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Official Red Wine Review and Discussion Thread

what I find wild about my tongue. I use to drink a crap ton of beer. When I switched to red. It killed my beer tongue. Still have a few from time to time but damn. Red wine to me is like the nectar from God
That may have happened to me too. Used to be much more into beers. Now I don't really care as much. Just give me my Cabernet. Haha I used to always drink beer with pizza but now I've just switched that over to just having a Cabernet with pizza. Beyond just the taste, I just feel much better after drinking red wine than I do beer. I don't really get much of a headache from my Cabernets either, regardless of how much I drink. Not sure if lucky enough to be getting low tannin bottles or what.
 
Yeah, 2 buck Chuck is not good. To be fair though, people that know wine tell me that when it first came out and for years after, that it was really solid, but then it took a nosedive.


^^^^ pizza and wine is great together. But what really goes great with a bottle of red is big juicy grilled hamburger. Damn...
 
I’ve long been a believer in relative value. Is a $10 bottle twice as good as a $5 bottle? Absolutely! Is a $20 bottle twice as good as the $10? Probably. Is the $40 bottle twice as good again? Doubtful, imo.

Most I’ve spent is $25 on a Decoy brand Merlot. Good stuff. But I wouldn’t do that as an every weekend wine.
Law of diminishing returns.
 
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The GYERO trip to wine country was one for the ages last fall. We visited/tasted the following wineries:

TOR - “cult” wine but I swear each pour tasted the same and isn’t worth the price IMO.
Schramsberg - my fave sparkling is their blanc de noirs. Love the Cremant as well. It’s a little sweet but a nice change of pace. Total Wine carries it.
Viader - Howell Mountain reds are delicious. Joined this wine club.
Sosie - small Sonoma winery. Good wines that were on the “cheaper” side compared to other places we visited. I like the Charles Smith cab.
Hamel - love their Isthmus wine (blend) and have been a club member since 2019. When we visited the “client ambassador” was from Kentucky and she treated us like royalty.

I love all the cabs Cakebread puts out but especially the Dancing Bear Cabernet (2018 especially).

I started liking wine when I worked at Nadine’s in college. Then me and @anthonys735 went to Napa in 2006 not long after we started dating. Back again in 2019. Then with the group trip, me and @drxman1 got involved in researching alllll the wines. He is obsessed. His favorite is Krupp Brothers.

I do like the Josh sparking rosè. Also Corner Wine in Lexington carries a sparkling rosè of Malbec that’s under $20… Reginato.

I want the next group trip to be to Champagne, France. We shall see.
 
I really love The Prisoner Red, It just takes a dinner out to another level. It is a little pricey, nice for a change, now and then. Especially when paired with steak.
 
When I look at prices for wine at a restaurant, I am somewhere on a continuum that includes the emotional locations of bemused, fascinated, and angry.
 
Kroger has become my wine spot and I do not have a refined palate. I like Gascon Malbec, Jacob’s Creek Shiraz, J. Lohr Cab, the Bogles, most 13 Crimes, 12 Hands red blend, Cooper and Thief, bourbon barrel, and will get an Apothic if I have coupon.
 
I hated that movie because everyone asks me if that's the reason I like Pinots. No, I was a fan years before. Regardless, red wines are a passion of mine. Cabs are still my favorite.

Anapamu used to be my go-to Pinot, but it stopped showing up where I shopped. If I want one now, I usually just grab a Bogle.
 
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Got back from Napa over Labor Day - we brought wine check which is a check on bag that holds 15 bottles so we brought back some of our favorites. Had tastings at like 14 wineries and each time I got drunk and they mentioned anything about merlot I would make a joke about sideways where my wife would roll her eyes and the server would make a polite laugh although I’m sure they were rolling their eyes internally. I also asked like 5 of them when I was really drunk about that study done at the university of Bordeaux where they put red food coloring in white wines and the master sommeliers would describe them with red tasting notes to both my wife’s and the servers horror.

Anyway we had all the good ones Opus One, Caymus, yada yada. Wines good, I like it, we have a wine cellar in our house. But honestly if you just go to Costco and get bottles that are rated 90 or higher by wine enthusiast you’re set. That’s how I buy all my wine. All these wine stores have stickers with the wine rating on them. Just go and pick out the ones that are 88 or higher (you can always find a bottle in every variety under 20) and then impress your douchebag wine snobs.
 
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Got back from Napa over Labor Day - we brought wine check which is a check on bag that holds 15 bottles so we brought back some of our favorites. Had tastings at like 14 wineries and each time I got drunk and they mentioned anything about merlot I would make a joke about sideways where my wife would roll her eyes and the server would make a polite laugh although I’m sure they were rolling their eyes internally. I also asked like 5 of them when I was really drunk about that study done at the university of Bordeaux where they put red food coloring in white wines and the master sommeliers would describe them with red tasting notes to both my wife’s and the servers horror.

Anyway we had all the good ones Opus One, Caymus, yada yada. Wines good, I like it, we have a wine cellar in our house. But honestly if you just go to Costco and get bottles that are rated 90 or higher by wine enthusiast you’re set. That’s how I buy all my wine. All these wine stores have stickers with the wine rating on the . Just go and pick out the ones that are 88 or higher (you can always find a bottle in every variety under 20) and then impress your douchebag wine snobs.

