updated-pdated details, schmetails:

THEME: Goes w/ Steak OR Big & Bold (Take Your Pick)
DATE: 6/8 3 PM
HOST: Tango Sur (3763 N. Southport Ave., 773-477-5466)

ATTENDEES LIST (so far):

CONFIRMED
themostrighteous - 2002 d'Arenberg Riesling The Noble + 2004 d'Arenberg d'Arry's Original (unless hardground confirms that he is coming & decides to bring this bottle in which case i'll bring something else instead)
tommythecat78 (+1 or 2?) - TBD BOTTLE(S)
ashecorvin (subject to what The Man has to say about it) - TBD BOTTLE
crusaderRabbit - 2003 Wellington Cuvee R Syrah OR 2005 Iron Horse Cab Franc
Imagine4vr - TBD Wellington Cab Sauv
thepatch (+1) - 2003 Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz + 2006(?) Edmeades Zinfadel
craiggery (+1 or 2?) - 2005 Sterling Vineyards Cab Sauv OR 2004 Helix Pomatia

MAYBE
mr flippy
foobarkski (+1)
hardground
richc7
Walstib (+1)

NO CAN DO-EY
lauratchi + Joel
joekerjr
ianchudson

if you are planning on attending but haven't posted here yet, then PLEASE CONFIRM ASAP. if you have posted here but haven't indicated what wine(s) you are bringing, then PLEASE CONFIRM ASAP. now to answer several questions that are out there:

1. we have eight confirmed attendees as of right now. that is close enough to the ten minimum required for the reservation such that i feel comfortable holding it. there is technically no maximum - Tango Sur is not particularly busy Sunday mid-afternoon when the Cubs are on the road -, so the more the merrier (hear that craiggery?). but please observe the one bottle per person minimum.

2. like many true traditional BYOBs, Tango Sur has no real stems or decanters to speak of, so here is what i would suggest in that regard:
- please bring you own stems if you have them. if you do not, then please let me know, and i'd be happy to lend you one of these on a first come, first served basis (i own eight).
- please do NOT bring your own decanters, as they can quickly overpower what little table space we will otherwise have available (one of the disadvantages of having a tasting in a restaurant). instead, i would strongly recommend that you either decant your wine in advance & rebottle it OR uncork it (likely mid to late Sunday morning) & let it breathe until it's time to head to Tango Sur, your call. if you need any pointers on whether & how long to decant / breathe, then please post your queries here, and we will try to collectively give you our views.

3. i will try to remember to bring along solid plastic cups for those of us planning on swishin' & spittin'. don't know how w/out spittin' all over yourself?!? no worries, mates, i will be more than happy to provide a demonstration (though no guarantees that i won't spit all over myself)! which reminds me: dress however you like, but i would suggest to you that white may not be the best choice for a (mostly) red wine tasting!

did i forget to address anything?

MAN, OH MAN, AM I GETTING EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!

I will know tomorrow for sure how many (if any) people I will be bringing. As far as wine goes I'm not sure what I will be bringing. I am going to my local wine store on Friday to see if they have either the Twisted Oak PS or the Dry Creek PS mostly because I can't wait to try them.

tommythecat78 wrote:I will know tomorrow for sure how many (if any) people I will be bringing. As far as wine goes I'm not sure what I will be bringing. I am going to my local wine store on Friday to see if they have either the Twisted Oak PS or the Dry Creek PS mostly because I can't wait to try them.

dude, would that that were so, but i couldn't find either locally on wine-searcher.com. which doesn't mean that your local wine store does not have them (wine-searcher is not fool proof) but it is VERY unlikely. if you want to bring a PS AND you haven't tried it yet, you should consider the 2005 Concannon Limited Release PS - it is broadly available & a killer entry into the world of PS. good hunting!!!

my roommates have both confirmed..whether they decide to change their minds is yet to be determined. however, that does mean that i will for sure be bringing 3 bottles...so, the helix pomatia and the sterling are certains and i will look for a third.
i dont have a decanter YET (i have been meaning to pick up the one from WW) so how long can i open these two bottle to let them air a bit prior to CWWT #3?
also, we're covered for stemware. looking forward to meeting everyone and hopefully forming some good friendships over some nice bottles of wine

craiggery wrote:my roommates have both confirmed..whether they decide to change their minds is yet to be determined. however, that does mean that i will for sure be bringing 3 bottles...so, the helix pomatia and the sterling are certains and i will look for a third.
i dont have a decanter YET (i have been meaning to pick up the one from WW) so how long can i open these two bottle to let them air a bit prior to CWWT #3?
also, we're covered for stemware. looking forward to meeting everyone and hopefully forming some good friendships over some nice bottles of wine

NICE!

let's see.

