Like many things in life, I am late to the party. I did not know they have been going on for years and as AndersN says, hard to find them.

Even Miles would love this Merlot. If you can find it, try it.

2007 Lonko Merlot (ARG)

Cheers

shall I pop my 2006 Lancelotti Vinyards to see 🙂
Nah! I think I svae that one for a special occasion

so now Pinterest even have videos and Gary is putting up some (old) stuff mostely non wine related. Will there be a wine video there soon, who knows?

Today is a very sad at Chateau Dominus. You could have walked by my office at lunchtime and seen a grown man cry. Of course, he was gallant in his farewell speech but it still hurts.

Thanks tennispro for the thoughts.

I raise a glass to #18 for the thrills and chills you have given me for the past 14 years. May you get back onto the field very soon.

Cheers to Peyton!

Bergstrom is very good stuff. I get it now and then in my monthly OPNC shipment.

I haven’t had a drop of wine for 12 days now so I just had to open a bottle of something. Took a cheap Cote du Rhone from my ready to drink shelv.
Pellerin Côtes-du-Rhône Reserve 2010 $9 . Kind of jammy and alcoholic nose. Some spice and the jam is sort of a mix red and blue fruits. Tasting the wine gives a light to medium bodied feel. Spice and fruit lemonade upfront, mid palate is fairly earthy peppery with velvet tannins and the back end bring some blackberry with hints of dirt and chalk. A slight tone of alcohol all the way does not give this wine my approval. It’s 14% but surely the alchol could be better contained.
Well at least I got a drop of wine today
Cheers friends.

It has been in the 80’s here in Chicago since Wednesday 03/15/12 and still is today. Not what you would call a normal winter. Thought I would jump on and do a little wine tasting for everyone. Totally miss you all! On Wednesday I had a couple of wines that were very nice at a dinner meeting and here they are.

1) 2008 Domaine Eden Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains
Nose: Blackberry, cedar, a smokiness with oak but not overly oaky and some plum.
Palate: Definitely Black Fruit, blueberry, blackberry, black currant with hints of licorice and good smooth tannins. At the Restaurant this was priced at $75. It can be had at a good price point of $30 at your local Store. K & L has the 07′

I was pleasantly surprised with this wine and will rate this: 91 points.

2) 2007 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertain Vieille Vigne
Nose: WOW! This says “Burgundy” at the first hello! What a great smell. Red Fruit, Cherry and Strawberry intermixed with floral notes, a good spice, earthy, leathery, and some wet animal fur.
Palate: I felt this was very smooth with a nice finish. Could taste the fruit well through out the mouth from front to back. The red fruits are very present with good acidity, well balanced. Nice earthiness to the mouth feel. This would definitely go well with just about any dish. I sat there while drinking this thinking just what would this go well with and I could absolutely say “Anything”. At the restaurant, this was priced at $149. I found this at Garnet in NYC for $58 bones, Nice mark-up.

I loved this wine and tis the type of pinot I will compare all others. I will rate this: 92 points.

And To All My Friends Here,

NOSTROVIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ll get it with the Burgundy thing. But I have yet to warm up to them. Maybe I have to up the ante a little to really get the complexity more then the 15-20 dollar stuff I have been tasting.

We don’t have spring just yet, but the winter has been really bad snow wise. No snow and yet weeks on end with freezing temperatures. Good for skating, bad for skiing 🙂

Talking of 20, I had a ?20 wine today. Chateau Hauchat La Rose 2007. Bought it fall 2010 in St Emillion. Merlot only wine. Opened and decanted. On the nose maybe a tad more oak then I usually like, good dark berries, earth, soft herbal notes and oak, vanilla and toffee. On the tounge velvety smooth with rich blackberrym dark plum, hints of ripe blueberry, lots of caramel, and mild blackpepper. Tannins of corduroy character with a nice sting. Back end long with fruit , oak caramel and a nice blackpepper hot finish. Me like very much despite the oak. I see on the web that it got an 85 of some critic, but this is more 89 on my palate this day.
Cheers Dan and all the rest

Losing Peyton stinks …. best thing to happen to the colts in a long time !

