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Whats in your wine cellar?

1,425,093 Views | 11116 Replies | Last: 4 hrs ago by WestUAg
houag80
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I don't care for Becker personally....but that's the thing about wine.....palates vary.
Tumble Weed
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Chipotlemonger said:

May interest some on this board. Francis Ford Coppola Winery and Becker Vineyards are partnering to release a new cab, sourced from both Texas and Sonoma vineyards. Mid-$20's.

Have any other Texas places done something like this?
Most Texas places are juicing with California grapes. Some at 25%, some much higher as they have the fruit.

I think Becker can learn from Coppola, it could be very beneficial to his operation.
Chipotlemonger
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Right I remember the argument going on about % levels on "Texas" wine. Just didn't know if any wineries had done an outright collaboration like this with a California winery.
Tumble Weed
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Chipotlemonger said:

Right I remember the argument going on about % levels on "Texas" wine. Just didn't know if any wineries had done an outright collaboration like this with a California winery.
This is the first public marketing effort that I have seen. There is a Texas winery doing an outright collaboration with an Oregon winery, but both are small labels, and I doubt that the Oregon winery is advertising it much.

Californians are invading Austin right now; it makes since that the grapes would reverse migrate as well.
MooreTrucker
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AG
Is that Signor?
Austintm
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MooreTrucker said:

Austintm said:

Chipotlemonger said:

May interest some on this board. Francis Ford Coppola Winery and Becker Vineyards are partnering to release a new cab, sourced from both Texas and Sonoma vineyards. Mid-$20's.

Have any other Texas places done something like this?
Awesome. I need something to strip paint
Wine snob.

Which don't you like, FFC or Becker?
Yes.

Really, only half-joking. Just not a fan of either. I also have yet to find a truly good cab in the $25 range. Some drinkable cabs, but not "good."
Tumble Weed
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MooreTrucker said:

Is that Signor?
You are correct Mr. Trucker!
MooreTrucker
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Tumble Weed said:

MooreTrucker said:

Is that Signor?
You are correct Mr. Trucker!
Yep, we went there a few months ago and I remember thinking "Oregon wines in Fredericksburg??????" One reason we didn't buy any. If I'm in Texas wineries, I want Texas wines.
cecil77
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More and more wineries are 100% Texas, but as has been mentioned, you have to ask the right question. "100% Texas" can mean 100% Texas appellation, which currently under Federal rules allows up to 25% non Texas grapes. Inwood, William Chris and quite a few others stress 100% Texas grapes. At the very least a winery should own up to where it's grapes come from.

One other interesting thing is to notice if the word "winery" is used on the facility. If not, it is licensed as a wine store or bar. There are some on 290 that aren't actually a "winery".


MooreTrucker
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cecil77 said:

More and more wineries are 100% Texas, but as has been mentioned, you have to ask the right question. "100% Texas" can mean 100% Texas appellation, which currently under Federal rules allows up to 25% non Texas grapes. Inwood, William Chris and quite a few others stress 100% Texas grapes. At the very least a winery should own up to where it's grapes come from.

One other interesting thing is to notice if the word "winery" is used on the facility. If not, it is licensed as a wine store or bar. There are some on 290 that aren't actually a "winery".



We had a wine store here that "became" a winery by getting someone to produce a wine for them.
bularry
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Austintm said:

MooreTrucker said:

Austintm said:

Chipotlemonger said:

May interest some on this board. Francis Ford Coppola Winery and Becker Vineyards are partnering to release a new cab, sourced from both Texas and Sonoma vineyards. Mid-$20's.

Have any other Texas places done something like this?
Awesome. I need something to strip paint
Wine snob.

Which don't you like, FFC or Becker?
Yes.

