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

Good to hear Blake. I drank a lot of Leonetti from the 1990's (and 1989) young, then my palate changed away from obvious oak; I have a couple and will see if the oak has eased up with age.

Almost all of my non-Glasvin glasses are broken. Glasvin boxing is the reason why, I put every glass back in its box after every use, none broken yet. The Bordeaux-type glasses are elegant and perfectly balanced, I like balancing them on my finger when I take them out of the box, but just a little b...

Craig G wrote: ↑September 20th, 2020, 9:13 pm Is that even possible?

Yes, not all critics get high before they rate wines.

J. Rock wrote: ↑May 20th, 2020, 8:50 pm Why don't you move them to offsite storage for a bit so you have more time to sell them for a decent amount?

Yes. Keeping wines at no more than 70 degrees F, for two years, in offsite storage, with no sudden temperature changes, is IMO just fine. People may differ but I'll always believe this.

...but Ridge does not sell older rare distinctive wines at anything close to release price IMO as a rule, unless there's something about that wine to break that rule. One of the themes of the Final Assemblage events for a while was they bust out quantities of a library wine that was ready to go, an...

George, I haven’t tasted this in at least five years. When was the last one you opened? I bought it at the winery when it was selling it recently, at the time the only Torre or Perrone they were selling. Another uh oh. Less than two years ago. No flaws, but... Sometimes these older Ridges wake up b...

I have one '09 Ridge Torre remaining, which I am very curious about. High expectations. I bought some of that 09 Torre. it was the only Torre or Perrone readily available at the winery, and at original release price (uh oh). After two bottles, my verdict is, for my palate, consistently blah. But wi...

George, Buy cautiously. It’s not a wine that is going to turn heads. It’s classic, structured and more about intellect than showing off. Classic and elegant and balanced. Me like. Unless it's overstructured with drying tannins for the fruit power and will dry out before the structure mellows, and I...

Forget dry still wine for 1960. Go for Armagnac. Completely undamaged by storage, can drink it over a two year period after opening--maybe ten years-- and also you can use it to make killer complex cocktails. Armagnac has a much sexier story than Cognac. Richer and more complex. Distilled only once,...

I find the same with Ridge Perrone Merlot bottlings as well...they don't drink well early, but they reward you with a few years. Agree on the 'Cabernet sensibility' as well - more structured than a Merlot would normally be. I have one '09 Ridge Torre remaining, which I am very curious about. High e...

2016 Ridge Merlot Torre Ranch Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (5/19/2020) Way too early look at this wine...plummy, moderately oaky, and with more than a bit of tightness in the finish. It’s Merlot with a Cabernet sensibility. Don’t touch ...

This is starting to feel like a "somewhere along Highway 280" event. Harding Park or Lincoln, then down 280 to Mark Sutherland's Los Altos public park, or maybe in a woodsy picnic table type area in a state park like Wunderlich. Lots of time to figure it out and form a consensus. I'm someo...

All done guys, most of you were helpful, thanks. My brother will get wines for his client from among the helpful comments, I forwarded all of them.

Is it meant to be a gift with the intention that the person will immediately love it, or is it an exercise in which to expand the recipients knowledge of wine? When I’ve bought non serious wine drinkers bottles in the past, something “better” that they are familiar with always goes over with more s...

For my brother's client in Miami. I think he's allergic to tannins, but maybe a no sulfite no tannins wine would be best. He likes the Columbia Crest Horseheaven H3 blend, my brother would like to get him something fancier. The best store in his area for him to shop is Total Wine.

Larry Stein wrote: ↑April 5th, 2020, 7:52 pm Won a couple of auctions on WineBid today so I’m good to go!

I love the smell of victory in the morning. Smells like Napalm.

2005 Dominique Laurent Clos St. Jacques 2005 for $175 right now is a good buy. His friend Sylvie Esmonin's grapes, and she made the wine of her life from those grapes that year, and I like his winemaking better. Jadot CSJ? From feedback I am alone in my opinion. To me and me alone LOL, Jadot is high...

Would love to join, and will confirm as things firm up. Hope everyone is hanging in there. Bring another magnum of 1992 Old Hill like last time. Cross out the Ravenswood and write in Ridge with a sharpie and we're cool. That wine was killer, nothing like it. I've had a lot of Old Hill 1994-95 and t...

