Chilean Values! – Episode #93

September 19, 2006

Wines tasted in this episode:

You asked Gary for it and now he repsonds! You asked for another Chilean episode and Gary delivers. Gary today tastes two Cabs and two Merlots from Chile to see how they measure up to their value. In a new twist for WLTV Gary issues a Challenge of the Day (COD) to all of the WLTV viewers!

104 Responses

September 19, 2006

Brandon M
Success #8?

Springfield, NY?

I want the Yoo Hoo! I like mine stirred.

So…my trip to Napa was great. I went to Rubicon and they had an awesome spread and some good wine. Picked up two bottles of ‘02 Rubicon, so I’ll comment on how they taste in about 15 years. They made you pay for cigars after you spent $100 a person which I thought was cheesy.

We went up to Sterling on Sunday because my Mother-In-Law loves it. We tried everything on the club member tasting list. The only wine that I absolutly had to buy was the 2003 North Coast Petite Syrah.
The Petite Syrah has an unbelievably long blue berry finish…it seems to last for five minutes.

Side note..My Mother-In-Law was appalled that I spit every wine…I loved it!

Then we went to ZD and tasted the 2004 Reserve Chardonnay – No Malolactic Fermentation, and yet it is still creamy.
Really Really good…but pricey. ($55.00)

Thanks for the Chilean taste Gary!

BTW…I REALLY miss seeing guests on your show. Maybe you don’t have to do winery owners / officers / wine makers, but some other kinds of guests.
Other wine critics / big time collectors would be fun. Maybe do a show on the road and feature a private wine cellar.
Just thoughts, but I miss the guests, I don’t think the show has to be all about tasting, but can be about the world of wine in general sometimes.

B
September 19, 2006

Jason
Rye Brook, NY?
September 19, 2006

Rick McQ
Wow in the Top 5 !!! Gary Love that Shirt
September 19, 2006

MarcT
YOOHOO for YOOHOO
September 19, 2006

MarcT
In your office.
Near the Birds!
September 19, 2006

Rick McQ
Are you Here: Yoo-hoo Chocolate Beverage, 900 King St., Rye Brook, NY 10573
September 19, 2006

TimF
Are you in Carlstadt, NJ?
September 19, 2006

TimF
Springfield, MA?
September 19, 2006

DougieFresh
I agree with Brandon, mix it up a bit. Walk around that beautiful store of yours and let’s meet the staff. Like that senior gentleman who greets you at the door on Saturdays. he’s so nice, I love that dude.

Also, let’s see who’s behind the camera. you talk about them, let’s meet them and hear what a maniacal boss you really are. ; )
September 19, 2006

MarcT
To all the jokers that don’t like the off subject episodes..this was perfect for you!!!
Tony..to bad for your heat episode too.
BTW…When Gary told us back about 30 episodes ago to contact him if we were going to any wine regions and wanted a hook up he was not kidding. I’m going to San Francisco/Napa and let him know. I now have the hook up. I’m not saying exactly what but it is THE HOOK UP!!
Thanks to Gary and Ian for everything!
I have been a fan of a few Chilean wines often because of cost to quality. I find that it is not hard to find a $10, 9 point wine (I use a 20 point scale so 89 for you guys).
And Gary, Next YooHoo you drink…Turn the bottle upside down and swirl the juice until you can see through the bottom…then and only then is the goodness that is YooHoo ready to drink
September 19, 2006

Chad O
Are you in NY trying to buy the Jets???
September 19, 2006

LMA
ummm… Springfield, IL? (Simpsons)
September 19, 2006

Jason
Well, you didn’t say you couldn’t do multiple guesses, so here are mine:

Let’s start with the only Yahoo plant outside of NJ:
Opelousas, Louisiana

These should be obvious:
Springfield, Arkansas
Springfield, California
Springfield, Colorado
Springfield, New London, Connecticut
Springfield, New Haven, Connecticut
Springfield, Florida
Springfield, Jacksonville, Florida
Springfield, Georgia
Springfield, Idaho
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Indiana
Springfield, Kentucky
Springfield, Louisiana
Springfield, Maine
Springfield, Maryland
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Michigan
Springfield, Minnesota
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Nebraska
Springfield, New Hampshire
Springfield, North Carolina
Springfield, Ohio
Springfield, Oregon
Springfield, Pennsylvania
Springfield, South Carolina
Springfield, South Dakota
Springfield, Tennessee
Springfield, Texas
Springfield, Vermont
Springfield, Virginia
Springfield, West Virginia
Springfield, Wisconsin

Let’s throw a few wine-growing regions of Chile into the mix:
Atacama
Coquimbo
Aconcagua
Central Valley
South

Victor Hobson’s hometown:
Philidelphia, PA

Alright, that should about cover it. Even if I don’t win, I think I take the prize for most ridiculous answer.
September 19, 2006

TimF
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. Home of Snapple Bev Co.
September 19, 2006

EmeryP
Your in Sunnyvale, CA
September 19, 2006

Jason
Edit: Take Springfield, MA and Springfield, IL off the list since others guessed them while I was posting that nonsense.

