Yeah. I like to make fun of them. And I may not be a buyer anymore. But I guess if they're selling out more power to them.

So we were invited to a chef's dinner Friday night. We took a Lyft home. Finally got to try at first growth Bordeaux.



These wines did not suck.

htxag09 said:

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Yeah. I like to make fun of them. And I may not be a buyer anymore. But I guess if they're selling out more power to them.

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I still buy the Crane (best Crane out there as far as I know) and Bard (not a bad "value" for Napa). The rest are priced a bit high.

I know this area isn't known for fine wines, but the hubs and I will be driving from Boston to Burlington, VT then to Mount Washington in New Hampshire, continuing to Bar Harbor then back to Boston with a stop in Portland, ME. Any recommended wineries in that region?

Can't speak to any wineries up there, but that's world class beer country. Also, I can't recommend Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland, ME enough.

billyjack2009 said:

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I know this area isn't known for fine wines, but the hubs and I will be driving from Boston to Burlington, VT then to Mount Washington in New Hampshire, continuing to Bar Harbor then back to Boston with a stop in Portland, ME. Any recommended wineries in that region?

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There's a winery outside Rockland Me that grows it's own grapes and has a UCD winemaker. Not wretched wine and about 15 bucks a bottle. Blackberry wine is big up there. It's fun to try a few places for the "cultural experience" and fun - but the wine isn't very good.

Shelburne Vineyard outside Burlington is worth the visit. Had one wine (can't remember what) that I liked well enough to buy a bottle.

Wine people are wine people where ever you go, so we find it fun regardless of the wine quality..

jh0400 said:

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Can't speak to any wineries up there, but that's world class beer country. Also, I can't recommend Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland, ME enough.

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I echo every sentiment here

If you go through Plymouth, this place was fun...

Dirty Water Distillery

We bought several bottles of their Velnias liqueur

Any recommendations for a Tokaji that is readily available? I've decided that one of my favorite things about nice restaurants is finishing the meal with Tokaji.

One of our wines of the week for the CSW class was a Tokaji. I got mine at Spec's, a Disznoko called 1413. Tokaji Edes Szamorodni 2016.

It was 3-4 months ago but IIRC it was pretty good and not expensive.

Made a reservation for a tasting at a picnic table there. Will pick up food at the Farm Store nearby. Thanks!

Oddly enough just got back from Total Wine and picked up one. No clue if any good. 6 puttonyos, so pretty sweet.

2014 Megyer - a little over fifty bucks for 500ml.

...and I couldn't afford the crystal spoon for Royal Tokaji Essencia. Didn't parker rate one as "drink now to 3000".

An easy drinking Syrah to go with some sauteed pork shoulder, eggplant and tomato gratin, and beets for a simple Sunday dinner.

Having the last bit of a Syrah tonight as well. They are under appreciated! How was that one?

Lighter style with good acid and soft tannins. An easy drinker that would go with a wide variety of foods.

The Pisoni family told me this is the last vintage of syrah for them, just ordered a case. Ripping all of the syrah out at Pisoni vineyard, they can make so much more $ on Pinot. I love Susan's Hill Syrah but from a business standpoint I get it.

yep, thanks to Meomi, you can sell very average pinot for $35 plus... hard to sell syrah, sadly.

I love the iodine and earthiness of a syrah with a delicate mouthfeel... but most don't dig it

bularry said:

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yep, thanks to Meomi, you can sell very average pinot for $35 plus... hard to sell syrah, sadly.

I love the iodine and earthiness of a syrah with a delicate mouthfeel... but most don't dig it

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Meomi sells well because it's loaded with sugar (17 grams/liter) and that fits the palette of most people that casually drink wine.

https://www.lcbo.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/lcbo/meiomi-pinot-noir-130138

Apothic Red has less at 15 g/L (https://www.lcbo.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/lcbo/apothic-red-234369)

Love the info on that web site, thanks for sharing.

During the Meomi sale there was an article titled "Never Underestimate American's Taste for Sweet, Cheap Wine"

Man, that Meiomi really sticks out. You go compare it to other pinots in the same price range, or even in the lower price range, and it's more than double nearly all of the others in sugar content.

I always wondered what people were attracted to with Meiomi, now I know. My in law had a few bottles at her place when we visited last month and I told her that there were much better options out there.