Broncos? Not SF????? Aaaack!

I thought I would share this short read with everyone. Found this very enlightening and my expectations of tasting the Rameys I have, definitely have been heightened.

Nostrovia!

On David Ramey

Neither of his parents had owned vineyards or a cellar; nor did he possess a Wall Street or Silicon Valley fortune to fund the purchase of hillside plots in the Napa Valley, some of the most costly plots in all the wine world. Rather, his was a roundabout route to ownership – first receiving a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies; then waiting tables for a year; next earning a Masters in Science in Oenology (from the University of California, Davis) and interning a number of times with the Moueix family (of Chateaux Magdelaine and Petrus fame) in France; and finally finding gainful employment at among other places Simi, Matanzas Creek, Chalk Hill, Dominus, and Rudd. All this David Ramey did before earning enough to purchase what was once the Sunsweet prune drying plant in Sonoma and converting the facilities into Ramey Wine Cellars. Yet as roundabout as it was, it afforded him a rare exposure to a wide number of experiences almost unmatched by anyone else in the industry – experiences and a hard-won knowledge that are not only eagerly sought out by hopeful clients willing to pay handsome consultation fees but also experiences that readily inform his decisions in both the vineyards and his own cellar, where some of California’s greatest wines are made.

And perhaps for unexpected reasons. Though thoroughly trained in the sciences, Ramey was among the first of California winemakers to adopt techniques other than those informed by university research and directed solely toward making clean, sound wines. To be sure, his approach remains informed by the latest research – and his wines remain free of dirty, off-notes. Yet Ramey is loathe to adopt any quick-fix that might obscure or mar the full flavors and natural power potentially residing in his wines should there be an alternative – regardless how labor-intensive, time-consuming, or risky it might be. Others might suggest a warmer fermentation with commercial yeasts – yet not Ramey, who prefers a cooler fermentation with native yeast. Though less efficient native yeasts might be (demanding more frequent pump-overs to encourage a more thorough fermentation), and though more lengthy cooler fermentations are (requiring more management lest problems arise) – nevertheless cooler fermentations encourage more forcefully fresh fruit notes, and native yeasts yield a wider range of flavors that only add further complexity to the whole. And he preserves the freshness, power, and complexity of his wines by moving them to barrel promptly – along with the fine lees. Not only do the lees act as a buffer, minimizing the extraction of harsh wood tannins and oak flavors that might obscure the fruit and complexity found in the wine; moreover, a prompt transfer to barrels, and the racking of the wine in the following months, stabilize the wine – eliminating the need for sulfur (which can mar the flavors with off-putting notes) and even filtration, which can strip the wine of flavor.

And the results? A powerful and energetically pure expression of Cabernet as good as California’s Cult Cabernets – yet at a price affordable for most.

I am shocked too that he didn’t go to SF. Amazing defense, great RB, but oh wait, they have Randy Moss. Plus, fabulous wines. What else did he need?

I wonder what GV is saying now that he has Tebow!

Wow

Only 4 wines tasted this night when expecting 6. well I don’t cry to much.
Jaboulet Les Grand Terrasses Cornas 2009
On the nose oak, plum, blackberry, thyme, licorice and lot’s of white pepper. On the palate lots of plum an ´s spice mixed with white pepper sage and a hint of dark chocolate. Mouth full and thick.
Chateau Mont-Redon Cdp 2007
On the nose juniper, oak, plum, pepper and zante currant. On the palate lean with plum, pepper, oak, sage and juniper berries. A lot lighter then I expected. A tad dissapointing
Delas Les Launes Crozes-Hermitage 2010
On the nose, crane berry, smoked meat, violet,pepper and a bit of licorice. On the palate lots of juniper wood with lingonberry and cran berry mixed with violet, cacao and licorice. High in acid, a delicious food wine.
Domaine du Pesquier Gigondas 2010.
On the nose dry with both licorice and chocolate followed by some oak, white pepper and dark raspberry. On the palate red berries mixed with white peper and licorice. A herbal quality to the finish with som lavender. A small heat from the 15% alcohol.

