Beringer 2002 Napa Cabernet and 2006 Coming to an End - Episode #156

December 29, 2006

episode156

Wines tasted in this episode:

The 2002 Beringer Napa cabernet is very hot and Gary finally opens one up and talks a little about 2006 and has a job for all the Vayniacs. http://www.squidoo.com/winelibrarytv Get it! Have a happy and safe New Year everyone!

91 Responses

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  1. about 3 months ago

    thefanjestic

    Good ending to 2006! Would have liked to seen that Sabre!

  2. about 14 months ago

    Alos Diallo

    New Years 2006 I was in Bangkok Thailand. Great episode, I have thought about trying that wine now I will have to.

  3. about 16 months ago

    Bexter

    Loved the episode. The beard…not so much. Also, I’d take a 76 Sauternes over a riesling any day!

  4. about 16 months ago

    Brandon M

    Iron Sheik?…Brutus the Barber Beefcake’s Barber Shop was the REAL DEAL

  5. about 16 months ago

    Mitch

    Thanks for the heads up on the Beringer. We’re heading to Napa MLK Jr. weekend and will skip Beringer (again).

    NYE wines (20 people dinner/wine party). 5 bottles 1995 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires. 2 bottles 2000 Angelus (decanted at noon for 9 p.m. tasting and still tight). 2 bottles 1986 Pichon Lalande (showed well after just a couple hours of decanting - little sediment). 2 bottles El Nido Clio (70% Mouvedre/30% Cab was very interesting). 2 bottles 1997 Casanova di Neri (decanting for 6 hours did nothing, closed and dumb - wine finally opened for brunch the next day). 1 bottle 1986 Rieussec and 1 bottle 1988 Rieussec (for the Foie Gras course). 2 bottles 1992 Dunn Howell (after 9 hours decanting it finally came through). 2 bottles 1991 Chateau Montelena Estate (lovely after just a few hours of decanting). Mag of 2002 Chateau Montelena (new California style, preferred the 1991, but still a great wine and showed well after just 3 hours decanting). Double Mag of 1995 Caymus Special Select (think RP was more on the money about this wine than WS). Mag and 1 bottle of 1995 Insignia (think Tanzer and WS was more on the money about this wine than RP). 3 bottles of 1997 Venge Family Reserve (still a baby after 6 hours of decanting). 2 bottles of 1996 Clarendon Hills Astralis (wow!) Finished the evening with Montecristo No. 4s (Habana from a 50 stick cabinet box).

  6. about 16 months ago

    Jtk

    Great episode Gary. Okay, I must be last on the sign up list cause i just got this email with the episode link today. QOTD: At Home, drank a few bottles of the 1985 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Charlie. Cheers ~ Jtk

  7. about 16 months ago

    Jerry the 2THDR

    Gary, Had New Years in Vegas. Place to eat; Fleur Da Lye at Mandalay Bay. Opened a 1998 Ovation by Joseph Phelps. The color was golden. The consistancy was like light olive oil. The flavor just kept coming. Its match up with Fois Gras was orgasmic. Tell me you have some of this stuff laying around up there for sale (1998). Happy New Year Jerry. PS Don’t forget you promised me a Corton Charlemagne taste off on one of your shows. Jerry

  8. about 16 months ago

    Chad M

    Gary, I hit the club in Waikiki… And I had tons of Vodka! Exactly the kind of Vodka in your vid, Grey Goose!

  9. about 16 months ago

    Steve R

    Great episode and I envy the beard… I can’t grow one that thick on my best week.

    Just an FYI: I was at the Jets team hotel the night before they trounced the Dolphins — I tried to send a positive vibe to them while they were there… I think that did the trick.

    QOTD: (and I know I am late) I had 40 people at my house, drinking everything that wasn’t locked up and helping me blow through a Cava-based punch and a case of Mumm Napa Blanc de Noirs — very pretty salmon color, nice strawberry flavors — a real crowd pleaser. Thank GOD they didn’t find the 1990 Palmer…. ;-)

    Happy 2007!

  10. about 16 months ago

    Lb in KS

    What an awesome Sunday for football….my #1 AND #2 are in!!!! Yes, Lb there is a Santa Claus!

  11. about 16 months ago

    Mark Block

    I just want to second the opinion of Mathew L, who says, “Gary, his dad, and the entire staff at Wine Library are the real deal.”

    Gary is as maniacally (or Vayniacly) devoted to his customers as he is to the Jets. ;)

  12. about 16 months ago

    Mike Goldberg

    I drank Castell Roig Brut and some Killibinbin Langhorne Blend 2004. Good stuff.

    Nothing better than offering the ladies my champagne compared to the guy with Korbel. Thank you Gary. Giggity Giggity.

