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Whats in your wine cellar?

1,259,029 Views | 10397 Replies | Last: 7 hrs ago by cecil77
cecil77
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AG
And as a shameless plug I'll pass along this. Our Inwood Estates Magellan (Bordeaux blend, primarily cab sauv) has had three vintages, 2006, 2008, 2017. The 2006 has not peaked as of yet, just keeps getting better. 2008 has leveled off but shown no signs of decline. The 2017 is drinking well right now (it was hit with a light micro-ox during production). We're guessing 3-5 years of significant improvement followed by an unknown number of years of gradual improvement.

The cool thing is since August we have sold more bottles of it at the winery than any other bottle. And it's a $100 bottle.
Austintm
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BSD said:

Austintm said:

On decanting: other than cheap wine, almost any cab can benefit from decanting. Younger wines are tight and will take longer to open. For example, the note my recent 2017 MacDonald shipment recommended an 8-hour double decant if you wanted to drink it now (I haven't).


I still haven't even opened my 2010 MacDonalds!
I think the 2010 would be ready to drink...
Austintm
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JCA1 said:

Austintm said:

Squirrel Master said:

Thanks for the great response. The question stemmed from buying a couple of Napa cabs from last bottle where the description specifically mentioned holding them and that they would drink better in a few years, making me wonder if I've been drinking my wines sooner than I should generally. Sounds like the answer is probably not, though there will be some that drink better with time.
The guide Cecil gives is a good overview. I will say that "Napa-style" describes the sweeter fruit-forward style that is typical of many, many cabs made in Napa. Keep in mind there are a lot of Napa cabs that don't fit that flavor profile, aren't sweet, won't hit you in the face with fruit and will age gracefully for many years. A lot of it is smaller production than what you can find at most stores, but it's there.
On decanting: other than cheap wine, almost any cab can benefit from decanting. Younger wines are tight and will take longer to open. For example, the note my recent 2017 MacDonald shipment recommended an 8-hour double decant if you wanted to drink it now (I haven't).


Now THAT'S how you humblebrag my friends.

OK I deserved that
JCA1
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AG
Austintm said:

JCA1 said:

Austintm said:

Squirrel Master said:

Thanks for the great response. The question stemmed from buying a couple of Napa cabs from last bottle where the description specifically mentioned holding them and that they would drink better in a few years, making me wonder if I've been drinking my wines sooner than I should generally. Sounds like the answer is probably not, though there will be some that drink better with time.
The guide Cecil gives is a good overview. I will say that "Napa-style" describes the sweeter fruit-forward style that is typical of many, many cabs made in Napa. Keep in mind there are a lot of Napa cabs that don't fit that flavor profile, aren't sweet, won't hit you in the face with fruit and will age gracefully for many years. A lot of it is smaller production than what you can find at most stores, but it's there.
On decanting: other than cheap wine, almost any cab can benefit from decanting. Younger wines are tight and will take longer to open. For example, the note my recent 2017 MacDonald shipment recommended an 8-hour double decant if you wanted to drink it now (I haven't).


Now THAT'S how you humblebrag my friends.

OK I deserved that


And now for my humblebrag, I drank a glass of 8-hour double decanted 2017 MacDonald with Alex MacDonald last August. It's excellent.
aggiejumper
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AG
Yeah but does anyone have a mag of McDonald? That would be impressive.
MooreTrucker
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AG
I've never had McDonald. Does Twin Liquors or Spec's carry it?
aggiejumper
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AG
No, it's mailing list only and supposedly a many year wait.
MooreTrucker
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AG
Yikes!
BSD
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aggiejumper said:

Yeah but does anyone have a mag of McDonald? That would be impressive.


Or a bottle of solely the old vines.
BSD
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AG
Austintm said:

BSD said:

Austintm said:

On decanting: other than cheap wine, almost any cab can benefit from decanting. Younger wines are tight and will take longer to open. For example, the note my recent 2017 MacDonald shipment recommended an 8-hour double decant if you wanted to drink it now (I haven't).


I still haven't even opened my 2010 MacDonalds!
I think the 2010 would be ready to drink...


