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OT - Wineaux's rejoiceUser Forum Topic
Submitted by barnaby33 on July 16, 2009 - 6:06pm
Ok time for another wine thread. As summer is heating up the wine industry is melting down. You wouldn't know it if you walked into most retailers, but if you are paying attention to other channels its an awesome time to buy wine. Prices are getting much better. Burgundy - sign up for premier cru's emails. When they have a sale its a doozy. You have to be quick as most of the sale items are gone in a few hours, but 06 Echezaux for under 50 is a deal and a half. Bordeaux - As I noted in our last wine thread this area really hadn't seen many price reductions. Those have started. JJBuckley has brought out some 05's from classified estates even in the sub 40 dollar range. Costco recently blew out the remaining 05's online, Montrose was 80. Leoville las Cases 199. That is 50 cheaper than anywhere else. Napa - Lots of cracks here from too many retailers to even list. Best deal I've seen and bought so far was 05 Ruston cab and Bordeaux blend for 20 and 30 respectively. Italian - 2004 Barolo particularly from new school producers is being liquidated by lots of retailers. Winex has had an awesome deal on soem 01's and 99's from Mauro Sebaste. Oh and I tried the Ghost pines. Jeebus you must love green olives and bell peppers. Not my cup of tea at all.
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We have been wine lovers for over 5 years now, drinking wine almost exclusively.
But this summer, it was almost as if someone flipped a switch. We seem to have reached our threshold. We still drink wine, but beer is making up a larger chunk of our imbibing choice and growing.
The fabulous north county brewery crawl is certainly helping to influence our tastes!
Maybe the same thing is happening to others, meaning wine demand is down and thus prices follow?
Josh, did you get the Ghost pines merlot or the cab? Even as a cab guy myself, the merlot was the one to go with, and like a lot of wines, that was a one vintage tip, it's been a year since we collectively raved, all bets are off once the year turns. But your love of bordeaux's tells me we have a totally different pallate, mine is more regional, french wines often taste a bit tinny and light to me, so I save my money. I've tried, gone as far as a mouton, D'issan margaux, and many others that set me back a pretty penny but weren't in my wheelhouse. I still like the cali stuff, a nice Dunn or Joe Phelps and I'm happy at fraction of the price so it works for me.
I did read that the austrailians were having such a wine glut that they were selling it for almost the cost of the bottle and cork, importers were paying $1.80 a bottle. Based on your post, maybe it's time to expand my horizons and take a few risks while it's on the cheap.
I know it won't be in your wheelhouse but for some readers, here's my latest tip on the local scene. Little winery up here recently opened, Robert Renzoni vineyards in temecula. As many of you are aware, I am a regular up here, hitting the tasting rooms a couple times a month going back 20 years when tasting was free. There's a lot of buzz amongst the locals regarding this place. After drinking his wine at a pairing dinner and at a local eatery, The g-friend and I decided to check it out the other day.
http://www.robertrenzonivineyards.com/
They are tasting out of the barrel room as the tasting room has yet to be constructed, the polish isn't on as far as the facilities go but homeboy makes a mean red, right out of the gate they got it going on, so it's only gonna get better. They picked a terrible time to start a business, but hopefully talent keeps them afloat. It doesn't compare to the resort style tasting rooms on Rancho cal, but it's also not flush with bachelorette parties, desperate housewives of the O.C., and the weekend rookie drinkers. He didn't have a red I wouldn't buy, or should I say didn't buy, I also left with a couple of jars of his mothers marinara sauce. Everyone talks about buying american, well, this is as domestic as it gets, so get you but up here, stimulate the economy and start drinking. That's my tip of the day.
I wouldn't swear to it as its been a couple of months but based on your and several others recommendations I got the merlot. The cab is what was available in costco the other day when I was there. Yeah Temecula wine is not my thing. When I was in college, Maurice Carrie chenin blanc at 3 dollars a bottle was awesome. Now adays I'm sure they charge 20 for the same thing.
Oz has a huge glut of wine. The problem is that in the affordable price range, 10-25 dollars it all tastes very similar. Its hard to make a case for Aussie shiraz when so much of it is highly extracted, overly oaked and high alcohol. I was in Barossa and McLaren Vale in November and had some awesome wine along with a fair amount of mediocre stuff too.
If you really want to try a great Aussie wine without splurging for Grange or Hill of Grace, try Jasper Hill Georgias paddock at about 75 dollars it is world class, as opposed to Grange which is now priced like a first growth Bordeaux. Another cheaper though still very good wine is Penfolds Magill estate, the original Penfolds vineyard. Wendouree (Clare Valley) is also very good, though very hard to find. Old Bridge Cellars is the importer for lots of small production, good quality stuff, but be prepared to pay. Good years for Most Aussie wine are 98/02/05/06.
Josh
maurice is still cheap, at the local costco it might set you back $5. To be honest I haven't been in there since you were in college. If that's your last exposure, you gotta come give it a try. It's an entirely different world now.
I love this property and facility, you can get a massage, a fantastic meal and stay the night. It probably hurt for the sacramento bee to write this, but a Temecula Winery won winery of the year for the state at North America's oldest wine competition, two years running.
http://www.sacbee.com/161/story/2014087....
and from yahoo last year
http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/080812/0424283.html
here's their website
http://www.wineresort.com/
and some pics just to show you what I'm talking about in case you are confused why a cosmopolitan gent like myself stomps on these grounds, scroll through, it should get you in the car.
http://wineresort.com/photo-gallery
I like going there, love the food, but there is better wine in the valley IMHO and it can get a little touristy and seeing kenny g perform in the vines isn't my cup of tea, but if your vision of my viticultural region is $3 maurice carrie, you gotta get in the car and come check it out, while you weren't looking, it grew up.