    Where is the love for the Giants? I do believe both NY Sports teams will be in the playoffs this year. I am growing a Giants Playoff Beard. YEAH! What would be a good wine to send to Tiki Barber so he doesn’t retire?

  13. about 16 months ago

    Matthew L

    Ooops. Please excuse some of the typos.

  14. about 16 months ago

    Matthew L

    Happy New Year to all! My wife and I were in NYC for the holiday, and we HAD to stop by Wine Library on the way. All I can say is WOW! Gary met us when we arrived and is just as humble and folksy in person as he is on the show. He took time to walk me around to pick a case I needed for a party. He also helped me build a case for myself. I thanked him and we said our Happy Holidays and good bye. Just as we were heading toward the checkout, Gary’s dad Sasha walks by. I introduce myself and my wife. Sasha then invites us on a tour of the entire store. WHAT A TREAT! I have been talking about the store all weekend long to any one who will listen. A friend of my wife’s met us at the store and she was telling all her friends about the store. People can say what the want about Gary’s motives for doing WLTV. I say, “To hell with them.” Gary, his dad, and the entire staff at Wine Library are the real deal. I can honestly say that I have found my favorite wine store. I will now buy all my wine from WineLibary.com, and will, without reservation, tell anyone to do the same.

    Thank you Gary, Sasha and the staff at Wine Library for capping off my 2006 with a great memory.

    FYI…here are the two cases

    For the New Year’s Eve party:

    Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Les Setilles 2005 (Library Code: 8877)
    Vavasour Sauvignon Blanc 2005 (Library Code: 7686)
    Gravity Hills Tumbling Tractor Zinfandel 2004 (Library Code: 9738)
    Lemelson Pinot Noir Cuvee X 2003 (Library Code: 27784) — This wine disappeared fast!

    My wife bought a huge assortment of cheese, spreads, olives, meats, and other goods from the gourmet department at the store. They were great!

    For myself:

    Clos Mimi Petite Rousse Syrah 2004 (Library Code: 8815)
    Whistler Black Piper G/S/M 2005 (Library Code: 29157)
    Giant Steps Jones Block Sexton Shiraz 2004 (Library Code: 28508)
    Clone 5 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (Library Code: 29687) — This is Gary’s Cab. I can’t wait to try it!
    Luna Beberide Tierras De Luna 2001 (Library Code: 5123)
    Massena 11th Hour Shiraz 2004 (Library Code: 1930) — This is outside my normal price range, but Gary said I needed to treat myself. :D

    QOTD: Our hosts had a lot Champagne. There was Clicquot (brut and rose), Tattinger, Moet Imperial, and Roederer. A guest brought a gift bottle of ‘93 Dom P. I brought a bottle of Jean Laurent Blanc de Blanc, but it was left in the card. I guess I will get to savor that one another day.

    Oh…while in the city, we had dinner with some friends at La Giara (on Third Avenue between 33rd & 34th). (www.lagiara.com/)I’ve been there a few times, and they serve great Italian food with really friendly service. We had a Mionetto Prosecco (nice) with appetizers and Puglia Primitivo (okay) with dinner.

  15. about 16 months ago

    JayZee

    QOD: Okay, this is after the fact. But I just had time to watch the video after watching a stunning Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and Oklahoma. Wow! I hope you got to see it. Great game! Anyway, New Year’s Eve we have a dinner party for 8 of our closest friends. With the amuse bouche, which was a deconstructed Guiness and shallot spicy sausage ragout with asiago cheese on top, we served the NV Napa Mumm Cuvee M. Nothing special, but it went well to greet the guests. The first course, was grilled shrimp basted in a chipotle butter over a green tomatillo salsa. We served a 2003 Alsatian Pinot Blanc. The main course was a rotisserie-grilled, herb crusted veal loin roast served with saffron risotto and baked asparagus with prosciutto and Herbs de Provence. This was served with 4 bottles of 1995 Sociando-Mallet which I decanted for 3 hours or so beforehand. It was smooth as silk. We then served a chocolate course (some 70% cocoa dark chocolate and a couple of truffles) with a nice 1977 Quinta do Noval Colheita Port. Dessert was a Bailey’s Cheesecake with dark chocolate swirls (my creation). At midnight, we toasted the New Year with a couple of bottles of NV Heidsieck & Co Monopole Blue Top Premiers Crus Champagne. All in all, it was a fantastic evening. I hope all of yours were equally good.

  16. about 16 months ago

    Ken

    QOTD: Dutschke God’s Hill Road Shiraz, Jacques Billot Brut Reserve Champagne, Johann Hart Riesling

  17. about 16 months ago

    GeneV

    Spent the evening at a dance party, drank a little pinot gris, and I’m now on four hours sleep.

    Happy New Year, and thanks for WLTV!