Really, only half-joking. Just not a fan of either. I also have yet to find a truly good cab in the $25 range. Some drinkable cabs, but not "good."
There are really good cabs in that range, at least to my palate. Admittedly, cab is not my favorite variety of wine so I'm perhaps not as picky. I do know a lot of $50-60 cabs in Napa are too sweet for me. RS an issue, I think.
cecil77
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Quote:

I do know a lot of $50-60 cabs in Napa are too sweet for me. RS an issue, I think.
This. Only I've experienced it in lower priced ones as well. I'm pretty confident some of the cheaper ones are actually adding sugar.
BigAg95
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cecil77 said:

Quote:

I do know a lot of $50-60 cabs in Napa are too sweet for me. RS an issue, I think.
This. Only I've experienced it in lower priced ones as well. I'm pretty confident some of the cheaper ones are actually adding sugar.



I haven't recently found a Napa cab under $30 that I enjoyed or even could say anything good about. But thankfully cab is grown just about everywhere in the world that makes wine, and there a lots of really nice cabs from other parts of CA, WA, Chile, Bordeaux, Argentina, Australia, and Italy. You can get a very good cab for well under $25 from just about anywhere but Napa. Aaron Pott makes a really good one with fruit from Lake County that costs about $20.
Austintm
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BigAg95 said:

cecil77 said:

Quote:

I do know a lot of $50-60 cabs in Napa are too sweet for me. RS an issue, I think.
This. Only I've experienced it in lower priced ones as well. I'm pretty confident some of the cheaper ones are actually adding sugar.



I haven't recently found a Napa cab under $30 that I enjoyed or even could say anything good about. But thankfully cab is grown just about everywhere in the world that makes wine, and there a lots of really nice cabs from other parts of CA, WA, Chile, Bordeaux, Argentina, Australia, and Italy. You can get a very good cab for well under $25 from just about anywhere but Napa. Aaron Pott makes a really good one with fruit from Lake County that costs about $20.
Agree with this -- if you are going for a "cheaper" cab look outside of Napa.

As for the comment from the other poster on sugar, it's not limited to $20 or $50 cabs. See, e.g., Caymus. I think Wagner owns a sugar plantation somewhere.

cecil77
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Certainly could be, but I think Caymus is mostly RS. Their 2012 40th Anniversary was at least off-dry and maybe even semi-sweet. And Caymus has been (for me) too sweet for a long time. But like an article headline (maybe posted way back in this thread) when Meomi sold for $300,000,000 - "Never Underestimate American's Taste for Cheap, Sweet Wine"

Their cheaper lablels are almost certainly added sugar.
Austintm
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cecil77 said:

Certainly could be, but I think Caymus is mostly RS. Their 2012 40th Anniversary was at least off-dry and maybe even semi-sweet. And Caymus has been (for me) too sweet for a long time. But like an article headline (maybe posted way back in this thread) when Meomi sold for $300,000,000 - "Never Underestimate American's Taste for Cheap, Sweet Wine"

Their cheaper lablels are almost certainly added sugar.

Everything they do is sweet, even that abomination they call a Malbec (Red Schooner).

Crazy thing about Meomi is all they sold and got that price was the label/trademark no vines, facilities, etc.
greenband
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Austintm said:

cecil77 said:

Certainly could be, but I think Caymus is mostly RS. Their 2012 40th Anniversary was at least off-dry and maybe even semi-sweet. And Caymus has been (for me) too sweet for a long time. But like an article headline (maybe posted way back in this thread) when Meomi sold for $300,000,000 - "Never Underestimate American's Taste for Cheap, Sweet Wine"

Their cheaper lablels are almost certainly added sugar.

Everything they do is sweet, even that abomination they call a Malbec (Red Schooner).

Crazy thing about Meomi is all they sold and got that price was the label/trademark no vines, facilities, etc.
This is a repost from earlier but relevant to this thread. A website in Canada has the sugar content listed for wines they sell, which is only a subset of what is distributed. I wish we had this in the US.