BillK wrote: ↑April 10th, 2020, 10:54 pm My tent is setup at the front door of "The Duke Society." I don't want to miss that steal of a deal!

Be sure to share with everyone! We will leave you two ounces of sediment.

If anyone wants attend this gathering but needs to find older Ridge at a reasonable price, there's this:

2005 is not on my acid radar. It's on my balance radar. I can't speak for the above Volnay, Pommard, Cote de Beaune. For 2005 Cote de Nuits I see a large placid lake that's been there for 1000 years with no ripples, nothing showing. Just perfect and implacable and endless, quietly. 2005 Hudelot-Noel...

I have never had a red Burgundy that tastes better on the second night. Come to think of it, I may have never had one that made it to the second night! White Burgundy can be better on day two or three, but you need to drink red Burgundy within the day of opening or the detail gets planed off. Agree...

Wes Barton wrote: ↑April 9th, 2020, 12:47 am
ERPark wrote: ↑April 8th, 2020, 10:00 pm
George Chadwick wrote: ↑April 8th, 2020, 7:29 pm

Atsa Wensdy.
Jorge, have you forgotten that Wes’ bday is essentially a national holiday?
And rare. I only have them on leap years.

Leap this.

I have never had a red Burgundy that tastes better on the second night. Come to think of it, I may have never had one that made it to the second night! White Burgundy can be better on day two or three, but you need to drink red Burgundy within the day of opening or the detail gets planed off. Agree...

If you dont mind buying another bottle of something ready now, I would do that. Ditto. I'd drink several bottles of "Bourgogne" from several producers first so you could appreciate yours more and learn a whole lot along the way. Find out which vineyards each producer makes their "Bou...

Wes Barton wrote: ↑April 8th, 2020, 12:21 pm
George Chadwick wrote: ↑April 7th, 2020, 10:47 pm
BillK wrote: ↑April 6th, 2020, 8:28 pm I'm in as long as it doesn't fall between Sep 5-20. My old Ridge wines that I picked up over the winter have been waiting for an event like this ones
End of Sept would be perfect except harvest for a couple of folks I'd miss
Sept. 30 is my b-day. I could commit to that.

Atsa Wensdy.

BillK wrote: ↑April 6th, 2020, 8:28 pm I'm in as long as it doesn't fall between Sep 5-20. My old Ridge wines that I picked up over the winter have been waiting for an event like this ones

End of Sept would be perfect except harvest for a couple of folks I'd miss

Darn you Paul Roess. I had no interest in buying a decanter before I briefly researched for your inquiry. It became a lot of fun. A lot of ugly Victorian crap out there. In the past 24 hours I bought from E Bay two gorgeous ones, one an elegant antique (age unknown and there was no premium for the a...

I checked with rare wine co and they only had one reproduction. If I were to look on eBay, what should I look for? I am thinking something in $500 range. Thanks. If your wife has a national heritage that is important to her you can look for that. As soon as you enter the search there's a button for...

This thread inspired me to check out decanters on EBay for a half hour. It was tiring. But I was surprised that in the the $100-150 range there are some beautiful ones (not antique though). I checked high end, and it would take a long time to plow through it, mostly weird stuff for aficionados only.

If price is no object, and the age of the decanter is important, Rare Wine Co. Some of their less pricy decanters look boring, and the more expensive ones interesting. I wouldn't buy any of them because of my money and my lifestyle, but I'd trust them with everything. Best source for olive oil anywh...

My hunch is that it's way too young right now - I've had the estate cab upon delivery a couple of times and it's usually unbalanced and tart to my taste -- until day #2. Did the merlot get a chance to last that long? Exactly, I love Ridge red wines, might be my favorite US winery, but most of the t...

Also, just to toss out suggestions - the Patriot Corner at Shoup Park in Los Altos might meet your criteria. Centrally located, free parking, restrooms, can be reserved in advance, grills, prep areas, picnic tables, etc. They do allow alcohol - but with a permit I believe. We must have someone capa...

I'll sell you each a bottle. I'll bring the bottles to you at the event. You buy them. I'll PM you the cost. Would there generally be more interest on a Saturday or on a Sunday? Start time 2 pm.

