Steak wine for tonight. Really good steak wine right now. Will need another year of two for the tannin to calm down a little to just drink.
Whats in your wine cellar?
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Austintm said:You must really like Herman StoryBigAg95 said:
Heading to Paso tomorrow! Dinner at six test Kitchen and Somm's Kitchen, and tasting at Epoch, Booker, Tablas Creek, Justin, Herman Story, Derby, linne Calodo, and Herman story.
Never made it to Herman Story,,,
Had great experiences at Turley, Epoch, Booker, and Justin. Tablas and Linne Calodo were duds for the most part.
Had a great dinner at Somm's Kitchen, he ended up opening up a bottle of Saxum. Good times!
Got back last night/this morning from Napa, and am paying for the late flight today.
Friday:
Cliff Lede - cool place, decent tasting. Was familiar with there FEL Chardonay. Ended up taking home 2 2016 Soul Fire Cabs and 1 2016 Beckstoffer ToKalon Cab.
Swung through Robert Sinskey between to pick up a few bottles of Abraxas, my wife's favorite white.
Krupp Brothers - Dr. Krupp came and joined us for 20 or so minutes. Enjoyed the history of Stagecoach, hiring a water witch, and he said "a lot of drama with some big names in the valley" assuming he was referring to Gallo's purchase. We ended up joining there. 2016 Veraison and 2015 Doctor were our favorites.
Dinner at Bottega, and had a bottle of 2016 Cade Howell Mountain. Wine was great, dinner was average.
Saturday:
Round Pond - beautiful place and venue. Loved their Estate Cab and Reserve Cab, ended up taking two each home as well as two of their Super Tuscans.
O'Brien - sat on the back patio and went through their Merlot, 2 blends, Cab, and Unrestrained Reserve blend, which has never been in my allocation, but was able to take one home.
Addendum for lunch holy good god, that fried chicken.
Pine Ridge - the other couple we were there with are members here and we had a private tasting in the caves. Overall decent, Took home a Howell Mountain Cab and Stag's Leap Cab.
Dropped into AO since they're open later than everyone else and saw what an s-show it was there. We split a tasting and enjoyed the Proprietary Red, and picked up a couple of them.
Bouchon for dinner - worth a separate write up
Sunday:
Archetype for breakfast/brunch - breakfast sandwich and doughnut holes were a great start to the day. There was another Aggie there next to us, but I didn't notice until we were getting up and I saw his ring, so if that was you... Gig'emWhoopHowdy.
Seven Stones - whoever recommended this place several pages back - THANK YOU. Wow, incredible views out there. Ended up with a 2015 and 2 2016 of their Cabs. We plan on laying one of the 15s and one of the 16s down for a while, but the other 16 is going to be earmarked for something special next year.
Corison - no frills venue, did the library tasting, the wife really enjoyed the Kronos Cab, and I enjoyed the Cab Franc, ended up with two of each and one of their Roses.
Picked up Gott's and got a Pliny to complete the trip. We flew in and out of OAK for the first time. We're usually in and out of Sacramento. We'll probably stick to SMF over OAK going forward. It is just such an easier drive and nicer airport, and more convenient with the rental cars. Touched down around midnight and am not sure I am fully awake yet. I also shutter to look at our CC bill for the entire trip.
Friday:
Cliff Lede - cool place, decent tasting. Was familiar with there FEL Chardonay. Ended up taking home 2 2016 Soul Fire Cabs and 1 2016 Beckstoffer ToKalon Cab.
Swung through Robert Sinskey between to pick up a few bottles of Abraxas, my wife's favorite white.
Krupp Brothers - Dr. Krupp came and joined us for 20 or so minutes. Enjoyed the history of Stagecoach, hiring a water witch, and he said "a lot of drama with some big names in the valley" assuming he was referring to Gallo's purchase. We ended up joining there. 2016 Veraison and 2015 Doctor were our favorites.
Dinner at Bottega, and had a bottle of 2016 Cade Howell Mountain. Wine was great, dinner was average.
Saturday:
Round Pond - beautiful place and venue. Loved their Estate Cab and Reserve Cab, ended up taking two each home as well as two of their Super Tuscans.
O'Brien - sat on the back patio and went through their Merlot, 2 blends, Cab, and Unrestrained Reserve blend, which has never been in my allocation, but was able to take one home.
Addendum for lunch holy good god, that fried chicken.
Pine Ridge - the other couple we were there with are members here and we had a private tasting in the caves. Overall decent, Took home a Howell Mountain Cab and Stag's Leap Cab.
Dropped into AO since they're open later than everyone else and saw what an s-show it was there. We split a tasting and enjoyed the Proprietary Red, and picked up a couple of them.
