No we didn't see any protesting hippies.

Had a 2010 J Robert Thomas Vineyard Pinot the other night. Glad I opened it now, because it was starting its downward trend. Considering that vineyard is supposed to be one of the cooler sites in the RRV, I thought it would have held together better. Im glad I didn't wait another year.
I've also been enjoying the 2009 Camraderie Cellars Merlot quite a bit lately. It's out of Washington, and shows what a Merlot can do in the right hands. At $20, this is a "case buy" wine. It's in my top three along with Burgess and Blackbird.

Breakfast in Kauai:

Now you're just rubbing it in.

That's just plain impressive and decadent.

Tasting note please, especially that old Dom.

What's on tap for dinner tonight?

Dinner tonight should be decadent as well.

The '75 Dom was interesting. It was my first experience with a champagne older than 20 years. It was almost yquem like with soft bubbles, nuttiness, and a darker color. It was such a fun wine that got better after an hour or so of being open. A guy walking by on the beach asked if I asked brought enough for everyone and I say "my wine cellar is open to anyone who appreciates a 40 year old Dom." He laughed and walked off. Guess he wasn't a wine kind of guy. What the hell????

The '99 Harlan was incredible. It still has good fruit and layers of flavor. It's the best wine I've had in a long time and was a nice way to close out my 30's.

Close out your 30s? Wow, I'm totally doing this the wrong way.

BSD: How do you make me feel enlightened and jealous all at the same time?

Dinner in Kauai:



I know what you're thinking, this is a little young for my tastes, and you are right. But this is the only high quality Napa cab that I had in the 375ml format. I pulled the cork at 7:00am for a 10 hour slow ox before dinner. It is, and will be, a great wine. I love Maybach!

The Maybach doesn't hold a candle to the Yquem, wow. I won't even ask for a tasting note on that, I can only imagine what a nearly 40 year old Sauternes is like.

How did you source these bottles? Have you been holding them for decades?

I'm not being flippant here, but the only way to improve that Yquem would be to drink it during sex.

I don't know that I would take up a stranger's offer for 40 year Dom, despite the chance that the opportunity may never come around again. I don't know that I would fully appreciate it. That would be pretty trippy to be walking down the beach in the morning and come across BSD.

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Breakfast in Kauai:

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My MS friend gave us a 76' Dom for my wife's graduation from nursing school.

My MIL took a sip, then cut it with oj creating a very expensive mimosa!

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Breakfast in Kauai:

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My MS friend gave us a 76' Dom for my wife's graduation from nursing school.

My MIL took a sip, then cut it with oj creating a very expensive mimosa!

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I'm not sure how I'd feel if my MIL did that.

Probably the way I did this Christmas when my FIL put ice in a glass of 2007 Montelena The Estate cab...

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Probably the way I did this Christmas when my FIL put ice in a glass of 2007 Montelena The Estate cab...

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Guys, any recommendations on how to get started on gaining a better understanding of wine.

Basically, I just want to be able to choose a good bottle for a nice dinner or celebration and know the taste difference between a handful of grapes . Obviously, this is broad but wine is so vast, I don't know where to start.

Wine clubs, mail order memberships? Any advice to get started?

Start listening to Wine For Normal People podcasts. Can be found on itunes. Search for her more basic podcasts first, then branch out. Very down to earth discussions.

Funny (if not a bit long-winded) article. They even quote the WFNP girl.


Cheap Wine Sucks: A Manifesto

Here's a free online wine course. Covers the basics

Free wine course

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Wine clubs, mail order memberships?

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I don't think that is the best way. The basic answer is trying a lot and learning that way but if you just go at haphazard, then the process is drawn out. That may not be a problem if you are doing it for fun, but it sounds like you want to learn at a faster rate.

For that, I would suggest going to a decent liquor/wine retailer and starting with US (California specifically) brands. I think most people understand some of the red/white differences, but the first step in my opinion is to learn grape varietals. In US wine, that is a lot more specific. Europe is confusing and can be intimidating. So try a cabernet, pinot, and lets say a zin for red and see the difference. Ask for a representative example of the growing region. Basically, you are establishing a baseline to judge variation from.

Find a good wine store or restaurant that does classes, dinners or tastings. Wine dinners aren't the cheapest way to learn though. But, they give you good lessons on pairing with food, if that is something you are interested in. Tastings and classes can be fun and are much more economical. By tastings, I'm not referring to festival cattle call tastings. You don't learn much at those except how to consume mass quantities. Classes and small tastings are good because they tend to follow a theme, and are good for learning about nuances.

Traveling to a wine region and tasting there is a great way to learn as well. I mean, you probably plan on taking some vacation, so why not taste your way through it?

Dinner in Kauai...another WOW! wine:

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Dinner in Kauai...another WOW! wine:

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You are definitely doing it right!

I just bought a house with this bad-boy in it:


I need some recs of reds to age. I have always wanted to buy a nice Bordeaux and age it for awhile. Thoughts??

My last wine in Kauai (but still have a few days to go):



This was one of my all time favorite Realms, the '06 Dr. Crane. It was still holding strong with great minerality.

Howdy BSD. Agree on the Realm. Last trip to St. Helena stocked up on Del Dotto and am really liking Venge Scout's Honor right now.

Scout's Honor: friend gave me a bottle for birthday in March. Looking forward to it.

2008 Mirror Napa cab last night. Worth the wait!

Have a 2008 Giovanni's Reserve from Del Dotto we need to get to.