Really fun show. Wine psychology 101.
QOTD: Kilikanoon 2003 Reserve Shiraz. Most of my friends loved it's bombast; I thought it tasted like a dried out piece of over-extracted, burnt wood (and I am a fan of that producer, fwiw).

Loved it Gary what an awesome episode!!!!!!!!! Revisit and controversy. Its like a NFL replay that changes the call but makes the announcers confused.

BTW on twitter now and big fan of following you and WL

QOD: get ready for it. Boones Farm nearly caused a bar brawl. I didnt know its rep and hadn't had it before and it was on special at a college bar. I get it and take a seat. Its fake sweet and sparkly. But totally drinkable in a keg stand sorta way. Guy across the table says they used haze in his old frat with it. vulgarities occur, i make a comment about how the only way you could be hazed with that is if they put the bottle in a “special location” Argument ensues about wine. Never saw the guy again.

what did they not like? what were comments?

Great show.
QOD: For me Domaine Drouhin Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, its like a NV champagne. You always know what its going to taste like. I live 10 miles from DDO and all my wine friends love it, its just not for me.

The best VA winery, Linden, doesn't do a Cab Franc, but I am sure it is blended into its blends. I think if Cab Franc is done right, low yields, picked at the right time, etc then it can make a solid wine, but not too many wineries in the state allow that to happen. That said I tend to prefer WA Cab Francs as there is more of a green pepper component that I find appealing.

Like it when you try something controversial, but to be fair I don't think many people would like the wine described by your notes on the 2nd bottle. It may be intellectually stimulating, which I do tend to like to try, but when it comes to enjoying an entire bottle I am not sure how many would actually do so.

QOTD: I don't really recall the last bottle that was tried at one of our tastings that was that highly debated. There is always a few points difference in scores, but nothing over like 5 points or so usually.

QOTD– Champagne vs CA sparklers. Some people like the yeasty Champagne styles like Dom Perignon and Moet White Star while others prefer the fruity ripe lushness of CA sparklers like J, Mumm DVX etc.

I agree that scoring a wine based purely on one’s own palate preferences is subjective. However, a defect should be obvious and objective like some of the adjectives you used above. Where I disagree is that Parker would score an alcoholic, goopie, over-oaked mess 95 pts. I think he might give it 80 pts. at most. Take a look at some of his reviews of Kosta Browne pinot for example. I am certainly not a Parker ditto head but I do make purchases based on his recommendations.

Hey Gary, since I am no longer lurking and back to full blown commenting, here goes: This show was just like wine #2- nerdy, quirky, awkward and disjointed, but I loved it! QOTD: some of my fellow 04 Brunello fans disagree about which style is better. I like the more sour fruit Brunellos like La Rasina and La Columbina whereas they can't stand those wines, but prefer Castelgiocondo.

Loved the les cretes, my notes were peppery, liked, thank god.(from all the cindy wine notes), on the gran elias, loved it, decant at least 6 hours…didnt try the third one. And one you didnt review that alot of people liked was the Altitude 1050 malbec. My tasting notes, ok, not worth the hype.

QOTD: a couple come to mind. i think at the producer level, Kosta Browne has really been a “controversial” wine amongst the wine folk in DC. i would also lump some cuvee's from Cayuse into that as well…but i have far less experience with those.

great show – i share your opinion about the Gran Elias Mora…too big, too ripe, too boring for me. i much prefer to spend that kind of money on a wine with subtle characteristics like aged CdP/Cote Rotie/Burgundy/Napa Cabernets (pre 1990).

cheers – see ya on 7/10.

i feel like some of the recent Kosta Browne bottles has split our group in certain ways. no major point scoring differences, but there are those among us that really enjoyed them while others thought they were somewhat “meh” and/or “hot”.

QOTD: The single biggest debate about a wine for me was the Sierra Carche. I wished you would've stepped up to the plate on WLTV to give your take instead of you tasting it in private & having a 3rd party relay your reaction. It's almost like you were afraid of something/someone. And after watching hundreds of WLTV episodes, that didn't seem like one of your traits -fear of offering an opinion.

This is an interesting show. I like how you showcased the Cinderella wine. But I?m confused with the Coteau La Tour. The flavor profile is light saltiness grapefruit with a hollow mid palate. Is there a yummy factor? Can you recommend it at $49? I have so much to learn.

Great episode, Gary! Loved your sense of humor today, especially the “ass implants” metaphor….lol.

I'm sure, like all wines, the Les Cretes has its time and place. I'd like to give it a try, before I buy. There are a lot of cigars on the market that get bad ratings, from people I know, that I enjoy. You used the right saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.

I'm looking forward to July 10th!

PS – Where can I get that t-shirt? It had me rolling!

Yeah, me too. Really got turned on to Baja wines while in Mexico City 2 years ago. Favorites are Adobe and LA Cetto. Hopefully GV will do a tasting at some point and turn others on to vino de mexico

I liked the Les Cretes, got the salty, fishy, grapefruit and rose profile, but what was most appealing was the fact that it was light. Had to keep reminding myself it was a Syrah. Definitely unusual and I could see most people not going for it.

QOTD: Don't really have a controversial wine, it's more like why so many people stick with the same varietal and even so far as the same brand of that varietal. I've attempted to expand some of their palates, but most won't budge.

Great show! I liked the Les Cretes and better than the Clos de Sixte. Definitely found the heat overpowering the flavors in the Lirac. I almost tasted a tomato soup in the Les Cretes, but have not heard of anyone else with that observation.
QOTD: The most common controversy relates to people's perception of Riesling because they think of it as too sweet. Some won't go near it. I prefer variety and enjoy the very sweet and the very dry and everything in between.

Love to have a revisit/nerd-inspired ep to break up the flow of eps.

QOTD: Top 3 contested varietals: 1) Carmenere; 2) Petite Sirah; 3) Savennieres.

LOVE Melville!

Nice job.
QOTD: My boss only likes Napa wines and does not like Sonoma. I told him he was nuts.

QOTD: Something that didn't create crazy debate but kind of blew my mind happened a few weeks ago. I took a bottle over to a friend's house because I knew I wouldn't like whatever she was pouring. I'm not sure I even recall the wine, maybe a Chateau Pesquie wine, don't remember which one. I had a glass and really enjoyed it. It had a great floral/rose oil/cornacopia thing going on and some serious earthiness backing it up. A similar flavor profile showed up in the glass and I was kind of impressed.

So of course someone asked me if it was good; I said yes. Next thing you know everyone is pouring a glass. Fine. But then one by one everyone started putting their glasses down and saying they didn't like the smell. I'm not sure if it's because one person poo-poo'd it and the herd followed, or if there really was something off-putting that I was unaffected by.

I'll take the win though, because the group then proceeded to chug some red oak juice based paint thinner labeled “syrah”, that I'm pretty sure came from the gas station, without any complaints. I switched to drinking cheap beer because my friends wasted a whole bottle of delicious wine.

Nice show btw G. The only of those wines I've had is the Clos Sixte Lirac. I've had quite a few Liracs over the last year or so that I've really enjoyed. I think your comparison to CdP is spot on with that wine, and I've described a few other Liracs that way. Don't spread the word too much though; I'd like them to stay <$20.

Plus a million for the Malbec comment.

QOTD: 2003 Château Prieuré-Lichine Blanc. An eye opening experience into white bdx that I loved and the Mrs. disliked…… and a first sign that although our red palates are similar our white palates are quite different.