Additionally, here’s a question. Gary, what’s your take on wines for cocktails? I love Sangria and Mimosas in particular. Do you think you should use the best wines you have for these, or that you should use not-so-good wines, or that they shouldn’t be made at all? I suppose a corollary question would be what is your philosophy on using wines in cooking. What quality of wine should be used there?
September 19, 2006

garyv
JUST JUMPED ON TO SEE IF ANYONE WON, NEED CITY AND STATE ….NO ONE HAS IT YET !!!!! MY GUYS WILL KEEP AN EYE…GOTTYA GO !!!!
September 19, 2006

TimF
Secaucus, NJ
September 19, 2006

garyv
“Your in Sunnyvale, CA

Comment 15: By EmeryP on September 19th, 2006 at 2:12 pm e”———-WINNNNNNNNNER

SEE YOU GUYS SOON and thnx for getting me here !!!!!
September 19, 2006

TimF
San Diego, CA.
September 19, 2006

Bruce
Mexico — Say hello to Bumble Bee Guy for me
September 19, 2006

MarcT
Springfield NJ 07081
September 19, 2006

TimF
Is that a reference to Bumblebee Health Foods? I went the other way with Bumblebee Tuna…
September 19, 2006

Jason
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.??
September 19, 2006

MarcT
586 Morris Avenue
Springfield, New Jersey 07081
Do you want GPS?
September 19, 2006

Julia
Hey Gary: What about a sake episode, for all those folks into sushi?
September 19, 2006

Julia
Oh, and say ‘hi’ to the folks at Yahoo! I mean Yoohoo.
September 19, 2006

Julia
Oh, and say ‘hi’ to the folks at Yahoo! I mean Yoohoo. DO they grok WLTV?
September 19, 2006

Matthew L
Gary,

Shook? Unshook? Okay…I will let you slide with that poor use of language in exchange for another solid episode.

Casa Julia…thanks for the tip. Secondly, I’ve had wine from Santa Rita and found them to be decent, but I think you nailed my thoughts on the head. It’s just that…decent.

Ok…that leads me to question. I’m often shaking my head at wine ratings, generally, but let’s focus on yours. If you don’t like a wine…you say “P A Z Z” why give it a mid- to high-80s score? According to Parker:

96-100 points
An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase, and consume.

90-95 points
An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines.

80-89 points
A barely above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavor as well as character with no noticeable flaws.

70-79 points
An average wine with little distinction except that it is a soundly made. In essence, a straightforward, innocuous wine.

60-69 points
A below average wine containing noticeable deficiencies, such as excessive acidity and/or tannin, an absence of flavor, or possibly dirty aromas or flavors.

50-59 points
A wine deemed to be unacceptable.

I have yet to see you give a wine a 79 or lower. Even though, given your comments, it would seem many of the wines you’ve had on the show would merit such a low score. What gives?

Matthew
September 19, 2006

Sam Zen
G- agreed with the Los Vascos. In addition to it meaning The Basques (of which I am one) I loved the older reserves. However, since the 03 vintage the quality has dipped considerably in my opinion. Can you find out what happened. They really need to get their act back together.
September 19, 2006

Brandon M
Sunnyvale? Because of Snapple? Weeeeeeeeeak!
September 19, 2006

Rob M.
OK, I give up. How did you know, EmoryP?

Excellent episode, always excited about value wines.
September 19, 2006

Jason R.
Since there has already been a winner… What next??? Maybe back to the standing QOD (That Gary erupted on me when I suggested…. “What was the last bottle of wine that you drank???”

C~Mon Gary – It’s O.K. I am not stealing your Thunder.. I just like to hear what people are drinking as I find it interesting and it brings me out of my shell of drinking Napa Cabs & Bordeaux.

