I had the good fortune of working at a bar where these wines were available and a lot less expensive, a couple years ago. They were good then I can only imagine how nice they taste now.

Hmmm….well I dont like paris Hilton & I havent found a Pinot I’m crazy about either. At this point I hate to donate anymore money to looking for a Pinot I might actually like. I’ll just stick to my un-cool Merlot, Syrah & Cab & Sangiovese.

Hey gary…..Why not do a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo? Tasted one awhile back suggested by someone on the boards. It was pretty damn good!

QOTD: Toss up between 2 wines….BV Syrah & an Argetinian Malbec (Tapiz).

Fantastic show!!! I loved Darth Vayner …. except he looked more like Pancho Villa with that mustache! Loved the NJ Living, Time, and French Wine “something” or another book…. priceless!

QOTD: I haven’t had ANY wine in 14 days because I have been working tooooo freak’n hard and then came down with a case of a nasty stomach bug. Today is the first day that I am feeling good in a whole 8 days. I am abstaining until tomorrow evening so that I just make sure I’m over this crazy bug….. then I’m going to pop a bottle and savor every sip. Don’t know what I’m going to have yet but I sure wish I had some of the Kosta Browne!! 🙂

Some heat episode…….

Ian, I hope he doesn’t watch the episode and catch you giving him devil’s horns amongst the other obscene gestures. I too, often catch up on my reading while this talentless hack rambles on incestantly (yeah right, that’s why I busily hit f5 every weekday afternoon and never fail to comment)

Sorry, dude I only do photos with gratis schwag (and even then I delegate).

QOTD: Carina Cellars Santa Barbara Syrah 2003- I sure hope it was corked, I can’t imagine anyone willingly spending $16 on that when there are so many other tasty bottles at that price point.

QOTD: 05 Bulletin Place Shiraz from SE Australia. WS rated it a 90, but I couldn’t get any where near that!!!

A different look to the usual format……We need to see your face and expressions, so on the next blind tasting please wrap the bottles.

Nice show. Good to see Darth Vayner wearing the French Legionnaires Moustache…. you don’t want to know where that thing has been.
QOTD: Nothing really bad in the last 14 days. The 2001 Zingaro Zin in my glass right now isn’t doing much for me, but if you give me 21 days I’ll go with the 1999 Notarpanaro IGT. May just be way past prime, or maybe it was a different vintage that I liked in the past, but blech.

Good God Gary! My wife walked in the room seeing me with this episode and mistaken that it’s another hostage situatin in the Middle East. Very nicely done and thanks to Vader!

Fun episode! keep tasting those Cali pinots. love to see an all russian river episode.

QOTD: pillar box red (was not that bad for $10)

Hey Gary,

Thanks for doing the Kosta Browne episode. 2004 was KILLER for KB (and some other producers, especially Russian River Valley RRV as I call it. Can’t wait for the Harlans and big cult Cali cabs. Thanks!

Tariq

Nice ep. Good to mix the format up a bit. Maybe do a blind tasting once or twice a month. Variety is good.

Darth Vayner. Good to see you again. Unperturbed as usual.

The last 14 days? It was a flat monolithic cab we had at the Kennebunkport Inn last weekend. I have been traumatized, and no longer remember the label.

Hi G.V.

Like the blind tasting. But what about the bags you used in an early episode ?

QotD : Vigna Cabernet Sauv. 2005. Horrible. But the last 14 days have been very good wine days: -88 1:er cru Burgundy, -98 Gruner and some other exciting bottles.

Swedish T

First off: G-Man big props way to bring the thunder!!! NZ crossed with cult Cali Pinot is definitely the thunder show.

Secondly: “OK – Pinot traditionally is not equal to Big Wine”-Kahuna
Am I the only one who see’s something wrong with this comment?
How come so many boneheads are posting pissy comments about the Kosta? Kahuna feels the need to bash big Cali Pinots? We should compare all Pinot to Burgundy? Give me a break! Cough syrup, blah blah blah. Anyone who has tasted Kosta Browne and still thinks its overextracted syrup by all means let me know.
Three months ago I finished my last bottle of 02′ Sonoma Coast, it was fantastic. Balanced, finessed and yet still with a very powerful backbone. And if we had to compare it to Burgundy, it had many of the characteristics of a middle aged Echezeaux, with some Pommard punch and bit of brooding Volnay aspects. To all the nay sayers who seem so apt to mock KB try it first.

