kylemittskus wrote:09 was a more modern year than 10. Bigger fruit, more hedonistic style, etc. Good price for a CdP.

Thanks Kyle, good info to know. It must've been a good deal, it sold out. I missed it, but there's always more

edit: Not only did it sell out, but they come back with a Brunello ... another wine I've been wanting to try. Hmmmm.....

Home Depot has a Haier six bottle wine cooler for $49 with FS. Good for a counter top or an office.

For those that were in on the 2005 and/or 2007 B cellars Blend 25 offerings, WTSO has the 2006 for $25 to fill your vertical.

Seems we've had some great finds lately, the Buena Vista and the TJ's Quixote. WineShopper has an $8.50 2010 Parducci PN up that's got limited CT in the 90's. $12 on the Parducci site with notes

AGED 8 MONTHS 30% NEW FRENCH OAK 70% UPRIGHT REDWOOD & STAINLESS STEEL TANKS pH 3.73 Our Pinot Noir offers aromas of juicy ripe raspberries and strawberries. Its berry flavors are full and rich on the palate, picking up a hint of cedar in the finish.

Sounds rather NW, drink-now, but wondering if anyone his any history with Mendocino Wine...

rjquillin wrote:Seems we've had some great finds lately, the Buena Vista and the TJ's Quixote. WineShopper has an $8.50 2010 Parducci PN up that's got limited CT in the 90's. $12 on the Parducci site with notes Sounds rather NW, drink-now, but wondering if anyone his any history with Mendocino Wine...

Mendocino Wine can be excellent....but like anywhere, there's some duds too. Parducci is one of the oldest wineries in Mendocino County, but they have changed hands several times (no longer family owned). I think they tend to be a mass market type wine. Still for $8.50, it sounds like a good deal for a Tuesday night wine. BTW the majority of the old family Mendocino wineries are old school Italians (with some hippies thrown in here and there). The Italians know how to make tasty wine (the hippies, not so much).

Has anyone tried the 2006 William Harrison Estate Cabernet Sauv Rutherford?

I recall some discussion about William Harrison wines, not sure if this was one of them?

bsevern wrote:

Has anyone tried the 2006 William Harrison Estate Cabernet Sauv Rutherford?

I recall some discussion about William Harrison wines, not sure if this was one of them?

I bought some of the Harrison Rutherford Red Blend last year, it was great - on my autobuy list if it comes up again - don't know if that is any indication of their Cab though.

angryprez wrote:I bought some of the Harrison Rutherford Red Blend last year, it was great - on my autobuy list if it comes up again - don't know if that is any indication of their Cab though.

Harrison Rutherford Cab just showed up on Invino for $24.99...Along with 2008 Scott Harvey 1869 Old Vine Zin.

If anyone needs an invite, PM me.

laguar1 wrote:Harrison Rutherford Cab just showed up on Invino for $24.99...Along with 2008 Scott Harvey 1869 Old Vine Zin.

If anyone needs an invite, PM me.

That's a good price on the 1869, though it angers me when places like Invino inflate the retail price. They list retail at $50 though it has always been $45 on Scott's website.

Does anyone have a free shipping code for Invino?

North316 wrote:Does anyone have a free shipping code for Invino?

No such thing. They only have specialized free shipping opportunities specific to a particular wine offer, or a minimum quantity.

bsevern wrote:Mendocino Wine can be excellent....but like anywhere, there's some duds too. Parducci is one of the oldest wineries in Mendocino County, but they have changed hands several times (no longer family owned). I think they tend to be a mass market type wine. Still for $8.50, it sounds like a good deal for a Tuesday night wine. BTW the majority of the old family Mendocino wineries are old school Italians (with some hippies thrown in here and there). The Italians know how to make tasty wine (the hippies, not so much).

Has anyone tried the 2006 William Harrison Estate Cabernet Sauv Rutherford?

I recall some discussion about William Harrison wines, not sure if this was one of them?