Last wine I drank was 2000 Meyney…. Little young, very very tight – Started to get something on the nose after about 3 hours. On palate – rich, dark fruit, plummy, little woodsy flavors… This was the first of the 50+ bottles of 2000 in cellar and if any indication – they need more time to mellow out and have excellent potential…
September 19, 2006

Brandon M
Oh….Sunnyvale…Yahoo Headquarters…still weeeeeeak.
Is EmoryP a Yahoo guy?…must be.

1975 Chateau Latour…there, now I’m not off topic.

B
September 19, 2006

gabe
sunnyvale, CA
September 19, 2006

I.B.
Hello Gary V!
Interesting show. Personally though, I would love to see more â€œold schoolâ€ wines in the line ups.
So hereâ€™s my idea of THE PERFECT SHOW: 4 DRY chenin blanc wines! The chenin grape is too often mechanically associated with sweet dessert wines. A great shame!Actually bone-dry chenin blancs can be a very interesting alternative to Riesling. To make things easier, Iâ€™ve found the following 4 dry chenins from http://www.winelibrary.com:
1) DRY CREEK CHENIN BLANC (SONOMA COUNTY, USA – On Sale: $9.99 )
2) FOXEN CHENIN BLANC ERNESTO WICKENDEN VINEYARD 2003 (SANTA MARIA VALLEY, USA – On Sale: $15.99 )
3) JOLY SAVENNIERES 2003 (LOIRE, FRANCE – On Sale: $23.99 )
4) BAUMARD SAVENNIERES TRIE ESPECIALE 2003 (LOIRE, FRANCE – On Sale: $28.99 )
September 19, 2006

StanVH
Matthew L you’ve raised an interesting point.

I very rarely see a wine rated less than about 85 points — lets say 80 points is the lowest that 99.9% of the published ratings get.

There may be lower scores that don’t get published. However, a quick perusal of the latest (Oct. 15) issue of Wine Spectator indicated that only 7 out of 650 wines were below 80 — and thse were all in the high 70’s. Their system is similar to Parkers. 70 – 79 “a drinkable wine with minor flaws”, 80 – 84 “Good-a solid, well made wine, and so on.

Then, what we really have is a 20 point scale. I remember, back in the day when I first began to be interested in wines, there was indeed a 20 point scale. It was composed of so many points for color, bouquet, taste, etc and if a wine was tops in all of these categories, then it would acheive a score of 20. No matter what Paraker, Wine Spectator, et al, say, I think that we have basically a de facto 20 point scale. Thus an 85 point wine would be (more-or-less) a 17 pointer, 90 –> 18 points, 95 –> 19 points and so on.

I regard most scores with a grain of salt. I find that I generally score wines for myself in the following two-tier scale:

Tier 1 — 0 to 5 astericks with 3 astericks and above being wines is lke a lot, a real lot and a really, really lot

Tier 2 — 0 to 1 0 – even though I may like it, its not worth it, 1 – its worth it.

I would like to see what scoring systems, if any, that others use.

Salut
September 19, 2006

Tony
Arrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can’t not do the heat episode! Particularly just because you forgot to shake a Yoohoo!!

Good episode on Chilean wines. Totally agree on the Los Vascos. I thought it was terrible.

So what’s in Sunnyvale, and how did EmeryP get Sunnyvale from Yoohoo?? And what’s in Sunnyvale? Are you going to make it up to Napa or Sonoma while you’re in our sunny state?
September 19, 2006

TimF
Oh now I get it. He messed up and said Yahoo when he opened the Yoo-Hoo. Man am I slow…
September 19, 2006

BigBob
Springfield, NJ or is it Millburn. Same desk as always…
September 19, 2006

Mike I
Basketball hall of fame, Sprigfield MA
September 19, 2006

Julius
Obviously Matthew L Has not been a long time viewer of WLTV. Gary’s method of scoring has very often not been “in step” with his descriptions and recommendations of the wines. He may use the same number scale (1-100) as WA and WS but lacks the structure of those systems (as the WA method you described and the WS system previously described). There may be some validity to his extreme scoring (below 80 or above 90) but you just have to ignore his “in between” scoring and focus on what he says about the wine.
September 19, 2006

garyv
YO DUDES whats up!!!! I Miss you guys, I will be back in NJ on THURSDAY taping a fresh episode! How is everyone, suddo question of the day….”what are you drinking tonight?”—ME JUST merlot from a screw top 187ml, JET BLUE’s merlot on flight. Oh and another thing….I LOVE U GUYS

so answer the question….what arr you drinking tonight?
September 19, 2006

garyv
I knew that Simpson’s toy would throw a lot of you “off”
September 19, 2006

TimF
Julius – I agree completely. He’ll say, “Oh man this is a great wine — I love it”. Then he’ll give it an 89. Then he’ll pan a wine, say it’s terrible and give it an 89. I can’t wait to see the spreadsheet. I’m guessing there are a double-ton of 89s. The Vayner-Nod is a much more accurate measure of the wine’s quality.
September 19, 2006

TimF
I had a bottle of $4 Purple Moon shiraz (from Trader Joes) the other day. Man that stuff isn’t bad for the price.

