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EP 856 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Tasting with Toby Hill of Phillips Hill Estates

Gary Vaynerchuk invites Toby Hill to talk about the effects of the forest fires on the grapes in Anderson Valley during the 2008 vintage. They taste through three different 2008 Pinots from his winery, Phillips Hill Estates.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2008 Phillips Hill Ring of Fire Pinot Noir
2008 Phillips Hill Beeson Tree Pinot Noir
2007 Phillips Hill Oppenlander Vineyard Pinot Noir

Links mentioned in todays episode.


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luca bercelli

90/100

The chalk and cheese episode!
It would be hard to find two people more different than GV and the guest but it does make for a fascinating show. And the wines sound delicious

Tags: Anderson Valley, Pinot Noir, red, review, wine, wines

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  • castello

    Whiskey RULES!
    I can't wait to meet this winemaker artistdude…
    Great show!

  • He's clearly a serial killer.
    J/K.
    Enjoyed the guest a lot and would like to see more of his art work.

  • Episode 418 for those who like to see the Pinot Showdown.
    Congrats Mischas grandma
    Beeson tree guest and that makes me wonder how many winemakers are there in this world that never get the chance to show off their artistic talent. For this guy, the deal is made now, for sure. But all the others, wouldn't that be a theme for WLTV, changing the wine world, big style. Create a tasting and invite all small winemakers to provide samples and then let vayniacs and the head chief review them.
    WLTV Showdown or Winomania

    QOTD: My palate? still on the old world syrah smooth old wine bandwagon, but i also found that upfront fruit have become more and more appealing

  • castello

    Agree! not to mention lightning striking the vinyards, fire and smoke!! for days…

  • GermanChemist

    QOTD: My palate clearly changed a lot recently. Used to love pinots (France, Germany) but now I am much more into Bordeaux…
    Very recently I started to like Gewurztraminer…

    Bye

  • castello

    oh yea. My daddies palate could kick your daddies palateses' ass

  • Just picked up 4 bottles of the ring of fire – can't wait to try it!

  • GermanChemist

    Hi Gary,

    QOTD: Used to like pinots a lot but now my palate changed and I like Bordeaux a lot

    Bye

  • GermanCHemist

    Sorry I thought it didn´t work the first time…

  • castello

    silky, smooth? I need to drink more Pinot obviously. Any reccccommmmedations?

  • chukheadted

    great question! i used to think pinot was too light/delicate…now my palate is liking it!

    p.s. very admirable for GV to score wines in front of the maker. i like it!

  • seb10

    QOTD: Yes,pinot is still on the list. No super expensive Romanee Conti's or other overprized stuff. Going for the smaller producer from the more unknown Bourgogne regions (Denis Carré Savigny les Beaunes). Had a pinot noir from the Baden region in Germany. Blew me away,very fresh with subtle soil tones. Maybe a bit thinner than normal but still great flavour. I think there is still room for terroir driven,reasonably priced pinot.
    Love Seb10

  • Just Jack

    Hey now, there's no reason to bring Helen Buehler into this. Leave the poor girl alone already.

  • Toby looks huge compared to Gary.
    Gary how tall are you?

  • YoungDave

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TAMARA V.!!

    LOVE Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, and Gewurztraminer as well.
    QOTD: I have been in a fresh, mineral-driven white mode for a WHILE now, as well as quirky sparkling wines (Vouvray Brut, Limoux, Franciacorta, etc.) and popping a fairly well priced and solid 2005 Fronsac tonight reaffirmed my recent tendencies… red- especially heavier reds with more tannin, even when they are good- is just not my bag lately.

  • Surprised there was no mention of the gorgeous colour on all the wines, they look fantastic!

    QOTD: drinking more cool(er) climate Shiraz and loving it, medium body with some meat and pepper notes, perfect. Got tired of the blockbuster styles.

  • I know…I know! It might hurt GV’s feelings but I even had some in the cart, but had to pull up before the automatic checkout kicked in…of course somene on the crew is probably tasked with monitoring the level of vinous interruptus at any given time.
    I have a case of 07 Mosel Riesling on order that comes in next month, so that might help wash away the pain…if you are in the neighborhood, I’ll crack one with you.

