I got to go to a Ramey tasting last night. Here's what we tasted:

2008 Ramey Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay
2008 Ramey Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay
2008 Ramey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
2008 Ramey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Annum
2008 Ramey Syrah

Everything was really good. I liked the Annum over the regular cab for drinking right now, but that could change in a year. The syrah, at $33, is an exceptional syrah at that price point. It's got a dollop of viognier in it, so stylistically, it's more like a cote-rotie. The wines in general are extremely well balanced. In fact, the chardonnays are malo-lactic fermented, but you wouldn't know it from tasting them.

I'll look for the Syrah. I really like Rhone wines and Cote-Rotie in general.

HEB had the 2007 Napa Cabernet at $28 single bottle price. The sale ends Tuesday, but it would be 10% off that for single bottle and 10% more for quantity six.

That's a steal, especially for that vintage. I may need to visit HEB today.

Speaking of Rhones, I haven't had this grenache based wine yet but I am a huge fan of this winemaker. He normally makes wine for some high end Napa wineries (including his own) but this is a value priced Rhone Grenache that is offered for about $20. I plan on getting some shipped once the weather cools off.

http://www.latarasquewine.com/index.html

if yall are rhone fans, i highly recommend these guys - they've got a few of their wares at specs ranging from $20 on up.
http://www.domainedemourchon.com/

from their website (didnt know about the villages aspect)

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The Côtes du Rhône region stretches 250 km along the sides of the river Rhône valley from just south of Lyon in the North, to Avignon in the South. As such it is one of France's largest wine producing regions and includes a broad variety of different geologies and climates. To further distinguish the better wines of the region, the AOC system divides the Côtes du Rhône into a series of subdivisions:

First there are the 'Crus' - the best known wines of the region with the strongest reputations and strictest controls. These are wines produced in specific areas where the quality and style of the wine are both sufficiently high and distinct that the name of the commune and its reputation alone are considered sufficent to brand its wines. In the north of the region this includes such wines as Crozes Hermitage and Côte Rôtie, and in the south (around Mourchon) includes Gigondas, Tavel and Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

Furthermore, in the south of the region there is an area within AOC considered of higher quality and reputation than the rest of the region. This group of 95 villages is branded 'Côtes du Rhône Villages' and 18 of these villages are considered to be sufficiently distinct and of consistently high quality that they are permitted to display the name of their village alongside the Côtes du Rhône Villages appelation. In order to achieve this higher status, producers must adhere to much stricter criteria concerning yield and viticultural techniques. These individual Côtes du Rhône Villages wines tend to be both more concentrated and more characterful with a marked improvement in quality.

Our village of Séguret is one such village, where the wines are labelled Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret and are steadily gaining in reputation. Domaine de Mourchon is widely recognised to be leading this development.

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[This message has been edited by rononeill (edited 6/29/2012 1:54p).]

Oops. The 2008 Ramey Cab at HEB is $45 per bottle on sale for a single bottle. I suspect the 95 rating Robert Parker gave it. Same thing happened to Hall Cab last year. Great $24 wine, then it got rated highly and went to $44 overnight.

Funny how that happens! I remember the 1996 Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepages that sold for $35 until it was named Wine Spectator's wine of the year and then the price suddenly jumped to $70 for all subsequent vintages.

I picked up a bottle of the Ramey Cab and the Caravan cab at HEB yesterday. To the chiller with you two!

I stayed clear of HEB during the sale because of my self imposed buying ban! No more purchases until I clear out some cellar space.

Wines from last night
1998 Anderson's Conn valley Reserve (magnum) Cabernet Sauvignon
2008 and 2009 Karl Lawrence Aldin (cab and merlot)
2008 Cameron Hughes Lot 200 Napa Cabernet

My final HEB Napa sale total:

6ea 2008 Mirror Cabernet
2ea 2007 Silver Oak Napa Cab
2ea 2009 Caymus Special Selection Cab
2ea 2008 Opus One
1ea 2008 Ramey Canbernet
2ea 2008 Rombauer Cabernet
2ea 2010 Orin Swift "The Prisoner"
2ea 2009 Stag's Leap WS "Artemis"

I'll try to do better next time...

2 x Opus? Baller!!!!

With the discounts it was $153 per bottle, which I think is pretty decent... Plus I'd like to begin building a two bottle vertical of Opus from 2006 on. Considered as an annual purchase it's doable...

Question: How do you sample so much? Parties? Tastings? Just a wino? I'm jealous and am trying to figure out how it's done!



[This message has been edited by cecil77 (edited 7/3/2012 8:02a).]

I've only had Opus once and thought it was a good wine but at the time I was too broke to buy any. I need to revisit it but I have a few favorites in that price range that already have my attention. Oh F it, a bottle or two won't hurt! (see how easily I was persuaded? thus my inventory problem!)

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Question: How do you sample so much? Parties? Tastings? Just a wino? I'm jealous and am trying to figure out how it's done!

