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NEVERENDING ♾️ The Richmond Jake's NEVERENDING Wine Thread

Goes to show you a guy with a broken bird finger can still hold and drink a glass of wine. It just takes determination.
(Ignore the Michigan State Police sweatshirt. Long story.)

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As I watch the IU - Kentucky game (what happened to the IU program?), I'm sipping on a 2005 Tin Roof, cabernet sauvignon. Short and light on the palate but offers a pleasant aroma and flavor. Probably worth a second try. Anybody else try this one?
 
Tonight's birthday dinner wine: 1993, Diamond Creek, Gravelly Meadow, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon. Don't bother looking for this, you won't find it.
On the list of the top 5 wines I've every drunk. This is a sexy wine.

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RichmondJake said:
Tonight's birthday dinner wine: 1993, Diamond Creek, Gravelly Meadow, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon. Don't bother looking for this, you won't find it.
On the list of the top 5 wines I've every drunk. This is a sexy wine.

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It was good but RJ got the sexier holiday glass.:r: I'm still waiting for something else sexy to happen.:-$:a:
 
Here's our take on our last visit to the Napa Valley: Don't go unless you expect to pay too much for wine tasting with little return on investment. The wineries we visited were charging between $12 and $25 to taste four to six wines. We shared each time. That's cost prohibitive. My recommendation is to stay in Sonoma County if you intend to wine taste. But go to Napa for the views--especially the Silverado Trail on the east side of the valley. The place can't be beat.
 
Icewine from donk

I opened the first bottle from my Secret Santa. A 2006 icewine by Inniskillin.
Tasting notes: medium to dark golden color; long legs on the glass; languishes long on the palate; high sugars, very sweet; lots of ripe citrus and apple flavors. Great dessert wine.

Recommended.
 
RichmondJake said:
I opened the first bottle from my Secret Santa. A 2006 icewine by Inniskillin.
Tasting notes: medium to dark golden color; long legs on the glass; languishes long on the palate; high sugars, very sweet; lots of ripe citrus and apple flavors. Great dessert wine.

Recommended.
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That is probably the better of the 2.

The other bottle has brandy mixed with it to keep it affordable.
 
I had a pretty good wine yesterday, a 2006 Borsao - Vina Borgia. I really am beginning to like Spanish wines more and more. Something about the depth is really hitting me right. It is Grenache from the Campo de Borja.

For about $7 it was a steal. The dry soil can be tasted in the deep raspberry tones and spice. It is constantly moving too. Drank it at dinner and it was different after dinner. I would say that it is a "drink now" wine, as I don't think it will be getting more complex (and it has a synthetic cork), but otherwise really quite good.
 
AlexJake (my eldest son) just called me. He's up in Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County wine tasting with his girlfriend. The damn kid is out there dropping my name at wineries and getting free tasting and discounts on wine purchases.

Yes, I'm envious.
 
So I think that I will be posting in this thread a bit more now that the wife has popped the baby out and can drink with me again.

I bought Wine by Joe- Pinot Gris 2006 yesterday on the advice of my wine guy. The name sounded fun and I do enjoy a good Pinot Gris. It is an Oregon winery that I guess is pretty popular (I have never heard of it)? I don't really get what all the fuss is about. I get all the regular stuff, green apples, vanilla and a decent amount of acidity, but really nothing that makes you go wow.

I would say for $14 you can do better. Anyone had better luck with "Wine by Joe"?
 
Maister said:
Okay, I hafta ask....would using a synthetic cork prevent a wine from becoming more complex?
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Very good question. The point of corkage (natural or synthetic), or any type of capping (including screw tops), is to keep oxygen away from the wine to prevent...oxidation!!! IMHO, how the wine is finished makes no difference in how the wine ages. There are some very expensive, high quality wines, from very reputable wineries that are on the market at this this time that are finished with screw tops. In fact, when ZG were out in Napa recently, one of the better wines we drank had a screw top.

It makes no difference except in the eyes of the consumer who view screw tops as "cheap". Their loss.
 
