I still like SB for that “crisp white” you reach for, a good alternative for those who only drink or know chardonnay and pinot grigio.

Lars cracks me up-sorry but that was the show highlight!!

Gary-please do a show on Spanna-just tasted one that blew my mind-after 20+yrs of wine, never having had one, such a great value and overshadowed by the Piedmont “big B’s”-heck I’ll bring two bottles if u have me on the show 😉

NZ is a good place for SB. Check out the two i’ve mentioned, they’re not dirt cheap but not expensive either. I consider them good value. And i must agree, too much water out there for sure. Cheers! 🙂

You?ve obviously have been searching for the first Lars appearance. You didn?t find it because it?s been removed. I don?t need to search. It was not a link it was at the beginning of episode 148. Read the comments for episode 148 and you will find the proof.

QOTD: I think maybe NZ is resting on its laurels to much which is too bad because the climate and terroir is awesome as we all know. I have had some great value for money SB from Chile but they are most of the time in the lower price range. Maybe they are anxious to compete with NZ and France in the mid-price to high-price range. Loire is still kickin it but sometimes to expensive…Looking out for that Leflaive tomorrow ;)!

Great show! Gary, glad to see the Jets won. And as for your January comment, remember the road to the Super Bowl goes through Pittsburgh!

Please keep the brown bags going, love the shows. Go USA!

Hey, Gary. Any chance you all could start including the total runtime of the videos in the description? I subscribe to the RSS feed but I can’t see how long the video is until I click through to the page. It’s not that I don’t watch long episodes, it’s just that seeing the total length helps me know whether I can watch it right away or not.

Great show!

QOTD: Sauvignon Blanc I think has fallen out. It used to be this safe delicious choice at restaurants but now no one talks about it. At best I have heard people say they like wines that are like a Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc I think has been pushed aside by Vidal Blanc and Hybrids at least in the New England area. I would like to see it come back, I usually enjoy a grassy citrus aroma on a white. I’m ready and waiting but I don’t want to taste alcoholic water.

HILARIOUS!!!!!! Good show and congratulations to the Jets on their win last night. The Vikings really blow this year. It is looking like, with the easy schedule they have, the BEARS are going to win their division and I only picked them to win 6 games.

QOTD: Sauvignon Blanc is on the lower scale of white wines. I don’t see my friends drinking it or it being purchased in my store of choice. I don’t mind have a Sauvignon Blanc from time to time but not on a regular bases.

I had my first Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc 2007 today! And boy o boy this steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen grape is something different. Even a red felt light after this white ? Is there a place for this grape for a battle between USA and South Africa?

Thanks Brian!

In gen., they hadn’t marketed it as such for int’l sales, but rather ‘Spanna’ came from a local, colloquial term. I first encountered a bottle, by Dessilani, in 1992. That bottle was lovable enough to make a big impression on a young guy who, at the time, was kind of fixated on Piemontese wines. To this day, I’ve seem, maybe, one other producer label the wine as such. I think it may all be from Gattinara, but don’t quote me on that.

I’m still not over the fact that you spit out a $400 bottle of wine two episodes ago, then you come in and you drink an $18 bottle of sauvignon blanc. the world just doesn’t make sense to me anymore.
QOTD: Sancerre is the only sauvignon blanc that I have ever tasted and enjoyed.

Gary, is there any thought to doing double blind shows? You are very impressed with your palate, so put it to the test instead of knowing the varietal. Step up!

QOTD: my wife still loves the over the top SB, particularly from NZ. I am personally somewhat burnt out on the grape.

I tend to lick it up afterwards, when nobody’s watching, hehe 😛

I totally agree with your comments ragarding price escalation of Sauvignon Blanc throughout every part of the world. I have always preferred NZ to all others and a lover of Kim Crawford. The 2009 was the worst from Kim in 10 years and the price is approaching $20, up from $12 a few years ago. Not a fan of Sancerre and the best California is Merry Edwards but that goes for $33 a bottle. Too much for me to spend on white wine. I also like a small producer in Sonoma, Duthcer Crossing, that blends some Semillon in with their SB and sells for under $20. It’s pretty good. I keep trying new NZ wineries if the pricepoint is below $15.