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All of the above, especially the wino part. It's a hobby. Some people have cars, some have guns, some have boats...I like to travel and drink good juice and beer. (and people with nice cars, guns, boats, etc like my wine so it all works out!). We host parties from time to time and attend tastings when we can. We also go to Napa/Sonoma at least once per year to visit and taste.

If always liked good wine but when I really started buying, I got a month's subscription to Robert Parker's website. He releases the Cabernet Sauvignon report every December so that is how I learned a few names. I then visited some of these places. Some I liked, some I didn't want to pay the high tariff. Then just talking to people and winemakers led to more and more introductions so here I am with a pretty good wine selection at my house. Now if I could just learn to cook better I'll never leave the house!

I'm a couple of years behind you, but on the same path I think. Ya gotta do something for fun!

An interesting dichotomy if the conflicting pleasures of both possessing a bottle and consuming it. I get a distinct pleasure from mere possession of good wine. That's why I'm trying to buy some really good bottles every month and putting them away in once special chiller. I figure in 5-6 years they can start coming out of the chiller at the same rate!

[This message has been edited by cecil77 (edited 7/3/2012 9:34a).]

Added another chiller today and played with my wine.

The bottem left small chiller is "nobody but me opens this unless I'm dead, and even then maybe not."

Top left: "Yes, dear you can open any of those anytime you want."

Big chiller: "This is really good stuff, but I won't kill you if you open one, although I reserve the right to require other compensation."



Here's the rest of the wine corner. Someday the entire office will get a cooling system and be devoted to wine.

Nice. I recently moved to San Luis Obispo and have been enjoying the small wineries within a 10 minute drive of our home. Paso is 30 minutes. My wife and I are quickly learning to appreciate different wines and have joined our first club with Sextant. Anyone have guidance to lend on must-visits from Santa Barbara to Paso?

Turley isn't too far from you... Templeton, I believe. Also head down to Lompoc and visit the Lompoc Wine Ghetto.

http://www.lompocghetto.com

My favorite there is Loring. Good pinots at a good price.

My goodness Sauternes is good! Sex in a bottle.

That is all.

We sold a Loring pinot at Christopher's (probably still do) that was out of this world. Last I worked there was a year and a half ago so I wouldn't be surprised if it was still around. I believe it was in the $90-110 range. We were lucky enough to have it in one of our tastings for the servers and bartenders-- NOT what we were used to being privy to let me tell you.

EDIT: Yup, it's still there. Don't know if they've changed vintages.

"Loring Wine Company, ‘Durell Vineyard’ ‘07 Sonoma Coast, CA Medium-Full, dried dark fruit, mushrooms & herbal notes $105"

[This message has been edited by Inspector Spacetime (edited 7/7/2012 12:22a).]

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My goodness Sauternes is good! Sex in a bottle.

That is all.

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What were you drinking???

Wines from last night:

2 x 2006 Vice Versa Napa cab
2009 California Old Vines Zin
2008 Erna Schein Kick Ranch Petite Sirah (Sonoma)

I drank my last bottle of Sebastiani Friday night. It was the 2006 Sonoma Valley Cabernet. Pretty outstanding wine for $35. Also got to try some of the 2008 Harris Treva's Cabernet on Saturday. It was ok, not my favorite Napa Cab.

We got into some wine with our sous vide filets last night:

2004 Realm -To Kalon Cab Sauv
2007 Larkmead - Napa Cab Sauv
2007 Karl Lawrence - Napa Cab Sauv

It was a delicious meal!

That Erna Schein Kick Ranch Petite Sirah is the stuff!

Challenge:

10 great wines that cost $25 or less.

2 of which are great wines that cost $20 or less.

Go.

I'll consider that challenge today.

Meanwhile, lookie what www.invino.com
has today! This is a bucket list item for me!

Niiiiiiiice! Do want!

I forgot to post but I ordered a case of Rivers Marie Cabs. Excellent juice at a steal of a price!

i have a question..

can you buy a bottle of wine now and drink it in a couple of years? would it be good? does wine still age in the bottle?

Depends upon the wine. Some improve for decades. Some for a few years. Some are good to drink when you buy them.

Anything in particular you're looking at?

no, sir.

my palate isn't as sophisticated yet, so any wine tastes good

i've always wanted to become a wine connoisseur, but don't have any knowledge...

any one i should start with?

[This message has been edited by aznaggiegirl07 (edited 8/3/2012 1:45p).]

There are folks on this forum much more knowledgeable than I.

Let's wait for them...

You better find some foie gras to go with that.

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[This message has been edited by jh0400 (edited 8/3/2012 2:21p).]

I will be ten years before I drink it!

I've got some lesser Sauternes and a couple of bottles of Dolce that will get consumed first...

But yes, some pate and really sharp cheddar will do nicely.

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I will be ten years before I drink it!

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You have more self control than I.