RichmondJake said:
It makes no difference except in the eyes of the consumer who view screw tops as "cheap". Their loss.
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I agree with you totally, but I don't think that a "decent" wine with a synthetic cork is as good as one with a natural cork. If you are planning on drinking the wine today, it does not matter. But for a "decent" wine, a natural cork will allow it to age with grace.

I don't have a problem with synthetic or screw cap personally; there are too many good wines to name with both, but I do think that a decent wine can get more complex as well. Will a $7 bottle get better, probably not, but a fair $15 bottle might.

And to answer Maister's question: yes synthetic corks will age a wine MUCH faster as they have been shown to allow more oxygen into the bottle over time than natural cork. This cannot be said for screwcap, which keeps oxygen out for longer. I agree that if you want to age a wine for a long time, a screwcap is probably the best way to age it.
 
i think i need to invest in a wine rack. we keep hosting parties and have very generous friends who keep bringing us wine. the problem is we don't drink wine. so while we open a bottle or two at parties the amount coming in does not equal the amount consumed.

i suppose we could host a wine & cheese party just to get rid of some of the wine.

the latest party we netted 5 bottles of wine and 1 bottle of mead.
 
dandy_warhol said:
i suppose we could host a wine & cheese party just to get rid of some of the wine.
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What time?

dandy_warhol said:
the latest party we netted 5 bottles of wine and 1 bottle of mead.
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Mead? I've made a few batches of mead in my day. It's difficult to come by that stuff (can't just buy it at 'the store' around here - pretty much have to order it at the local gourmet shop) so I usually end up making it. It helps having connections with local apiaries too.

Should ask Richi if he likes mead.
 
dandy_warhol said:
......we...have very generous friends who keep bringing us wine. the problem is we don't drink wine......
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You need my mailing address? :p :-o ;)



Last night we drank a 1999, St. Clement, Napa Valley, Oroppas (their proprietary name for a blend of red grapes), with bbq'd filet mignon. Very good.
 
RichmondJake said:
Here's our take on our last visit to the Napa Valley: Don't go unless you expect to pay too much for wine tasting with little return on investment. The wineries we visited were charging between $12 and $25 to taste four to six wines. We shared each time. That's cost prohibitive. My recommendation is to stay in Sonoma County if you intend to wine taste. But go to Napa for the views--especially the Silverado Trail on the east side of the valley. The place can't be beat.
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Oregon has free wine tasting! :)
 
Maister said:
What time?
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the 27th at 7pm.


Mead? I've made a few batches of mead in my day. It's difficult to come by that stuff (can't just buy it at 'the store' around here - pretty much have to order it at the local gourmet shop) so I usually end up making it.
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i believe the bottle said it was Cranberry Mead. that sounds interesting, I might have to try it.

giff57 said:
Like this one? http://www.thebeerbelly.com/winerack.asp

;-)
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if i got one of those i think i'd end up looking like that "actress" from RJ's photo. :-$;-)

RichmondJake said:
You need my mailing address? :p :-o ;)
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trust me, i've thought about it. but i don't know if any of the wine we have is very good. i don't want to send you some cruddy wine.

i have realized that Yellow Tail seems to be the wine gift-of-choice.
 
Maybe this should go under the confessions thread I don't have a clue about wine, and most of this thread is way over my head. Have said this, I *love* wine. Mostly white, some sweeter reds. I just don't know much about the details.
 
dandy_warhol said:
trust me, i've thought about it. but i don't know if any of the wine we have is very good. i don't want to send you some cruddy wine.

i have realized that Yellow Tail seems to be the wine gift-of-choice.
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Haw about my address? Hubby and I drink wine, too! :-D

Yellow Tail - what specificly? Their Shiraz is pretty good - according to my red wine drinking Hubby - but their whites are a bit blah.
 
SW MI Planner said:
Maybe this should go under the confessions thread I don't have a clue about wine, and most of this thread is way over my head. Have said this, I *love* wine. Mostly white, some sweeter reds. I just don't know much about the details.
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That is the best part about wine. I started out as a white zin drinker, worked my way to whites, and then worked my way around reds. I think wine is a lot like life: you can do what you want with it, you are always right, and in the end if it makes you feel good do it:)

I think the details only enhance wine for me. Knowing how the wine was made is fun and understanding why the wine is good for my palette allows me to drink more wine that I like, or at least be able to guess whether I will like it or not.

