What's in your glass today?

[Philc2001]

Found this at Costco, absolutely delicious... I think I’ll get a case. Long oaky finish, bold stone fruit, nicely balanced.



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[Kitchen]

Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale.  I was at the store today and saw it out of the corner of my eye, and had to try.  It's a good a beer, but nothing too much more in common with a maduro cigar then other dark beers. 

[BellevilleMXZ]

The old stand by.......Always seem to come back to this

[BrightonCorgi]

On 12/17/2017 at 6:31 PM, Philc2001 said:

Found this at Costco, absolutely delicious... I think I’ll get a case. Long oaky finish, bold stone fruit, nicely balanced.

 

That's a great wine.  How much are they selling it for?  You should absolutely get a case.  I would if my Costco sold it.  My local Costco in Waltham, MA is tied with Scottsdale, AZ Costco as the two largest in wine sales.  Odd thing is our Costco wine section is like 5% as large as Scottsdale's.

[Philc2001]

6 minutes ago, BrightonCorgi said:

That's a great wine.  How much are they selling it for?  You should absolutely get a case.  I would if my Costco sold it.  My local Costco in Waltham, MA is tied with Scottsdale, AZ Costco as the two largest in wine sales.  Odd thing is our Costco wine section is like 5% as large as Scottsdale's.

I went and got a case last night, $12/bottle on sale from $16/bottle, and well worth it. I'm tempted to get some more because I already gave away 3 bottles for Christmas. My fear is they will be sold out - I literally emptied their bin last night, I left just one bottle behind. Hopefully they have more.

[Lotusguy]

Forgot I had this at home. Decent, not great.

[BrightonCorgi]

15 hours ago, Philc2001 said:

I went and got a case last night, $12/bottle on sale from $16/bottle, and well worth it. I'm tempted to get some more because I already gave away 3 bottles for Christmas. My fear is they will be sold out - I literally emptied their bin last night, I left just one bottle behind. Hopefully they have more.

Home run price at $12.  I would clean them out.  That wine can go 15-20 years in cellar.

[Tave1225]

[Tave1225]

[Philc2001]

Home run price at $12.  I would clean them out.  That wine can go 15-20 years in cellar.

Yep, I could resist, I went in for some other stuff and grabbed another 6 bottles. They’ll go quick.


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[SirVantes]

A glimpse of the heights achievable by barbera 

 

[GotaCohiba]

Apple juice

[LLC]

JW Blue before dinner and 2000 Chateau Camensac with prime rib roast.



As planned opened up the port I bought a week or so ago. Not a port expert by any means but I enjoyed this. Did not seem as sweet as some and had a nuttier finish. Not bad at all.




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[Fugu]

First quiet night and time on our own after the festivities. Good to always keep a stash of Argentinean prawns in the freezer when the sudden jonesing for something 'seafood' strikes late in the evening..... Prepared a quick pan of tasty tarragon prawns for the missus and me. Combined with fresh, buttered toast and a lusciously hearty Mosel Riesling from Molitor's Himmelreich parcels in Zeltingen - a simple and satisfying late-night supper.

What I love so much about German Riesling is its ability, even in the basic qualities (of good producers that is...), to shine and develop nicely hours after bottle opening. Put a part-bottle in the fridge over night and it brings out additional layers of greatness.

[Ken Gargett]

53 minutes ago, Fugu said:

First quiet night and time on our own after the festivities. Good to always keep a stash of Argentinean prawns in the freezer when the sudden jonesing for something 'seafood' strikes late in the evening..... Prepared a quick pan of tasty tarragon prawns for the missus and me. Combined with fresh, buttered toast and a lusciously hearty Mosel Riesling from Molitor's Himmelreich parcels in Zeltingen - a simple and satisfying late-night supper.

What I love so much about German Riesling is its ability, even in the basic qualities (of good producers that is...), to shine and develop nicely hours after bottle opening. Put a part-bottle in the fridge over night and it brings out additional layers of greatness.

we don't drink near enough german riesling but love it. have some 15s from prum and haag on the way.

stayed in zeltingen a few years ago in an old hotel right on the rover. loved it. the guy was so proud of his cellar but had some top burgs at great prices so mainly drank those. then last night there, could not resist - he had a 71 beerenauslese from a cousin of ernie loosen's in the cellar. for around A$100. more than worth a gamble. the old bloke insisted on going and getting in his full wine and food society regalia (i do have pics somewhere) with cape and and papalesque hat and made a real ceremony of opening it. it was his last bottle and he was so happy that people interested in wine were drinking it (and we shared some with him - thought he was going to burst into tears). thankfully, it was fabulous.

