Todays Episode – B+ (89)

My most cherished bottle of wine:
1976 Pieroth Eiswine that my Grandfather gave to me. He swears it’s worth a ton, but I don’t believe it is… but he gave it to me and he is HUGE on this wine, so now it’s my favorite. It was a bottle of ’75 Ch. Latour that I was given when I graduated college, but that has since been consumed….it’s now my favorite dead soldier.

Joe
Rick E
Bill Ipp
Russ J
SeanM
Sheila
RickMcQ

Thanks a ton for the comments on units. I may have further questions as I get into it. When I moved into my house I really never thought I would fill a 54 bottle unit. HA.
So going with a bigger unit than I expect is probably a good idea.

Thanks againâ?¦B

Hi Gary,

I don’t feel right rating your program. It is free and educational — I get a lot out of most of your episodes. The fact that I take the time out of my busy day to watch, and then even take the time to write a comment speaks volumes. I don’t visit any other website as often . . . even ones I pay a subscription for.

One new habit I am getting into is pouring myself a glass of whatever wine I have open right before I log in to watch your new episode, and enjoying my own taste of wine while I watch you taste and rate others. Today I am drinking 20-Rows Cabernet (purchased at WL). Very enjoyable.

As to my most cherished bottle of wine . . . I don’t think of wine as something to be cherished; but there are a few wines in my collection I am holding on to and looking forward to opening when the time is right — maybe my 65th birthday (25 years from now). One of these would be my 2000 Ch. Lafite Rothschild.

Gary,

It is very hard to pick out one bottle that I cherish the most. I would love to give you ten, but I will struggle to make it three:

– 1958 Inglenook (I have 2 bottles left) … The ’58 is possible one of the 5 greatest bottles of wine make in US wine making history. It was produced by John Daniel, Jr. (Robin Daniel Lail’s father â?¦ producer of Lail which you tasted with Philippe Melka in episode #55) *** For anyone that does not know the Inglenook story … Google it***

– 1996 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon 30th Anniversary Reserve (3L, etched bottle, one of only four made) … This bottle was signed to my wife and I by Robert Mondavi at his winery a few years ago. We will drink it on our 30th anniversary.

– 1999 Clark Claudon (also a 3L, etched bottle) … Laurie Claudon wrote “Happy Birthday Toni, Lexi and Billy (my triplets)” and signed the bottle. My kids were born in 1999 and I plan on opening this bottle for one of their birthdays when they are old enough to enjoy it with me. BTW, Clark Claudon is one of my favorite Napa Cabs.

wanna hear something messed up…i had a WLTV dream last night….the wine library was a farm/commune out in the middle of nowhere and WLTV was conducted in a swanky barn with a small, drunk studio audience…very crazy….and the wine library elevators were death traps…moved very fast between floors and would suddenly drop with no warning–sending the rider into weightlessness. okay…now to watch the episode.

GV, you can still bring your grade up from an 86 to a 90+ with a follow up episode on South African white wines and a little more info on the country’s wine regions and history.

I have one bottle left of 1978 Henri Jayer Echezeaux. It was exceptional in 2000, I know it won’t last forever, but I am now afraid to drink it and be dissapointed.

I was in the store and noticed you could have more whites from Rhone. I had an great 2004 100% Marsanne recently that was about $15.

episode: 88 – solid, with undertones of hope (in relation to both the jets and s. africa). Slightly acidic in relation to distaste for 1 wine varietal judgments…welcomed acidity nonetheless.
my most valued bottle: well, i have two bottles of the girard petite syrah and i cherish them becuase gary raved so much about it in the early days of WLTV…i don’t have enough available funds to cherish any big names, but i am excited to one day try out that girard that’s in my cellar…
question: does having a WLTV dream mean that i am officially crazy (see above comment)…i really should email you the dream journal entry on that one…very odd, but very cool…almost nightmareish, but in a willy wonka sort of way

another great episode, i’m giving it a 7/10…very solid had me laughing but i know gary can do more! my most cherished bottle of wine is a 1999 pio cesare barolo b/c that’s what my future husband (at the time) brought to my door on our second date. it’s been in our wine fridge for almost 3 yrs now and will remain there until an occasion arises.

another great episode, i’m giving it a 7/10…very solid had me laughing but i know gary can do more! my most cherished bottle of wine is a 1999 pio cesare barolo b/c that’s what my future husband (at the time) brought to my door on our second date. it’s been in our wine fridge for almost 3 yrs now and will remain there until an occasion arises.

j-e-t-s-s-s!

