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Louis Roederer Rose 2012 Hi Merrill, I also opened this last night. I love the mix of intense red berries and citrus, but I think its apogee is a long way off. Cheers, Warren A friend brought it for immediate consumption. I served it in vintage hollow stemmed, gold encrusted Champagne coupes. Betwe...

Bereche & Fils Brut Reserve (disgorged 01/19)
Louis Roederer Rose 2012
Philipponnat Royale Reserve Brut (vintage base 2014)

This is the Champagne that started my descent down the slippery slope of Champagne madness!

What does a major heat spike like this do to flowering vines? I think a heat spike can be helpful at transitional stages like flowering and veraison in getting the vineyard synched up. Cool weather during set and veraison seems to involve more stragglers. I probably had some lagging viognier that w...

I have not had a Cheval Blanc since the 1964 vintage. Now that was something. Had it around 10 years ago.

Knowing the percentage of $100-200 Napa Cabernet that is sold to restaurants, through traditional retail, and direct to consumers would add some perspective to this discussion. yes, a Napa Cabernet list of what's out there with price points would be interesting I sell my classic Cabernet for $100/b...

Fallot Dijon.

Well the weather certainly has improved - you can actually go outside! The guys came back in the cooler weather to finish suckering, and my neighbor stopped by to ask if I would like him to disk and drag through my vineyard. A resounding yes! The fruit is fully set, and now with the on-productive sh...

Lays Classic potato chip dipped in sour cream. Only allowed a couple of times a year.

97 degrees at noon in St. Helena/Calistoga.

But some of you guys have got this all figured out, so go buy or plant a vineyard, establish a label, and sell your wines to satisfy those who do not understand business. Merrill - everyone's an expert on everybody else's business. Just listen to politicians! Sorry about your well. And good point -...

What does a major heat spike like this do to flowering vines? Just pushes them along, to my knowledge. My fruit is set, and the guys are out there, now, suckering. It's a large crop at this point, but there are 90 days or so to harvest, and a lot can happen in the meantime. My cover crop came in ag...

Nathan Smyth wrote: ↑
June 8th, 2019, 4:57 pm

Merrill Lindquist wrote: ↑
June 7th, 2019, 1:06 pm
I thought Piper's suggestion was odd.
Just because it's odd doesn't mean it's wrong.
.

And that is why I said it was odd. I did not say it was wrong. Do we understand each other?

I've now heard from a few wineries who strongly feel it could be their best vintage to date. How does that differ from what happens every year? What I'm really wondering is 2019 Napa - what are the wine makers saying? You are testy this week, Mr. T. 2019 Napa Cab is on the vine, and depending on lo...

My packaging costs have gone up 8 straight years. But the killer is the fruit costs, up 60% per ton for me between 2014-2016, alone! Luckily it has not moved since 2016. It's a harder world when buying all of one's fruit. pileon Yes, fruit costs can be a killer. I am fortunate that I own my own sou...

Well you cant expect poor winery owners to not increase prices, after all just because you get 30% extra free fruit the corks have gone up by 40 cents so we need an across the board $15 a bottle increase Your contract is for a 1 acre block. You pay 18,000/T. If the vineyard produces 4T/Acre your fr...

My corks and capsules also went up this year - off the top of my head I can't say by how much, but I noticed. Name a bunch of other "invisible" costs, and eventually the costs must get passed on. Not that all of a winery's pricing is cost-plus priced...of course there is also market value pricing. ...

Merrill, would you agree or not? Thank you. It's not just an increase in glass prices. Snail mail brought an informational letter from my insurer for EMH that some of their terms will be changing. You MUST have liability insurance. My corks and capsules also went up this year - off the top of my he...

I just opened an email from my glass (bottles) supplier, and they are informing us of an increase of 12%, in the form of a surcharge. This is due to tariffs/ocean freight increases. Can wineries absorb these increases any better than any other business? No. Whether to price a bottle of wine at $40 o...

Agreed. I could never swap zinfandel versus cabernet sauvignon. I can. Ironically, I’d drink Ridge or Bedrock Zin over most Cali Cabs, notwithstanding that I am a huge Cab and Cab Franc fan! PS. I have not tried Black Cat, but allegedly Charlie Carnes has one for me that is supposed to knock me off...

I enjoyed this read, Frank. Thank you for the notes.

I’ve heard that quality is good but also huge crops. Could be premature, but it’s not unreasonable to expect supply/demand to favor the consumer. Not sure about your supply/demand statement, but I can agree that it was an easy vintage to farm, barrel samples are excellent, and yes, the crops in som...

If someone asks me what Napa Cabs to get in the $40-75 range, I tell them to go get Carlisle and Bedrock Zins, instead. Most likely what they are looking, flavor and texture-wise, for Cab within that price range can be achieved in epic Zins by those producers. Hmm, that doesn't sound like great adv...

Oh Boy.

Last night I opened a 1991 Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley for a friend who was born in '91. Holy hell are these things decadent and delicious. On the pop and pour, just amazing. It did fade after a few hours. I hope the future vintages of this wine stay the same style as it is dirt c...

In answer to the OP's post:

Bullshit. Based on real data.

Bill Tex Landreth wrote: ↑
June 3rd, 2019, 2:30 pm
The proprietor is a good guy as well and a friend.