    Goat cheese and cabernet is usually a pairing from H***. That’s white wine country. Albarino rocks with that cheese.

    IMHO, the New World winemakers are losing a big chance when they go to the cork. True, a wine with a cork will be a different wine from the same wine with another closure. There is so much tradition with the wines which have been produced for more than a century, that I’d like to see a good portion of the old world traditional wines stay the way they are. Better yet, let’s see some wine sold in skins.

    However, New World wines were always destined to be different. I’d like to see everything in California, Oregon, Washington, Australia and New Zealand in a screw cap or other modern closure. It may age somewhat differently (maybe better), but there is so little of these wines aged, that we won’t be missing a traditional flavor.

  18. about 16 months ago

    Mark Block

    So we drank the ‘85 Lafite that had been in my basement for god knows how long. It was perfect. Maybe corks aren’t so bad.

    For the bubbly at midnight I opened a charmat method brut that I brought back from a winery in Chile last month. I paid $4.50 for it. I didn’t taste brioche — or stars, for that matter — but it was refreshing. No one complained.

  19. about 16 months ago

    Joyce

    Happy to spent New Year’s Eve home with my family…..having a nice dinner by the fire, ringing in 2007! J-E-T-S won big this afternoon—gotta keep the Playoff Beard alive!!!!!!!!! 2006, a very good year, the birth of WLTV….here’s to all the Vayniaks……..best to you 2007!

  20. about 16 months ago

    nop.bot

    well gary i’ve been a lurker and fan for a while now, and thought i’d pop out of the woodwork just to congratulate you on your big W with the jets today. i’m a college football fan myself, but found myself rooting just a little bit that the jets would win today.

    enjoy the playoffs!

    oh, and lets celebrate by getting winelibrary to ship to arizona! woot!

    qotd: new years includes mumm napa blanc de noirs NV

  21. about 16 months ago

    Paul

    Staying at home with my wife. Eating a nice lobster, which I will boil here (I never hear the screaming). Drinking a Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle “La Cuvee”.

  22. about 16 months ago

    Paeonia_9

    Hi Gary!

    Longtime lurker here, must say I really love and look forward to WLTV.

    As far as New Years, the hubby and I will be spending it at home together in front of the fire. He’s demanded my Chicken Kiev. I’ll be making a vanilla bean cheesecake with blood orange curd as well.

    Sofia Blanc de Blancs was half price at the grocery store so I thought I’d give it a shot. I did see your WLTV episode on this one, and I’m not feeling hopeful. Doesn’t sound like my style of bubbly (I always look for descriptors such as “brioche”, “cake batter”, and “bread dough”, then I know it’s up my alley) I’ll probably get a back up split of something more reliable just in case.

    Anyhow, a “Wine”derful (ta-dum-dum!)New Year to all! Keep it rockin’ in 2007, Gary!

  23. about 16 months ago

    KMANN

    The sound of the cork is akin to the ping of a golf ball off the tee right down the middle of the fairway, the crack of a Ryne Sandberg home run, or the swish of Jordan fade-away jumper…ok, pull the natural, but what’s wrong with synthetics? Graphite racquets ruined tennis, don’t let twist caps ruin wine in similar fashion.

  24. about 16 months ago

    Aamer

    Great episode. I enjoyed the questions and your responses. Is there a rule of thumb that a novice like me can use to tell how long a wine can be cellared and when is likely a good time to pop a bottle open to see how things are going?

    I realise it depends on vintage but simple rules of thumb based on grape variety or wine type & quality of vintage (good, fair) would help newbies a lot.

    -Aamer

  25. about 16 months ago

    Mark Block

    To Joe, who is positive that his Leoville Las Cases and Latours will “age gracefully and positively for 25 - 50 years in cork,” I say: Maybe not. Yes, the cork will let in some air, but it will also let in the smells of the cellar. If you have an expensive, custom cellar to hold the wine at the right temperature, then the wine has a good chance to age well, but I’ve tried many older wines that smell musty and taste oxidized.

    One anecdote. I organized a tasting with six couples about 10 years ago, the organizing principle being: bring a great, ready-to-drink bottle of red wine. I brought a Margaux, someone else brought a Latour. All the wines were between 20 and 30 years old. Of the six wines, all were over the hill — some undrinkable. Four of the six came from basement cellars and two of the six had been purchased at high-end wine stores a few weeks earlier.

    Since that experience, I’ve been very cautious about holding wines too long. As I’ve gotten older (I’m 55), my taste buds have become less sensitive to tannins, so I don’t mind young wines — as long as they’ve had time to breathe in the glass (or opened bottle). And anyway, I can’t count on being around all that long even if I had a fancy cellar.

    All this reminds me that I have an ‘85 Lafite in my basement, and that tomorrow would be a perfect time to pop that cork when friends are over.

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