I apologize if this has already been posted - I did a search and didn't find much.

What's the skinny on the 2009 vintage? I bought '08 and have heard good things about '10...wondering how much I should be spending on '09.

TIA for your thoughts.

Berry Crawford wrote:Lots of A+ humor in this thread but the funniest thing is that he changed to note!

Tru 'dat. Do you think he woke up this morning, re-read it and thought "WTF was I thinking last night?"

I'm not sure I like the direction that Bordeaux is heading. Am I the only one who's getting tired of these windy, over-Egyptianized desert bombs? I suppose if you're Suckling all you can taste after all these years are ruins and poetry, but I still long for subtle balance in my wines. I guess I'm of...

Not a fan of the gizzards, although my wife loves them. Frankly I ain't to crazy about liver (from any animal) either...

Love me some Merry Edwards SB and Copain Rose, just off the top of my head. Really nice when it hits 115 degrees (ie; today) and affordable. Which means I have more money to blow the other seven months of they year.

Brad Baker wrote:Jim,

Similar to current pricing on the 2002 with maybe a $5-$10 increase. That would put it at $140-$200 in most places with a few sales down in the $100-$140 category.

Thanks. Based on what I've heard of it I'd have a hard time passing at any sub-$140.

The 2000 is holding on to some of its primary characters for a bit longer than I would have imagined, but it is tasty and showed well in a tasting of the 1992-2002 Clos des Goisses a few months back. 2001 and 2002 Clos des Goisses are both getting ready for release and the 2002 is phenomenal. Easil...

What area to stay? I nice place that my family and I went to was a place called Paradise Point. Nice pool for kids and if they can stay up they have movie night at the pool on Wednesday. Real close to Sea World and doing ajoining rooms is a possiblity if not necessary. On a side note the John and K...

geoffpm wrote:In addition to Rum runner, i would suggest Plaza liquors on N campbell near the Univ. Not only do they have a really good selection of AZ wines - they have the best craft beer selection in the City.

+1, especially on the beer selection. My favorite liquor store in the whole state...

Well it's hard to know what other people are tasting from a distance and Chardonnay more than any wine is so subject to taste. We opened one on Sunday during the Sharks game and it was fine. Sucked down by everyone in 20 minutes. Muted on the nose some, but not stinky. My experience though is this ...

My experience was similar to Paul & Craig's. I was surprised as I've never had a bottle of Stefania that I didn't love, but I didn't detect anything that I would consider a "flaw". It did strike me as painfully young, and I'm hoping that another six (or more likely twelve) months will help. I too wo...

Copain is a must. Not only is it amazingly beautiful, but they have a great staff and a wide variety of wines across different price points and styles. I've also really enjoyed Martinelli and Merry Edwards.

Took 2 SB, 3 rose and 1 T-Block.

Priorat is my favorite Spanish region, and in particular the wines of Alvaro Palacios (although I have not, sadly, had the opportunity to try a L'Ermita). The Les Terrasses is consistently an excellent value IMHO.

They'll ship once you have a full case to send, and only then once the weather is favorable; they'll ship less than a case upon request, though I've never made said request. Coast to coast takes about a week, and I think it's $33/case? Been a while for me, since I'm having them hold all of my stuff...

In addition to what Chris posted above (I particularly like Village Wine Cellar), there are several "Sportsmans" in town that carry a nice selection although don't always have the best prices. Somewhat sadly I suppose, Total Wine is often one of the best options for a decent combination of price and...

Can anyone cite real critics who called 03 & 09 VOC? Well, this is from the WSJ, interviewing Mr. Parker: "This week he [Parker] gave his opinion on the 2009 vintage and says that 'it may turn out to be the finest vintage I have tasted' in 32 years of covering Bordeaux." That's certainly high prais...

Re Galt, you'll find a lot of negative feedback on the web. I bought a cellar from them a couple of years ago and my experience was excellent - great service, great price and the cellar was exactly as I had requested. I have no affiliation with them, but I am an extremely satisfied customer. Perhaps...

Go Browns! I only celebrated with beer (and not even good beer at that), but I celebrated nonetheless. Woof!

"rarely except any dinners" Does he really not know the difference between "accept" and "except?" He's a professional journalist. And apparently a ridiculously tired, sensory-overloaded, wine tasting machine. I could not do, and would not want, that job. And Jim, I was thinking the same thing re: a...

Wells Guthrie is really on his game now, making the best of every vintage. Copain is in the mix for me as one of the top 2 or 3 California producers. +1. What a great lineup he offers - many different wines, all excellent and across multiple price points. We were there a few weeks ago and fell in l...

Doesn't Ambien + alcohol = Bad Stuff?

I have far too many bottle that fall into that category. I'm thinking of selling a lot of them at very good prices. Maybe this fall. Be sure to check CC. I'm not sure what the exact dollar amount is...but when I see that someone wants to buy a wine like my 2004 Lafite for $750 my first though is "s...

There was a bit of a similar discussion (including the possibility that bees/wasps contribute to headaches) here as well.

http://wineberserkers.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21959" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I dont get it Nor do I. Do bees get into the wine imparting some chemical that causes headaches? [scratch.gif] In theory, something like that. I only know what Paul told me, and I don't remember all of the details. But basically for various reasons cheaper wines may provide more opportunities for b...

Paul Romero wrote:Bees

That's exactly what I was thinking!

I just found out that Cameron will be at the WEST PLANO Costco next Thursday, 08/05/2010, for a meet and great along with some bottle signing. I plan on dropping by to give him a shout. Cool Bill. Look forward to meeting you. I am actually out on a whirlwind tour hitting a bunch of Costco's and wou...

Hey, it WAS 50% off!

Josh, thanks for arranging this.

Having dinner at Coup des Tartes this Saturday...now to figure out what to bring!

Yep, I'm in. I have a fair amount of CdP but it's a young collection. I have yet to try any of the supposedly early-drinking 2007's...if no one objects I think I'll bring an 07 Vieux Telegraphe.

Grapes and barrels were not usable as collateral - only finished (through fermentation) wine. We could borrow against finished wine in barrel at the rate of 50% of the bulk wine's value (IIRC, Ciatti's report gave us three values, we used the middle one). We could borrow against bottled wine at 50%...