More importantly, hi to you both.

Interested, though that's harvest season. Combining weather (is late October too cold? beginning of September too hot which for me is worse?) and harvest considerations can you identify a good window? Harvest starts mid to late August. September is busiest. October is moderate. Maybe something will...

Alan Rath wrote: ↑April 2nd, 2020, 5:23 pm Let me check my calendar.

While you're checking, just an FYI. By then, drinking wine at ten AM in your jammies won't be acceptable any more, especially in a park. Actually who knows, people seem to be hoping this era will lead to permanent lifestyle changes.

Wes Barton wrote: ↑April 2nd, 2020, 9:18 pm Interested, though that's harvest season.

Combining weather (is late October too cold? beginning of September too hot which for me is worse?) and harvest considerations can you identify a good window?

It's Isolation Time so I don't feel bad about making you read all of this. Are you used to attending up to all three of the Ridge Assemblage Weekends (March April May) and bringing your older Ridges to picnics, while Eric Baugher walks around with Monte Bello three liters? Rules: You must bring an o...

I reduced my allocation today from 4 to 2 750's. It hurt. The only reason is that I greatly prefer Ridges with 20 years of age and I'm 61. Cutting down wine buying for this reason, I have seen this said before, hits one hard with mortality. Starting today I'll drink what I have from now on, with the...

I wrote at length about a 1993 Dominique Laurent Beaune Vielles Vignes I started last night and about Laurent's wines but I deleted it and much of this thread. In short, it was beautiful. The 2017 is available for $43 if you can sit on it for 24 years.

Kristie poured a couple of her Tessier Pinots at a tasting I attended early this month. The 2017 from Anderson Valley’s Filigreen Farm and the 2016 Saveria Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Santa Cruz Mountains were both impressive. And her 2018 Alegría Vineyard Cabernet Franc from Russian River Valley ...

Bates. His Thunder Mountain cabernets were Bates. But toward the end I think he made some pinots. He also got CS from Beauregard Ranch and Doc Miller Vyd. in Cienega Valley. Chards from Beauregard Ranch, Bald Mtn, Ciardella, De Rose. Pinot Noir from Ciardella and Veranda. Some CF, Syrah, Merlot... ...

Kristie Tacey at Tessier was kind enough to answer today that the vineyards contributing to the above 2010 Tessier RRV Pinot were Saralee's and Trenton Station. No new oak used (yay!). I looked up those vineyards and I was wrong, Saralee's is in traditional RRV, Trenton Station is a few miles west n...

Did Milan Maxminovitch make some wines from Jarvis vnyd. Or was that only Bates Ranch. Tom Bates. Milan, his daughter, and his son in law were part of the first wine group I was ever in, which still survives more or less decades later with ever-shifting attendees in informal gatherings in the SF Ma...

OK back to isolation Era. 1993 Champy Clos St. Denis I braced myself and gritted my teeth and waited for an onslaught of Brett. What if there's no Brett? Might be one of the great wine bargains. There was no brett. Lean and boring at first. Then Morey terroir, albeit in a light brisk package but sti...

The Early Virus Era wines. Huet has become for me really intriguing, when the acid outweighs the sugar it's a very complex satisfying drink with food. If you find any 2007 Franc de Pied buy it, it's a remarkable tweener. This was my last 1992 Matanzas Creek Merlot, over the years they were from vari...

Square Peg Winery, a very recent visit review, not a TN In retrospect stunningly recent, March 13-15, but another world altogether: Winery visit on the cusp of stay-at-home during a haphazard glorious weekend in Occidental and Mendocino County which at that point had no virus reported: Square Peg Wi...

dcornutt wrote: ↑March 29th, 2020, 12:48 am Nice notes George! I must try the Tessier.

Thank you Don, I can't speak for the terroir, I can speak with confidence for the grapepicking/winemaking choices. The grenache last year showed the same attributes.

2006 Lillian Syrah Counterproductive packaging. I think this is not the higher end Blue which has the exact same label but it's slightly bluer. But it looks KIND of blue. Maybe? The back label does not tell me. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DRINKING. Did someone advise her that the panache that comes from a...

St. Henri Shiraz 2002

Outstanding young fruit, good acidity, oak minimal, but annoying powdery tannins.

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