Last Bottle: 1992 Stony Hill Chardonnay. Had been opened the night before.. I had it at lunch the next day. Rich Golden Color. Apple on the nose. A little past prime, slight sherry component in the mid pallet and through the finish. Great viscous mouthfeel. Bonus points for being this delicious at 17 years old! 94 points!

Gary, traveling is always enjoyable, but let’s face it, Dorothy was right, there’s no place like home. Especially when you have a beautiful family there waiting for you!

Welcome home.

Gary, traveling is always enjoyable, but let’s face it, Dorothy was right, there’s no place like home. Especially when you have a beautiful family there waiting for you!

Welcome home.

Gary, traveling is always enjoyable, but let’s face it, Dorothy was right, there’s no place like home. Especially when you have a beautiful family there waiting for you!

Welcome home.

Over the past two days I have been drinking from a bottle of Columbia Crest Merlot of the (I believe) 2008 vintage, but since then I’ve lost the bottle. I haven’t mastered my palette yet so I can’t report much more than that it tasted like a very soft and muted (almost green-y) Merlot-ish wine. It was very much a Post-Saturday-Night-Halloween-Daylight-Savings-Sunday calmed down Welcome To November of a wine. It felt very characteristically Washington State in that it was quiet and unpretentious, not at all unpleasant but a little unexciting.
That particular wine would pair well with that Marlon Brando movie On The Waterfront or Primer. 80 points.

Over the past two days I have been drinking from a bottle of Columbia Crest Merlot of the (I believe) 2008 vintage, but since then I’ve lost the bottle. I haven’t mastered my palette yet so I can’t report much more than that it tasted like a very soft and muted (almost green-y) Merlot-ish wine. It was very much a Post-Saturday-Night-Halloween-Daylight-Savings-Sunday calmed down Welcome To November of a wine. It felt very characteristically Washington State in that it was quiet and unpretentious, not at all unpleasant but a little unexciting.
That particular wine would pair well with that Marlon Brando movie On The Waterfront or Primer. 80 points.

Gary, I could tell you missed us…and having someone else in the room to talk to. I swore you went mad in that epidsode!!! I think you were hoping to find someone to talk to under the bed. Hope you get some good family time soon =)

QOTD: second and third cousins, great aunts/uncles who i don’t see often, i should facebook’em up!

QOTD: last wine was sunday evening, after a day filled with wine tasting with my friend from cleveland who came to visit me in portland, OR. The wine we bought and opened was Dragons Bluff – Quiotee’s Lair, 2007 Pinot Noir from White Rose Winery. Loved it!

Gary, I could tell you missed us…and having someone else in the room to talk to. I swore you went mad in that epidsode!!! I think you were hoping to find someone to talk to under the bed. Hope you get some good family time soon =)

QOTD: second and third cousins, great aunts/uncles who i don’t see often, i should facebook’em up!

QOTD: last wine was sunday evening, after a day filled with wine tasting with my friend from cleveland who came to visit me in portland, OR. The wine we bought and opened was Dragons Bluff – Quiotee’s Lair, 2007 Pinot Noir from White Rose Winery. Loved it!

Gary, I could tell you missed us…and having someone else in the room to talk to. I swore you went mad in that epidsode!!! I think you were hoping to find someone to talk to under the bed. Hope you get some good family time soon =)

QOTD: second and third cousins, great aunts/uncles who i don’t see often, i should facebook’em up!

QOTD: last wine was sunday evening, after a day filled with wine tasting with my friend from cleveland who came to visit me in portland, OR. The wine we bought and opened was Dragons Bluff – Quiotee’s Lair, 2007 Pinot Noir from White Rose Winery. Loved it!

no more lurking here…loving the short sweet episodes!
finishing up a 2008 Luzon from Jumilla, a Jorge Ordonez selection that is an absolute steal at 7 bones. gotta be somewhere in the 87-89 range.

no more lurking here…loving the short sweet episodes!
finishing up a 2008 Luzon from Jumilla, a Jorge Ordonez selection that is an absolute steal at 7 bones. gotta be somewhere in the 87-89 range.

Love me that Canada but haven’t been to Toronto. Need to change that.

Last wine I had was Johnny Walker Black and I gave it a 105pts.

Love me that Canada but haven’t been to Toronto. Need to change that.

Last wine I had was Johnny Walker Black and I gave it a 105pts.

Love me that Canada but haven’t been to Toronto. Need to change that.

Last wine I had was Johnny Walker Black and I gave it a 105pts.

Hi mate,

Good episode – I love the idea of doing the hotel wine. As someone who has done lots of business travel on my own I can fully sympathize with you about the whole missing family. I also know the feeling of eating on your own and going to hotel rooms wrecked to get ready for the next day. Hang in there.

QOTD1: Canada is somewhere I REALLY want to go and my wife lived in Woodstock near Toronto for a year (before she was my wife). She loved it!

QOTD2: Wynn’s Coonawarra Michael Shiraz 1998 – Best wine I have ever drank. Would love to know what you think and am happy if you don’t like it – everyone is different 🙂

Hi mate,

Good episode – I love the idea of doing the hotel wine. As someone who has done lots of business travel on my own I can fully sympathize with you about the whole missing family. I also know the feeling of eating on your own and going to hotel rooms wrecked to get ready for the next day. Hang in there.

