Lopawine.com Thread

[Ron_F_r_e_e_d]

Yes he’s easier to reach on the phone then by email. He’s a one man operation

2-man operation. Don’t forget about Tyler!

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

Anyone seeing reports on the 2019 Loire vintage? Is it very ripe like 2018? Saw the 2019 Baudry Les Clos Guillot offer and I’m tempted.

It’s a step back on the ripeness, per trusted reports, Brian. Pretty sure Baudry is an extremely safe bet in '19.

[adam_caldwell]

Thanks, Troy! The prices are pretty sharp, well done. I’m excited for you and others to try it. So much of it goes to restaurants, I’m so glad Scott was able to offer some direct to consumers. If it does well, we have several other vintages and bottlings being added or replenished with the next container.

Very happy to help if you have any questions about storage or serving.

Cool to see your sake. I’ve never attempted to age any and have never seen a library release. What are the key differences in well-aged sake (like your 04) vs a new release?

Hi Curtis - Just a quick answer as I don’t want to totally hijack the Lopa thread or do too much sake talk in the Wine Talk forum.

Not surprised you haven’t seen many Library releases. Vintage dated sake is rare, and to be able to taste multiple vintages of the same sake in a single tasting, which we’ve done a few times in private events, is almost unheard of. Most sake doesn’t age well, it’s just not built for it. Generally, it just gets oxidized and dark and tastes like something has gone wrong. But the ones that have the frame to support aging, and are kept properly (of course) can age in a number of ways. Just like different wines age differently. We’ve tasted the '04 next to a new release of the Yamahai Ginjo Genshu many times and it tends to show more subtle and integrated, more like a watercolor than an oil painting, lovely and more ethereal. Much like some wines that become knit together rather than the powerhouses they are in their youth. Our '08 BY Daiginjo, on the other hand (sadly sold out at the moment), came together in a different way over time, wit each element seemingly punched up from where it started.

Thanks for the interest. Happy to pick up elsewhere if you want to talk more.

I ordered one of each from Lopa as well. Earlier this year at Yugen (now closed unfortunately) in Chicago the Somm asked if I liked Sake. He is a friend so I answer frankly I don’t know it well but that I generally found it boring and uninteresting and that I didn’t get it. ( I know I’m not the brightest). In addition to the already open wine we had he proceeded to bring out stunning and diverse pairings of Sake with each course. This was all in an effort to open my eyes. It worked. A few weeks later at Kame Omakase in Las Vegas we had the Maborishi Mystery. It was so amazing we ordered another bottle and shared it with the staff. One of the best things to hit my palate all year. I am still super new and learning but Now I am buying Sake. Very excited to try these.

[Sarah_Kirschbaum]

Cool to see your sake. I’ve never attempted to age any and have never seen a library release. What are the key differences in well-aged sake (like your 04) vs a new release?

Hi Curtis - Just a quick answer as I don’t want to totally hijack the Lopa thread or do too much sake talk in the Wine Talk forum.

Not surprised you haven’t seen many Library releases. Vintage dated sake is rare, and to be able to taste multiple vintages of the same sake in a single tasting, which we’ve done a few times in private events, is almost unheard of. Most sake doesn’t age well, it’s just not built for it. Generally, it just gets oxidized and dark and tastes like something has gone wrong. But the ones that have the frame to support aging, and are kept properly (of course) can age in a number of ways. Just like different wines age differently. We’ve tasted the '04 next to a new release of the Yamahai Ginjo Genshu many times and it tends to show more subtle and integrated, more like a watercolor than an oil painting, lovely and more ethereal. Much like some wines that become knit together rather than the powerhouses they are in their youth. Our '08 BY Daiginjo, on the other hand (sadly sold out at the moment), came together in a different way over time, wit each element seemingly punched up from where it started.

Thanks for the interest. Happy to pick up elsewhere if you want to talk more.

I ordered one of each from Lopa as well. Earlier this year at Yugen (now closed unfortunately) in Chicago the Somm asked if I liked Sake. He is a friend so I answer frankly I don’t know it well but that I generally found it boring and uninteresting and that I didn’t get it. ( I know I’m not the brightest). In addition to the already open wine we had he proceeded to bring out stunning and diverse pairings of Sake with each course. This was all in an effort to open my eyes. It worked. A few weeks later at Kame Omakase in Las Vegas we had the Maborishi Mystery. It was so amazing we ordered another bottle and shared it with the staff. One of the best things to hit my palate all year. I am still super new and learning but Now I am buying Sake. Very excited to try these.