1. IIRC, the Pomatia is almost ready to drink right out of the bottle, so i would pop it open to let it breathe just a couple of hours before heading out to Tango Sur. that may seem like a long time given my "ready to drink" description, but please remember that the wine surface area that will be exposed to air when letting it breathe is minuscule (about the size of a quarter) v. that which would be exposed if you were to aerate it in a decanter.
2. i checked CT & WS notes on the Sterling Cab Sauv. not much there of help other than a couple of mentions of chewy tannins. my best guesstimate would be to pop it open about 4-5 hours prior to heading out to Tango Sur.

hope that helps. if anybody else has a different view, by all means post it!

I should be able to give you a definite answer tomorrow night with the possibility of two others tagging along. As for what I was going to bring, I was thinking about a 2006 Seghesio zinfandel and not sure what else if other people tag along.

delete

richc7 wrote:I should be able to give you a definite answer tomorrow night with the possibility of two others tagging along. As for what I was going to bring, I was thinking about a 2006 Seghesio zinfandel and not sure what else if other people tag along.

EXCELLENT!

jkwest wrote:delete

but why?!? we'd rather you join us. fur realz!

I'll carefully decant and I'm guessing rinse the Penfold's bottle earlier in the day as I'm betting they'll be sediment. I think the Edmeades will be opened a couple hours before coming down.

Good idea on the stems, we'll be bringing some Reidel restaurant glasses, standard issue. I don't think the big ones will survive the travel down.

I assume Tango Sur won't have any issues with us bringing in already open bottles, right?

thepatch wrote:I assume Tango Sur won't have any issues with us bringing in already open bottles, right?

i don't think it will be a problem. when i was last there w/ Loweeel for our pre-CWWT#2 mini D&D (you get a prize if you can follow that!), the staff pretty much left as alone as far as the wine was concerned, ie we popped & poured ourselves. so we should be fine.

thepatch wrote:I'll carefully decant and I'm guessing rinse the Penfold's bottle earlier in the day as I'm betting they'll be sediment. I think the Edmeades will be opened a couple hours before coming down.

Good idea on the stems, we'll be bringing some Reidel restaurant glasses, standard issue. I don't think the big ones will survive the travel down.

I assume Tango Sur won't have any issues with us bringing in already open bottles, right?

I wouldn't rinse the bottle, unless you completely let it dry first. We learned at CWWT#2 from Justin that even the little bit of water can break down some of the wine. Better we just poor carefully

First off...getting HELLA excited. 2nd I HATE flaky people...still undecided on my guests...only response I can get is a solid maybe for +1. As far as wine goes I am checking the thread regularly and I will make sure not to bring anything someone else is bringing. Sorry for the delay in being able to give you a straight answer, but I will definitely know for sure by Friday if thats not to late.

Also, looking at the metromix page for Tango Sur says reservations accepted for 6 or more. I can't remember if Southport is one way or not...better to approach from Irving Park Rd. or Addison?

tommythecat78 wrote:Also, looking at the metromix page for Tango Sur says reservations accepted for 6 or more. I can't remember if Southport is one way or not...better to approach from Irving Park Rd. or Addison?

it's a 2 way street.

Imagine4vr wrote:it's a 2 way street.

Cool..thanks...did I mention I'm getting excited!!!

Open bottle time (no decanter) suggestions for the 05 Iron Horse CF (I'm leaning that way right now).

Also, I don't have stemware - will appreciate a loaner.

I'm pumped !!

crusaderRabbit wrote:Open bottle time (no decanter) suggestions for the 05 Iron Horse CF (I'm leaning that way right now).

Also, I don't have stemware - will appreciate a loaner.

