This was definitely my favorite guest and I have been watching for two years!

QOTD: Yes it means a lot to me when a wine is an “Estate” wine. It means hand crafted to me and here in America, we have lost that in so many ways. It is nice to have that in the wine world.

QOTD…. I guess it depends on where the estate is, there are vineyards in exceptional areas like yours that it means a great deal.One of my favorite winemakers Jeff Runquist doesn’t own a single grapevine but consistantly produces great wine

Hey Gary, another great show. Cudos to Jeff B. It’s obvious he knows what he is doing and is very passionate about it. QOTD: Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me. I tend to believe that the best wines are made when the winemaker can source his/her grapes from multiple sites and is not restricted to only those on the “estate”

Just an FYI, Breggo was recently acquired by Cliff Lede.

Very cool finish , great guest, You probably know my brother who lives in Healdsburg,he knows Doug as well. Anyway, Estate bottled does matter and Gary’s right about the label.

Really cool show, great guest. Although I won’t be joining his wine club, I will be seeking out some Gundlach Bundschuh wines.

QOTD: It does mean something to me, but not enough to really influence my spending. There are a lot of other factors going into what I buy. All things being equal I will take an estate produced wine over a non-estate.

Thanks for not waiting too long to post part 2 of this. the guest is great and I’m really looking forward to locating some of their wine. I only moderately care if a wine is an estate wine. Sometimes the marketing is used to just jack the price of crappy wine up. I respect more the taste and the value.

Fantastic two parter. My buddy worked a season over at Bundschu last year and had nothing but excellent things to say about the place and owners. He actually shipped some wines to MN for Christmas; an ’06 Cab, an ’06 Syrah, and I believe an ’06 or ’07 Vintage Reserve. I of course couldn’t wait and opened the reserve early :), which was excellent, but definitely should have been opened l8er. I am storing the cab and syrah for a while.

I am really glad that Cork’d is around because while I don’t have the tasting notes from the reserve, I will for the cab and syrah.

QOTD: Now that I am more familiar with the term, I think it means a great deal. Especially after seeing grape sources that one does not control. I normally don’t like using cliches, but one can make bad wine of good grapes, but not good wine from bad grapes.

Gary hit it on the nuts, I think. My first thought as Jeff was explaining the term Estate, was that the industry needs to do more to educate and promote that title … and then … BAM, Gary rips the idea from out of my head and improves it 10 fold.

Great Show! Yes, I do look for Estate Grown wines, however, it all depends on who the grower is, where he is located, and who is controlling the operation. Not everyone can make great wines, and not every estate grows great grapes.

Estate bottled means indigenous, exclusive and gives a wine enduring value and authenticity.

Outstanding guest GV. Really enjoyed this, thank you.

QOTD:If I am at the wine shop looking to buy a particualar varietal from producers I have never had, I will lean toward one that is estate grown/bottled nearly every time.(assuming similar pricepoints)

Outstanding guest GV. Really enjoyed this, thank you.

QOTD:If I am at the wine shop looking to buy a particualar varietal from producers I have never had, I will lean toward one that is estate grown/bottled nearly every time.(assuming similar pricepoints)

Another entertaining two-parter with an interesting and knowledgeable guest.

Just recently discovered Breggo pinot (2007) and quickly went back for seconds after popping one – good stuff!

QOTD: What does “Estate” mean to me? Well, what I’ve found is that it usually means about 25% more $$$ then the regular bottling and less than 10% added goodness.

QOTD: If the fruit sourced is good fruit and the winemaker is talented and experienced, it doesn’t really matter. To me Estate means they own the land in Napa which means that the wine is going to be $80.00 to $100.00 per bottle because land costs so much. One winery that is making Estate wines at prices in the 55.00 ragne at retail is Anderson’s Conn Valley Cabernet. Todd bought his land back in the 1970’s when land was cheap. His qualiy is excellent and he doesn’t charge an arm and a leg (well maybe an arm). Phelps is a nearby neighbor and Insignia isn’t any better at 3X the price.

QOTD: If the fruit sourced is good fruit and the winemaker is talented and experienced, it doesn’t really matter. To me Estate means they own the land in Napa which means that the wine is going to be $80.00 to $100.00 per bottle because land costs so much. One winery that is making Estate wines at prices in the 55.00 ragne at retail is Anderson’s Conn Valley Cabernet. Todd bought his land back in the 1970’s when land was cheap. His qualiy is excellent and he doesn’t charge an arm and a leg (well maybe an arm). Phelps is a nearby neighbor and Insignia isn’t any better at 3X the price.

😉 Love that! This was a great, great show. He seems like a well-spoken articulate guy that has hair that I adore. The glasses . . . ehhhhh! But the label, it’s gorgeous so I will have to try the Gewurz!

Looking forward to Part Due!!!

P.S. Got my Secret Pak today!! I’m ready for Thanksgiving!