[BrightonCorgi]

2015 is promoted as an epic vintage in Mosel.  I picked up a case of '15 Keller, but haven't tried one.  A friend of my seized a wine cellar from someone he did some hard money lending to.  Lots of old wines.  There were a few German wines from the '30's that had Nazi looking eagles on the labels.  The were tasty, but was weird to look at and drink.  Felt like I was doing something I should not be...

[Ken Gargett]

2 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

2015 is promoted as an epic vintage in Mosel.  I picked up a case of '15 Keller, but haven't tried one.  A friend of my seized a wine cellar from someone he did some hard money lending to.  Lots of old wines.  There were a few German wines from the '30's that had Nazi looking eagles on the labels.  The were tasty, but was weird to look at and drink.  Felt like I was doing something I should not be...

mate of mine brings in Keller. good wines. have been trying to pick up as many 15s as i can - sadly, not too many. like to chase some donnhoff.

i'd have had no probs with the old rieslings. just consider it removing any evidence they existed from the planet.

[Colt45]

Not sure about this one - early on seems to lack any real character, with oak vanilla the dominant trait along with underlying clove-ish spice. Initially not intending to re-visit, but curiosity may get the better of me....

 

[Mr.T]

Friday night calls for an Old Fashioned


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[Fugu]

On 4.1.2018 at 10:22 PM, Ken Gargett said:

we don't drink near enough german riesling but love it. have some 15s from prum and haag on the way.

stayed in zeltingen a few years ago in an old hotel right on the rover. loved it. the guy was so proud of his cellar but had some top burgs at great prices so mainly drank those. then last night there, could not resist - he had a 71 beerenauslese from a cousin of ernie loosen's in the cellar. for around A$100. more than worth a gamble. the old bloke insisted on going and getting in his full wine and food society regalia (i do have pics somewhere) with cape and and papalesque hat and made a real ceremony of opening it. it was his last bottle and he was so happy that people interested in wine were drinking it (and we shared some with him - thought he was going to burst into tears). thankfully, it was fabulous.

True indeed. And even such a fine but "simple" wine like the Kabinett above, you can easily lay down for two, three decades and more and it will still strengthen and develop. For me, still one of the most underrated wine and wine regions in the world. Well, you know Ken, Germany f**ed it all up with its wine legislation of 1971 fostering mass instead of class (actually actively obscuring class....). Still today, things are confusing to a certain extent and sure not easy to follow for the 'normal' wine drinker. German producers, if not the absolute top names, are still sufferring from it, despite receiving top-ratings and enthusiastic acclaim by international critics. E.g. Jancis Robinson is such a great proponent of German Riesling since years.

Seems you were really lucky with that BA from such a legendary vintage (nice story...)! And great choice on stocking the '15s Ken ('16 having been a success as well, as it seems). Fritz Haag is a pretty regular buy of mine (buying from the Gut for more than 20 yrs, can't believe it's already ten years since Oliver took over from his father). Don't overlook what his brother is doing on Schloss Lieser! Bit lower in pricing since not that big a name (yet), but nonetheless... Still a lot of gems to be found at really fair pricing. Problem for you will be to get the less known ones in Australia.

[Fugu]

6 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

There were a few German wines from the '30's that had Nazi looking eagles on the labels.

They can still be found - nothing to do with the Nazis. Even the VDP wine association and all its members are using it ("Verband Deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitätsweingüter", founded it 1910, so unsuspicious  ). You know - the white tailed eagle still is the German's heraldic animal, and its use reaches far back into the medieval...

3 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

mate of mine brings in Keller. good wines.

Vast understatement. Together with Wittmann (to go on with the name dropping.... haha), Klaus-Peter Keller represents the top of the crop in Reinhessen - if not of Germany..., for red (some Burgundian Burgs) as well as white.

3 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

sadly, not too many. like to chase some donnhoff.

