Wine Berserkers - international wine social media, online community, and discussion

Brandon R

2016 Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron x 2 @ $149.99

Brandon R

Haha...I absolutely KNEW someone was going to point that out, Anton. I was corrected (here, I think) when I asserted that using, "varietal" when describing a single type of grape was incorrect, as it was only supposed to be used as a noun. As soon as I posted the high five above, it was only a matte...

Brandon R

Did another Flannery rib cap medallion this weekend. What a great piece of meat.

Brandon R

T Welch wrote: ↑
November 8th, 2019, 6:48 pm
I just want to thank the original poster for using variety, instead of varietal, in his subject line.

Brandon R

Thanks for taking one for the team, Travis, very generous of you. It's fantastic to have a reference point on a wine none of us have tried. Sounds like good stuff!

Brandon R

Dilemma since it's 1 per person, in magnum only: 1. drink young, get a feel for style, inform future purchase decisions.. or 2. hold for age, but buying blind. assuming the 3. find someone else who will open one option is not readily available. ;) I’ll open mine. Can’t wait to try. Really?? I’m in!...

Brandon R

If you were to read the below (professional) tasting note, from what variety would you assume the wine was made? Rich and full of dense, concentrated dark plum, black currant, olive and dried savory herb flavors, featuring pencil shaving and cast iron notes. The pure-tasting finished is filled with ...

Brandon R

My maggie showed up today. How should one store a magnum of Champagne? Upright or on its side? I don't have an "angled" option in my offsite.

Brandon R

Based on Tran Bronstein's thread about the 2019 Halpern Wine Festival:

3 x 2017 Robert Biale Petite Sirah Royal Punishers

Brandon R

One bottle every two weeks? Really? PARRR-TAY in the Hong Household!

Brandon R

Brian, please report back when you do that Picanha. I got a 3.5 pounder too and don't want to screw it up.

Brandon R

Some bubbles: 3 x 2008 Piper-Heidsieck Brut for $49.99 each.

Brandon R

Love the follow-up...thanks for posting, John. Sounds great.

Brandon R

Chris Freemott wrote: ↑
October 24th, 2019, 4:40 pm
Riedel Restaurant Oregon Pinot

What the hell do you know about wine glasses, anyway?

Brandon R

Yeah, well, I guess I'm just behind the times, then.

Brandon R

I'll echo Marcus and wholeheartedly recommend the 2016 Belle Pente Willamette Valley PN. I see it for around $27, before any case discounts. Should appeal to the geeky as well as the non-wine-crazy folks.

Brandon R

Didn't know that 10 Barrel sold.

Brandon R

It's at The Wine Spies (www.winespies.com). Just got an email offer. Looks to be a good 40-50% less than what I can see out there. Email says offer expires tonight at midnight. I've bought from these guys before. Cheesy as hell, but some steals every once in a while.

Brandon R

In our house, we very rarely do either. We NEVER do both. Doing both a dessert course and a cheese course, in my opinion, would be way too much. That said, if I was to do both for some reason, I would end with cheese I suppose. It would be more satisfying to me to end with a bit of salty/savory and ...

Brandon R

I, too, wish that styro would go away. While I can certainly see the rationale for using it for insulating purposes, I still would prefer to pay for for quicker shipping in non-styro packaging or wait until weather permits safe shipping without the need for insulation. What REALLY gets me is when ot...

Brandon R

10 Barrel!!!!

Brandon R

Have a great time and please report back, either here or on the Seattle Dining thread over in the Epicurean Exploits forum. Canlis was discussed quite a bit. I'd start with a split of Vazart-Coquart Blanc de Blancs Brut NV ($65) and pair it with a tasty appetizer. Then go for the 2013 Corliss Estate...

Brandon R

I think you had an off bottle.

Brandon R

No iron in the fire here, but I would have a REALLY tough time shelling out $500 for any wine that I didn't know. Wowza...so curious to hear what it ultimately ends up being.

Brandon R

I disagree with the Marcus Whitman recommendation if being evaluated for the accommodations alone. The location can't be beat. However, we stayed there last fall and our room was just tired, dingy, and old-fashioned. It's not bad, but it's not what I'd qualify as really nice. As others have mentione...

Brandon R

I agree with the above. If I didn't live in the state, I'd want to be in the area where I can see beautiful vineyards, talk to owners and/or winemakers (many of the Woodinville tasting rooms don't have either of those consistently present), and "fee" the wine scene. Woodinville is great, but let's f...

Brandon R

Looks simple and tasty, Martin, especially for one of these cool, rainy Autumn days we're having. My family isn't a huge goat cheese group, so would Mascarpone be a suitable substitute? I've got a nice batch of homemade chicken broth in the freezer. For a dish like this, I imagine a super high quali...