Bouchon for dinner - worth a separate write up
Sunday:
Archetype for breakfast/brunch - breakfast sandwich and doughnut holes were a great start to the day. There was another Aggie there next to us, but I didn't notice until we were getting up and I saw his ring, so if that was you... Gig'emWhoopHowdy.
Seven Stones - whoever recommended this place several pages back - THANK YOU. Wow, incredible views out there. Ended up with a 2015 and 2 2016 of their Cabs. We plan on laying one of the 15s and one of the 16s down for a while, but the other 16 is going to be earmarked for something special next year.
Corison - no frills venue, did the library tasting, the wife really enjoyed the Kronos Cab, and I enjoyed the Cab Franc, ended up with two of each and one of their Roses.
Picked up Gott's and got a Pliny to complete the trip. We flew in and out of OAK for the first time. We're usually in and out of Sacramento. We'll probably stick to SMF over OAK going forward. It is just such an easier drive and nicer airport, and more convenient with the rental cars. Touched down around midnight and am not sure I am fully awake yet. I also shutter to look at our CC bill for the entire trip.
Thanks. I got two bottles in the fridge. Looks like I need to sit on them a bit longer. This is news I can use!
Just opened the last 2018 Rosato di Nebbiolo from them last night with pesto grilled chicken as I clear out the last of the summer wine. Just tart enough. That's a favorite buy every year and one should look for it in the spring. (I don't think it is distributed, however.)
Just opened the last 2018 Rosato di Nebbiolo from them last night with pesto grilled chicken as I clear out the last of the summer wine. Just tart enough. That's a favorite buy every year and one should look for it in the spring. (I don't think it is distributed, however.)
I'll take the credit for that, though I think others may have mentioned752bro4 said:
Seven Stones - whoever recommended this place several pages back - THANK YOU. Wow, incredible views out there. Ended up with a 2015 and 2 2016 of their Cabs. We plan on laying one of the 15s and one of the 16s down for a while, but the other 16 is going to be earmarked for something special next year.
Great wine, great property. On the market, so hopefully whoever buys it won't f*** it up. Did you taste with Michael?
Glad you liked Krupp. The Krupps, and the people who work there, are good people. The Spring Soiree and Summer Release are great parties, by the way.
Now I am hungry for Addendum chicken...
Michael toured us around and took us up to the tasting room for about an hour. So much great art/sculpture work out there. He spent some time in Dallas at The Mansion, and we have a mutual friend from Dallas who is a maker out there.
Loved Krupp, and will hopefully hold on to this membership for a while. Our hostess, Alma, has a daughter at Baylor right now and about to start rush next semester. My wife has a ton of friends from there who she volunteered to help with letters of rec. We also got a couple of bottles of olive oil from there, and two desert wines for gifts. Unfortunately, we now have to give up two memberships. That was our agreement...join one, drop two, after the Fall shipments.
Adios to Caldwell and Kamen.
Loved Krupp, and will hopefully hold on to this membership for a while. Our hostess, Alma, has a daughter at Baylor right now and about to start rush next semester. My wife has a ton of friends from there who she volunteered to help with letters of rec. We also got a couple of bottles of olive oil from there, and two desert wines for gifts. Unfortunately, we now have to give up two memberships. That was our agreement...join one, drop two, after the Fall shipments.
Adios to Caldwell and Kamen.
With the exception of Krupp, I've ditched all wine clubs. I keep that because I really like several of the reds (M5, Synchrony, Doctor, Stagecoach Veraison) and because we like the Krupps.752bro4 said:
Michael toured us around and took us up to the tasting room for about an hour. So much great art/sculpture work out there. He spent some time in Dallas at The Mansion, and we have a mutual friend from Dallas who is a maker out there.
Loved Krupp, and will hopefully hold on to this membership for a while. Our hostess, Alma, has a daughter at Baylor right now and about to start rush next semester. My wife has a ton of friends from there who she volunteered to help with letters of rec. We also got a couple of bottles of olive oil from there, and two desert wines for gifts. Unfortunately, we now have to give up two memberships. That was our agreement...join one, drop two, after the Fall shipments.
Adios to Caldwell and Kamen.
Almost all others I buy now is through allocations, or on the secondary market. Keeps me out of the auto-buy mode
My wine fridge no longer cools. It came with the house, so not sure how old it is but googling the model number, it is no longer made. Its in the ~"45 bottle capacity" size range, though I never could actually fit that many and is a 24" "built in" size. Anyone have a recommendation for brands or models to look at for a replacement? This one was single zone which suited me OK but I might prefer dual zone. Also considering replacing with a full height option but not sure (existing one is under counter).
We have this one:
Danby 75 bottle single zone - had it for 18 months and no issues. I did put a secondary thermometer in there with an alarm that ties to my wife's phone just in case we have a compressor failure. The thermometer in there is usually 2-5 degrees off of what our other one reads.
And a 24 bottle under-counter Kenmore one that came with the house, and we typically only keep whites and bubbles in.
