Broke Wine

• October 2009

  You may have left for our sunny climes already, but if you haven't I can make ... if you want to head out to Broke (another 20-25 minutes) Margan make some lovely wines also. While at the Yarra Valley, please spend the money on the tasting and visit Yarra Yering. Spectacular wines... Read moreYou may have left for our sunny climes already, but if you haven't I can make ... if you want to head out to Broke (another 20-25 minutes) Margan make some lovely wines also. While at the Yarra Valley, please spend the money on the tasting and visit Yarra Yering. Spectacular wines but at a spectacular price! Enjoy    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Australia wine tours by Headley

  
  

• October 2009

  DUDE, ahh Dude, ahhhh dude. I'll come back to this. I think I broke something inside my brain while reading this.

  Forum post in the topic 100 Point Wine, Before & After by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• September 2009

  Almost all my favorite wines are in that price range. Thank goodness or we would go broke. CMS-Hedges Townshend-Red Table Cellar No. 8 Altos "Las Hormigas" Good Luck

  Forum post in the topic What is your favorite wine... by Aliviansteve

  
  
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  September 2009

  Hope Estate Verdelho Hunter Valley 2005

  Snoothrank: Starting at $8^.99

  What a find. Love spicy food but could never find a wine to stand up to it. This is it!

  Wine review by Troy Pilot

  
  

• May 2009

  Broke out the FN tonight with some strip steaks. Wow. Still so supple yet commanding, delicious and amazing. What an amazing bottle!! I'm almost sad I drank it!!!! Just wanted to share.............

  Forum post in the topic '97 Far Niente Cabernet by poeticchampion

  
  

• May 2009

  I was surprised to hear Paul Masson is mainly known for its brandy these days, ... They definitely broke the mold after Orson was created..

  Forum post in the topic Vintage wines by dmcker

  
  