By the way, Doennhoff made some Brücke Eiswein last year, and afai remember in some pretty good quanities. This winter seems not to bode so well as it appears to be a rather mild one - so far...

[Ken Gargett]

19 minutes ago, Fugu said:

True indeed. And even such a fine but "simple" wine like the Kabinett above, you can easily lay down for two, three decades and more and it will still strengthen and develop. For me, still one of the most underrated wine and wine regions in the world. Well, you know Ken, Germany f**ed it all up with its wine legislation of 1971 fostering mass instead of class (actually actively obscuring class....). Still today, things are confusing to a certain extent and sure not easy to follow for the 'normal' wine drinker. German producers, if not the absolute top names, are still sufferring from it, despite receiving top-ratings and enthusiastic acclaim by international critics. E.g. Jancis Robinson is such a great proponent of German Riesling since years.

Seems you were really lucky with that BA from such a legendary vintage (nice story...)! And great choice on stocking the '15s Ken ('16 having been a success as well, as it seems). Fritz Haag is a pretty regular buy of mine (buying from the Gut for more than 20 yrs, can't believe it's already ten years since Oliver took over from his father). Don't overlook what his brother is doing on Schloss Lieser! Bit lower in pricing since not that big a name (yet), but nonetheless... Still a lot of gems to be found at really fair pricing. Problem for you will be to get the less known ones in Australia.

fortunately, a few importers love them and focus on them so we can get pretty much most of the top producers, but quantities are slim and prices tend to be uppity so that is a little discouraging. but i am sure that there are many really good ones we do not see.

prum, haag, especially donnhoff, robert weil, egon muller (though they are really so expensive) probably my faves. and i have had the chance to visit them all a couple of times which is also a plus.

[Fugu]

6 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

fortunately, a few importers love them and focus on them so we can get pretty much most of the top producers, but quantities are slim and prices tend to be uppity so that is a little discouraging. but i am sure that there are many really good ones we do not see.

prum, haag, especially donnhoff, robert weil, egon muller (though they are really so expensive) probably my faves. and i have had the chance to visit them all a couple of times which is also a plus.

Yep, all top producers with top-top-Lagen, and still you find qual at very fair pricing even there (ex-"Chateau" that is of course). So, really unfortunate - given that you are vistiting the area personally - that wine doesn't come in as handy as cigars....

Encourage your importers to go on a search for top-value producers (I may drop some further names for you, Ken....haha!)

[Ken Gargett]

5 minutes ago, Fugu said:

They can still be found - nothing to do with the Nazis. Even the VDP wine association and all its members are using it ("Verband Deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitätsweingüter", founded it 1910, so unsuspicious  ). You know - the white tailed eagle still is the German's heraldic animal, and its use reaches far back into the medieval...

Vast understatement. Together with Wittmann (to go on with the name dropping.... haha), Klaus-Peter Keller represents the top of the crop in Reinhessen - if not of Germany..., for red (some Burgundian Burgs) as well as white.

By the way, Doennhoff made some Brücke Eiswein last year, and afai remember in some pretty good quanities. This winter seems not to bode so well as it appears to be a rather mild one - so far...

a mate got some of the 2004 eiswein from donnhoff, which apparently had two bottlings - he got both. tiny quantities, horrendous money but he is very generous. usually cracks one when there is a 2001 yquem going (which has always been a 100 pointer for me and i believe likely to be seen as the greatest yquem ever made in time). it never fails to at least equal if not knock off the yquem. different wines but sensational.

when i went to donnhoff in 15? i think, an amazing tasting over about three hours and we finished with the '13 eiswein (might have the wrong vintage - don't have my notes). i remember them saying that other than a few bottles at the local annual auction, it would not be released. they made a total of 113 halves. so incredibly generous to open one. and it was extraordinary.

[Fugu]

On 6.1.2018 at 2:18 AM, Ken Gargett said:

so incredibly generous to open one. and it was extraordinary.

Yes, I think the last run of Brücke Eiswein was an exceptionally big one (and yes, there may be different bottlings, sometimes in addition to the "normal" one, they make an auction bottling, or rather v.v.). The winters in that region are always so unpredictable (unlike as for other famous icewine regions, such as Canada e.g), and so, making Eiswein, as for BA and TBA (the rain and the birds...!) is always a lottery. Prices for the tiny bit of liquid are then more than justified.