We are actually going a different route for our 10 year anniversary wine. We were in Tuscany for part of our honeymoon and stopped by Casanova di Neri for a tasting. They had one bottle of the 2001 Cerralto left so we bought it and brought it back with us. Our plan is to take it back to Italy on that date and drink it there. With a kiddo and our anniversary being in the middle of the school year we may just open it here...we'll see.

Great suggestions, thanks!

Is anyone in the Schramsberg wine club? I think it looks like a good club to join for the price vs. quality of wine received but wanted a second opinion prior to pulling the trigger for this Fall's shipments.

My wife buys their Blanc de Blanc at Specs all the time after having it at French Laundry (although the FL was a private label Schramsberg made just for them). It's good and it's about $40. Does the club offer wines that aren't available at the stores down here?

Yes, they offer almost exclusive library wines, both sparkling and still in their club. I've never had their Cabernet but I'm guessing it's average or above average for a $50 bottle.

Here is last year's offering including pricing.

October 2013 - $105
• 2010 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon,
Diamond Mountain District, Napa Valley
• 2009 Schramsberg Brut Rosé

December 2013 - $210
• 2005 Schrambserg J. Schram Rosé
• 2005 Schramsberg Reserve
• 2009 Schrambserg Blanc de Noirs
• 2009 Schramsberg Crémant Demi-sec

February 2014 - $105
• 2009 Schramsberg Brut Napa Valley Carneros - Tognetti Vineyard or 2006 Brut Napa Valley
• 2009 Schramsberg Brut Sonoma County
Green Valley

April 2014 - $105
• 2006 Schramsberg J. Schram
• 2011 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs

I've got to learn to appreciate some white wines - just can't seem to get there...

Last day of the HEB sale and I picked up some 2011 Emblem Cab by Michael Mondavi. Damn nice wine for $28 a bottle!

cecil,

wish I knew what to tell you. I have a hard time understanding how anyone can love red wines yet not like white wines. I mean, they are different, but not that different.

maybe a good bridge is some good rose? Or a structured Cali chard? I didn't like a lot of the initial "cheap" chard my wife would buy because it had a lot of green apple/oak on the finish and I don't like that flavor. When I drank some better stuff and the fruit was a little less intrusive, the structure and finish were stronger and the mouth feel was a bit creamier, that is when I started liking Chard and now I really like whites. and drink the white with a good food pairing, that can really accelerate the appreciation

A good Rhone white can also have a lot of body and mouth feel that is more reminiscent of a red wine (to me, at least)

good luck!! the positive is there are a lot of reds to try.

I do drink Sauternes, but don't really think of that as a white wine.

We're going to try to drink more Pinot and appreciate it's nuances. Just need to ratchet down from cabs/rhones/gsm/etc

I know we're missing a lot and need to broaden our tastes!

[This message has been edited by cecil77 (edited 7/30/2014 10:01a).]

What do you guys pay on average to ship a 6-pack from Cal? I ordered some yesterday from a new guy and they sent me a receipt showing $45. Kinda taken aback by that.

I raised the issue with them and they said "it's because of the weight," which I call b/s on because my other clubs out there charge $20-25 for a 6-pack.

He offered to throw in a $20 bottle of a blend to assuage me but I'm thinking of cancelling altogether.

It all depends on the winery. They wont tell you this but some make money on shipping. Some subsidize shipping, although that is getting rarer. River Marie didn't charge for shipping this year and Myriad charged $4/btl on a 3 pack. Realm was $32 for 3 bottles...ground. Scarecrow charged $74 on 3 bottles but that was 2nd day air with a fancy wooden box.


Please tell me you aren't shipping in this heat!!!

It also depends on what they pack it in (materials)...cardboard vs styrofoam vs wooden box, etc.

Some charge that much, but I won't pay it. Who knows the "truth" though. Some could just make shipping a part of their price. I do think that if I took a box of wine to UPS it would easily cost that much to ship...

Why you shipping wine this time of year? Or is this a delayed shipment. I kinda won't ship anything before November or after April

I was delaying the shipment til the fall, but taking advantage of some pricing. I've also had stuff sent ("at no additional cost") via a "cold shipment," that alleges the only non-cold environment is the day of delivery (which I get could be enough to kill a bottle anyway).

If you time cold-chain shipping right, it can be done. I had a 12 pack of Pliny the Elder sent to me last summer and it arrived in perfect condition. Just make sure they get it to you early in the day. But unless it's urgent that you need a bottle (emergency birthday dinner), it's best to just wait.

