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Wine talk 🍷

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    #61
    Just tried OZV Old Vine Zinfandel from Oak Ridge Winery (ORW) last night with a nice tri-tip from the PBC. According to the ORW web site, The OZV Zin is "A robust Zinfandel from the region’s signature 50-100 year-old vines. Jammy with raspberry, milk chocolate and mocha flavors, soft tannins and a supple mouth feel." To me, it's a bit too jammy, chocolaty, and the tannins are almost missing entirely. That's not to say it's bad ... it's just that I personally lean more toward Zins that are less jammy, slightly peppery, and that have more pronounced tannins. ORW also says that it's really a Zin+Petit Sirah blend (I don't know the proprotions). The 750 ml bottle price point at Costco is $9.99 ... which isn't bad at all if you enjoy "gentler" Zins.

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    • MBMorgan
      MBMorgan commented
      Editing a comment
      Potkettleblack - My absolute favorite Zin (until I find a better one) is from Lodi: Klinker Brick. Their Klinker Brick Zin is head and shoulders above everything else I've tried ... and their Old Ghost Zin is head and shoulders above that!

    • Potkettleblack
      Potkettleblack commented
      Editing a comment
      Yeah, wife who likes Zin a bit more than I do, loves the Klinker Brick. If you're in for a splurge, I highly recommend Nalle, much smaller producer out of Sonoma. The Dry Creek Valley Zin sounds up your alley.

    • Tim
      Tim commented
      Editing a comment
      Great call on the Nalle! Also, any and all zins from Ridge. Really any wines from Ridge.

    #62
    Meathead and I drank the best bottle of wine ever squeezed. It was a 2006 Silver Oak Cab...you can lock this thread now!! :-)

    Comment


    • ecowper
      ecowper commented
      Editing a comment
      A 2006 Silver Oak Cab is a truly great bottle of wine ... But see below :-)

    #63
    I have to disagree with this BBQCentralShow .... My wife and I had a 1966 Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou for our anniversary 2 years ago. I was the second owner of the bottle. The first owner had the original sales receipt to prove the purchase and had a high quality cellar. That bottle of wine was so magnificent that we kept the bottle to remember it.
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    • (T Cap)
      (T Cap) commented
      Editing a comment
      Have this same empty, dated 1996, drank about 2006 or so. Great wine!

    • Tim
      Tim commented
      Editing a comment
      Boom!

    #64
    That 66 looks perfect. Love Ducru, one of my favorite Bordeaux.

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    • ecowper
      ecowper commented
      Editing a comment
      Mitrakas .... It was a beautiful bottle. One of the best I've ever had.

    #65
    Quick note about me, as the sticky asks. I've been pretty serious into wine since the mid 1990's and have gone through some palate changes since then. Started out on big napa cabs and zins, Aussie Shiraz and the like and have found I now prefer the more restrained and elegant wines. I've been cellaring for 20 years and about 85 percent of my cellar is red and 15 percent white/bubbly/dessert. I don't buy too much anymore as I'm tapping into the cellar, but still pick up stuff, mostly whites, for current consumption. My cellar and purchases are nearly all old world (France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria...) so I'm afraid I won't be much help in the domestic department

    As a general rule, if you like dry whites with some cut and class, I would recommend the 2014 white burgundys--they are fabulous, especially in chablis. I don't buy the big gun premier and grand crus anymore, just stuff in $20-30 range, but for current drinking and short-term cellaring (up to say 4 years) you can't go wrong. Delicious on their own and with lighter fare. And they are usually not oaked which is great if you are enjoying them with something off your smoker, as smoke and oaky wines do not go well together, at least to me.

    My other recommendation would be to find a serious wine merchant in your area and build a relationship. A good merchant is as useful as a good butcher or fishmonger. They bring in the good stuff and will take care of you and are more than worth the slight premium you pay over a huge box store price (and that's assuming the wine is even offered at the box store).

    Comment


    • ecowper
      ecowper commented
      Editing a comment
      One of the things my wife and I enjoy, is to find wineries in Washington and Oregon (since we live here) that make wines in the style of Bordeaux, the Rhone and Burgundy. It's a treat to get a New World wine that is not "yet another California Cab"

    • Tim
      Tim commented
      Editing a comment
      I love this post. You are spot on about a merchant. And my cellar approach is similar to yours, although I have a lot of whites, too.

    #66
    Yes I agree. On the rare occasions that I am buying domestic it usually comes from up WA state or Oregon. Beautiful region as well to live in, very envious!!

