Wine

[locodos 5147]

43 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Are there any wines you will not buy on your own... they only end up in your possession if someone gifts them to you?  I'm sure this will elicit some hate but for me it is California Chardonnay (really any oaky Chardonnay... I'll take a French Chablis any day) or pretty much any California Cabernet Sauvignon or just about any California reds that give me a headache.  I've never gotten such brutal headaches than from CA reds.  Must be all the additives and garbage some of the mass bottlers use. 

I always just assumed it was an allergy getting triggered.  French/Italian wines no problem at all, most California wines = stuffy nose and a bad headache.

For me I think I'm allergic to American oak and/or it's something they're using to clear the wine.

[sidis 9608]

15 hours ago, b_p said:

96 Dom was outstanding 

 

53 minutes ago, milkman said:

Vintage champagne is my kryptonite!

you two nut jobs are the only people i would ask this based on posting history...

grabbing a bottle of salon for a gift.  have either of you compared the 2012 to the 2013 and have any opinions on the superior vintage?

[texasdago 7376]

1 hour ago, locodos said:

I always just assumed it was an allergy getting triggered.  French/Italian wines no problem at all, most California wines = stuffy nose and a bad headache.

For me I think I'm allergic to American oak and/or it's something they're using to clear the wine.

I also think CA wines tend to have higher alcohol content.  I'm always baffled by the frequency of 14.5 or 15% wines!?  

[locodos 5147]

12 minutes ago, texasdago said:

I also think CA wines tend to have higher alcohol content.  I'm always baffled by the frequency of 14.5 or 15% wines!?  

I present you with ...

aka Cougar Crack

14.5% and way too easy drinking.  

[We’reTexas 1467]

58 minutes ago, texasdago said:

I also think CA wines tend to have higher alcohol content.  I'm always baffled by the frequency of 14.5 or 15% wines!?  

Well, the climate is warmer, but it’s mostly a generational thing from the Robert Parker era. All the cool kids are much lower these days. 

[texasdago 7376]

1 hour ago, We’reTexas said:

Well, the climate is warmer, but it’s mostly a generational thing from the Robert Parker era. All the cool kids are much lower these days. 

Out of curiosity, I checked William Chris wines to see typical alcohol on a Texas winery (we're kind of hot, you know)

2018 Mourvedre - 13.1% - 2019 is 13.3%

2018 Syrah - 14.4%

2018 Tempranillo - 13.7%

2019 Cabernet Sauvignon - 13.4%

2019 Pertit Verdot - 13.3%

2020 Dell Valley Blend - 14.7% (!!!)

By the way, the last time we went to William Chris, it felt like a stuffy circus.  Really did not like the experience now... too "corporate" even if their wines are good.  I'd rather go to their Lost Draw tasting room.

BUT... a friend posted pictures from a place in Fredericksburg and I think we can all agree...

THIS is a circus - https://brookesbubblebar.com/

[milkman 428]

you two nut jobs are the only people i would ask this based on posting history...
grabbing a bottle of salon for a gift.  have either of you compared the 2012 to the 2013 and have any opinions on the superior vintage?

I would lean towards 2013 but have not had either vintage of Salon yet...Let me know when you are dropping off my gift!

[NoName 16196]

48 minutes ago, texasdago said:

By the way, the last time we went to William Chris, it felt like a stuffy circus.  Really did not like the experience now... too "corporate" even if their wines are good.  I'd rather go to their Lost Draw tasting room.

 

BUT... a friend posted pictures from a place in Fredericksburg and I think we can all agree...

THIS is a circus - https://brookesbubblebar.com/

 you have no idea how wild as hell Brookes is.

i've heard the new lost draw tasting room out by JC is nice and William Chris is doing a lot of interesting things these days (not all announced) - Lost Draw employs a bunch of good people locally.

anyone know anything about Wine for the People?

https://wineforthepeople.com/

https://austin.eater.com/2023/11/17/23965468/wine-for-the-people-closing-austin-tasting-room-spread-co-opening-pop-ups-fredericksburg

they took over Lost Draw's old location next to HEB in Fredericksburg.

[texasdago 7376]

3 minutes ago, NoName said:

 you have no idea how wild as hell Brookes is.

i've heard the new lost draw tasting room out by JC is nice and William Chris is doing a lot of interesting things these days (not all announced) - Lost Draw employs a bunch of good people locally.

anyone know anything about Wine for the People?

https://wineforthepeople.com/

https://austin.eater.com/2023/11/17/23965468/wine-for-the-people-closing-austin-tasting-room-spread-co-opening-pop-ups-fredericksburg

they took over Lost Draw's old location next to HEB in Fredericksburg.

