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

Bob Hughes wrote: ↑
April 2nd, 2020, 1:04 pm
Rich is definitely a shady character. OTOH, Joanne is first class, so one must take the good with the bad, I guess

She's a "keeper".

And still hanging in there despite being subjected to you two.

RT

Never heard of Cloudline. Once upon a time I was fairly sure I knew approx. 50% of OR Pinot labels (and Cloudline's been around a while)....now, probably closer to 5%.

i've had a crush on Veronique Drouhin for a while

RT

Your welcome Will. Very nice work. I enjoy the style. Hope more Berserkers give Violin a try.

RT

Had the 2016 Heritage #8 this weekend. I know it's supposed to be akin to Burgundy, but it actually reminded me a lot of spatburgunder. Spiced stem, floral notes, light cranberry. I really enjoyed it. Had it next to a 2014 Fourrier aux Echezeaux. Very different wines, but very tasty in their own st...

So now you break out the good stuff!! Looking forward to a more normal dinner together....as soon as practical.

RT

Her. No.

RT

Frank Murray III wrote: ↑
March 31st, 2020, 2:35 pm
Another vote for Marie Courtin.

Fan of Dominque Moreau. Small hands-on producers.

RT

Jay Miller wrote: ↑
January 26th, 2020, 10:50 am
Vilmart was an easy choice.
For my second I wavered between a bunch of choices all mentioned above before deciding on
Marie Courtin.

No Bereche?

I'd probably go with Selosse and Bereche with Marie Courtin reluctantly 3rd.

RT

Burg shopping has become so frustrating that I've mostly given up.

RT

After a 3 - 4 day quarantine. Why not?

RT

2007 Taupenot-Merme Morey St. Denis - Loads of mushroom, soy, iron, mild beef broth. A melange of integrated fruit leaning slightly dark. Secondary flavors matching the nose. Excellent acidity. Moderate weight and length. Accessible tannins. Been too long since I popped a work-a-day Burgundy and th...

Some here may have heard me bemoan how many of the 2012 Willamette Valley pinots have turned out. I don't finish half of them, and 10% of them, including some of the "top" wines, I have simply poured out. Flabby fruit bombs that happened because many did not plan for the years. Not Marcus! Quite su...

05 Grivot Suchots is amazing also. Under the wire.l even now. Used to be an Accad follower—wines much better now. There's some '98 Ech and 2008 Vosne Beaux Monts downstairs. Don't remember the vintages...possibly 1998 and 2000 that Jim Anderson popped open during a dumbfoundingly generous Grivot be...

Fun pairing and thanks for posting. I've got 1 bottle of the Laurene left and some 2006 Grivot Boudots. I thought the Laurene had really come around nicely a few years ago...but still quite youthful, as you've noted. Time to drink the 2000 Laurene IMHO, unless you want to wait for 25 or 30 years. [c...

Updated to include TNs for both Berserkerday 2016 and 2017 Violin Pinots.

RT

Didn't do a note yet, but the 2016 was pleasantly restrained and bright for the warm vintage. Very promising winemaking and a happy discovery.

RT

2017 Violin Pinot Noir, Polk County Cuvee, Eola Amity Hills, Oregon Conifer, saddle soap, loam and soy aromas. Judicious barrel application. Tangy black cherry and briar fruit up front with mild baking spice. Moderate length. Balanced acidity. Fine tannins with some pleasing bitterness. Touch of wa...

Owlman does Oregon Pinot?? 2008 is probably the right vintage for you! Glad you enjoyed it....despite the fact that you're freaking me out.

RT

Second night, no bueno. Fat and hot. Got dumped. This vintage of Bouland’s flagship cuvee is just not working for me. Appreciate the heads up. Bummer. Hot Beaujolais is the last thing I'm interested in. The 25% tariff continues to sting. My buying has shifted to Italy for value (< $30) and "daily d...

Love "off-vintages" in OR.

