@Jamie_Robinson - The only thing i disagree with about the 280 is that in my case the first bottle i tried was really very nice. As was every subsequent bottle thereafter. The 279 took me a few tries before it caught on, and now im happy with both Aussie lots. This is what got me ordering multiple “Down-Under” offerings from DN including but not limited to the rieslings, cabernet, shiraz, etc…
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not sure how all that works to be honest…let me poke around little later and revert
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heheh, thanks for the good word Jamie!
I have two Labrador retrievers…basically four-legged garbage cans…I live in San Francisco and, whenever I walk them, I have to watch them like hawks. They will eat anything…unless its a vegetable…no effin veggies. One of them actually licked the dressing off of every piece of lettuce in a salad once…didn’t eat a single green anything.
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Thanks Cameron, look forward to hearing from you. By the way, I had the 2016 Blackbird Contrarian a few nights ago and found it very enjoyable.
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That’s funny as I have a black lab who will eat just about any veggie we toss her off the cutting board. She will come running when she hears the knife hit the board. Loves lettuce scraps.
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I too follow the Labrador diet. Can you imagine having to pair wine with leafy greens? Oh it’s healthy? Ma guy, I literally chose alcohol to wash this food down. Let’s be honest, health ain’t why we’re here today.
Only kidding. My wife makes me eat my veggies.
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The classic rule about wine and food pairings are that wine and food from the same region goes well together. You know, pasta and italian reds and so on.
So best pairing with a Napa Cab is obviously Napa Cabbage.
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If by Napa Cabbage you mean $$$$ then I couldn’t agree more.
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The Rutz Chardonnay parallel story to Bottle Shock sold me. In for a case. If anything, it’s a fun story to share with people.
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I doubt it would win the Judgement of Paris but it’s a really nice wine now that it has cleared up.
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Hi Ray - so, a BBL of wine holds about 25 cases worth of wine in it…Gary’s notes they purchased 120 bottles, or 10 cases. I assume the winery bottled it up and held back the delta.
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What would make that wine spontaneously clear-up?..
Thanks Cameron. Makes sense.
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Hi Scott. You bring up a good point. I should have said I am not a Pinot drinker so I limited my list to the cabs.
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Well, it was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Likely a little yeast or protein bloom that eventually fell out of solution. You can see it at the bottom of the bottle now…
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Interesting. I finished the last of my 2017 Rutz Chardonnay shipment on Christmas Eve. Still cloudy, but had zero problem with the taste. Definitely good stuff!
I would suppose that my last bottle was less cloudy than the first from a few months prior. Can it go from cloudy to clear in a month? I’d order some more, but I’d rather avoid straining each pour and stick with the several other DN delicious Chards that have invaded my cellar.
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Does anyone have any thoughts on the Spanish 70% Chardonnay / 30% Sauvignon blend that’s part of the Beautiful Blancos? I find the Verdejo compelling, but not sure about the Chardonnay blend.
Interesting re your experience with 280. Took me 4 bottles before it resembled what I was hoping for. According to my notes in my spreadsheet, the wine was “thin” plus there was often “funk” present (even after a 2 hour decant for one of them) but had filled out at pop and pour, and started to develop nicely by bottle #4 last week.
Mind you, relocating from France to the US back in 2009, it took me several years to enjoy Zinfandel having drank European reds all my life really. Now I seriously enjoy many Zinfandels.
My appreciation for 280 bodes very well indeed for future offerings from Oz and I am excited to try at least one bottle of both Lots 354 & 356 in a couple of months or so (I have bought a case of each). I had pretty much shunned Aussie reds during my years in London but I tasted a few and I don’t think they were all crap on paper.
Good health.
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I’m very curious… what’s the story behind this SF Bay Yacht: http://www.denegoceyacht.com/
Same name, same logo.
Maybe this is the new tasting room?! Free luxury excursions for VIBs??
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seems we have a super-fan