GaryV – I just got my shipment of those 4 free shipping Rieslings. Which one should I drink tonight?
September 19, 2006

Matthew L
Julius…thanks for responding. I’m not “new” to WLTV. In fact, thought I stumbled upon the v-blog a few weeks ago, I watched all the old episodes (what does that say about my use of free time huh?–*shrug*) Anyway, you make a good point, and I do listen to what Gary says more than rely on the rating number. With that said, I still stand by my original line that there have been a number of reviews where he clearly didn’t like the wine AT ALL and still scored it 86. I’ve been thinking WTH? Other than pissing off distributors, which Gary doesn’t seem to have a real issue with, why not poo-poo a bottle if it’s really bad.
September 19, 2006

Matthew L
TimF…I agree that the Vayner-Nod is the most accurate wine rating system I’ve seen to date. I guess my question shouldn’t be limited to Gary and is a large query about the wine rating system itself. That’s why a couple weeks ago I mentioned an article in the NY Times about the problems with wine ratings. Here’s a link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/13/business/yourmoney/13rate.html?ex=1313121600&en=a02ef283eea32540&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

I, too, am interested in that spreadsheet!
September 19, 2006

TimF
That’s maybe the best thing about WLTV. You actually see Gary’s reactions to tasting. You can’t see when RP makes a funny face — that doesn’t show up in the Wine Advocate. But you can tell when Gary likes something or doesn’t. In fact, that should be a column in the spreadsheet VaynerNod/VaynerChuck. Keeps it simple…
September 19, 2006

Jason R.
Gary – Thanks for the “intern” QOD!!!

YOU HAVE REACHED HIGHER GROUND. I see that your competitors are WATCHING!!! The Wine Buyer (WAYNE, NJ) is bagging you on a bulk e-mail sent today.. I quote: “Unlike Our Competition, this is NOT our last Free Shipping offer of 2006! In fact, weâ€™re going to keep our free shipping page going with over 50 wines FOR THE REST OF 2006!”

Is this a “Mine is Bigger” fight?? LOL

Gary – You going to take that????!!! Those “Yahoo’s” (I know they are reading the comments too) have one-up’d ya… Just kidding – they are offering Free Shipping cause their prices are much higher and have a bunch of stuff they can’t move!!!
September 19, 2006

garyv
JASON R I WILL DESTROY THEM !!!! LOL, no I am serious
September 19, 2006

Big Billy from Big D
Then there’s the VaynerGlug – a second taste and then a swallow.
Chin chin
September 19, 2006

garyv
SO where are all the answers to the written question of the day!
September 19, 2006

E
Three things:

One, I’m really liking this Chenin thing upthread, although I’d throw in a Steen and a Vouvray just to keep it interesting.

Two, it’s my sincere hope that one of these days, I’ll find a Chilean syrah that doesn’t reek of petrol and dead leaves, and taste even worse. The Cabs, not so much – Casa Concha’s always nice, even Los Vascos wasn’t so much bad as it was “meh”, but every syrah I had was downright awful.

And finally: “Protovision, I have you now!”
September 19, 2006

Marc Mc
I agree with Matthew L. comment #29

Gary, What’s going on??????????
Baco 87-88pts BUY Los Vascos 83pts DON’T BUY
Casa 89pts BUY Santa Rita 86pts DON’T BUY

The buys should be higher, or the passes should be lower.

As a side note, please stop “wineing” about the JETS. I’m a life long Packer fan and its a shame our organization could not keep a solid line intact for one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. The team is an embarassment and Brett Favre deserves better at the end of a great career!!!!
September 19, 2006

BruceP
Tonight will be a 2004 Eno Wines “The Gifted One” Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia highlands). Nice local small producer in CA.
September 19, 2006

Joe P
Gary, try Montes Alpha 02 cab – it’s $18 but spectacular! You should sell it!
September 19, 2006

Brandon M
Tonight I am drinking the Eleventh Hour….It truly is a great mid-week, long day at the office wine! Thanks again Gary!