Just can't help it. No use fighting it.

RT

2017 Thomas Pinot Noir Dundee Hills - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (3/20/2020) Wow, not what I expected from a potentially rainy, cooler off vintage in Oregon! This is what Dujac CDL & CSD taste like if you could buy them for $67 instead of $600. Seriously, this is very reminiscent ...

How are you on the 18's, Richard? My understanding is 2018 was "warm", which means I usually stick to the "usual suspects". There are excellent Pinots in every vintage..and more trial and error. YMMV. Interesting. Could you elaborate on your usual suspects in a warm vintage? It is sounding like you...

It's the zinc. why were you taking it? there's almost no reason that you should need to take zinc unless you have a short list of serious medical illnesses. Yes it can shorten the duration of a cold for about 12 hours, but it's not worth it. Been using Zinc lozenges, infrequently, for decades. Very...

How are you on the 18's, Richard? Don't know yet. I have a ticket to the July IPNC Passport to Pinot (if it happens and I'm brave enough to fly) to try to get a glimpse. My understanding is 2018 was "warm", which means I usually stick to the "usual suspects". There are excellent Pinots in every vin...

Just popped one tonight. The nose is great...very Oregon. Decent fruit. Not so crazy about the structure (a touch round). Some mild warmth. Cooperative tannins. I'm a diehard Burg lover (or was until priced out) so bring on the acidity. I steered clear of 2016s from almost everyone in OR. Will check...

Mich@el Ch@ng wrote: ↑
March 19th, 2020, 1:35 pm

Victor Hong wrote: ↑
March 16th, 2020, 8:08 pm
If I understand the implications correctly, all PA citizens will be prohibited from buying wine and spirits meanwhile, even if from out of state.
It’s not that hard to buy stuff from OOS here.

OOS? Out of State? Heaven forbid.

RT

Just popped open a 2017 Philippe Alliet Chinon . Base bottling. My first experience with the producer. Wow, talk about QPR! Boysenberry, red plum, mild spice, lovely brightness, appealing pure fruit attack, a touch of minerality. Very well balanced. Gentle tannins. No oak (cement tanks). Bargain at ...

It's all shut down...including the on-line store.

RT

If only they'd keep the lights off.

RT

Brian, I presume those were 2017s? The straight Willamette Valley bottlings offer lots of early enjoyment. I've generally found that patience is rewarded with most all of Marcus's Pinots, so yes...a few years early. Momtazi vineyard has always puzzled me. Many have been disappointing, some have been...

Bob also inspired me, but it turns out I didn’t any older Baroli standing up. I almost opened a 97 Vietti Lazzarito, but I was worried about the sediment. am bummed about our dinner being canceled. Sediment can definitely be an issue. Perhaps it's sacrilege but I simply carried the bottle upstairs ...

Bob, you inspired me to pop a 1989 Fontanafredda Barolo with grilled lamb chops. Looked like it was recorked (unusually youthful for 31 years). If the wine was topped off, it was minimal. Nice amount of bricking. Light-ish weight. Some minty oak blew off quickly and from then on it was a thoroughly ...

My family has been oyster crazy, for generations. Grandfather used to get a "barrel" for Thanksgiving and Christmas. My Mother and Aunt would plow through a few dozen apiece. They're still a Holiday tradition. Took 15 years of marriage before my better half tried one...and she's loved them since! I'...

That's good news Nate. I tried calling and his mailbox was full. Glad to see there's progress.

Rich T

Trips planned in March and April to Breckenridge, Key West and the Galapagos are all toast. A few thousand in losses. C'est la vie. Nothing planned until PDX in July...and that's now very soft. Definitely delaying reservations for air and hotels. The US (let alone international) travel industry ls g...

The normal cross country shipping window is Mid-March to Mid/Late April. Always good to keep an eye on the forecast. March snowstorms and cold snaps are definitely not unheard of. Lots of producers shipped early this year because of the remarkably mild weather. John logged in to the BB 3 days ago. I...

