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Picked up a few bottles of Carlisle's Cabernet and Pinot offerings.

My cellar is a crawl space so I have pretty much unlimited capacity. I have, however, disciplined myself to restrict my purchases... it is really hard. For my tastes I think a 2000 bottle cellar will serve well and that is my current target cellar size.

When this thread started I was at 1137 bottles with a goal of being at 1100 by the end of 2018. Sitting right at 1200 bottles now. I plan to retire soon, so my wine buying dollars will shrink and force me to reduce the number of bottles. You'd think it would work that way, wouldn't you? +1 Don't co...

As one who has mostly single bottle racking I would strongly support those who advocate large open bins. My single bottle racking ins a pain in the a%# because only about half of my bottles fit into the racking cleanly.

2017 Walter Hansel Pinot's and Chard's

October was a slow month for us since we were out of town for a few weeks. But the trend still is in the right direction.

Consumed 13 and bought 5 for a net reduction of 8.

Tom' I was buying a lot of Seavey cabs back in the 1999-2004 time frame. Still have about a case in the cellar including 4 of the '04's. The '04's have been delicious during the last 5 years. They take a while to come around but are really worth the wait. I have '01's that are just hitting their dr...

Tom' I was buying a lot of Seavey cabs back in the 1999-2004 time frame. Still have about a case in the cellar including 4 of the '04's. The '04's have been delicious during the last 5 years. They take a while to come around but are really worth the wait. I have '01's that are just hitting their dri...

2004 Charles Heidieck Blanc de Millenaires.

I have quite a bit of the '06. Drank a bottle in '14 that I loved but two bottles drank in thew last year have been disappointing. Hoping it is a dumb phase.

Too hard to resist, put my wish in.

Neal.Mollen wrote: ↑
October 14th, 2019, 10:33 am
Drinker, 0% for investment or speculation.

+1

In my 25 in the hobby I have sold or traded about 50 bottles, but never for a profit. On the other hand I have gifted or donated several hundred bottles to friends and good causes.

2008 Ken Wright Pinot Noir Abbott Claim Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (10/12/2019) Delicious Pinot drank with red salmon sushi. My last of three and clearly the best. Wonderful earthy cherry, nice acid balance, good mouth feel. Wish this were my first instead of last bottle. This bottle...

2016 Betz Family Cabernet Sauvignon Heart of the Hill - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain (10/8/2019) Consumed over two evenings, and it changed quite a lot from night one to night two. On first opening it was a wall of dark fruit, and nearly concealed its structure. Night two it opene...

2006 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne

Continued to make progress in September.

September: Consumed 21 and bought 7 for a reduction of 14.
YTD: Consumed 252 and purchased 127 for a reduction of 125.
Since I started trying to cut back in 2015: Consumed 1433 and purchased 977 for a reduction of 456.

Scott, Another issue at work here is that "outstanding/exceptional" is an individual judgment and varies from one person to the next. What you might consider exceptional, I might not and visa versa. This was brought home to me a few years ago when I gifted a case of wine from my cellar to a neighbor...

I drank one of my four LB's in 2011 and it was still a monster. Guess I should try another in the next few years.

I have been getting Armada since '07 and BF since '13. since I like my Syrah's with some age I have not had a BF yet. I will say however that if it is a cut above the Armada it will be a real treat because the Armada 's I have drunk ('07 and '08) have been outstanding.

2009 Pol Roger Vintage Brut

Thanks for the note Tom. I drank one of these in 2014 and loved it. I have one more for sometime in the next few years.

2007 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (9/23/2019) I drank my second of six bottles last evening with braised pork shoulder. This was a significant step up from a bottle I drank in 2015. Delicious concentrated fruit, earthin...

I enjoy the Tablas Creek GB but have never had the Ridge; but am a big fan of Ridge.

I drank most of my '03's when they were young and only have one bottle left in my cellar. The best one I had was the 2003 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin which I thought was really nice. Others of note include the 2003 Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Baron and the...

Drank a '16 Papera Zin a few nights ago. Good but I will wait a year or two for next bottle.

