Happy Saturday

So????

I was wanting to post what I drank tonight, but Imgur is being a ****, so I need to find another direct posting service.

Just take a picture and upload directly from your phone with the "add image" button.

Hopefully this works. Drank a 2015 Calais Botrytis tonight. I don't think Ben has ever had a chance to make this again, as this particular vineyard was infected with botrytis, and he convinced the vineyard manager not to spray everything. It was exceptional. It's sort of like a Sauternes, but it had a more malty flavor to it. There's not much acid left, so it needs to be consumed soon if you happen to have some in your cellar. If he still has some of this laying around, I'm going to grab all I can.

I'd be surprised if he does. I think I've got one left. Cool story how he stopped the scheduled spraying just in time. Vineyard was near Amarillo I think.

QBCade said:

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So????

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Patience, grasshopper.

I am incapable of this

Anyone else attend the Friesen Franc-Off at Ron Yates on Saturday?

Interesting concept: Friesen Vineyards out in West Texas harvested a crop of cabernet franc in September 2023. Ron Yates enlisted the winemakers at his own winery; William Chris; Signor; and Lost Draw to each create a cab franc and then have an event where fans could compare the finished wines.

Each winery received their grapes on the same day in September, and they had until May 2025 to bottle it.

The event was a blast -- there were around 400 people there and the wine flowed freely. All the winemakers were on hand to talk shop and Ron Yates was working the crowd, taking photos, etc. Friesen had a table also, serving a variety of wines, but the main four just poured their cab franc.

Don't think there was a consensus about which ones were best. I thought the Signor and Lost Draw wines were No. 1 and No. 2, but since it was more of a social event than a competition, it's hard to say.

Anyway, cool event and a great way to promote Texas wine.

Very cool.

Also highlights the skill of the winemaker even given the same grapes. One more strike against the notion of "terroir".

HTownAg98 said:

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Hopefully this works. Drank a 2015 Calais Botrytis tonight. I don't think Ben has ever had a chance to make this again, as this particular vineyard was infected with botrytis, and he convinced the vineyard manager not to spray everything. It was exceptional. It's sort of like a Sauternes, but it had a more malty flavor to it. There's not much acid left, so it needs to be consumed soon if you happen to have some in your cellar. If he still has some of this laying around, I'm going to grab all I can.

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I asked about it about a year ago and they couldn't/wouldn't sell me any at the tasting room. Presumably they are sold out or my wallet wasn't far enough.

I think his reds are tasty in comparison to other Texas reds but when you put them against actual BDX it's not that close. That said, I thought his white BDX was nice chilled and would definitely drink it again.

My experienced (albeit biased) opinion is that Ben's wines are less consistent than ours. He does make some really good wine that I enjoy. We have some bottles that compare nicely to BDX.

cecil77 said:

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Very cool.

Also highlights the skill of the winemaker even given the same grapes. One more strike against the notion of "terroir".

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Not sure it does that, but certainly winemakers carry a lot of impact to final product.

bularry said:

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cecil77 said:

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Very cool.

Also highlights the skill of the winemaker even given the same grapes. One more strike against the notion of "terroir".

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Not sure it does that, but certainly winemakers carry a lot of impact to final product.

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Oh it does. The research is increasingly clear, but romantic notion are mostly impossible to disabuse.

Help me out Wine People: I got $500 Total Wine Gift Certificate to use.

I'm loaded up on bourbon. I need help spending this on wine. Give me some ideas on what to buy. I'm open to most variatials, but they have to be available at Total Wine.

aggiedata said:

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Help me out Wine People: I got $500 Total Wine Gift Certificate to use.

I'm loaded up on bourbon. I need help spending this on wine. Give me some ideas on what to buy. I'm open to most variatials, but they have to be available at Total Wine.

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Red or white? If red: full bodied or lighter?

If it were me I would do what cecil recommended as I like full bodies reds. But if you like a lighter red, hit the Burgundy section.

Or, get 2 $100+/- bottles from each section and compare.

cecil77 said:

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I would go to the Bordeaux section (open air, not behind glass). And just have fun. Maybe $50-$100 price range. Especially St Emilion. Anything will be pretty good and you may find something great.

It's a gift so a "look how big the lump in my pants is" bottle would be fun as well, but I think the opportunity to try several wines of the same class would be best.

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at Total Wine this is the best suggestion.

cecil77 said:

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bularry said:

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cecil77 said:

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Very cool.

Also highlights the skill of the winemaker even given the same grapes. One more strike against the notion of "terroir".

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Not sure it does that, but certainly winemakers carry a lot of impact to final product.

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Oh it does. The research is increasingly clear, but romantic notion are mostly impossible to disabuse.

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well different winemakers making different tasting wines with the same grapes sure isn't proof of anything, IMO. Look at the massive variance in quality in premier cru white burgundy. producer matters a lot!

Thanks. Something along these lines?

bularry said:

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cecil77 said:

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bularry said:

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cecil77 said:

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Very cool.

Also highlights the skill of the winemaker even given the same grapes. One more strike against the notion of "terroir".

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Not sure it does that, but certainly winemakers carry a lot of impact to final product.

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Oh it does. The research is increasingly clear, but romantic notion are mostly impossible to disabuse.

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well different winemakers making different tasting wines with the same grapes sure isn't proof of anything, IMO. Look at the massive variance in quality in premier cru white burgundy. producer matters a lot!

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Absolutely producer matters a lot!

Yep.

Excellent! Thanks everyone!!

BSD said:

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Some friends were in town from Spain last night so we had them over for some wine:

2020 Rivers Marie Platt Vineyard Chard
2015 Nine Suns cab sauv from Houyi Vineyard on Pritchard Hill


(No pics because Imgur still sucks and can bite my ass)

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How was the Nine Suns? Also, didn't they get acquired by another vineyard/winemaker?

I loved it. It was on the more elegant side of the spectrum. Good fruit and soft tannins. Decanted about three hours.

And yes, Realm bought them a few years ago. This bottle actually came from a Realm offering in 2022.

that's a lot of good juice.

Meunier a favorite for champagne for you? I really dig it when done well.



for that zin, I have not had that wine, but I'd really like to drink more Moon Mountain wines, both zin and cab, to get a feel for what that area produces.

bularry said:

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that's a lot of good juice.

Meunier a favorite for champagne for you? I really dig it when done well.

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I agree it can be really nice when done well! Can make a real pretty and unique Champagne that gives you a nice mix between the breadier/yeasty side and the acidic/tart side. The 747 was probably the best of the bunch in these photos (not a full Meunier). But all were good.

Quote:

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for that zin, I have not had that wine, but I'd really like to drink more Moon Mountain wines, both zin and cab, to get a feel for what that area produces.

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Moon Mountain is a great place for wine! Outside of this Zin from MacRostie, I've enjoyed the wines from these producers' Moon Mountain wines: Kamen, Repris, and Sixteen 600. I know for sure that Kamen and Repris have been mentioned on this thread before.

Big Winos yesterday. My favorite was the Haut-Bailly.

Awhile back in this thread, I asked a question about when to open those special bottles that you have aging.

Saw this today and although it is translated so a bit awkward in places, the sentiment is perfect. Thought I would share:

When to open special wines: A little lesson I learned

In short, good company is worth more than 10 years in the bottle.