QOTD1: Canada is somewhere I REALLY want to go and my wife lived in Woodstock near Toronto for a year (before she was my wife). She loved it!

QOTD2: Wynn’s Coonawarra Michael Shiraz 1998 – Best wine I have ever drank. Would love to know what you think and am happy if you don’t like it – everyone is different 🙂

glad to see you up north Gary… i’d love to introduce you to a new canadian wine region.. vancouver island, on the western-most point of the country.. really interesting stuff happening out here in the past few years.. in answer to your question.. 3 local wines that you should definitely try (which i’d be happy to arrange for you..) alderlea vineyards reserve pinot noir, zanatta winery “damasco” white blend (ortega-siegerrebe) and venturi-schulze’s natural brut..
so.. ya.. big fans out here.. see your show everyday..sorry about the yankees the other night.. i had my hopes in the 9th. love to try and hook you up with some of our amazing island wines.. would definitely take care of any accomodations and food if you wanted to visit our little neck of the woods.. writing here from tofino, vancouver island, british columbia… but in the mean time, if i can arrange to send you some wines let me know how…
right on buddy.. take care and keep up the great work… good luck on the road with the book tour, and please know that us on the far pacific north-west are lovin’ what you’re doing to the wine world and we’re right there with ya…
take it easy buddy!
sam
maitre’d
shelter restaurant
tofino, bc

glad to see you up north Gary… i’d love to introduce you to a new canadian wine region.. vancouver island, on the western-most point of the country.. really interesting stuff happening out here in the past few years.. in answer to your question.. 3 local wines that you should definitely try (which i’d be happy to arrange for you..) alderlea vineyards reserve pinot noir, zanatta winery “damasco” white blend (ortega-siegerrebe) and venturi-schulze’s natural brut..
so.. ya.. big fans out here.. see your show everyday..sorry about the yankees the other night.. i had my hopes in the 9th. love to try and hook you up with some of our amazing island wines.. would definitely take care of any accomodations and food if you wanted to visit our little neck of the woods.. writing here from tofino, vancouver island, british columbia… but in the mean time, if i can arrange to send you some wines let me know how…
right on buddy.. take care and keep up the great work… good luck on the road with the book tour, and please know that us on the far pacific north-west are lovin’ what you’re doing to the wine world and we’re right there with ya…
take it easy buddy!
sam
maitre’d
shelter restaurant
tofino, bc

glad to see you up north Gary… i’d love to introduce you to a new canadian wine region.. vancouver island, on the western-most point of the country.. really interesting stuff happening out here in the past few years.. in answer to your question.. 3 local wines that you should definitely try (which i’d be happy to arrange for you..) alderlea vineyards reserve pinot noir, zanatta winery “damasco” white blend (ortega-siegerrebe) and venturi-schulze’s natural brut..
so.. ya.. big fans out here.. see your show everyday..sorry about the yankees the other night.. i had my hopes in the 9th. love to try and hook you up with some of our amazing island wines.. would definitely take care of any accomodations and food if you wanted to visit our little neck of the woods.. writing here from tofino, vancouver island, british columbia… but in the mean time, if i can arrange to send you some wines let me know how…
right on buddy.. take care and keep up the great work… good luck on the road with the book tour, and please know that us on the far pacific north-west are lovin’ what you’re doing to the wine world and we’re right there with ya…
take it easy buddy!
sam
maitre’d
shelter restaurant
tofino, bc

Toronto: never been there.

Last bottles I had were from the Newzealand winery of he Germany-based winemaking-family “Johner”:
Johner Cabernet-Merlot&Malbec 2007 – 88+ points
Johner Pinot Noir Wairarapa 2008 – 84 points

Toronto: never been there.

Last bottles I had were from the Newzealand winery of he Germany-based winemaking-family “Johner”:
Johner Cabernet-Merlot&Malbec 2007 – 88+ points
Johner Pinot Noir Wairarapa 2008 – 84 points

Toronto is nice, haven’t been back in awhile.
QOTD: Last wine I had was a little blind test I gave my sister
actually, between Emeritus and Dry Bones Red.
Emeritus one-punch knocked out the Elks River red wine
without even trying. The Emeritus is delicious.
I Score it a 92+

Toronto is nice, haven’t been back in awhile.
QOTD: Last wine I had was a little blind test I gave my sister
actually, between Emeritus and Dry Bones Red.
Emeritus one-punch knocked out the Elks River red wine
without even trying. The Emeritus is delicious.
I Score it a 92+

Toronto is nice, haven’t been back in awhile.
QOTD: Last wine I had was a little blind test I gave my sister
actually, between Emeritus and Dry Bones Red.
Emeritus one-punch knocked out the Elks River red wine
without even trying. The Emeritus is delicious.
I Score it a 92+

Niagara Penisula is one of my favorite wine regions (and it’s not just because I original came from Canada. Lots of great wines. I’m especially partial to Vineland Estates. I get a case from there every time I’m in Canada which is at least twice a year.

Also have some 2004 Cave Spring Reisling, Strewn Cab blend, Stratus Cab Franc (great vineyard as well)