With that serve power and those angles only 6’9 guy can produce he can beat anyone at any time 😉 almost had rafa at last years french.

Caymus 2009 …. I’m all in … just bought two cases and I’m happy they are resting in my cellar now.

Just got my allotment of the scarecrow 2009 … hope it’s worth it !

So I guess I’m the last vayniac standing here?

Todays wine, just for the hell of it.
Bosque de pape 2000 Chateauneuf du pape
Earthy red color with a sombre nose of earth molten leaves, a hint of oak and then plum and deep strawberry with pepper sprinkles, at the end of the scent there is a faint spruce aroma juts to spice it up.
The taste is velvety smooth, thick yet light. First a little wet dirt, dry dark chocolate followed by plum sauce and mashed strawbeerry, mid palate gives a lush yet dry feel , almost no tannins and then the back end delivers more soft blue plum marmelade mixed with fresh white pepper all seasoned with some light wild forrest raspberry. Medium long but memorable finish. Lovely mouthfeel, light and heavy at the same time.
I think I?ll drink the whole bottle, no matter the consquences tomorrow. I love this.

Bottle drained, head still good.
Nice to see one fellow wine dude
Where are the wine dudette and all the other nice peeps of western USA ( and you Dom too, and Dan as well)

Gary ep 1001 where’s at?
(1003 if we count Dom’s and mine as real eps 😉 )

Me too! I will start posting again soon. Where is John J? He’s been away for a while. I think Dom might be on vaca..

M’ lady is correct. I was on vacay last week but back now. Not too many good wines to report. I will need to pick it up a notch now.

Hope all is well with everyone.

I’m still here too 😉 and wondering if I still have a few of these in me 🙂

So the King (John Farrin) cooked a fabulous meal last Sunday for a few of us lucky West Coast Vayniaks: Castello, Randall, and Moi. Hopefully, he will give you the details, but let me just say that it was special. The Dungeness crab cakes were amazing and the steak was wonderful. We each supplied a bottle of wine for the night. John and I wanted to compare Kosta Browne and Sea Smoke pinot noirs; so he opened a bottle of 07 Russian River Kosta Browne and I brought a bottle of 08 Sea Smoke “Southing.” Castello brought a Super Tuscan that paired perfectly with the steak: Tenuta Sette Ponti “Oreno” I think it was an 06 – anyway it’s a delicious wine; a blend of cab, merlot and sangiovese. I highly recommend it. Randall brought a lovely tempranillo from St. Amant winery in Lodi, CA, which we all enjoyed.

The 08 Sea Smoke “Southing” was consistent with previous vintages: full-bodied, almost perfume-like on the sniffy sniff, dark berries, earth, and a bit of spice. I agreed with Wine Spectator and gave it 92 points (maybe 93).

The 07 Kosta Browne RRV was tight and not much on the sniffy sniff at first. It took about 2 hrs to fully open up, but well worth the wait. A lovely wine, elegant, and not as much berry fruit as Sea Smoke. More spice and some cola notes as well. I gave it 91-92 points. (Wine Spect gave it 93 pts).

Thanks to my fellow Vayniaks for wonderful evening!
Cheers!

Wow, sounds like a magical evening. Sea Smoke wins by a “nose.”

And crust-less cheesecake!? You Californians know how to do it right.

Cheers to the Vayniac Culinary Court!

@Anders: That’s what I call a “sensual” review for a bottle of wine. I will need to find some of this wonderful nectar.

I will let you know if I’m successful. I wonder if “The Lib” carries it?

Mmm. That’s more like it.
Pinots battle
06 Tuscany, stellar vintage
American tempranillo, intruiging
Port!

Damn this globe being so big.