Happy New Year. Gary, am rooting for the Jets but I think this weekend spells…..bye bye beardy. Give em hell in Beantown. QOTD: Can’t remember the wine….had too much Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale and football.

GARY, Super show, love what the Aussies have done over the last few years. GO PACKERS The 2 worst wines of the weekend Terre Palladiane Merlot, moldy cork looked pretty good on it’s way down the drain, I’ll give it a 3. Also Tisdale Vineyards 05 CAB had a watered down paper bag flavor, would make a great RIT dye replacement, perhaps a 9. GO PACKERS!!

You are pumped up man! Save some energy for this weekend. Worse wine this weekend was 2004 Riesling from Jacob’s creek

QOTD: Unfortunately a 1997 Joseph Roti Grand Cru Burgundy that was corked. And I was sooo looking forward to it after holding it since I bought it at the winery. Bring on the screw caps!
Is it the beard and cap or are you becoming a little cherub?
Happy New year and keep up the good work. Also, thanks for giving me a team to root for since my team didn’t make it.

Congrats on the Jets. I can’t believe my Giants also made it in the playoffs.
QOTD – no bad wines this past weekend.

Are you going to trim the beard or just let it grow untamed?

Good comment from Henrick … I was going to comment on the same thing … watched some very early episodes this weekend and was amused by the “old” Gary … so calm and sedate … was trying to figure out what episode the “VAY..NER..CHUK” came out….somewhere around 40? … Worst wine was Red Tail Cab ..

Do you think Chris Ringland never had sugar when he was young. Like he had very strick parents, or worse yet lived in an orphange that couldn’t afford candy. Maybe the S2 could sub for Sangria? Ole?

QOTD: So here goes-I call the folks who plan the party lightly suggesting I bring the champagne. Mind you I don’t want to throw down a ton of cash, but all the same its been a tough year and I don’t want to toast with any garbage. The party planner (love you Caroline)assures me Champagne is set and taken care of. To my surprise, @11:52 multiple bottles of Cooks Brut come streaming out of the kitchen. NOTE TO SELF ALWAYS HAVE BACK UP CHAMPAGNE AT NEW YEARS, ALWAYS!!! Cooks Brut- Equal parts Motts Apple juice, warm urine, and old candied drier sheet.

Cheers to Sauerkraut.

Didn’t have a bad one!
But BSU had a GREAT GAME!!!!!!!!!!

Can I pour some of that ripper creek in chili and make chili cheese dogs?

QOD: Having to watch everyone else drink Andre was bad enough, but then again, being Chiefs fans, they weren’t in any mood to complain. Because Herm played … to win … the game! As for me, both the 2001 Longoria Pinot I thought might be past its prime and the Moncuit/Delos delivered nothin’ but joy (although the intense sourdough-starter nose was a bit of a surprise). Nothing bad, nothing at all.

Gary V –
Great show. Great Energy. Great VaynerNod during the VaynerSwish for that Jasper Hill. Gotta lay down a few bottles of that. Not sure about the pickle juice/kraut flavors of the Rusden Ripper, but I may have to see for myself…Anyway, it’s easy to pair with…franks or even the pigs-in-blankets reference from prior ep…
My Packers are out (and hopefully not yet for Favre), sooooo…let’s go Jets!! Hope the protege Mangini can just coach the game and not get too excited about going up against the grand master Belichik. And hopefully we’ll see that beard for a while!
QOTD-The crap Chandon NV bubbly my New Year’s Eve host serve was horrible. Luckily, my backup was the 96 Lenoble blanc de blanc which was a superb way to ring in 2007. Also had a couple of good reds…2001 Five Cali cab and Lohr cab – both delicious. Despite 2.5 hrs of decanting, the 96 LaTour Pomerol I had the night before New Years’ smelled/tasted of Hess gasoline until it opened up in another 3 hrs.
I agree the new Gary is feeling his oats, but after all, his Jets are IN!!!!

Nothing bad this holiday. Worst lately was the Jardin Cab from WOTM #1 on the first night after an hour decant. Needed more like five, but gradually eased off to being enjoyable, but not better than what I can make. Happy New Year to all! And, now that the Panthers are done, GO J-E-T-S! Until the Saints meet them in the Super Bowl, anyway.

