The Official Wine Thread

I like SO, but only drink the AV because I've never felt like the Napa was worth the price difference. I think I have four bottles of the '04 AV and one bottle of the '03 AV left.

Originally Posted by kabert

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Had a few bottles of 2007 Caymus Special Selection this past weekend. I wasn't nearly as impressed as I thought I'd be. It had great body and mouthfeel, and a fine nose, but its fruit was muddled. Perhaps its just gone into a phase, though usually I think these super-young cabs drink pretty well.
Felt exactly the same about the '05. For the price? I enjoyed their standard Cab better. It was also an '05. Edit: Just read the death knell posts. Too young, I guess. Like the RWT I drank last summer. Interestingly, the standard $80 Caymus '05 Cab was wonderful.

Guiz, '05 and '07 cabs from top Napa producers are not meant to be drunk now. They need serious time. SERIOUS time.

We all probably would not like an '05 Latour all that much right now.

If you want a great, inexpensive ($35) young drinking Cali cab, I can't suggest Stefania Wines enough, particularly the Uvas Creek bottling. On top of that, Paul is a fantastic guy and also does a red blend, Haute Tubee, which is getting rave reviews and is all of $20. Mailing list only pretty much.

by the way, an interesting story this morning apropos this thread from one of my wine writers.

Originally Posted by foodguy

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by the way, an interesting story this morning apropos this thread from one of my wine writers.

Good article and I think I agree with every point (and more). I think those people that do not treat their customers well, lilke what K-B is doing, will reap the whirlwind if we see a continuation of the downturn.

Originally Posted by foodguy

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by the way, an interesting story this morning apropos this thread from one of my wine writers.

thank you for posting. California producers are overpriced and they need to re-align with the market. Some of the numbers I crunched a few months ago were just ridiculous and it's a real shame.

"I'm not dropping my price," says Ron Wornick, owner of Seven Stones Winery in St. Helena, "and you can put that in writing." That price is $175 a bottle, to which Wornick feels entitled, comparing his wines to other luxury goods, like fine watches and diamonds. "A hard-to-find, precious, high-end product, whether it's from Ferrari or from a tiny vineyard in Napa, is still fine and precious," he says.

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2006 Cab, 92 points Wine Spectator, $175. Precious.

+1 that was really quite interesting and aligns with what I saw/see happen(ing) at Just Grapes. During the holiday season big wines did go out the door but not in the quantities that were expected except during or two one day sales where bottles were up to 50% off! We brought in a case of the '06 Opus One and we still have about 6 bottles left. We have a few bottles left of the '05 Paul Hobbs Stadgecoach Cab out of a 6 pack. There are the exceptions like one or two of our baller collectors but beyond that if it's not marked down it sits in the bins while more moderately priced bottles fly out the door.

On a seperate note I made what seems to be a rather premature move and started a cellar tracker I laughed to myself as I added the one single bottle that I do have. However, I also figured that step would be a positive motivator for me to aggresively start a cellar and would be easier to start with only one and adding as I go as opposed to waiting until I had a bunch and then losing a day trying to get them all in. Dunno, we'll see if this works for me or not.

Still makes me chuckle though...me with my one bottle cellar

This whole Cali wine business is getting ridiculous ($175 lol). How much did you score your Sassicaia for Gome? I'm seeing it online for about $150 and it got 97 points. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Napa cab as much as the next guy but why would I shell out my money for a good to average cab when $60/bottle can get me a few bottles of some fantastic Big B's for the price of one cab?

Manton, I just turned down Mayacamas Vineyards. They don't ship to my state, necessitating a third party shipper. Not only does that drive up shipping costs, it triggers the CA sales tax

So speaking of thrifty buying, I just had to say "no" to them.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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Manton, I just turned down Mayacamas Vineyards. They don't ship to my state, necessitating a third party shipper. Not only does that drive up shipping costs, it triggers the CA sales tax

So speaking of thrifty buying, I just had to say "no" to them.

Sorry to hear that. But as you note, more $$ for other things.

Originally Posted by Johnny_5

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This whole Cali wine business is getting ridiculous ($175 lol). How much did you score your Sassicaia for Gome? I'm seeing it online for about $150 and it got 97 points. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Napa cab as much as the next guy but why would I shell out my money for a good to average cab when $60/bottle can get me a few bottles of some fantastic Big B's for the price of one cab?

I paid $180. It was worth the higher price to avoid shipping from across the country in winter and Wine Library sold out at $150. And even then, there is a premium to be paid for Sassicaia. I think it's a little overpriced, but it has incredible brand equity, consistently fantastic aging potential, a historic past, and I think it's worth that premium.

they're incredibly different styles of wine, but $75 can score you some awesome Barolos, Barbarescos, Super Tuscans, Rhones, and Bordeaux. And for all of this "limited production" speak, the entire yearly production of Barolo and Barbaresco combined are about equal to that of a medium sized California producer.

I have dreams about the crazy prices of quality Napa Cabs coming down. Thanks for the link.

And from what I'm reading here, these expensive Cali Cabs need 'SERIOUS' laying down time. For connoisseurs, wouldn't it be better to spend a little more on the front end on great Bordeaux and Burgundy futures, and use the time to create known high value masterpieces, personal taste notwithstanding?

I was having this exact conversation with my girlfriends uncle.

If any wine should be "mailing list" it should be Sassicaia.

Originally Posted by Johnny_5

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I was having this exact conversation with my girlfriends uncle.

If any wine should be "mailing list" it should be Sassicaia.


But I hate mailing lists

I don't think it'll happen with a wine like Sassicaia due to the sheer production volume.