Hey GeeVee … THANK YOU for putting the “Le Muscle” on the free shipping list a few days after this show! I am always hoping that this will be a trend: Offering free-shipping on the wines of the day from your show! I would take advantage far more often than I should!

I haven’t popped ’em either. Waiting for after Passover to get our wine tasting gang together. I’m extremely pumped.

QOTD: Now that spring is springing SueRad and I will be hanging out in Riverside Park and looking west towards the dirty Jerz.

Just got the chance to catchup on episodes since I was in NYC last week at a couple of business dinners – Fresco Restaurante was great(amazing Brunello – Podere Il Poggioli?)and then big customer dinner at Cru where I had a very interesting white Ca’del Merlot Bianco Quintarelli Veneto (not merlot but sauvignon blanc and tocai) – I don’t usually drink white but this was good. And as you say expanding the palate. And then an Italian red that was disguised as an over-oaked Californian to which I said “meh”

About the secret pack – if they are truly “secret” can they pass by the border patrol and ship to Pennsylania? Wishful thinking.

Great show GV!!

Q- Depends, I like to mix it up.

wow 1000 secrect packs sold and only 200 comments.
Good choice on the wine Gary, lets do 4 next time this is too much fun.

QOTD – Where ever there is a good time to be had.

Bill’s Blues Bar in Evanston, IL. Great blues acts almost nightly, no cover during the week, and a nice brew selection.

I don’t think this is fair.

QOTD: A nice little wine bar/store (common here in Brussels) down the street called The Winery. Great peeps, alway a good selection by the glass. Bottles at cost. Tapas.

Just returned from a trip to the Roussillon with my family. Fell in love with the Collioure AOC and the VDP de Cotes de Catalan stuff. Roussillon area is incredibly scenic and under appreciated. Much like the wines.

Finally drinking my Cantelys. Unique nose, almost like coconut and vanilla. A little hot.

Hey Gar!!! It’s Beth birthday and we’re finally drinking the April Fools 2 Pack. 🙂 So we really enjoyed the wine, Michelle especially! Beth totally called the veginess of the third wine and I called the licorice at the finish of the third (and this was before you called it!). Thanks for choosing these wines- they were great! And I hear what you’re saying about the third wine- it sure does have charisma. 🙂 We all look forward to the next secret pack!

QOTD: We hang at home mostly.

That Le Muscle sounded good.

Tasted the Le Muscle today, agreed mostly with your notes but also got a very interesting and obvious grapefruit rind character on the nose and palate that intrigued. Good stuff once the funky greeness blew off.

When we went back to the Le Muscle, it had much more “funk” on the nose AND palate. There was some stinky cheese man / tennis shoe rubber involved, for sure! Not in a bad way, really!

It’s funny, because the Le Muscle became a totally different wine after we tasted the Fitou. We loved both. Being from San Francisco and coming up on Napa/Sonoma wines, this was a great lesson in Southern France wines. We’ve tried French wines, but it’s always been guessing. So it was great to have a recommendation from GV.

And my girl, Miss Melody, has a chicken pox scar over her eyebrow!

I had the Cantelys Blanc last night and today after a long delay. I was also intrigued by the nose, but was hit by the papaya and passionfruit component, which I was surprised you didn’t hit on. The oak was nice, and I thought added good complexity. But the wine initially was a bit harsh on the tongue, and almost reminded me of nail polish remover, which is a bad sign. But after chilling in the fridge over night, it was much nicer in the park today (my favorite place to hang out). The minerality came through better, giving the wine an almost sandy quality that a few in the crew picked up. So an interesting, but not favorite wine. But thanks for the chance to compare notes.

Hey Gary,

Just got around to one of the bottles, the 05 cotes de roussillon, and you are right…really good wine. Enjoy as always, will comment when i watch the rest of the episode and open the other bottle.

-Justin Carder

Le Muscle Cote de Roussillon was an incredible and unforgettable experience–although our bottle tasted well and was great fun, it gave us both intense headaches and I suffered through the worst stomach pains I’ve ever had later in the evening. Real bummer as tasting was a real pleasure–quirky and mean with its tannins. And the currant back-end was a treat! But you may not want to actually consume. We both regretted it.

Sweet showing on the wines. Hope all the Vayniacs rocked them out as well. Pity I missed ANOTHER one. 🙁 QOTD: I just rock it at home. Not the most glamorous lifestyle but ive got plenty of friends across the internetz to rock it out with me.

Have not had these wines.`Last two sounded good. QOTD-home..many good food and drinking good wine. http://www.winelx.com