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

Sean Devaney

Had dinner last night with Eric Baugher, winemaker and COO of Ridge. He was upfront about the cutbacks. He was not happy that they had to do it, but the MB selection was only 30% of the harvest, so much less than normally anticipated. He said it was normally closer to 50%. As I read this it also me...

Sean Devaney

Casey congrats on finding Gypsy. She looks darling.

Sean Devaney

I don't remember a Gavilan Cellars FC but I have fond memories of the Carmenet FC's Saviez Vineyard. Carmenet was part of the Chalone group IIRC.

Sean Devaney

Is it my imagination or is this early for clusters to be forming? Maybe a Gruner thing?

Sean Devaney

Tom did mention he was going to ask Derrell Corti about Nevada City Cellars. If he doesn't know a connection someone else has to come forward.

Sean Devaney

Man, I think Nevada City Cellars and Nevada City Winery are one in the same. We used to race bicycles and that was the first winery I ever visited. (Fake ID.) They had a...gasp!....white zin called Alpenglow that was drier than other white zins at the time and I found it palatable. (Plus, we'd drin...

Sean Devaney

Just a WAG but I wonder if the distributor of KB in FL had to move x number of cases some wine and the buyer for Costco say "Hey I can help you out if you give me something good for my top stores." I bet it went to only a couple of stores.

Sean Devaney

Riedel Restaurant series wins on all counts. Cheap, very functional, replaceable. This. A good choice would be the Riedel Restaurant Syrah glass https://www.riedel.com/en-us/shop/riedel-restaurant/syrah-044601230 Buy at least twice as many as you are going to supply the cabin with as breakage is in...

Sean Devaney

Damn Michael that looks great!

Sean Devaney

But what did you "Pobega" with it

Looks awesome.

Sean Devaney

It would be fun to put a twist on this and serve some of the above recommended wines in black wine glasses for a true blind tasting.

Sean Devaney

My primary glasses are Riedel restaurant series syrah glasses that I will use the dishwasher for when I have company-no issues. I mostly hand wash my glasses with a dedicated sponge and Dawn. My higher end glasses are always hand washed.

Sean Devaney

That wine was marked at 14.5% but I can't imagine it was below 15.5%, which it could legally be with the margin of error. It was hard to understand how it could get that raisiny, though, even at 15.5%. Perhaps it was picked very late and watered back to 15.5%. In the FWIW column once a wine crosses...

Sean Devaney

Thanks for the link Drew, nice article.

Sean Devaney

Madera 206 acres! There must be some story behind that number.

Sean Devaney

There was a winery in Sonoma -- Carmenet, I think -- that made some really stellar chenins back in the 80s and/or early 90s from very old vines. There was some change in ownership or marketing (Carmenet was owned by Chalone) and that wine disappeared. (Probably planted over to merlot or something o...

Sean Devaney

Wow! That looks like they flipped the before and after pics. Do you know who's yard that is?

Sean Devaney

Great pic Paul. Do you have to do anything special as far as vineyard prep?

Sean Devaney

Welcome aboard Bryan but this should be posted in the wine talk forum. Take a look around, always happy to have wino's from the North participate here

Sean Devaney

to your wife. Pass on my respect and you are one lucky man.

Sean Devaney

Damn Tom those are some great looking pies!

Sean Devaney

I never found CT quite as early, but still an old geezer. It took me a couple of months work to research and enter my wines from old invoices when I should have been working as I used my work computer. That's how I found CT ten years ago, a few months later Berserkers. I think I have finally come t...

Sean Devaney

For a casual mustard (and dirt cheap) Trader Joe's Dijon is hard to beat.

I will try to hunt down Baron-sounds great.

Sean Devaney

Ser: Nicole Walsh is doing a terrific job and is someone to keep an eye on. Wines of wonderful purity.

Sean Devaney

Neal.Mollen wrote: ↑
January 21st, 2019, 4:10 pm

Todd F r e n c h wrote: ↑
January 21st, 2019, 4:02 pm
I knew this was a WAY old thread when I saw Melissa McCall's name as the OP!
Yeah! I thought she was back!

My first thought too! Miss that slightly buzzed fluzy.

Sean Devaney

Has anyone heard of most of these winners? I have never tasted any of them. The only thing worse than these winners is that the general public will pay $70 to taste this crap. There are plenty of good wines poured at this event. Your crap comment is letting your inner wine snob show. Blind tasting ...

Sean Devaney

Not familiar with that vineyard, and you probably know this, Rodney Strong now owns Davis Bynum so there is that connection.

Sean Devaney

There was an old-line Italian winery in Napa (the name eludes me now) that sold a moscato that was not very stable. The sold it refrigerated only and told visitors not to leave it in a hot car. Anyone remember that? Maybe Louis Martini? I worked in a wine shop back when I was going to college and a...

Sean Devaney

HBO is going all out to capitalize on the last season of GOT. Along with Scotchs Ommegang has released three different GOT beers and rumor has it more in the pipeline.

