California Chardonnay’s

California Chardonnay’s – Episode #112

October 20, 2006

Wines tasted in this episode:

Today Gary tackles oaky, over the top Chardonnay’s. Watch today and see how Gary reviews these three Chards. Gary then answers more viewer questions and has a new QOD. Have a good weekend and we’ll see you next week.

283 Responses

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October 23, 2006

mwf
When we visited the Napa Valley a couple years ago, we have two wonderful CA Chardonays. They were:

Frank Family Chardonay (Napa Valley)

Darioush Signature Chardonay (Napa Valley)

Nearly impossible to find on the east coast!
October 23, 2006

Tom T.
QOTD – Raymond Reserve Chardonnay. It packs a lot of flavor & structure for a $14 bottle.
October 23, 2006

MarcT
Did anyone see my Falcons? HEHEHE

And good job Jets. They pulled through well.

Gary…as for all this ramble about your time and stress…Do what you have to do. It seems that some people might be blowing your comment about stress out of proportion to me because we all have rough and busy days (not that I am sown sizing how busy you are). Just keep pushing on. You have tons of support here but I’m sure more at home. Do what you’ve gotta do, buddy.
October 23, 2006

Susan
TimF-
Now you are getting it!
These days no one knows how to spell!
I always laugh at bigger than life
advertisements that prove that very few can spell.
My favorite recent sign was one for
der carn for sale
(that’s deer corn or field corn for the rest of you).
Life can be interesting!
October 23, 2006

Lynne
I echo the thoughts of TimF, SS Chris, NickP and TampaSteve. We all do what we gotta do to maintain a reasonably balanced life. Keeping priorities in the right order is essential. Gary’s no different than the rest of us; we all have a lot of irons in the fire (with the possible exception of Brandon M ) You do what it takes to “git r dun!”
So serious on a Monday morning…

Great weekend for the Buckeyes and Bengals!

BTW, thanks everyone for the input on the wine glasses. Can’t wait to try the Riedels.
October 23, 2006

TimF
Susan: Where you joking when you spelled Scrabble incorrectly?
October 23, 2006

Susan
SS Chris,
You get an A for creative but an F for spelling.
Wow – ok, if you like to make up words then
you just need to explain what they mean.
You’re vocabulary is creative!?!?!?
October 23, 2006

NickP
I would like to lend my support to Gary’s work ethic and SS Chris’s suggestion as well. Gary needs to run his business, first and foremost, or there won’t be a WLTV. I find it hard to keep up with all the episodes, read the comments and participate with my own work and life schedule, so I can understand if Gary is stressed.

So Gary, if you need to cut back a bit, go for it. The VAYNERNATION will be with you whether it’s 5x/week or 1x/week or even less.

Now that the Jets have gotten past Detroit – and as usual they made it close – you should be breathing a bit easier.

NickP
October 23, 2006

TimF
We seem to have a lot of analysts on this blog. My guess is that WLTV is pretty good for business and Gary is a business man. He’ll figure out a way to git ‘ur done even if he’s very busy.

On a related note: there are other wine fixes out there. If anyone out there hasn’t listened to the guys at Grape Radio, do yourself a favor and tune in. They won an award for best podcast (not just best “wine” podcast) last year. I never miss a week. Also, check out the Cellar Rat. It’s the true story of a guy who quit his day job last year to get into the wine industry. He’s currently working on a wine project where you can buy futures of what’s he’s making.
October 23, 2006

TampaSteve
I think you guys may be reading into this just a bit too much. Everyone has good days and bad. We all have our pressures, that’s just life. You talk about stress, first off we all have stress in our lives, some more than Gary, some less. Then how about the stress created from all the viewers that read into every one of Garys words and then sit and analyze them publicly. I mean just one slip of words and everyone’s in a frenzy. Gary is a big boy, he and his family have created quite a little empire for themselves. I think you should give him a lot more credit then just telling him to go on vacation. If that was his take, I don’t think he and his family would have what they have today….ie WINE LIBRARY. WLTV is a new creation and just like anything else it will have it’s hiccups along the way. I for one have NO doubt that Gary is a leader and will make the right choices. We as WLTV supports need to support those choices not criticize and analyze them. I know many of you shown concern and I am sure Gary appreciates it but give him a little breathing space….he may appreciate that even more.
October 23, 2006

PattyO
…that would be “meritage” – though I think “merigage” is a potentially good word too…
October 23, 2006

PattyO
Julius -
The great thing about opinions is they’re just like belly buttons! We each have one -