Hi Gary et al.,

Episode #75: 87pts
Nice and enthusiastic on the attack, not much of a mid-palate, pretty short finish. I guess I prefer the episodes where I feel you really enjoy sitting and talking to us; I don’t like ’em when they seemed rushed. I know you have a life and can’t do it all the time though. Interesting episode which left me wanting more.

Gary, you had a wine featured in the in store tasting this Saturday that I liked a lot. I was told that not many other customers liked it though. Could you taste it? Pleeeeeeeeeease. It was a sauvignon blanc; I think it was the “Koura Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2004”. I tasted pure passion fruit, both on the nose and palate. Please lemme know what you think.

Gary:

The wine that gives me the biggest smile is 1991 Heitz Martha’s – it brings me back to the love affair with Heitz Martha’s since 1978. Although I would trade the Martha’s for Bill Ipp’s ’58 Inglenook Cask Researve.

Gary, with Episode 1 (Verite) getting 98 points, this past episode gets 90 points. Solid wine reviews, educational about a different region, offering good value in picks, but a little rushed and obviously you were not enjoying yourself as much as in other episodes.

Joe

Good episode, have only viewed about 10 WLTV, so I will leave the “rushed” comments to others. I enjoyed the episode, like the idea of doing a “different” region. Initially, I wanted a wider range of prices, but four similar (or close) priced wines allows easier comparison. My score- 90.

Most cherished bottle in my small collection- 1997 Martin Ray Diamond Mountain Select Cab. Distinctly remember it as being the bottle of wine I was drinking when I decided I wanted to learn more about wine. Was given a bottle by a good friend as a going away gift when moving, who knew nothing about my tasting many years earlier. Now, I can’t wait to try it again.

Gary…

As far as the episode goes, solid effort. Giving it a rating, I’ll go 17.2/20 (Decanter style). Keep up the good work!

As far as the QOD: it’s a tie for my most cherished bottle(s). the 1988 Chateau Musar for being the first “real” bottle I ever bought and the 2002 Alex Gambal Clos Vougeot for the thrill of the hunt (had a hell of a time finding it). Thankfully both are in storage so as to not tempt.

Gary…

As far as the episode goes, solid effort. Giving it a rating, I’ll go 17.2/20 (Decanter style). Keep up the good work!

As far as the QOD: it’s a tie for my most cherished bottle(s). the 1988 Chateau Musar for being the first “real” bottle I ever bought and the 2002 Alex Gambal Clos Vougeot for the thrill of the hunt (had a hell of a time finding it). Thankfully both are in storage so as to not tempt.

89 points seems about right to me for today. I agree that GV was a tad rushed and none of the wines held much interest for me. Still the best thing going anywhere on wine.

My favorite bottle is a 2002 Saxum Broken Stones that my brother gave to me to hold on to (he is incapable of keeping wine more than a week or two!) so that we could share it on a special occasion years from now.

Gary:

I’m going to rate this episode 86. I would rate the previous two in the 92-93 range. If a WLTV episode makes me buy either black current, place an order, run to the wine store, or bolt outside to lick the pavement so I can refresh my memory on what tar tastes like. Then its 92-93 points!!

Rating: 88 – maybe a little higher once I try that Warwick Three Cape ladies 🙂

Most cherished bottle:
2000 Grahams Vintage Port – it was a gift from a friend in Portugal.

1. Steelers (Big Ben could beat the Jets with or without a helmet)

2. ’95 Montrose – bought for my daughter’s birth year, makes me smile

3. 87…big nose, start showed some promise, a little hollow in the mid-program, but finished well. Seriously though, I have watched every episode since the beginning. Good stuff. Keep it coming.