I've been to the Lost Draw tasting room and enjoyed it.  They were really nice and to be honest, Lost Draw was the very first Texas wine that made me realize the industry had improved.  I visited William Chris for the first time in 2019 and really liked what they were doing but that was before they made it big.  They still make very nice wine but I'm just not down with the experience.

Wine for the People was launched by Rae Wilson - I liked her Grower Project Wines (now also part of WC - https://growerproject.com/ ) as they were reasonably priced and affordable although I'm not sure if they're still making their Sangiovese and it seems like they still make an Albariño.  Prices have gone up since they were bought out. 

On Wine for the People, she had a tasting room that she shared with C.L. Butaud but then moved to Spread and now Fredericksburg.  

[VABuckeye 2472]

9 hours ago, texasdago said:

Are there any wines you will not buy on your own... they only end up in your possession if someone gifts them to you?  I'm sure this will elicit some hate but for me it is California Chardonnay (really any oaky Chardonnay... I'll take a French Chablis any day) or pretty much any California Cabernet Sauvignon or just about any California reds that give me a headache.  I've never gotten such brutal headaches than from CA reds.  Must be all the additives and garbage some of the mass bottlers use. 

Though I do have some California Cabernet Sauvignon in my collection it’s not something I go out of my way to purchase.  But old world wines?   That’s my jam. 

[VABuckeye 2472]

7 hours ago, texasdago said:

I also think CA wines tend to have higher alcohol content.  I'm always baffled by the frequency of 14.5 or 15% wines!?  

I hate fruit bombs although it does seem that the California reds now have more subtlety to them. 

Edited February 13 by VABuckeye

[b_p 466]

9 hours ago, sidis said:

 

you two nut jobs are the only people i would ask this based on posting history...

grabbing a bottle of salon for a gift.  have either of you compared the 2012 to the 2013 and have any opinions on the superior vintage?

I’ve not had either of those, but based on the other 2012s and 2013s I’ve had, I think I lean toward 2012. With that said, you can’t go wrong with either. Just one question - how does one get on your gift list?

If this is for Valentine’s Day and she’s a keeper, go with 2002 and there will likely be some magic, if you know what I mean. 

[texasdago 7376]

14 hours ago, VABuckeye said:

But old world wines?   That’s my jam.

Same.  Mostly Italian then French.  I do like Austrian wine and Swiss is just too hard to find but they make some nice whites.  Occasionally a German wine or some rando location like Slovenia but that's rare.

For domestic it is Oregon or Texas.  We do stop here any time we drive past Dixon to pick up some wines... https://vivacwinery.com/about-us/ 

New world?  Sometimes but rarely Argentina or Chile.

[milkman 428]

Same.  Mostly Italian then French.  I do like Austrian wine and Swiss is just too hard to find but they make some nice whites.  Occasionally a German wine or some rando location like Slovenia but that's rare.
For domestic it is Oregon or Texas.  We do stop here any time we drive past Dixon to pick up some wines... https://vivacwinery.com/about-us/ 
New world?  Sometimes but rarely Argentina or Chile.

France is the answer to anything pertaining to wine!

Domestically speaking Oregon is by far the best QPR and stylistically there are some old world producers that have their hands in the wine making process.

Cali cab has gotten to a price point that makes it hard to stomach. Not too mention the flabby fruit centric over oaked high octane crap that is produced and coveted by many! lol

There are a few chards from New Zealand and Australia that are really good and punch way above their weight class. German reislings with some age are fantastic! And Chacra is the only wine from Argentina that I find drinkable!

[HenryJames 64901]

On 2/12/2024 at 2:19 PM, texasdago said:

2020 Dell Valley Blend - 14.7% (!!!)

*Del Valle

[VABuckeye 2472]

5 hours ago, milkman said:

France is the answer to anything pertaining to wine!

Domestically speaking Oregon is by far the best QPR and stylistically there are some old world producers that have their hands in the wine making process.

Cali cab has gotten to a price point that makes it hard to stomach. Not too mention the flabby fruit centric over oaked high octane crap that is produced and coveted by many! lol

There are a few chards from New Zealand and Australia that are really good and punch way above their weight class. German reislings with some age are fantastic! And Chacra is the only wine from Argentina that I find drinkable!

