93 Point Wines Are They Worth It?

93 Point Wines Are They Worth It? – Episode #103

October 9, 2006

Wines tasted in this episode:

Today Gary attacks three wines with huge scores, 93 points to be exact and tries to see if they are worth the score. Sit back and watch a very interesting episode of Wine Library TV and oh yeah send a link to all your friends!

Links mentioned in todays episode.

Metheny’s Wine Site
Link to BBC Podcast

105 Responses

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October 9, 2006

MarcT
Good point Brandon, I get that too.
October 9, 2006

MarcT
TimF…
Sawyer Cellars – Napa (OUT OF THIS WORLD)…also as a side note I did some barrel tasting and they have some serious juice coming too!!! I also got to taste some Cab that had been picked the day before and it was so complex already with green bell pepper, sweet blueberries, and blackberries cobbler!

Larkmead Vineyards – Napa (good wine and nice place…young)

Cass Winery – Paso Robles (some good to very good and some OK…young but very good concept and drive)
October 9, 2006

Brandon M
I hate to say it, but I probably get called a wine snob more than I deserve. I tell people what I honestly think of a wine (if they ask) but when I sayI don’t like it, they think I’m a snob..aaaargh!
October 9, 2006

Mike S.
The Redskins lost, so it wasn’t that great of a football weekend. However, amidst other good news from USA Rugby this weekend, the Men’s National Team qualified for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France next, so that more than makes up for the Redskins’ bend and break defense.

Gary – you’re not a shark. It’s a reference to an old “Happy Days” episode where Fonzie jumps over a shark while waterskiing and has become a reference for when a television show is no longer any good. If you don’t do an episode on red Burgundy, though, you just might reach that point…

Wine snobbery, easily when an arrogant French waiter pointedly told my girlfriend (who’s from Dijon) and I that he had a better, more expensive, wine than the one we’d chosen and refused to bring out what we originally wanted. Fortunately, the wine he chose was terrible and we politely asked for our original selection. Ahh, the expression on his face still brings a smile to face.
October 9, 2006

MarcT
That was awesome Gary!!! I have to buy new pants now because I laughed my ass off!!!

I’m a bear (used to have the nickname “Bear”)

Great tasting today.

QOD…I have mentioned in past poats about wine snobbery but I think the best comes from a restaurant owner I know. He has a grasp on a market in an area that will not pay for true quality so this restaurant is considered to be “fine dining” in my neck of the woods. It is not “fine dining” by my standards…hold on a second…am I committing food snobbery?…I am…I think.

OK so I’m not a rat and I am not going to bash this guy.

Yeah right…
So what the folks out here in rural GA consider to be fine dining, I consider to be just better than typical restaurant food. As the wine list goes…it is based on customer purchase, not request or taste, but cutomer purchase with a couple of high eighty pointers as the top shelf offerings.
I ask the owner about changing some of the wines and maybe offering a few others (I mentioned some that have great QPR) and he said,
“But everyone loves the house merlot. It is so good. I have been drinking wines for many years and know that this merlot is real quality. Would you like a glass?”
“What kind of merlot is it?” I ask.
Much to my suprise he said, “Yellow Tail. One of the best Australian wine producers.”
I replied, “I’m not a big Yellow Tail fan. I think I have a Sam Adams.”
“You are young so over time your palate will become defined and you will taste quality like I do.” was he response.

NO WAY!!! I may be “young” (28) but I know damn well I have a better palate than this jackass any day! I do still feel like I am learning but this guy was over the top on me because I am young and I must not know anything about wine.
I left it at that.

So Gary, when and where is the WLTV party?
October 9, 2006

Brandon M
Tony S…..I’ve known so many of those types of people that have run into trouble financially. It’s funny how the tides can turn when ones priorities are screwed up!

Tim F…I haven’t been to a winery in a couple of weeks, but come November, I’m going crazy in Sonoma!

B
October 9, 2006

zerokreap (kw)
good episode…you’re getting it down! anyway, i really wish i could give you a good example of wine snobbery, but when i hear it i try to foget it as soon as humanly possible…wine is cool, and i think it can have a level of complexity that begs for conversation…but who wants to hear someone be an ass about it? yeah, there are a lot of people out there that will say kendall jackson is awesome! or insist that carlo is as good as any other wine…and in general there will be misconceptions as to what is a good wine….but let those people be….they know one thing the snobs don’t…that wine is meant to be enjoyed!

gary: what is the best source in your opinion as it relates to the wine world…spectator, advocate, WLTV? is there some under the radar wine zine that is better? also, does RP know WLTV exists? have you spoken to him about it?
October 9, 2006

Brandon M
Russ J..nicely put, nothing an Arm Bar couldn’t fix!