Not sure if this was one of them, either, but Bill Harrison (a cousin of rpm) comes from the Italian tradition to which you refer. The rpm tours in 2008 and 2010 visited the winery, and his wines are consistently well-made, much in the old world tradition.

ddeuddeg wrote:No such thing. They only have specialized free shipping opportunities specific to a particular wine offer, or a minimum quantity.

Not completely true, in the recent past they have had it so that if you make an order you received a code with free shipping for the rest of the month. Those codes have floated around on this thread previously.

North316 wrote:Not completely true, in the recent past they have had it so that if you make an order you received a code with free shipping for the rest of the month. Those codes have floated around on this thread previously.

Agreed. They sent me some codes with my last order, but they expired 2 days after receiving the order.

They have a new German Reisling that I have never heard of that I am going in for 3. Wish I had a code.

North316 wrote:That's a good price on the 1869, though it angers me when places like Invino inflate the retail price. They list retail at $50 though it has always been $45 on Scott's website.

Does anyone have a free shipping code for Invino?

The 1869 is priced at $28.99, not $24.99. Still a tempting price for excellent juice, but not quite as good a price as the Harrison.

bkarlan wrote:
They have a new German Reisling that I have never heard of that I am going in for 3. Wish I had a code.

I generally like Nahe wines, more terrior oriented than Rhein Hessen or Mosel (in general). I have no personal experience with the winery (Schäfer-Fröhlich), but reading their webiste gives me a feel for their style - aside from the late harvested wines, just about everything is "trocken". Serious winemakers - not Liebfraumilch sody-pop here. This wine is from a classified vineyard. And at six years old it should have matured nicely. I do not see the sugar levels, but it is probably in excess of 45g/L since this wine does not carry any residual sugar designation. The 11g/L of acid will be a good foil for the sweetness.

I'd love to know how these taste when you get 'em home

liverman wrote:I generally like Nahe wines, more terrior oriented than Rhein Hessen or Mosel (in general). I have no personal experience with the winery (Schäfer-Fröhlich), but reading their webiste gives me a feel for their style - aside from the late harvested wines, just about everything is "trocken". Serious winemakers - not Liebfraumilch sody-pop here. This wine is from a classified vineyard. And at six years old it should have matured nicely. I do not see the sugar levels, but it is probably in excess of 45g/L since this wine does not carry any residual sugar designation. The 11g/L of acid will be a good foil for the sweetness.

I'd love to know how these taste when you get 'em home

While I don't know this specific bottle, Frohlich is a great producer. In the Nahe, (for me) they're #2 behind Donhoff. Great balance, great terroir. And, for those that care, they're imported by Bowler which rarely steers my palate wrong.

bsevern wrote:Mendocino Wine can be excellent....but like anywhere, there's some duds too. Parducci is one of the oldest wineries in Mendocino County, but they have changed hands several times (no longer family owned). I think they tend to be a mass market type wine. Still for $8.50, it sounds like a good deal for a Tuesday night wine. BTW the majority of the old family Mendocino wineries are old school Italians (with some hippies thrown in here and there). The Italians know how to make tasty wine (the hippies, not so much).

Has anyone tried the 2006 William Harrison Estate Cabernet Sauv Rutherford?

I recall some discussion about William Harrison wines, not sure if this was one of them?

I ordered some of the 2006 on invino earlier in the year, and have consumed one bottle. I thought it was fabulous, as did everyone who tasted it. Really wonderful, great nose, etc. Dark berries, tobacco, espresso, etc. highly recommended!

North316 wrote:Not completely true, in the recent past they have had it so that if you make an order you received a code with free shipping for the rest of the month. Those codes have floated around on this thread previously.