I read something (maybe on here) that you should take how big of a fridge you think you need, bottle capacity-wise, and double it. That's what we should have done. Ours was a tight fit in an office closet, and didn't require much in the supplemental cooling (just a fan to circulate the air, and we'll leave the closet door open June - Sept).
Looking back, we would have skipped that band-aid and gone 160-250 size capacity and put it somewhere in a bigger closet or in a garage.
Some friend of ours are doing side-by-side Hisense 50ish bottle fridges under counter. They've researched a lot, and came up with that brand as the best bang for the buck.
Danby 75 bottle single zone - had it for 18 months and no issues. I did put a secondary thermometer in there with an alarm that ties to my wife's phone just in case we have a compressor failure. The thermometer in there is usually 2-5 degrees off of what our other one reads.
And a 24 bottle under-counter Kenmore one that came with the house, and we typically only keep whites and bubbles in.
I read something (maybe on here) that you should take how big of a fridge you think you need, bottle capacity-wise, and double it. That's what we should have done. Ours was a tight fit in an office closet, and didn't require much in the supplemental cooling (just a fan to circulate the air, and we'll leave the closet door open June - Sept).
Looking back, we would have skipped that band-aid and gone 160-250 size capacity and put it somewhere in a bigger closet or in a garage.
Some friend of ours are doing side-by-side Hisense 50ish bottle fridges under counter. They've researched a lot, and came up with that brand as the best bang for the buck.
Agree on getting enough space. We have side-by-sides that can hold 300 each, but you have to stack.
FWIW -- dual zone isn't necessary. Wine (even white) is best stored at 55 degrees. Just take it out and chill it further for white/rose/sparkling
FWIW -- dual zone isn't necessary. Wine (even white) is best stored at 55 degrees. Just take it out and chill it further for white/rose/sparkling
Just picked up another 3 pack of the William & Mary cab. I was worried about smoke taint on the 2017s, but Will was one step ahead of me in his allocation email so I bit the bullet!
BigAg95 said:
Just picked up another 3 pack of the William & Mary cab. I was worried about smoke taint on the 2017s, but Will was one step ahead of me in his allocation email so I bit the bullet!
Got some of each and a mag of cab.
752bro4 said:
Looking back, we would have skipped that band-aid and gone 160-250 size capacity and put it somewhere in a bigger closet or in a garage.
For everyone that reads this thread on a regular basis, I suggest this.
Those mags are a steal, but my wife and I can't finish one on our own and I don't like anyone well enough to share it with them so I am sticking with the 750s!BSD said:BigAg95 said:
Just picked up another 3 pack of the William & Mary cab. I was worried about smoke taint on the 2017s, but Will was one step ahead of me in his allocation email so I bit the bullet!
Got some of each and a mag of cab.
I hear you. I have a few Pott mags and several Maybachs, as well as each vintage of Will's cab. We have a few good friends that we'll open them up for but that's it! And they live out of town so it's rare.
I'm just wondering what to do with my 3L of 2009 Pott Arsenal...
I'm just wondering what to do with my 3L of 2009 Pott Arsenal...
Haven't pulled the trigger yet but pretty sure I'm in for 3 of each from W&M. Looking at my allocation, I can buy up to 12 each. That's almost 1% of their entire production. That's just nuts to me.
Herb Lamb wines are going away. Jennifer is going to lease the property to Rivers-Marie to make a Herb Lamb Vineyard designated wine, and she sold the Two Old Dogs label to JACK in July.
Making expensive, small volume that is great tasting is a labor of love, not profit.HTownAg98 said:
Herb Lamb wines are going away. Jennifer is going to lease the property to Rivers-Marie to make a Herb Lamb Vineyard designated wine, and she sold the Two Old Dogs label to JACK in July.
The joke in Napa: How do you make a small fortune with a winery? Start with a large fortune.
HL was making money (and still does) by selling the fruit long before that started a label. Now leasing it out just ensures a steady income stream.greenband said:Making expensive, small volume that is great tasting is a labor of love, not profit.HTownAg98 said:
Herb Lamb wines are going away. Jennifer is going to lease the property to Rivers-Marie to make a Herb Lamb Vineyard designated wine, and she sold the Two Old Dogs label to JACK in July.
The joke is Napa: How do you make a small fortune with a winery? Start with a large fortune.
I really liked the HL cab, and will miss it. Not a fan of most of TRB stuff.
Any recommendations for tastings in Los Olivos? Heading up there from Santa Barbara for an afternoon and want to check out a few spots.
Stolpman is a must
Found a new winery in Brownfield called Farmhouse. Some good High Plains wines, and with each wine club shipment comes some "farm produced" extras. This time it was an orange muscat jelly and some cinnamon honey. Others in times past have included fresh produce from their farm.