I was going to pop a 2010 last year but then had an email conversation with Alex that made me pause. Here is an excerpt:

Quote:

Graeme and I actually did a vertical of our wines about a year ago to check in on everything which was really awesome. All the vintages showed great but had plenty of life left. I think the 2012 is probably the most approachable of the wines at the moment but I don't think you need to be in a rush to start drinking any of them. The 2011 is showing really good too which is a fun one to check in on. The 2010 and 2013 seem to be absolute beasts that will probably outlive me. I think 7-10 years is a good time to open one of the bottles since that seems to be where you start to see some evolution but I think 15-20 is going to be a real sweet spot. I am excited to have the chance to taste the wines then but obviously patience is the key.
2020 has been a challenging vintage for sure. The smoke has been a real concern and I think a lot of people won't end up making wine at all. Graeme and I decided to harvest some of our fruit and see how it goes. The samples we submitted came back with no detectable levels of smoke taint and all the juice tastes delicious. There are still a lot of unknowns but I think it is important for people to try to learn from this year. For now we are cautiously optimistic but we won't know until a bit down the road.



I had planned to open one at 10, 15, and 20 years but I give a bottle away every vintage so I only have two of each. I'll just do 15 and 20 on them all to keep it simple.
greenband
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AG
I decant some, double decant mostly just to serve out of the original bottle, and mostly just drink without decanting, even for some fairly expensive wine. Thoughts on this article?

What is Double Decanting and Should I Care?

https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/what-is-double-decanting-and-should-i-care/

The basic practicality of decanting is unquestionable: some wines (not all) have either sediment or aromatic issues that can be removed by pouring the wine into another vessel, allowing scary malodorous compounds to drift away and the wine to "open" up.

Whether "opening up" is good for all wines brings us back to those non-decanting Burgundians, the argument being, in the course of that oxygenation, all the delicate, ethereal aromatics of a beautiful Burgundy will fly away into the greedy atmosphere. Of course, others claim to have had a "shocking number of fine old Burgundiesruined by sediment," insisting it's all a matter of timemore for Bordeaux and California Cab, less for Burgundy, a ton for Barolo, etc. Add to this a doubling of the decanting processwhich, according to message boards, some seem to know as "Bordeaux decanting"and things get, well, doubly complicated.

To be fair, the rationale of "double decanting" is pretty simple: double the wine's exposure to air. "The double decanting wine method adds more air to the wine because the wine was exposed to oxygen twice, on the way out of the bottle and on the way back in." But since the question as to what really needs to be decanted, and for how long, is unsettled (Kramer says 15 to 20 minutes for most any bottle, compared to the couple hours recommended elsewhere), doubling oxygen exposure might not be a good thing.

From what we can tell, the main (and only?) benefit of double decanting is being able to serve the wine in its original bottlenot bad if you're a restaurant, but maybe a bit time-consuming, certainly a delay for your thirsty guest.

Again, as Kramer says of decanting generally, "what was once straightforwardly practical soon became endowed with ritual." Is double decanting a useful step, something that actually helps the wine express? Or is it just more lacquer of ritual when what most of us needquicklyis a decent glass of wine?
FarmerJohn
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AG
The only place I've seen double decanting is this nice little French Bistro (Now Bistro 555). As nice as it is, they have to be cost conscious and they do it to 1) save table space for a large decanter in a small restaurant and 2) save the cost of broken decanters. Does it help the wine? Probably not a lot, at least what I order. But it's a good show and makes it fun. Isn't that really why we drink this stuff?
MooreTrucker
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AG
I've had double decanting before but it was more for decanting and then putting back in the bottle so I could take it home (there was only two of us and don't drink as much when I have to drive).
Bruce Almighty
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AG
I've done taste tests of wine that were decanted vs those that weren't, wines served in specific glassware vs generic and wines served chilled at 60 degrees vs room temp. All those makes a difference. It could also just be in my head.
Austintm
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He and his brother are really nice, and Alex makes the tasting/tour very relaxed but informative
Austintm
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FarmerJohn said:

