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

Glasses lined up for a decent $30ish white wine. Hostess drops an ice cube in each glass and pours. My wife puts ice in all wines except champagne. I try to get her to at least taste the wine before "ruining" it with ice. It is where I learned that there is no accounting for tastes. Even though it ...

General advise based on my experience: Limit purchases of individual wines to 3 bottles and never more than 6 bottles. Don't over due it on daily drinkers. You will likely find that they will linger in your cellar as you become more prone to drink well on a regular basis. Do not over do it on mailin...

All good answers. I would only add that in some cases wines you do not like today may surprise you with some bottle age.

I will also Echo the recommendation to check out Costco online to see what is available. one of our wine group members just bought a wine cooler through Costco and saved a bunch.

Alaska is the best IMHO.

For me the primary reason to be on a mailing list is to have the opportunity to purchase wines that are not available at retail.

Also, mailing lists are quite variable. The best ones offer an allocation of wines where you can choose which wines to purchase and how many to purchase.

To me the primary force at work here is personal preference. I would encourage you to continue exploring and experimenting to determine your personal sweet spot(s). I personally enjoy aged wine. What you perceive as mustiness I might perceive as "muted fruit" or elegance. It is all about what you li...

I am a big fan of zin and have drunk and enjoyed both Martinelli and Turley zins. Over the years I have gravitated to Carlisle and Ridge zins because I believe they are as good or better and offer better value and better availability. I would still buy Martinelli and Turley zins on an opportunistic...

3-2017 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Hawk Hill Vineyard

I am a big fan of zin and have drunk and enjoyed both Martinelli and Turley zins. Over the years I have gravitated to Carlisle and Ridge zins because I believe they are as good or better and offer better value and better availability. I would still buy Martinelli and Turley zins on an opportunistic ...

I have always been a fan of Argyle sparklers and have drank some aged bottles that were surprisingly good.

It seams to me that grape/wine style popularity is mostly driven by "who yells the loudest". I have always liked fruit forward wines like zin but appreciate the fact that there are many who do not. And that is okay.

I drank an '05 in 2017 and liked it. Probably just different taste preferences.

I have drank 3 of 5 and have loved them all. They are drinking beautifully so you really can't go wrong by drinking them. That said it will likely be at least a few years before I drink my last bottle.

Thanks for the note Dan. I have not drank any of mine yet. Sounds like there is no rush.

Neal.Mollen wrote: ↑
February 26th, 2019, 7:57 am
If not for my age and my strong preference for aged MB, I would eagerly make this purchase every year. I dropped off 2 years ago

+1

Quilceda CVR is always a good value. +1 If you like the style of WA Cab it has been my experience that WA nearly always offers a price advantage at just about any level of quality. In addition to QC I am currently buying Cab based wines from Betz and Cayuse but they area bit above your $50 target.

I have only had the '09. It was delightful. Still have one in the cellar.

Off to a slow start in 2020.. I will blame it on mailing list purchases from Carlisle and Quilceda Creek. For January I consumed 26 and bought 24 for a net reduction of 2 bottles.

i do not have experience with the Noon wines but have generally enjoyed my older Aussie Shiraz. Just had a 2005 Greenook Creek Seven Acre a few nights ago that was delicious for my tastes. To me this whole debate boils down to a matter of tastes. As they say, chocolate and vanilla.

2009 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (1/30/2020) I don't know how I ended up with only one bottle of this delicious CdP but it happened and I drank it last night with grilled beef tenderloin. Loads of fruit , spice and earthy n...

"08 Cayuse Armada Syrah - Outstanding!

Paul McCourt wrote: ↑
January 22nd, 2020, 11:41 am
I haven’t ordered in a decade and suddenly I’m getting email offers.

I am guessing production increased or demand is down because my offer doubled this year.

The ones I have drunk ('01 and '05) were really good around 10 years.

