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Wild Bill
climber
Ca
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Jun 24, 2007 - 11:51pm PT
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Nice story Ron.
You helped him live a little, and it only took some Mouton-Cadet.
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Wild Bill
climber
Ca
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Jun 25, 2007 - 12:08am PT
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Being partial to big reds, dry or sweet or anything in between, I am in heaven living in Northern California. (Although I found some CA wines being sold cheaper in NYC and Washington DC, even after being transported across country?)
For Big'n'Full I like, among many others, Lolonis reds. They just this weekend did the annual ladybug release into their Mendocino vineyards, as part of an organic pesticide-free operation.
https://www.lolonis.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=48
Rosenbloom Cellars in Alameda makes Huge reds, esp. Zinfandels, made in Alameda from grapes grown all over the bay area.
http://www.rosenblumcellars.com/shop/category.jsp?catid=37
This thread's making me hungry for a New York steak, grilled with olive oil, balsamic and a sprig of rosemary. And plenty of pepper.
Mmmmmmmmmmmm - steak!
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Chaz
Trad climber
So. Cal.
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Jun 25, 2007 - 12:40am PT
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"...the calm was only broken by a deer snorting in the woods nearby."
I've done that.
Fart, and blame it on a deer snorting.
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KP Ariza
climber
SCC
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Jun 25, 2007 - 01:41am PT
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You know its slippin' when you are arguing wines on a climbing web page but here goes-
Dirt, save your pity bro, I'm not a wine snob but I taste wines regularly as a part of my job and have for the last 15 years. I'd love to take you up on your little blind tasting wager. You are right, there are no gas tastings but there are wine tastings and there are plenty of people that will tell you that wine x is worth 20 times what wine y is worth. I am very familiar W/ Estancia wines among many others at that price point and in my opinion it is literally bottom of the barrel. That includes the entire line, not just there cabs. There are great bargains out there at that price point but that ain't one of them. BTW how many shares you holdin'?
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dirtineye
Trad climber
the south
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Jun 25, 2007 - 02:32am PT
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Well at least we know one of two things, Kenny.
You either have bad taste, or you have a wooden pallet.
15 year in the wine biz, tsk tsk, I got OUT of the wine biz way before you ever got in it. Started drinking serious wines seriously in '78. I think you were drinking milk only at that point. I'll bet you were a milk snob too!
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jun 25, 2007 - 08:40am PT
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Anybody remember the skit on Saturday Night Live where these two winos are trying to "bum" hundreds of dollars for a high end bottle of wine, and then they get into a wine snob argument?
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dirtineye
Trad climber
the south
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Jun 25, 2007 - 10:09am PT
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I missed that one Ronbo. What year was it done?
There was also a good scene in a movie with Peter Lorrie, where he was a drunken bum, and a wine snob challenged him to a tasting. The wine snob would make all these glowing comments full of typical wine snob terms, while Lorre's character, after every glass, would only comment, in a half drunk slurred tone, "That's very nice wine!". Of course Lorre identifies all the wines correctly and wins.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Jun 25, 2007 - 11:48am PT
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California wine is expensive, even in California, as I saw back in January.
Over here in Ireland the best value wines at the moment, generally speaking, are from South Africa or Argentina, though some of the French regionals, such as from Languedoc, are also excellent value.
But you should try wines from Conn Valley Vineyards, where my brother Mac is the winemaker. He only makes about 12,000 cases a year, so while it is no boutique winery, it isn’t large either.
Robert Parker (he who thinks he is God) usually rates Mac’s wines around the mid-90s. His wines are in the Ritz in London, Paris Ritz, Ritz-Carlton in New York, nine of the main hotels/casinos in Vegas, and three Michelin star restaurants in France.
Yes, a Napa wine in French restaurants.
If you ever get the chance to visit the winery, it is on Rossi Road off Howell Mountain Road off the Silverado Trail. It’s off the beaten track and my brother says that people are always getting lost trying to get there.
http://www.connvalleyvineyards.com
I think it is safe to say that my brother is one of the top winemakers in the States.
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Jude Bischoff
Ice climber
Palm Springs
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 25, 2007 - 12:13pm PT
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I'll have to give that Conn Valley a go Patrick. Recently I had the pleasure of drinking an Opolo Zin from Paso Robles. It is very robust and jammy. I love the zins with 16% alcohol.
There is a small winery in Boulder Creek, Alghren that produces an incredible zin. Rosenbloom is a solid choice, Ridge, Storrs, so many great wines, so little time.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Jun 25, 2007 - 12:34pm PT
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Wild Bill, darn you, you should have included Mac's wines since you've been to the winery. Hhhmph
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Wild Bill
climber
Ca
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Jun 25, 2007 - 12:59pm PT
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Aye, you're right Patrick. What can I say, it was late when I posted that.
But to be honest, your brother's excellent wines are, how shall I say it, a wee bit out of my range. Mac gave me two bottles, both of which were rated in the top 1-2% of all wines. They were phenomenal, rich beyond belief and perfectly balanced. They also retail for nearly $100 each, IF you can even find them.