11 Sonoma Co. Zin - just shaking my head, this is my early drinking go to Carlisle yet this was so alive and fresh after 8 years. As this bottle was stolen from my dads cellar (I'll make it up to him - trust me) but I need to find a way not to drink my stash of these so quickly after release, is th...

I did not see them mentioned above but CA Cabs like Ridge Monte Bello, Chateau Montelena, Seavey and Togni will go the distance. I have never really tried to buy wines for my son but as a matter of course there is a large percentage of my cellar that will likely go to my son. I would focus on buying...

I had one in April '18 that was excellent. Have three more in the cellar. Guess I better pop one to see if they are going down hill.

Had a really good bottle of O' Shaughessey Cab last night. 2005 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain (9/2/2019) Drank my next to last bottle last evening with Osso bucco. Opened about one hour before drinking. Delicious mature cab. Very ele...

I was surprised by the relative positions or Merlot and Syrah. I would have been believable to me if their positions were reversed.

Had an '08 Dry Creek Syrah last night. WOW! 2008 Carlisle Syrah Dry Creek Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (9/1/2019) This is my first bottle of this delicious Syrah. Drank with slow cooker pot roast. The color was very inky. This mature Syrah was well balanced and concentra...

Did Okay in August. Case purchase of Cayuse wines my biggest add.

Consume Purchase Net
August 28 15 -13
Year to date 229 120 -109

Reds:
Rhone Blends
Cabernet
Pinot
Zin

Whites:
Rhone Blends
Chardonnay
Champagne Blends
Voignier

The red selection is rather arbitrary. Bordeaux Blends and Syrah could easily be substituted.

I would check your local Costco. The usually carry wine glasses in this price range. I have used them for everyday glasses for a long time.

Drank my last bottle of '10 Old Vines Zin yesterday at a barbecue. Still going strong.

My only issue with MB is that my stash may not be anywhere near ready in my lifetime. My son will enjoy them. I have bought them since 2007 and the only bottle I opened so far (an '07 several years ago) was still pretty primary. Dan, I’m with you on this concern. But I have tried the 2006 and 2007 ...

My only issue with MB is that my stash may not be anywhere near ready in my lifetime. My son will enjoy them.

I have bought them since 2007 and the only bottle I opened so far (an '07 several years ago) was still pretty primary.

I have always found that it is hard to beat Chateau Ste. Michelle/Columbia Crest for inexpensive quaffers.

I bought these from '04 thru '07. I would say they over deliver for a $20 wine. Similar values from L. Martini, Berringer, Sebastiani and others in good vintages.

Bought my Cayuse allocation today: Bionic Frog, Camaspelo, Armada, and God only Knows

Drank my last bottle of a case last evening. This wine has been consistently good through the years. 2005 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (8/20/2019) My last bottle of this wine. Still drinking well with grilled pork loin chop. Best with an hour of air...

Many great visits to be had in or around Healdsberg. Since you like Pinot and Chardonnay I would put a tasting at Ramey high on my list. It is right in Healdsberg. You will need to make a reservation.

I've had a passive cellar in my crawl space for almost 25 years. The temps vary form 53 to 65 (rarely). It has performed well and I have some bottles that have been stored for over 20 years.

Scott, since you are on cellar tracker you can get a good ball park of a desirable cellar size by looking at your consumption history by variety. If you add your preferences for aging each variety the optimal cellar size becomes a math problem. e.g. I drink 30 Cabs per year and I like them with an a...

Forget clubs. Get on lists where you choose what and how many to buy.

I do share allocations with local friends and they share with me. The obvious benefit is to make bottlings available from producers with long waiting lists. A secondary benefit and an important one when living in Alaska is the economy of full case shipments.

I was routinely over a hundred for years but have winnowed it down to 55. Yea!!

Another good month for me:

Consumed Purchased Net
July 35 15 -20
YTD 202 105 -97

Mark Golodetz wrote: ↑
July 25th, 2019, 10:32 am
Unless the restaurant has an amazing cellar, I bring my own. I like older wine, and 99% of all restaurants have young wines with horrible mark ups. Happy to pay a reasonable corkage

+1

I use WA and Cellar Tracker plus the reviews provided by internet retailers. Lots of reviews available free. The trick is discovering how to gauge a reviewer to your palate.

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