The Steelhead may run early this year

2006 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas-François Billecart

I have to pile on kudos for Frank. He is certainly on of my favorite contributors. I really appreciate his articulate but non-judgmental reviews and comments. I am not to happy about his passion for and promotion of Champagne which has cost me dearly

I rarely buy mags and never anything bigger. For me occasions where they are practical just happen too infrequently. I find that even when you host a group large enough to open a Mag, a variety of bottles is more appealing.

For my tastes, QC is a strong buy and one of the best deals going for a top quality Cab. I usually drink mine at 15 years plus or minus but almost never before 10 years. We had a wine group tasting last night with 4 bottles of WA cabs and 4 bottles of CA cabs. There was a 2000 and 2001 QC and they w...

Mixed case of Carlisle
Anthill Farms Harmony Lane

2017 Quilceda Creek Cabernet

From my cellar I removed a total of 307.
Consumed - 293
Spoiled - 5
Gifted - 5
Used in cooking - 4

Gray G wrote: ↑
January 9th, 2020, 12:58 pm
Walter Hansel Cuvee Alyce

+1 and I would add the rest of their lineup to the list.

Sometimes I feel like I come from a different reality than most here but when this happens to me I simply leave the cork in the bottle and pour the wine carefully. Am I alone?? You exhibit a lack of obsessive compulsiveness. You must not be a true wine geek. That is what I was afraid of [cheers.gif...

2012 Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir Cuvée Alyce - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (1/7/2020) My second of three bottles of this delicious Pinot. One of the best Pinots I have had in a while. PnP and drank with chicken Parmesan dish. The fruit explodes from the glass. Cherry, t...

When I do not like a wine , I usually cook with it. f it is spoiled or really horrible I dump it.

Sometimes I feel like I come from a different reality than most here but when this happens to me I simply leave the cork in the bottle and pour the wine carefully. Am I alone??

2019 was a good year toward my goal of downsizing my cellar. A couple more years like this and I will be at what I consider to be an ideal cellar size.

2019 - Bought 171 and consumed 307 for a reduction of 136. Yea!

December - bought 16 and consumed 26 for a reduction of 10.

dsimmons wrote: ↑
December 31st, 2019, 1:06 pm
1995 Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires

It was fantastic! One of the best Champagnes I have drank.

1995 Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires

My purchases for 2019 were also skewed to Champagne. And I have also stopped buying wines that require a lot of time , purchasing mostly short term drinkers. I have also purchased way less wine than in previous years. in Cellar Bordeaux Blend 16.1 Cab 15.7 Syrah 13.9 Red Rhone blend 12.6 Pinot 10.4 ...

I've winnowed my mailing list purchases to a couple of boxes of mixed Carlisle (heavy on the white wines), 1 box of mixed Cayuse, 3 Quilceda Creek cabs, a few bottles from Betz, a box or so of mixed Walter Hansel (mostly Chardonnay), and a case of two Tablas Creek Rhone whites for summer quaffers. I...

2007 Lail Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvée - USA, California, Napa Valley (12/25/2019) My first of two drank with grilled beef tenderloin. Delicious mature cab. Concentrated dark fruit, licorice, smoke and earthy notes . Good secondary development. Well integrated flavors. Plenty of stu...

Dan, you are truly bless to have such a dear friend. Thank you for sharing this heart warming story.

Thanks for the note Jeff. I have one remaining in my cellar.

In Alaska online is the only real option. Other than an occasional Costco deal I purchase all of my wine online. Local retailers have limited selection and high prices.

My #1 year in and year out value is best represented by Carlisle wines. They are consistently excellent and fairly priced.

Second choices would be Chardonnay and Pinot from Walter Hansel; Rhone Whites from Tablas Creek; Syrah from Betz; and, high end cab from Quilceda Creek.

I enjoy sharing good wine with people who have not been exposed to them. That said I do not have parties in a traditional sense. My parties are usually dinners with family and friends. It is also an opportunity to use those magnums that are too much for normal dinners.

2007 Taittinger Comtes Blanc de Blancs for $109 at JJ Buckley

Richard T r i m p i wrote: ↑
December 19th, 2019, 6:09 am
The older labels might as well read: "might be mature and ready to drink in your lifetime".

RT

+1

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