We should start a Cyburbia wine of the month club. Wines in certain price ranges are bought and shipped to people every month or so. Hmm this could be good:) Although shipping wine to some states is almost impossible. So if you live in one of those states I guess you have to go across the border to get your wine. We will set up a PO Box for all of you :)
 
I had a bottle of Yellow Tail Shiraz "Reserve" at a fine hotel in El Paso last weekend, cost $27.00................same wine at the local 7-11................$6.99.............but no "Reserve" on it.............does that make it better? It was pretty good..............
 
johnelsden said:
I had a bottle of Yellow Tail Shiraz "Reserve" at a fine hotel in El Paso last weekend, cost $27.00................same wine at the local 7-11................$6.99.............but no "Reserve" on it.............does that make it better? It was pretty good..............
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Yes, a bit. I would guess you had the 2005/2006/2007 Reserve, which would retail around $14. The reserve is the better brand by Yellow Tail which picks its grapes more carefully. Yellow Tail is known for being a better "mass" brand, so I would imagine the gap isn't all that big. I have not tried the Shiraz reserve though, only the Merlot reserve, which was better than the merlot.
 
Penfolds shiraz-cabernet. One of my favorite reds right now... and reasonable too (unless you buy it in Aspen...:r:)

My wife is loving the Smoking Loon whites, particularly the Sauvignon Blanc.
 
Hink_Planner said:
.....yes synthetic corks will age a wine MUCH faster as they have been shown to allow more oxygen into the bottle over time than natural cork.....
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How did I miss this comment? I've always been taught that oxygen is the mortal enemy of wine in the bottle. Here's a test you can perform at home: open a bottle, pour a glass, re-cork the bottle, and leave the poured glass of wine uncovered for 24-hours on your counter. The next day, pour a second glass for the bottle. Taste the two and compare. You be the judge. I rest my case.

Unless convinced otherwise by reputable sources, I will defer to the winery owners and wine makers that I have spoken to concerning this topic. Again, oxygen is the mortal enemy of wine.
 
RichmondJake said:
How did I miss this comment? I've always been taught that oxygen is the mortal enemy of wine in the bottle. Here's a test you can perform at home: open a bottle, pour a glass, re-cork the bottle, and leave the poured glass of wine uncovered for 24-hours on your counter. The next day, pour a second glass for the bottle. Taste the two and compare. You be the judge. I rest my case.

Unless convinced otherwise by reputable sources, I will defer to the winery owners and wine makers that I have spoken to concerning this topic. Again, oxygen is the mortal enemy of wine.
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Yes, my point exactly. I am not disagreeing with you on that. Oxygen causes the wine to age. Temperature causes the wine to age. UV light causes the wine to age. Wine loss, caused by faulty corks and humidity cause a wine to age. If you put a bottle of wine in a vacuum at 55 degrees, the wine would probably taste similar to what it does today in 10 years. I do not know any wine makers or wine owners who have built themselves a vacuum. Why is this? (Other than the pure inability and cost of doing it....)

Aging is what makes the wine more complex. Oxygen, temperature, humidity are part of that equation.

While synthetic corks may help a wine not evaporate, it does nothing to stop oxydation. It has been shown that synthetic corks actually let in MORE oxygen than natural corks over time.

Aging is not for every wine. But for those wines that have the right stuff, I would bottle them with a natural cork. Again, for the short term, I have no issues with synthetic or screwcap. There are plenty of good wines with each enclosure. But for aging, natural cork is best.

What I said was that if you want to keep a bottle of wine longer use a natural cork. Maiser asked if a wine would get more complex with a synthetic cork. My answer still stands and is supported by most enologists. The wine will age faster- go bad faster- and not last as long with a synthetic cork. Therefore the wine will not have the opportunity to get more complex. Sure it might get more complex than it was originally, but studies have shown that synthetic corks are not as good at aging (and therefore making wine more complex) than natural corks.