Also..to all of you who are SO worried about ratings…look….Gary has said over and over again that it is YOUR palette that counts, not even his. So try as many wines as possible and judge for yourself! I personally use Gary’s ratings as a mere starting point on something new I might like to try, but there is so much out there to try for yourself. That’s why people are dissapointed in Parker, WS, WE, and the like. It’s because ALL of our palettes are different. Do you think Gary has ever had an off day? I do, and so he may have panned something that you might like, or given a high rating to something you don’t. Sometimes wine is better just because of the time and place and not always the overall taste. My favorite episode to date is the Amon Ra episode where Gary compared what decanting does to a wine. He was merely showing what steps can be taken to make a wine better. In that episode he said that decanting can even make a few of those $8 bottles taste a little better. I think that is what Wine Library TV is all about, not how Gary reactes to 89s when he’s having a bad / good day!

Wow…now that’s ON topic!

B
B
September 19, 2006

zerokreap (kw)
good episode….haven’t watched in a few days, but this is a good one to come back to. i hate yoohoo. this episode…91pts.
btw, it is really awesome when you rate the unrated wines on the site…especially when they are bargains, which they most often are!

thanks
September 19, 2006

kidseyemd
Hey GV,

I’m thinking a split of Barlow 2002 Cab, or maybe JL Chave Cote du Rhone 2003 which, btw is stunning
Safe trip…

Hugh
September 19, 2006

kidseyemd
Hey Brandon

I wouldnt mind meeting Eddie either….
September 19, 2006

Brandon M
Wouldn’t that be something? I’d love to share some of his Pinot with him
September 19, 2006

Tampa Steve
Drinking a glass of Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio as I type. I agree with the above on the rating thing. IMO 86 is not bad, at least that is what WS or Parkers rating indicate. A wine that is bad that I should pass on should score either very low 80’s (80-82) or below. Also this is where price does come into play. If a wine scores an 86 and is $10 then I think it is something to possibly consider. If a wine rated 86 is $100 then it is a BIG pass and I have no interest to even try it. Yea, Gary rating a $8-10 wine a pass and giving it a 86 rating make no sense in my book (shrug….shrug).
September 19, 2006

Tampa Steve
BTW…Brandon, what the hell is on your head in that picture….lolol
September 19, 2006

Brandon M
That’s my Viking Hat (Not a Minnesota Fan) for Haloween!

BTW…Did everyone see the Dodgers last night? Huh? Huh? Greatest game of the year, and top 10 Dodger game all time! Now we will win the division!
September 19, 2006

Tony
Tonight… let’s see. I’m tasting four wines under $10 for my wine column in a local paper (I promised readers that I’d recommend a good wine for under ten bucks a few weeks ago and didn’t deliver, so now there’s hell to pay).

Let’s see if I can remember off the top of my head:

Covey Run Reisling
Rosemount Estates Cab/Merlot/Petite Verdot
Rosenblum Syrah
Hess Select Chardonnay

Picked them up at the local CostPlus. I’m not holding my breath on any of these. I’m just hoping to find one (odds favor the Rosenblum) that I can recommend to readers.
September 19, 2006

elron
Gary, you’re stupid(funny)! You had me rolling with that ending. Funny stuff; keep it up!
September 19, 2006

JimB
Because of WLTV my buying is at least 6 months ahead of my drinking. I am currently drinking the 1999 Palomero you got so exited about. I like it.
September 19, 2006

Matthew L
Brandon…look closely at what I said. I agreed with most in that I don’t put all my stock in the rating system. But, let’s be real…the rating system exists and Gary (and others) use it for every bottle of wine. For goodness sake, Gary even gate Molson and Yoo-hoo ratings! (lol)

I can’t speak for others, but I am not, as you stated, “SO” hung up on ratings. I had a more basic question about why there are rankings that start at 50 and go to 100, but I have yet to see on WLTV or read about a 79 or lower-rated wine. That’s not hung on up ratings. What it IS, from my keyboard, is an earnest attempt to get an answer to the question.

Ok…ratings aside…does anyone have recommendations for an under-counter wine fridge? I am getting my kitchen remodeled, and I have room for a 24″(w) x 35″(h) x 24″(d) wine fridge. I am not wed to a particular brand. In fact, I saw a great Kenmore Elite 32 bottle fridge for $600. So, if you have a wine fridge, or have done some research on them, please share.

