27 Responses

1. May 15, 2006

   chito

   Thanks, Gary. I finally got to hear the proper pronounciation of the wines. I e-mailed you before about how the names got lost in the shuffle. In order to avoid making a fool of oneself at a restaurant, it’s importatnt to know the wine as well as the name. Great piece on the San Felipe. Higher marks for the honest approach.
   Al

2. May 16, 2006

   Tony

   Gary,

   Great, great episode, and very timely. My wife and I were talking just this weekend about how we love really great, complex wines, but can’t afford spending $30-40 every time we open a bottle, and how we would love to find some really great $10 wines that we could drink and really enjoy on a daily basis.

   So you hit it right on the head with these wines. I ordered 3 bottles each of the Cotes du Rhone and the San Felipe immediately, even before I finished watching the episode. If they’re as good as you indicate when I get them – and you still have them, I’ll order a case of each.

   “Best values” is an episode you could do every month, and I’d never, ever tire of it.

   From a usefulness/timeliness perspective, this is one of your top episodes yet. I give it a 94.

   Keep it up! BTW, I’m really, really looking forward to learning everything you can give us from your trip to Spain. I had a cheap tempranillo once, decided that Spanish wine wasn’t any good, and haven’t had any since. I’m hoping you’re going to give me a good re-education on that point.

   One suggestion for an episode: a solid overview of Spanish wines – the regions, the types, the grapes, the styles. Something to give us a solid overall foundation in understanding Spanish wines. Then in further episodes you could take on specific regions or types of wine and we’d know where it fit in the Spanish wine landscape.

3. May 16, 2006

   GeneV

   I was at a similar tasting in March, and just posted my notes as a review of the Joel Gott. IMHO, Gary is kind to the Gott at 86. That wine, and the McMannis (which Parker inexplicably likes) are two very disappointing “bargain” Cali cabs. They simply lack any cab character. Two Buck Chuck for double digit prices.

   Thanks again, Gary. It was comforting to see I was not in left field in my notes.

4. May 16, 2006

   kevin

   yeah gary, good episode….i must say, you are extremely nice to the gott….i tell ya, i hate wine like that…and i run across it a lot. i have come to the conclusion that unless i want to spend over a hundred bucks, i am not going to get a good wine at a restaurant…i get stuff like the gott….and even if you spend a big amount, i have come to the conclusion that if you do not know it, you don’t buy it…fruit juice wines….i would give em the lowest score possible…they’re a waste of time…however, some people still like them…strange
   it is so nice to find a diamond in the $10 rough….or these days in the $20 and under rough for that matter!

5. May 16, 2006

   CShell

   Gary, thanks for giving the keep/drink info at the end. This is a most valuable part of any of your episodes, please keep including it.

   Can’t wait ’til your return from Spain!

6. May 16, 2006

   Sam Zen

   I agree with Tony, this episode is a 94. You can have an episode like this once a month and never get tired of it.

   Gary, you know I’m originally from the Basque Country, right? I’m going in Auguist for two weeks of gastronomic hedonism. So, enjoy the food and have fun around Rioja. I’m already lookikng forward to your impressions- just keep in mind that in Spain the quality of the vintage is very important, much more than in other “bargain” countries- but you already know that.

   Keep up the good work.

   BTW- this past weekend I drove to the WL to pick up the 3 cases of the Agustoinos Pinot and meet you- but you weren’t around, so that’ll have to wait to next time. While at WL I asked for a ready to drink chard recommendation in the $15-20 range. Dennis recommended the full boat and I picked-up a case. When I tasted it at home I was shocked. Honestly, this was a pretty bad recommendation. I really hope this wine comes around, but I doubt it. Was there really nothing better in the store at the price range I was looking??? I’m saddened to say that it brought your store’s credibility down a notch. Too bad.

   But to end in a better note, keep up the good work Gary. Osasuna (to your health/cheers)!

7. May 30, 2006

   John

   Hey Gary,

   I have to say that everyone is pretty frustrated that we were promised a bunch of episodes to watch while you were gone, but have now gone over two weeks without a single new episode. There are a lot of people who really enjoy watching these and I think a lot of people were let down. What happened? I hope your trip to Spain has gone well. I passed through Yecla a few months ago, and was just blown away, once again by the amazing quality and prices of Spanish wines. Hurry home and get us a bunch of new episodes.

8. May 30, 2006

   David

   I agree wholeheartedly with John’s frusteration. What likely happened was that the day before Gary left for Spain, he was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. In reality, it was probably unrealisic for him to “tape 10 episodes” the day before he left as promised. I think that as a courtesy to the legions of loyal Wine Library TV viewers, someone back at the ranch could have posted a simple message on the website that Gary was unable to tape any episodes before he left. However, I think that if he brings us back some great deals on Spanish wines, all will be forgiven.

9. May 31, 2006

   Tony

   Gary,

   We’ve missed you! I got the wines I ordered from this episode. I’ve only tried the San Felipe and I have to say that I totally agree with you. For $7 this wine is a steal. Is it a great wine, full of complex flavors? No. Is it a great wine for $7? Absolutely. You maybe can come close to a wine of this quality for $15 if you are talking California Cabs. More like $20. A very decent, drinkable and affordable wine. We need to hear about more of these!

   Welcome back!

