Enjoyed the show! Nice to have a guest with such a long history in the winemaking business.

QOTD: I technically know the definition of estate bottled, but I don't really notice it or look for it on the label. I think most people are unaware of the processes and multiple layers that go into making a wine--they just look for the results, juice in the bottle. Branding and educating people about why estate bottled is a good thing is key.

Excellent show...very enjoyable and informative. Who knew Jeff had a third leg?

QOTD: I agree with Gary that in the general marketplace "Estate Grown" has limited impact. Even if the concept is explained, there a number of folks who will understand the concept, and only hope one day to see the vineyards at Boone's Farm.
For myself, it certainly does indicate a long term vision, and deep dedication to the process...but alone does not indicate a high quality product, nor justify a higher price point. It just means what it means, "we grew it, and we made the wine"...if we grew bad fruit we make bad wine. However, if the product is superlative, we get to take all of the credit.

Ecellent show, Gary and Jeff. On my first trip to Napa and Sonoma, my wife and I stopped at Gundlach-Bundschu's tasting room and took a little tour of the "wine cave". They were really fun people and the wines were pretty decent. And we loved the Bearitage way back when.

QOTD: "Estate Grown" is important to me, as a wine consumer. On the other hand, I have had some Washington State wines that I love that are not Estate Grown as well. So I guess if the wine is good, it may not matter that much to me. On the other hand, if the wine is Estate Grown, then I have a better feeling about the possibilities of its quality. So it depends on whether or not I am familiar with the wine and the winemaker or not. If not, Estate Grown is a good selling point. I have to agree with Gary that most California wineries don't do enough to play up the "Estate Grown" moniker and to explain what it means.

Great show(s) and great guest. I will be on the lookout for his wines. FWIW, Estate botttled is usually a marker of good quality and does mean something to me.

havent posted a comment in an age, havent finished watching the episode yet, but loved the comment of keith emerson, obviously not the THE keith emerson of ELP but thought it was funny, will repost later on the QOTD

I don't always check to see if things are Estate Grown, but when I'm in a store and don't have all the scores and ratings at my fingertips, Estate Grown is something that makes me choose one wine over another.

moore bros. hooked me up...1996 Ratzenberger Bacharacher Riesling (Germany, Mittelrhein) 11/26/2009 AMM3RD 92
This wine is very tasty. Drank on Thanksgiving with oysters. Perfect match! Dry Riesling with soft tropical fruit. Delish...Drink up...AMM

www.cellartracker.com

Solid, solid guest.
QOTD: It definitely does mean something to me, yes.

Solid show, really enjoyed what Jeff had to say.

QOTD: To me, it means dedication and willingness to take the extra step and expense to influence the wine from start to finish. . .not just manipulating at the end. Especially for smaller vineyards, it can help me understand a higher price b/c of more costly production process. Unfortunately - it doesn't mean squat to any of my friends or relatives who are only casully into wine - they see it and think gimmick.

QotD - I agree with the majority of the responders that "Estate Bottled" used to mean a great deal more to me than it does now. This is true for several reasons: A) Who can afford to buy vineyard land, especially good, proven vineyard land. I much prefer the variety avaiable b/c of the trend at shared facilities and "garage wineries". B) Estate bottled does not mean quality or even time spent on quality control. It can but does not inherently mean that someone dedicated to making the best wine possible handled the process. With all of the global beverage companies buying up wineries "Estate bottled" can mean a variety of things. I would put more stock in "Family owned and operated" than "Estate Bottled".

If the estate is in a crappy location and mismanaged, then I beleive it is better to source grapes from anywhere else. I think estate has less and less relevance nowadays with the rise of urban wineries. A lot of people want to make wine and barely anyone can afford estates to produce estate wines.

QOTD: I've had several crappy estate wines, especially as the poor quality companies use it to sell more, not to make better wine. So I care a lot less...

That was an absolute treat! Awesome guest.

QOTD: Yes and no matter what language its in.

Awesome guest, great episode.

QOTD - I know the definition and believe that it should indicate higher quality, value etc, etc, etc.

I am still new at this and probably would not recognize differences as yet.

