Booze The wine thread

[BleedingPurple]

Was my first trip to the area and I did the whole 'Sideways' tour.
Went down Santa Rosa road first, hit the new Sanford winery, Lafond, then the old Sanford Winery now called Alma Rosa.
Went to the old Windmill Hotel, noted the locations of AJ Spurs and the Hitching Post, then went to the Ostrich Farm before checking in at Solvang. Afterwards ate at the Hitching Post. Great food and I had the Highliner, of course.
Next day played 9 holes of golf at the Alisal River course, ate at the Solvang Restaurant, then checked out Kalyra, the Santa Ines Mission and Gainey before heading north up Foxen Canyon Road.
It got too late to make it to Foxen, but coming south, hit Zaca Mesa, Fess Parker and Firestone before eating at the Los Olivos Cafe and Wine Merchant.
Next day ate at Split Pea Andersons before heading back home.

Very Cool. I'm actually a member of Lafond and Zaca Mesa. I've been to Sandford as well... It's pretty cool that we have a wine region so close to us. A lot of people don't realize how many wineries they have just beyond their doorstep. Hopefully you had a great time. If so, you should go back in the Spring after the rains. The hills are as green as can be and it's just amazing. We like to go up a few times a year at least.

 

[PPharoah]

Yea we used to live on Foxen Canyon Road! Great area that's for sure.

Cabernet Sauvignon with steak, although there's nothing wrong with Merlot, thanks Miles.

White Reisling or Chardonnay are a nice mix with lighter meats.

It's been a while but Fetzer and Stag's Leap are decent tasting and priced wines.
Byron, Sanford, Firestone, and Zaca Mesa have never done me wrong either.

 

[Leatherface]

It's been a while but Fetzer and Stag's Leap are decent tasting and priced wines.

Ive seen Stags Leap approach 50 a bottle for 2004s...I dunno. It's good, but not that good, to me anyway, and I am definitely not an expert. I just go by taste and feel.

Byron, Sanford, Firestone, and Zaca Mesa have never done me wrong either.

Yeah another vote for Firestone here.

Lately Ive been drinking a 5 dollar bottle of malbech from TJ's.

 

[OTTo VoN BLoTTo]

It's been a while but Fetzer and Stag's Leap are decent tasting and priced wines.

I'm convinced after numerous experiments that Fetzer Valley Oaks Gew?rztraminer is THEE best wine on the planet with Thai take-out. Especially the Tom-yum soup. Fan****ingtastic!!!!

 

[PPharoah]

Ya

Ive seen Stags Leap approach 50 a bottle for 2004s...I dunno. It's good, but not that good, to me anyway, and I am definitely not an expert. I just go by taste and feel.
PPharoah:Like I mentioned, it's been a while!

Yeah another vote for Firestone here.

Definitely a good choice.groupwave:groupwave


OTTo VoN BLoTTo Quote:
I'm convinced after numerous experiments that Fetzer Valley Oaks Gew?rztraminer is THEE best wine on the planet with Thai take-out. Especially the Tom-yum soup. Fan****ingtastic!!!!

You won't get an argument out of me.

 

[lunchbox]

I'm convinced after numerous experiments that Fetzer Valley Oaks Gew?rztraminer is THEE best wine on the planet with Thai take-out. Especially the Tom-yum soup. Fan****ingtastic!!!!

heh! that is THE wine i serve with coconut beef curry. compliments the spices well.

 

[Leatherface]

im so ****in drunk on cote du rhone right now

 

[Leatherface]

picked up one of these today...

 

[A-FROGIRL]

We're going up to Ponte in Temecula tomorrow. I hear Ponte's Super Tuscan and Zin Port.

 

[Tothecup]

Besides BevMo, the Winehouse has a great selection of really good wines at very reasonable prices. Byron is one of my personal favorites of Pinot Noir. Just bought the 2006 Le Cadeau, a vinyard from Oregon. They have great pinots up in Oregon

 

[ChilledAgua]

Introducing "The Peasant"

(40% Mourvedre, 32% Syrah, 17% Grenache, 7% Counoise, 4% Tannat = 100% delicious!)

It's from a warm weather AVA (Paso) and, @ 15.3% alcohol, probably more of a fruit-bomb than the more refined palates would enjoy...all I know is that it was wonderful with the grilled flatiron steak I had with it.

And any wine which has the sentiment "Temperance, like chastity, is it's own punishment." printed right on the bottle can't be all bad.

Only 784 cases produced.

I've got to get me a refill...

Our Wines

 

[Salty Dog]

Introducing "The Peasant"

(40% Mourvedre, 32% Syrah, 17% Grenache, 7% Counoise, 4% Tannat = 100% delicious!)

Damn, I haven't even heard of the last 2 varietals! I checked out their site and they have a bunch of fun wines, I gotta make a trip to Hi-Time and pick some up. thanks for the tip.