Told my wife your red food coloring story and she could not understand why I found humor retelling your story about your “wives” and a server having whores. “Is it funny that he claims more than one wife or that they have whores?” 🤦‍♂️
 
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I’ve long been a believer in relative value. Is a $10 bottle twice as good as a $5 bottle? Absolutely! Is a $20 bottle twice as good as the $10? Probably. Is the $40 bottle twice as good again? Doubtful, imo.

Most I’ve spent is $25 on a Decoy brand Merlot. Good stuff. But I wouldn’t do that as an every weekend wine.


This is absolutely true. Take for example a buttery Chardonnay. You have the classic Rombauer (referred to as “cougar juice” by those in the industry). This bottle is around 40 retail, but you can get a Rayburn which in a taste test 9 out 10 couldn’t differentiate between the two for 20. You can get the classic Belle Glos for 40 or one of the many amazing Willamette Valley Pinots (like the Wilametter Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster) for 20. Instead of a Caymus Zin for 50 you can get a delicious Saldo for 20, etc etc. A lot of time your just paying for the fact it was made in Napa (85% has to come from that region for it to be claimed to be from there) and Napa surprisingly only produces about 4% of all wine made just in California alone.
 
Buttery. Hard to find these days.

So we stayed on the Beringer vineyard when we were in Napa and our server for our tasting said they are going away from the big buttery oaky California chards they used to make and going to the French style crispier ones. Outside of a classic like Rombauer he said it’s going to be really hard to find a buttery chard in a couple years, which we were disappointed to hear since that’s our favorite style chard. A really good newer style one I’ve had is called Sixto (can usually find this at Costco) that has the crisp initial taste but a really nice silky finish. It’s reasonable at 28 a bottle but gives a good idea of the newer style they’re going for. Tastes almost identical to Beringers new chard (the premium one you can only get with a wine membership).
 
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I agree on Cosco and some Krogers for great finds. The one I mentioned above can be bought and enjoyed cheaper than in a restaurant.

Love this conversation and recommendations!
 
This is a very nice red blend (roughly 70% cabernet, 25% petite sirah, 5% merlot). You can find it for $21-$24. It's Rated 93 by Wine Enthusiast. It's from lesser known Paso Robles, CA which is why it can be had for a relative bargain IMO. In Louisville, Kroger, Total Wine and Party Mart carry it. Sometimes Costco has it too.

 
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I’ve long been a believer in relative value. Is a $10 bottle twice as good as a $5 bottle? Absolutely! Is a $20 bottle twice as good as the $10? Probably. Is the $40 bottle twice as good again? Doubtful, imo.

Most I’ve spent is $25 on a Decoy brand Merlot. Good stuff. But I wouldn’t do that as an every weekend wine.
Probably will not be well received but I have gotten to like Ruffino chiantis.

I even love the basic Chianti Classico. It’s around $10
 
So we stayed on the Barringer vineyard when we were in Napa and our server for our tasting said they are going away from the big buttery oaky California chards they used to make and going to the French style crispier ones. Outside of a classic like Rombauer he said it’s going to be really hard to find a buttery chard in a couple years, which we were disappointed to hear since that’s our favorite style chard. A really good newer style one I’ve had is called Sixto (can usually find this at Costco) that has the crisp initial taste but a really nice silky finish. It’s reasonable at 28 a bottle but gives a good idea of the newer style they’re going for. Tastes almost identical to Barringers new chard (the premium one you can only get with a wine membership).
Hey thanks! I'm always open for wine recommendations.
 
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This is a very nice red blend (roughly 70% cabernet, 25% petite sirah, 5% merlot). You can find it for $21-$24. It's Rated 93 by Wine Enthusiast. It's from lesser known Paso Robles, CA which is why it can be had for a relative bargain IMO. In Louisville, Kroger, Total Wine and Party Mart carry it. Sometimes Costco has it too.

J Lohr is money.
 
What are y'all's opinion on wine stoppers? Necessary? Am I crazy to just put the cork back in my Cabernet to keep it relatively fresh. To my less than sophisticated palate, my Cabernet still tastes just fine to me through the next week or two by the time I finish off my bottle.
 
What are y'all's opinion on wine stoppers? Necessary? Am I crazy to just put the cork back in my Cabernet to keep it relatively fresh. To my less than sophisticated palate, my Cabernet still tastes just fine to me through the next week or two by the time I finish off my bottle.

I use a product I got on Amazon called Vacu Vin. Came with a couple stoppers and a small hand pump that draws the air out of the bottle. Supposed to keep freshness for up to 4 weeks. I only use it for any wine I might not finish on a Sunday night so it stays good until the following Friday. But I wonder if that is even necessary.
 
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Here are some of my current favorite full bodied cabernets/cab blends for steak night or a slightly special occasion:

Chappellet Mountain Cuvee $50 or Chappellet cabernet $85
Hess Alomi cabernet $35
Groth Oakville cabernet $75
Freemark Abbey cabernet $60
BV Tapestry Reserve $50
 
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I use a product I got on Amazon called Vacu Vin. Came with a couple stoppers and a small hand pump that draws the air out of the bottle. Supposed to keep freshness for up to 4 weeks. I only use it for any wine I might not finish on a Sunday night so it stays good until the following Friday. But I wonder if that is even necessary.
We have same.
 
Cakebread delivers.

Pappy 15 and a Cohiba in the rain after the win for dad
 
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