Work for an airline.
Welcome to the ex Texan club! I hope you’re enjoying Charlotte (even though it makes no difference where you live until your children are 8). I opened another 329 last night and it was fantastic, but I really want to hide the other 10, or at least 6 of them. I saved a glass and a half to see what day 2 looks like, but the wife has dibs on that.
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Your tasting notes gives me some FOMO now. Interesting comparison to N.197.
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A steal. Waiting for more Aussie offers like this.
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OG L 329 Sonoma Coast 2019 Pinot Noir
Only 9 months in the bottle, this is drinking great already. Had to PnP (decanting recommended), due to “Corkage” at the yummy restaurant.
Strongly structured with a rich palate, moderate fruit aroma and plenty of Oak. Aging will surely benefit this triple yum.
Interestingly, brought some #329 home, and, was able to compare it to Day 2 of #249 PN (single vineyard - likely “Twin Hills Vyd?”).
Well #249 showed well in the compare and contrast. #329 darker, deeper structure, #249 (21 months bottled) has a superior nose of ultra-delicious Pinotberry!!!
Both wines are 
and are a blessing to have in the cellar.
with awesome Peking Duck 
Twin Hills Vineyard may very well prove to be a domestic “Grand Cru” site?? Time will tell…
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A couple of weeks ago, I bought a few bottles of N.376 (2017 Italian Refosco) just to get the 15% discount in some bottle shop wines that I wanted to restock…
I decided to try it tonight…and it turns out it’s a really interesting wine! It needs a lot of air! But after venturi and 3h in the decanter, it became very enjoyable!
Curious to see how my other bottles will evolve in the next few years…
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Trying to find some room the other night, I found some #145 Napa Cab. Not sure if I bought a case, or got it in a mixed case. I decided to try one, to see if my recent impulse buy for $150 was a good decision or not. I’m very happy to learn that it was a great buy. Probably not my favorite dN Cab, but way up there. Really liked this!
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N.100, last bottle! Oh boy, this is sooo delicious!!
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I’m drinking that tonight too! It’s great. But it tastes like all the other dN I own. LOL.
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N.210, 2019 Walla Walla Cab - so dang good as a pop-n-pour, whatcha waitin’ for?
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I have a case of the n.210 that I’ve drank a couple of throughout the year. They have all been surprisingly good and it’s always been an under the radar quality QPR wine. Wish I had a second case of it!
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329 on night 3 was a noticeable improvement. Definitely going to hold off a bit on the rest.
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Friday evening dinner/pre dinner
# OG dN Lot 174 2019 Russian River Valley Chardonnay
Poured straight from the fridge- last bottle. Lightly yellow in color, nose of apple with a touch of lemon. Flavors of Bosc pear and apple with again touch of lemon curd. Medium acidity and finish. Clean RRV styled Chardonnay especially at the $10 fare paid. Will follow wine into Saturday evening. 87 pts,
# OG N.141 2018 Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon
After sampling a 2012 SCM Cabernet that apeared rather “tired”, needed a Replacement Wine. Hey, I know where there’s hundreds (>1000?) bottles of de Negoce - 10 steps away from dinner table in garage cellar. Located this 2018 HHH Cabernet quickly and double decanted it back into bottle. Description states brooding and muscular, while I found it to be rather polished and pleasant, Noticable French oak, smooth mouthfeel and not much interference in way of anything “overdone”. Enjoyable with grilled flank steak and veggies, enjoyable afterwards without food. 90 pts.
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OG Lot 171 2018 Sonoma Coast (Petaluma Gap) Pinot Noir
This delicious 2018 needs a long decant, oops. After 3 hours it’s finally opening up beautifully.
Powerful and tannic with plenty of acid. Another year should add to the bouquet and complexity.
Very Yummy. for now. Looong decant, or, wait 6+ months?
with breakfast for dinner
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#253 2019 Napa Cab Sauv.
As before, really delicious. Very juicy cherry and a little sweet spice. Perfect with veal chops in a red wine sauce and roast fennel. Is it going to rival a great Bdx for complexity? No, but to me that is the wrong question. This is a delightfully well balanced CA cab that is exactly what I want out of Napa on a random weekend. One bottle left and wish I had more. Might improve with age but frankly it is so tasty right now, why bother?
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Saturday evening into Sunday evening with smoked baby back ribs:
# OG N.19 2018 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir
Still delicious as ever, with that dark cherry and dampness of soil in front of wave fine grained tannins. This is tempting to age some more, but I’ll start consuming remaining >half case to let newer vintages bottle age more. Fantastic purchase at $144/case back in 2020.
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OG N.197 Green Valley Pinot - Gorgeous. In a great place.
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#73 & #92 this morning.
No, I didn’t pour wine on my “Fruit Loops”.
I summited Cerro Alto Peak (never easy) for the 92nd time in the past consecutive 73 months. Phew, that was easy….
The Reward (other than increased mental & physical health) tonight:
# OG N.41 2018 St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon (Previously 24 hr. decanted, it so desperately needs it)
& delicious Ribeye 
Cheers everybody! Endorphins Rock!!
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Blackbird 2018 Open Verse 2. (OK, not technically dN, but purchased through them for about $18).
50% syrah and 50% merlot.
An unsual 50/50 mix, but it really worked well. I’d give this an A-, and would buy more if I could find it at the sub $20 dN price.
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Opened dN #400 over the weekend. Deep purple, more reminiscent of Malbec or Petite Sirah. Dark fruit on the nose. Palate was almost sweet, with low acid and low tannin (for Cabernet). Overall, I was quite disappointed, given the hype and price of this wine. Seemed like bulk juice with Mega Purple added. Flabby and dull, and I don’t see this one getting better over time. My questions for the group… has anyone else had this experience with #400? Since I have 11 left, I’m tempted to request a return/credit or whatever they want to do to “make it right”… has anybody else taken them up on this guarantee? Should I try one more in a month to see if I just had a bad day with it (though I tried it multiple times over 48 hours, as did my wife)? Other thoughts?
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