Glad the wine showed well for y'all,

Gosh, Tex, we share a friend - think of it!

Last night I opened a 1991 Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley for a friend who was born in '91. Holy hell are these things decadent and delicious. On the pop and pour, just amazing. It did fade after a few hours. I hope the future vintages of this wine stay the same style as it is dirt c...

A nice walk through the vineyard just showed what every grape farmer would wish for: pretty uniform bloom in all areas of the vineyard, resulting from little wind, no precipitation, hot sun, cool nights. Perfect for a great set! Within the week, fruit set should be what we are looking at. The weathe...

So if a lot of this is based on appearance of the grapes doesnt that mean the farming aspect is more important than the terroir ? Alan - terroir (in my book) is a combination of soil and weather. Farming is dictated by both these components. Bringing in good-looking fruit means that the farmer has ...

So if a lot of this is based on appearance of the grapes doesnt that mean the farming aspect is more important than the terroir ? Alan - terroir (in my book) is a combination of soil and weather. Farming is dictated by both these components. Bringing in good-looking fruit means that the farmer has ...

Eric, I commend you for taking a stab at this. Thanks Casey! Btw, when judging ripeness for picking, I'll crush some grapes in a bag and smell the juice...that lets me know what's going on and translates better to the final wine (esp in lower brix situations) without being distracted/influenced by ...

David - to me provenance is everything. If you can order directly from the winery, I'd encourage you to do so. Every time a wine takes a trip from cellar to cellar, or (eeks) closet to closet, or from under the bed (yes, I know people who store wines that way), then by ground or air to you, there is...

Taste and visuals. I custom crush at a facility which will have multiple bins of fruit being processed from different vineyards. I taste them all. The high end wine grapes just taste better - I can't think of another way to put it. They taste balanced, just like your high end wine. The bin will cont...

I just walked out to the vineyard and you can smell the bloom as you approach it. So sweet. With a high today of 86, and a forecast of a warmer Saturday and even warmer Sunday, this should go rather quickly. Please.

I would see no reason to hold the 2003 longer. Sadly, the only time you know you have held a wine too long is when you sense it has gone over the edge.

Bill Tex Landreth wrote: ↑
May 24th, 2019, 6:06 pm
Gato Tacos

Tex, I was telling someone today that this is about the meanest thing one could say, knowing I posted recently about losing my beloved Gato Negro, "Blackie." You are one sick pup - get some help.

Well, the alfresco dinner was a hit. So was the 2003 Pisoni. Gave it 4-5 hours of air after pulling the cork, tasting it from the bottle, and recorking. Seemed like a perfect preparation. Not a drop left, and not a single tasting note other than "Fantastic!" A very nice follow on to the Champagne an...

Starting tonight with Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve, then with the Beef Stroganoff the 2003 Arcadian Pisoni. It is already tasting good, but following the experts above, it is already in the decanter. Notes tomorrow.

Thank you, gentlemen, I took these notes down and put a copy in the cellar with the wines.

I hear you Casey. We surveyed my vineyard today and changed our minds again - spraying in the morning. With so much wet weather hanging around - and humidity recently - it put those flowers at risk. Seems to be a wide variation within my tiny place - many tight formations and some turning brown at t...

Merrill, For selfish reasons I’d be very interested in how the 2000 is doing. I don’t have any but the 2000 Francesca has shown well for years. Cheers, Doug I was pretty surprised when I went into my cellar and saw that one there. So, that one could be the next one to go down. I have some wines I h...

I have the Pisoni 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007. What shall I open soon? The Arcadian Pisoni? I just took inventory of my Arcadian Pinot holdings. Yes, Piper, Arcadian P-I-S-O-N-I. Found a few things hiding, but here is what I have: Arcadian Pisoni PN: 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007. In addition: 2005 Franc...

I have the Pisoni 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007.

What shall I open soon?

People who manage larger ranches need to keep the crews moving, which means suckering something during bloom. For my small ranch, I just put it off and keep people from messing around with the shoots. I am super cautious, and I have the freedom to be that because my ranch is so small.

A walk through my vineyard just showed enough bloom to make me call off the spraying that was tentatively scheduled for tomorrow.

Please may bloom pass quickly and uneventfully through fruit set.

Making Brazilian shrimp with cheese and tomato sauce. A "recipe" that my good friend Giselda would make for us when I lived in Boston. She mostly would not allow me in the kitchen, and she could put on more food and more quickly than anyone I ever knew. But basically, spread cream cheese in the pan,...

I found the start of bloom on my Cabernet today. Just a minute number of clusters entering this race, but it is a word of warning that it is imminent. Of course I have suckering and spraying on deck within the next few days. I halted the suckering and we will survey the status of bloom on Tuesday mo...

I would paint with a broad brush and say the "difference," if there is any, is due to the amount of attention the vineyard receives. Vineyardists who pay the extra attention and money to grow organically and/or biodynamically are taking their work very seriously.

I just made an asparagus lasagna from the April 1992 publication of Gourmet Magazine. Goat cheese, instant lasagna, lemon peel, roasted asparagus, chicken stock, parmesan. Covered in heavy whipped cream, which I made using my mother's standard mixer, which she received as a wedding gift in 1942. So ...

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