10. July 28, 2006

    Coop

    Hi
    I bought the San Filipe excitedly after Gary’s praise as I am always looking for a value priced Cab. no matter where its from. This one is a big DUD. Tastes like a cheap wine and after opening it, letting it open and trying it and a few different times it still sucked. I am always trying to find a cheap wine that doesn’t taste cheap. This is Not it

11. September 25, 2006

    Brandon M

    The San Felipe was the first wine I bought from WL and was a little dissapointed myself. I do fell it gets MUCH better after three hours of decanting.

    I find it funny how everyone got upset at Gary for not GIVING them epsiodes while he was away. Turns out wasn’t his fault with the Internet going down right before he left. I hope the same people that were bitchin at him, apologized when he got back!

    B

12. October 13, 2006

    Bear Down

    Gary,

    I’m back-tracking to catch up. I’m surprised about the Joel Gott. It is always one of my cheap stand-bys. However, I have not had the 2004. I really enjoyed the 2003 though.

13. October 23, 2006

    MarcT

    Drinking the “La Garrigue” tonight. Very nice. Thanks for the tip!!!

14. December 20, 2006

    Westchester Wino

    Was the rating of 89 for the San Felipe ‘04 cabernet based on a scale of 400?!?
    Or should it have been 8.9? Its bouquet reminded me of the odor I smell when traveling past Exit 13 of the NJ Turnpike! The 4 friends I have just tasted this wine with have been drinking wine on a regular basis for the last 15 years and have had multiple wine tasting parties. This has to be the worst wine any of us have ever tasted. The thing that really infuriates us is that we made a special trip to your store based on your recommendations on WL TV and bought a case. We are extremely disappointed with the wine. And this isn’t the first time we have been so dissappointed with your recommendation. It leads us to wonder whether your recommendations are based on taste or on promotions and/or discounts from the wineries whose wine you are recommending!! This is worse than the Morichetti ‘02 Malbec wine that you also highly recommended. What is the refund policy for this not even good enough for cooking red wine? I have almost two cases that I’m sure you will be more than happy to buy from me since you like it so much.

15. March 10, 2007

    ken

    I know that these comments are being written well past the air date of this episode. I bought two bottles of the San Felipe on a previous order from WL and I’ll have to say that I disagree with the comments written by Westchester Wino. I get the feeling that WW likes wines that have a lot of fake fruit, sugar, and oak. If your palate is similar to WW, you may not like this wine because IMO it tilts more toward the old world. The first bottle that I had of the San Felipe never did open up much, seemed a bit austere, and really lacked all of that great fruit that Gary spoke of. Last night, my wife and I opened up another bottle of the San Felipe and I splash decanted it for about 30 minutes prior to consumption. What a world of difference!! This wine has loads of fruit without being a fruit bomb. Also, if you disdain a lot of oak like I do, this wine is great because there’s no oak monster living within this stuff. Sure there is not a ton of complexity here but, hey, this is a $7 wine. It is not as simple as most other wines at this price point. My wife and I drank the entire bottle saving one cup because I am making short ribs today and need it for a recipe. It doesn’t make me feel bad using this wine in a recipe because it is so inexpensive. This is a great QPR but remember to let it breathe before drinking it.

16. May 11, 2007

    Sam

    Awesome!!! This episode should be done at least quarterly. Absolutely love the fact that you did some everyday wines for plebians like myself to be able to stock up. Thanks!

17. May 18, 2007

    Frances

    wow! tried the san felipe last evening. it smelled SO GOOD!

18. June 12, 2007

    David Canada

    Wish I could get my hands on the San Felipe…but i am a huge Rhone head and steadily moving out of California due to price and lack of delivery and QPR

19. August 7, 2007

    Marlene

    Gary, I just saw one of your videos for the first time. While I am no wine connoiseur, I recently enjoyed a San Felipe wine during my trip to Argentina. It was a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and malbec. I thought it was good and would like to know if you’ve tried it and what you think. I haven’t been able to find it here in the US.

20. August 21, 2007

    Palmer

    tipping point? I feel like I see a little bit of thunder creeping out in this episode…

21. August 31, 2007

    WA Ambassador

    Good episode. I’m glad to see that you covered some of the popular wines so that we could get your impression on them.

22. September 10, 2007

    GrapeStuff

    Glad to see you have the ‘05 La Garrigue CdR in stock – I will definitely be looking to stock up on some CdR from the ‘05 – appears to me to be a great way to get juice from a stellar vintage at a somewhat reasonable price.

    SHOW IDEA: A great idea would be to recco. some on the ’05s out of France that exhibit exceptional values. Some of us cant afford the $50-$500 bottles and are looking for something below those price points to have from this awesome vintage. Cheers!

23. February 9, 2008

    The Fanjestic

    I’m very curious to seek out the San Felipe if it’s still in that price range.

24. February 25, 2008

    yowens

    Hey GV- I reconize that Garrigue wine from somewhere, not sure if I’ve had it or not. cool episode, always nice when a cheap wine produces.

25. March 9, 2008

    Kristen

    I can’t believe the San Felipe showed as well as it did. That shows how much price shapes our decisions/thoughts on wine!

26. July 9, 2008

    Dan Leavy

    word 45 “Springfield”

27. September 14, 2009

    John J.

    Wow Gary, I never would have bought a wine as cheap as the San Felipe for fear of its quality. Thanks for pointing out yet another wine I didn’t know about and never would have tried. Definitely alot of value wines coming out of South America. Seeing you do a charbono tasting would be fantastic, another wine most probably haven’t tasted.

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