I'd bet money it's not 100% Pinot. Could be up to 25% (or even 49%) something else. Zin would be a possibility..

Quote:

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• The wine must be made from a minimum percentage of the grape varietal.
  
  • Under 4.23(b), you may use the name of a single grape variety on a label as the type designation of a wine if :
    
    • 75 percent or more of the wine is made from the named grape variety, with exceptions provided in 4.23(c); and
    • the entire 75 percent of the named grape variety was grown in the labeled appellation of origin.
  • Section 4.23(c) provides two exceptions from the 75 percent rule:
    
    • Wine made from any Vitis labrusca variety may use the name of the grape variety on the label if:
      
      • 51 percent or more of the wine is made from the named grape variety; and
      • the entire qualifying percentage of the named grape variety was grown in the labeled appellation of origin.
    • Wine made from any grape variety that the appropriate TTB officer finds to be too strongly flavored at the 75 percent minimum may be labeled with the grape variety if:
      
      • 51 percent or more of the wine is made from the named grape variety; and
      • the entire qualifying percentage of the named grape variety was grown in the labeled appellation of origin.

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rumor has always been they use some really ripe syrah to blend, which makes sense from a color standpoint.

but they pull a lot of pinot fruit from Monterey which can be really sweet and dark if left to hang for a long time

Syrah makes sense as well. I'd also bet money there's added sugar.

We bought some Rivers Marie cab today: Napa, Herb Lamb, and Oakville Terraces.

cecil77 said:

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Syrah makes sense as well. I'd also bet money there's added sugar.

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Syrah has often been added to Pinot to give it some body and color in a leaner year. Adding Syrah to this wine would not shock me at all.

Any recommendations for must visit wineries in Dry Creek or Lake County? I'm going to try to get a reservation at French Laundry for my 40th and would like to explore some of the northern wineries while we're there.

Ridge. Papapietro Perry, and A. Rafenelli. I've only been to Papapietro Perry, and their tasting room is nothing to write home about, but the wines are solid. I've liked everything I've had from Ridge and A. Rafenelli. You definitely should do Ridge.

HTownAg98 said:

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Ridge. Papapietro Perry, and A. Rafenelli. I've only been to Papapietro Perry, and their tasting room is nothing to write home about, but the wines are solid. I've liked everything I've had from Ridge and A. Rafenelli. You definitely should do Ridge.

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I like every part of this plan. Zichichi makes good zins and no appointment needed if you have time.

HTownAg98 said:

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Ridge. Papapietro Perry, and A. Rafenelli. I've only been to Papapietro Perry, and their tasting room is nothing to write home about, but the wines are solid. I've liked everything I've had from Ridge and A. Rafenelli. You definitely should do Ridge.

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i enjoyed Limerick Lane last time I was in area... big reds, obviously, but well done and a killer rose from syrah (mostly).

jh0400 said:

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Any recommendations for must visit wineries in Dry Creek or Lake County? I'm going to try to get a reservation at French Laundry for my 40th and would like to explore some of the northern wineries while we're there.

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We have had good experiences at Lambert Bridge and Talty. Good luck with French Laundry! Let us know how your trip goes.

Kerrville Hills Winery Leads Innovation in Texas Wine with Flash Dtente

Hadn't heard of this process before, interesting.

Flash has been around for quite awhile. John had experience with it while at Bending Branch. Bob Young bought one of the first ones in the US (maybe outside CA?, don't remember).

Along with Cryomaceration, flash is a modern method to more fully extract polyphenols by breaking down cell walls in the grape. Flash also allow some tailoring, as the flash water extracts/removes some of the pyrozenes, with can then be discarded, or portions added back in.

The thing is, they are both ways to "squeeze" the grapes more thoroughly. But if they grape doesn't have the right stuff to squeeze out, squeezing harder doesn't help anything. Flash and cryo can help remediate poor/mediocre grapes, but you can't create great wine unless it is grown into the grapes.

BSD said:

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HTownAg98 said:

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Ridge. Papapietro Perry, and A. Rafenelli. I've only been to Papapietro Perry, and their tasting room is nothing to write home about, but the wines are solid. I've liked everything I've had from Ridge and A. Rafenelli. You definitely should do Ridge.

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I like every part of this plan. Zichichi makes good zins and no appointment needed if you have time.

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Huge spectrum in zins IMO. Some big jammy, others beautifully balanced and restrained.