Would like to try the Oban and Lagavulin editions but not spending the $'s.

Sean Devaney

A winery to add to your list is Holly's Hill up in El Dorado County. They make a couple Mourvedre's and blends.

Sean Devaney

G. Bienstock wrote: ↑
January 7th, 2019, 1:08 pm
Interesting list, no Foothill mentions though.

Yep. A huge hole in the list. It is easy to pick six wineries from Amador and El Dorado alone not to mention Lodi and Calaveras among others.

Sean Devaney

Didn’t one of the earlier wine boards do this as a group? Can’t remember if it was eRP or wino-depot? Yep, Gary Vaynerchuck. Some of us did more than others. I was intimately involved in the project. Met Gary on his wine cruise and offered to help. IIRC westcoastwine.net also did this one year to m...

Sean Devaney

Another couple of questions on that vineyard: do you know who planted it? Who is getting the fruit now?

Damn that is quite a bit of growth on the ground.

Sean Devaney

In 1937 the village philosopher of Santa Cruz, California, was quite perturbed and apprehensive that the local bottle shop might run out of his favorite meridional wine, which was transported by dirigible from the Rhone. His deepest forebodings were realized when an added cargo of Bordeaux unbalanc...

Sean Devaney

Thanks to all the participants in this thread. It is a must read for me

Sean Devaney

Chalone used to make an OV FrenchColombard from the CyrilSaviez/NapaVlly vnyd, but that vnyd has been pulled I believe. Probably for Merlot!! [snort.gif] Tom I believe that was under the Carmenet label that was owned by the Chalone Group. A great wine that I enjoyed many bottles of and fun to pour ...

Sean Devaney

Charles Shaw. Can't believe they stopped producing their Napa Gamay. Don't even start on the recent price increases...

Sean Devaney

...named SF Chronicle's winemaker of the year.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/articl ... o-16663173

(Sorry if this behind a pay wall and if it has been posted already).

Sean Devaney

Worked a day at a winery during harvest and got a free assorted case of wine. I have worked winery festival events and helped bottle wine a few times and received wine as compensation but do not include that as "free" as I was trading labor for wine. BTW I jump at every chance I get to do this as t...

Sean Devaney

Back in early '90s, when Trader Joe's was still a CA only company with not that many stores to fill they were incredible for wine and alcohol finds, they only needed to find small distributor closeouts to still be able to spread them across a limited number of stores and I recall buying good Bords,...

Sean Devaney

Twice. A free bottle of 1988 Caymus SS Cab from the winery for attending what was suppose to be a tasting and vineyard tour but rain had made the vineyard too muddy to do the tour. Consolation prize? The second was a bottle of "Bitch" Australian Grenache from The Wine Club. I had bought a bottle as ...

Sean Devaney

I believe the free shipping thing is someone's cautionary interpretation...and so far not more than that. It's illegal (for a TTB/ABC licensed entity) to give alcohol away for free. The worry is using free in 'free shipping' would invoke that law/regulation. But tasting rooms give free tastes, and ...

Sean Devaney

Congrats Kirk! Looks like you have 85+ servings of the wines you are planning to pour for the 18 or so drinkers so you should be fine. You might want to have one of your wedding party be designated to open the wines and be sure to get your own tastes of wines you want to try early as you and your br...

Sean Devaney

2016 Navarro Mendocino Zinfandel Bramble and blackberry notes with a touch of Mendocino tomato on the nose. Fairly full bodied on the palate with more dark fruits, smooth entry and no signs of the 14.7% alc. Very enjoyable if not that complex. Enjoy over the next few years. Better on day two as the ...

Sean Devaney

Nicole Walsh of Ser Winery. Wines of great purity.

Sean Devaney

I think I recall Bonny Doon once making something from Oregon fruit. Bonny Doon did make some Pinot's from Oregon fruit in the mid 80's. I believe one of his sources was Temperance Hill Vineyard. I don't know if he shipped grapes or juice. Girard winery in the same time frame made an OR pinot but h...

Sean Devaney

Ice forming is often a sign of low refrigerant. After 20 years I would opt for replacement.

Sean Devaney

Thanks for this post Drew. I really enjoyed the Reichwage wines at the HVS tasting back in April. Definitely a producer to watch out for.

Sean Devaney

john stimson wrote: ↑
November 13th, 2018, 7:27 pm
I'm a little surprised there is only one Sauvignon Blanc suggested. Dungeness is really sweet, and I find it goes amazingly well with Sav Blanc, which would mean Sancere.

I agree. I also enjoy Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc with fresh, cold, unadorned Crab. No butter please.

Sean Devaney

Mich@el Ch@ng wrote: ↑
November 13th, 2018, 7:56 pm
2014 Siduri Limerick Lane
2012 Cirq Treehouse

Limerick Lane has Pinot Noir planted?

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