I'm pumped !!

haven't experienced it yet, but judging from the few CT notes that refer to aeration, i would let it breathe for at least 2 or (better yet) 3 hours.

i will be happy to bring you a stem. ANYBODY ELSE NEED A LOANER? you don't ask, you don't get - and you most certainly don't complain!

Loaner?? Depends...I have some crappy target stems. Anyone have personal experience as to the difference in taste with crappy or good stems? I have 4 to add if anyone needs one as well and doesn't mind crappy glasses.

tommythecat78 wrote:Loaner?? (1) Depends...I have some crappy target stems. Anyone have personal experience as to the difference in taste with crappy or good stems? (2)

(1) well, yes, you can't keep my stems!
(2) crappy stems can really impact your ability to perceive aromas which in turn can really impact your ability to taste. let me know if you want me to bring you one of the all-purpose red stems that i linked above (i still have 7 to share at this point). your call.

looking forward to meeting you all in less than 72 hours!!!

did i mention that i'm expecting a little surprise from our good friends at W.W to arrive tomorrow by FedEx?!?

themostrighteous wrote:(1) well, yes, you can't keep my stems!
(2) crappy stems can really impact your ability to perceive aromas which in turn can really impact your ability to taste. let me know if you want me to bring you one of the all-purpose red stems that i linked above (i still have 7 to share at this point). your call.

looking forward to meeting you all in less than 72 hours!!!

did i mention that i'm expecting a little surprise from our good friends at W.W to arrive tomorrow by FedEx?!?

Yeah, a loaner would be appreciated. Also I found the Twisted Oak PS at Lush Wine and Spirits on Halsted in the south loop. I will be picking that up and bringing it on Sunday. As far as guests, unless something changes from now until Sunday I will be +0. People piss me off.

tommythecat78 wrote:Yeah, a loaner would be appreciated. Also I found the Twisted Oak PS at Lush Wine and Spirits on Halsted in the south loop. I will be picking that up and bringing it on Sunday. As far as guests, unless something changes from now until Sunday I will be +0. People piss me off.

i'll bring a loaner for you. and what a SCORE on the TO PS! that's awesome. if it's like most PS, it'll need at least 2 hours of aerating in a decanter to fully bloom, so please consider that. as for your lack of guests, think of it this way: more TO PS for us!

themostrighteous wrote:i'll bring a loaner for you. and what a SCORE on the TO PS! that's awesome. if it's like most PS, it'll need at least 2 hours of aerating in a decanter to fully bloom, so please consider that. as for your lack of guests, think of it this way: more TO PS for us!

DAMN RIGHT!!

themostrighteous wrote:did i mention that i'm expecting a little surprise from our good friends at W.W to arrive tomorrow by FedEx?!?

well, boys & girls, feast your eyes upon a thing of incomparable beauty...



CAN YOU SPELL WINE.WOOT CELLARS WANNABE RED?!? WOOT!!! TO WD & THE GANG I SAY: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

Oh man, now it pains me a bit more to say this now that I've seen the mystery bottle, but I can't get a firm committal from my guests so go ahead and count me out for the time being :/

themostrighteous wrote:well, boys & girls, feast your eyes upon a thing of incomparable beauty...

CAN YOU SPELL WINE.WOOT CELLARS WANNABE RED?!? WOOT!!! TO WD & THE GANG I SAY: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

Thank you WineDavid!! This is a Chicago first, sampling a wannabe red. I'm even more excited now.

And I'm bringing from Wellington Vineyards, the
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Handal-Denier Vineyard

and maybe something else, I haven't quite decided.

richc7 wrote:Oh man, now it pains me a bit more to say this now that I've seen the mystery bottle, but I can't get a firm committal from my guests so go ahead and count me out for the time being :/

which explains why your guests can't make it... but not why you can't! hope to meet you at a future CWWT.

Imagine4vr wrote:Thank you WineDavid!! This is a Chicago first, sampling a wannabe red. I'm even more excited now.

And I'm bringing from Wellington Vineyards, the
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Handal-Denier Vineyard

and maybe something else, I haven't quite decided.

ditto on your sentiments & noted on the vino!