    I REALLY wish that I were freed up and I would be at the NYC Tribeca Rooftop event “Austria Uncorked” tomorrow night…
    http://www.austriauncorked.com/

  • plcb

    QOTD: For pinot noir my palate has gone from Carneros to Burgundy to Oregon to Central Otago and back to whoever makes one that I like but that I can afford.

    Since I can't afford much pinot noir, my palate is happy with Spanish wine, Bierzo, Rioja….

  • Another great ep. I'm curious about the impact of the forest fires on the wines. Maybe you could have compared it with another Pinot which wasn't affected by forest fires?

    Nevertheless entertaining episode.

    Cheers,
    Sander

  • Grill Factor

    Checking Wine-Searcher for CA shows 2 of my favorites are available.

    Yalumba Scribbler '07 Cab Sauv Shiraz blend.
    Ringbolt Margeret River '07 Cab Sauv.
    If you can find it – WACA Parker '04 Coonawarra Cab Sauv – GV reviewed it in '06 and it is a steal.

  • Phredd3

    Happy Birthday, Tamara Vaynerchuk!

    The guest was just really uncomfortable. Not his fault. Being on camera is hard. He didn't know what to do and kept glancing furtively at the camera and couldn't relax. Too bad, 'cause he makes good wines. Interesting that his hands, in particular, looked huge next to yours, Gary.

    QOTD: I don't know where my palate is. I'm not sure it has just one place. Ask me again tomorrow.

  • Phredd3

    Oh, yeah, and put Kermit Lynch in the Favorite Episodes list. –>

  • Another great effort. Toby really comes off as an artist. Slighty quiet and shy yet his work screams, great.

    QOTD: Big spicy shiraz and oak monster chardonnay. It's a faze.

  • Dominic C.

    QotD: My palate is still trying to find it's sea legs.

  • payson07

    Another great episode. It's great to hear the winemaker's approach & tell their stories.

    QOTD: My palate is trying to find something with character. I'm riding the fence when it comes to New World/Old World (but being pushed into the New) because I'm continually finding great pinots from NZ/Oregon/Cali that are great and still relatively young. It's interesting to watch and taste these and see how they develop.

  • mattgmann

    QOTD: My palate doesn't get much pinot noir. Seems that $40 is the entry level price these days and I honestly don't spend that much on a bottle of wine very often, and when I do I, pinot is nowhere near the top of my list.

    Case in point, I uncharacteristically dropped ~$50 on a bottle last night. The local shop had exactly 6 bottles of the 07 Clio, so I snagged one to put away for the next dinner party. All of the other wines I bought were under $20.

    Speaking of, I picked up a bottle last night and drank it solely because of the K-Lynch label on the back. 2005 Domaine Catherine Le Goeuil Cairanne Cotes du Rhone Village cuvee Lea Felsch (frickin mouthful). Honestly a little disappointed. Probably because the nose was so good it betrayed the wine a little. Just plain bombastic, fruity and deep on the nose. It set itself up for a fail. Not a bad wine by any means, quite the contrary, but didn't live up to the nose. Solid effort for a Cotes du Rhone. Decently balanced, a little too much acididty to be honest/not enough tannins, simple mid palate but strong finish. ~88pts for me.

  • TooYoungToDrink

    Great episode Gary! If anyone is interested in watching the episode they were talking about it is #418. It is cool to see how excited he got over the wine. keep up the good work GV.

  • Anonymous

    thanks

  • Allan

    Neat Show G! ; )

    Laidback guest, seems like a very straighforward guy, down to earth. Cool actually.

    Awesome labels! Well he's an artist, so it comes naturally. Also really like the colour of the wines. Sounds like this guy makes some sweet stuff. What were the prices? ?
    I don't really care, as long as it's quality i'm buying. Do we need all these stupid ratings? ?

    Qotd: German Rieslings.

  • NY Pete

    if you say so Mr.C … 🙂

  • As of late my palate is transitory. I seldom drink a wine more than once as there are too many great bottles to discover. The quest to expand my palate has become unsatiable.