B
October 9, 2006

TimF
Hey everybody, we’re mid-crush in the US right now, so let’s hear everyone’s winery visit stories. Where is everyone going? Anyone actually doing any winemaking out there? Maybe a not-too-distant-future QOD, Gary?
October 9, 2006

TimF
I don’t like it when people talk down to me and say something like, “I don’t drink white wine.” or “a white wine would never go with that dish”. Foo-ey.
October 9, 2006

Tony S.
Nice episode…even nicer decanters. For the question o’ the day: Working in the “fine” wine business, there’s quite a bit of snobbery all around. We do auction and retail, and there’s usually a difference in the retail buyers and auction buyers. Though both on both sides we have lots of really great clients, there are those people that just take the $$ part of wine way too seriously. I don’t get too much of the snobbery in that aspect, because I think those people assume that I’m a snob since I work with this stuff.

But the WORST kind of snobbery is the “class” snobbery. I’m in the warehouse with all the shipping and operations guys…you know, the fella’s that get to wear jeans and our hands get dirty but we’re surrounded by wine all day. Well, one day one of the sales people came down into the warehouse with a client who wanted a tour (the warehouse is in the basement, the sales-staff is on the 5th floor). No big deal, the salesperson is showing the client around and at the same time, the client was going to pick up a few online orders he had made throughout the last couple weeks. Well, the salesperson told my guys that the client was going to “just pick up the most recent order”. So we give the client his most recent order and he looks at my guys like they’re idiots and says “I should have more wine than this!” (You know, it’s totally the end of the world of course). So, my guy says that he thought he was just picking up the one order (which is what the sales person told us). So the client, in his nice suit, chuckles and says, “That’s why you’re in the basement and not up on the 5th floor in the offices.”

Excuse me for ranting, but yes, I know that there are a lot of rich people out there that are super nice and treat people like humans. But I absolutely hate it when someone thinks that they’re more important because of a paycheck or job title. There are a lot of jerks and great people on both sides of the spectrum. People need to just be themselves and just treat people with respect.

Ok. I’ll stop now. Either way, I’m glad to see that a lot of the viewer/posters seem to be pretty laid back and not snobs. You shouldn’t assume someone doesn’t know about wine because they’re not wearing a $300 polo. The guy checking out wine deals wearing black Converse, shorts and a punk rock t-shirt holding his bike helmet might have tasting notes for an 82 Lafite at home.

See you later…and GO BEARS!!! Next Monday at Arizona…do I smell 6-0??
T
October 9, 2006

Russ J
Gary, you trooper! We all could see the pain in your eyes! Boy did yesterday not go as I expected for the NY/NJ teams.

Did you pour the Daniel into the Velona Brunello decanter during your port demo? That will be a tasty brew for your people to sample. Well, you were upset….

Jeez, I don’t really have a wine snobbery story to relate. I’m pretty new to the wine game so I guess there is still time, or I may have been too obtuse to comprehend any snobbery I have encountered.

Brandon M: time to invite your ex-buddy, M, into the octagon for some attitude adjustment!
October 9, 2006

Dan
Hey Gary!

That was no hawk. That was a peregrine falcon. Sorry. and jumping the shark refers to a point when a TV show goes downhill (from a Happy Days episode when Fonzy jumped a shark while waterskiing) http://www.jumptheshark.com/

I do not think you have jumped the shark.

We have the biggest wine snob running one of the wine stores here in Houston. I was teasing him once because he took WAAAAAY too long to deliver some pre-ordered Burgundys. He took me off his e-mail list! He would walk into the back of the store whenever I entered! I will never buy there again (and I had spent $$$$ there!) He is not a nice fellow.

Nice episode.

Cheers!

Dan (in Houston)
October 9, 2006

Darrell T.
QOD- foruntaely i haven’t run into any wine snobbery yet, because i usually diffuse them bby talking about single malt scotch first(my passion) then moving into wine , which i must say i am enjoying immensly as i learn all the nuances of enjoying wine. but the scotch talk first really puts the snobs off, then we have a civil conversation about wine thats helpful to all involved. Really enjoy the WLTV found it in the spring and have been singing its praises ever since, even to my friends that have been drinking longer that i have ( alot longer) and they like it too. Seems they got a little stagnant in their wine education advancement, kind of stalled on Parker and WS. Keep the video blogs going, I’m with ya!
October 9, 2006

Christopher
Wine Snobbery, get it quite a lot…
I have asked at four nearby wine stores to be added to their newsletters for wine tastings have, despite buying from them regularly, not received any newsletters /event info from them. I guess I don’t look like the average “big bucks” wine buyer.

