QOTD: 2004 Q Cabernet Sauv….it was tasty! Also had some country wine from a well meaning friend…it was made from concord grapes…God help me get that taste out my memory!

Tasted Sea Smoke at a competitive tasting when I worked at Williams Selyem. It was alright, but I preferred the Williams Selyem.
Always try to keep some PN in the cellar. Its a great wine to open with new company if your not sure what style wine they like. Its very easy drinking, not too big, not to tannic.

OK, so I’m a little late about asnwering this, but I was a way for the weekend. Cooked with friends on Friday nite. Phenomenal meal and great wine (I thought). Started with 2000 Les Tourelles de Longeville, moved to a 2004 Sarterelli Classico and finished with a magnum of 1998 Talbot Pinot. (more of a course matching than a progression from light to heavy) Big hangover, but it was worth it!

Oh yeah, had Sea Smoke at a restaurant last week. The stuff is amazing. Great fruit. Great dirt.

QOTD: A bunch of different wines. Took some off-dry Virginia wines out on a boat on the Potomac for the women since that’s what they normally like. Boy was I off base — they all had palates for dry wines!

Gary, usually when we (the wineries I’m involved with) talk about “bottle shock” we’re referring to the changes to the wine caused by the filtering and bottling process. I’m very experienced with any kind of “shock” that might be induced by transporting wine, since I travel to many Virginia wineries and bring their wines back on my motorcycle. I’ve even brought wines back from Michigan and Canada (Niagra Falls area) by motorcycle and had negligible “bottle shock”. However there’s no question that a wine goes through some shock when it’s taken out of the barrel or tank, filtered, and pumped through a bottling line into the bottle. I agree with you that bottle shock from transport is probably minimal (I would worry more about temperature fluctations), but there’s no question wines need time to settle down after they’re bottled.

Great show! keep it up.

QOTD: I went to a LaVelle Vineyards club party, and had some of their Pinot Gris and Riesling (delicious!!). I also went to King Estate and tried a whole ton of stuff. The most suprising…..a 2002 Pepperbridge Cabernet Sauvignon that I actually enjoyed!!! The 2nd Cab that I enjoyed drinking…ever.

Gary: I’d be really interested in a Oregon Pinot show, specifically with Cristom, Sokol-Blosser, Erath, and Eyrie. These are some of the best and moderately priced pinots, and I’d like to know what you think of them, so I can compare my palette with yours.

Pinot rocks…too bad these babies are not widely available!! This weekend I am going camping and taking with me:Villa Antinori toscana i.g.t. 2003 and a dessert wine, Moulin Touchais coteaux-du- layon 1990. BTW, Moulin Touchais makes special chenin blancs that are century-aging certified, could be fun doing an episode on those!!
Cheers

I remember when Botella was $28.00 a bottle pre-Sideways! But yes, great wines and awesome. Thanks for reviewing some off the beaten path wines – even if WL does not carry them!

God bless and cheers!

Claudio

QOD – I am drinking some Riesling Spatlese from Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt 2005 Scharzhofberger

“That’s the way” Gary…I like it!!

Willamette Valley – Portland is the biggest city – Pinot Noir is nothing less than a reason to live. Too bad to see that Erath in Dundee has gone the corporate route.

this past weekend didnt drink much
this coming i would like to have something that pairs well with point reyes blue cheese as well as cashel blue– any thoughts?

Sorry, so far most of what you’ve been saying is not screwable, I’ll screw what you think when I think it needs screwing and not before.

QOTD (Retrospective) – I drank some good South African juice, most notably Diemersfontein “Summer’s Lease” 2003 Shiraz, Pinotage & Mourvedre blend. Brought some nice bottles home as well, check out my Cork’d cellar once I’ve entered them!

….of course that would be so much easier if you could sort Cellar wines in Cork’d.

Fiesty at the end there GV. QOTD: Considering its now Wednesday, I’m havin an 86′ Chat Chambert-Marbuzet that still needs a day open to really bring it

It was tragic to see you rinsing your glass with Sea Smoke. Have you ever thought of having 3 glasses on hand for tasting? I had a bottle of the “Ten” a week ago and it was excellent! They’ve got it going on at Sea Smoke.

I had the good fortune to taste a number of “hot” wines at a wine tasting a few months ago; Sea Smoke was among them. It was good. I could not understand the rabid following they have. It was a good wine. It didn’t make my knees buckle (as the Opus One 2003 and Ambullneo Nebbiolo or their 2005 Bulldog Pinot Noir did!) I guess I’m pretty picky when it comes to pinot. It tasted like a good $25 bottle of wine.

Lurker revealed! Been about two or three weeks watching. Pre-Conan. My 2 cents: love Rieslings. Oak Monster drove me away from Chardonnays. Just looking to learn more about wines. Small potatoes here.

Great show GARY!!! POP THAT BOTTLE!

Look ma! I’m not a lurker anymore!!!!!!!

Wow, I’m glad that Gary thinks so highly of these! I signed up for the list this year and was able to get 9 bottles. I shall horde those like the holy grail.

AN

Whoa. Careful with those bottles…

Done it and done it. I promise to throw more parties though. QOTD – Lagrein.

Thanks for the Sea Smoke review. Since they are so hard to come by, would be good to compare to more readily available Santa Rita Hills Pinots like Foley (my fav), Mellville, Alta Rosa (Dick Sanford), Sanford (not Dick Sandford anymore).

good intensity today!
i was very curious about seasmoke-and now i know. knowing is half the battle.
i am interested in what your thoughts are on the longevity of the wines tasted today.
qotd: 2000 tempranillo reserva from navarra. its not great.

I’m a quick learner…only been watching two day! Thanks for the great episode…I dig the understated take on the bandaid flavor. LOL What are you wearing on your rigth wrist? Protection from wayward swirling droplets?