Starting with a Stolpman Roussane with the turkey breast.

Clos Pegase Miljinkos Vineyard Pinot Noir. Kept up with smoked turkey just fine!

Opened a Stolpman Para Maria, good crowd pleaser

Had a nice Pinot Noir Blanc with the turkey which is a relatively new family tradition and the 2010 Don Melchor after dinner was awesome.

This is good stuff. We drank this over 2 days.

Myriad Semillon and cold smoked turkey is pretty tasty!

Schrader is coming next week. If anyone wants to go in on some bottles, let me know. I should have extras. I've been told from someone in the know that this will rival the 2013s, and there just isn't a lot of it to go around.

I'll shoot you an email

Let me know if you're allocated nut not taking an Old Sparky!

My offer is a Fab Five Pack for $1125: 2xCCS, 2xRBS, and a George III. I'm keeping a CCS but the rest are available. I am also taking another allocation with all the bottles so I don't need much out of this one...and sorry Stagecoach, it is doubtful I'll get an extra Sparky, but I'll try. I wont know til next summer, though.

If you guys need more, I can wishlist a Fantastic Pack: 2xCCS and 2xRBS for $900

I've been told again that these are on par with 2013, if not better.

One RBS is spoken for. I'm keeping a CCS. Here is what is left: one each of RBS, CCS, GIII. I'll order on Dec 7 if I have all the bottles spoken for.

email sent on CCS

To be clear, the Schrader offer is coming next week. It's for 2015.

I saw that Wine Spectator listed thier top 10 wines for 2015. I don't really get it but whatever...it's fun to look at.


#10 - 2014 Hartford Old Vine RRV Zinfandel
#09 - 2013 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc
#08 - 2013 Antinori Tignanello
#07 - 2012 Ridge Monte Bello
#06 - 2014 Orin Swift Machete
#05 - 2011 Produttori del Babaresco Asili Riserva
#04 - 2013 Chateau Climens 1er Cru Barsac
#03 - 2014 Beaux Freres The Beaux Freres Vineyard
#02 - 2014 Domaine Serene Chadonnay Evanstad Reserve
#01 - 2013 Lewis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Everyone has the friend that is higher end wine drinker and really buying that person a $50-60 bottle of wine for Christmas doesn't really do anything for them b\c they have a ton of those price point bottles anyhow...so any gift suggestions for the wine person?

So don't buy them wine. You're right, they probably have very specific tastes and they won't be wowed by whatever you buy. You also shouldn't try and buy too many wine gadgets. They've probably tried most of them already. You could go with a cool decanter or something, of course. The winning idea might be some other really high end specialty food product. People that really like wine tend to also appreciate things like great olive oil (just pressed in the northern hemisphere too). That can also get pretty expensive. I'm in a food and wine club thing with a winery call Round Pond in Napa. They also do some great vinegars. Stay away from the syrups though, they are a let down.
https://shop.roundpond.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=view&category_id=71
Or, you could go with some awesome potato chips. I gave them to my FIL one year. He's a nototrious potato chip fiend.
http://www.formaggiokitchen.com/shop/bonilla-a-la-vista-olive-oil-potato-chips-500g.html#
Or just go to these guys website
http://www.formaggiokitchen.com/

Matsui said:

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Everyone has the friend that is higher end wine drinker and really buying that person a $50-60 bottle of wine for Christmas doesn't really do anything for them b\c they have a ton of those price point bottles anyhow...so any gift suggestions for the wine person?

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I actually like the idea of buying such a person wine. just don't buy them some $60 Bordeaux or Australia Cab, sure they have lots of similar stuff to that.

However, you can go buy some really geeky stuff like a hard to find Sherry or Banyuls (a fortified Grenache from France) maybe some hard to find Greek or Austrian wines of an unusual varietal.

I think a true wine geek would love any of that. I know I would.

Maybe gift them tickets to a nice tasting event?

Agreed. Or any wine that actually means something to the person gifting it, i.e. It's a boutique wine they've found and really enjoyed, etc. But just going and picking any $50 cab at HEB is probably going to be a bust.