• April 2009

  It’s not often that one gets a second chance with wines like this.  Way ... it could be bottled WWII broke out and operation at the winery pretty much ceased as all able bodied men were drafted. Once the war came to an end, or at least when the winemakers’ hitch was up, the... Read more It’s not often that one gets a second chance with wines like this.  Way ... it could be bottled WWII broke out and operation at the winery pretty much ceased as all able bodied men were drafted. Once the war came to an end, or at least when the winemakers’ hitch was up, the proprietor of El Gavilan took advantage of the GI bill to better himself. Well by 1947 the betterment was in full swing and the now defunct El Gavilan Winery was sold to Sebastiani with a few barrels of this 1941 still intact.  It was tasted and deemed to be special enough to warrant bottling but without a reputation, or existing winery, sales of this “premium” wine were dreadfully slow. So slow in fact that in 1982, when the cork had begun to fail there was still enough wine on hand to make recorking worthwhile and during the recorking it was discovered that they had a verifiable California Classic on their hands, worthy of the exorbitant price. Well it was a great story with a kernel or two of truth to it but as it turns out not the real deal. I was not to discover this for almost 25 years, for while I never bought a bottle of the Casa de Sonoma from George I never forgot that wine. Imagine my surprise when I noticed a non-vintage Casa de Sonoma listing while scanning Winebid earlier this year.  Clicking on the link confirmed that this was the same wine and the starting bid was $15! There were several lots available and hoping to insure that I got at least one winning bid I placed increasingly high max bids on each lot. With several days to go until the auction closed I could monitor my success and, if need be, raise my bid. Well I guess I was the only one talking to George about this wine since Sunday came and I won all the bottles I had bid on for $15 each! Even with the buyer’s premium and shipping I was looking at less than $25 per bottle, a steal. Within a couple of weeks the bottles arrived, looking as intriguing as they had almost 25 years ago. I know one is supposed to allow wine to rest after transport, travel shock and all that, but I couldn’t wait so the weekend after they arrived I was toting along a bottle to a gathering of like-minded winegeeks. Not knowing what lay in store I chose to not decant this wine. The cork, being only 28 years old, was fairly easy to extract intact. Apon first pour the wine had a little too much of a bronze tone than I would have liked to see but with air it actually turned a bit redder and fresher.  On the nose and palate this exhibits a very typical array of very aged notes, faded backing spices, beef bouillon, cola, and dusty earth yet it does retain a core of black fruit and has a surprising fresh and bright feel to it. It is no powerhouse but it’s not dead yet.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable bottle in fact, with enough complexity to remain engaging and as it evolved in the glass one could only wonder what made it’s way into this Duraglass 4/5 quart bottle. And wonder I did. The next day I was on the phone with Sebastiani. Vineyards. There was that informative sticker on the bottle announcing that my wine was in fact “From the personal cellars of August Sebastiani - Recorked at Sebastiani Vineyards May 1982”. If anyone knew anything it would be Sebastiani. I spoke with people in the media department as well as the winemaker at Sebastiani and they could offer no information. I thought it strange that this most intriguing and unique wine, perhaps the most intriguing and unique ever from Sebastiani, was now bottiglia non grata. Could I be the keeper of the flame, the holder of the truth, the last man living who had the story? Of course not, I just needed to dig a little deeper. And deep I dug, discovering an interview conducted in  2000 by Carole Hicke of one Doug L Davis entitled “HISTORY OF SEBASTIANI VINEYARDS, 1955-PRESENT”. It seems that Doug L Davis was the Vice President and Executive Winemaster of Sebastiani. Well, I thought, that’s the man I need to talk with. Doug spent over 45 years with Sebastiani, choosing to leave in 2003 during the sale of the winery to constellation brands. Tracking him down was fairly easy and I was fortunate to spend about a half hour on the phone with him last month finally finding out the truth regarding this unique bottling of wine. According to Doug the El Gavilan bottling got it’s name from a Sebastiani property that was in Santa Rosa “down by the railroad tracks.” It was selected lots of 1941 Cabernet that was bottled in 1947 along with other lots of Burgundy, Chablis and Sauternes! Being 1947, wines labeled as Cabernet needed only to contain 51% Cabernet with the remainder being primarily Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah and Mondeuse. While these might seem an odd assortment one has to factor in the way Sebastiani weathered the storm of Prohibition: by shipping thick-skinned grapes, (Carignane, Petite Sirah, Mondeuse), throughout the country to home winemakers. Back then Sebastiani was almost exclusively a bulk operation and the vast majority of the wines they produced were dessert wines, but there were small lots of table wine produced, though even these limited quantities failed to find a market. These earliest table wines were produced during the transitionary period as Sebastiani founder Samuele passed control of the property over to his son August Sebastiani. Perhaps to make a name for himself, or simply for the heck of it August chose to bottle about 1000 cases of the 1941 Cabernet and chose the Casa de Sonoma label, Casa de Sonoma being the home August had built for himself in 1947.  The wine was bottled in the El Gavilan winery, which was also owned by Sebastiani at that time. These 1000 cases were then brought to Sonoma and laid down in old stable on the Sebastiani property. Doug’s first exposure to this wine occurred in his first year with Sebastiani as the flood of 1955 required all hands on deck to help move the cases to higher ground! Fortunately, or unfortunately, the wine pretty much just sat there in those stables after that. It was never actively marketed, though it was sold through the winery and given away as gifts. August Sebastiani passed away in 1980 and when the contents of the winery were inventoried it became apparent that the corks in these bottles had begun to fail so a recorking program was undertaken. Each bottle was inspected, a few were deemed healthy enough to be left alone and were retained by the winery, but the remainder were individually opened and inspected. The entire lot, which by this point was about half of what had originally been bottled, was sorted out, with spoiled bottles being discarded and sound bottles being topped off and recorked. Each bottle had its original cork and paper capsule placed in a bag and attached to the bottle to help maintain each bottle’s authenticity and historical significance. What was finally released in 1982 was the best of what remained of a wine that was “never great” but did represent a significant effort that was justified only by the high quality that the 1941 vintage represented. And that’s the real story behind this bottling. It’s a lot of history for one small bottle and a testament to what California was capable of, and achieved half a century ago. I thank Samuele Sebastini for making the wine possible, August Sebastiani for making the wine, and Doug Davis for making sure the story of the wine was not lost to time. Sometimes you do get a second chance. In this case I also have a third, and a fourth, and a fifth… P.S. Gotta love that back label. Well chilled indeed! Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager Snooth    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic A Second Chance - Casa de... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• March 2009

