Gary – I know you like and are comfortable rating young wines but at $50 a bottle I do not want to open one of the 2 Scions that I have to find that it really needs more age … can you tell me how it is drinking now and if it is likely to improve much with age and if so your ballpark guess for when it will peak?

Gary – I figured it out. The countdown to August 19th – it’s my birthday and probably yours too!
QOTD – Video intro? Moi? Hey – we’re all not unemployed actors, ya know? (Lars…)
Great episode! Glad to see you survived Friday’s clove and white pepper poisoning.

Hey, Gary, another great episode! And a shout out to Dave C. for the intro. Awesome! QOD – When I get the tekky thing down on how to operate one of those thingys. Hey, Gary, one day closer to buying the Jets! :}

I just discovered your blog today and wasted 4 hours watching video. I’ve always wished I could get a daily lesson so thank you. This episode in particular was great. I’ve always been curious when I see obscene differences in ratings. You’ve gained a new vayniac and customer (I live in New Brunswick).

A PATS FAN FOR THE WEEK!!!? welcome to the winning side gary! now if i could just get you to give up the Jets for good and stay a Pats fan.;)
another great episode. you have moose and rattlesnakes down in jersey? big shout out to dave for the intro, great job.

Great ep and nice intro!

I’m working on my intro and I hope to have it done around the time you do your heat episode. 🙂

Gary,

I have thought of a really great intro video for you, I am not going to tell you the theme/plot but I KNOW that you will really be enjoying it. Additionally, you have a great video today, I very much enjoy it, especially as a more new-world drinker that is expanding into more old world directions. I will be looking for the Robert Young Scion Red, I am really excited about it. Again, I have some great ideas that will be coming your way as soon as I can get things together over here in Seattle!

Best wishes,
Joel

One can always tell when AJ is on Winter Break!

One of your best episodes yet Gary!

Also, nice job featuring Ehlers Estate…I believe the only non-profit winery in California (or maybe even the US). They are a great organization! If I remember correctly, they have a sensory section in their tasting room where they provide various foods, spices, etc so you can experience their smells and aromas while tasting their wines.

Finally…how about swallowing a live goldfish on Friday’s show to symbolize the Jets swallowing of the Dolphins this coming weekend? Please pair this with an appropriate wine.

Gary, interesting Cab line-up, and it was fun to see the variences with ratings. I preach this in our TR and I especially debate this point with the “posh”. It just goes to show that everybody’s pallet is unique and different, and to say I think this wine is 95 pts is based on my trained pallet and not your trained pallet which is completely different. Let’s not forget this folks….wine is a alcoholic-beverage made from freshly gathered grapes. Keep It Simple!! Long Live Free-Thinkers!!

QOD- Almost finished. Doing some editing on my mac, should turn out well!! Hope to see open one of your shows!!!

DomTheSomm

How about a show featuring Heidi Barrett wines. Help me/us shed some light on what the all the hype is about. Keep up the good work Gary!!!!!!!!

Nice episode Gary. On a different topic, can anyone here actually taste the difference between American and French oak? If so, which style of oak do you prefer? I know that American oak tends to get a bar rap for being too harsh. But lately I think American oak has been getting more subtle like their French counterparts. Anyone agree?

you are drinking out of burgundy glass (tulip)
any reason?

by the way I love the Ehlers wine as well 🙂

“One can always tell when AJ is on Winter Break!”

Brandon M-

I Wish! Actually Winter Break Starts for me in 4 hours. Then I will be done with my last final exam!!!

I will send you an intro in 2007… but first I have to work on my pronunciation 🙂

Gary, What’s a “black” raspberry?

QOTD: come on man….you already have me working!

😀 😀 😀 😀

I think I already sent you a video, from my international travels even. 😉

Pats fan? You? HAH!

Now if I can just get the T-shirt ordered life will be good.

Nice show today Gary. I need to get workin on my OAK monster haha. Also as soon as i get back home from the holidays i will get my intro tape going for ya. Then it will be you with a liiiiiiitle bit of me we are changing the wine world muahaha 🙂

Great show, I loved the part where he said there were hints of white pepper, then he rubbed his eye. If it was intentional, a subtle throwback to the pallete training ep, nice delivery. If it wasn’t intentional, the unconscious mind is a powerful thing :). QOTD! Gotta stop working 2 jobs just to fund my wine cellar, then I might have time to sit down and record something. YOU’RE KILLIN ME GARY!!

Why can’t I ship a tshirt to Michigan? I’ll have to call in sometime soon, is there a phone number for orders?

I posted this very topic on the WLTV forum when I saw the ’03 Simi Landslide rated a 90 by WE and 70 by WS. Julius found the widest range, however, (echoed by Joe above) with the ’01 Chateau Montelena which Parker has at 95 and WS rated 69.

Maybe Laube should stop chewing tobacco during his tastings.

Gary,
Great concept for a show. This really hammers home the point that you have to trust your own taste.

QOD: soon.

Ryan M,
Being a hame winemake with both American and French Oak Barrells I find the French Oak to be much more Subtle and more on the Vanilla side than the the American Oak- With American Oak Grain size plays a much bigger role

I prefere the American Oak overall only because I only want my wine to sit in Barrell for 10-12 months and it gives it a little more oomf out of the gate- i use small french oak for samm batches like 12 gallon size and the French Oak comes out quicker-

Can I tell the difference- sometimes yes but not always- As toasting of the barrels can often lead to taste differential- If you have a wine aged 18mos in New American Oak it would be tought to drink-

Good fun and good intro. Gary how about doing a couple of vertical tastings, say 5-6 each of a California cab and a chardonnay? I’d like to see you taste Caymus Cabernet Napa Valley (not the Special Selection) and Grgich Hills chardonnay. Those are two really really really consistent producers, so the tastings might be instructive about vintage differences and bottle age differences. If you don’t do this, I will. In fact if you do, I still will…

Ryan M, Kahuna,
Oregon barrels (we use a very small number of them where I work) impart interesting cedar notes, but you have to really pay attention. A little goes a long way.