Don, we’re all tinking about ya!! Feel better soon!!!
Gary, listen, we’ll always be with you, no matter how grey you get. I swear.
OH MY GOD… I’m gonna need some of that Coup de Foudre!!!!!!!!!!! It sounds like it would send me to the moon…
QOTD: (And it’s funny, we asked that question, except about a cup of coffee, at our first orientation class for new Starbucks hires!)
My answer is: this person I cannot name (I know, big tease, but I just can’t) who has had a standing invitation to have wine with me for about a year now and we just couldn’t get it together… for many many reasons… and it makes me sad. I still have the bottle in my wine fridge… I don’t know how long I’ll save it until I realize the meeting isn’t going to happen… Don’t worry; it is a good cab, and it will last a while…

WOOHOO!!! I recommended that Chappellet and am super stoked it performed well. Gary, I feel like we have entered a new stage of our relationship. Thanks. I have had so many of the big named Cal. cabs and been underwhelmed from the hype and overwhelmed at the price I paid. I love Chappellet’s merlot and will branch out into the cab selections as well. Maybe now you could give their cab franc a try as well as I know how much you love them.

I want to share a glass with none other than Ben Franklin. Fellow Philly resident, genius and world class party animal. I read somewhere how he loved to visit Pariscause they had the kind of women he liked. Bet he drank some fine 18th century wine there too.

Ronald W. Reagan (40th)

Gary,

Great show as usual! Don my thoughts and prayers are with you, I hope you are feeling better soon.

QOTD: Richard Nixon

You just saved me a shitload of money….I was off to buy some of the Mount Veeder Reserve 2003!
QOTD – Hmmm….you would probably be second Gary but tied for first is my wife and Andre Tcheleschef (I know, wrong spelling but I mean the wine maker from BV in the early days)

Dave

Don, you’re getting best wishes and good vibes from all over the countryâ?¦ and beyond! Hope things are turning around for you very soon.

I think I’m going to seek out some Coup de foudre for a special occasionâ?¦ and then, you know, make up a special occasion.

QOTD: Will Shakespeare. Although props to Harold, above, for the Fight Club ref.

QOTD: My first choice is Gary V and my second would be Alexander the Great.

Don, Best of luck and get well soon.

QOTD: Filmmaker Andrei Tarkovksy, who in addition to making films of unparalleled haunting beauty, wrote the the most intelligent thing I have read in a quite a while. “Alas, the tragedy is that we do not know how to be free–we demand freedom for ourselves at the expense of others and don’t want to waive anything of our own for the sake of someone else: that would be an encroachment upon our own personal rights and liberties. All of us are infected today with an extraordinary egoism and that is not freedom; freedom means learning to demand only of oneself, not of life or of others, and knowing how to give: sacrifice ini the name of love.” I wish more people thought like this.

QOTD: Gary V would be right up there, but I would say my wife of 21 great years!

Get well soon Don!!!

QOTD: I gotta say Jimi Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughan. Maybe they could show me how they played so freakin great.

Gary,
Thanks for another great episode on Cabernet. I agree Chappellet has come a long way. The style that you desribed sounds text book perfect. For 39 Bones, it is an absolute steal. The big fruit bombs tend to taste very syrupy. The idea in winemaking is to achieve a great balance of fruit and a silky, soft integration of wood, with a nice touch of tannin for longevity. This is what makes wines such as Jordan,Caymus, and Silver Oak perennial favorites.

I would like to taste with Michael Broadbent. Michael has an impeccable pallate and is in the league of Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson, who are some of the most respected wine writers in the world.

A big shout out to Don. Hope you are feeling better.

Cheers to feeling better Don. I think I wouldn’t mind watching time slip away with a bottle of champagne and Otis Redding.

That entire flavor profile you described for the first wine is exactly what I hate about Cali Cabs. I definitely want to send the healing vibes to Don, Maybe if he’s really in need we can use the combined resources of the VaynerNation to help him. QOTD: I’m sorry to be so depressing, but I wish I could share a glass tonight with my little brother Jeremy who passed away a year and a half ago. He was my best friend and the most fun and interesting person you could ever hope to spend your time with.

I, like Jen, have asked the QOTD about coffee (Albert Einstein). Wine is a tough one. I do like the Jesus Christ idea… ok, here goes:

I would share a glass with Don. I don’t know who Don is, but it sounds like he could use a good glass and good company. There is nothing like sharing your thoughts about a good wine with a complete stranger. Best wishes Don.

My .02; Keep up the good work.

QOTD: Albert Einstein, it would be neat to just talk random B.S. with him.

Going real oldschool maybe Ponce De Leon, he discovered Florida. It would be the shit to hear about how Florida used to be when it was first discovered.

1st – Big shout out to Don !! We are all pullin’ for ya!
2nd – This episode is destined for the classics
3rd- QOTD – How about Maynard from Tool ??? …. big time rocker & big time wine guy.
I would interested to know what makes him tick

Don – all the best! Stay strong!

ARGENTINA!! ARGENTINA!! Final Score Copa America (South American Soccer Tournament for those not informed):

ARG 4 – USA 1 ….. Sorry, I had to put this.

Love the show Gary. Very informative and totally changed my perspective on how to approach different wine varietals.

Your right on the monewy with the Cab Sauv. Total Mocha Bombs and very woody from what I experience.

Big shout out from Souther California to you and all the “Thunder Show” crew. Awesome to watch.

Hey Gary, I thought there where only 140 Oak Monster Tee’s. How many have you sold???

QOTD: Jesus, of course. But if I had to pick another I would probably go with my wife’s father. He passed away when she was still a kid. I know how important my relationship with my father is to me and I just think it would be great to let him know just how amazing his daughter turned out (I definitely married up).

Don, my prayers go out to you and your family. I hope you find comfort and relief in the coming days.

Don, Sending you best wishes and good vibes from Santa Cruz, CA.

QOTD: Can’t pick one. I’d have a glass with all the people that I have known. But, perhaps if I had to pick an order it would start with my wife. Would really like to share thoughts over a glass with each of my kids also, but like your parents, we are smart too and will wait. They are getting their noses into it though. The question: “What do you smell?” comes up every so often.

Don, Get well soon brother!!!!!!!!

QOTD: Buddy Holly, Tiger Woods, Bob Dylan, Julia Roberts and Mrs Cleaver.

Jesus, Elvis and your clan.

QOTD: First, the latest girl in my life (the first in a long time, and we’re getting together at her place on Monday for some wine and a little conversation… wish me luck). Otherwise, I’d like to have a glass with my (very elderly and little-time-left) Grandparents before they go- talk about how they met, his time in the service, her life as a young mother of 4, etc. Time with family is so limited, and I’d love to be able to sit down with them or numerous other relatives who have passed on or live miles away and discover the similarities in our lives that tie us together.

QotD: Obvious answer is GV; next I’d probably go with a few family members that have passed on.

Gary, have you ever thought of doing a blind tasting episode, like what you described during the Mount Veeder review? It sometimes seems as though your enthusiasm goes up and down based on QPR, and even if it isn’t supposed to affect score, it sometimes seems possible that it does. I think that a blind tasting could be interesting for that reason: maybe even see if you can pick out the $40 wines from the $10!

Shout out to Don: get well soon!

Best wishes to Don from Germany as well!

QOTD: With Sven Väth 😉