Thanks. I missed those. I'll have to pay better attention. I've liked some of the deals I've gotten there, but I still don't like it when they inflate the retail price the way they did on the Harvey 1869.

liverman wrote:I generally like Nahe wines, more terrior oriented than Rhein Hessen or Mosel (in general). I have no personal experience with the winery (Schäfer-Fröhlich), but reading their webiste gives me a feel for their style - aside from the late harvested wines, just about everything is "trocken". Serious winemakers - not Liebfraumilch sody-pop here. This wine is from a classified vineyard. And at six years old it should have matured nicely. I do not see the sugar levels, but it is probably in excess of 45g/L since this wine does not carry any residual sugar designation. The 11g/L of acid will be a good foil for the sweetness.

I'd love to know how these taste when you get 'em home

I think I can learn from you! You have any recommednations for typical wines from each area you mention?

wnance, what do you reckon on the future for the Wm Harrison? Is it a style which will improve with age?

richardhod wrote:I think I can learn from you! You have any recommednations for typical wines from each area you mention?

wnance, what do you reckon on the future for the Wm Harrison? Is it a style which will improve with age?

Hey Richard,

My guess is that the Wm Harrison should age pretty well- i was surpsrised, as the WE review talked about astringency and not being drinkable now, but laying it down, etc., but I didn't find it that way at all. (granted, that review was almost 2 years ago) For me, this was a rare cab that was really drinkable on pop and pour, with a fantastic nose, and then just got better and better with air. I wish I had more, but at $29/bottle it's at the top end of what I typically spend. But a good value at the Invino price.

On another note, what's up with all the aromatic reviews of the 07 Buena Vista Ramal Pinot on CT? The one bottle I tried was fabulous, getting better and better the longer it was open. I don't understand all the "not complex", simple, ok value for $15, etc. what am I missing here?

wnance wrote:Hey Richard,

My guess is that the Wm Harrison should age pretty well- i was surpsrised, as the WE review talked about astringency and not being drinkable now, but laying it down, etc., but I didn't find it that way at all. (granted, that review was almost 2 years ago) For me, this was a rare cab that was really drinkable on pop and pour, with a fantastic nose, and then just got better and better with air. I wish I had more, but at $29/bottle it's at the top end of what I typically spend. But a good value at the Invino price.

On another note, what's up with all the aromatic reviews of the 07 Buena Vista Ramal Pinot on CT? The one bottle I tried was fabulous, getting better and better the longer it was open. I don't understand all the "not complex", simple, ok value for $15, etc. what am I missing here?

I think the thing with Pinot is that there are many different styles - new world, old world, fruit bomb, subtle, complex, terrior driven, and on and on. So many variables, that ones persons ideal pinot may be anothers plonk. Just my guess....either that, of there's a large amount of bottle variety on these. Buena Vista is a big winery, so I tend to think they do make a LOT of wine.

wnance wrote:Hey Richard,

My guess is that the Wm Harrison should age pretty well- i was surpsrised, as the WE review talked about astringency and not being drinkable now, but laying it down, etc., but I didn't find it that way at all. (granted, that review was almost 2 years ago) For me, this was a rare cab that was really drinkable on pop and pour, with a fantastic nose, and then just got better and better with air. I wish I had more, but at $29/bottle it's at the top end of what I typically spend. But a good value at the Invino price.

On another note, what's up with all the aromatic reviews of the 07 Buena Vista Ramal Pinot on CT? The one bottle I tried was fabulous, getting better and better the longer it was open. I don't understand all the "not complex", simple, ok value for $15, etc. what am I missing here?

I think that people tend to confuse teh Buena Vista Ramal Estate Pinot Noir with the regular Buena Vista Pinot Noir. The regular could be described as not complex (though delicious like a good simple Burgundy), but we tasted the 2007 Ramal Estate Pinot Noir on the 2010 Tour. This was a very serious wine. Likewise the 2005 we tasted in 2008. Clearly capable of being the equivalent of a good premier (but not grand) cru Burgundy after 8-10 years. We had a bottle of the 2005 last year and it was still youthful, needing several years to mature fully.