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      #67
      Mitrakas .... One of my all time favorite wineries in WA for Bordeaux style wines is Sparkman Cellars. The owner, Chris Sparkman, was Emeril's sommelier years ago (in the 1990's) and then the General Manager of the best seafood restaurant in Seattle (The Waterfront, now known as Aqua). He quit all of that to start a family winery (and be able to see his kids, who are 10 and 12 now). Not sure where you live and if you can get wine direct from a winery, or via your local wine store .... either way, I would highly recommend Sparkman Cellars as a great example of New World wines with a strong Old World styling to them.

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        #68
        I had a pretty good 2001 cab recently, I thought that was kinda old. I was proud I'd saved it 7mo.

        Comment


          #69
          I don't get hung up much on 'another CA cab' or not. I say if it tastes good, drink it. I enjoy a good bold red regardless of whether it's mainstream or not. Any bold reds when consumed along with BBQ is just fireworks in your mouth and a real treat IMO.

          Comment


          • (T Cap)
            (T Cap) commented
            Editing a comment
            agree!!!

          #70
          Huskee ... "fireworks in your mouth" .... PHRASING!!!

          Comment


            #71
            Originally posted by ecowper View Post
            Huskee ... "fireworks in your mouth" .... PHRASING!!!
            I can't tell you the amount of times I've had a cab or zin that I've loved before and it was just perplexingly 'meh', not what I remember it being. Then sip it with BBQ or other well-seasoned foods, and hold on to your hats it comes alive!

            Comment


            • Potkettleblack
              Potkettleblack commented
              Editing a comment
              There's a reason folks go on about proper pairing and top somms can make large salaries.

              If I had it to do over, I'd probably go into Somming.

            #72
            Huskee ... It comes alive in your mouth? ..... PHRASING!

            Comment


              #73
              When I was but a wee lad, I had my share of Boone's Farm, Lancer's, Mateus, and other plonk. I remember the time I was camping, alone, in Yosemite, in a tent in the snow, and I went to the Ahwanee for a splurge. I had a steak, and asked for a good, but not expensive, bottle of Cabernet. I had a bottle of Beaulieu Rutherford Cab, and it was quite the upgrade from what I had been drinking. Since then, I have developed a taste for better wines, and have probably spent more than I should have on them. Being in the bay Area of California, I am just a hop, skip, and a jump from some great wine regions. Not to denigrate the French wines, but I pretty much stick to California Cabs, and I usually just buy direct from the wineries I visit. Some of the small wineries make some great wines that are not generally available in most stores. I did splurge once and took a bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild from my cellar to the Ritz Carleton for a special occasion. The entire staff treated me like royalty for the course of the dinner! Can't afford that too often... But there are some very fine wines for a bit less than that bottle cost.

              Comment


              • Potkettleblack
                Potkettleblack commented
                Editing a comment
                Judgement of Paris, bitches. ;-)

              • ecowper
                ecowper commented
                Editing a comment
                I have been disappointed by the Napa trend towards big, alcohol laden, fruit bombs. Trying to get a Robert Parker score, basically. I had a bottle of 1994 Caymus Special Selection recently and was reminded of why I Napa beat Bordeaux back in the day.

              #74
              The first time I visited Caymus, The guy mowing the lawn jumped off his mower and came to greet us. Turned out to be the owner and winemaker. Back in those days, the regular Cab was sometimes available for under $18 at my favorite wine shop, and I became my regular Friday night tipple. Too bad it got so expensive, without getting any better.

              Funny story - we were having lunch at Auberge du Soleil, one of the finest restaurants in the valley, with a deck that has a million dollar view. As our waiter was talking to us, we heard a lady with a an adjacent table loudly ask for a bottle of the "Caymoooo". Our waiter just rolled his eyes, but we had a good laugh.

              Comment


              • ecowper
                ecowper commented
                Editing a comment
                I like Auberge ... Although my wife and I generally make our regular stops at The Chophouse and Bistro Jeanty when we come through Napa

              #75
              HAHAHA!!! Caymus with a French accent. ecowper, I still have a few nice napa cabs from the early and mid 90's in the cellar and they are really elegant and refined things of beauty. I bet the 94 SS sang--had it probably 10 years ago, and it was excellent and trending up at that time.

              Comment


              • Huskee
                Huskee commented
                Editing a comment
                I'm a dummy....is it pronounced as it looks, Kay-muss?

              • Potkettleblack
                Potkettleblack commented
                Editing a comment
                You got it Huskee. It's 'Murica. We don't pronounce things like the French. :-)

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