particular vintage stand out?

Their 2009 reserve Zin is outstanding. One of the few wines I've come across that the taste represents the nose perfectly. All of their reserve wines are good, regardless of vintage. Their lower lines you see at the stores, good but not great and a bit pricey for whats in the bottle. Compared to others though, still a fine tasting wine. Their lower cabs go for 45 bucks a bottle. Good cab, but like I said, once you taste their reserve lines, no going back.

Frank Family was, or still is, I dunno, owned by the former CEO of Disney. They consistently win top awards.

Quoting your own quotes is a sure sign of uncorking a bottle too early in the day my friend.

voltz

jeremymarcinko wrote: »

Bogle merlot is incredible for the price.

And Clos du bois merlot is fantastic http://www.closdubois.com/2013-Clos-du-Bois-Merlot-California?pageID=BF0D8C25-D207-5CF8-26D8-481DE3969A92&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=10&

My other Merlot is Kendall Jackson

gce

Oh, I thought we were whining about this forum again.

MrBuhl

If you happen to like Bordeaux I just opened a bottle of my favorite "value" Bordeaux, an '05 Chateau La Grange Clinet, (not to be confused with Ch. Clinet OR Ch. LaGrange). Dirt cheap and delicious!

tonyb

Mikey081057 wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

Mikey081057 wrote: »

I like Kathryn Kennedy cabernets. Very hard to get. A very nice (relatively inexpensive) winery is Dry Creek. Very good Chards. and very drinkable cab and zin for the price. I am going to try Frank Family.. Any particular vintage stand out?

Their 2009 reserve Zin is outstanding. One of the few wines I've come across that the taste represents the nose perfectly. All of their reserve wines are good, regardless of vintage. Their lower lines you see at the stores, good but not great and a bit pricey for whats in the bottle. Compared to others though, still a fine tasting wine. Their lower cabs go for 45 bucks a bottle. Good cab, but like I said, once you taste their reserve lines, no going back.

Frank Family was, or still is, I dunno, owned by the former CEO of Disney. They consistently win top awards.

Quoting your own quotes is a sure sign of uncorking a bottle too early in the day my friend.

Just for the record, I never claimed to have all my marbles intact. lol

tonyb

MrBuhl wrote: »

If you happen to like Bordeaux I just opened a bottle of my favorite "value" Bordeaux, an '05 Chateau La Grange Clinet, (not to be confused with Ch. Clinet OR Ch. LaGrange). Dirt cheap and delicious!

Love Bordeaux's.....about the only think the French do that I can swallow. Really a nice smooth unoffending wine. Plus some really good ones are fairly cheap. Problem for me is, I can never remember the darn names, those fancy French titles have me confused.

mantis

tonyb wrote: »

I think we've had a wine thread before without much interest. Shame.....wine is much like audio, a good cigar, and women.....a flavor for everyone. If any of you guys who like wine have not been to Napa yet, do yourself a favor and go.

It's like if all you know about audio comes out of the big box stores like BestBuy, and then you find the better brands like Cary, Musical fidelity, Bat, Rogue, etc. You'll go home wondering why you keep drinking the junky wine. Life is too short for bad audio, bad food and drink, and a bad smoke. Same for you beer drinkers, you just can't go back to the Schlitz's of the world once you taste the good stuff.

Cool thing too about Napa, once you go often enough and get to know the locals, they will point you to some small family owned vineyards who don't even sell wine to the general public but make such high quality stuff some even blow away the big vineyards. All ya have to do is ask, they are more than willing to share a taste and even sell you a bottle if you ask politely.

Frank Family, the reserve lines are outstanding. Silver Oak....very good but hit or miss on the vintage. Duckhorn....could drink everyday for the rest of my life and be happy. Flora Springs....also good, their Trilogy is a bargain.

Every wine maker has certain levels of wine too, just like audio manufacturers. Go straight for anyones reserve lines. Who wants to go to Napa and taste wines you can get at your local stores ? Buy a few bottles at each winery, and you can ship it all home from there once you fill a case. Do not ship wine in the dead heat of summer, that's a guarantee it will be toast by the time you open it. Sign up if you want, once you find a winery you like, for their wine club. They will ship you x amount of wines as often as you like for x amount. Wines only available to members too and at reduced prices from their winery prices.