Yeah, the whole thing wasn't handled very well. I just killed the order/shipment.

Cecil and BSD: I never thought about this,...for retailers, what are the shipping methods used during this time of year? Do the wineries/distributors ensure proper temps?

I have thought about this and I am afraid to ask. Honestly, I haven't bought a bottle from Specs other than white or champagne in years. Htown has some retail experience, I believe, and can chime in there.

I will say this about shipping in heat, some winemakers (damn good winemakers I might add) suggest that it isnt that big of a deal, but they still wait just to be safe from any uncertainties.

Yeah, I just whistle past the graveyard.

That's why it's so much fun buying straight from the winemaker, and even more fun picking it up at the source. If it hasn't been properly handled at the winery, then there's no use in even trying!

Although for grocers like HEB I would be willing to bet that they use refrigerated trucks.

local distributors store in temp controlled environments, at least the couple I've been to (local being Houston). they then ship to the retailers.


shipping costs seem to vary quite a bit. a couple of smaller wineries I order from don't charge shipping if I order 6 or more bottles, which to me, is a great deal (Copain, Benovia, Kesner).

a couple of others that are bigger name, more in-demand type wineries, they charge shipping, $30-50 depending on the number of bottles. in fact, just looked at recent orders and was charged $36 by Betz for a 6 bottle order and $30 by Delille for an 8 bottle order. those places are within a couple of miles of each other, both orders are ground shipping in the fall. I think Delille charges near $50 for the case deliveries as part of the club shipment.

I joined a small Napa list last year and got 6 bottles from them, but can't find the receipt to see if I paid any shipping. I don't think I did, but can't remember.

I did as someone above and cancelled an order one time due to shipping costs. For the life of me, I can't remember who. It was a small order and the shipping added in excess of 10% cost per bottle, so I just figured the value was gone.

T P ,Shipping cost from Seattle to D.C. Is $50 a case. It should be a lot less than that to Texas for a half a case.

I got back to the winery that started all of this for me and renewed order but delayed shipment til the Fall. They'll give me same pricing + throw in extra bottle of one of the lower priced offerings.

So, win/win I guess.

reload,

yeah, I think Betz is kinda hosing me. but I want the wine and it ain't gonna make the shelves here so I'll suck it up.

Interesting article about dry farming in Napa.http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=news&content=136669
Has anyone tried the Smith madrone Cab? Impressions.

Tried a bottle of Groth 2010 cab this weekend. Oakville-Napa. Solid bottle of wine. Nose was a little underwhelming but really good balance of fruit, pepper/spice, and a hint of oak on finish. Light on tannins. Like most I decanted hard and let aerate an hour. Really improved through that process as you would expect. Will definitely pick up another bottle. Anybody else tried this one? Want to see if my perception is similar to the message board. Thoughts?

I enjoyed the 90s with Groth and this is just my perception I found post 97 the quality decreased while the price followed the rest of Napa skyward. Sorry I can't help about current vintages but a 97 with a nice steak was a nice anniversary evening.

Reload: We've been to Smith-Madrone and have had a few bottles. Still have one at home. They are BIG and need quite a bit of decanting. Every time I go to open the one I've got (think it's a 2007), I read on Cellar Tracker (or similar site) that says I should wait more.

So, take that FWIW.

Out at a resort just north of austin for a last hurrah before a baby comes, im going to open one of these tonight and save the other. What do you think? I dont have a lot of pinot so i might lean that way... but the 2010 FF cab is def the more premium wine... not sure.

They always say store the bottle sideways, right?

Oops.

Drink the Pinot, cellar the cab. That Pinot isn't meant for long-term aging.

I'm sure you could age the A to Z, but I agree, that pinot should be more approachable today than the cab.

the pinot was blah. aging the franks.

I had some really good year 2000 bordeaux at this place, very floral.

Had a 2011 Siduri Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir tonight. It delivered what you would expect at the $27 price point. It won't blow your skirt up, but it's a solid bottle of wine from a very tough vintage.

Had a bottle of Quill '07 Cab from Diamond Mountain w/ dinner Saturday night @ Del Frisco's. Holy crap is that some tasty juice!!! First time drinking any of their wines, but most certainly not the last.



Us And Them - The Pink Floyd Experience
http://www.usandthemband.net

[This message has been edited by Echoes97 (edited 8/11/2014 3:10p).]

Echoes, I have a bottle of that I'm holding, glad to hear it is drinking well! targeting 2016 for consumption of mine, if I can hold out

are there any good wine clubs worth joining? maybe something where you get a $20-$30 bottle for a little cheaper?