  1989 Vietti Horizontal Tasting With Luca Currado I also had the pleasure of ... New York. On this occasion I broke out a horizontal tasting of his Barolo and Barbaresco from the spectacular 1989 vintage. The wines performed flawlessly from the bottom up through the top. You can read... Read more1989 Vietti Horizontal Tasting With Luca Currado I also had the pleasure of ... New York. On this occasion I broke out a horizontal tasting of his Barolo and Barbaresco from the spectacular 1989 vintage. The wines performed flawlessly from the bottom up through the top. You can read more about it in the Snooth forums but let me just say that his entry level Barolo from 1989, the Castiglione bottling, was this close to the same quality as his cru bottlings. Evidence that the 2005 Perbacco Nebbiolo and 2004 Castiglione Barolo, the current releases, while delicious today, will age in classic Vietti fashion for years to come. They are great values from one of Piedmont's greatest wineries! 2005 Vietti Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco $17.16 With astringent red fruits and floral tones this is classic Nebbiolo. So vibrant and alive on the palate with great intensity of flavor yet light weight and real finesse. 2004 Vietti Barolo Castiglione $35.00 Tar and rose but so much more! Layered and elegant with fine balance and wonderful dried red fruits, floral and spice tones all in perfect harmony.    (hide)

  From the article 1989 Vietti Horizontal Tasting With Luca Currado

  
  

