greenband said:

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ILikeTacos said:

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It was a great Saturday night and a rough Sunday morning.

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Just an FYI that Austin Hope tastes so smooth for the money because of the extra sugar.

This website in Canada has the sugar content listed for wines they sell.

https://www.lcbo.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/lcbo/austin-hope-cabernet-sauvignon-2015-578005-1



As a point of comparison for some wine they had listed:

• Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 - 2 g/L (2 grams per liter)
• Continuum 2014 - 2 g/L
• Joseph Phelps Insignia 2015 - 5 g/L
• Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 - 2 g/L
• Cardinale Red 2014 - 5 g/L
• Belle Glos Dairyman Vineyard Pinot Noir - 10 g/L
• The Prisoner - 8 g/L
• Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon - 10 g/L

Cheaper wine:

• Apothic Red - 17 g/L
• Cupcake Red Velvet - 14 g/L

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Jeez that is great to know. Also price tag on the bottle was $28 at our local store and for that price I liked it but turns out it just had a whole bunch of **** in it!

No Texas wines.

Juan Mercado is leaving Realm.

good luck with the experiment! if you have any questions or want to dive into this topic, just let me know.

I dont want to ruin your experiment by diving in before you get the chance to make your own opinions...

Thanks! I've got lots of opinions, but since this is texags that's a given...

2013 Mirror Howell Mountain last night was 3.94. I'm thinking many Napa wines may be that high. Expecting Bordeaux more like 3.63. What is(are) your target(s)?

Any thoughts/expertise would be great! I'm wondering how higher pH affects survivability (and aging potential) and if the generally higher alcohol levels help offset the higher pHs.

And you couldn't ruin anything, so please, fire away!

ILikeTacos said:

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Juan Mercado is leaving Realm.

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I am curious to see how this all shakes out. I am excited about his new project, I've been getting into central coast GSM blends lately.

ILikeTacos said:

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Juan Mercado is leaving Realm.

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I've heard rumors of this for a while. And I'm not saying this like it's a bad thing, but the Realm I first started buying back in the mid 2000s is now officially gone. It's now a hedge fund playtoy that makes killer juice. I've always said I'm trying to quit buying them but y'all know I won't. Not even with Juan gone.

BSD said:

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ILikeTacos said:

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Juan Mercado is leaving Realm.

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I've heard rumors of this for a while. And I'm not saying this like it's a bad thing, but the Realm I first started buying back in the mid 2000s is now officially gone. It's now a hedge fund playtoy that makes killer juice. I've always said I'm trying to quit buying them but y'all know I won't. Not even with Juan gone.

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Got an email that I'll get my first allocation this fall a few months back. Sounds like I timed it perfectly.

cecil77 said:

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Anyone ordering Spottswoode? Gotta say they're my favorite Napa wine right now. "Napa's first growth" as far as I'm concerned!

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Yes big fans. Beautiful winery too.

BSD said:

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ILikeTacos said:

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Juan Mercado is leaving Realm.

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I've heard rumors of this for a while. And I'm not saying this like it's a bad thing, but the Realm I first started buying back in the mid 2000s is now officially gone. It's now a hedge fund playtoy that makes killer juice. I've always said I'm trying to quit buying them but y'all know I won't. Not even with Juan gone.

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Oh I didn't think this would stop me from buying Realm, I am more saying it for being excited for his new venture...

The more split offs of good people the merrier. I just took a liking to Juan when I was out at Realm, he is a really personable guy who was a lot of fun to drink wine with (even if he drank me under the table...)

You flatter me, but it was a great visit. Like me, when it comes to spouses you completely outkicked the coverage!

Days like Saturday are why I hang out there, y'all absolutely made the day a great one...

Had a glass of 2014 Ancillary Pinot tonight. Very nice wine!

The wife and I had a great weekend in Fredericksburg. We visited William & Chris, Innwood, and 4.0. It was great meeting you, Cecil! Katria says thanks also.