For example the link below shows that residual sugar of Caymus is 10 g/L.
https://www.lcbo.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/lcbo/caymus-cabernet-sauvignon-222877

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 (same winery as Meomi)
  • The Prisoner - 8 g/L
  • Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon - 10 g/L

Cheaper wine:
  • Apothic Red - 17 g/L
  • Cupcake Red Velvet - 14 g/L
  • Yellow Tail Bubbles Ros - 18 g/L
JCA1
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Was in College Station for Santa's Wonderland this weekend. Picked up a bottle of William Chris Skeleton Key at Aggieland Outfitters. Looking forward to trying it.
cecil77
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Love that link, thanks for the reminder!

I think that residual sugar and added sugar are different. Somehow residual sugar "seems for authentic" or something.
wtmartinaggie
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Sugar is trendy for sure... It grew in popularity as a substitute for good oak and took off like a rocket from there as the demand for cheap wine grew like crazy and the costs of production rose. it is kind of like folks overhopping craft beers to make them taste like a pine cone. It does a great job at covering up flaws in the fruit or shortcuts in the winemaking/aging process and so many folks are so addicted to sugar it works.

many, many lower tiered wines are made from overcropped, cheap grapes that are flashed, concentrated (at best, at worst de-concentrated and re-fermented with lees), modified with adjuncts and sweetened. great grapes arent cheap to farm and great wines arent cheap to make, there's really no getting around that. people love sugar and it's a financially friendly alternative to buying expensive barrels and dropping fruit in the vineyard.

A glass of coke has about 11g/l sugar per 100ml (19g/l per wine glass portion). that's pretty dang close to where you land per glass with those cheaper reds. add to that the fact that many of those arent even fully grapes and it gets worse. many, many bottom shelf wines are only partially grapes that are then refermented with lees and processed sugar. It's all alcohol, yes, but there is a marked difference in how our bodies process it, or struggle to. it's really a dark rabbit hole...

-Taylor @ Italics
cecil77
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Thanks Taylor!
752bro4
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William & Mary received today
Tumble Weed
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Looking at Bordeaux 2018 futures. It almost feels like betting on horses.

What regions and labels do y'all expect to be a hit from the 2018 offering? St. Emilion and St. Julien are the two areas that I am combing through at the moment.
BSD
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752bro4 said:

William & Mary received today


I actually had lunch with Will today. Lots of good wine talk and laughs! And BBQ. Too much BBQ.
cecil77
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BSD said:

752bro4 said:

William & Mary received today


I actually had lunch with Will today. Lots of good wine talk and laughs! And BBQ. Too much BBQ.
Just a little help. I emailed him a couple of months ago about a corked bottle. (Corked to the point we used it for instruction at the winery). Seems reasonable to replace, but I got no response. Is it likely he just missed the email?
BSD
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More than likely he missed it. We were actually talking about the tremendous amount of emails we both get. Certainly hit him up again. I've never known him to not take care of an issue with his clients.
GarlandAg2012
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Dad has been asking about going to a wine tasting and I suggested the Modus Operandi Vine Vault event that was posted in this thread earlier...anyone know more about it? Anyone going in Dallas?
V8Aggie
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I just got back from a trip to Italics in Napa. Thanks to Taylor for getting my wife and me set up with a VIP tasting and tour. The wine was fantastic!! Brought home a couple of bottles to enjoy.

I also just got a vertical shipment in from Lasseter of 2013, 14, 15 & 16 cab I am excited to try out with my friends. It will be interesting to see the difference between the vintages.
752bro4
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GarlandAg2012 said:

Dad has been asking about going to a wine tasting and I suggested the Modus Operandi Vine Vault event that was posted in this thread earlier...anyone know more about it? Anyone going in Dallas?
This is from my receipt. I talked to Jason Moore with Modus and he said to expect most of the winemakers to bring something other than current vintages. Me and a buddy are going.
Quote:

Join these 10 great family owned wineries for one night in town! They will be sharing their awesome wines - both current release and maybe a library vintage! We will have beautiful cheese and charcuterie to pair with the wines, and beautiful artwork from Thomas Arvid to enjoy!
Quote:


This is a drop-in, standing style reception tasting that begins at 6:30PM and ends promptly at 9:00PM.

