Popped the first 421 of the case for posterity. Pretty color, translucent. Alcohol isn’t out of balance despite it being 14.7% which is really high for a SCM pinot. It matches the prevailing style, lean and bright, but this baby is is a baby. Will see if I can leave it on the counter for 3 days without drinking it. Real or fake cam tasting notes ring mostly true on this recent bottling. I’ll gladly chip away at $15 SCM pinots.
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CAB
17. 76
PN
48, 70, 176, 234, 296, 301, 388,
Random
75,136
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57 
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Yes!! I’ve had 2 bottles since my case arrived and I love it
Scott, I had my 1st bottle of 322 Sunday night with grilled rib eye. I concur with your appraisal sir. I loved it and drank the whole bottle by myself. My kids opened an SB early before I brought out the decanter. The Australian SB is good but I admit I was happy they were enjoying it so much that they didn’t notice the Cab. Yummy, yummy, all in my tummy.
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Ahhhh! 57 & 322 are favorites! Including #64, smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!!!
#57 is a real showboat of a monster of an over the top Napa CS. Almost Oporto?
#322 is more refined and more guzzleable!!!
#309 tonight in honor of exactly 3 years bottled…. All are really Great bottles of booze!!
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Just finished my second bottle of #399 over past few weeks. I agree it is very sweet. Almost, but not quite cloyingly so. I try to avoid wines with higher residual sugar (Meiomi, Apothic Red, …) I feel this is in that category. It’s only been bottled for 4 months now. Maybe this self corrects over time?
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Lot 367 | 2018 Russian River Valley Chardonnay
$8/bottle delivered - Yup
Drinks like a $30+ bottle - Indeed
Pretty good juice, most excellent price. What more is there to say? Pop often and with confidence!
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N.65 oregon pinot last night. PnP. Had with mushroom risotto and grilled pork. Faster to open up than last bottle. Easy and non offensive. Medium body, some earth and spice, balanced and went well with food. My last bottle, but these have plenty of life left.
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Wish I could agree with you Marc…I ordered a case (to split with a friend), I just received it a few days ago, and after reading your note on #367, I was excited to try a bottle. I just opened one to have with Indian food and I find the wine has way too much acid and oak, and very little fruit. I pulled it from my wine fridge so it was served at 55’ (not too cold). I’ll save the rest for tomorrow, I am hoping that maybe after being open a day will help, but I doubt it…Glad you are enjoying it though!
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general theme I am picking up is that this brand is wine roulette, rather pay a bit extra for the sure thing.
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Drinking this now and I agree with your assessment. Went well with grilled chicken breasts and roasted brussel sprouts. This is my second to last bottle.
I can’t speak for the offers post 200 (because I haven’t tried enough, not because I haven’t bought), but I would definitely disagree with that sentiment. If one thing has surprised me is how few legitimate duds there have been. It really depends on your buying style. If you’re really disciplined and buy known quantities of things you love in reasonable amounts, by all means, buy your sure bets, but if getting a super deal on a (possibly)known wine excites you and you don’t mind having too many, the value here has been amazing. Maybe 367 is bad (I’ll never know), but the whites have been off the charts solid. Sure, a few of the reds taste like $20 supermarket wines, but far more have been the real deal.
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Yep, I’m 40 cases in, or something to that tune. Haven’t tried them all yet, but I have 1/2 the cases, and the happiness/QPR rate is about 90%
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This is really not the right way to think about the product, at least from my perspective.This is a a value brand offering quality at a price point below the price you pay for the sure thing. These wines consistently punch above their price point. It’s great to have access to quality wine at this price point.
For me personally, it’s a huge benefit. I love long-lived, structured wines that require a fair amount of aging. For a guy like me who started a family at 22 (yes on purpose), starting a wine collection had to wait for obvious reasons. I reached the phase where I could really start buying 5 years ago. So my cellar is still quite young. Tossing 50-60 cases of quality wines in the $12-$30 range is a huge benefit and lets me continue to buy my sure things young at release/auction and not be in a rush to open them. Sure I can buy branded $15-$20 wines at retail, but they generally suck and for the money, DN great. I was reminded of this yesterday as I was putting my recently delivered 2020 BDX futures. I’ll be thinking the same thoughts Sunday when stacking the 3 cases of BDX 18s I scored at an auction below futures pricing as well 
.
This brand is key to my deferred consumption investment strategy. 20 years from now? Maybe not necessary. I’m very grateful for them now.
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@PHuff - Sorry to hear it wasn’t to your liking. Do you still plan on revisiting again tonight? I had another glass last night and could not pick up on the same level of acid you tasted. For what it’s worth, and as a point of reference i consider the 345 Clare Valley Riesling to be a very high acid wine, and lot 330 Sonoma County Chardonnay to be a flat and flabby acid wine. The 367 for me was somewhere in the middle acidity-wise.
With that said i’m glad you posted your opinion. I enjoy hearing feedback both good and bad, it helps us all to be informed buyers. Do you plan on taking them up on their offer and getting a refund?
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It’s all good Marc, we all have different tastes and opinions on wine! I actually like many different styles of Chardonnay, it kind of depends on my mood, the weather, the food I am eating, etc…Sometimes I like a more high-acid, steely version, sometimes I like a more full-bodied, buttery version. I just didn’t find much to like in the few glasses of #367 I had last night, but I will revisit the 2nd half of the bottle tonight and report back on my thoughts. As far as the Negoce refund offer, I have bought a lot of Negoce wines since they launched, but I have never asked for a refund. I just chalk it up to “you win some, you lose some”…
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Lot 309 2019 Alto Maipo Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
3rd bottle, now with exactly 3 years since the bottling date. Decanted 4 hours in advance,
Zero to 2 hour decant is enough at this time. A very Solid and interesting CS, that is drinking great now, can age a bit more if desired. Note to self, drink this up within the next 2 years w/o decanting.
One Yum +. The cork is interesting it has the name of the Chilean Co-Op. Very nice wine for the price @ $13/b.
with Meat Loaf with a delicious Porcini Mushroom sauce
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Opened a 142 Malbec the other night. Decanted for a couple of hours since I tend to prefer high alcohol, powerhouse wines with more air/age. It was in a great place, nicely integrated & balanced with deep dark purple fruits (plum?). Yum. However, on night two the fruit had receded & the alcohol was more noticeable. Maybe it was just my palate, but I think these might need to be consumed in the next two years.
I also very much enjoyed the Denis Meunier Vouvray, which I don’t recall anyone discussing previously on this thread. It is a style I prefer, crisp with good acidity, citrus fruits & minerality. I have little (read”no”) experience with Chenin Blanc & would appreciate any one else’s thoughts on this one. It’s still available & I’d consider a few more bottles if it appears in a Black Friday sale.
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