Lot18 has what looks to be a really nice deal on a Schott Zweisel decanter and drying stand combo for 54.99. Not sure I need another decanter, but I do need another drying stand, so I'm tempted to get this combo:

http://www.lot18.com/product/2071/schott-zwiesel-diva-decanter-and-drying-stand

rpm wrote:we tasted the 2007 Ramal Estate Pinot Noir on the 2010 Tour. This was a very serious wine.

Was it the Ramal or the Ramal Swan Clones that we tasted that day?

rpm wrote:I think that people tend to confuse teh Buena Vista Ramal Estate Pinot Noir with the regular Buena Vista Pinot Noir. The regular could be described as not complex (though delicious like a good simple Burgundy), but we tasted the 2007 Ramal Estate Pinot Noir on the 2010 Tour. This was a very serious wine. Likewise the 2005 we tasted in 2008. Clearly capable of being the equivalent of a good premier (but not grand) cru Burgundy after 8-10 years. We had a bottle of the 2005 last year and it was still youthful, needing several years to mature fully.

That's very interesting. I thought the 07 I drank was very approachable now, and perhaps it will get better and better with age. The nose right after pouring in the decanter was seriously funky, like major barnyard funk. But after being open for 30 min or so it really started to shine.

That said, I picked up a five 05 Ramal clone 828 bottles form a shop when I was traveling (the owner cleared them out at my request for $15/bottle) one had a bad cork (these weren't stelvin) and the one we did drink seemed very tight and never opened up, so may need even more time than the 07's I've got.

liverman wrote:I generally like Nahe wines, more terrior oriented than Rhein Hessen or Mosel (in general). I have no personal experience with the winery (Schäfer-Fröhlich), but reading their webiste gives me a feel for their style - aside from the late harvested wines, just about everything is "trocken". Serious winemakers - not Liebfraumilch sody-pop here. This wine is from a classified vineyard. And at six years old it should have matured nicely. I do not see the sugar levels, but it is probably in excess of 45g/L since this wine does not carry any residual sugar designation. The 11g/L of acid will be a good foil for the sweetness.

I'd love to know how these taste when you get 'em home

I will let you know. I completely agree agree with you about the Nahe region. I have a few bottles of 2007 Zimmermann-Graeff Munster - Sarmsheimer Schlobkapelle Kabinett that is at its peak right now. My wife loves it, but we can't get it here. It is incredibly inexpensive over in Germany and she always has our friends bring back a bottle when they come to visit.

rjquillin wrote:Seems we've had some great finds lately, the Buena Vista and the TJ's Quixote. WineShopper has an $8.50 2010 Parducci PN up that's got limited CT in the 90's. $12 on the Parducci site with notes Sounds rather NW, drink-now, but wondering if anyone his any history with Mendocino Wine...

You can still get the 07 Buena Vista PN Ramal for 14.99 at wine.com. And of you have the steward program, free shipping.

bkarlan wrote:I will let you know. I completely agree agree with you about the Nahe region. I have a few bottles of 2007 Zimmermann-Graeff Munster - Sarmsheimer Schlobkapelle Kabinett that is at its peak right now. My wife loves it, but we can't get it here. It is incredibly inexpensive over in Germany and she always has our friends bring back a bottle when they come to visit.

stop that... it' 3am and I'm thirsty now!
;-)

mother wrote:Was it the Ramal or the Ramal Swan Clones that we tasted that day?

Both, along with the 03. Most people I spoke to about it agreed the Ramal had more depth than the Swan clones Ramal, but both good. Yet neither a patch on the 03, which winemaker Jeff said (this was July 2010) was only just starting to come ito its own.

I tried the 05 Ramal recently, of which I have a lot of bottles, and it's in a difficult patch. Pupating, I hope. that 03 was outstanding.

I'm not a fan of the white label version of the Buena Vista, but the Chard is amazing value, and some good restaurants have it, uincluding the 1960s Enterprise-like restaurant in the middle of LAX. Looking like a spaceship on high stilts. which is very hard to get to, but very worth it!