The worst drink I had over New Year’s eve was Miller Lite. But at three in the morning I was just thirsty. Gary, you should taste some beers. It is playoff weekend and an IPA would be excellent when the G-Men beat the birds and the J-E-T-S slam pretty Tom Brady.

Dude…Toothpicks? Seriously, you really eat your cheese with girly little toothpicks…while rooting for a football team…COME ON!!! MAN UP-Your team made the playoffs! What are ya going to bring your fancy toothpicks to Foxboro?

-Pissed off Browns fan.

Worst Wine of the break: The complete lack of wine. I was sick so I didn’t drink anything till New Year’s Eve.

Gary, I hope your Jets pull it out this weekend but I think we are going to see a shaved face on Monday. Good luck.

Henrik Brandt ~~~~ where sis you find episode #1??? I Wanted to watch that too but when I looked back the closest I could get was episode # 10. Please Help anyone!

Congrats on the jets, great episode! Love the food/cheese idea…you should pair some wine with chocolate as well, perhaps even some meats.

Happy new year!

QOTD – went tasting in Santa Barbara over the holiday weekend, and swung far out of our way to visit the Costa de Oro tasting room based on some nice pinots we’d purchased a few months back. Brand new tasting room, and cheap(er) tasting fee, but they weren’t pouring their best. My wife insists the two Chardonnays we tried were the worst, but I’m going with their Syrah – flat, bottomless, tangy silt water. We hit the road.

I bought wine for a group of 11 this weekend so we got to try about 15 different wines. Many were great but the QOTD didnt go there. So…seemed to have worse luck with whites. Emu Co Riesling from Tasmania was just ok – leftovers stored in a half bottle were actually better the second day. Kartauserhof Gruner Achleiten Smaragd 03 had an odd finish, seemed off, and overall was a real disappointment. Bellenda prosecco was fine but uninspiring – but we were drinking from a Jerobaom which helped make it seem more special. Also had a mencia from Bierzo and was disappointed for the first time with an offering from the region – Luna Beberide was the producer.

QOTD, Worst wine of the weekend: 1984 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard.

This is the perfect example of a monstrously tannic Cab that just never came around — and never will, probably, but who knows? How long should you have to hold a Cab before it’s drinkable?

Over 15 years ago I bought two cases of two different Heitz Cabs: a Martha’s and a Bella Oaks. The Bella Oaks was spectacularly good when young and just kept getting better every time I had a bottle. By the time I finished the case a couple of years ago it was up there with the best wine I’ve ever tasted. The Martha’s, on the other hand, was tannic, tight, unyeilding, unpleasant. Once the Bella Oaks was gone I started trying the Martha’s again — more or less one a year over the last 10 years. I have one left from the original case and have not particularly enjoyed a single bottle of the stuff. It’s the Oakland (Raiders?) of wine: beneath the tough tannin there’s no there there. (Apologies to Getrude Stein.)

Gary:

You nailed the Marquis Phillips again! I just hate the stuff. Parker can screw up Australia so badly – – and udner $10 spainish wines. I just cannot trust Parker in Australia. Thank you Gary for giving us reviews I can trust!

QOTD: San Antonio (East LA winery), Almond-Flavored Sparkler that my baby sitter brought to our celebration, and I felt compelled to open for us with her. It was so bad, we could not finish the bottle so my Mag of 1995 Pommery went un-opened!
Joe

72nd???

Wow, can’t believe I am in the top 73!!
Joe

Nice show gary! just to let you know i am a lurker and have been for past couple weeks and now not anymore…great show, my brother and i watch ya every chance we get. Look at my website and see what my brother did in a little movie clip, you will love it. its great… thanks for the show

-Michael Sanchez

Finally — someone else who doesn’t “get” the Marquis-Phillips hype. I just can’t get into their wines — but then again, I like Freixenet as a cheap sparkler, so what do I know?

QOTD: No real duds on NYE, but last year I was given a four year old cheap sauvignon blanc as a host’s gift. Note to friends — I love any and all wine gifts, but if you are regifting wine, please give one that is not years past its prime! You are SO busted!