Wow, Cecil was busy this weekend. We met him Saturday afternoon and had a great visit. Got to meet Dan as well, and learned a lot about his philosophy on wine and grape-growing. Very educational. Don Cecilio knows his stuff for sure. We brought home a bottle of the "Cornelious" Temp and can't wait to get into it.

Sounds like I need to make a stop by Inwood when I'm in Fredericksburg in a few weeks.

Today's wines:

Also consumed but not pictured: a 1985 Stag's Leap Vineyards SLV, and a 2004 Frank Family Cabernet Napa Valley.

The store was supposed to get the Tensley Santa Barbara County Syrah. The distributor shipped the Colson instead, but didn't charge them the higher price. I bought the other three bottles they had. It's one of the best Syrahs from California I've ever had. It's up there with the Saxum James Berry Vineyard.

Do you like Biale? I'm headed there in May for the first time.

I do. If you like big Zinfandel, you will enjoy it.

I like Biale's wine. Their Black Chicken label is great and has a cool story behind it. If you need an intro, let me know and I can put you in touch with the team there. Great folks!

Thanks! Our group is scheduled for a tasting at Biale the day before we come see you in May

Any recommendations on a specific car service recommendation in the Napa Valley area? I want to wade back through this thread at some point, but figured it was much easier just asking.

Nothing special needed - just 4 adults. I don't think our current rental car is big enough to comfortably fit us all plus a hired driver.

Thanks!

Thriller said:

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Any recommendations on a specific car service recommendation in the Napa Valley area? I want to wade back through this thread at some point, but figured it was much easier just asking.

Nothing special needed - just 4 adults. I don't think our current rental car is big enough to comfortably fit us all plus a hired driver.

Thanks!

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With a group of four I would rent a suburban and hire a driver, I think this will be more affordable than hiring a charter service. If you want to go with a Limo or some other type of transportation, I recently used Anthem Limo Service and they were perfectly fine, nothing special. Here are some other companies I had recommended to me:

I first tried to contact Perata and they didn't have availability but the owner responded with this info:

Quote:

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Thanks for your interest in Perata Luxury Tours!

Currently we are fully booked the dates next week you have inquired about. Please try one of my colleagues listed below. They offer a similar experience, and I'd book my friends and family with them anytime!

Please tell them Nick Perata sent you!

SUVs and Limo or Coach Vans:

Paul Bailey @ Napa Valley Wine Excursions (707) 363-1397
Brian Sayles @ A Limo Excursion (707) 246-2513
Patrick Hennessey @ Napa Valley Wine Excursions (707) 363- 3845
Cinnamon @ Cinnamon's Wine Tours (877) 204-6511
Austin Smith @ Noble Wine Tours (707) 628-4170
Ms. T Beller @ Verve Napa Valley (707) 253-2269

SUV Only:

Julie Payne @ Hidden Napa Jeep Tours (707) 225-1356
Damon Mushrush @ Bliss Wine Tours (707) 812-8646
Brian McGee @ McGee Wine Tours (707) 815-3060
Holden Sapp @ Alluvium Wine Tours (707) 721-2895
Kent Higginbotham @ Squire Livery Wine Tours (707) 332-5563
Corey Waken @ Waken Wine Tours Napa Valley (707) 337-8888


Good luck and I hope you have a great time!

Best -

Nick Perata
Perata Luxury Tours LLC

www.PerataLuxuryTours.com
(707) 227-8271

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Hope this helps. If you just want to hire a driver, I have a recommendation for that as well but I would need to check with him to make sure he is still doing it.

Great recs from Nick. He's a great option, as are the ones he recommended.

I'd likely suggest Corey Waken, Brian Sayles, Cinnamon, or T with Verve off his list if you asked me out of the blue. It's cool to see we're pretty aligned in who we think does good work.

Napa Private Tours, RAM Wine Tours and Tom Jarman with Destination Napa Valley aren't on Nick's list but are also great options.

Just my two cents...

We have used a driver named Ryan from Alta Transportation with great success in the past.

aggiecive said:

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We have used a driver named Ryan from Alta Transportation with great success in the past.