Arrived in good condition and all were 2017s as ordered. Dustin and Kelley appear to be working hard to make things right...so I hope all Berserker Day buyers are satisfied or getting there!

RT

Cracked this last night on a lark: 1. EdmundsStJohn Syrah BassettiVnyd/SLOCnty....a beautiful example of a fully-mature c-c Syrah but showing signs of starting to dry out a bit; shows a slight metallic/tangy aftertaste of a wine starting to go round the bend; a beautiful EdStJ fully-mature Syrah. A...

Astor is having a Loire sale today -15%. Their base prices aren't the greatest (thank you tariffs) and the NY tax hurts not to mention shipping. But it's a sale and there're a number of nice wines. Couldn't resist a mixed case or two.

RT

First; while I read tasting notes from publications, I have never bought a wine because of its score. Lucky you, I've bought hundreds. Second, I get that sometimes/often these are different reviewers for the two regions. Yup, However, if you’re running a publication that uses the old 100-point scal...

The same alas cannot be said for Domaine de Collier! Finding the stuff is near impossible over here, apart from at auction, where they sell for high prices, especially La Charpentrie. Collier La Ripaille seems to be available here but pricing is $50+. Tough sell with so much Amirault, Baudry, Breto...

A wee BloodyPulpit: 1. LaCrima is the grape known in LeMarche as LaCrima di Morro d'Alba. GeorgeUnti planted a few rows at Unti and their first LaCrima release was a blend of three vintages and a bit on the late-hrvsty side. Turns out that their LaCrima vines were badly virus-infected and I believe...

This is exactly why we have decided to lessen our energy expended on the US market and focus on the loyal mail order customers (including those in the US) that can buy from us directly at a lower cost. With higher priced wines that don't have the volume to justify constant sales calls and samples b...

J a y H a c k wrote: ↑
March 6th, 2020, 1:26 pm
AND by the way - Clos de Goisses can select their own importer and find someone with a more reasonable mark up because they have plenty of clout, but they choose not to do so.

You mean Lanson-BCC the corporate owner and CEO Charles Philipponnat...but your point is the same.

RT

Glenn L e v i n e wrote: ↑
March 6th, 2020, 7:41 am
Getting on in years and starting to plan a life without clinic and the OR means wine purchasing has begun its inevitable slowdown.

"I've got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me."

~ Roger Thornhill, aka Cary Grant

RT

Julian Marshall wrote: ↑
March 6th, 2020, 7:31 am
I’ve never tried the 05 but to be fair I think a lot of wines taste like that, Richard.

True Julian. Approx 15 years in...if a "bargain Bordeaux" can't get it's act together, it's time to cut your losses and look elsewhere IMHO.

RT

Years ago, I had several conversations with Don Baumhefner of Copeland Creek in Sonoma. An old hand in the wine biz, he'd been working with R.O. and dialing in alcohol levels. He described tasting Pinots from the same vintage/tank that were "adjusted" to tight ABV ranges.... ie. 12.8%, 12.9, 13.0, 1...

Served a couple of cases of misc. wines at a party in December including an 05 de Reignac. Oenophile buddies awarded it the "least likable" bottle of the night. It was still consumed (being a party). Big charry oak fingerprint crowding out the sweet fruit, followed by unintegrated tannins.

RT

I'm pretty sure that the 16° plot was one of the Couly ones, but Chris said it had been demoted to inclusion in a lesser wine. Couly-Dutheil do have previous form when it comes to high alcohol levels. Before I realised the danger, I bought some Clos de l'Echos: the 2011 is 14.5° and the 2005 is 15°...

Jeff Vaughan wrote: ↑
March 3rd, 2020, 7:40 am
Rich, I have to say I am shocked by the Kosta Browne!

Purchased for science. 1 bottle left of 3. I've enjoyed sticking them in to blind lineups to show how diverse US Pinot can be.

RT

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