Thanks…Matthew
September 19, 2006

joe
Drinking a 1998 Bertani Amorone 1998 at Rustico’s (in LA area)
September 19, 2006

Brandon M
Matthew…fair enough.
I guess I’m very sick of my “Spectator” friends who stay in the box!

B
September 19, 2006

TimF
Brandon – Great call on the Dodgers game. Unreal. It’s almost unbelievable.

Tony – I’ve had that Covey Run in a pinch and I don’t recall it being awful. But keep in mind that I like just about everything I’ve ever drunk. A bottle has to be horrible for me to remember it being bad.

GaryV – I’m drinking a Cava (Raventos i Blanc) right now to toast my wife getting a new job today. It went great with our Shrimp Pad Thai. I would have busted out my ‘93 Grande Dame but it wouldn’t have been chilled in time for dinner. I was going to have that when I got my MBA last year but alas, my wife was pregnant at the time. I need to come up with some reason to drink that one…
September 19, 2006

Susan
Gary-
Another fabulous episode! I give this one a 95:)
I am assuming you got on an airplane to watch your Jets? Get it- airplane – Jets!
All puns aside.
I am not a big football fan so I don’t know where you are……….
I am not drinking anything tonight since I am a little low on funds. I get paid this Friday so I will tell you what I am drinking then.
I do like this episode.
I might try to find that Reserve Merlot for this weekend. It looks yummy!
September 19, 2006

PeteB
Good episode!

Tonights drink: Arizona Green Tea (2006 Vintage):)
September 19, 2006

PeteB
Good episode!

This evenings drink: Arizona Green Tea (2006 Vintage):)
September 19, 2006

DWildman
Drinking some Rosenblum Petite Sirah Heritage Clones 2004….amazing inky black stuff, started drinking it with some lamburgers I had for dinner, and continuing while snacking on Marcona almonds. Alternating with some of Whole Foods 365 Italian sparkling water (better than San Pellegrino, I’d venture to say). Great low-carb evening.
September 19, 2006

Bruce
Hi Gary,

Your in Ryebrook, NY

How come you stopped rinsing your glass and answering posted questions?

We all want you to sing your new song…..”Merlot back”

Is there a time limit you are under for your episodes?, don’t be afraid to go a little longer and answer more questions…

Great episode!
September 19, 2006

Paul B
suddo QOD?

Tonight I am drinking an Oreana Winery 2004 “?” Chardonnay. It’s a $10 Chard from a winery in Santa Barbara, CA. Awesome value and a perfect mid-week wine. Tony, you may want to add one of these to your next $10 and under tasting column. Oreana also makes a great “?” Red Table Wine.

So Gary, whay are you in Sunnyvale? For a day trip? That’s a tough travel assignment.
September 19, 2006

Bruce
One more thing…..

I love it when you do not like a wine and you smack your lips and then clank your teeth….could be part of the Vanernod system…..call a bad wine a “clanker”

I have a bottle of 2003 Nalle Zinfandel breathing upstairs..gotta go!
September 19, 2006

Billy G
2004 Arista Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. I bought some at the winery this summer. Good stuff.
September 19, 2006

garyv
Im in Sunnyvale on some business WLTV is making noise boys!
September 19, 2006

alanh
Last couple of bottles I had was a 2002 Roda & DJP Villa de Corullon ‘03; both had massive fruit but the DJP was looking a bit green. Hope you check out some more spanish wines soon.

Also, in relation to the pinot episode the other day Gary (or anyone else withe experience) how do Calera Pinot’s stand up over time? In Australia currently it’s common to see Calera from the 97-00 vintages, would they be looking tired and past it yet?
September 19, 2006

Susan
So I realize I am a little slow…. but…
You are in Sunnyvale, CA home of Yahoo.
Interesting….
Please give us more details of why Yahoo later…
September 19, 2006

the professor and....
Big Billy, you nailed it with the Vayner-Glug(second sip and a swallow) as the ultimate approval, but what the hell do you call that “face rub”? Is that the Vayner-holyshitthisisthecrappiestjuicei’veevertasted ?

drinking Braut & Sistra from the Library tonight.

Making noise in Sunnyvale? Great for WLTV, but don’t forget us little guys when your rubbing elbows with the big wigs at Yahoo.