I rest my case :) :p

Also a good read by some scientist guy, about aging wine.
Here

I am not sure why you thought I didn't agree with you that oxygen is bad for wine? I just was comparing the synthetic cork to the natural cork. :-$
 
I just bought two great bottles --

I usually buy wine by picking out labels I like...it's a fun and random way to enjoy the fruit of the vine...

I just bought a bottle of chardonnay that had a big chicken on it -- and it was great stuff.

Also bought a bottle of pinot grigio (sp?) that had three moose on it and they were wearing sunglasses -- it too was a great bottle of wine...
 
AnvilP, please tell me you're pulling our legs. :-c



Last night, we drank a 2005, petite sirah, old vine, Lodi (CA) by Trinitas. I know, Lodi is not the hot bed where you'd expect some good wines. But it wasn't bad. I recommend it.
 
saw another cool label at the grocery store last night

I think I'm going to try it...it's a chardonnay and has 5 surfboards on the beach -- looks cool...it'd go well with the Big Chicken chardonnay label and the 3 Moose label.

I saw a cool label a while back I've been looking for again...it was called Cardinal Zen...and it had a cool cartoon of a catholic cardinal, done in the style that the cartoonist did Bill The Cat in Opus...

It's hard to find cool wine lables AND good wine under $9 a bottle, but that's been my challenge! It's turning into a fun hobby...

By the way, I lived just south of Lodi a couple of years ago, back when they arrested that terrorist cell there...Big news in Stockton...anyway, I lived really close to te Delicatto winery, they process grapes for some 30 vintners there...

RES
 
luckless pedestrian said:
Ravenswood makes a good Lodi - hard to find up here, i had it at their vineyard a few years ago...
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Sweetie, you're going to have to do a little better than that. Here, take my hand and walk this way: see the map? Lodi is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California and not a wine varietal. I'm assuming you left out the term "zinfandel." If that's the case, I agree. Ravenswood produces some good "zinfandels" that happen to be made in Lodi. ;) :D


For your edification:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lodi,_California
 
for RJ, I think I'll be cracking a bottle of rare duckhorn I've been saving in the next few days. 2004 rector creek block 8.

I only hope it has not gone bad. I have been pretty careful about storing it since I got it on my trip to napa.

I'll let you khow it is, I'll probably compare it to a 2004 duckhorn merlot to see if their is a difference in flavour.
 
donk - I'm assuming the Rector Creek is also a merlot. As a 2004, the wine should not have experienced any deterioration provided there were no extremes in temperatures over a short period of time and the wine stayed on the cork.

I'm interested to hear your review as I have not tasted that wine.



EDIT: I received a shipment from Dry Creek Vineyard and The Bottle Barn today. Two bottles of red from each. On-line reviews look good especially the zins from Dry Creek.

EDIT 2: You wine buyers in San Francisco: there is a great retailer south of Market. I can't remember its name. It's either on Harrison or Mission. I forget. Up near the Financial District. I helped pay their electric bills for awhile. Best selection and prices ever.
 
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AnvilPartners, if this is the wine with the label done by ralph steadman, I would be willing to send you some cash to mail me the empty bottle if the label is in good shape.

RJ, sorry to raise your hopes, it looks like the bottle is going back into storage. :(
 
Cardinal Zin

I have a big problem with this one. Not the wine, but Randall Grahm and Bonny Doon Vineyards. Don't get me started, because it's a long and irritating story that didn't make the media. :-@

donk, I'll check the cellar and see if I have one left. If so, I'll send you the (empty) bottle with the label intact.
 
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Sorry donk, none of that in our cellar.

Tonight we're drinking a 2006 Mirassou, riesling out of Monterey County. Went well with the home-cooked Chinese meal. Yummy.
 
Panhandle Art

It was a slow day this afternoon on the panhandle. I finally finished the cork trivet. It only took me two years. What's the rush? :-$ (Actually, it takes lots of corks to finish these things. It's like a jigsaw puzzle that you make-up as you go along--if that makes any sense.)

If not art, this could also be described as "adaptive re-use".

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