Cheers!

Great show. Great guest.

QOTD: Tough one. I think estate bottled is a hard concept to wrap ones head around just because of how lenient rules about planting, growing, vinting, varietals, etc. are in the New World. Seems like the “estate” label is a way to give reputable, long-term successful producers a way to solidify their brand (regardless of quality), but also allows new producers who might not know what they are doing, to sell wine at a premium. If I see “estate” on the Gundlach Bundschu it is more of a mark of quality and care than a random Central Coast “estate” wine made from a part of the billion acres of vines off highway 101 for example. Plus, a good winemaker can take solid fruit and make good, “terroir” representative wines off site. I think if the New World, especially California, wants to use “sense of place” as a precursor to quality, its all about specific varietals with vineyard designate labeling, not “estate” necessarily.

Great show. Great guest.

QOTD: Tough one. I think estate bottled is a hard concept to wrap ones head around just because of how lenient rules about planting, growing, vinting, varietals, etc. are in the New World. Seems like the “estate” label is a way to give reputable, long-term successful producers a way to solidify their brand (regardless of quality), but also allows new producers who might not know what they are doing, to sell wine at a premium. If I see “estate” on the Gundlach Bundschu it is more of a mark of quality and care than a random Central Coast “estate” wine made from a part of the billion acres of vines off highway 101 for example. Plus, a good winemaker can take solid fruit and make good, “terroir” representative wines off site. I think if the New World, especially California, wants to use “sense of place” as a precursor to quality, its all about specific varietals with vineyard designate labeling, not “estate” necessarily.

QOTD: No, it doesn’t matter. But I drink local milk from a local dairy b/c it helps our economy and tastes better than industrial milk. So on wine, no. But on a lot of other things, yes, I prefer the small-scale producer.

Thanks GV and Jeff,
Great Shows.

I have loved and enjoyed the Gundlach Bundschu
wines since my first visit in 1998.
Thank You Jeff and the entire BG Family.

To me RESERVE means everything.
I always look for the Reserve signage on the label.

To me. a wine lover, it represents a Winery’s change to deliver the highest Quality and Consistent wines to the buyer year in and year out.
I think GV’s take regarding “RESERVE” is swayed but the huge amount of sales he makes to a wider cross section of wine drinkers.

I think if your wine production is smaller, as stated,
but the wines prove out to have RESERVE Consistant Qualities year in and year out, then it’s a WINNER.

**Example**
I used to love Rombauer Zin’s, they are not tagged as a Reserve wine but they do carry a cost of $25-30 bones. Anyone can tell that the souring of grapes used in the Rombauer zin has changed this wine more times than I care to remeber. So every year I need to spend 30 bucks to see how the grape souring turned out…. I don’t think so.

RichE
Upstate NY

n count, specially is the resson

Thanks GV and Jeff,
Great Shows.

I have loved and enjoyed the Gundlach Bundschu
wines since my first visit in 1998.
Thank You Jeff and the entire BG Family.

To me RESERVE means everything.
I always look for the Reserve signage on the label.

To me. a wine lover, it represents a Winery’s change to deliver the highest Quality and Consistent wines to the buyer year in and year out.
I think GV’s take regarding “RESERVE” is swayed but the huge amount of sales he makes to a wider cross section of wine drinkers.

I think if your wine production is smaller, as stated,
but the wines prove out to have RESERVE Consistant Qualities year in and year out, then it’s a WINNER.

**Example**
I used to love Rombauer Zin’s, they are not tagged as a Reserve wine but they do carry a cost of $25-30 bones. Anyone can tell that the souring of grapes used in the Rombauer zin has changed this wine more times than I care to remeber. So every year I need to spend 30 bucks to see how the grape souring turned out…. I don’t think so.

RichE
Upstate NY

n count, specially is the resson

Great guest…it’s always fun to see the guests that are larger than life like this on the show.

QOTD: Yes, it does mean something to me…if the vintner/producer has a history of quality. However, there are some times where it means far less. All in all, for me…it’s about my opinion of the producer, their farming practices, and the track run of the wines. I think what is also VERY important that too many wineries are forgetting is the personal connection between the customer and the winery is VITAL to brand loyalty. Like it was mentioned in this show…Cabernet is a wine I rarely feel a pull or crave to drink. I do enjoy it..but far less than I did 5-8 years ago. However, there are some producers I continue to buy from because they offer me a tremendous experience when I am out at the wineries, and the stories I have from my time out in the Valley makes me want to share their wines and my stories with other people who are passionate about wine as well.

?? Umm.. The “club” memberships include free shipping..

Did I miss something here?

?? Umm.. The “club” memberships include free shipping..

Did I miss something here?

QOTD: Nope. Doesn’t matter to me in the slightest. All that matters is whether the juice in the bottle is good or not. I couldn’t care less whether it was estate bottled or négociant.