A portion of your paid ticket supports Jonathan's Place. Jonathan's Place provides a safe place, loving homes and promising futures for abused and neglected children, teens, and young adults.

Valet Parking is available, but please don't drive after tasting all these wonderful wines.

FTAco07
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GarlandAg2012 said:

Dad has been asking about going to a wine tasting and I suggested the Modus Operandi Vine Vault event that was posted in this thread earlier...anyone know more about it? Anyone going in Dallas?


My girlfriend and I will be there. I'll be the guy wearing an Aggie ring. Should we make texags name tags?
greenband
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FTAco07 said:

GarlandAg2012 said:

Dad has been asking about going to a wine tasting and I suggested the Modus Operandi Vine Vault event that was posted in this thread earlier...anyone know more about it? Anyone going in Dallas?


My girlfriend and I will be there. I'll be the guy wearing an Aggie ring. Should we make texags name tags?
My wife and I will be there (Tera '94 and Rob '90)
HTownAg98
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This didn't suck.

wtmartinaggie
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Glad you enjoyed it out here and the trip was a success! I'm putting together a few cool trips for 2020, hope we can hook up then! As we figure out exact dates, I'll be sure to let everyone know.

Also, we just confirmed hosting our 2nd Annual Italics Invitational Golf Tournament at Horseshoe Bay April 3-5th next year. We did the first one at Pinehurst Resort in NC and it was a huge success.

In short, it is a two-night/day golf and wine event at the Horseshoe Bay Resort outside of Austin. On Friday, we will have a reception/wine party on the lake. Saturday a four man scramble golf tournament with a happy hour awards ceremony followed by a coursed wine dinner where we will release our new premium cabernet, Powerfade. (for those who havent visited Italics, it's a single block cab that sits across the fence from the 12th hole of the Napa Valley Country Club) Sunday, we're organizing another little tournament that's a little more high stakes. more details on that to come... if you're interested, let me know and i can shoot you more info. We'd love to have you.

Shoot me a PM if you are interested and merry christmas!
-Taylor @ Italics
JCA1
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wtmartinaggie said:

Glad you enjoyed it out here and the trip was a success! I'm putting together a few cool trips for 2020, hope we can hook up then! As we figure out exact dates, I'll be sure to let everyone know.

Also, we just confirmed hosting our 2nd Annual Italics Invitational Golf Tournament at Horseshoe Bay April 3-5th next year. We did the first one at Pinehurst Resort in NC and it was a huge success.

In short, it is a two-night/day golf and wine event at the Horseshoe Bay Resort outside of Austin. On Friday, we will have a reception/wine party on the lake. Saturday a four man scramble golf tournament with a happy hour awards ceremony followed by a coursed wine dinner where we will release our new premium cabernet, Powerfade. (for those who havent visited Italics, it's a single block cab that sits across the fence from the 12th hole of the Napa Valley Country Club) Sunday, we're organizing another little tournament that's a little more high stakes. more details on that to come... if you're interested, let me know and i can shoot you more info. We'd love to have you.

Shoot me a PM if you are interested and merry christmas!

Is No. 12 the insane downhill hole with the cart path like Lombard St. in San Fran? If so, there's about three of my golf balls in your vineyard. Just bring them to Houston next time you're in town and I'll grab them then. Thanks!
cecil77
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Had the pleasure of trying their new Teroldego wine with Nikhila Narra Davis and Greg last night. I'd never heard of the grape, but wow... What a great wine! Look for it when it becomes available when Kalasi Cellars launches in Fredericksburg. Narra Vineyards is one of the bright spots in the Texas Wine industry. Really trying to grow grapes properly.
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