This week I did not taste any bad wine per se. However, earlier this week I had two bottles of New Zealand rieslings (Brancott ’05 & Stoneleigh ’04) that were somewhat of a let down. Both had nice qualities, especially the petrol flavors in the Brancott. In the end they left me yearning for a kick ass Mosel.

Great show. I like the tasting blind. Not much else to say.

QOTD: Nothing too bad. Haven’t been drinking much wine lately.

QOTD: A corked bottle of Ojai Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot….Booo….

Lolonis 2002 Heritage Vineyards Tryfon Zinfandel: $32 right down the terlit. A true unfiltered disappointment.

QOTD: Worst wine was definitely the 2004 Ercavio that you recommended on the simpsons plastic cup episode. It smelled like horrible cheap vodka and was extremely hot and disjointed on the finish. Not sure what happened in between New Jersey and Kansas, but it wasn’t good. Other wines from that same shipment were just fine though, so I have no idea.

GV,
Nice episode. Fun, interesting. I like the fact that you didn’t know which one was which. The double blind episode you did a while back was even better, and a greater challenge for your palate!
QOTD: Just this week had my first corked wine: a 1998 Langedoc. Yuck.

Very enjoyable episode — but concur with Kahuna. Given that Cali PNs can have up to 25% of another variatal (the S word and Z word come to mind), as opposed to OR PNs limited to only 5%, could this explain the unBurgundian character of Cali PNs?

Very enjoyable episode — but concur with Kahuna. Given that Cali PNs can have up to 25% of another variatal (the S word and Z word come to mind), as opposed to OR PNs limited to only 5%, could this explain the unBurgundian character of Cali PNs?

That episode rocked….what was with Darth Vayner reading New Jersey Life?
QOTD – Easy….went to a friend of someone that my wife works with and they served us Yellow Tail….I didn’t even have the heart to tell them that they could find some really good wine for $11…..

Oh yes, QOTD. Has to be the 2005 Frederic Mabileau Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Les Rouilleres, one that GV would ever recommend —– er, wait, who did?

That was very amusing to watch….

QOD-The worse wine I had recently I can’t remember the name but it was a merlot and it was putrid. It was so bad I blocked out the name 🙂

However, a good one that I did have recently was a 2004 Martella Syrah…

Great episode Gary – really enjoyed that one. Have to agree with Kahuna though – not sure I’ve enjoyed a California Pinot recently – they have some of the same characteristics I don’t like in 2000 Barolo. I think Pinot Noir, like Nebbiolo, looses some of it’s elegance when picked at higher Brix. They are still great wines, but not what I’m looking for when drinking either wine.

QOTD: 2005 Dry Creek Vineyards Taylor’s Vineyard Musque – this was a very nice white. I’ve just been drinking some great wines in the last two weeks!

Great Episode Big G. Now I gots to find me an expense account for some of that Kosta Browne.
QOTD. Maybe something bad from Trader Joes. I don’t recall. : /

Darth Vayner is my new hero. And you taunt me with these pinots… I want them!!! Ahhhhhh! Sounds so good.
QOTD: The worst…. Some kind of pinot grigio at a club. It was too hot and I needed something cold…. but I should’ve suffered instead. Ewwwwwww it was bad. Sorry, I didn’t ask what it was after I tasted it. I should have, so I could warn people.
HAVE AN AWESOME WEEKEND!!!!!

RANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I should really read all the other xomments before I post. LOL, oh my god, you are out OF CONTROL!!!! Love it.

Q.o.D. – Terra Blanca Merlot…Washington 2004….C-rap!!! P.S. Thanks for the cellaring times!!!

Now that was good! I’ve asked for KB and you did it. Unfortunately, the link to allcorked.com ($69) shows there is none available. Surprise, surprise.

QOTD: Worst wine in the last 14 days? Hmmmm, maybe the Mahi SB since all of the others have been stellar. Just had a glass of the Broglia Gavi (appetizers) and the Vulture Aglianico (grilled tuna) and both were wonderful.

TGIF!

Great episode, nice to see a tasting done on Kosta Brown. But big and over extracted is not what drives me to love pinots. But it is easy to see why many love Kosta. Just doesn’t seem like my cup of tea, although I would like to try on someday to see for myself.

Great episode, nice to see a tasting done on Kosta Brown. But big and over extracted is not what drives me to love pinots. But it is easy to see why many love Kosta. Just doesn’t seem like my cup of tea, although I would like to try on someday to see for myself.

Who’s jennifer piper, besides a seemingly hot blonde…?

QOTD-Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel. It was TERRIBLE! I was anti-screw top until last week when I had this wine and it was CORKED!

I bought a couple discounted Kosta Brownes a few years ago on a close out rack. Boy, how times have changed.

We have some 2004 Amisfields, WS: 89; not quite as good a rating as the 2005, but we’re looking forward to trying them.

I linked into your show about a week ago and I’m hooked. I took a $29 bottle of Chateau La Fleur Peyrabon to my mother-in-law’s as a dinner gift and whoops, it was terrible. I realize that you have only one rule and that is that there are no rules but that taught me a lesson. You should always bring a backup wine if you are pouring for a crowd.

I don’t know if you allow any touting of recent value discoveries but here goes: I was swirling a 2005 Alberto Furque Tempranillo from Argentina while watching last night’s episode. It was big cherry nose and nice dry finish at 12 bucks. I stumbled onto a very floral 2004 Lalande Sauvignon Vin de pays from Cotes de Gascogne for 9 bucks which I might take to my mother-in-law’s next time.

Today I figured out what the sign meant. How many days until NFL Sunday! My team was pretty bad until we signed a few Jets and they were our best players week in week out. Who are we?

Gary, you are my top draft pick. You are a natural….

Gary,
Another great show. I would like to see more blind tastings on your show.
I think it would be interesting to do a blind tasting composed of Oregon, California, and French Burgundian Pinot Noirs. I haven’t been very impressed with California Pinot’s lately. There is a lot of junk for very high price tags. I find most to be very thin and uncharacteristic of classic Pinot from Burgundy. Classic Pinot should be velvety and smooth with a touch of black cherry. The aroma of a good Pinot Noir is unmistakeable and very intriguing.

I do not understand why winemakers in California and Australia let grapes get over ripe before they harvest them. This is very challenging to yeast and requires a lot of manipulation. Over ripe fruit makes wines taste more like syrup instead of wine with elegance and finesse. I could go into a disertation on the subject, but do not feel this is the appropriate medium for that.

The worst wine that I have experienced in the past two weeks was a Penfolds
Cabernet Merlot blend. The fruit was way over the top. It was like drinking cough syrup. New world for sure. I like a wine that has elegance and finesse. If I wanted to drink cough syrup, I would go to the drug store and buy it. It doesn’t go well with food.