EP 851 Brian Loring of Loring Wine Company – Part 2

Gary Vaynerchuk and Brian Loring conclude their tasting of his wines and discussing the wine business.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2008 Loring Wine Company Clos Pepe Pinot Noir
2008 Loring Wine Company Russell Family Pinot Noir

Links mentioned in todays episode.


Latest Comment:

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luca bercelli

92/100

line of the day, ‘It’s like children…you want them to have fun, but if you let them go too far they’ll end up like that kid screaming ‘shut up mommy’ in Toys R Us. The kid you want to pile drive’

Part two follows on from part one in highly entertaining fashion

Tags: california, Pinot Noir, red, review, Video, wine, wines

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  • Tom S

    Great show and I appreciate the candor and honesty about the wines and the process.

    I have been buying and laying wine down for five years and am now beginning to rotate that wine. It is fun to pull out bottles that have some age on them to pick out the secondary characteristics that come along with aging.

    QTD: When it comes to a $40 drink me now bottle, I am not going to buy it. I will invest in a $40 lay me down bottle, but $40 for something I am going to drink right away is tough. I will stay in the $12 – $20 range for the everyday wine and pull out the old bottles when I want something a bit more complex.

    Thanks again for a fun show.

  • I am new to wine, so laying it down is frustrating. I get it, but I don't like it. I want to have a dinner now, and have the wines ready now. Go for it Brian!

  • Brian is a good guy, have liked his posts on other boards. It saddens me that when I have tried the wines in the past the wines were not my cup of tea and it doesn't really sound like his wines are going to be in the future anything that I want a part of due to palate differences.

    QOTD: I prefer wines that have more of a mix of secondary characteristics and less over the top fruit “bombs” so generally I prefer wines aged at least 5 years from vintage or longer depending on quality and type. There are not too many wines that I enjoy right after purchasing and if I do open young then I find it showing better on day 2 or 3 depending on tannin level.

    QOTD2: Love the screw tops or stelvin closure. Corks do have a nice niche, but who likes faulty wine?

  • picked up my three pack of ’08 Loring, looking forward to tasting! Did you have to deal w/ smoke damage at all like some other Sonoma and Mendocino winemakers in 08?

  • picked up my three pack of ’08 Loring, looking forward to tasting! Did you have to deal w/ smoke damage at all like some other Sonoma and Mendocino winemakers in 08?

  • get2eric

    Great interview. Brian is such a nice well rounded honest guy. And Gary, you didn't interrupt too much. 🙂

  • Great show! I'm completely agree with Brian, I rater pay a premium and drink my wine right away, besides who knows what's gonna happen tomorrow ? …lol
    And screw caps are fine with me as long as the wine is young..

  • QOTD: I would rather pay a lower price for wine regardless of age 😛
    But as far as screw caps go, if they can actually age like Brian claims they are the greatest thing to happen to the wine world since crushed grapes.

  • JayZee13

    Gary, where are the freaking scores? Although, from your reaction and tasting notes, I think you liked these wines quite a bit.

    QOTD: Great questions – I really think that I need to have a good amount of wines that can age in my cellar because I buy so darn much wine right now. There are tremendous bargains out there because of the depressed market/recession and I am lucky enough to be able to take advantage of them. I also like the way many wines evolve over time so I buy a lot of wine by the case or the 1/2 case and try the wines over a number of years. I don't think that I need my wines to last in the cellar for 20 years (although some do), but 10 years is a good benchmark for me. Finally, I like the taste of a lot of the aged wines – older Bordeaux, Burgundies, Rioja, Barolo, Brunello – they are a thing of beauty to me. So while I certainly like wines that I can drink today, I also love wines that have significant staying power in the cellar.

    As for screw caps, I love them! I first started to run into them from producers like Garretson Wine Company in Paso and Tablas Creek. On the other hand, I think the TCA thing is overhyped. But as a fellow engineer, I get what Brian is saying about even a 2% failure rate, at least when it is feasible to have a near zero percent failure rate. I am still not sure about the long-term storage for certain wines under screw cap, but more and more data seems to imply exactly what Brian said – the wine DOES in fact still evolve under the screw cap. Even if it didn't, since the vast majority of wine that is for sale is meant to be consumed in the short term, there really is no reason that 75% or more of all wine shouldn't be under screw cap. Thanks for asking these questions – interesting stuff. Now I have to go sign up for the mailing list. 😉

  • SS_Chris

    GARY!!!! I NEED your scores for the Spreadsheet!!!!!! WTF!!!! BASTARD!!!!!

  • chukheadted

    Thanks, Brian! Double thanks for being honest about the 08 growing season. So annoying when vinters go on and on about how amazing each and every vintage is!

  • Well rounded except for his diet. I worry about that guy's heart! I guess he's drinking wine – hopefully that will make up for the lack of fruit and vegetables.