The only place I've seen double decanting is this nice little French Bistro (Now Bistro 555). As nice as it is, they have to be cost conscious and they do it to 1) save table space for a large decanter in a small restaurant and 2) save the cost of broken decanters. Does it help the wine? Probably not a lot, at least what I order. But it's a good show and makes it fun. Isn't that really why we drink this stuff?
You'll see it at higher-end tastings. I've also seen it at wine dinners where they are showcasing new releases
Austintm
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cecil77 said:

And as a shameless plug I'll pass along this. Our Inwood Estates Magellan (Bordeaux blend, primarily cab sauv) has had three vintages, 2006, 2008, 2017. The 2006 has not peaked as of yet, just keeps getting better. 2008 has leveled off but shown no signs of decline. The 2017 is drinking well right now (it was hit with a light micro-ox during production). We're guessing 3-5 years of significant improvement followed by an unknown number of years of gradual improvement.

The cool thing is since August we have sold more bottles of it at the winery than any other bottle. And it's a $100 bottle.
Glad to hear you are doing well in these times I know it's tough right now with the restrictions. I've been offered a number of additional allocations from California wineries because they have product left because they can't do tastings
JCA1
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AG
Austintm said:

He and his brother are really nice, and Alex makes the tasting/tour very relaxed but informative


Alex was great. Have not had the pleasure of meeting Graeme. Picking up a bottle of Blankiet now that he's the winemaker is on my to-do list though.
cecil77
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AG
Quote:

Glad to hear you are doing well in these times I know it's tough right now with the restrictions. I've been offered a number of additional allocations from California wineries because they have product left because they can't do tastings
Thanks, we've been almost normal since August, no parties though. 75%+ of business is subscription (i.e. club) so that was a real blessing. Four of the biggest Saturdays ever in Sept/Oct. Lots of big city visitors looking for a respite.

FWIW 2020 Texas vintage looks to be as high quality (some even higher quality) than 2017 but tiny (miniscule even) crop. Dan has mentioned that the 2020 Tempranillo may end up the best he's ever made - and that's saying something. The Gillespie County Cab Sauv, Cab Fran and Petite Verdot also look outstanding.
cecil77
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AG

Decanting:

* I've always maintained that if a wine needs decanting, open something else and wait until it's ready, however age (mine) is altering that attitude.

* If there's time I like pop and pour and then savoring for a couple of hours. The last half of the last glass is decanted by then and you can follow the changes.

* Our favorite decanter is one we bought in St Emilion on my only (and likely last) trip to France. It' just a really large, heavy duty stem with a small pour in the rim.

* Robert Mondavi famously decanted with a blender.

* Double decanting: How is sediment handled? Rinse the original bottle after it's emptied? - doesn't seem wise. Make sure all of the sediment gets into the decanter and then pour off the wine back into the bottle? - that seems dicey as well.
Austintm
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cecil77 said:


Decanting:

* I've always maintained that if a wine needs decanting, open something else and wait until it's ready, however age (mine) is altering that attitude.

* If there's time I like pop and pour and then savoring for a couple of hours. The last half of the last glass is decanted by then and you can follow the changes.

* Our favorite decanter is one we bought in St Emilion on my only (and likely last) trip to France. It' just a really large, heavy duty stem with a small pour in the rim.

* Robert Mondavi famously decanted with a blender.

* Double decanting: How is sediment handled? Rinse the original bottle after it's emptied? - doesn't seem wise. Make sure all of the sediment gets into the decanter and then pour off the wine back into the bottle? - that seems dicey as well.
For me, double decanting is only necessary for younger wines, most of which don't have heavy (or any) sediment
bularry
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cecil77 said:


Decanting:

* I've always maintained that if a wine needs decanting, open something else and wait until it's ready, however age (mine) is altering that attitude.

* If there's time I like pop and pour and then savoring for a couple of hours. The last half of the last glass is decanted by then and you can follow the changes.

* Our favorite decanter is one we bought in St Emilion on my only (and likely last) trip to France. It' just a really large, heavy duty stem with a small pour in the rim.

* Robert Mondavi famously decanted with a blender.

* Double decanting: How is sediment handled? Rinse the original bottle after it's emptied? - doesn't seem wise. Make sure all of the sediment gets into the decanter and then pour off the wine back into the bottle? - that seems dicey as well.