One more thing, when are you gonna have a live taping of WLTV so that all of us can get together and drink some wine? Episode 100?
September 20, 2006

GOL
Posting a little late, but have read through the comments… anybody notice the “extra spit” GV did on the Santa Rita? I think I’ve seen this from him in an earlier episode. It’s like what Urlacher is gonna say to any Jets receiver that comes across the middle, get that weak stuff outta here! I think the “extra spit” is the opposite of the Glug.

Hope the Yahoo meeting went well GV, we’ll all say we knew you when

QOD – No wine tonight, saving myself for a day in Napa on Thursday. I can confirm Marc T’s comment, not that I asked for a hook-up, but GV helped me narrow down a long list of wineries to a managable one day number. Thanks again GV and I’ll follow Brandon M’s lead and post some highlights!
September 20, 2006

Chris Stanisci
SPREADSHEET UPDATE: A few people have mentioned the spreadsheet so I wanted to give an update.

Gary has put me in touch with Brian W. and John K. from the WL who are working on the best way to post this info….IT IS COMING SOON. THANKS to Gary, Brian and John.

Secondly, I have not been compiling info for every wine on each episode. Rather, I have been listing Gary’s “recommended” wines ONLY. Sometimes he likes one (chianti), sometimes he likes five (canadian icewines). Remember that I started compiling this for myself and was only interested in the “good” wines. So, when folks want to “compare” Gary’s ratings, they will find only higher ratings (89 and up) since they are all the ones that he recommended. Hence, most all of these have gotten the “VaynerNOD”, so no need to add a column for this. In fact, maybe I should re-name this the “The VaynerNOD’s Greatest Hits”.

Finally, the best part of the spreadsheet is the section detailing Gary’s tasting notes. I am a novice and I did this so that when I drink one of his recommended wines, I can see if I can smell and taste the same things. But this is the best part of WLTV hence, I’m slightly bummed that folks might want to use this as a means to give Gary SH*T about his ratings.

Also, rememeber that Gary changed his rating procedure about 10 episodes ago, when, per multiple comments, he agreed to no longer take price into consideration when rating.

I think the best way to use the ratings is within a specific episode…

Luv the 2 new VaynerTERMS: VaynerGLUG and VaynerCLANK (Bruce, I added on to your original “clank” suggestion from above–BTW, I know exactly what you’re referring to….I love when he VaynerCLANK’s

I also drank Arizona GREEN Tea tonight…but, the night before I had the “2001 Buoncristiani OPC (Ol Pa’s Cuvee) Claret” (from a special pre-sale offer Video which is also on the spreadsheet) ….GREAT juice.
September 20, 2006

Chris Stanisci
FYI, I also compiled another spreadsheet detailing everyone’s answers to the QOD from Ep. 88 — What is your favorite restaurant? Pretty nice listing of restaurants in a bunch of different cities….a total of around 170 restaruants. If you want a copy, leave me your email address.
September 20, 2006

Lawrence Leichtman
Are you guys going to publish the spreadsheets somewhere? Other than going to the Yoohoo factory, why Sunnyvale?
Last night finished up the bottle of Ravenswood 2000 Belloni Zindafandel
September 20, 2006

Matthew L
Chris…Kudos for compiling the spreadsheet–both on the episodes and the restaurants. That more than qualifies for a resounding victory in the 2006 WLTV “Yeoman’s Effort of the Year Award” category!
September 20, 2006

Tony G.
I’ll second that vote!! Great effort Chris, I look foward to checking them out.
September 20, 2006

Susan
Chris Stanisci,
Please email me that spreadsheet. Thank you for putting that together.
I travel some – so this will be very helpful.
email:
spauldingone@yahoo.com
September 20, 2006

Vinacull
Gary,
Hope you enjoy some great wine in CA and have a safe trip back. Thanks for unveiling some Chilean values for under 10, and the Yoohoo (Yahoo? Yayhoo?) taste test ending was good fun. To Chris Stanisci, big thanks for working with the folks from WL to disseminate the the WLTV notes mastersheet – really looking forward to it. Gary, you have said in the past to speak up when you don’t agree with something. I have to say, over the last few episodes there have been many interesting viewer questions and great ideas for the perfect episode based on your own request, but they continue to go unaddressed and I think it sells short a vital part of WLTV. Even today’s QOD was an afterthought, which brings fewer responses because not everyone has the time to read all the comments after watching the EP. Please consider devoting an episode to the questions and comments from the loyals and lurkers who support the concept. Keep up the great work of calling them as they strike you and painting the profiles with vivid descriptions, along with the “chuk” and “nod” that people rely on. Sincerely, CK
September 20, 2006

MaryS
Hey Gary,
I hope you are including us girls that are watching when you say “hey dudes, I love you guys and WLTV is making noise boys”! Just kidding. But don’t forget we are out here too! As for what I drank last night………….I’m a little embarrassed to say I tried a Turning Leaf Riesling. Didn’t care for it, but what do you expect for $7. I picked it up on the way home and the store I stopped at had a very limited selection and none that you had recommended. But I can only go up from here right! LOL
September 20, 2006

David M
Hey Gary!

