iggy112 Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 I must admit that I've been almost exclusively been a beer drinker for the longest time, but travelling both here in Asia and in Europe has gotten me started into wines. But I've moved jobs and don't travel anymore but I the interest for wines have stayed. I would really appreciate some advice on where to go for good wines start and what wines should I try? My approach has been to go to Ralph's who occassionaly have notes on their wines that say... so and so wines have been rated XX pts in so so competition, or have won x place in so so. And I'd buy one or two.It hasn't turned out perfectly good and I feel I'm missing out on good options out there. Advice from experienced wine afficionados would be greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 I have a kenwood zinfandel 1991, 1998 chateau latour pomerol,1995 chateau de fonsalette, cotes du rhone, but a 66 and 75 bourdeux, wow! Once I've watched travel & living and they featured this guy from Uk who bought a chateau formerly owned by a duke at US130M, then they found a stack of wines in the basement worth over US200M. Drink that 91 Kenwood zin! It's not made to last a long time and, in general, 8 years for a California zin is pushing it. Your Bordeaux should live a lot longer - in fact, I'd guess they're not ready for prime time yet! I'm hoping the 66 is still good - it's been stored properly all this time, and there's no leakage I can detect. The 75 is in really good shape and I have fewer doubts about that one. But, following the Ernest and Julio Gallo maxim to drink no wine before its time - the time to drink these wines has come! (Or maybe even passed?) Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Went out to dinner with my brother/wife and a friend to celebrate their anniversary and her birthday. Los Altos Grill - mostly meat cooked over an open fire. Great steaks, prime rib, beef ribs and salmon. Brought two bottles to share - 1997 Cedar Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and 2001 Rubicon Estates Cask Cabernet. Cedar Mountain - a Livermore wine, grapes from Livermore. Wow! Soft, well-integrated tannins. Fruit starting to show really well. Blackberries, some eucalyptus, a hint of smoke from the oak, coffee and cocoa powder. A tiny bit of white pepper. This was our second bottle, but this should have been the first - it was definitely better than the Cask. Cask Cabernet - Rubicon Estates, made from estate-grown grapes but not the Rubicon grapes. Firm tannins, berries, oak, leather, eucalyptus, coffee. A bit sharper than the Cedar Mountain. Still, a very, very good wine. July 4th rushing up on us. Driving to LA to see my daughter this weekend. Wonder what wine I should bring? Quote Link to comment
brian croser Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Just watched the movie "Sideways" starring Paul Giamatti ? .... was just wondering .... what's with the dig against California merlots by Giamatti haven't tasted one but now am very curious to try Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Just watched the movie "Sideways" starring Paul Giamatti ? .... was just wondering .... what's with the dig against California merlots by Giamatti haven't tasted one but now am very curious to try California merlots suffer from the "blending wine" syndrome. Most CA merlots are best used to blend with cab sauv. CA merlots tend to be excessively round (aka, low/no tannins), characterless wines. However, there ARE some local producers ( and a LOT of Bordeaux producers) who deliver bold flavors and hearty tannins with their merlots. I have some really nice merlots in my wine fridge, just waiting for an appropriate occasion to open the. Wait! The 4th is coming up - time for my annual burnt meat and wine extravaganza. Doing a beef brisket that I plan to cook low and slow - 150 def F for 10 hours. And a pork butt also low and slow - about 250 deg F for 3-4 hours. Baby back ribs with a nice spicy rub and a vinegar-based sauce. For wine - a couple of those merlots, some big CA zins, and a couple of nice cabs (or, depending on the crowd, maybe even a Rubicon or an Opus One!) to start off the night. No wimpy whites at MY party! Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Just came home from the memorial service for Gloria Retzlaff Taylor - wife of Bob Taylor, winemaker and owner of Retzlaff Vineyards in Livermore and mother of Noah who makes the cabs and zins I like so much. She suffered a stroke and died May 27. At the reception they served a Retzlaff Cabernet Sauvignon port-style wine. Good stuff, Gloria! You and Bob did good! Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Opened a Rubicon Estates Captain's Reserve 2004 Zin last night to go with the Cuban roast pork with citrus-cilantro sauce. The pork was roasted low and slow (4 hours @ 300 deg F) and the sauce was bright with orange and lime, cilantro and mint, jalapeno, olive oil and (of course!!) garlic. The zin stood up to the slightly spicy edge of the sauce while setting off the sweetness of the roast pork. Loads of bright red berries, nice soft tannins and that characteristic California zin white pepper note, along with that hint of smoke from the oak. What to have with the rest of the zin tonight??? I wonder........I know! There's some brisket left over from the 4th in the freezer......cayenne, chili powder, garlic in the rub, smoky from roasting in the smoker for 12 hours. That sounds like a good match to the robust zin! Quote Link to comment
