Imgur's mobile app used to be awesome, but they make it almost impossible to hotlink to here, unless I'm missing something.

Cecil, I stopped in on Saturday to do a tasting, but you were already busy with another group. So we tasted in the Bistro. That 2015 Cornelius Reserve may be the best wine I've ever had there. Holy crap it's good.

Sorry I missed you.

And yes, damn but it's good. Trying to accumulate some so that I can drink through it for several years.

Dan experimented and left about 2/3 in barrel for an extra year, which is what you had. Another 100 cases or so is still in barrel and will be bottled soon. Don't know if it will improve even more...

I wished you'd poked your head in. I'd done a superflight (Termanthia vs our 2011 Colus) earlier in the day so had some open you could have tried. Even better than that CR.

HTownAg98 said:

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Imgur's mobile app used to be awesome, but they make it almost impossible to hotlink to here, unless I'm missing something.

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For iPhone: Once the pic uploads, hold down on the image until the menu pops up. Then click "copy link" and then just paste it here. No codes needed. That's what I've done lately.

2014 Pahlmeyer and Dancing Hares this week! Dancing Hares is now under the Tuck Beckstoffer family and what they're doing is quite possibly the best value in Napa today.

Hundred Acre is so good, but at $400 per I'm thinking pass on the Few and Far Between release. I have a fair amount already and a particularly large allocation this year for anyone interested in this release. It's made from Jayson Woodbridge's smallest vineyard on the slopes above Eisele Vineyard. Big Bordeaux style. Probably excellent (past two vintages were scored 100 by Parker) and I love the style but I'm now having to store wine offsite. I guess I have a problem, but it's a good one!

I also have a large allocation of few and far between if anyone needs any. If I wasn't waiting on my last order to come in still I might look at a little more but I have several bottles in the fridge as well.

The Mad Hatter is the second wine of Dancing Hares and is anexcellent value.

HTownAg98 said:

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The Mad Hatter is the second wine of Dancing Hares and is anexcellent value.

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Oooh, that brings up a great question. What are some of the best second wines out there? Looking to expand our cellar a bit and not necessarily looking for it all to be the top of the top.

Caravan is the ssame cond label of Darioush. Lots of people like it better than Darioush.
Crossbarn isn't really a second label, but it is a Paul Hobbs project.
Poser is the second label for Linne Calodo. Good luck finding it.
I used to know more of the Cabernet second labels, but I haven't been drinking much cab lately.

Delamotte which is Salon's second label comes to mind. In reality most of the champagne houses have a whole range of offerings so no true second label but rather lower priced offerings along with their Tete de Cuve, all with the House style.

Roth, which is Lancaster Estate's second label, is a great value at $15-20 (I haven't bought it in a while so not sure if the price is still at that level.

Agree it's a value because it's 1/2 the price of DH, and I've bought some in the past. But DH is way more than twice as good. And I'm not certain they are continuing the MH line.

As for Napa 2nds, we like Spottswood Lyndenhurst, about $70.

In St Emilion last month the 2nd labels for the Pr Gr Crus we visited were (almost) as good as the first labels but were all under 50 euros, about half to one third the first labels. Sadly most of the 2nds aren't distributed over here. We bought a couple of cases but only 8 bottles made it back!

HTownAg98 said:

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The Mad Hatter is the second wine of Dancing Hares and is anexcellent value.

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I've had a couple of Mad Hatter's and liked them. I think '12 vintage, can't recall. maybe '13.

Anybody in Houston/Cypress want to go pick grapes on Saturday, July 7? This is Nice Wines here in Houston.

http://www.nicewines.com/

Met Ken at an HEB a few years ago and was just a really good guy with a nice, crisp Texas Blanc wine. Been invited for several years to their annual grape-picking gathering, but always had a conflict. Gonna try to make it this year.

Quote:

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We are picking our grapes this year July 7 at 8 o'clock. Join us if you can. Let us know how many people are coming so we can have plenty of food.
17655 Cypress Fields Ave.
Cypress, TX 77429

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In case anyone's interested, his contact info is: kwuensche@me.com

My wife went to one of their tastings and wound up signing up for their club. I've signed us up for about 8 so I couldn't really complain. Some of their stuff is pretty good.