I agree about France but in my travels in Italy I’ve met quite a few producers and learned their stories.  When you get connected to the family and their wines it goes to a different level for me.  We met the brothers at I Sodi and I noticed an artillery shell in their tasting room.  They walked us outside and told us the Germans were on this ridge lobbing shells and the Americans were on the other ridge lobbing shells and they were in the middle.  Learning about what they went through gave me a deeper connection to their wine.  

Edited February 14 by VABuckeye

[b_p 466]

[Jack Handey 57]

I love you. 

[b_p 466]

[We’reTexas 1467]

Chantereves, imo. 

[HenryJames 64901]

Jolie Laide, imo.

 

[HenryJames 64901]

A Tribute to Grace, imo.

[Mac8111 2096]

[We’reTexas 1467]

On 3/17/2024 at 6:38 PM, HenryJames said:

A Tribute to Grace, imo.

Who is distributing her stuff in Texas? I almost never even see it in the Bay. 

[b_p 466]

This was surprisingly good and paired with the foie gras perfectly 

[troph 23963]

On 3/19/2024 at 10:48 PM, Mac8111 said:

Mac that Chateau Simone is fucking money. So good. Like good sex with a woman you truly love. 

[troph 23963]

On 2/12/2024 at 11:57 AM, locodos said:

I present you with ...

aka Cougar Crack

14.5% and way too easy drinking.  

I know some gay dudes that slam that wine as their fav. I can drink that style once a year or paired intentionally. 

[troph 23963]

On 2/13/2024 at 2:11 PM, milkman said:

France is the answer to anything pertaining to wine!

Domestically speaking Oregon is by far the best QPR and stylistically there are some old world producers that have their hands in the wine making process.

Cali cab has gotten to a price point that makes it hard to stomach. Not too mention the flabby fruit centric over oaked high octane crap that is produced and coveted by many! lol

There are a few chards from New Zealand and Australia that are really good and punch way above their weight class. German reislings with some age are fantastic! And Chacra is the only wine from Argentina that I find drinkable!

French is the answer to everything pertaining to wine… that caught my eye.

I’m not a regular on this thread but I love my wine and everything it does to create a life well lived. We just inventoried our every six months haul from the closeout sale at twin (they now only do their dollar sale in the summer). I’ll share my excitement later.

my first wine to open my eyes was in my 20s and it was a wolf blass Aussie cab I think. Cooking class and it was paired as a deeply affordable wine. Fuck man I don’t even know where or what that wine is anymore. It could be a nice cheap bottle or it could be swill but I remember the veil lifted at 22 years old. Wine was it, let’s go!  
 

migrated around the globe but landed in Italy for a while because of a trip there. 27 years old hauling wine from Tuscany back to Texas only to find it at central market. FML. But I found Amarone and other Italians that I loved for years.
 

same trip we were in France, my palate was too Juvenile to appreciate French wine the way I do now.

back in the states we took trips to Santa Lucia / Carmel valley, Napa and Sonoma, Santa Ynez and we migrated to the Santa Barbara Santa Ynez style Pinot. 

stops in Oregon as well, but now my palette is developing. 

fast forward a decade. I’m in my 30s and refusing to drink anything but left bank Bordeaux, burgundy, and at times a cote du Rhône table wine. 

fast forward another decade of only drinking those three French wines - 10 full years being a Francophile (their wine at least), I rediscovered Santa Ynez wines, this time we found boutique makers not available in stores. Some of my favorite wines in the world are from these makers. 

don’t get me wrong, I love a good Spanish varietal, South American wines, South Africa - holy shit the Greek wines? The good ones that you can’t easily get - solid. But those are all to mix it up. Not tried and true for me.

Back to the twin haul, this time around we were limited to close out wines but we took down some more Italians. And I’m super stoked.

while we aren’t back to Australian grocery store wines I have come a bit full circle.

but three things are now true for my palate - (1) you cannot go wrong with a cab dominate (left bank) Bordeaux or a burgundy, (2) you can’t go wrong with a quality Santa Ynez Pinot (preferably either their traditional style or in the French style), and (3) I would be fine if I never drank a Napa or Sonoma cab ever again (and I don’t care the price point).

And if I could only have one wine for the rest of my life it’s a high quality French burgundy. Makes me feel content and satisfied. Truly a deep and lasting romance for me. 
 

  

 

Edited March 24 by troph

[troph 23963]

PSA: Probably one of the best under $20 bottles of Bordeaux twin has (and they are running a 20% off French wine rn). Drinks like a $30 bottle imo and doesn’t guilt you like a $50 bottle if you want it with a greasy NY style pizza. We took down 2 cases. Last August 3 cases. Perfect guilt free Monday or Tuesday wine.  It’s currently our “table wine” at the troph estate (lol). 