• March 2009

  After much anticipation Snooth’s OTBN was apon us! We were meeting in the ... this is really were all hell broke loose. No matter how many glasses I had I always seemed to be one or two short but I did my best to keep up with the overwhelming flow and this is how I did it. 1983... Read more After much anticipation Snooth’s OTBN was apon us! We were meeting in the ... this is really were all hell broke loose. No matter how many glasses I had I always seemed to be one or two short but I did my best to keep up with the overwhelming flow and this is how I did it. 1983 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Stag's Leap Vineyards Napa Valley- From magnum this was just great with all the complexities one can get from older California Cabernet and the classic dusty velvet texture that makes these wines so much fun to drink. I loved this wine and for me it was Wine Of The Night! 1993 Lucien Boillot Volnay Les Caillerets - This had a wonderful tension in the mouth between bitter cherry fruit and a lovely gamy, nutty nuance. As expected it got lost a little between all the big fruit and tannin bombs but was memorable for it’s elegance. 1993 Armand Comte Pommard Clos des Epeneaux - from magnum - This on the other hand was pretty damn powerful, and a bit tight and short on the palate but it had an effusive perfume of sweet spice, woodsy aromas and black cherry fruit. I’ll check back in on this in 5 years if I can! 2003 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir Beaux Frères Vineyard - I thought this was a little older than 2003 but it was still captivating with a gentle yet sweet nose and a lovely, lithe feel that is almost impossible to find in domestic pinot. I want to find more of this! 2006 ROAR Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands - I tasted this just briefly and it had some spritz so I put it aside to let it dissipate but II never got back to trying it. Darn! 2006 Moric Neckenmarkter Blaufrankisch - This was crazy good wine. Delicate yet precise with such detail and balance. I loved it and can’t wait till the next time me and this wild blackberry beauty have a chance to get to know each other a little better. Tied for my second WOTN! By this time my lamb had arrived so fortunately I had a foil for some of the larger scaled wines to come. And boy did I need it! One after the other great wines appeared only to be replaced by another set of great wines. I was in heaven! 1987 Kistler Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley Kistler Vineyard - I have never smelled such a floral California Cabernet before and this was captivating. Great green olive and cassis notes as well and with the seductive texture only aged California Cabernet can have! 2004 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Backus - This was a bruiser but beat you with the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove! Great iron flecked crème de cassis fruit in a seamless velvety package. A great wine from one of my favorite vineyards! 2002 Vergelegen Estate Red - This was just gorgeous on the nose with smoky, green chile, cassis and oak tones all layered and in balance. It’s a bit simple still on the palate but this flagship South African red has the stuffing to turn into something special! 1991 Carmenet Vin de Garde Reserve Selection - This was a bit peppery and stern and reminded me a bit of 1986 Bordeaux with it’s powerful expression of tobacco tinged fruit. This is an old style of California Cabernet that one rarely encounters today. Can you say Dunn Howell Mountain? New world? Old world? The lines can get blurry sometimes and nowhere is that truer than in Spain these days. I’ll be posting my impressions from an old Rioja tasting soon and along with the notes is my take on Tempranillo these days. I go off on a lot of producers who are trying to make Tempranillo in to something it’s not and while I genuinely believe that sometimes the results make me reconsider my position, for a little while at least! 2004 CVNE Pagos De Viña Real - No mistaking this for anything but a huge, modern Rioja but the black raspberry and vanilla tones are in balance and the wine is big yet so smooth and polished that you can’t help but like it, just give it a few years in the cellar. 2004 Buil & Giné Montsant Baboix - This is another decidedly modern Spanish bruiser and it’s packed with lovely herbal, mineral and spice tones embedded in rich cassis and blackberry fruit. It’s intensely spicy and really deserves something rich and spicy to cut through! As modern as the last pair was I moved back into two classics from France, Bordeaux and Chateauneuf. Both were real treats and matched perfectly with my lamb chops. 1989 Clos du Mont Olivet Chateauneuf du Pape la Cuvee du Papet - Who wants the funk? Bring on the funk! And black olives, leather, lavender, mushrooms, you got it all on the nose and while the palate was wonderful with lovely truffly edges this had started to thin out a bit but was still fabulous. 1982 Château Grand Puy Lacoste - Classic freaking Bordeaux! This had that restrained power and endless layers of flavor that only Bordeaux can offer. As much as I love the texture of mature California Cabernet the elegance and complexity of Bordeaux can bring things to an entirely different level. Tied for my second WOTN And then I was left in my happy place; surrounded by Barolo! As you might know Nebbiolo to me is magical and while none of the Barolos tonight made it in to my top five wines I was thrilled to be ending my night with them! 1997 Paolo Scavino Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata Riserva - And as much as I love Barolo I didn’t feel the love here. While the nose offered up nice mushroom, rose and licorce scents there were loosing the battle with the spicy wood. Pretty much the same in the mouth, the fruit was intact and nice but all the complexity came from the wood so I didn’t get much depth here. 1982 Brovia Barolo Rocche Dei Brovia - This was great in it’s own way. A very good wine, but just a great glass to drink at the end of the night. Lacking some complexity as well, but just so bright and balanced with fine red berry fruits and a slightly gamy twang on the finish. I was refreshed! 1989 Marchese di Barolo Cannubi Barolo - While I preferred the Brovia to this I can’t say one is better than the other, just different. This had more complexity and deeper fruit but was a bit less elegant and refreshing. It’s still a delicious glass of big black cherry fruit. We spent the night trying to Twitter our notes as we participated in Twitter Taste Live with our virtual drinking companions but it was not with much success. Connectivity, in the virtual sense, was limited in the dining room but that didn't prevent us from trying! There was one bottle that I missed the 2005 Turley Howell Mountain Zinfandel. Can anyone let me know what it’s like? And with that I was left with the 2 dessert wines. First up was the rather crappy bottle of 1985 Warres Port. Alcoholic, disjointed and volatile it’s only redeeming feature was that it was marginally sweet and smelled faintly of fruit. I chose to move on an end my night with the fairly remarkable 2005 Feiler-Artinger - Ruster Ausbruch Essenz. Intense and intensely sweet yet with such incredible acidity that this never became cloying and the mineral notes on the finish cut right through the remaining fresh fruity sweetness so it never became over-powering or boring either. Simply a great sip with which to end a brilliant evening. I want to thank everyone who helped make this evening so special. Thanks to Wilson Daniels for their support and generous contributions Thanks to North Square for taking such good care of us. And thanks to everyone who made this such a special evening with their generous contributions and brilliant company. I can’t wait to do this again. Do you really want to wait an entire year? I know I don’t! Gregory Dal Piaz is the Community Manager at Snooth, an avid Wine Geek with a passion for things Italian, and a long suffering Mets fan.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Open That Bottle Night 2009... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• February 2009

  What a fantastic tasting RtT was this year. I wish I wasn't so exhausted after ... week-end that my palate broke down after 20 producers or so because virtually everything I tasted was excellent. This might have been the tasting of the year because of its diversity and high... Read moreWhat a fantastic tasting RtT was this year. I wish I wasn't so exhausted after ... week-end that my palate broke down after 20 producers or so because virtually everything I tasted was excellent. This might have been the tasting of the year because of its diversity and high quality. Uew - I walked by Nicolas & Thierry puffing on the way out (probably minutes after that photo was taken) and was in the same great Joly seminar as you. Maybe we'll meet up next time    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic SYMPHONY WITH HORNS by RBoulanger

  
  

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