Also tend to agree on wine gadgets. Sure, there may be some cool stuff out there that they don't have and would like. But wine gadgets also tend to be gifts that seem to add up over the years.

Just had our anniversary dinner at pappas bros. Enjoyed a '13 Switchback Ridge Cab with dinner. The wine was good, complimented our cheese plate and steaks quite well. Though it was a little fruit forward and lacking in complexity and finish. The steak, however, was probably the best I've ever had. I had the dry aged porterhouse and the wife the bone in filet. Also capped off the evening with complimentary cheesecake (probably the best NY cheesecake I've ever had) and, again complimentary, glass of Sauternes (can't remember the vineyard).

Overall, great (1 day early) anniversary.

The only thing I add to all the great ideas are truffles. Highly perishable but if the person is a fan one of the great pairings with wine.

I get wine gadget gifts a lot and to be honest, I'm tired of them and rarely use them. I like the ideas above of fine food items. I like to buy people chocolate covered macadamias from the French Laundry: http://finessethestore.com/collections/pantry/products/the-french-laundry-chocolate-covered-jumbo-macadamia-nuts

Fancy olive oil is cool. Personalized cookbooks. Grower champagne (complete with a story about the grower)...Htown knows more about this than I do.

Secret Santa here in the lab. My person is a bit of a wine snob... he's a qualified sommelier.

I know he really likes Riesling... is there a Riesling (or any wine) that someone like that would enjoy at a $25-30 price point?

I may try to find an LBV port if not.

Or he may get a Texas Roadhouse gift card. LOL

For a Riesling that you won't see on shelves and perhaps he's unfamiliar, see if you can get one (I like the Dry) from Hermann J. Wiemer, a Finger Lakes winery. Gets lots of great reviews, including from me.

Wiemer Dry Riesling

thanks for the suggestion.

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But just going and picking any $50 cab at HEB is probably going to be a bust.

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Contrary opinion here. Once you are into a price range that it's decent wine, and in general a $50 cab from HEB is, I like receiving wine. I'm not so caught up in my own preferences that I won't enjoy something someone gives me.

I see Cecil's point.

And further: are we such snobs that a $50 bottle is a "bust?" Speaking for myself, absolutely not.

I always like getting something for free and trying "new" or "not in my cellar" wines. I'm just getting started, though, so that's a lot of room to explore!!!

I'd love to get a $50 bottle as a gift. The last bottle we received as a gift was a bottle of Wimberley Sweet Red from one of my wife's cousins.

Why spend so much for wine $50 is way overpriced for good wine!

Sorry, maybe I worded that poorly, as bust is definitely a bad description. I agree with you Cecil, but I enjoy pretty much any bottle I receive as a gift, especially if it's a wine I haven't tried before. And yes, at that price range at a place like HEB you are likely to get a good bottle. I was just speaking about this specific gift recipient's description, and I may have misinterpreted the description at that.

When I hear stories of getting wine as gifts for those really into wine I think of my uncle, specifically. He genuinely gets upset when people bring him wine. When he has wine he likes, he buys it, a lot of it. So he feels like when people are randomly grabbing bottles for him (regardless of price point) they are wasting their money, and not because the wine is bad or not a good value. But because he already has what he likes. He does however, tend to be a little more open when someone gives him a bottle that they personally enjoy, or found when visiting Oregon, etc.

TLDR; I didn't explain myself very well. I just think blindly picking a wine is not the best move, even though I know I'd still enjoy it as a gift. If you are going to get them wine, do as you would for any gift. Do some research, put some thought into it, get something that has some connection with you or a story you can share. Don't just pick a bottle of the shelf because it falls in your price range, again, even though it probably will be a good bottle and I personally would enjoy it.

Quote:

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Do some research, put some thought into it, get something that has some connection with you or a story you can share. Don't just pick a bottle of the shelf because it falls in your price range, again, even though it probably will be a good bottle and I personally would enjoy it.

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BSD....still have any of the Schrader allocation available?

PM me if you do.

Thanks

My allocation is already spoken for. I can still wishlist the Fantastic Pack: 2xCCS and 2xRBS for $900 (plus tax and shipping).