At least one store was honest, “We only invite our best customers where we know they will buy lots of wine, if you buy lots of wine we will invite you”… and the event also had a hefty cover charge (about USD 120). So I am prepared to pay the entrance costs but can’t garantee that I will buy lots of wine… so don’t get invited.
October 9, 2006

MarcT
Way to be BrandonM. I hate when businesses get pissed cause you use their competitors…it makes things better for everyone and why should you stick to one guy anyways? He screwed himself plain and simple. My local wine shops suck big donkey hoofs (you thought I was gonna say balls didn’t you) so I don’t frequent them much at all but I still go to a shop in Atlanta when ever I am in the area because they are cool and glad to see me when I get there. They even say “what a good deal” when I tell them about an internet purchase I made! They know that I will buy from them when I come by but they don’t think that I should only patronize their shop. Aside from that…not all distributors are used in every shop so you might not get what you want from them…
Sorry for the rant but I believe in business with quality ethics and that means you don’t screw your competitor because he may be your partner/employee one day.
October 9, 2006

PattyO
Joe P. – way to go! I AGREE – life is too short to drink bad (or even mediocre) wine. You can pour it into just about everything you’re cooking, from pasta sauces and stews to marinades and desserts (lately I’ve been soaking fruit in it then pouring the whole winey mess onto a cobbler batter and baking it – fantastic!) I’ve even been known to just pour ALL the partial bottles of mediocre “leftovers” into one bottle in the fridge – wine casserole! We’ve been known to open 4 straight bottles before getting to one we wanted to drink – have a taste, give it a “PAZZ” and pull out another! Like you, we do primarily the $7 – $12 range because there are a LOAD of treasures out there in that price point – and honestly the treasure hunt is half the fun! I figure that if I open 2 or 3 bottles of $10 wine before I get one I LOVE, it’s the same as buying $30 bottles and only opening one – and watching Gary, I think you get just as many “PAZZ” wines at the $30 level (or the $60 level, as today’s episode showed) as you do at the $12.
October 9, 2006

Jeff L
Gary – Longtime viewer (every episode), first time poster! Loved today’s episode and the question about wine snobbery. The perpetrators of wine snobbery are usually those with just enough knowledge to make them dangerous and give them the illusion they know what they are talking about. Love listening to the insights of a real pro – you. See you tomorrow night at the Super Tasting.

Jeff L
October 9, 2006

Brandon M
OK…this one pissed me off…don’t know if I’ve told it before.

I’ve spent a lot of money in a local wine shop and I always talk with the owner about different wines. He usually spends about 10-15 minutes with me going over tastes and wineries and the like. One day I say to him, “M (first initial, not real name) you have got to check out this new guy on the Internet. He’s doing this absolutely awesome thing with video blogs and he’s tasting all kinds of wine.” M says to me “I taste about 100 wines a day, why would I want to watch someone else do it?” Then I explain, “Ya, but this guy talks about decanting, the palette, everything, and, he’s a crack up cause he sits with these guests and talks about how he’s discounting their wine. He’s out of Jersey, you should check it out!”

“Jersey?” he says, “Is that the guy that everyone is pissed off at because he’s undercutting everyone? He’s ruining the wine industry.”

Not only was I deflated because he basically spit on my high for the day, but he was actually threatened by me watching WLTV. Now I don’t know if he was actually talking about Wine Library or not….but it left a bad taste in my mouth, so I started ordering from Gary, and frequenting M’s shop less and less.

To me…puting someone down over the wine they drink, or their excitement over a wine / wine person they like is the ultimate snobbery.

B
October 9, 2006

Ken
Nice to see you on Saturday, but instead of congratulating the Tigers, you should be worrying about the Jets.
October 9, 2006

Matty Van, Rochester,NY
QOD – have not first hand experienced serious a serious wine snob, one time I was out to dinner on a first date and the waiter felt he should correct my pronouciation of a french bottle..made me look like a little bit of a fool, which I am but that does not mean i want to show it.

The J-E-T-S….awww did gary have a rough sunday? I had enough alcohol in me by the end of my bills game that it did not matter.
October 9, 2006

RTH
I started Chad Pennington in my fantasy league this weekend. Not one of my better moves…
October 9, 2006

Shahar Golan
Good work Gary. I just came across WLTV last week and I am still catching up on the older episodes. You asked for some posts, so here goes; I am glad to tell you that you are being viewed in Israel as well and that I like your work very much. You also asked of the most wine-snobish act I recall, and this would have to take me only as far as last week, when I was poored a glass of Israeli wine in a blind tasting, and a guy that tasted it with me, after being wrong about the grape and the place where it was grown, was trying to figure out the vintage, which is silly, because in Israel the summer is always sunny and there is no much difference between the vintages. BTW, Israeli wines are getting better and better and made a huge leap forward in the last two decades; they are now sold for their quality and not only for being Kosher. I’d send you some of them for tasting, but then, WL doesn’t send wines to Israel as well, do you?

Keep up the good work.
I’m loving it.
October 9, 2006

Joe P.
Everyone must be having lots of family time! Me too. Gary, thanks for doing an episode on a holiday. QOD: I have to admit, when I don’t like a wine I’ve bought (usually in the $7-$12 range) I’ll vacu vin it for my wife to use for cooking. Life is just to short to drink bad or boring wine.
October 9, 2006

Brandon M
Yesterday…
Dad gave me a bottle of 2002 BV Georges De Latour.
I was extremely suprised, what a great gift…ty dad!

B