See if you can find some of the 2010 and lay it down for the year. 2010 was a very balanced year with a big crop, so a lot of the juice that would normally go into the top bottlings made it into the Caravan.

Schramsburg is a very good tour.

Thanks, will do. Let me know if adding Bevan to our Boswell visit is worth it...

Pro tip for Aggie wine drinkers:

If you have a full sized chiller, be careful mixing Burgundy style bottles in with Bordeaux style.

You wouldn't believe how far the pieces go when a wine bottle drops onto a tile floor from five feet.

Wouldn't have been even worse if my head hadn't broken its fall.

My wife dropped a bottle of Velvet Glove. I don't think my heart was beating while it was falling. Thankfully, it did not break.

Heads up, on this years Saxum release. Justin Smith of Saxum says the 2013 vintage is one of if not THE (his caps) best vintages he's ever produced.

Question: got an email for (3) 2011 Maroon Spring Mtn Cabs for $99. I've seen various prices for earlier vintages and know we've talked about this wine on this thread.

Thoughts?

I've never heard of Maroon Cabernet so can't voice an opinion.

Alex, I'm still on the waiting list for Saxum. Maybe I can call and talk my way into an allocation this year. I've been loading up on 2013's like crazy.

I've had a couple and I think $99 is about 3x the right price.

And since I just learned to read, yeah 3 for 99 is decrnt..

dang, would love to get some Saxum.

Not sure how this would really affect shipping wine, but it would still be a welcome change: Bill Would End Ban on Mailing Booze

I've been enjoying getting into reds (thanks to bsd, Cecil, and others on this thread), much more slow on the whites but it's summer and I've dipped my toe into the Sav Blanc pool a bit. So I was gifted a bottle of California Moscato. Thought, hey, I'll give it a try. Other than the overwhelming sweetness and cough syrup like tones, it was fruit filled and pleasant. I score it a 12/100 on the dr_boogs enthusiast scale (I'm not as well known as Parker). So experts, what gives - did I get a cheap bottle/bad vintage or am I good to avoid Moscato like the plague from here on out??? Thanks, I'll hang up and listen.

Good acidity will counteract the cloying sweetness. Many are also petillant (a little fizzy). Sister Creek makes a popular one that you can get at HEB. I'm with you on learning whites. For something a bit sweet, try a good Riesling. If German look for "Auslese" (not "Kabinett" or "Spatlese") on the label and under 9% alcohol. That will be decently sweet but not ridiculously so.

Avoid Moscato like the plague. It's made with bulk wine and loaded up with sugar to hide the fact that it is crappy wine.

Thanks fellas. Probably won't give Moscsto a try again.....ever. Cecil, I'll keep your other suggestions on the radar though. Htown - looks like we've got a few things in common! Wine, class of '98, and similar thread interest over on the OB. Look me up if you're ever in BCS. Maybe we ran in the same circles back in school.

HEB carries a white wine Made by Pine ridge that is Chenin blanc and Viognet. For 12 bucks it is really good. I too think moscato is terrible as well. If your in BCS it is on the corner shelf b/n wine and ice cream

Not all moscato is cheap, sweet cloying. It's a grape grown all over the planet for centuries and is made in a very wide variety of styles. A big part of the fun is trying things and then moving on. We've dumped many a bottle of wine into the sink!

quote:

---

avoid Moscato like the plague

---

A winning idea.

In a related note, this past Sunday I opened a Grenache Blanc from the Rhone. I can't recall having had this varietal before, though since the French don't list the varietal as prominently it may be in a blend. Anyway, the fact that I bought it in January should have been a warning. It was about the heaviest white I think I've had. Lot's on honey flavor and apple, basically those white wine flavors you would want in winter. It had the color of straw. Not a bad wine, but a horrible choice for a heat index of 110.

Rhone whites can be like that. Wines that have a lot of Viognier, Rousanne, Marsanne, and Grenache Blanc tend to be fairly heavy. If you can find a blend that is composed mostly of Picpoul, those tend to be lighter and more vibrant, and better suited for summertime drinking.

HTownAg98 are you a sommelier?

No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

I just read a lot about wine, and like to try a bunch of different wines. I try not to get locked in on a certain grape or region.

Nice

Anyone think a 1-day trip from Paris to the Loire Valley is worth it? I don't have a lot of time around work stuff in Paris and have never ventured out of the city, not even to Versailles.

Thoughts?

I can't speak to the logistics, but as to the wine(s) Yes!.

If you do, stick to the whites. You can find some good Cabernet Franc there, but a lot of it is green and funky tasting.

Gotta disagree a bit. Chinon Cab Francs are quite good with a mineral character I like. But yeah, Sauv Blanc and Chenin Blanc are the best known.

I wish I could find one then, because I love cab franc.

CF's are one of my faves. So, we'll see if i make it.

quote:

---

Anyone think a 1-day trip from Paris to the Loire Valley is worth it? I don't have a lot of time around work stuff in Paris and have never ventured out of the city, not even to Versailles.

---

Never been to France (other than De Gaulle), but that seems like a lot of travel for one day.

I like a good Cab Franc but agree they are hard to find. I don't know that there is a region where I would buy an untasted cab franc. They can be either too light or taste too funky, which I guess some people call white pepper. But when they are good, it really is the best pizza wine. (Not counting Chicago style). Those green pepper notes go great with oregano.

I'm a big fan of Rhone whites, although they are a bit unusual. I love the big body on them.

There are a few domestic producers that do a good job, especially grenache blanc. Donkey and Goat is a good one and some of the other "rhone ranger" type producers in Cali make it.

for those in Houston, you can get good examples of lot of varietals (including moscato) at Houston wine merchant. they aren't the cheapest, but you can find plenty of interesting stuff there around $20 if you ask one of their staff.

I guess for me the excitement would be sampling wines that aren't generally available via distribution.

Sancerre is supposed to have some good Pinot Noir.

Also a Quarts-de-Chaume, since I really love Sauternes.

I just think the Loire would be a really cool check-off on the wine travels list...

Hey guys--first time posting to this thread. I've really enjoyed following along over the past 6 months and I've learned a bunch. I drink A LOT of Cab Franc. It used to be pretty hard to find a decent CF in the states but quality Loire Valley CF has been popping up more and more each year. Here are some of my favorite French CF producers (by appellation):

Chinon: Olga Raffault, Domaine Les Roches, Domaine Bernard Baudry, Charles Joguet, Catherine and Pierre Breton

Samur: Clos Rougeard, Chateau Yvonne, Domaine Des Roches Neuves (Thierry Germain), Domaine du Collier, Domaine Guiberteau

Anjou: Agnes and Rene Mosse, Olivier Cousin, Ferme de la Sansonniere (Marc Angeli)

Touraine: Clos Roche Blanche

I haven't had a lot of luck with domestic CF--a lot of that green bell pepper flavor people hate so much. Broc Cellars (Cali) makes a very good value Central Coast CF for around 20 bucks. If anyone has any suggestions about quality domestic CF I'm all ears...

Cab Franc is the ****.

I think Trefethen makes a good CF.

Can't remember the label, but I had a, quite good Cab Franc in Virginia from Virginia. Very nicely priced as well.