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What town are you guys in? The somm world is small, wouldn't be surprised if I knew your friends. Funny note on Rombauer, a certain master somm candidate in my previous blind tasting group called Rombauer as a "very high quality Meursault premier cru." He had passed all 3 sections of the master sommelier exam at different times, but not within the 3 year period to attain the MS. So maybe your taste isn't so bad after all. Although everyone else at the table said he was way off and that it was definitely some blown out CA chard before the bottle reveal, haha. Also, what you should really do to excite them is to snag some old merlot on WineBid. I just searched on there for merlot and found lots of interesting things. The '88 Phelps might be worth a roll of the dice at the low asking price. Not California, but the '06 Quilceda Creek could be fun too. You do have to be ready for WineBid wines to be underwhelming, but I've actually had some great luck. Just don't spend too much on anything if the fill level is creeping below the neck. Old Duckhorn Merlot can be quite tasty, although I've had enough to know the 80s bottles are largely over the hill.
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May 21, 2021 08:43
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 13:58 |
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Oh awesome, I worked in SF for several years, and moved up north to Healdsburg to open a restaurant about 5 years back. I'm gearing up now to open a wine bar up here focused primarily on coastal CA, Burgundy and Champagne, although we'll have stuff from all over the world. Gonna be hosting lots of dope tastings, seminars, etc. Working on the site, I'll post the link here when it's done. Hoping to be open around September/October, but the construction industry is poppin' off right now. Everything is so backed up, so we'll see how it goes. If you make it up this way I'll pour you a splash of something fun once we're open, as long as you don't ask me if I have stairs in my house.
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May 21, 2021 22:56
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obi_ant posted:Where did you work in SF? Also Healdsburg is is nice, I used to visit Guerneville once every few years or so. I'm very fond of Flowers, great Pinots. Was head somm at Saison and Michael Mina, before moving up to Healdsburg. And yes it's my own spot, opening in partnership with one of the somms from my team at the last space as well as with my wife. I've spent the past year gathering the investors and such. Putting the finishing touches on our website, which will just be a hype train and source of info for now, will throw up a link here soon. And trust me, I'll know you're a goon from a mile away. In all seriousness, the site has my pic on it, just mention you're from the forums. thotsky posted:The say it is only a bunch of VA and no mouse, that they have worked 13 hours and don't want to argue. I was being perfectly polite, we always tip well and my understanding is that wines with faults are comped by the importer no questions asked, so why make a big deal out of it? This is abysmal customer service, and yes, almost all importers will credit without question. The solution to not "argue" with you would have been to take the hit and get you something you enjoyed. This is exactly why I don't carry many natural wines at my establishments, and why I don't patronize places that are dedicated to them. This attitude is extremely common in the natural wine community. You just don't get it, it's supposed to taste like flawed garbage. I'd also love to know where this was so I can never go there, and tell others the same. Crimson fucked around with this message at 01:29 on May 29, 2021 |
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May 29, 2021 00:55
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taco show posted:Guys I’m drinking the Kirkland Chablis and it’s…… not bad? I wouldn’t say it’s premier cru quality (despite the label lol) as it doesn’t have the zip and steely minerality I expect from really great Chablis. Keep in mind 1er Cru and grand cru vineyards tend to be the warmer sites, meaning they get richer and more full bodied. They're also more frequently subjected to oak instead of stainless, which will add roundness and curb some of the citrus freshness, even if the barrels are well used. For steely, mineral chablis, pick up regular AOC Chablis. You might know the above info, just throwing that out there. Some of the top Chablis producers from top sites can disappoint people looking for that citrus/mineral/seashell thing. Raveneau and Dauvissat, for example, can be quite creamy and rich compared to baseline Chablis. It's tough to say what's "classic" Chablis when the bottom and top ends taste so different. That's all a long way of me saying, drat Kirkland makes a 1er Cru Chablis for 20 American dollars?! I'm in, thank you! Gonna nab a bottle.
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Dec 24, 2021 08:54
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True! I should qualify that by saying certain producers don't use oak, even on 1er and grand cru. Louis Michel being one of em. Piuze being another. Edit: I take that back, just read up, I always thought Piuze was all stainless, but he does employ some oak. Michel is all stainless. Crimson fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Dec 24, 2021 |
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Dec 24, 2021 20:18
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For good, lighter Pinots in the $40-50 range, try Porter Creek or Moshin. Both clock in at lower alcohol levels and show savory notes. Sadly, there's not much good Pinot for less than that. My friends at Reeve recently launched Bloodroot, and their Sonoma County Pinot isn't half bad for like $25.
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Feb 26, 2022 00:12
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Virtue posted:I've recently gotten into german dry rieslings but am having trouble finding more to try in my local area. Any other regions/varietals I should take a look at? There are a few domestic dry rieslings that are worthwhile (although nothing really compares to great dry German riesling). Check out Tatomer out of Santa Barbara, Cobb out of the Sonoma Coast, Brooks out of Willamette Valley. I personally think Graham Tatomer is doing the best job out of anyone in the US. His gruner veltliners are stellar too. He spent several harvests working for the legendary Emmerich Knoll in Wachau, Austria.
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May 23, 2022 23:50
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Oh yeah I forget about Finger Lakes. I've enjoyed Element and Ravines from out there in the past, although it's been a few years.
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May 24, 2022 20:55
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How topical, drinking Il Poggione Rosso di Montalcino right now and it's delicious. It's more like ~$30 though.
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Nov 22, 2022 03:55
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Grassl glasses are nice too, a small step in quality from Glasvin. Their Liberté glass makes for a solid univeral, although to be honest I've been using the 1855 for just about everything for a larger universal style glass.
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Dec 9, 2022 21:03
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Kinda makes sense. At my wine bar I purposefully blind taste industry folks on California chard and pinot versus Burgundy, and they all struggle to tell the difference. You can't just assume old world is rustic and earthy anymore, poo poo is getting warmer.
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Dec 4, 2023 08:57
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What are you making these days?? Drop me a DM if you ever head up to Healdsburg.
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Dec 14, 2023 22:57
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Furious Lobster posted:Out of curiosity, do you think Single Thread is worth a trip? I've heard mixed thoughts about the place and am looking for more reviews. I think I mentioned it before in this thread, I was the opening wine director at STF, was there for almost 4 years. It's an incredible place, but it's gotten really expensive. Kinda depends what it means to you to drop $1.5k+ on dinner for two. If that doesn't dent the pocket book too hard, go for it. Plunder the insane wine list, don't do the pairings. There are some bad rear end places in Healdsburg now, a lot of the stf talent that was on the opening team with me have now opened up other things around town. Personally, I'd go to Troubadour for their $150 menu. The chef there was our opening exec chef at stf. Same people also have a bad rear end Italian place across the street, Molti Amici. I literally go there once a week. You can eat fantastically well in Healdsburg without going broke.
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Dec 16, 2023 21:15
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 13:58 |
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Might as well mention that if you come you might as well head to my wine bar. maisonwinebar.com. You can have a hell of a food and wine night between hitting us up, heading to dinner at Troubadour or Molti, and then just coming right back since we're open until 2am.
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Dec 19, 2023 08:55
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