That said, bargains certainly exist that are not reserve wines....and from many other countries. Italy, Spain, Portugal....some south American wines. Haven't tasted anything from Australia that floats my boat yet. At your local store, if they have a card with tasting notes on it, read it. You know what you like, but you have to decipher the snobby tasters language.

For instance, some use colorful language like, "lively finish....very dark...unoffending...lingering.....pops out of the glass.....and so forth. These things mean different things to different people. If you like a nice smooth finish without tannins that grip the back of your throat, pay attention to how they describe the finish. If the tasters notes are short, it's nothing to write home about and they only wrote them because they were asked to. If the notes are long and descriptive, something to pay attention to. Don't simply go by the ratings on the them like 90-92, that's a very slippery slope much like AVR power ratings. The wine industry though lives by those numbers, and some simply are not correct. Use them as a guideline, coupled with tasters notes, and you'll make better choices picking wines for yourself.

Of course, better wines cost money, especially when we talk reserve lines from Napa. If you want wine just as good at half the price, look at Italian wines. The Borolo's and Brunella's are a bargain. Felsina Chianti's are also good. The difference is, wines from Italy have a more earthy taste, and wines from Napa have a more lively, lighter taste....generally speaking. Like I said, pay attention to the notes, if the taster's note is like a kid in a candy store and he can barely hold back his excitement, you know it's worth a try. Especially from people who taste wine all day for a living. It takes something special to turn their heads and write long descriptive tasting notes.

Frank Family is my personal Favorite wine. I like everything they make. They actually made me like Zinfandel which in the past I never cared for that style of wine.
Their Cabs are the vest in the business period. I never had a Cab better or even close to what they make WOW.
I met Dennis and we had a private tasting in his office. He is amazing and man what amazing wines they make.
V Satuai is probably my second favorite which they make a German Reisling that can or beat most actual German made wines. I could not believe how good it was. Thats another place that if you go to Napa Valley , it's a must . They have an amazing lunch and cheese deli on site. Fresh sandwiches to die for. Top it off with a good bottle of their Cab and you are in heaven.

tonyb

Absolutely Dan, the whole operation is top shelf.....along with their wines. Can't give them enough praise.

If Merlot is your thing, look no further than Duckhorns reserve Merlots....absolutely fantastic....and I'm not a Merlot fan. Their reserve Cabs are no slouch either.

Frank Family reserve wines constantly win best awards in Napa, and rightfully so. I haven't had a better Cab either in all the wineries I've visited. Some come real close, but FF just nails it.

Get on their mailing list, some other wineries too for deals that pop up. They will hold the wines for you until weather permits shipping.

I once ordered a case of FF reserve Chardonnay for a party I was having in the summer. Bad move....even though FF advised against it , they jammed the shipping carton with as much ice packs as they could fit. You know what happened.....I got a case of spoiled wine. FF replaced the whole case in the fall on their dime when weather was more suitable for shipping.

It just sucks we don't have the quality of wines more local.

We talk Napa, but we forget the Sonoma side. They kinda have a Cubs vs. Sox thing going on between them. Napa has the better wines though straight up. On the Sonoma side, Ledson winery all the way to the north is worth a visit with excellent wines.

Mikey081057

Ordered a couple of Kathryn Kennedy 2012 Santa Cruz Estate Cabs yesterday. It's almost all gone and projected to be one of KK's best vintages. Also ordered 2 Far Niente Chards... Not a big white wine drinker but this one is incredible.

I certainly favor big Cabs(Bordeauxs) an occasionally like a Merlot or a good Burgundy(Pinot Noir). I am going to try a Frank Zinfandel as I have had never found a zin that works for me either.

If you have a hundie for a bottle of wine try the KK... It is better than any SIlver Oak i have had for about the same $$$. It is worth the experience.