So for me it was like renting a Ferrari for a day. I'd love to drive one every day, but, well, you know the story. Please trust me when I say Mac's wines were enjoyed immensely. I was planning on drinking one of the bottles with you up in Tuolumne, but that plan was quickly abandoned after the first of Mac's bottles was emptied.
Cheers
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Jun 25, 2007 - 01:27pm PT
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Anybody who pretends to wine snobbery should set themselves up with a double blind taste test as a reality check.
The one's I've checked can't tell the difference between Merlot, Cab and Pinot without crutches.
I'm with Dirty eyes. Great expensive wines are for those with money to burn. For the rest of us, there is a point of diminishing returns. You want a $50 bottle and a glass or a $15 bottle and a lobster?
Maybe the class wines have got expensive but the science of winemaking has evolved to the point where really cheap wine (particularly from Chile and parts of the world on their way up) can be just great with a nice meal.
Peace
Karl
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Jude Bischoff
Ice climber
Palm Springs
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 25, 2007 - 01:49pm PT
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Yellow Tail Shiraz $4.95 has won 3 different blind wine tastings I am aware of where the rules were bottles up to $20.00.
Trader Joe's, the campers gourmet store.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Jun 25, 2007 - 02:50pm PT
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Karl, you are right, some great values can be had from places like Chile.
But the best wine advice I ever got was from the great Johnny Hugel (one of France's top winemakers now retired. I was working the vendange in 1982 at Hugel et Fils in Riquewihr, Alsace. I was with my two friends, Marc and Etienne Hugel, along with some guy who had a wine shop and ran wine courses in Boston, Mass. We were in the private tasting room and they were using jargon that was going over my head (I have never had a formal wine tasting training or course).
In walks Johnny (Jean, but he preferred the English spelling), Marc and Etienne’s uncle. He asked how I was doing and I replied that I didn’t know what they were talking about.
He just replied: “It doesn’t matter. What matters is this (pointing to his nose), this (pointing to his head) and what you like.”
As Tomas Clancy, an Irish wine writer, put it to me once at a portfolio tasting (I write about wine as well, not that I know anything), there is more snobbery in wine that perhaps anything else.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Jun 25, 2007 - 03:13pm PT
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Snobbery is a great way to waste money. Create a mystic and charge for itl
That's how they have shoes and handbags that cost $400 and you can't even stash your gear in the bag or climb 5.7 in the shoes.
I think it would be great to have a tasting, inviite lots of snobs (but nobody with a magic taste) and offer them what's supposed to be $100 wine but is really $15 bottles. See who's fooled and who'se not. It would make for a fun reality show.
Peace
Karl
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dirtineye
Trad climber
the south
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Jun 25, 2007 - 03:29pm PT
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Karl, it's been done. You can look it up in old Wine Spectators. Not sure if you can find out exactly who was badly fooled though.
As I mentioned earlier, the expensive wine was put in the cheap wine bottles, and vice versa. Many experts tasted what they saw, LOL, not what went into their mouths, LOL.
But my favorite was the black glasses tasting, where some could not tell red from white.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Jun 25, 2007 - 03:53pm PT
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A professor at the University of Bordeaux did some research and decided that most people, blindfolded, could not tell the difference between a white wine and red wine, not to mention varieties.
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KP Ariza
climber
SCC
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Jun 25, 2007 - 04:24pm PT
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Dirt, Who's sounding like the wine snob now? Back in '78 stories all sound the same to me. Iv'e got a bottle of '98 Hietz Cellars Marthas Vineyards Cab in my stash right now, not the best vintage but the price sure was right, 0$ just like most of my other wines of that caliber. So either get a connect or quit cryin' about the price of wines these days. Surely w/ your extensive background and knowledge on the subject you can score a freebie (or at least a price break)now and again.
BTW Gramps, I ain't no spring chiken but in '78 (age 16) I was not a milk snob I was a Coors light snob, thought it the blood of Christ. palates are subjective and once again in my opinion Estancia=Thunderbird, if you're going to pay 18$ for a bottle of that crap get yourself 9 bottles of 2 Buck Chuck, its all the same, a cuvee of grapes from god knows where.Oh, and, the fact that you are proppin' that sh#t so hard tells me that you are the one w/ wood on your palate-no pun intended
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dirtineye
Trad climber
the south
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Jun 25, 2007 - 04:54pm PT
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Estancia is not 18 bucks here, it's 15 or a little less.
I have no interest in them other than the wine writer I know knoes the winemaker there, and I've enjoyed all the Estancia products I've tasted.
COORS LITE?????
Game over dude, you lose.
You miss the point about those big name wines I dropped. back then, they were slightly pricey, but they were The Wines. Now wines cost a fortune even if they have almost no pedigree, and people like you gladly pay 40 bucks and way more for em.
And we wonder why the prices went up.
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Chaz
Trad climber
So. Cal.
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Jun 25, 2007 - 04:56pm PT
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Best thing about Wine?
Wineries!
Spyro Gyra at Thornton Winery in Temecula, California:
Acoustic Alchemy at Thornton (damn, we get good seats!):
This guy's name is "Sangiovese" (or something like that) and he works the Customer Relations Department at Eberle Winery in Paso Robles, California:
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