Gary,

you’ve out done yourself again with another cool guest. The nerd it up factor was through the roof. I loved it. Diamond Creek, I am gonna definitely take your advice. I went to NAPA 2 years ago and I had the time of my life. My only qualm about Napa cab is that there is so much that just tastes boring that I am turned off. Some of my favourites and that I am slowly bringing out of the cellar is Hess. I found that Benziger and Gundlach Bundschu from Sonoma were WAY better than most of the Cabernet that I drank in Napa for the price. I can say I didn’t do the $45 or $50 reserve wine tastings in Napa, and I didn’t go to all the super cult wineries but from what I had in Sonoma it beat out a LOT of the Napa cab.

Great set of episodes. They were a lot of fun to watch. Great job Joshua Greene!

Awesome show! Rioja stored in glass-lined barrels for 40 years? A review of the terroir and microclimates on Diamond Mountain? That is serious nerd territory right there. I loved it.

QOTD – If the prices come back down to reality, I’ll pick up the Cali cabs again. I mean, you asked the question on a show where you’re sampling a $175 bottle of wine. Diamond Creek may be a Grand Cru, but them’s Grand Cru prices, too. Hard to find anything I’d consider a value in California cabernet these day. And sorry, $175 isn’t a “value” wine even if it is perfect. There may be worse wines that cost more out there somewhere, but $175 is a luxury cuvee, pure and simple.

GV,

Great show, love the guest

QOTD: I grew up on napa cab so it will always have the home factor to me. Have moved away from it lately because the decent stuff is too expensive for my $15-30 range. Have been trying a lot of CDR from the great 07 vintage. Unfortunately, I think the CDR’s really need some time to be great. Chile Carmenere is my new favorite adventure. The seem much better than malbec’s and more complex for the $. Always open to something new.

Chris

The greed and arrogance of The Napa wineries is biting them on the ass now..
I am not going to ever go back, because the prices are disgusting.

I have never tried the Diamond Creek Cab but would love to if I had the chance and Gary was buying. Speaking of Diamond Mountian, Von Strasser and Reverie are good wineries who crank out good juice at far lower prices. Reverie’s Reserve Caberent is very ageworthy and sells for around $85.00. Not cheap but for the quality I think it definitely ranks up there. (Hopefully Norman doesn’t get greedy and bump up the prices!) Their regular Estate Cabernet is also outstanding. Ditto with Von Strasser although they are more old world in style. We also enjoy Hartwell Estate Cab and have “discovered” Anderson’s Conn Valley Estate Cabernet on our last visit to Napa. They could charge a whole lot more – they’re neighbors of Phelps – but they have kept prices low intentionally and consistently rank high from the reviews of Mr. Parker, etc.

Speaking of the struggles of Napa, when we visited recently someone/somewhere said they expected quite a few wineries weren’t going to make it during the economic downturn and were going to go out of business. It stands to reason. I think that estates that haven’t gotten too greedy, kept the quality high and kept people on their mailing lists will survive.

Regarding consumer demand, people have been forced to find affordable everyday wines during the recession, but will still splurge on a good bottle for a special occasion. And as the economy picks up they’ll start spending more on luxury products.

Fantastic episode, one of my top 5 favorites! I will be purchasing Wine and Spirits now and I have never read one before this show. Kudos to Gary for the interview and to Mr. Greene who was a class act.

Don’t get a whole lot of Napa cabs, just seem to be out of our price range when you can get something just as good for $15 to $20. Chateau Montelena is the exception and holds a special place in our hearts.

Another great 2-parter! Great to see responses to high profile wines.

QOTD: I haven’t been drinking that many Napa Cabs, though I have a few aging at the moment that I bought last time I was out there. If something comes along at a decent price point, I may consider buying more.

Great guest!

Qotd: if I’m going to spend the kind of $$$ a good napa cab demands I would prefer to buy burg Pinot, a brunello, Chablis, or other old world classic. There are great naps cabs but too often they are too bombastc for my taste. Not that I spend that kind of $$$ very often…

Again, great show!

One of your best 2-parters GV! Bring him back sometime!

QOTD: Napa has some wonderful wines in the $18-30 range if you know where to find them..(aka: NOT the grocery store!).

QotD: Napa Cabs are too boring and too expensive. That’s what everyone makes here, and none standout anymore.

Loved these episodes. You need to have more informative, entertaining guests. I get frustrated when you invite people who don’t know anything about wine. I watch to learn and be entertained.

Killer episode. I absolutely loved the guest and the interaction between you guys was really great. Thanks for the show! This one goes into the classics in my book.
QOTD: I have never really purchased napa cab much at all in the past. I think mostly due to the fact that Cabernet in general is not my favorite variety..but also because I tend to go leftbank bordeaux when I want Cab, partly do to the fact that they seem fresher…and partly do the fact that I am drawn to European wines more because I feel like I can learn more from them. I realize this is silly however and I can learn just as much from Cali Cab…which you have inspired me to drink more of. Again…thanks for the awesome interview both of you.

Again, the 2nd part was as good as the first. Great guest, convinced me to go get a subscription… And a bottle of Diamond Creek 🙂

QOTD: not buying CA Cabs anymore, but it’s been more that a few years and not related to the economy. Just wanted to expand my palette and move on. Although I must admit, my fall back is Napa Merlot when I just want a good wine with meals and don’t have the patience for something new.

Great episode Gary and Joshua. One of the best Ive seen in a while. Joshua, you are one of my favorite guest in WLTV history. Made top 10.