 

[Hipcheck]

Website shows Four Vines carried at Hi Times but cant find that specific varietal-what was the per bottle price?

Introducing "The Peasant"

(40% Mourvedre, 32% Syrah, 17% Grenache, 7% Counoise, 4% Tannat = 100% delicious!)

It's from a warm weather AVA (Paso) and, @ 15.3% alcohol, probably more of a fruit-bomb than the more refined palates would enjoy...all I know is that it was wonderful with the grilled flatiron steak I had with it.

And any wine which has the sentiment "Temperance, like chastity, is it's own punishment." printed right on the bottle can't be all bad.

Only 784 cases produced.

I've got to get me a refill...

Our Wines

 

[ChilledAgua]

Website shows Four Vines carried at Hi Times but cant find that specific varietal-what was the per bottle price?

I can't recall if I bought it at The Wine Country or BevMo (both in Long Beach). Neither website has it listed, either.

I was able to dig up this page with the price ($32.99 - about what I remember) and it apparently is in stock for ordering online.

Four Vines 2005 "The Peasant" Red Blend :: California :: Wine by Region :: Carlsbad Wine Merchants

Hope this helps. (I may have to resort to this myself).

 

[ChilledAgua]

Go to your local BevMo...

Update 0n "The Peasant-

I was off today and went to all the local places where I generally buy wine to find out where I had initially purchased it. I found the last 3 bottles at the Long Beach BevMo, even though it was not listed at all on their website, and bought them.

Hopefully, they (or maybe Hi-Time) will still have some on the shelves...

 

[jerseydevil]

:38smile:

you guys can keep your 'schmancy wine...i'll stick with this'un. It's cheaper by the six pack @ vons...too bad it don't come inna box

discerning interspecies erotica enthuiasts say...HEEEEEEYYYYYY!!!!

 

[zmtnbik]

:38smile:

you guys can keep your 'schmancy wine...i'll stick with this'un. It's cheaper by the six pack @ vons...too bad it don't come inna box

discerning interspecies erotica enthuiasts say...HEEEEEEYYYYYY!!!!

This is a Wine thread, not "My favorite drink in high school" thread.

 

[jerseydevil]

This is a Wine thread, not "My favorite drink in high school" thread.

awwww go sniff a cork...

 

[poobaugh]

Go outside California. Lots of good stuff out there that doesn't have the bloated price tag for just being grown in Napa or Sonoma.

Argentina, Chile, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, etc. all have some great wines for decent prices.

Amen to that. Was just up in the Napa/Sonoma valley and the wine is very expensive!

 

[GreatSaveGerber]

Aha! At last, here's an intelligent wine thread that -- thank God -- doesn't fall all over itself with snobbishness. Getting into this discussion was one of the main reasons I joined these boards! :dance4:

My better half and I own a wine shop in Yorba Linda, so I'm something of a wine geek. But I'm happy to say I'm no snob, and learning about adult grape juice has been one of my passions for almost 18 years.

If you'll recall your LGK history, the Great Malbec Craze was Argentine.

I'll quote Jancis Robinson (Welcome to jancisrobinson.com - JancisRobinson.com) -- one of the world's top experts in wine and the world's first female Master of Wine (that's basically the equivalent of a Ph.D. in the subject) -- from her Oxford Companion to Wine, Third Edition for info about Cot or Auxerrrois, French names for the Malbec grape:

Cot is an important French synomym for the black grape variety of French origin also known as Malbec and, in Cahors, Auxerrois.​

Here's a bit more from JR on Cahors, that area in France she'd mentioned as it relates to Cot/Malbec:

Cahors, increasingly significant wine region in the Quercy region in South West France, producing exclusively red wine, uniquely dependent on the Malbec or Cot grape ... The wine producer of Cahors long suffered from the protectionist measures against such Haut Pays wines influcted on Cahors by the merchants of Bordeaux ... There are records of Cahors being sold in London in the early 13th Century, but the Hundred Years War disrupted patterns of trade ...

By far the largest number of growers (in Cahors) planted an overwhelming majority of Malbec, called here for obscure reasons Auxerrois, a traditional Cahors variety which is nowhere else associated with particularly long-living wines. The appelation rules stipulate that at least 70 percent Auxerrois, supplemented by the tannic Tannat and/or the supple Merlot ...​

We have a killer Cahors at our shop, our '04 Clos le Coutale Cahors. We served it for our Father's Day tasting last year, which we called "Dad's Day Dandies," because of its lusty, he-man scents and flavors of ripe blackberry and currant, smoke, earth, and leather. Our customers swooned over the stuff once they tried it, and bought us out of it totally. Small wonder: We sell it for a measly $12. (Yes, it's one of our favorite wines in the shop.)

OK, that's the post I've wanted to make for quite a few weeks. Here's hoping my rambling about what JR calls "the world's most delicious beverage" didn't put too many of you guys off!

Cheers,

Jan/GSG