my chick was nice enough to drink the rest of the bottle before I got home last night. There will be no further tasting notes.
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Received a decent allocation for Red Car if any one is interested:

6 x 2007 Cuvee 22 Syrah 750ml, $50.00 ea.
6 x 2007 Heaven & Earth Pinot Noir 750ml, $54.00 ea.
6 x 2007 The Aphorist Pinot Noir 750ml, $54.00 ea.
6 x 2007 Cuvee 22 Syrah 1.5L, $126.00 ea.
1 x 2007 The Aphorist Pinot Noir 1.5L, $135.00 ea.
1 x 2007 Heaven & Earth Pinot Noir 1.5L, $135.00 ea.

I'm probably ordering a mag of The Aphorist.

PM me if you're interested.
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Nice haul Aldukes. The Aphorist is excellent. Haven't yet had the H&E so would love to hear your thoughts.

~Vitis
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I have a few bottles of last years Speakeasy sitting down for another year or two.

I think I'm only ordering a mag of the Aphorist.

Im on a lot of mailing lists- I'll keep posting offers as they come in. If you want anything PM me.
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I'll third Malbecs. I 've been drinking a lot of these lately.

Layer Cake Malbecs are interesting but I've recently discovered Kaiken Malbec (2006). For four bucks more this is the best Malbec I've had. But I need to try the Malpin (due to the recommendation earlier by Vitis, I believe).

I just found this thread and am looking forward to learning more about wine. On a side note, I'm looking for a decent book that would give an indication about how different wines are made. Basically, I'm looking for a book about the process and if it could give a sense of wine-making in different parts of the world, that would be an added bonus. Suggestions?
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Might want to contact Mark C- he's in the process of making his own wine.
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Last nights damage hanging out with the GF while eating assorted meats and cheeses.

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2000 Vincent Girardin Chassagne Montrachet 1er Clos de la Truffiere
Was given this quid pro for doing a little work several years ago. Wasn't sure what to expect after having too many 2000 WhiteBurgs that have been to flat. This one was no exception. Pretty nose spiced oak, vanilla cream and some saltiness. In the mouth, heavy and fat with meringue and lemmon custard with slightly bitter acidity on the finish. Problem is the mid-palate is simply too heavy and lacking acidity. Interesting sea shell note on the finish. Not bad but not going to get any better.


2005 Abeja Reserve Cabernet
The GF had to frop some stuff off at Abeja the other day and somehow aquired a this bottle and a TBone in the process. Who could complain. Very nice nose of sweet oak and cassis. Rich in the mouth with gobs of red current, vanilla and cola flavors. Heavy finish with light tannins but a crisp acidity. Very Washington, and very young. nice wine that needs a bit of time. A bit left in the bottle to check on later today.

Didn't get a cigar in but still a nice time at home on a rainy night.


~Vitis
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Suprised the 2000 Vincent Girardin Chassagne Montrachet 1er Clos de la Truffiere wasn't better! Looks like a winner.
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I'll have to place a vote in for the Layer Cake Malbec. I really like it! I've never tried the Kaiken 06, so I'll look for a bottle. I'd like to suggest Alamos Malbec Mendoza 2007, as a great Malbec, at about $15 a bottle. Well worthy of trying!
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Thanks for the recommendation!
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Yup, not terrible but a bit dissapointing. :-) I have not had good luck with the 00' CMs or PMs but haven't had any of the real heavy hitters yet. I have had some killlers Chablis from 00' though.

~Vitis
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Just opened a bottle of Chateau la Gurgue Margaux from 05.. I am no expert but from what I can tell there are lots of spiced oak very creamy vanilla notes with a very fruity after taste.. very nice oh an not too much acidity I like that.. for 20 euros a great buy..
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Is anyone into Shiraz?

My wife and I really like Shiraz style wine, and for this past year, we have been really enjoying a Penfolds Shiraz-Cab, which is amazing, and extremely reasonable, at around $10 a bottle. If your into Shiraz, or maybe have never tried it, give this a try, Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet 2006. It's very intense in both aroma and flavor. Although this is a combo Shiraz/Cab wine, the Shiraz dominates at about 75%. I don't have any bottles left, at the moment, and I can't recall exactly. Dam, I need to go to Lee's today and stock up. I still have a few bottles of Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz 2005, which is a nice wine, with a meal, but it's does not compare to the above, which is a great wine!

Any other suggestions for great Shiraz wines, that will not break the bank, will be appreciated.
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A cold night heer in the NW with snow in Seattle (??WTF). That being said, another evening in with the GF with a steak and a few bottles of vino.

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2005 Colotte Marsannay Clos de Jeu
This is a house I really like, relatively new and unknown, making some great QPR wines. I have not had one of these in about a year. The nose started out very tight, dominated by red fruit. More of the same in the mouth, very tightly wound, ripe cranberry and raspberry. The mouthfeel is very dense and compact, but the flavors are muted and mostly closed down at the moment. This wine has some nice promise with excellent structure and very fine ripe fruit, but it is in an angry youth phase so not ready to drink at the moment. I have high hopes and will wait another year before cracking the next bottle. They make a very fine Chambolle Musigny for the price if you can get your hands on it.

2001 Reserve de la Comtesse Lalande, Pauillac
This is the second wine of Pichon Lalande, and last nights is the 11th bottle I have drank out of a case I bought very cheaply on a deal several years ago. I have always liked this wine, it's about as Bordeaux as you can get. The nose is cedar and black fruit with a noticable green pepper characteristic which I enjoy. Very silky in the mouth, great balance for a second wine, and a medium length finish of cassis, tobacco and more green pepper. Not quite a wine to drink on it's own, but once we started onto the steak a great match. No first growth here, but very tasty for the price and I wish I had another case of this. I would say at it's peak now.

We did open a bottle of 1998 Louis Bernard Chateauneuf du Pape but there were very pronounced oxidized sherry notes on the nose so we did not drink it. Not sure what was up. I have a few left so hopefuly this was an anomaly. :-)

~Vitis
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OK, I was in BevMo and found the '05 PS for $9.99 club bev price. I picked up 3 bottles to try. It may be Christmas dinner table wine. I also got a bottle of Bigfoot Zin for cooking. 5 bucks. It has a strong oak taste and is bit bitter. But it has a cranberry like taste with some spiciness. :-) Good cooking wine. I'm drinking a glass now.
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$9.99 is an awesome price. :-)
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sitting at a wine tasting a cigar friendly bar. Tried a bunch of nice wines. So far my fab was a Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet, great with my hoyo.
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What is the difference in Syrah, Sirah, and Shiraz?
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Same grape, named different in different wine regions. The end product can be different as soil, climate, and wine making methods can change the end product quite dramatically.
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Thanks moses. That is what I thought but 'tis better to ask than to simply assume.

Idea: I like this thread, and I like wine. Problem is I know nothing about it. Reading some of the back and forth conversation a few of you guys have is Greek to me. How about a thread on different types of wine with a general description of each. Like their perceived strengths or bodies or whatever. Or I guess it could be done just as a single post at the beginning of this thread for reference.
Ex:
Red Wines
----------
Pinot Noir--description
Cabernet Savignon--description
etc.

White Wines
------------
Chardonnay--
etc.

Just a thought that would probably be helpful to more than just myself.
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