What's in your glass tonight?

[jswordy]

A bit of the work of the Belgian Trappists along with some homemade stir-fry for the birthday boy!
UNDER EDIT: This stuff is GOOD! And it cellars for up to 15 years.

 

[ibglowin]

This guy is definitely mediocre at best......

https://costcowineblog.com/2021-kirkland-signature-bordeaux-superieur/

Kirkland Signature Bordeaux. $6.99 is about right.

View attachment 119122

 

[ibglowin]

Since Costco wines are the talk of the town I will add that this wine purchased at Costco awhile back was.......

CORKED!

Nothing but wet dog followed by wet straw/hay funk.........

This is the first corked wine I have had in years and of course it comes from a cheap wine produced for the masses. Too bad this is one and done. I was looking for a good pizza wine but this was not to be. Costco MSRP was $14.....

Back to the cellar for something that won't make me spit......

 

[jswordy]

Since Costco wines are the talk of the town I will add that this wine purchased at Costco awhile back was.......

CORKED!

Nothing but wet dog followed by wet straw/hay funk.........

This is the first corked wine I have had in years and of course it comes from a cheap wine produced for the masses. Too bad this is one and done. I was looking for a good pizza wine but this was not to be. Costco MSRP was $14.....

Back to the cellar for something that won't make me spit......

View attachment 119146

But it's 93 POINTS, Mike!

 

[ibglowin]

Well well well.......

After dumping the corked Costco crap I decided to go with something I knew would be most excellent. Another Costco find but this time not a mass market import but a diamond in the rough shall we say. We first met Brennon Leighton a long time ago in a galaxy far far away when he was the head winemaker at EFESTE in WA. He only lasted a couple of years before he was hired away and doubled his salary by none other than Charles Smith who has become a legend in WA winemaking these past few years. B. was given time to make his own wine in the spare time he had. So very small quantity and very limited production as well as advertising. Needless to say this stuff was out of bounds and crazy good. I had to decant and still aerate once more to get it to open up. Have had plenty of this blend from other places but the terroir and place comes screaming out of the bottle with each sip. Sadly this is also a one and done bottle that I wish I would have bought a couple more.

 

[jswordy]

Well well well.......

After dumping the corked Costco crap I decided to go with something I knew would be most excellent. Another Costco find but this time not a mass market import but a diamond in the rough more to say. We first met Brennon Leighton a long time ago in a galaxy far far away when he was the head winemaker at EFESTE in WA. He only lasted a couple of years before he was hired away and doubled his salary by none other than Charles Smith who has become a legend in WA winemaking these past few years. B. was given time to make his own wine in the spare time he had. So very small quantity and very limited production as well as advertising. Needless to say this stuff was out of bounds and crazy good. I had to decant and still aerate once more to get it to open up. Have had plenty of this blend from other places but the terroir and place comes screaming out of the bottle with each sip. Sadly this is also a one and one bottle that I wish I would have bought a couple more.

View attachment 119148

View attachment 119149

View attachment 119150

The best ones are the "Wish I'd bought a case" wines, as opposed to the "Why'd I buy a case?" wines. Generally, I've found that below about $8, the risk of a crappy bottle rises exponentially. And while it's nice that there are all these reviews, ya can't really rely on them a whole lot.

 

[Christopher Anderson]

Well well well.......

After dumping the corked Costco crap I decided to go with something I knew would be most excellent. Another Costco find but this time not a mass market import but a diamond in the rough more to say. We first met Brennon Leighton a long time ago in a galaxy far far away when he was the head winemaker at EFESTE in WA. He only lasted a couple of years before he was hired away and doubled his salary by none other than Charles Smith who has become a legend in WA winemaking these past few years. B. was given time to make his own wine in the spare time he had. So very small quantity and very limited production as well as advertising. Needless to say this stuff was out of bounds and crazy good. I had to decant and still aerate once more to get it to open up. Have had plenty of this blend from other places but the terroir and place comes screaming out of the bottle with each sip. Sadly this is also a one and one bottle that I wish I would have bought a couple more.

View attachment 119148

View attachment 119149

View attachment 119150

View attachment 119151

Doesn't have the Surgeon General's new warning. Hehehe

 

[Christopher Anderson]

IMHO buying a $8.00 bottle of wine and hoping it tastes like a $12.00 is shooting too low. I want a $8.00 bottle to taste like a $30.00 ++ one.