Drank a Sineann Baby Poux 2001 Cab Sav…awesome! Next time you are in Cali, come down south and let’s party!

Cheers!
September 20, 2006

Tony
Chris Stan, I’d love a copy of the restaurant list. Great work! WS did a big article on San Francisoc restaurants this month, and included a section on wine bars (somewhat limited IMO). I think it would be great if Gary’s QOD today was “what is your favorite wine bar?”

I’ll start off. I’ve only been to a couple in the City, including First Crush (pretty good, but only CA wines), the Ferry Wine Merchant (OK, not as impressed as I wanted to be), and one on Powell near Union Square whose name escapes me (had an excellent Topel Syrah there). My favorite wine bar (because it’s the only one in Chico) is Monks (interesting and eclectic selection of wines). Enotria in Sacramento is also excellent.
September 20, 2006

Julius
I thought it would be interesting to see what Robert Parker has to say about his “Tasting Notes and Ratings.” It should be noted that RP typically tastes and rates wines in peer groups, so the scores should be looked at in a relative way rather than as an absolute. If, for instance, he scores Sauvignon Blancs no higher than 90, than we might look at that 90 as the equivalent of a 97-98 Cabernet Sauvignon. But as he states, the written commentary offers better information. If you like the characteristics that he describes in a specific wine and it is at a price point you would be willing to spend then why not buy it.

(The excerpt from eRobertParker.com follows below)

“There are specific standards of quality that full-time wine professionals recognize, and there are benchmark wines against which others can be judged. I know of no one with three or four different glasses of wine in front of him or her, regardless of how good or bad the wines might be, who cannot say, “I prefer this one to that one.” Scoring wines is simply taking a professional’s opinion and applying some sort of numerical system to it on a consistent basis. Scoring permits rapid communication of information to expert and novice alike.”

“Scores, however, do not reveal the important facts about a wine. The written commentary that accompanies the ratings is a better source of information regarding the wine’s style and personality, its relative quality vis-Ã -vis its peers, and its value and aging potential than any score could ever indicate.”

“Scores are important for the reader to gauge a professional critic’s overall qualitative placement of a wine vis-Ã -vis its peer group. However, it is also vital to consider the description of the wine’s style, personality, and potential. No scoring system is perfect, but a system that provides for flexibility in scores, if applied by the same taster without prejudice, can quantify different levels of wine quality and provide the reader with one professional’s judgment. However, there can never be any substitute for your own palate nor any better education than tasting the wine yourself.”
September 20, 2006

RJ
Chris, pls. add me to email lists. Tks. RJ
September 21, 2006

Vinacull
Thanks Julius for the RP quote! Informative and a great reminder. Cheers, C
September 21, 2006

Chris Stanisci
RJ

I need your email address to send you the Restaurant spreadsheet…please post.
September 21, 2006

Chris Stanisci
RJ (& any WLTVer),

Please post your email address in a comment on Episode #88 (that’s the one I’ll be checking as this is the episode where “your favorite restaurant” was the QOD).
July 18, 2007

David Canada
This will get me to try a $10 bottle again…thanks for the kick in the ass.’
February 15, 2008

thefanjestic
Yoohoo? Are you kidding me? Anything less than 99 points is an insult for possibly one of the greatest inventions of all time!! Forget electricity, the phone or indoor plumbbing. Yoohoo tops them all!

Good episode – I need to try one of those Baca wines.
June 23, 2008

PsychoI3oy
I’m surprised nobody mentioned the smell on the Los Vascos Cab Sauv of ‘paper’. Such a popular wine being bad is not out of character for WLTV, but is it possible that it was corked?
September 20, 2009

John J.
Saw in the comments Gary, you’re supposed to be in Sunnyvale Ca. Guess you brought your dad’s birds with you.
If you’re looking for requests for shows we’ve never seen, one on vin jaune, and one on a tasting of different charbono’s would be nice

Chilean Values! – Episode #93

Wines tasted in this episode:

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