Roy Piper cab was released today. A bit of Houyi fruit is in there this year with much more in the next release.

Cyp0111 said:

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Just received my shipment of Repris wines. Great stuff.

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A little old to quote here, but was thumbing back a few pages and saw this.

We are members at Repris, but haven't opened a single bottle in 18 months. The wines felt a little young when we tasted them on site, but figured we would hold on to them for the long haul.

The views there are my absolute favorite in Sonoma.

Headed badk at Labor Day.

Texas is now FOURTH in the number of wineries in America!

We had a table minimum at dinner last night and a few people bailed so we had to do some work to hit our number. We ended up with four bottles of Darius II, and I thought of this thread given the recent Darioush discussion. I'm certainly no connoisseur like many of you, but it was mighty tasty juice.

BSD said:

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Roy Piper cab was released today. A bit of Houyi fruit is in there this year with much more in the next release.

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Never met a Houyi I didn't like!

We were planning a trip to Sonoma in September, but now my wife has decided that she doesn't want to go to California again. Now I'm looking at the Finger Lakes area. Does anyone have any recs for that area? Most likely we'd fly into and stay near Buffalo, and we'd like to make a day trip over to Toronto if that's even possible.

I've been a few times and wife and I are heading there in 2 weeks on back end of family trek.

PM your email and I'll send you research I've got on the area which should get you started.

Beautiful, cheap, nobody there.

Wines, especially reds, tend to be meh... Some good Reisling and Gewurztraminer. Also "Iced" wine. There term for ice wines made with the grapes commercially frozen after harvest.

We stayed here: Geneva on the Lake really nice place to stay.

It would be a long day trip, but Cooperstown is just a couple of hours (of a gorgeous drive) away!

Great minds think alike, yet again!

Wife and I are leaving her Grandma's 90th birthday celebration near Albany, heading to a 1-room cabin on Seneca Lake,...and are already planning on hitting Cooperstown on the drive there.

And agreed on beauty and white wines. Reds, pass. Very good Rieslings (dry) and light Chardonnays.

Just wanted to share this in case it hasn't been already....

Top 10 Wineries in Texas

Cue Cecil in 3,...2,...1,....

TP Ag '87 said:

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Cue Cecil in 3,...2,...1,....

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It wasn't bait, I swear....

TP Ag '87 said:

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Cue Cecil in 3,...2,...1,....

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Typical. We're pretty small and sometimes don't "run in the right circles".

I will say that one of those listed has sent his entire staff to Inwood to take a seminar from Dan.

Another has used Dan as a consultant for some advanced wine making.

And a couple of others have told me directly that we have the best wine in Texas. Since we're at a different price point than them, it's OK that they say that. Also, at least three of those listed sell California wine in addition to Texas wine.

And, Inwood is in good company since Calais isn't listed either, and honestly, Inwood and Calais are head/shoulders ahead of the rest of Texas in wine quality. Lewis wines is good as well and not listed.

And lastly, a rising tide raises all boats. I want lots of Texas wineries to produce great Texas wine!

And good Ag Chris Brundrett continues to get good pub... Even if it's for canned Rose! Meet the Producers That are Redefining American Wine

Lists like that are interesting but by no means conclusive. I was glad to see Bending Branch and Williams Chris on there at least.

Absolutely, both should be on any list like that.

Hope Bob gets away from the California wine, though. But, you may not have heard, but he lost the entire vineyard in Comfort, so no has to purchase all of his grapes.

I was happy to see McPherson and Trilogy on there because they are up here, and the Trilogy guys are friends of ours.

And one of these days on a trip down, we're going to swing by Brennan. I talked to him at our wine event a couple of months ago, and he said "yeah, stop by. We're only a block and a half off the highway through town, not 5-10 miles like people think".

cecil77 said:

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Absolutely, both should be on any list like that.

Hope Bob gets away from the California wine, though. But, you may not have heard, but he lost the entire vineyard in Comfort, so no has to purchase all of his grapes.

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Lost due to weather or something else?

Bob? Bending Branch?