 

[jswordy]

IMHO buying a $8.00 bottle of wine and hoping it tastes like a $12.00 is shooting too low. I want a $8.00 bottle to taste like a $30.00 ++ one.

Then you'd better have pretty low standards.

 

[Hazelemere]

This guy is definitely mediocre at best......

https://costcowineblog.com/2021-kirkland-signature-bordeaux-superieur/

This can't be good. You need 3lbs of grapes for a bottle of wine. This is shipped from France and needs to make a profit for the retailer. Don't expect anything from a wine this cheap especially from France. There is no profit it in it anywhere. This is the bottom of the ladder IMHO. i.e. Don't waste your time on these wines. You can do better. i.e. try to avoid drinking crap even when you are thirsty.

 

[jswordy]

"The New York Tmes" today ran a guest column headlined, "You'll Have to Take My Glass From My Cold, Wine-Stained Hand." It was a rebellion against all the knocks drinking alcohol has been taking, as well as a celebration of wine. I loved this passage...

Two bottles of the same wine, if well made, have never tasted the same. Recently asked which of his wines was his favorite, the winemaker Rodolphe de Pins, of Château de Montfaucon in France’s southern Rhône Valley, said, “It depends on the day, the meal, the friend, the occasion.” The thrill of every discovery comes with a sacrifice: It will never happen exactly like this again.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/26/opinion/wine-sober-october.html?searchResultPosition=1

 

[ChuckD]

It was a rebellion against all the knocks drinking alcohol has been taking,

Don’t get worked up over these types of reports. The “wine causes cancer” reports are just as click-baity as the “wine is good for you” headlines. Of course alcohol is bad for you! Most everything we enjoy is bad for us! If I wanted to maximize the days I spend on this planet I would eat a calorie restricted vegan diet, exercise 2 hours a day, never expose my skin to the sun, and never have sex (look it up). But I prefer to live… we all make choices.

 

[Hazelemere]

Pacific Black Iris Regent

I made a rose from the Regent because the brix was too low for a red wine IMHO even though the grapes were ripe (the wasps liked them which tells me that they were ripe). I fermented the Regent with 71B to drop the acid which actually gave me something decent without malolactic fermentation. If you make a wine with 71B yeast that needs acid, add citric.

This is a combo of Sheridan Syrah, Regent rose, pitted wild black cherries, wild blackberries and dried elderberries fermented with RC212 with B vitamin nutrient.

Here are my tasting comments on this wine which is ready to bottle:

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - complex fruity nose

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is amazingly good. I'll use it as a house red. I score it good-very good, leaning towards very good. It has a really nice aftertaste. this is RED FUSION = red wine grapes + fruit. 71B yeast made this wine on the grapes and RC212 on the fruit.

 

[Hazelemere]

Many thanks to @Boatboy24 for reminding me I had one of these laying around in the Cellar! Definitely a 5 Star QPR wine for sure. Drinks well above its price point.

View attachment 118355


View attachment 118356

getting a wine as good as what you got for what you paid is an eye opener. Congratulations and Happy New Year! Gigondas which is Grenache rich with a bit of Mourvedre and Syrah can be really good.

 

[jswordy]

Don’t get worked up over these types of reports. The “wine causes cancer” reports are just as click-baity as the “wine is good for you” headlines. Of course alcohol is bad for you! Most everything we enjoy is bad for us! If I wanted to maximize the days I spend on this planet I would eat a calorie restricted vegan diet, exercise 2 hours a day, never expose my skin to the sun, and never have sex (look it up). But I prefer to live… we all make choices.

https://www.axios.com/2025/01/03/alcohol-stocks-cancer-surgeon-general

 

[Hazelemere]

One of my apprentice's blends (Tim's red)

65% Amador Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

35 % Lodi Petite Sirah (74%) Regent (26%)

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - very good nose - pomegranates, figs, cocoa and plums

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is full on, rich and tasty red wine, First class!

 

[Christopher Anderson]

Then you'd better have pretty low standards.

no. my wife does!

 

[Hazelemere]

no. my wife does!

if she reads this you are in sh*t. If not you should be ok.

 

[sour_grapes]

no. my wife does!

Obviously!