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

Huge fan of Kutch, but never tried...will pay top dollar. You can PM me, email, or text. Thanks in advance...lenstevens02@gmail.com....502-299-0260 Where are you located, and what do you consider "top dollar" ? I have a few bottles, purchased on release and properly stored since. I'm in the Houston...

Richard Albert wrote: ↑
October 7th, 2019, 7:13 am
Jason, a couple of posts made me think use of rail was not universally known.
I think it is safe to assume that rail is used without crossing a time zone as well.

As I understand it, UPS uses rail, but FedEx (Ground & Home) doesn't. They use trucks.

Tom, great notes from what sounds like a great tasting ! I'm a bit shocked at how the 2007 MB showed, though. It's been about 2 years, but the last one I drank was very primary and youthful, with what seemed to be years of life ahead of it. Any thoughts on if this bottle was representative ?

Historically the Mondavi Reserve Cabernet was a blend of vineyards. I believe To Kalon always served as the core part of the blend, but I think they also may have incorporated grapes from other vineyards. Either way, the Reserve was never a vineyard designate. That changed starting with the 2011 vi...

We had a very nice dinner at La Dilettante when we visited Beaune in early July, and I'm sure lunch would be equally excellent. I'm not sure what Alan meant by "wine list" though. The available wines are on shelves that run almost the entire side of the restaurant.

I have an acquaintance who had been on the MacDonald list for the last few years. I learned today that he didn’t receive the save the date email. I also know from experience that only those who are receiving an allocation receive that email. Given that he had been somewhat less that covert in the r...

Those older Dunns are indestructible! I've sourced a few from the 80s and all have been fantastic. 88' was the WOTN upset a couple years ago in a tasting against several big Napa names. Been saving a 85' mag for a special occasion. The bottle is so pretty looking with the painted etched glass. If t...

i wonder if the 1985 napa is similarly affected - i got a few of those with this same lot... In my experience, it was only the Howell Mtn that showed the great bottle variation. I went through a similar quantity of the '85 Napa (minus the 5L) and they were much more consistent. While a typical long...

Those older Dunns are indestructible! I've sourced a few from the 80s and all have been fantastic. 88' was the WOTN upset a couple years ago in a tasting against several big Napa names. Been saving a 85' mag for a special occasion. The bottle is so pretty looking with the painted etched glass. If t...

Reviving this thread. Not many responses, so I’ll assume most fortunate to have wine rooms in their homes don’t have such redudancy in place. How many have experienced cooling uints malfunctioning to the point of damage to their contents? Jeremy, I'm in the Houston area, and we were without power f...

1981 Joseph Swan Vineyards Zinfandel Sonoma County - USA, California, Sonoma County (8/19/2019) Purchased at or near release, based on the $10 tag on the bottle. High shoulder fill, with evidence of long past seepage. Cork wet almost to the top, and cleanly removed with an Ah-So. Dull red in color,...

You may want to get in touch with board member Merrill Lindquist. She's in Calistoga and her Black Cat Cabernet Sauvignons sound like they're right in your wife's wheel house.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=162892

In my market, Houston, TX, DP is less than half the cost of the other 2 - about $135 vs $300 for the Winston Churchill. If I found the Churchill significantly cheaper, I'd probably pick up a few bottles, but I don't expect that to happen. I've had the DP a couple of times and while it's very enjoyab...

Jim Brennan wrote: ↑
August 7th, 2019, 11:55 am
Has anyone heard what the tariff is going to be?

IIRC, the 2013s and 2014s were $149 plus tax, so I'd expect that to be a floor ...

Was an email sent about this release? Yes, I received it around noon EDT yesterday. Here's the text: After two long years, the Hillsides are back with the 2016 vintage offering!! Shortly after the 2016 harvest we were excited to see that the vintage had produced some barrels of truly exceptional qu...

Has anyone tried the 2013 and 2014 vintages of these wines ? There's only a couple of notes on CellerTracker ...

oh also she mentioned that the 2016 pre-release email should be going out on Tuesday! The email is out … The "sticker price" is $225/750, although Ridge club members get a 10% or 15% discount, depending on the quantity purchased. Shipping is also included for this "members only" pre-release. The fu...

I definitely will for some current releases. from what I can tell, the benefit of futures is that the futures price of the 2014s was less than 120 (I believe?) and bassins lists it for 199. The 2014 futures were offered at $105/750 in February 2015. The wine was released 2 years ago, and I'd guess ...

Check out bassins.com. Ridge shows there every year and I believe wine is available on the website. I definitely will for some current releases. from what I can tell, the benefit of futures is that the futures price of the 2014s was less than 120 (I believe?) and bassins lists it for 199. The 2014 ...

The "wait list" is new, so no one has been on it long. I assume this is a way to temper expectations following this year's offering. As best I can tell, this year was the first time that some club members, for whom the futures offering was a stated benefit, weren't able to purchase futures. When the...

Our tasting group recently did a vertical of '73-'82 (sans '78). Jeffrey was happy the '73 was the group favorite, because that's the vintage that showed him the potential of the site, inspiring him to stay on. (He'd worked there a couple years before being hired as winemaker.) Wes, sorry if I miss...

We've enjoyed 84 and '86 Mount Eden Cabernets in the past year or so. Both were excellent examples of fully mature Santa Cruz Mtns Cab, but were very different from the massive Cabs made in '73 and '74. I have one bottle of the '74 left in the cellar, and I'm confident it will be an amazing wine in ...

We were married in 1981 and have enjoyed a number of different CA Cabs (and others) over the years. I'm still holding Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill, Dunn Howell Mtn, and Ridge Monte Bello for future anniversaries. In the past few years, the other 2 Diamond Creek bottlings, Gravelly Meadow and Red Rock...

