Gazin IS de-LISH-us! Ya done good, G. Without all the distractions, and excitement of exterraneous unnecessary people, your focus and mindfulness is SOOO much better.

You really nailed it here. What’s NOT to love in Pomerol? Nothing except how obscenly overpriced a wine such as the great Petrus is. I’ve tasted a few vintages, and the 1998 on three different occasions (different bottles). Although there’s no doubt it’s great, it can easily be outperformed by lesser, non-classified, and (on a lucky day), even modest level wines of the commune. Typically, the guy who HAS TO have Petrus is screaming with inadequacy issues, yet we have to cater to and provide for these big spenders. I do, however, as you have done here, take particular pleasure in delivering more sensibly priced, and delicious choices as here.

QotD – in 2000? Wine sales were going through the roof. While any good year sustains growth in volume and numbers, this particular year went crazy with openings in products, higher quality boutique trends, new distribution opportunities, and capped it all off with a holiday season of the public realizing that THIS was the REAL Millenium eve. It was f’n CRAZY!
And then I finished it with a bottle of 1989 Pommery Louise!

QOD: The best thing about 2000 was the start of university. An undertaking that had been delayed by a couple of years.

Glad that the NY week is over – and not because of the abundance of shitty wine. It’s incredibly irritating to watch some of your guests jockey for mic time. On the other hand, there were a few guests who kept it barely palatable – of whom your old friend was my favorite. Just have the guy on your show one on one.

Good show Gary. I am jealous you got to have that for dinner!! 🙂

I have missed the last week and a half of shows, so I started with this one and will work my way back. Sorry to hear the NYC wine week didnt turn out some gems.

QOTD: We moved into our house in 2000.

Jason

WAAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOO, 2000 Bordeaux in da Hizzy, Oh Booooy, Oh Booooy,
OOOOOH BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY!!!!!!!!! 🙂 🙂

Great show! I’m totally jelous of the wines you had.

great show

qotd: theeeeeeee Yankees win, the Yankees win!

QOTD: Y2K was the year my wife and I bought our first home – and 5 years later sold it for twice what we bought it for. Timing is everything.

Qotd: 2000 was best yr ever, my wonderful daughter was born.

Keep buying “birthday wines” for her. Going searching now.

QOTD: I weighed about 50 lbs. less…..

Killer show. I haven’t seen you get that pumped over a wine in a long time, if ever.
QOTD; Started Cabot Vineyards and made our first commercial wines. Pretty great year.

Yo G, REDOOOOOOOOONKULOUS VINOS!!!!!! Great to see Ya treat Yourself to
some Goooood Stuff after that 5-Day NYC Swillfest!!! 🙂 🙂

qotd: Year 2000??? Heck, I can’t even remember what happened yesterday….
🙂

QOTD: I discovered my passion for the first sport in which I truly excelled: distance running.

QOTD: Best thing about the year 2000: Two weeks in Paris. Loved walking around the corner from my hotel in the morning to pick up still-hot baguettes and croissants. Took a class at Le Cordon Bleu. It was tres magnifique!

GV – historic poster and daily podcast lurker (family first) finally drawn out to comment once again. Thanks SO much for doing this, we have 5 cases of 00 Brdx aging in the basement orig purchased as futures in the $20 – $35 range, incl. 6 btls of the Branaire which was only $30 (we did the same in 03 and 05). One of those lucky enough to be able to age our wines to watch them evolve, and am not at all surprised to hear this wine is so much better than a couple years earlier. The preview tasting you just delivered has me more pumped than ever about starting to break into these wines this winter for special family/holiday celebrations. I’ve found by sampling a couple btls in 04, 06 and 08 that they definitely go into that hibernation phase (had Haut Bages Liberal in 06 that was like chewing granite even after 2 hours). Last w/e we tried the 00 Montlisse again (St. Emillon RP – 90 $20) with Emeril’s take on Julia Child’s coq au vin in the recent WS (along with the baked cucumber recipe, weird but delic), and it was fairly closed but pretty at first with a little fruit and chocolate. We dined slowly and swirled, and suddenly I went back for another sniff and it was like someone flipped a switch on the wine to let out an explosion of spices and earthiness and new layers of fruit that just melded across the palette and made the meal sing. THAT’s why we collect and age wine baby!! This episode rocked, PLEASE keep doing more like it cause you hit the nerd button on the head and it reminded me how I’m totally grateful for all your passion and all you do for us – even the lurkers like me – in the Vaynernation.

QOTD – ‘became a Dad’ as our first child, Mitchell, was conceived in April and we ate our best meal ever at Tru in Chicago.

You are absolutely right with what you said about Bordeaux 2000 – there is little to be added. I would only like to emphasize the importance of the Petit Verdot. It is a varietal that only rippens in good years in Bordeaux as it needs plenty of sun. One of the reasons why Petit Verdot and Malbec are being uprooted there. To me however it is a quality indicator. And I am happy to say a few winemakers are returning to ” the old methods”. Another, less expensive Bordeaux I remember with ( I believe ) 15% Petit Verdot is/was the 2000 Châteaud d´Agassac. Also an absolutely wonderful wine at the time I tried my last bottle – 3 years ago.

Petit Verdot is next to Pinot Noir my favourite red grape varietal. Saddly enough too few wine makers around the world have the gutts to plant it and bottle it by itself. Off the top of my head I can only think of the Marques de Grinon Petit Verdot, which to me shows the potential of this varietal – try one if you can find it.

Great show – keep them coming !!!!!! :-))))

Really fun watching you treat yourself Gary!
QOTD: The fact that I moved to S.F. in that year. Sadly I had to leave in 2002 again.

Great episode. I hope I can find some of that Ducru somewhere. You’re right, it has been a long time since we had a “home run” wine. Nice to see one again.

QOTD: My middle son was born. Found out he had Down Syndrome within a few hours, and my life was changed forever. So many new horizons. It was by far the best thing that happened in 2000.

GV,
Thanks for treating yourself, and us, to the good juice. Best thing about the year 2000 was that I won the Mass. high school golf championship as a freshman. Wish I had the foresight as a 15 year old to buy Bordeaux futures that would double and triple in price.

Love the quick episodes. Don’t get me wrong the wine tasting week shows were excellent.
QOTD: Hmmm.. I think I can finally uncork my 2000 futures I bought so many years ago..
Oh and the fact that the world didn’t end like some whacko’s predicted.

This was a great show.

QOTD: I had my first child Isabelle.

I just purchased a couple of bottles of the Chat Branaire Ducru. Can’t wait to sample it.

Thanks

What a welcome escape from the last few episodes’ lousy wines . . . So much better to hear you rave about a fantastic wine from an amazing region made by skilled winemakers. Who really cares what a bunch NY Wine Week yahoos think about a “putrid” wine (your word)?? Were they just there for a free buzz? Better yet, is the information you provided regarding the winemakers, vintage, climate, geography, etc. I know it’s not what the rabble want to see, but this kind of show is really in your wheelhouse. Please keep ’em coming.

QOTD: Reconnected with woman who is now my wife and mother of our child.

Gary, Love it when your surprise comes through the camera. It has been a while since that was a positive. Enjoy the rest of the Bottle.

QOTD – that Y2K concerns ended up being a “no show”

Gary, Love it when your surprise comes through the camera. It has been a while since that was a positive. Enjoy the rest of the Bottle.

QOTD – that Y2K concerns ended up being a “no show”

QOTD: I proposed to my wife on our first trip ever to Paris.