Mikey081057

tonyb wrote: »

Absolutely Dan, the whole operation is top shelf.....along with their wines. Can't give them enough praise.

If Merlot is your thing, look no further than Duckhorns reserve Merlots....absolutely fantastic....and I'm not a Merlot fan. Their reserve Cabs are no slouch either.

Frank Family reserve wines constantly win best awards in Napa, and rightfully so. I haven't had a better Cab either in all the wineries I've visited. Some come real close, but FF just nails it.

Get on their mailing list, some other wineries too for deals that pop up. They will hold the wines for you until weather permits shipping.

I once ordered a case of FF reserve Chardonnay for a party I was having in the summer. Bad move....even though FF advised against it , they jammed the shipping carton with as much ice packs as they could fit. You know what happened.....I got a case of spoiled wine. FF replaced the whole case in the fall on their dime when weather was more suitable for shipping.

It just sucks we don't have the quality of wines more local.

We talk Napa, but we forget the Sonoma side. They kinda have a Cubs vs. Sox thing going on between them. Napa has the better wines though straight up. On the Sonoma side, Ledson winery all the way to the north is worth a visit with excellent wines.

There are many fine Cali wines that don't come from Napa or Sonoma...Central Coast, Alexander Valley Russian River Valley all have some fine vines. Dry Creek vineyard makes some very fine wines that won't break your wallet. Meridian in the Central Coast is a nice wine and tour.

My local supermarket (publix) has a private label cab for $25 that people tell me is very good. I have one to try. Has anyone tried 2 buck chuck (Charles Shaw)from Trader Joes ? I hear it is actually drinkable.

Jimbo18

There are many fine Cali wines that don't come from Napa or Sonoma...Central Coast, Alexander Valley Russian River Valley all have some fine vines. Dry Creek vineyard makes some very fine wines that won't break your wallet. Meridian in the Central Coast is a nice wine and tour.

My local supermarket (publix) has a private label cab for $25 that people tell me is very good. I have one to try. Has anyone tried 2 buck chuck (Charles Shaw)from Trader Joes ? I hear it is actually drinkable.



I never tried 2 buck chuck, which now costs 3 bucks, but read that the only drinkable ones are the Cab and the Pinot Grigio.

Since I am the only one in the house that drinks wine, and on a limited budget, I stick to bottles that are in the $8 - 12 range, most of the time. Our local Harris Teeter has a great selection, and often has decent sales on some stuff, and we have Total Wine store nearby which has an awesome selection (and a very nice website).

My current favorite cabs are Cruz Alta from Argentina, Montoya Cab from Napa (which is a few dollars above my range normally), Josh Cellars from Calif. , Rodney Strong from Sonoma, Columbia Crest from Washington, Louis Martini from Sonoma, Chateau St Michelle from Washington, Simi from the Alexander Valley, Clos du Bois from Sonoma, and my newest "find" is Carnivore from California. Amazing wine for the price.

Just lately I have been checking out some Malbecs, and like them, but haven't really kept track of which ones were best, and I also mix in some Shiraz, usually from Australia.

Of course, there are lots of more expensive wines that will blow these cabs away, but for the money, there are a lot of great cabs there with depth and flavor.

tonyb

2 buck chuck.....drinkable ? Define drinkable....because imho it's about as garbage as garbage gets.

Yeah, other fine wines come from other regions also in Cali, but the good ones are a bit farther and fewer between than in the Napa region. Napa has a smaller concentration, geologically speaking, of good wines for such a small area. That's part of the allure of the region, no driving all over the state to seek out exceptional wines.

tonyb

Budget wines and Napa though are about as far away as I am from skinny jeans. There's lots of good budget wines, Decoy which is Duckhorn's budget line is pretty decent. Many Spanish and South American wines offer a darn good bang for your buck too. You won't find all too many budget wines in Napa though. The Italian budget wines are hit or miss, the differences in vintage can be dramatic even by a single year.

That's why I suggested using a wine app to keep track of the labels of the wines you find and enjoy. I just started using one myself as a friend turned me on to it.