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This thread is for wine lovers, lurkers, and anyone that enjoys their vino. Please share any and all suggestions, pics, advice, pairings, and special values/underpriced scores.
I am a 2nd level certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, so if you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask.
Let's drink!
I was asked my advice about peppery zinfandels in another thread, so I will copy my response below for any Zin lovers.
"2018 Brandlin Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel is tremendous with a fantastic peppercorn finish.
Limerick Lane is producing some of the best zinfandels made. Absolutely worth getting into for any Zin fan. They have numerous vintages and styles worth cellaring.
If you don't mind red blends, I highly recommend 8 years in the desert by Orin Swift. It is a zinfandel dominant blend with secondary and tertiary varietals of syrah and petit sirah, respectively. Dave Phinney is the winemaker behind it. He is widely considered the best red blend maker in the world."
Quoted from Kkuoppamaki:WA is not as appreciated as a wine state as CA is but we have some pretty good wines here. I’m blessed to have 100+ wineries and tasting rooms about 15 mins from where I live. If you are looking for a pointers on good WA wines let me know (and Chateau St Michelle is not one I’d recommend, except the sparkling wine)
You absolutely need to start buying wines from Long Shadows. If they were made in Napa, they would literally be 5x the price. Seriously.
Quoted from Kkuoppamaki:Long Shadows has a tasting room near me, I'm pretty sure I've been there but just don't recall what their wines were like. I'll make sure to do a tasting once the dry january is over. My favorites include Betz, Fidelitas, Mark Ryan and of course De Lille (I'm a member there). BigT recommended De Lille D2 and it is a good wine, De Lille has much better (albeit also more expensive) wines than that but it is an excellent wine for the price
I enjoy feather, pirouette, sequel, and pedestal.
20210120_113827 (resized).jpg8 years in the desert by Orin Swift (Dave Phinney is the wine maker)
Dave Phinney's meteoric rise from an unknown to being widely regarded as the best red blend maker in the world has produced many great wines a long the way, but 8 years is peerless in it's category.
It is a Zinfandel, syrah, and petit sirah blend that will punch you with black fruits, spice, chewy tannins, and an amazing finish.
If you are unfamiliar with his wines, go out and find them.
Screenshot_20210121-134950~2 (resized).pngQuoted from Rdoyle1978:All right, I've come to the right place!
What are some tips for starting up a good collection? (meaning to drink, not to gaze longingly at). I've got to imagine that there are some ways to either buy in bulk, or get a relationship with a distributor or wholesaling. We have been members of specific vineyards' wine clubs in recent year (Kuleto being the main one, after having visited their *AMAZING* mountaintop vineyard in Napa), but as I was dropping $250 twice a month for a case of 4, and the wine was quite good, but possibly overkill for my limited palate.
We are (STILL...) renovating the house and I'd like to include a small wine 'closet' in the plans.
These are my suggestions:
Chat up friends and family to see if they have any bottles for trade/sale. This is a great way to start networking. You may find some wine lovers that you didn't even know liked it at all...you may even score some free bottles.
Go to nearby liquor/beer/wine stores and chat them up. They may have old stock or behind the counter deals. They may also make you special bargains on future purchases.
Join wine clubs. They often give steep discounts.
Browse shelves at any store that sells wine for underpriced items or just great deals. Check stores when you are traveling especially. I scored a 2007 opus one for $58 not long ago. I still can't believe it.
Quoted from RVH:I just started drinking wine and know very little. I have been buying happy camper $9 a bottle when I buy a case.
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I cannot say that I have tried that one, but I will look into it. There are plenty of good wines at lower price points. It is when they start winning awards and people start discovering them that they rise in price dramatically. One of my favorite "newish" wines is going through this now, unfortunately.
Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon
Try it before it triples in price...again 
Quoted from Fulltilt:I really like those shelves in that wine room Daditude. Where did you find them or did you have them built?
I have those "individual" bottle spaces, but it doesn't give the ability to stack in Magnums or cases together like that.
Plus, they look much more sturdy. No sagging.
They had to be custom built.
Quoted from Fulltilt:I've got several bottles of Baldacci Cabernets. I LOVE the Stags Leap district wines.
Why is that considered such a prime vinyard area? Seems like so many Stags Leap vinyards produce spectacular wines.
[quoted image]
The whole Napa area just has a phenomenal terroir (soil, weather, terrain). It is truly perfect for grapes. Some people favor certain sub-appellations, however.
These winemakers are so incredible these days with the latest-greatest technology and tools. I think you can find great wines of differing varietals pretty much throughout Napa. Washington is really coming along as well, and tends to offer far more value as well.
Quoted from Fulltilt:Who produced that cooling system you have? I've looked at some from Wine Enthusiast but so much involved for installation. My basement wine area stays a pretty consistent temp/humidity so I really wonder if I need to spend big bucks just for wines??
You dont have to have any "specialty" coolers necessarily, but a digital temperature read-out would be recommended.
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Rockwall, TX