Gallons and gallons down the cooking road, I’ve noticed the following. I have cooked with “box” wine that’s been in use for 3 months, great wine I’d LOVE to drink, straight from a freshly uncorked bottle, and the “house merigage” of 5 different bits of “leftovers” from a week’s worth (or more…) of bottles. Chicken, mushrooms, thyme, onions, bacon, stock…. for me – what the wine does is add body, depth, sugar, acid. The “drinking” elements are killed by the heat/or overshadowed by the other ingredients. In a blind tasting (so to speak) I couldn’t differentiate between a beef burgundy made with a $40 bottle and the same made with Gallo by the jug. Now – the BEEF cut makes a difference! So I say pay for what you can notice and be prudent about the rest. THink of a 7 day old French baguette – it’s not good enough to eat (as is), but it can become a heavenly bread pudding (I wouldn’t think of buying new bread just to make bread pudding)! I purchase wine to drink and so there’s always bummers or too-old-leftovers to cook with. And just in case I haven’t opened anything disappointing lately, I keep the “vacuum sealed” box of Chablis (!) in the pantry for backup!
Finally – for those who don’t believe in cooking with wine they wouldn’t drink – you’re great for commerce! Everybody plays their part -
October 22, 2006

Julius
Patty O (#140) and Chuck W (#184) – Couldn’t disagree more. I have always been a believer in the adage that says if the wine is not good enough to drink it’s not good enough to cook with. Not that you have to splurge, but as I have seen from many comments from many episodes, there are plenty of good “cheap” wines out there.
October 22, 2006

SS Chris
Brandon M.,

I agree COMPLETELY with your comment #171
October 22, 2006

SS Chris
KAHUNA, Yes..yes…I remember now…thanks!!

I need to watch that again!
October 22, 2006

KAHUNA
R-U-T-G-E-R-S
October 22, 2006

KAHUNA
SS Chris
Caddyshack when Ty(Chevy Chase) is talking to Lacy- she says her Uncle thinks Ty has a screw loose and he says “Your Uncle molests collies”
October 22, 2006

SS Chris
KAHUNA, Help me out w/ the “Collies” quote.
What is that?
from a movie?
which movie?
what context?
October 22, 2006

KAHUNA
Just ate at Bamontes in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for dinner-We brought my father for his 77th birthday back to his old neighborhood. Bamontes is a family owned restaurant for 106 years. Excellent Italian-American cuisine. We were a party of 14 so we ordered the Louis Martini Napa Cab- it was the best value on the menu. It opened up very nicely and workd great with the food- it was 32 beans.

We went to the house he grew up in which also was on top of a funeral home the his had family owned. He is the youngest of 8 kids and the last one still standing so it was a great trip – I hadn’t been there for 15 years.

“Fresca Danny”
October 22, 2006

SS Chris
Susan, It’s right next to “STRATEGERY” and “TRUTHINESS” in the dictionary.
October 22, 2006

KAHUNA
Eugene,
I have not had Marreitas Petite which is odd as I have had most of their others- I was boycotting them for a while because the do not allow visitors at the winery. I will pick it up this week.

E,
I have not seen Peterson in the stores or when I have been to Sonoma- I will give a search for it

Brandon M,
comment 171 was great!

“Your Uncle Molests Collies”
October 22, 2006

Susan
SS Chris,
Is lurkiest a word?
Remind me not to play scrable with you!
October 22, 2006

SS Chris
ALL VAYNIACS *** IMPORTANT ALERT *** ALL VAYNIACS

(Slight correction to my comment #166 which referred to the wrong comment)

Please read my comment #161 (3rd parapgraph).
If you agree, please post a comment in support of Gary.
And I mean everyone, from Brandon M. to the most lurkiest of VaynerLURKERS.
I want to see 500 comments on this!! or at least reaching 300 for the first time!!
October 22, 2006

Susan
Brandon,
I agree with you. We are just looking out for Gary’s best interest.
We all have to have vacation time and sleep.
Believe me- this IS the voice of experience.
I have tried pushing myself.
At one point, I was in college taking 13 hours worth
AND working four part time jobs.
No stretching here – just the facts!
I finally decided that sleep and food are not just nice they are necessary!
October 22, 2006

Chuck W
Patty O comment #140 – Thanks for the suggestion. I hate turning table wine into cooking wine but that would be less painful than my experience Friday. Thanks

About VaynerBurnOut. I have been impressed with your ability to crank these things out. I know you like to keep the show fresh with current events but have you though about pushing out a few vanilla episodes to give yourself a break now and then. I think it would be helpful to give birth to a few “filler” episodes on a slow day so you can go home at a descent hour and spend time with your lady.

All I think of went I see an 8pm episode is boy it must be 9 o’clock before GV gets home tonight.