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Don't be giving away our secret weapon

If you get Ryan, request he stock the vehicle with "Ryan's juice", key to a good time

GarlandAg2012 said:

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Thriller said:

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Any recommendations on a specific car service recommendation in the Napa Valley area? I want to wade back through this thread at some point, but figured it was much easier just asking.

Nothing special needed - just 4 adults. I don't think our current rental car is big enough to comfortably fit us all plus a hired driver.

Thanks!

---

With a group of four I would rent a suburban and hire a driver, I think this will be more affordable than hiring a charter service. If you want to go with a Limo or some other type of transportation, I recently used Anthem Limo Service and they were perfectly fine, nothing special. Here are some other companies I had recommended to me:

I first tried to contact Perata and they didn't have availability but the owner responded with this info:

Quote:

---

Thanks for your interest in Perata Luxury Tours!

Currently we are fully booked the dates next week you have inquired about. Please try one of my colleagues listed below. They offer a similar experience, and I'd book my friends and family with them anytime!

Please tell them Nick Perata sent you!

SUVs and Limo or Coach Vans:

Paul Bailey @ Napa Valley Wine Excursions (707) 363-1397
Brian Sayles @ A Limo Excursion (707) 246-2513
Patrick Hennessey @ Napa Valley Wine Excursions (707) 363- 3845
Cinnamon @ Cinnamon's Wine Tours (877) 204-6511
Austin Smith @ Noble Wine Tours (707) 628-4170
Ms. T Beller @ Verve Napa Valley (707) 253-2269

SUV Only:

Julie Payne @ Hidden Napa Jeep Tours (707) 225-1356
Damon Mushrush @ Bliss Wine Tours (707) 812-8646
Brian McGee @ McGee Wine Tours (707) 815-3060
Holden Sapp @ Alluvium Wine Tours (707) 721-2895
Kent Higginbotham @ Squire Livery Wine Tours (707) 332-5563
Corey Waken @ Waken Wine Tours Napa Valley (707) 337-8888


Good luck and I hope you have a great time!

Best -

Nick Perata
Perata Luxury Tours LLC

www.PerataLuxuryTours.com
(707) 227-8271

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Hope this helps. If you just want to hire a driver, I have a recommendation for that as well but I would need to check with him to make sure he is still doing it.

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Or you could drive yourself, stick to going to a couple of higher end, small production places each day, get lunch in between, and spend time actually visiting and talking with the folks there (many times the owners and/or wine makers). No palate fatigue, and not toasted at the end. Then go have a great dinner.

Quote:

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Or you could drive yourself, stick to going to a couple of higher end, small production places each day, get lunch in between, and spend time actually visiting and talking with the folks there (many times the owners and/or wine makers). No palate fatigue, and not toasted at the end. Then go have a great dinner.

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Yep, completely agree, we've done the 5 wineries a day thing when I was younger. 2-3 nice ones are plenty per day and gives you time to appreciate the top notch food (which seems to be overlooked) in the valley too.

Even only doing two or three I would rather be able to relax and enjoy the conversation with my friends, and potentially learn a few things from the driver of they're knowledgeable of the area. Plus zero risk of any sort of drinking and driving. Even if you pace yourself you are taking a risk.

There are lots of ways to have a great time in wine country.

Let's not make assumptions guys. We're hiring a driver no matter what. I'm not in charge of selecting places to visit - this is planned by the women in our group this time. It very well may be a multi-stop trip to bigger operations. If it were up to me, I'd be going slower, more in-depth, and doing things more my speed. One of the women is taking her first trip to wine country and isn't quite ready for that. She's significantly more on the enjoyment end of the spectrum than the learning. She'll learn you can do both, but probably on a later trip.

Either way, I'm not comfortable with any of us doing the driving. I'd rather pay the cost and have someone else do it. Hope that doesn't offend the purists.

Quote:

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Hope that doesn't offend the purists.

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I am offended! And outraged as well! Yup, offended AND outraged.