I don't hardly ever decant, unless doing it because it looks cool.
HTownAg98
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I'll do a rough decant (stick the opening of the bottle into the decanter and let it splash around) if it is something young that I want to open up. I will decant other older reds when I want to keep as much sediment in the bottle as possible.
BSD
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AG
HTownAg98 said:

I'll do a rough decant (stick the opening of the bottle into the decanter and let it splash around) if it is something young that I want to open up. I will decant other older reds when I want to keep as much sediment in the bottle as possible.


This is my philosophy as well.
SW AG80
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AG
Anyone ever had Emerson Brown cab from Napa?
cecil77
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AG
Quote:

I will decant other older reds when I want to keep as much sediment in the bottle as possible.
This is the primary reason to decant IMO.
BSD
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RiverAg 80 said:

Anyone ever had Emerson Brown cab from Napa?


Yes. Decent value. We used to buy tiny bottles from them for airline flights. Not sure that's really allowed much anymore but the wine was good!
SW AG80
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AG
We had it for the first time at a restaurant last month and liked it. Cannot find it in San Antonio to buy. I reached out to the winery to buy a case and have it shipped but I have not heard back.
mek94
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AG
Received the following offer by e-mail from Tamber Bey. Buy two or more bottles of their 2018 Napa cab and get 50% off each bottle (makes them $24.50 each) and get free shipping. Can't get the link to post correctly, but the web address is www.tamberbey.com/product/2018-NV-Cabernet-Sauvignon.
BigAg95
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AG
Almost all of our wine is 2014 or younger, so we decant most reds. We always taste a bit before decanting, and it is pretty rare that the initial taste is better than the decanted version.
Sweet Kitten Feet
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S
Y'all think a pinot noir stored on a kitchen counter wine rack (no temp control) for 5-7 years would be any good or did the room temp ruin it? We originally bought it for decoration, but I'm kinda starting to get into wine lately so just curious.

I assume if I actually wanted to buy wine and age it i need a wine frig, right?
Chipotlemonger
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AG
Sweet Kitten Feet said:

Y'all think a pinot noir stored on a kitchen counter wine rack (no temp control) for 5-7 years would be any good or did the room temp ruin it? We originally bought it for decoration, but I'm kinda starting to get into wine lately so just curious.

I assume if I actually wanted to buy wine and age it i need a wine frig, right?
How much did it originally cost? How close was it stored to the oven, etc? If in Texas, it's going to be worse off than say room temp in Minnesota.

If it wasn't much of a cost in the first place just chill it down some, pop it, and see. I am betting it's not going to be great. That age range is kind of "over the hill" for Pinot Noir as well, in general.
Sweet Kitten Feet
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S
Not expensive. Sub 30. So basically if I don't have a wine frig I should just get from the store and drink fairly soon thereafter?
Chipotlemonger
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AG
A regular fridge is fine for shorter term and screw caps. I wouldn't leave a cork bottle in a regular one for more than a year personally, but I have no personal experience in if going longer hurts it. Some might say it's too cold and will mute the flavors, but if you get it out in advance and decant it a little I don't see an issue. Especially for Pinot noir.

If you're venturing into wine I would not get a fridge right off the bat. See what you like first and what you tend to go through before doing that. Even then, it's not a necessity. For wines that you lay down on the side at room temp, find your most central, darkest closet in the house and put them there. Temperature fluctuation and light exposure are bad.

Then, in Texas, I would drink those closet bottles within a year and you should be fine I would think.

There are more people here with way better knowledge than me probably. I keep a ton of whites and rose and some reds in the garage fridge. I have a 16 bottle wine fridge for longer term stuff and nicer bottles. I have a rack on my bar cart for bottles that I either want as just decor, or that I plan to drink soon. I use my closet(s) for overflow.

Edit to add: European drinkers are more apt overall to the idea of buying bottles to keep on hand for years. The great majority of wine in America is consumed within a day of purchase. If you are not buying a lot and just kind of go through a half dozen bottles at a time, room temp should be fine. But keep it away from light and heat!!
Sweet Kitten Feet
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S
Thanks. Just getting started. Trying different kinds and areas to see what we like right now.
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