I very much enjoyed your participation and you are a most interesting person sir.

Awesome guest! Another guest with true passion.

QOTD: I think Estate Grown is important to those who know what it means, but not to most wine consumers(they may believe it is just a marketing ploy). I do agree with Gary that if it is important to the vineyard, as is the case here, it should be more pronounced on the label.

This was an awesome guest. Great questions and great advice Gary. That Gerwurts sounds particularly good.

QOTD: I typically buy wine based on how well it matches my palate and I use tasting notes to base that on. If the Estate grown versions deliver it on a more consistent basis then I will buy them more regularly particularly if combined with a good QPR.

Great guest....technically today is the 7th day since the taping.. I wonder if I can get the free shipping....As far as estate bottled, to me, it just means its priced a little higher, and not necessarily a better bottle of wine.

Great guest and I think the most special part of this episode for me was that Jeff seemed to take your criticism of his wine so well. He seemed the really have a special place in his heart for the Gewurzt and admits that '06 wasn't his best year for the pinot. Really lends a lot of authenticity to his voice.
QotD: I want to say yes, but the reality is that I'm buying a lot of wine from reviews and I usually only go for the Estate Grown if it is either a similar price point to a non-estate grown wine or a place that I'm personally familiar with or have an association with.

QOTD: If that's a regulated term then it means something. I'm just not big on these terms that are supposed to stress excellence but aren't regulated (free-range, natural, etc.). Like Gary says, make it official and properly regulated to mean something to the masses.

Excellent two part show. Perhaps my new favorite guest. Great interview and great answers. Thank you Jeff and Gary.

Great show, good guest. I was at their winery a few years back, great tasting room..it's in a cave and across the yard their winery operations are all underground in a huge cave. Make a good Zin.

We had a nice Moore Brother's Riesling for Thanksgiving.

2007 Freiherr von Heddesdorff Riesling Trocken

QOTD: Estate Vineyard means a lot to me. But in my wine shopping price range (relatively low), I don't expect it much. If I'm shopping at a higher price point than usual, I'll "take out the magnifying glass" and read the details that are always tiny. I don't know all of the vineyard names to know exactly what I'm buying but I'm learning. I understand most of the terminology on the label. I would never buy the value brand that says American Chardonnay. How many States were represented, all except for the major wine producing States? I wince when I see customers buying the value wines by the case for their guests. If I were their guest, I would BYOB to that party. Oops I swayed from the topic. Sorry.

I agree--great show, great guest!
QOTD: It's the same argument behind the farm-to-table concept--we want to know where our food (and wine) comes from and that it was in good hands while it was being grown, handled, and/or produced. It's important, and I agree that it should be, and will increasingly become, a serious factor in the market.

Great interview with Jeff. Glad you went two parts to get the whole conversation in without cutting short.

QOTD: Estate and location specifics definitely mean something to me and will influence my buying decision. When I was in CA and spending more time drinking wines from smaller Napa and Sonoma vineyards, I definitely found a consistency in wines produced from grapes on specific estates or locations. Good or bad (and it was generally good), I appreciate the consistency.

Great episode, with a great guy. We should definitely have more peeps like this dude.

QOTD – Not as much as it should. I do feel that it’s important for wineries to control every aspect of the wine making process.

I know this is a bit late, however, both segments with Jeff were superb!! Wish his label was avaiable in my market area. Jeff and people like him bring a lot to the show.

jc

just learning...the label is important to me, but in my heart of hearts? It is the first thing I look for, so why make it hard to find? It's not an Easter Egg. And, Gary, you made me laugh--should have known that you are that tactile (playing with the corks)!

epic show, it should be in the favorites. so much great information.

QOTD:when i first learned what little i know about wine, i thought that estate grown was a big deal. but then it seemed that in actuality, according to main stream popularity, the main thing was the producer or importer. and nobody really pays attention to whether or not it's estate grown. i agree with gary that something that important should be marketed better.