QOTD: Valckenberg Dornfelder. Sometimes expanding horizons can be very sweet and awful.

Unbelievable show today loved it.Darth Vaynerchuk classic…This is the thunder show…QOTD Goats do Roam 2006 Rose’ worst in last two weeks by far. later

Excellent show Gary. Will definitely seek out a Kosta Browne soon. Gotta keep expanding my palate. QOTD – worst is a “relative” thing sometimes. None of the wines I had over the last 14 days were bad. Thanks again for a great ep.

Great episode Gary! Love the Darth Vaynerchuck addition. The worst wine that I have had was a white zin from turning leaf it was terrible.

Thanks Gary for the food tips. And I love the French book, I have the same one. I guess that was the Bordeaux part of the show. Have a great weekend everybody.

QOTD: There’s a wine at Trader Joe’s called “Three Buck Chuck” I would cuss here if it wasn’t so mean. But that stuff isn’t wine. It’s not anything.

Agree with you JonE about Kahuna’s comments. Didn’t make sense to me either. How can you overextract a grape that has thin skins? There’s nothing to overextract from.
Also, the bad cal pinot was from which region?
Alexander Valley
Carneros
Central Coast
Central Valley
Dry Creek Valley
Napa Valley
North Coast
Northern Coast
Paso Robles
Russian River
Santa Cruz Mountains
Santa Maria Valley
Santa Ynez Valley
Sierra Foothills
Sonoma
South Coast
Other Regions

Which winery?
http://www.cawinemall.com/a-c.shtml
All love right back to you brother GARY!

Great episode Gary. Would have liked to have seen you guess which was which. Looks like you had them right.

QOTD: Ordered a 2003 Sparr One at a Thai restaurant and sent it back – it had no signs of life . Replaced it with a 2004 Jacobs Creek Reserve Reisling that FRIGGIN ROCKED!

Remember when you told me Kosta Browne Pinot’s were just ok Gary? Do ya remember, huh? Huh? Do ya? 🙂

OK, I didn’t comment on yesterday’s QOTD, but I’d still like you to do a benchmark episode. A wine you consider a benchmark for the varietal per country or terroir. I.e., this is a Cali PN let’s compare with other Cali PN’s; or let’s compare with Oregon or France PN benchmarks.

After trying the ’05 Sea Smoke Southing PN earlier this week, I have been obsessed with PN. I know that the ’05 was a baby, but I was in a restaurant and it was their last bottle . . . someone was going to drink it so it might as well be me! Impressed I am. So sublime! I had really chalked up Cali PN as a fad because of the Sideways movie – well it is not. The movie may have brought up the price but this juice brings the thunder! Other Cali PNs that I’ve tried were too sweet and lacked structure. I wish you had sampled other Cali PN in this episode.

QOTD: Black Box red wine from my sister’s house and an oxidized Neyers Chardonnay that my cousin paid $29+ for.

Loved, loved, loved this episode of WLTV

Looking forward to Brandons bottle coming my way after the Padres smoke the Dodgers again in a few months.

Great episode Gary!

🙂
Great ep!! love the blind tasting.
Seems Kahuna has underware in wad… ????
93,94,95 rated wines…. pay what you can afford. I like paying the price at times if it is giving me perpective on what “the experts” feel is a great example. But I’ll shop for the bargins.
Great weekend up here in Gods country!!!! Enjoy everyone!

CabDrinker is a jerk…no one listen to him. He likes night train mixed with 7-Up.

QOTD: A Rueda (region, not the grape) from Herderos del Marques de Riscal, a Spanish white wine.

A California pinot that may appeal is the Stature, a higher end line from Kendall-Jackson.

Thanks for contributing your own bottles, Gary.