Gems in my wine cellar

[mactastic]

Holy moly. I had no idea that Santa Cruz's wines were respectable.

Oh hell yeah. There are several quality wineries in the area.

The stuff in my "cellar" is all local to me at this point though. It's not like I have to go far to find good wine here. My collection at this point includes a hefty helping of Domaine Alfred bottles, since I'm a member there, and branches out to include a couple other local wineries. Let's see if I can remember what I'm holding...

2 bottles of Domaine Alfred 2003 Califa Syrah
1 bottle of Domaine Alfred 2003 Estate Syrah
2 bottles of Domaine Alfred 2004 Califa Chardonney
2 bottles of Domaine Alfred 2004 Estate Chardonney
2 bottles of Domaine Alfred 2004 Califa Pinot Noir
3 bottles of Domaine Alfred 2004 Estate Pinot Noir
1 bottle of Domain Alfred 2005 Vin Gris
1 bottle of Domain Alfred 2004 DA Red
1 bottle of Kynsi 2004 Chardonney
1 bottle of Talley 2003 Pinot Noir
1 bottle of Riverstar 2003 Syrah
1 bottle of Riverstar 2003 Sauvignon Blanc
1 bottle of Robert Hall 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon

Plus a couple of other bottles that I forget at the moment...

Probably be one less bottle when I get home tonight -- the in-laws are coming!

 

[Applespider]

This "(ex)press wine tasting event" sounds good

Oh it is. Once in 1998 or 99, I ended up having lunch with Malcolm Gluck and Oz Clarke which was amusing. Unfortunately, the first time I went I was a little hungover. I walked into a room with 400 open bottles of red wine and had to walk straight back out again.

Later in the day, I went back in and tried out a few; only the bottles about £20 since I figured I'd rarely, if ever, end up buying them myself.

 

[SpaceMagic]

I love a good red wine, but a student overdraft to go with it. I have a reputation in Uni for spending more on red wine than food in Sainsburys/Waitrose. I avoid french red, i've never had a good one. Italian (of course, i'm half italian) is one of my favourite. Californian wines are often really nice but not as deep as a northern italian, I find.

If you have a Sainsburys round you, try a wine called/from 'Brindisi' its at the £6.99 price level which you can expect to be ok. Try it with a strong (non creamy) tomato or meat pasta sauce or a roast dinner.

It's often very hard to find a good barollo. We've bought some in past and they've been corked or slightly off tasting, so i wouldn't risk £13.

 

[satty]

Waitrose stock about 20 Californian reds including a rather nice Ironstone Caberbet and a Ravenswood Vintner's Zinfandel which goes beautfully at BBQs

They've got a few high-end bottles too. An Opus 1 blend at £105 a bottle, a Santa Cruz Ridge Monte Bello at £94 and a comparatively cheap Pine Ridge Merlot at £20

I was at Waitrose this evening (mainly for food, not wine) and had - curious as I am - a look at the "Inner Cellar" wine section for Californian Reds. I didn't find any of Applespider's recommendations, therefore I will start on best known territory: Pinot Noir, to be more precise it's a 2004 "La crema", California, USA:

Looking forward to this one

 

[Applespider]

I was at Waitrose this evening (mainly for food, not wine) and had - curious as I am - a look at the "Inner Cellar" wine section for Californian Reds. I didn't find any of Applespider's recommendations,

oops... the Ravenswood and Ironstone are in the 'normal' red wine section. I picked up an Ironstone tonight but haven't opened it yet

 

[satty]

oops... the Ravenswood and Ironstone are in the 'normal' red wine section. I picked up an Ironstone tonight but haven't opened it yet

My fault, got too excited about this "Inner Cellar" thing and didn't pay much attention to the standard section - Sometimes a greedy little... Anyway, there is hopefully a tomorrow and some of the bottles left on the shelves.

 

[satty]

I've got a couple of bottles of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc getting ready to drink. I know opinion is split on the quality/price ratio but I like it, so I don't mind spending the cash. Their Pinot Noir is also a very nice wine IMO.

