Heard similar tales. Mine: We realized that we were going to be 10-15 minutes late. Called 2+ hours before to tell them it was going to be tight. They said, “We can’t possibly accomodate you” and hung up. O.K., I get the being on time thing but we were giving ample notice but to simply hang up on someone is not excusable. Have never bought or drunk another bottle of Jordan in over 15 years…and never will.
JD
*Slight thread drift.
Viader and David Arthur. Really hyped up at one time, think around the 97 release. Rarely hear about them today. David is a super nice guy, met him several times over the years . . .
early 90’s, i thnk Paul Hobbs was there then, VC made some killa Cabs.
Martin Ray is another one. Had killer 1997 release and I still have a couple of their bottles that Laube rated highly. Hasn’t done well lately.
Jordan cab has surprised me several times in the last year (1997 and 2003 vintages), besting some respectable Bordeaux competition on the same day each time. Clos du Val is also underrated in my book.
Another vote here for Ravenswood – at one time, I thought Joel Peterson’s Zins actually gave Paul Draper a run for the money in terms of their ability to develop nuance & elegance in the bottle, but they also lost their way in the early 90’s. I saw an article recently that seemed to indicate that Joel was getting more involved at Ravenswood again, but I don’t think I’ve bought one of their wines in almost 15 years.
Levy McClellan - Whatever happened to them? [1974_eating_popcorn.gif] [taunt.gif]
Merryvale
had a 1991 Limited Edition Old Hill Vineyard recently. the EtOH remained strong while the fruit and structure had receded badly.
Yeah, whenever I visit friends in the area, they drag us to MV, as they are wine club members… I do not understand… they have so much else from which to choose.
DeLorimer
Geyser Peak
This seems to accur a lot among Cali wineries. I cannot think of too many domaines in Burgundy that got huge status and then disappeared over night. Of course there must be stories like this in Europe as well, any ideas?
With a few notable exceptions, people don’t seem to be clamoring for the Bordeaux garage wines as much. Or for case upon case of Bdx futures (hat tip to Max M.).
Groth
Cakebread
Plumpjack
True enough. Although, certainly in the case of Burgundy - it’s all planted out! So, you’re not going to have new vnyds or wineries popping up like you would in California.
While there are several I could list, the one I miss the most is Chalone. Way ahead of the curve in CA for Pinot and they made one of the few really age-worthy CA Chardonnays. Became a long-time shareholder, and the shareholder trips were a great benefit. Since the company was gobbled up (and even for a time before), the wines went way down hill.
Yeah, I think the “shareholder” thing never really worked out – well, except for the perks. I wasn’t a shareholder at Mondavi, but they got some pretty good perks at the winery and at the SoCal Wine & Food Center, before the all the unpleasantness.
This is a good one. My choice is David Bruce. Their mid to late 90’s Pinot Noir is what got me into wine. In fact, I think it was even the Chalone Vineyard bottling that got me started in the 97 vintage. I haven’t had a David Bruce in a few years, but the last ones I tried weren’t very memorable.
My niece manages their wine club. Any feedback?
Here is a great article from 1993 that seems to have lots of wineries with the glory days well in the past… kind of a time capsule article, worth checking out.
http://www.winespectator.com/Cigar/CA_Features/CA_Feature_Basic_Template/0,2344,1982,00.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;