QOTD: I’ve been looking at Zin’s more lately, than Cab’s. Also Meved. I try to take GV’s advice and continually change it up by trying new wines, so I dont’t get caught up one style and vintage for too long. Facts are, as you both know better than I, Cali Cab’s are pricy and people are bound to change it up though economic troughs. If wine lovers never make it back to Cali Cab’s because they found better bangs for their buck else where, it will just go to show how inflated the Cali Cab market was. Globalization will raise the bar for all inflated markets, especially Cali Cab.

QOTD: I have a lot of cabernets right now, all of them good. I love California cabernets and when I come across one new to me such as the Robert Craig Mr. Veeder I tasted today, I want to purchase it. However, at $62.00 it’s something of a stretch. One of the limitations of cabs for me is that they go so well with red meats which I seldom eat.
Nice show. It was a pleasure to meet Joshua Green. Gary seemed to be in good spirits with his unusually infectious laugh.

Great show!

Joshua has my fantasy job, tasting and writing about wines. I write and edit pieces about drugs now, much less fascinating!

What happened to the pricing of Cali Cabs are one of my great sadnesses. I grew into wine appreciation at the time when they were available for low prices, but quality was spotty at best. To find the best wines one had to be a “wine detective”, read obscure leaflets like Mr. Parker put out at the time and deal with a lot of less than perfect wines.
Then quality improved and there was a “golden period” where America was on top of affordable cabernet sauvignon based wines. About 1992 the greed factor took over. Wine went from a beverage to enjoy with food and friends with commoodity based pricing and sometimes a bit more for an exceptional effort to an entertainment business. Like the real estate market wine overshot (for most people) its price point. Cali Cabs are now out of reach for the average person, and that is sad. Yes I know there are sometimes good wines that can be had for $20-40, but the best are $80+.

I have read that Napa and Sonoma grape prices are declining steeply and more wineries are for sale in Napa than at any other time in recent history. I am hopeful that a great winemaker will get together with some of those lower priced purchased grapes and create and affordable Napa Cab again. The demand would be there if the economics would allow for the creation of a great cab at say $37.95 price point. Folks would buy it by the case.

Until that happens we have been buying and drinking the awesome underappreciated CA syrahs that are available for $20-45. Producers like Linne Calodo, Stolpman, Pax Mahle’s new winery, Windgap, Mike Officer’s Carlisle etc. I am slowly depleting my stores of CA cabs which I purchased up to 1997 or so. I am hopeful that someone will step up with a new reasonably priced wine before my stocks are depleted.

I loved these 2 shows and guest, Joshua Greene. I could listen to him everyday. You’re not too shabby either, Gary.

QOTD: I use to splurge on more high-end wines and always, buy an Insignia and an Opus one every vintage which I haven’t been doing. I’m not buying as many 50-80 dollar bottles. More like 40 and under and have gone to other varietals and other parts of the country and the world. Some of the Cabs I recently purchased in the last year were Waypoint, Egelhoff, Justin, including their Isosceles blend and Cliff Lede. No more Paul Hobbs, Caymus or Beringer. Yes to second labels–Stella Grey.

Loved both shows. Interesting, informative, not TOO nerdy…….

QOTD: Can’t really help. Never a big Cali Cab guy.

QOTD: I haven’t bought one in quite a while. The prices got to the point where I felt I could get comparable wine from other regions of the world for a much better price. Honestly, it’s episodes like this that make we think I should get back to drinking it.

Excellent, excellent episode(s). Thank you very much Mr. Greene. Yours is a magazine I’ve flipped through many times and enjoyed but didn’t leap for whatever reason. Maybe Gary’s Portuguese wine reference is right on which means I should subscribe (had two Portuguese wines last night at a restaurant and loved them both). Thanks again.

QOTD: There is still WAY too much wine to be explored in the under $20 category for me to start dipping into higher end Napa Cabs, even with the recent softening of prices. I’m still exploring Portugal- dry red and whites alike, Longuedoc and Rousillon sub-appelations like Cotes du Ventoux and Cotes du Liberon and Loire Chenins from regions that I have yet to dive into, sparkling EVERYTHING from Vouvray to Garganega-based sparklers from the Suave neck of the woods, to dry Australian Tassy Riesling, Mornington Peninsula Pinot and Chard, to Alicante and Bierzo, to Austrian and Slovenian whites, and Chilean COASTAL wines from cooler climate varietals (Pinot Noir, Sauv. Blanc, Chard from Limari, Casablanca, San Antonio, Leyda) and, and, and…

Josh was great. This is an awesome ep.

QOTD: I have only had CA cabs a few times. I usually buy with the randomness.

Great episode and a great guest. That was lots of fun. Keep of the good work, Gary.

Yes, I’m still buying CA Cab. But I’m skipping Napa Cabs – the prices are just outrageous. I’ve found good CA Cab in Santa Ynez, particularly from Star Lane. So, Star Lane Cab is 40 bucks a bottle and drinks like a 100 dollar bottle of Napa juice.

Good Show

qotd: well being a Canadian and making 13$ an hour. buying California Wine in general doesn’t fit. I don’t seek Cali Cabs/ Napa just from what I have heard on Oak, and to me that isn’t something I want to spend 100$+++++

Gary, This has been one of the best guests i have seen in awhile. I could listen to both of you talk ALL DAY! 🙂

QOTD: Honestly, we have been trying different variates for awhile now. I haven’t stuck specifically to California cabs… but we are a huge fan of cab wines. Today we tried a South Africa Cab, and it was AMAZING. Probably the best cab we have ever had!