Josh- What is your choice on best bang for your buck on the 2004 Barolo? Thanks
Waterboy, tough call. I've been accumulating but so far not opening much barolo from 04. I actually have less than I thought. I just looked through my spreadsheet and have a case from one new style producer and a couple of Mascarello's on order, but thats all. I still haven't even opened my 01s. As I said in my first post Winex has a smoking deal on some 01 and 99 Mauro Sebaste. Its new style but I opened the 03 I got from them and for $29 it was very good. I just check winex and they still have some. I will say now is a particularly good time to look for 04 barolo as retailers are clearing them out for 05, which will be a far more uneven year.
Usually you can't go wrong with Conterno or Giuseppe Mascarello, but those are costly well known producers. My favorite, for the money is Cascina Adelaide. A newer style producer that I bought in 01, yet haven't seen in 04 yet.
On a non barolo note, K&L has the Columbia Crest Walter Clore 2004 for 17.99. I believe there were several who really liked that wine and sub 20 thought it was a great value.
Josh
wine in a box is very good this year.
the main thing is to be alive, healthy w/ good food and company; in that state, all wine tastes good.
the main thing is to be alive, healthy w/ good food and company; in that state, all wine tastes good.
Plastic cups or paper?
So two days after I start this thread, JJBuckely has a huge sale on Bordeaux. All 06 of course, but 06 was a good if not great year. Prices are in many labels back to 01 pricing. Please note I am in NO WAY connected to any of these retail outlets. I just like to share some of these prices as data points.
You seem like the adventurous type, Josh. Have you ever thought of growing/ making your own? It seems like it would be fun to do. Here is a little start-up in Jamul. It's kind of catching on around here.
http://www.dubevineyards.com/
Josh
FYI it was the CC Reserv e not the Walter Clore
Yes actually I have, though I don't have the time right now. If I ever had a place with a bit of land I would try it. I made beer for a long time, which is easier to do in a city environment, especially in extract form.
I once went to help another home vintner bottle his wine and found out that the hardest part for a small timer is getting decent grapes. Most growers don't want to sell you a half a ton to make 1 barrel.
As to Dube wines, there seems to be a real niche out there for small start-ups in SD (wineries). I've read and seen several articles about other small operations in Escondido.
Josh
Josh,
I am building a terraced varietal food garden about an acre in size and am thinking of grapes in the middle third....potential for 2 tons perhaps. I'll probably find a hobbiest or a few parties to take over, or mostly take over the wine making... thinking shared hobby not profit. There is still a lot of research to do but once I
learn the proper trellising and spacing, I'll start the infrastructure.It could still turn out that a different location then what we are thinking would be better. I have several acres each of west, south and east facing slopes all with 5-15% inclines. The west slopes have ocean breezes.
If you plan on sticking around San Diego and are interested in something like this let me know.
Any recommendations for reds under $20 / bottle?
While you can get great prices on French 1st growth, I am very interested in bang for buck reds.
Thanks
plastic red party cups are best with reds; clear small plastic cups with white. styrofoam for rose
Love this and the boxed wine! :)
I'm not a wine elitist. I actually buy most of my wine in the 20-45 range. Today I bought some closeout pinot from winex in orange county for a very good price. Bang for your buck I doubt you'll do much better than these.
I'm not a wine elitist. I actually buy most of my wine in the 20-45 range. Today I bought some closeout pinot from winex in orange county for a very good price. Bang for your buck I doubt you'll do much better than these.
I am not a connoisseur of anything let alone an elitist. Jokes aside, without the connoisseurs pushing things nothing would be any good. I do drink my wine from a coffee mug though....usually even rinse it out.
What is so interesting is that in many Bordeaux, coffee is a desired secondary characteristic. It sounds like you've found a way to get that flavor, without the expense of buying Bordeaux. Two buck chuck from the morning coffee mug will do the trick.
On a lark I opened a bottle of 2BC last night. It wasn't bad at all, considering it had sat in my kitchen windowsill for over 2 years.
Temecula- What was the vintage of Ghost Pines Merlot that you liked so much?
I am not exactly sure because the $15-$20 stuff doesn't really hold back very long, usually it's about two years old when it hits the shelf at those prices. It was December 2007 when I first had it, so maybe a 2005 + or - one year?? more than likely you can only get 07's right now, it's not the kind of stuff that gets held by dealers or is designed to age. I've had some recently, still to my liking but not as good as when I first had it, but that happens with more things than just wine. In that price point, wines are triangle tasted and blended to match prior vintages pretty closely, as you go up in price the vintage matters more and the quality swing is greater.
Why, are you going to a blind tasting party? If you are, let me know how it does.
The wine market is being flooded with so much stuff right now its mind boggling. Even the push offers have gotten really good.
Winex in OC has had some amazing prices. First they blew out the Lorca Pinot for 20/bottle now they have a Syrah for 19 which seems like a hell of a deal. They still might have some 1999 mauro sebaste Barolo for under 40.
Josh
2 buck chuck SHIRAZ is better than the other 2 buck chucks.
i have wine glasses but prefer to drink wine out of a regular glass. just hold it up top so it wont get warm, what's the difference? the advantage is: it's mroe difficult to knock over a reg. glass.
sometimes a wine glass is ok.
i draw the line generally at coffee mugs. not sure why. prefer the idea of glass.