08 Paul Hobbs "Crossbarn". Mr. Hobbs is on a roll.

I like the 2009 Louis Martini cab with steaks.

And it is usually less than 20 bucks.

Hess Allomi cab is good and Frei Brothers 2009 cab is good also.

Sorry for the DP.

Crossbarn is good but a little more costly.

Hess Allomi and Atalon (NOT "Avalon" ) are goto's in the $20-is range.

In the $30-40 range:
Ferrari-Carano Cab (Note that Spec's has had their $50 Tressor at $26 forever, very good)
Honig
Marietta Cellars Angeli Cuvee
Rombauer
Orin Swift "The Prisoner" <<---- highly recommended for the price!

@dermdoc, I regularly see Crossbarn under $45 in San Antonio...and if you buy a case it comes out right at $41/bottle.

I posted this a few pages back of wines I like in that range:

Under $25
Beringer Knights Valley – can get retail for around $20
Lots of Cameron Hughes (he buys leftover grapes and juice from producers and make his own wine…good value and Costco carries it)
BV Rutherford – widely available for right around $25
Educated Guess – 2007 was great but haven’t had any since.  at $15, it’s worth a shot.
 
$25- $50
Bourassa – can get retail
Roth  – can get retail for ~$27(not Groth)
Provenance – available retail and look for sales, especially on their website. Good value when you can catch it discounted
Scully  - Mt Veeder wine
Chappellett – the Signature wine is pretty good at about $40, bought at Specs
Frank Family – just under $50 available retail
Girard- $26, vailable retail.  Not bad from what I remember
Snowden (The Ranch) - $40, at Specs, they also have higher end bottles that are good.
 

Wow, I just looked at my credit card online for the first time after returning from Napa. The good news is that A LOT of good wine (and beer) will be coming soon!!!

Roth is great for the money.

washington cabs will fit nicely in that price range.
Novelty Hill, Columbia crest. 04s and 05s were particularly good.

wife and i had 09 m. etain last night with longhorn ribeyes cause we're redass.

good tannic structure and giving up lots of fruit.

BSD... mine looks the same... and almost all of my wine is here... (had them delay shipping until this week.)

"Today, we showed the resolve of the United States. Today we made a statement to the world... That you can hit us, you can knock us down, but we're gonna get up. And when we do, we will find you and kick your ass!"
- Robert E Clark II, Cpt USN, Commandant of Midshipmen May 1, 2011

BSD, where can you get Bourassa retail? Boerne Wine Company here carries it, but their prices are too high. I think they only carry it because they had Vic Bourassa here for a wine tasting last year. He's also just about priced himself out of the $40-ish range.

How do y'all preserve wine? I'm the only person in my house that remotely enjoys wine. Would like to be able to drink part of the bottle and save the rest for a few days. I used to just put the cork in a refrigerate, but that didn't work to well.

Vacuum pump? Inert gas?

What's this preserve stuff?

You open it, you drink it.

Inert gas is best. However, you should plan on drinking just about anything except champagne and dessert wines with 2-3 days. Anything after that becomes cooking wine.

quote:

---

How do y'all preserve wine?

---

I don't understand the question!

Seriously though, I usually just cork it and drink it the next night. The winemakers we visited this last week gassed them for preservation.

quote:

---

BSD, where can you get Bourassa retail? Boerne Wine Company here carries it, but their prices are too high. I think they only carry it because they had Vic Bourassa here for a wine tasting last year. He's also just about priced himself out of the $40-ish range.

---

I thought I remembered seeing it at Specs a while back. I just looked at the website and no longer see it there.

quote:

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wife and i had 09 m. etain last night with longhorn ribeyes cause we're redass.

good tannic structure and giving up lots of fruit.

---

You've been on a M Etain roll lately!

Yeah, around here, especially with my wife, "leftover wine" is rarely an operative phrase!

Orin Swift "Abstract" tonight. Pretty dang goodd!

Preserving wine:
Big red (young, cab, zin, Shiraz, etc) leave open on counter and finish the next night. Enjoy the subtle difference from the night before.
Med red/most whites/ roses: recork and put in fridge. Finish within 2 days.
Sparkling: buy a spring loaded plastic seal and finish within 24 hours.

You can use a device to suck the air out and re-seal for most wines. Store in fridge and may last up to a week.

Edit for auto-correct.

[This message has been edited by Agustus Caesar (edited 11/1/2012 11:46p).]

Yah cellar tracker had the 08 and 09 m. Etain back to back and I follow to keep my s straight. Good juice.
Had a Joh. Jos. Prum wehlener spatlese 2009 tonight. Very nice.

2008 Ramey cab tonight. Robert Parker 95 points.

Really good so far, should be better in an hour or so.

Will wait for a few years before opening another, though, I think...

2006 Kendall Jackson Highland Estates Mount Veeder cab.

Surprisingly excellent.

Yates Family Vineyard 2009 Cheval this evening. Really nice.

Should rename this thread "first world guy problems" i.e. "what premium wine do I uncork tonight?"

^
Werd.

Braising some boeuf with pearl onions, shrooms, etc. to have o'er some smashed pommes. Shall I: cotes du rhone, st. Emilion, blaye, or napa merlot? First world problems are tough.

First world problem: just opened a 2005 Hoopes Oakville Cab but there isn't much food at the house. Time to grab some takeout somewhere while it decants.

I went napa. And hotdamn the boeuf was good.

About 9 less bottles than I started with last night... :-)

"Today, we showed the resolve of the United States. Today we made a statement to the world... That you can hit us, you can knock us down, but we're gonna get up. And when we do, we will find you and kick your ass!"
- Robert E Clark II, Cpt USN, Commandant of Midshipmen May 1, 2011

Ouch!

Birthday Party! You only hit 39 once... And acutally its a net of 7... 2 gifts came in plus a bottle of Jefferson's Reserve bourbon.

It was a grand night.

Oh, and if you can get your hands on some of the 2009 Ramian "Debauchery" you won't be disappointed. Or their 2008 Canard Vineyard Cab.

"Today, we showed the resolve of the United States. Today we made a statement to the world... That you can hit us, you can knock us down, but we're gonna get up. And when we do, we will find you and kick your ass!"
- Robert E Clark II, Cpt USN, Commandant of Midshipmen May 1, 2011

Happy birthday old timer! I look forward to hearing what you drink for the next one! We did 40 year old Reisling and Port for my wife's and it was awesome (week long party highlights on page 4).


[This message has been edited by Bsd (edited 11/4/2012 11:59a).]

We are having an impromptu wine day at our house. With 132 bottles pending delivery, we need to clear some room!