Hey Gary,
Thanks again for having Jeff on the show. Hopefully all these great comments will encourage him to start posting more video diaries on his blog. Hopefully Jeff still has a bottle of the dry Riesling from Moss Bros. in NYC to share with me.
PS - sea bass for Thanksgiving dinner -- join the fishmonger train now! :)

fun episode...I have two bottles fo the Gundlach Bundschu 1980 cabernet still in my cellar. The last of a case that has drunk well for decades.

Fantastic show, even the Jeff kinda doesn't like the Cab Sauv honest!

qotd: yes it does sound sexy, but when you mention all those facts, I don't know. I think if your making the wine and you control the vineyards you have better control. If its better quality then the price should reflect that

QOTD: Yes. Hell yes.

Thanks Gary, great content. And thanks Jeff, we'll try to drop by and see you some time.

Absolutely another down-to earth, passionate guest who has also been following the show for some time! It's great to see guests who have been on this train with the Vayniacs, and it's even better when Gary likes at least one of the wines enough to get excited about it!

QOTD: For me, this designation means more or less depending on the winery. If the winery has great vineyard locations and work with a limited acreage with a focus on letting the vines and soil speak for themselves, then "estate bottled" on the label means quite a bit. However, if this designation is on the bottle of a humongous producer who has bought more and more land over time, then the wine may not be as personal or have as much personality and character as an estate bottled wine from a more focused, hands-on grower.

The package on the last wine was one of the best I have ever seen! Amazing.
QOTD: Like Gary said: It doesn't meen as much as it should. I like it if I see it on a bottle but I don't go out and buy wine because of this fact.

GREAT GUEST & IMHO THAT IS THE BEST EVER>>>
QOTD: I ACTUALLY HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IT SO MUCH. I HAD THOUGHT AT LEAST THAT IT IS A SOURCE OF GRAPES FROM ONE SECTION OF GROUND & I THOUGHT THAT WAS SIGNIFICANT. BUT YEAH, IT IS IMPORTANT & I THINK GARRY'S ADVICE WAS GOOD.
GREAT SHOW & QOTD. I WILL PREFERENCE ESTATE BOTTLED WINE FROM NOW ON.
PITY GARY DIDN'T LIKE HIS REDS SO MUCH :( BUT THE GEWURTZ SOUNDS GOOD :)

MJR
TOKYO

again, great guest.
QOTD: estate does not matter to me. It's the taste, not the foo-foo. I know some wines are about "the story" "the terrior", "the romance". But in distribution, it's about sniffy and taste. If I am at the winery, sure, seduce me. But in the retail store, you have to give me smell and taste, or I move on to something else next time. People that buy retail bottles based on "reviews" or "what i heard" are just one step away from buying cheaper when they lose their jobs.

i don't mean this mean, just

Gary, I love the guest (Great Job Jeff!). I would listen to this guy for 3 hours straight! For all of you haters out there that are busting on Gary, give the man a break, so what! He interrupts people...you should all know by now that that is Gary game. If it bothers you, log off. Boom!

I loved this show estate wine rules. I toured this winery and it left quite an impression on me. I cant find any of their wine in Canada can you help?

Outstanding series!! Your questions were spot on! Great interview! I just love listening to him same the name!!! Great marketing ideas GV if it was more prominent more people would get it!

QOTD: Yes it does mean something. Genuine, authentic and a blood + sweet kind of behind the scenes goes into making it. I wish I can afford more of them for when I've tasted them there truly is a difference!

good conversation... this guy reminds me of Tom Arnold (and that isn't a bad thing)

qotd - yes, estate bottled does mean something to me, to some degree. what means more to me is knowing that either a) the winery is owned and operated by one family or a small group of people or b) the winery has COMPLETE autonomy within a larger company. I don't necessarily want to be drinking the McDonalds or Applebees of wine - nor the Cheesecake Factory or Morton's. The chain or corporate mentality - to me - must take away from the artisnal, handcrafted, farming-focused wine making that keeps the uniqueness and terrior at the forefront.

What a great guest. Gary you are right about Estate Grown, in that to the general public consumer, it means very little. To people that care about great quality wine that is made with great passion, it means a lot. It means that the winery can get what they want out of the land and fruit, and not chance it to someone who might not be a passionate about the outcome as they are.