Spurt Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 hello guys, can i ask for comments on this wines: Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro D.O.C. ( Sweet and lightly Sparkling )Lambrusco di Sorbara D.O.C. ( Dry and lightly Sparkling )Lambrusco dell'Emilia IGT Sweet (-Red - Rose & White)Sangiovese di Romagna DOC - 12° alc. - Dry Red Wine ( no sparkling )Trebbiano di Romagna DOC - 11.50° alc.- White Wine ( no sparkling ) Quote Link to comment
utog Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Guys, Invite ko kau sa August 1 MTC event..... Quote Link to comment
storm Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Where are the winos? Bods miss na kita. Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Asti Spumante Bleahhhh!!! Sorry - not fond of asti at all. Too sweet, no character, goes flat too quickly, no other flavors aside from sweet.......can't compare to a prosecco, or a cava, or a Champagne, or even a California bubbly. No citrus, no acidity, no nothing. Have not yet had an asti worth the glass it was bottled in. On a brighter note - chipotle vodka!!! Yay! Nothing screws with your mind quite like a cold drink that is simultaneously spicy hot. Is it cold? Or is it hot? No - wait! It's both!!! Hangar One Chipotle Vodka from St. George Distillery in Alameda is just absolutely amazing! And their raspberry eau de vie is not bad, either..... Had a 2004 Sangiovese from Rodrigue-Molyneaux for dinner tonight, to go with Netto's linguisa sausages poached in merlot, drizzle of jalapeno infused olive oil on top. Mmmm..... getting hungry again, just thinking of it! Wanted to do roasted piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese after dinner but couldn't find the goat cheese! ???? WTF??? Where'd it go? Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 For dinner, a beef strips from Costco (marinated, fully cooked, heat 'n eat- a bit saltier than I would make it, but pretty good flavor overall) with onions, accompanied by mango+tomato+onion+bagoong. Not bad - but to drink, a very simple, uncomplicated French merlot. It was a $2 bottle from the Wine Shop in SF (they have a "Las Vegas special" - for $25 a case, you pays your money and takes your chances - what they pull out of the warehouse is what you get). Simple and straightforward, don't blink or you'll miss the flavors. All in the front end, no back end or finish AT ALL. No depth, single note. But with bagoong - it worked! Amazing...... Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Went to Wood Family in Livermore for theri wine release party last Saturday. Picked up my mixed case (6 '07 grenache, 6 '07 zinfandel). And 2 bottles of the '06 zin. The cab franc was good but not as good as I remembered it - perhaps because I really liked the American oak barrel more than the French oak barrel, but they blended the two. '07 grenache - wow! Smooth, supple tannins, bright fruit flavors, a slight smoky tinge from the oak. A hint of apricot on the back end. Plum and cassis jam layered with plum, cherry and strawberry. '07 zinfandel - Great firm but smooth tannins. The light white pepper back end you expect from Lodi grapes. Great dark cherries and blackberries. Oak and smoke, a hint of leather. Would have thought it was a syrah, if I didn't know better..... Quote Link to comment
Guest lustfortravel Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Went to Wood Family in Livermore for theri wine release party last Saturday. Picked up my mixed case (6 '07 grenache, 6 '07 zinfandel). And 2 bottles of the '06 zin. The cab franc was good but not as good as I remembered it - perhaps because I really liked the American oak barrel more than the French oak barrel, but they blended the two. '07 grenache - wow! Smooth, supple tannins, bright fruit flavors, a slight smoky tinge from the oak. A hint of apricot on the back end. Plum and cassis jam layered with plum, cherry and strawberry. '07 zinfandel - Great firm but smooth tannins. The light white pepper back end you expect from Lodi grapes. Great dark cherries and blackberries. Oak and smoke, a hint of leather. Would have thought it was a syrah, if I didn't know better..... I always like reading your reviews, agxo, since I know next to nothing about wines . I hope to be able to meet you when you're in town this year. Quote Link to comment
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