The '98 Pinot Noir was splendid and the '01 also really good. Maybe I was simply spoiled. I didn't have any Sauvignon Blancs for years.

I agree with you that the subjective taste/price ratio is more important. I assume that's the reason why many people don't rate French Wines very high. Who cares about quality or price, if you don't like the taste of it?

 

[mojohanna]

I was at Waitrose this evening (mainly for food, not wine) and had - curious as I am - a look at the "Inner Cellar" wine section for Californian Reds. I didn't find any of Applespider's recommendations, therefore I will start on best known territory: Pinot Noir, to be more precise it's a 2004 "La crema", California, USA:

Looking forward to this one

This is a very good wine. My brother in law works for a rather large wine distributor here in the states (one of the largest and best respected in Ohio) and they carry this wine. i have sampled it with him many times. Very good!!! enjoy!

 

[mad jew]

My favourite Merlot is "Oyster Bay", Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.

Well, I took your advice and bought a bottle today. I'll be interested to see how it tastes. Can you even see taste? I don't think that makes any sense at all...

 

[mpw]

...It's often very hard to find a good barollo. We've bought some in past and they've been corked or slightly off tasting, so i wouldn't risk £13.

Corked or bad, just take it back. No decent wine seller, and certainly no supermarket, is going to argue. You'll get a replacement or your money back without any problem and if you find yourself returning a lot to one place ask to see the manager I query if it's normal for whatever particular wine you choose next.

Some supermarkets are now insisting that the wines they source (particularly new world) are bottled with screwtops or synthetic corks as these are less prone to corking and therefore they see fewer returned. Don't avoid screwtop wines just 'cause they look like cheap 80's Blue Nun.

 

[Abstract]

Well, I took your advice and bought a bottle today. I'll be interested to see how it tastes. Can you even see taste? I don't think that makes any sense at all...

You probably sell it. All you had to do is reach into the backseat, uncork, and sip.

Oh, then you drive.

 

[mad jew]

And then post...

 

[Abstract]

...from your car...

 

[Greebazoid]

I'm about to bottle 3 barrels of shiraz I made early last year - its been sitting in new hungarian oak barrels since March 2005. Its very nice. Even if I say so myself.

First time I've bottled tho, we've calculated we'll need 864 bottles. Its going to be a busy day!

 

[satty]

I'm about to bottle 3 barrels of shiraz I made early last year - its been sitting in new hungarian oak barrels since March 2005. Its very nice. Even if I say so myself.

First time I've bottled tho, we've calculated we'll need 864 bottles. Its going to be a busy day!

What are you doing with all the wine?
This is more than "private" consumption.

My family has a small vineyard, which produces between 500 and 700 litres wine a year, sometimes even more. We sell most of the "juice", means before fermentation, to friends so thay can make their own style wine.

My dad keeps about two 60 litre barrels, which we normally bottle 7 to 8 months later.

Do you also have pumps, filters and "corking-machines"?

 

[Greebazoid]

What are you doing with all the wine?
This is more than "private" consumption.

Do you also have pumps, filters and "corking-machines"?

Well, I went in 50:50 with a friend, so I get half.. plus, the consultant winemaker whose cellar we borrowed gets 10%. So I get 390 bottles.

Pumps, tanks, filters etc - all been rented, begged, borrowed or stolen.

We crushed the grapes using a small portable crusher, pressed by hand using a 20l basket press, did 4x a day punch downs.

Its been fun. And as I said, the wine (surprisingly) is very *very* nice.

 

[sobolobo]

I currently have an unopened bottle of Henschke 1998 Hill of Grace from Eden Valley sitting on my kitchen benchtop.

The restaurant I work at sells it for $AUD 420 by the bottle. Eek!

 

[mad jew]

Nice. I had a 1996 Hill Of Grace (could have been 1995, I forget) recently and it was amazing. Give that thing a couple more years and it should be even better. 1998 was a great year, you lucky bastard!