Brandon R

I’d second antica terra. And also mention Coleen Clemens (beautiful spot too) - if they call ahead and arrange to taste with the winemaker, he has his own label called Stephen Goff that is a similar but maybe even dialed up on the flavor spectrum. Anyone who visits willamette should go to Walter Sc...

Brandon R

Did a nice one this weekend: Tito's Vodka (1 part), Plymouth Navy Strength Gin (2 parts), Lillet Blanc (1/2 part). Shaken, served up, with a twist. Delicious.

Brandon R

In for three of each!

Brandon R

I was also there on Saturday. Had a great time talking to the Chappellet's and am grateful I was able to attend. They poured the 06', 11', 14 and 16' Pritchard Hills out of 750s. They had a 3L of the 06' an 14' they were pouring as they mingled with guests. I really enjoy when I get to have convers...

Brandon R

Great post, Gabe. Thanks for putting it out there. That sounds like a perfect release party indeed.

Brandon R

With all that said, I sure wish there were better options too.

Brandon R

I regularly take 3L or even 5L box wines on backpacking trips. Remove the bladder from the box and it can fit in the top flap part of your pack. It goes against every aspect of how you are meant to load a backpack, and the hike in really sucks with the extra weight, but it's pretty nice to have win...

Brandon R

Losing Denis Malbec was most certainly a significant event for Kapcsandy...no doubt about it. I'm not sure though, Hardy, what bearing that would have on our collective decisions to purchase...or not. Perhaps some incentive to not buy due to knowing how talented Malbec was and the [relative] unknown...

Brandon R

Thanks, All. On tap for this weekend!

Brandon R

I will give Kapcsandy credit, however, in that they don't require minimum purchases or three-packs for each wine.

Brandon R

Fred Bower wrote: ↑
September 24th, 2019, 5:36 pm
Why no love for Gigondas? I'm a St. Damien fan. <$40 for the designated bottlings. Maybe on the fruitier side but so delicious. The rose is fantastic too.

Cheers,
fred

Primarily because the OP wants something similar to Darioush Syrah. Most (all?) Gigondas aren't a good comparison.

Brandon R

Brent S wrote: ↑
September 25th, 2019, 8:13 am
What exactly are the new release prices?
Estate cuvée? $130
Grand vin? $400
Roberta’s? $325

Brandon R

NickRut wrote: ↑
September 24th, 2019, 5:53 pm
I’ll be trying Friday. Can’t wait.

Nice! Please report back.

Brandon R

Hard +1 on the Alban Patrina for what the OP desires. It is showing a lot of wood at the moment though I would recommend Tensley Colson Canyon (recently saw the 16 at Total wine for $40) Can't go wrong with Mike's syrahs in the Myriad or Quivet portfolio. I drink a few bottles of K vintners each ye...

Brandon R

I'm curious as well. Any barrel notes or pre-release tastes anyone has had would be helpful. No pro reviews that I can yet see.

Brandon R

"Back in the day..." is one thing, but paying $325 and $400 per bottle for the top wines is another. I mean, they're charging $130 per bottle for declassified juice. It ain't Screagle Second Flight, but that's going to price out a lot of people, even those who once made those "glowing" reviews.

Brandon R

I live 10 minutes from there, Darren, and haven't even heard of 8 Row. I'll check it out! Thanks for the nicely detailed recap.

Brandon R

Nice call on the Kiona, Josh. They're making such good wines right now in their lower-end price space. I would echo the recommendation for some of K Vintners' non-Rocks Syrahs. If sticking to California, I think you'd love what Alban 'Patrina' Syrah gives for under $50. Edit: I just searched W-S for...

Brandon R

I was / am a one-time buyer when I was offered a deal on a 3-pack containing 2 x 2013 Estate Cuvee and 1 x 2013 Roberta's Reserve. I haven't opened one, but the pricing is what keeps me from buying again. I must say that, to me, it's a head-turner when you read wine critics praising the Roberta's Re...

Brandon R

Give it a rest, Victor. Your anti-Cali-wine quips in multiple threads are getting tiresome.

I, too, had some carbonation in a Thomas PN. The wine was fine, so I don't believe there's a correlation (necessarily) between the carbonation and it being a bad wine.

Brandon R

I grew up in the tree fruit business in Central Washington. When it comes to soft fruit (peaches, nectarines), the phenomenon of having a hard piece of fruit that passes right by the "ripe" stage to being rotten (or shriveling, etc.) is a consequence of the grower simply picking too soon. When a fru...

Brandon R

Hi, All. I had my first Vesper the other day at a local restaurant and loved it. I didn't take the time to inquire as to what booze they used, but I'd like to defer to the experts here. I know it's gin, vodka, and Lillet. What, in your esteemed opininos, would make the best combination? I assume a g...

Brandon R

I have found that the key is to buy them green and allow them to soften up / "ripen" at home. If they're anywhere near ripe in the store, they get beat to hell. The bruises manifest themselves as that black goo in no time, even if other parts still aren't ripe. Plan ahead and buy 'em green!

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