Just got back from a week long work/pleasure trip to Ojai and Santa Barbara and I drank entirely too much wine and beer. In Ojai we tasted at Topa Mountain Winery, Ojai Vinyard, and one other who's name I don't remember (bad wine and a know nothing tasting room host).
Topa Mountain has a beautiful new tasting room and outdoor area, but the wines weren't anything special. We had a great experience at Ojai Vineyard's tasting room and left with a few bottles of 2015 John Sebastiano Syrah and a couple young Sangiovese that I think will age nicely. The Syrah was a special bottling off a plot that only yielded 1/3 ton/acre and it was quite good.
We went to Los Olivos on Saturday and did Stolpman, Dragonette, Story of Soil, and Carhartt Vinyard. Our verdict was Stolpman was good but nothing we loved, Story of Soil was so-so, Carhartt wasn't great, and we loved Dragonette.
Dragonette had the first Chardonnay my white wine hating girlfriend really liked and we ended up with a few bottles of that along with a few bottles of one of their Pinots. Interestingly, both were single vineyard wines from Duvarita.
Ojai and Los Olivos are definitely not Napa (or Sonoma or even Paso), but we enjoyed it.
Topa Mountain has a beautiful new tasting room and outdoor area, but the wines weren't anything special. We had a great experience at Ojai Vineyard's tasting room and left with a few bottles of 2015 John Sebastiano Syrah and a couple young Sangiovese that I think will age nicely. The Syrah was a special bottling off a plot that only yielded 1/3 ton/acre and it was quite good.
We went to Los Olivos on Saturday and did Stolpman, Dragonette, Story of Soil, and Carhartt Vinyard. Our verdict was Stolpman was good but nothing we loved, Story of Soil was so-so, Carhartt wasn't great, and we loved Dragonette.
Dragonette had the first Chardonnay my white wine hating girlfriend really liked and we ended up with a few bottles of that along with a few bottles of one of their Pinots. Interestingly, both were single vineyard wines from Duvarita.
Ojai and Los Olivos are definitely not Napa (or Sonoma or even Paso), but we enjoyed it.
Los Olivos produces lots of bulk wine. There are some hidden gems, but they are few and far between.
I've always liked Stolpman for what they are. They're not too expensive, and deliver a good wine for the price. The "Pana Maria de los Tocolotes" Syrah is one I typically look for on wine lists.
I've always liked Stolpman for what they are. They're not too expensive, and deliver a good wine for the price. The "Pana Maria de los Tocolotes" Syrah is one I typically look for on wine lists.
Ooof! /Jackie Gleason
Still available as of now. I bet it's gone by tomorrow. Looks pretty, price not so much.
aggiejumper said:
Still available as of now. I bet it's gone by tomorrow. Looks pretty, price not so much.
The 1996 Salon is easily the best Champagne I've ever had. It was unreal. So I've bought a bottle of each vintage since. I was expecting the 2008 to be $1500-2000 since it is a magnum. I was going to buy and it and cellar it til retirement. But damn, this hurts. I don't see any value here at all. And I totally would mind the other vintages here. But at $1k/750ml...hard pass.
Edit: using market prices of $530 for the readily availability other vintages in the set, the mag is essentially costing you $4820 here.
Amizetta, Arrow and Branch, Cornell Vineyeards, MTA, Phifer Pavin/Switchback Ridge, Porter Family Vineyards, and Tate are having a Wine event at the Forest Club in Houston on Nov 14th. I believe also having events in Ft. Worth and Dallas.
I bought tickets to the Houston one via my Amizetta membership.
I bought tickets to the Houston one via my Amizetta membership.
I'll be there via Amizetta
It's a good week for shipment notifications...
This sort of thing is geared more towards a corporate gift than an individual collector.BSD said:aggiejumper said:
Still available as of now. I bet it's gone by tomorrow. Looks pretty, price not so much.
The 1996 Salon is easily the best Champagne I've ever had. It was unreal. So I've bought a bottle of each vintage since. I was expecting the 2008 to be $1500-2000 since it is a magnum. I was going to buy and it and cellar it til retirement. But damn, this hurts. I don't see any value here at all. And I totally would mind the other vintages here. But at $1k/750ml...hard pass.
Edit: using market prices of $530 for the readily availability other vintages in the set, the mag is essentially costing you $4820 here.
It is likely given to a CEO of another company, and his wife puts a shot of Chambord in it on New Year's eve.
And a bad week for Credit Card dings
My Myriad cabs showed up, once again with no notification and a few weeks before my requested ship date. Weather was fine though, and I was home this time to receive them, so no worries!
Fortunately my card has been dinged at various points and kind os spread out, so other than a few shipping charges for those that didn't already charge me for that, now it's just a matter of waitingWater Turkey07 said:
And a bad week for Credit Card dings
I received a corked bottle from LastBottle. Anyone have any experience with their customer service team in situations like this?
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