A newbie looking for some help here.... As you saw in the title, I live in Texas and Burgundy is generally hard to find (especially for the mid-range). Lately, I have been purchasing Burgundy through xxx and they have been wonderful to work through. However, I am hoping to find it "more direct". Is...

Bought some at costco for $325/bottle. I'll just be patient. As for the letter, I agree, I've seen worse. Jason's missives from Hundred Acre are always a hoot. Also laughable is anyone that "truly humbled and honored to offer their wine". [snort.gif] I was about to ask how this compares to Scarecro...

Ridge have produced it up at Monte Bello in the past as part of the ATP. I tried the 1984 last year. Very good but probably not great. I think there's a reason it hasn't persisted as a varietal in SoCal. Ridge "inherited" a number of grape varieties up there. A few vintages of the Ruby Cab were clo...

Seems like nobody pays attention to Pisoni pinot’s yet i would suggest they are some of the best and most structured pinots in California. They age really well and do not fall into the cherry cola style in any way. The estate is an epic wine. Why arent they talked about more ? Probably because you'...

Howard Cooper wrote: ↑
June 18th, 2019, 4:32 pm
Chateau Montelena did well in 1986. Don’t know current pricing.

Winebid has a 3L of '86 Ch Montelena this week. Currently uncontested, with a starting bid of $480. Over your budget, but go in with one or two others and have a nice celebration !

No longer relevant ...

Thanks for the great notes and pictures !

We have an afternoon in Beaune in a few weeks, and I'm trying to decide between Bouchard and Drouhin. Which would you recommend if you could only visit one ?

Bingo

Anton D wrote: ↑
June 8th, 2019, 1:37 pm
Me? I'm just waiting for vine by vine bottling. I mean, a whole row can make for big differences in soil, drainage, sunlight, etc.

Aren't we seeing this in Napa Cab now ? I passed on a single row, single vineyard bottling earlier today.

I just placed my order for an assortment of everything except the Pangkarra. While I still buy a few Cabs at or above that price level, I'm cutting back and not looking to add another one that's approaching $200.

If you can get a rez at Manhatta for say 8:00 or 8:30 on the 4th, might be best possible views and food combo https://www.manhattarestaurant.com/menus/ Both you and Wilfred mentioned Manhatta. It looks like a great choice. I've eaten at a couple of Danny Meyer's restaurants and have always been ver...

Ever hear of Eisele Vineyard ? Ridge has made several different Napa Cabs over the years, including multiple vineyard designates and appellation wines.

I think it has gone too far, but hopefully time and the consumer will have a net postive influence. Burgundy has had centuries for those vineyards to develop a track record/reputation/history. California's situation is single-vineyard=more $$$, so just invent vineyards and block names as you go alo...

If you can get a rez at Manhatta for say 8:00 or 8:30 on the 4th, might be best possible views and food combo https://www.manhattarestaurant.com/menus/ Both you and Wilfred mentioned Manhatta. It looks like a great choice. I've eaten at a couple of Danny Meyer's restaurants and have always been ver...

Curious why you don't want an amazing experience or incredible wine list? You are in the best restaurant city in the U.S. Sorry I wasn't clear … What I was trying to say was that those items weren't the priority, the location is. If I can get an incredible wine list and amazing food somewhere acces...

We'll be in NYC over July 4th and are planning to brave the masses and try to watch the fireworks. Any restaurant suggestions in the Seaport area ? We 're not looking for an amazing dining experience or an incredible wine list, but hoping to hear some ideas here so I'm not stuck with TripAdvisor as ...

There's no wine that I would continue to buy after getting completely f*ck over like that. The current futures pricing isn't THAT good. As a 40+ year customer of Ridge, I'm not sure I'd go that far, but I understand the sentiment. I contrast what they did this year with what they did back in 2006, ...

Hell, how else would I have known the importance of proper cellaring when I was just 22 years old? I think you have quickly figured it out. One trip to a wine shop and you'd have had that info. Not if you came of age in Chico. While the stacks of kegs of beer were kept well chilled, the wine sat on...

Based on number of bottles in the cellar …

Red: Ridge
White: Aubert

Al Osterheld wrote: ↑
April 11th, 2019, 6:37 am
FedEx Ground and Home are separate operations, warehouses, and drivers from original FedEx.

-Al

Regardless, I've been able to have both FedEx Ground and FedEx Home wine shipments delivered to my local Walgreen's.

Welcome Sophie !

The OP mentioned an $80 bottle of Cab. That's more than twice the price of The Prisoner, so I'm guessing the target market is closer to this board than the consumer who's picking up a bottle at Safeway to drink tonight. I think if you're spending that kind of $$, you do care about what's in the bott...

I've received a few shipments via LSO as the final carrier. I haven't found a reliable way to determine when they might deliver as I usually don't have any LSO tracking info, just that of the initial carrier, so the exact day is usually a surprise. Luckily (I think), LSO doesn't care if it's wine an...

I never knew about Walgreens, but that's not owned by FedEx obviously, so I wouldn't expect them to hold wine. In some states they're allowed to sell it - maybe that's why some will hold it, but I can't imagine they'd be happy to store large packages for people. My local Walgreen's is happy to rece...

NED VALOIS wrote: ↑
March 27th, 2019, 8:07 am
Do any of you have a phone # for the winery ?

I don't have a phone number, but I've always found them very responsive to email.

By the way, great tasting note ! My wine is on the FedEx truck and I should get it in the next hour or so. I don't think I'll be pulling any corks soon, though.

Where in Houston will you be ? If you're north, I'll second Ryan's suggestions of Corkscrew and Tejas.

Search found 481 matches