From their timing, the negative views will be from people who did pick up the Ramal on heavy discount online, popped and poured, and didn't know what to look for. Possibly wanting a Cab-like 16% alcohol cola-bomb experience.

wnance wrote:That's very interesting. I thought the 07 I drank was very approachable now, and perhaps it will get better and better with age. The nose right after pouring in the decanter was seriously funky, like major barnyard funk. But after being open for 30 min or so it really started to shine.

That said, I picked up a five 05 Ramal clone 828 bottles form a shop when I was traveling (the owner cleared them out at my request for $15/bottle) one had a bad cork (these weren't stelvin) and the one we did drink seemed very tight and never opened up, so may need even more time than the 07's I've got.

The Swan is definitely more approachable now I've tastd the 07s twice in the past year at the winery when going to pick up a case. Yes, damn, cheaper for the 07 Ramal to wait, but how would we know?
I'm just hoping the main Ramal clone blend (with Pommard, Dijon and others to balance it) going to age like the 03, which would be perfect! pH is higher than I realised at just over 3.6, but I trust rpm's palate, and my memory!
Love to try that 828 in 5 years! I'll swap one for one of my cellared 05s if you like, which should be ready sooner

For some I know have sipped Schug Carneros Estate Winery before, up now on RLL.

anyone with any knowledge of the 2007 Louis Latour Corton Grand Cru on wtso right now? wine-searcher says $45 and they are offering at %25off at about $33 shipped... good qpr?

cheval de andes 2001 on wtso...
haven't seen a wine with such high marks on ct for sale in a while...

sukeiasa wrote:cheval de andes 2001 on wtso...
haven't seen a wine with such high marks on ct for sale in a while...

WTSO? I think you meant Last Bottle.

I haven't checked this thread for a while and missed out on the Lance & Windmill from TJs. If anyone in the LA area overpurchased let me know!

time2testit wrote:I haven't checked this thread for a while and missed out on the Lance & Windmill from TJs. If anyone in the LA area overpurchased let me know!

Still in at least three TJ's in San Diego.
Call around.

Speaking of WTSO, for a cheapie this looks pretty good:


2009 Bodegas Los Aljibes Vina Aljibes Tinto Rojo

Blend of 38% Petit Verdot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 24% Tempranillo
COUNTRY: Spain
REGION: Castilla Leon
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 13.00 %

90 points from both WE & WS...and only $9.99!

yea, you're right, my bad.

sukeiasa wrote:cheval de andes 2001 on wtso...
haven't seen a wine with such high marks on ct for sale in a while...

Looked at it too -- but am a bit concerned about the drinking window, says 2010 on CT - know it is not an exact science - anyone see a different estimate?

angryprez wrote:Looked at it too -- but am a bit concerned about the drinking window, says 2010 on CT - know it is not an exact science - anyone see a different estimate?

saw that... and one of the reviews said that WS said window is from 04-07, but the 2 reviews in march 2012 both said that the bottle is drinking well right now. i ended up buying some as pop and pour bottles instead of more wines to take up space and grow old with...

richardhod wrote:I think I can learn from you! You have any recommednations for typical wines from each area you mention?

Wow that's a nice compliment. I drank a lot of German wine when I lived in Germany many years ago. I have little access to good German wines where I live now. I can only find the "liebfraumilch" style in the local shops. So my knowledge is a bit dated and is not vintner-specific. I've shunned online wine purchase sin the past because of high shipping costs. Woot, Last Bottle, WTSO and others are now opening my eyes to the possibility of acquiring decent German wines as a fair price.

It still seems to be the case that the good wines are consumed in Germany and any good wines that find their way to export are quite pricey. I got spoiled by being able to pick up a decent bottle of dry Riesling with decent fruit and minerality from the local grocery store in Munich. Any QbA wine would be decent - no self-respecting producer would put their QbA label on plonk - it was sold as Tafelwein if it was a bad year. Kinda like buyin' local BBQ in Texas - you don't stay in business long if yer brisket is tough ;-) Even chains don't survive long if they don't do it right ;-)