My most cherished wine is a 2002 Summerwood Diosa, which is a Rhone blend from Paso Robles. I bought it at the winery with my best friend on one of my first big wine tasting excursions. The particular day we went there my parents also came, so it was a really fun experience. Their wines are excellent across the board, but that particular one stands out.

I’d rate this episode a 7.5 out of 10. While it dealt with an interesting subject that you were obviously passionate about, I didn’t get the feeling that the particular wines you sampled this time around were particularly enjoyable or unique.

Hey, Gary…Alrighty. My most cherished bottle of wine thus far has already been consumed. I always wanted to drink a Dom Perignon in a foreign country, right out of the bottle. Well, I got my chance a couple of years ago when my husband surprised me with a 1995 Dom in our hotel room in Barcelona. We shared it with friends who went with us, but that last little bit was for me…out of the bottle.

Now…I’d rate this episode an 7.5 out of 10. I love all of your episodes and the only reason I give this one a 7.5 is because I felt it was a little short (I would rate most, if not all of the episodes, 8 and higher) and I really like the length of the episodes. I’m a newbie at wine and I’ve learned more in the couple of weeks watching your episodes than reading most wine forums. Thanks, Gary!

I have many wines, including the 1986 Montrachet DRC, 1985 Jayer Echezeaux, 53 Mouton and 1928 Cos d’Estorunel. Had all of these but nothing compares to the Henri Bonneau Celestins 1985. It is the elixir of life. Don’t know what Bonneau put into it. I speculate it is some of the spores from his moldy cellar but whatever, never had a wine that makes you feel this GOOD. I got this (as well as my drinking companions) from all the 7 or so bottles I have drunk so it was not a one off!

As for your show, I think you should stick to wine, not sports as there are too many other blogs about sports. I rate your current episode 6 out of 10.

I alway likie your episode but feel 75 was not as great, perhaps it’s SA wines that are not as popular. Nonetheless, a 90.

The best wine I tasted turnd up in a blind tasting. It was a 1998 merlot called Providence from Matakana, New Zealand. What was surprising is that this was a unanimous decision and it was pitted against a 1998 Cheval Blanc and a 1996 Troplong Mondot! Unfortunately, the wine wasn’t cheap, costing $100 but still a lot cheaper than the Cheval Blanc. I had the wine in Germany and I don’t think you can buy it in New Zealand or at home.

Gary,

Great idea, I am very happy to see you doing the webcast thing. Let me start by saying that I think you have an awesome store and the information you are conveying here is very welcome! I constantly find myself passing your name (and url) onto almost everyone that is interested.

That said, less caffeine, more wine! (no offence) but slow it down a bit. Go for the 7-10 minute broadcast… maybe try a 30-45 second summary on each then drill down into the specifics for those who are interested, just a suggestion. Keep keeping it light though… I think your approach is strong, it is a good way to get attention by more people.

-Johnie “i just lost 5lbs watching that” Grapes! 🙂

ps: seriously, great concept, great info… I welcome your effort! Keep it up! I am looking forward to your next installment.
pps: consider reaching out to some of the more popular podcasts out there, toss in a few sawbucks and get into the mix! (send a few samplers, noting big, some of your tasting notes perhaps) take advantage of the growing attention that this “off channel” marketing channel has to offer! Consider some reverse marketing such as recommendations for “podcast of the week”

pps: I am going to try all 4… mission accomplished! 🙂

ppps: I, for one, appreciate obscure details about the producer and the area it comes from…

My favorite wine 1982 Grange Hermitage. Given to me by a friend,plan to drink it soon.Iwould rate your episode an 85. Iwould have liked sev varieties of S. African wines insread of just cab blends.

I too am relatively inexperienced with wine but most cherished at this point is the ONA (carmenere) that you vblog’ed a while back. It reminded me of backpacking in the South of France in ’92. In addition I was sitting on the front porch drinking it holding my then new baby girl in my arms, she’s 3 1/2 months now, so she was only a week or two old, and I had one of those MOMENTS, when life just makes sense. Yeah, that’s my most cherished