  • nicholasdesalvo

    Would love to come to the party, but July 10 is the due date of my first child.

  • Krunch

    Here are the Numbers:
    episodes “WITH” Guest: 24
    episodes “WITHOUT” Guest: 36

  • davidemillombard

    Great show! Being that he was from Humboldt County, I thought there was gonna be another story about the Bison Tree! lol

    QOTD: I've yet to learn & experience Pinot..I'm all about trying the tasty ones like the R.O.F.

    FIRED UP about July 10. Raquel and I will be there!

  • CharlieTN

    Nice guest with a pleasing baritone. He looked mad awkward though at the beginning of the show when Gary was doing his shoutouts and talking about the 7/10 party–didn't really know what to do. Who can blame him?

    My palate would love to try a smoky pinot right now. Too bad final exams are coming up. Overall, right now I'm trying to drink something completely new every time I open a bottle. So my palate is all over the place.

  • waynoooo daaaaa winoooo

    and Southern Rhone (Chateauneuf du Pape/Gigondas) and Loire Valley Chenin
    Blanc (Sweet & Dry) and Cali Zinfandel and ……………..

  • waynoooo daaaaa winoooo

    YEEEOOOOOOW, and i thought my spellin' was BAAAAD……..
    :O)

  • What are the chances of a bottle of this coming to this part of the world?? T_T

    QOTD: Palate preferring much more sourish sour cherry type of wine nowadays, must have something to do with my intake of chilli lately and the hot weather.

  • I think I might have to pick up one of those Ring of Fires. My palate lately has been going for the lighter wines…beaujolais, pinot noir, white wines..and not just because spring is in the air. The heavy wines just haven't been doing it for me lately. Nice show Gary!

    ps. No Phillips Hill discount code love for the Vayniacs? 😉

  • waynoooo daaaaa winoooo

    Yo Allan, when Ya gonna convince G to do us a Rheingau Riesling Show ???

  • the1805riddler

    Long time lurker….. but, the day has come–hear me ROAR *coughs meekly*
    Good ep. Always interesting to see how you deal with guests GV. Would have liked to hear more about the area and the nuances of that particular terroir.
    QOTD: German Riesling and New Zealand Merlot (massively underrated) are commanding the palate at the moment.
    Ah, feels nice to have broken free of that silence. 🙂

  • srdonjulio

    qotd: my palate depends on my mood or what I'm having for dinner. last night it was taquitos with gucamole that actually matched quite well with a sauvignon blanc.

    I look forward to trying Mr. Hill's wines someday.

  • cellarrat5

    I agree, at first I was bored by him; but then I realized he is just kind of soft spoken but obviously love what he does. Had an interesting cadence, almost made me feel like chilling out with a glass of Pinot on the porch (if I had a porch).

  • cellarrat5

    For this year? I need more info!

  • cellarrat5

    Good episode, like many that have posted found him a little awkward at first but like he said he was not your average guest/person. His wines and Gary's description did make me want a nice Pinot, however.

    QOTD: Lately I have really been digging Verdelho, Rousseau, Gwerts, Touriga and others that I have enjoyed in the past and recently come back to. Springtime always brings out the white wine lover in me. I am ALL about floral, huge on aromas recently.

  • Allan

    SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON, hopefully!

    We need some Georg Breuer, Robert Weil, Schloss Vollards, Leitz, Johannisberg etc. on The Show!! ; )

  • jaybloxham

    I did the same thing with the K Lynch wines. I bought 7 bottles of them. I haven't had one yet, but I cant' wait.

  • WOW! After watching about ten episodes, and not being able to stomach a single one all the way through, I find you incredibly annoying but so many people comment on your site! How is that? I am oddly fascinated.
    I am curious how exactly you are “changing the wine world?” (Besides pairing wines with sugary breakfast cereals.) AH well, to each his own.
    Your (not so very fannish) fans over at,
    Basic-Wine-Info.com

  • QOTD: I'm always looking for something new and different, or even old and different. I may not always like it, but I'm interested in trying it.

  • castello

    Obviously we love Gary. He may rub some the wrong way and he is outlandish but you get what you pay for. your link doesn't work.

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