Edited March 23 by troph

[troph 23963]

Wines I’m tickled about…

 

[HenryJames 64901]

On 3/19/2024 at 11:04 PM, We’reTexas said:

Who is distributing her stuff in Texas? I almost never even see it in the Bay. 

Had it shipped.

[creeper 98]

On 3/19/2024 at 11:04 PM, We’reTexas said:

Who is distributing her stuff in Texas? I almost never even see it in the Bay. 

Henderson Selections, though it's very limited.  They had a small amount available last month.

[milkman 428]

And if I could only have one wine for the rest of my life it’s a high quality French burgundy. Makes me feel content and satisfied. Truly a deep and lasting romance for me.

France is always the answer! There is no higher high than Burgundy!

[HenryJames 64901]

4 hours ago, creeper said:

Henderson Selections, though it's very limited.  They had a small amount available last month.

I think I saw it at Central Market.

[troph 23963]

39 minutes ago, milkman said:

 

France is always the answer! There is no higher high than Burgundy!

 

I think the first time I got my now wife’s attention was at a backyard pizza party she was hosting - I showed up with two bottles of wine. One was whatever, the other a solid Bordeaux. I told her the first one was for everyone else, the Bordeaux was for the host and whomever she might want to share it with.  She kept that to the side, brought me a glass and we drank it together while others drank … whatever. She had her eyes on me the whole night.

PSA: french wine works.  

[milkman 428]

I think the first time I got my now wife’s attention was at a backyard pizza party she was hosting - I showed up with two bottles of wine. One was whatever, the other a solid Bordeaux. I told her the first one was for everyone else, the Bordeaux was for the host and whomever she might want to share it with.  She kept that to the side, brought me a glass and we drank it together while others drank … whatever. She had her eyes on me the whole night.
PSA: french wine works.  

You inspired me this afternoon!

[We’reTexas 1467]

France, and maybe some Italy, imo. 

[milkman 428]

France, and maybe some Italy, imo. 

Ultramarine is best domestic sparkler!

Can someone elaborate what the hell "imo" means

[troph 23963]

Really?

in my opinion

[milkman 428]

Really?
in my opinion

Makes sense but I think its something different. There is a poster in here that puts it after every wine he posts.

[troph 23963]

7 minutes ago, milkman said:

Makes sense but I think it’s something different. There is a poster in here that puts it after every wine he posts.

I spent a few mins looking at wine terms and …

[milkman 428]

Jolie Laide, imo.
 

[troph 23963]

I think he’s saying he likes it. Sharing a preference or something like that. Inoculates against arguments of good or bad. 

Edited March 24 by troph

[HenryJames 64901]

1 hour ago, milkman said:

There is a poster in here that puts it after every wine he posts.

That guy sucks, imo.

[conVINCEd 21468]

Between the wine and bourbon thread, I’ve just accepted that I’m a guy who took two years of high school Spanish who gets dumped in Madrid for a weekend.  Tough to keep up.  I like wine and bourbon, so I click on the threads every now and then, but the folks on the bourbon thread really like their abbreviations.  Wine is a wormhole from which there is no escape.  

[milkman 428]

That guy sucks, imo.

Got it!

[VABuckeye 2472]

5 hours ago, milkman said:

 

France is always the answer! There is no higher high than Burgundy!

 

Agreed, but the three B’s from Italy are pretty goddamned good.  IMO. Lol

[Tonesky 777]

20 hours ago, milkman said:

Can someone elaborate what the hell "imo" means

 

19 hours ago, troph said:

Really?

in my opinion

 

19 hours ago, milkman said:

Makes sense but I think its something different. There is a poster in here that puts it after every wine he posts.

Everyone knows In My Opinion.  But, IMO, that doesn't really fit the context of these posts.  Of course, I was too much a pussy to ask myself....  Thanks Milkman.

[troph 23963]

If it's something different, then I can't figure out imo in a wine context.  I tried.

But I'm a lazy connoisseur. I know to a 95% certainty how to pick a solid bottle of wine at a store with no help that I can take anywhere and enjoy. I have a few cheat codes based on makers, countries, regions, styles, varietals, price points etc. but after that I have a hard time dialing it in. So I make sure I have people around me who can. Which years were great, which makers are better than others? I hear which ones were good and they go in one ear out the other.

[troph 23963]

18 hours ago, VABuckeye said:

Agreed, but the three B’s from Italy are pretty goddamned good.  IMO. Lol

2024 is the year of the italian in our house baby!