    And you make a great point – Gary really did interrupt less, which I think is fantastic

  • teckdeck2008

    Dude great guest. He had a real passion for the winemaking as well as the business which I LOVED!! And I used to be like him too with that whole fruits and veggies thing. All I can say is this, mix it with something and it is the bomb. The only way I get my veggies now is by mixing in a pasta or meat loaf or something like that, and it is a kick ass and completely balanced meal. And use the fruit like a dessert or snack instead of candy and cookies. I'm telling you…it works. And I love the engineering references, I just graduated with a Civil Engineering degree and it so made me laugh at my nerdiness. Anyways…
    Qotd: I like the lower price/less aging concept. If people didn't know about you or your style of wine it might hurt you, but I like the concept. And I like it too because if you do advertise it like that, it actually would increase sales with people like me, because I am a graduated ckc now and do not have a cellar. So I wouldn't buy the wines that have the age in a cellar for 5 to 10 years. As for corks to screw tops, it makes no difference to me. I don't buy wine by case (again ckc thing) so I don't have the issue of a corked wine so much. And, as I said above, I don't really cellar wines either, so the age thing doesn't matter either. I do like the engineering aspect you brought to it though, because corks shouldn't stay around just because its traditional to use corks.

  • clewellyn

    this is my favorite episode to date. gary, i think that this is exactly what you mean when you say that “you (with a little bit of me) are changing the wine world …” this was an in extremely informative and open talk about the real nerdy side of wines and i loved it. just when i thought the show had start to become irrelevant you go and do something like this and completely redeem yourself (ala dumb & dumber.) anyway – thanks to you both for this great episode. i learned a lot and feel like you did indeed let us into the “club.”
    cheers
    qotd
    i have never fully understood the aging process to be honest. i enjoy wines and cheese which have been aged but i think it is an easier/more efficient economic concept o buy that which can be consumed immediately.

  • jayhitek

    QOTD: That's actually a great point. If I pay $40 your right, I should be able to drink it now instead of watching it sit in my wine fridge for 8 years..

    QOTD2: Love screw caps.

  • lordsauvignon

    Seems like an awesome guest.
    He is a glass licker. Clearly enjoys his wine.
    QOTD2: I don't have the space for aging wines so yes I would be interested in paying for pre-aged wines. I'm a screw top fan.

  • tkto13

    Great show Garry! Tell Brian I love his honesty – it's the only way to go.

    Corks: If I see a screw cap, I almost always think the winery is progressive and moving forward with the times and REALITY. Living in downtown Toronto, I will never be able to afford space for a cellar here. Maybe back home in Dalmatia, Croatia. So, the debate about the age worthiness of aluminum screw caps is no big deal. I think as education becomes more accessible (like what you're doing), old ideas will go out the window. ANYWAYS, love the screw caps. But, I obviously won't buy a worse wine over a better because of the screw cap. PLUS, I don't always finish the wine the same day. I like to refrigerate it for the night – screw cap TRUMPS here again.

    Aging: I would pay a premium for wine that is ready to drink now. I don't have the space to store, so it's a given. I'm not paying a huge premium something legendary that I have to store (risk) and wait 5 to 10 years for. I'm just not there financially and I don't have the space. I love Scotch. I can appreciate the added cost of storing and aging at a winery. Hence, paying more for a product delivered to me ready to consume.

    BTW, I've watched you for a long time now. I've finally come out from the shadows. One more lurker is out!

    I recently saw ( KIDNAPPED! “Crush It!” author Gary Vaynerchuk sings Social Media! (1 of 2) ) on yourtube. I love it. I wish more companies/businesses realized that giving something for free and honesty drives business. After watching that youtube vid., I bought your book the next day.

    Best of luck to you and Brian in all your future endeavors and FAMILY!!!!

  • Weston3220

    Great Episode! Loveit~

    qotd: Aging,if its good wine its good wine, I mean a bad wine won't age, it just loses fruit and then blah.

  • WesMcAllister

    Great guest it was a very fun episode. I know a couple artist that were not fully appreciated until after there deaths were. Otis Redding and Sublime.

  • ewb

    Great guest Gary.
    QOTD: Screw caps great.

  • Bob Noland

    Brian is a great guy! I have known him from his early winemaking days. I had to watch these episodes a couple of times, they were so much fun! QOTD – I am on board with instant gratification and screw caps!

  • bjball

    For me, aged wines simply taste much better and have far more complex aromas, which is why i would pay more for older wines.

  • Anonymous

    Randy Savage-RIP. QOTD-still prefer a cork over screwcap, they are ok for Pinot’s or most whites since mainly they are consumed early. I like to drink a wine at what I hope is it’s peak so I age many better wines. http://www.winelx.com

  • Anonymous

    Loring Pinot’s are great. I much rather be able to consume a wine early and have it taste great than having to wait 10 years only to find out that a wine sucks. Life is way too short and there are way too many good wines that don’t need to be aged. Screwcap over cork any day of the week.

  • luca bercelli

    92/100

    line of the day, ‘It’s like children…you want them to have fun, but if you let them go too far they’ll end up like that kid screaming ‘shut up mommy’ in Toys R Us. The kid you want to pile drive’

    Part two follows on from part one in highly entertaining fashion

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