Hilariuos episode. Missed you at mondays tasting…I had VIP tix but it was not a VIP ecperience without you GV, wished you stopped by. Did have an indepth conversation with Sasha…tell him not to worry, he made a good call!

I have never been a fan of Cali SB till I had the recent Merry Edwards SB. The best SB’s come from the Loire. But price wise, NZ SB carry the best value and are not as grassy as the Ca. SB, and have nice grapefruit and citrus notes.

So good to see Lars back! I don’t recall when his first appearance was, I *do* recall laughing my ass off when I saw it.

Gary… Where did you get the Jet Glasses? How many ounces are they?

Thanks for the quick energetic show…however, I think I’m already in Catena withdrawal.

QOTD: SB is one of those summer go-to wines for easy drinking/ party occasions where you don’t expect to spend a lot, or to get something that will blow the doors off. Seems like you really have to get spendy to experience something super special.

With that in mind, when we got our Chilean grapes this spring we also got some SB juice, figuring that we could make something easily as good as what we can get in the marketplace…and we did. It got acid, but not as much as I had hoped. I think we can attribute that to the fact that the juice came from the Curico region, which although large and varied in its climates, may not be as cool as Casablanca or the Limari. That coupled with a slightly late harvest, post-tremblor. Even so we bottled some of it on its own, and some other portion was mixed with a four grape blend of cold hardy varietals ( electric acids ) and the result is very well balanced…looking forward to enjoying it next summer…if it makes it that long.

Lars did an intro for WLTV 148…..respond video for WLTV 158….and intro for 295 and 930.

Yes, you gave a score at the beginning of the show. They were both close so kudos and congrats to you and your Jets! That bum Moss beat my fantasy team catching that TD pass. Your D-backs should be ashamed since Moss was shut down by Miami last week.

Nice show and good to see CA win the faceoff.

QOTD: I REALLY like the SB since I am trying to consume more seafood since it is so healthy for you, especially at my age. That being said, more and more countries are planting the grape so our options are more varied than France and NZ. I guess I’m more positive than most folks on the varietal.

Cheers!

GO COLTS! (Thank G-d they beat the Chiefs. Now to spank the lucky Redskins and I’ll be there.)

QOTD: I agree with the general direction of the comments that SB has had it’s prime. It’s just a natural process.

It seems as if some varieties go through these cycles. SB, Pinot and perhaps Malbec is next. These varieties need good growers and wine makers to reach their full potential and when they do they offer something special that can become a trend. If not produced properly these types become boring or indifferent. Next up could be Viognier, Torontes, Nebiolo (GV says so!), Verdejo, Grenache (or did that already come and go?). On the other hand you have grapes like CabS, Chard and Riesling where even bad producers can make a serviceable medium to full bodied wine which has made these varieties so established that they aren’t prone to trends. Probably I?m stating much the same as Miles? Pinot-porch-scene in Sideways. And please tell me if I?m way off here ? I can take it!!

Cheers -in some really boring cheap Pinot that I ought to just poor down the drain (just couldn?t resist buying a bottle to try cause it was sooo cheap).

Niels

I don’t buy anymore of SBs way too grassy, and grapefruity, seems like they didn’t used to be so grapefruity. In CA, I’m consistently disappointed with winemakers insistence on aging SB in oak, which by the way, must have been the vanilla you were getting on the Matanzas Creek. Anyway, rarely buy it, although, just had a delicious Sancerre from K and L Wines that they bring in as a direct import, Franck Millet. Delicious, the classic combination of acidity and weight that Sancerre’s should be known for.

SBs have an immediate gratification factor. I have been drinking the Invivo 2009 which is very nice without bringing the ” thunder” perhaps. Despite being voted best 09 SB…..
I feel that many SBs just dont have the complexity to get a decent score over 90, maybe some of the single domaine St Clair wines and similar but for maybe half the money some of the South African SBs represent better value for money. My palate has been moving back to Chardonnay….something i never thought I would say…..especially the unoaked varietys…

Alex