Many Thank You's WD...that is really awesome!!!
I picked up an '04 Bordeux to go along with my Twisted Oak PS...so those are the two that I am bringing. REALLY REALLY REALLY can't wait!!!

tommythecat78 wrote:Many Thank You's WD...that is really awesome!!!
I picked up an '04 Bordeux to go along with my Twisted Oak PS...so those are the two that I am bringing. REALLY REALLY REALLY can't wait!!!

nice. what wine in particular did you pick up? i need it for the public CT list of the wines that we are having that i will set up over the next couple of days.

themostrighteous wrote:nice. what wine in particular did you pick up? i need it for the public CT list of the wines that we are having that i will set up over the next couple of days.

'04 Chateau Rozier Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

tommythecat78 wrote:'04 Chateau Rozier Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

very nice. a Right Banker to add to our line-up. i googled it just out of curiousity, and i came up w/ this blog review. "Full Bodied: Two hot fat chicks on wine and other good things in life." how can you beat a blog name like that one?!?

themostrighteous wrote:very nice. a Right Banker to add to our line-up. i googled it just out of curiousity, and i came up w/ this blog review. "Full Bodied: Two hot fat chicks on wine and other good things in life." how can you beat a blog name like that one?!?

That is excellent! I really need to finish reading things before I let my brain dwell on things...I read the citrus notes and was like...in a red wine???...then I read the next sentence. Ahh the joys of no sleep.

Ok, well perhaps I should have waited a bit. It looks like it'll be me +2. I'll bring the Seghesio zin and I guess leave it as a surprise for the other 2 bottles we'll bring

And just to be clear, I assume separate checks?

richc7 wrote:Ok, well perhaps I should have waited a bit. It looks like it'll be me +2. I'll bring the Seghesio zin and I guess leave it as a surprise for the other 2 bottles we'll bring

And just to be clear, I assume separate checks?

come on, admit it: it was the wine.woot wannabe red that clinched it for ya, wasn't it?!? COOLNESS! the more the merrier!

ATTENTION EVERYONE ATTENDING CWWT#3:
as for separate checks, i just checked w/ Tango Sur, and (1) they will not do separate checks for our group & (2) they will allow a maximum of 4 credit cards per bill. so, in the interest of keeping things simple, PLEASE BRING CASH. the total should NOT exceed $30 or so per person.

richc7 - thanks for asking this question; i'm more than a little embarrassed that i didn't think of it before.

themostrighteous wrote:come on, admit it: it was the wine.woot wannabe red that clinched it for ya, wasn't it?!? COOLNESS! the more the merrier!

ATTENTION EVERYONE ATTENDING CWWT#3:
as for separate checks, i just checked w/ Tango Sur, and (1) they will not do separate checks for our group & (2) they will allow a maximum of 4 credit cards per bill. so, in the interest of keeping things simple, PLEASE BRING CASH. the total should NOT exceed $30 or so per person.

richc7 - thanks for asking this question; i'm more than a little embarrassed that i didn't think of it before.

Very good to know...I rarely carry much cash so I'm glad this was brought up.

I'd love to come but I will be at the blues fest unless it rains.

We had a Wine Library dinner there. One thing I can say- don;t bring white wine. If you go and don't eat red meat you will be disappointed.

We made it a South Am red night, with one French extra ringer:
http://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=4121

Another guy's notes:
http://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=4134

subinsignia wrote:I'd love to come but I will be at the blues fest unless it rains.

We had a Wine Library dinner there. One thing I can say- don;t bring white wine. If you go and don't eat red meat you will be disappointed.

We made it a South Am red night, with one French extra ringer:
http://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=4121

Another guy's notes:
http://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=4134

hiya, Steve, we missed you at Kdawg's Bordeaux shindig!!!

thanks for the tip (and the notes). we'll be having a reds only line-up, w/ the sole exception being the 2002 d'Arenberg Riesling The Noble, which i paired up w/ steak at GV's suggestion (don't recall the episode) & wow does it pair nicely! if it DOES rain at Blues Fest, come on by, wet clothes 'n' all!

Well I just got off the phone with my "maybe" person and now they are leaning toward going 'cuz they will be in the city anyway. Is it really that hard to give a definitive answer?

My "maybe" just confirmed that he will be coming out tomorrow. So it will be a +1 for me. And an extra glass as well if thats cool TMR.