I have two of the wines from the election pack but since I’m not home can’t drink them tonight. Will have both of them the Thunder and the Anwilka when I get back. Favorites Prezes are FDR because he brought the country through WWII and the depression successfully and Lincoln because he preserved the union and did it with class.

Get well soon Gary!
No election pack up here in Québec. No elections either. May the best man win. May the new president bring stability and prosperity to the majority.

Tonight I am drinking something quite different. I am enjoying an Arerunguà 2002, a Tannat from Uruguay. Good stuff! Figs and dark fruit with a sour cherry, raspberry mouthfeel!

Cheers to all of you out there enjoying wine for whatever reason!

Gary –

Hope you feel better soon! Also hope that the Mottster doesn’t get what you have after quaffing from the sniffy-sniff glass!!!!!
QOTD: Good question . . . tough one . . . can’t say I have a favorite President. Don’t generally trust politicians regardless of party affiliation. Each has had some redeeming qualities and have contributed to the general good in some manner either while in office or after leaving. Some recent examples, LBJ (civil rights), Nixon (Vietnam cease-fire, diplomatic relations with China), Carter (post presidency Human Rights), Reagan (big tax-cuts/supply side economics, dissolution of USSR), Bush Sr.(built strong international coalition leading to successful Desert Storm) . . . not much since
QOTD2: Good ol’ H2O. Feeling a bit under the weather, so I’m gonna try and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

I am so “pumped” about this show. Man o man, 3 kickbutt wines. My take on the Thunder red was that it is better for me than the Anwilka. I got some “diaper action” on the Anwilka and it wa hugggge.

QOTD: I have two other people with me and the votes are: #1 FDR due to Depression, war, battling polio, person #2 chooses JFK since she relates to Caroline (same age) and my vote #3 goes to Thomas Jefferson who helped create our union, a lover of wine, world traveller and developed trade between US and Europe.

Cheers!

Favorite President – Ronald Reagan!
In our America, resist attaching your happiness to any outcome – do your part, give your best effort and move on – remember our opportunities are endless.
God bless this nation today and always.
My wife and I shared a bottle of 2006 Vin du Lac of Chelan Chardonnay Columbia Valley. It was awesome!!
We look forward to trying the election pack this weekend.

Gotta go with TJ, Jefferson brought us Bordeaux, wait, is that a good thing?
Gaston Chiquet 99 to celebrate!

Gary & Chris, SOME of us have already tasted and like the Hortus La Bergerie Blanc 2007!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When I was in the dirty jerse in September, Matt suggested La Campagna. He brought two wines to the offline. This was one of them. I LOVE this one!! AND I ordered this one from WL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I will get to try it again soooon………… 🙂

QOTD: Ronald Reagan HANDS DOWN!!!!

Gary -Sorry to hear that you are not feeling well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I do hope and pray that you will feel much better soon!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m a little under the weather myslef so I don’t know if I’ll be cracking anything tonight.

QOTD: Based strictly on being a lady killer, Bill C.

Gary, BTW: This is the FIRST secret pack where I have already tried one of the wines B4 the episode!!!!!!!!!!! All of the other secret packs I have not been able to try along with…….

QOTD: Teddy Roosevelt – because he was the most badass president the US has ever had and probably ever will have. More people should study his life.

Fave president has to be Jefferson. Not only was he a statesman and a scholar, but he singlehandedly brought wine and the love of wine to America. We all owe him a debt of gratitude.

Tonight I’m drinking American bubbles. Specifically, Gruet Brut from New Mexico.

Gary, BTW # 2, YES, I do like the Hortus La Bergerie Blanc 2007 MORE than you do. I would rate it 91 points. Very much a good food wine for Italian foods and cheeses. Will try some day with other types of food…………………….

Gary, BTW # 3, NO I don’t usually make any comments…………LOL!!!!!!!

QOTD: Truman, because he was from Missouri. Represent.

Drinking the Thunder wine and LOVE IT!! Had my last sip about 4 minutes ago and I am still getting taste. Just got a weird taste of niblets corn which is awesome because that is my favorite.

Love the pump. I needed another one because I lost one of the tops from the last one I had.

Languedoc white was hands down the favorite, the most interesting and balanced of the three. Surprised, pleasantly, that all 3 wines had such strong aromatics – was that the theme? Would have liked a tad more acidity in the Hortus, but all the richness and creaminess in the mouth had me wondering if it sat on the lies? Like you said, very floral. Was surprised to see some oak and, presumably, some malo for the butter. Liked all the aromatics, a very interesting wine. Again, a touch more acidity would have made it classier, but still a tasty, layered wine.

The Thunder Cuvee was a solid wine, good fruit. Pretty nose with some baking spices for the season. Got mainly stewed fruits, maybe that’s the Sangio, gives it an aged nose/flavor. It actually tastes like some Zins I know. Very light for a Merlot dominated blend. As you said, for pizza and burgers it would be great. It’s more interesting than most reds I’d pop for that fare, actually. Guessing this is not going to last long, so I’d be inclined to pop and pour.

Anwilka grows on you. It has tons of black fruit and lots of sweet, smoky oak. It strikes me as a style you would not typically like being so oaked. It has that diesel, chemical thing (I think you called it NJ Turnpike) – really appealing to me, and the only thing that really makes it stand out, honestly. That component screams of South Africa to me. Oak is almost overwhelming with its smokiness, but there’s so much black fruit, it kind of fights back. A solid bottle, but at $40, I have to give it a major pazzz. Also, I can get the ’05 locally for $20, FYI.

My scores: Hortis 88, Thunder Cuvee 85, Anwilka 87

For the price, I can only recommend the Hortis and Thunder Cuvee. Both drink great for what they are – the Hortis, a complex, aromatic white. The Cuvee, a fruity, drinkable red. But, as you say often, there are many wines like the Anwilka for half the price. Get into some ’05 Haut-Medocs, for example – they are still out there.

Nice show for an important night.

QOTD: Teddy Roosevelt because I love the outdoors and he was the man who put the Park system in place.

Nice show for an important night.

QOTD: Teddy Roosevelt because I love the outdoors and he was the man who put the Park system in place.

Sorry you are under the weather – get well soon!
I’m drinking a 2007 Oregon Cloudline Pinot Noir which is okay, but for me not wonderful.
Would have enjoyed the Thunder Pack, but living in Washington that’s not yet a possibility.
Favorite President – Regan, maybe an actor, but he delivered against the old Soviet empire – to bad we weren’t better at supporting and backing it up – at least we are able to enjoy people like your family coming our way.
Take care

QOTD: Abraham Lincoln, for obvious reasons.

Drinking: Fuchs, Sauvignon Blanc, from Austria, yes, Austria. Definitely a wine GV should taste on the thunder show.

QOTD: Grover Cleveland…our 22nd and 24th President…the only president to serve 2 non-consecutive terms…and he had a huge mustache.

QOTD Roosevelt. The outdoorsmen. A bottle of Bakers Lane, Pinot Noir out of Sonoma. Drinking well I might add, a true Pinot in taste, much unlike the selections tonight. Watch that flu bug , it’s a killer. As much as I respect the Jets I can’t go against my original hometown Rams back in the day when they were in Cali.

Diggin the South African cabs as of late. Good call.

QOTD: Clinton & sparkling water. No vino during the week.

QOTD…Teddy Roosevelt was the Best. Speak softly and carry a big bottle of wine; you will go far. Check out his museum on 20th St. NYC.