Hi Adam - very exciting to hear about your sake journey! I do hope you enjoy these as much as some others which have thrilled you. The ones you bought are all yamahai style, so might be quite different from what you’ve had. They will all benefit very much from air and being served only lightly cooled, or cooled and allowed to warm to room temperature so you can test along the way where you like them the best. Please let me know what you think!

[Yao_C]

Hi Adam - very exciting to hear about your sake journey! I do hope you enjoy these as much as some others which have thrilled you. The ones you bought are all yamahai style, so might be quite different from what you’ve had. They will all benefit very much from air and being served only lightly cooled, or cooled and allowed to warm to room temperature so you can test along the way where you like them the best. Please let me know what you think!

Hi Sarah I also asked for one of the 2004; how long of a decant prior to dinner would you recommend, or is it better to pnp & follow for several hours?

[Sarah_Kirschbaum]

Hi Adam - very exciting to hear about your sake journey! I do hope you enjoy these as much as some others which have thrilled you. The ones you bought are all yamahai style, so might be quite different from what you’ve had. They will all benefit very much from air and being served only lightly cooled, or cooled and allowed to warm to room temperature so you can test along the way where you like them the best. Please let me know what you think!

Hi Sarah I also asked for one of the 2004; how long of a decant prior to dinner would you recommend, or is it better to pnp & follow for several hours?

If you have the time, I’d follow for a few hours rather than decanting in advance. The transformation is a delight to observe, especially on the '04 which is the most subtle of the three. You can also easily close it back up or rechill if you have reached a point you think is perfect.

[Sarah_Kirschbaum]

Hi Adam - very exciting to hear about your sake journey! I do hope you enjoy these as much as some others which have thrilled you. The ones you bought are all yamahai style, so might be quite different from what you’ve had. They will all benefit very much from air and being served only lightly cooled, or cooled and allowed to warm to room temperature so you can test along the way where you like them the best. Please let me know what you think!

Hi Sarah I also asked for one of the 2004; how long of a decant prior to dinner would you recommend, or is it better to pnp & follow for several hours?

A little bit more detail - my suggestion is a conservative one if you only have the one bottle. Sakes of this caliber can be open, and even improve, depending on what notes you like, over days or even weeks. Don’t hesitate to put it in fridge with the cap on if you don’t finish. And feel free to decant if you want. We’ve been following an open ishobin, 1.8L bottle, of the origarami for more than a year now and it’s been phenomenal at every step.

[Troy_Stark]

Very sharp pricing on the Fornerol 2016s and 2019s. Given Mr. Kelly’s recent raves about the domaine, I asked for a mixed case.

[Brian_S_t_o_t_t_e_r]

I called Scott two minutes after today’s offer came out, he greeted me with a sarcastic “Hi Brian, how many you want”

[Josh_Grossman]

First time I’ve seen Guffens-Heynen offered.

[Warren_Taranow]

Best price I’ve seen on the 2013 Vilmart Emotion Rosè. I wish I hadn’t already ordered a bunch elsewhere. One of my favorite Rosés.

[AD_Northup]

Yeah I just went in on that, great price

[ToddFrench]

The issue with email-only shops like Lopa (him, in particular) is that one might ‘forget’ what one ordered…then the bill finally comes…

OOF! Gotta stop buying!

[Troy_Stark]

Agreed, Todd. I had to start a spreadsheet so I can keep track of what I’ve asked for.

[ToddFrench]

@Troy_Stark

Agreed, Todd. I had to start a spreadsheet so I can check on what I’ve ordered from time to time.

Lesson learned for me - typically I put things in CT once I receive the invoice and pay it…not just reply to an email

[Max_S1]

Nice offer on some of the 2021 Donnhoff lineup

[Troy_Stark]

definitely. is 2021 supposed to be good?

[Max_S1]

From what I’ve been seeing, kabinett especially, but see this post from @MiranK Miran : Germany's 2021 vintage (Keller, Dönnhoff, Fritz Haag, Zilliken, Julian Haart, etc...) - #9 by MiranK

[Max_S1]

2019 Produttori out at $33/750, $70 for mags and $150 for 3Ls. Best pricing I’ve seen on Produttori in a while. @Joshua_Dunning has thoughts on the vintage here: 2019 Barbaresco: unhurried vines make classic wines

[Cris_Whetstone]

While I shouldn’t mention it in the Lopa thread, Envoyer offered this at 29.99 within the last week. I waited too long and missed it so taking Scott up on this one.