Buy & Drink in Bulk!

Remember my last post nearly a month ago promising many many posts in the coming days? Well I'm a damn liar and should probably be relegated to drinking nothing but malbecs. Apologies as I'm having a hard time finding an internet connection, the time to blog when i'm not pondering about my future and/or next travel plans.

So here I am the day before christmas with what looks like the last post of 2007. It's been a great year, drank a whole lot of shitty wines but luckily drank a whole lot of great wines too. Visited a bunch of wineries and talked wine with some great people (Danny, Laurie, Neel)!

With that said, drink Clos du Bois. Just the Cabernet Sauvignon. At a cool price of $8.99 at costco, I find it a nice drink to mix in with the regular rotation of players (i.e. Liberty School, 6th Sense, Twenty Bench, etc). You could probably find it for sale at Safeway or Ralph's or at the asian markets too. The wine drinks well, nothing overtly complex, slightly sweet and fruity. They say 2004 is a good year for Napa wines, it wouldn't hurt to stash a bottle away for a few more years to double your investment!

Ok, have a safe and happy holiday. Get a designated driver or crash on someone's couch. I leave you again with more promises to blog often!

Render Me Speechless

Has it really been over 2 months since the last post? Rest assured that we have been drinking it up. But before I get into anything else worth the trouble of reading, let me say that the previous post on Twenty Bench is/was pretty gay. I extend my apologies for the outcome of that particular post. As easily as deleting it would be, leaving it would be best as it gives you a pretty good idea of how unpretentious we are. There will be no posts about notes of boysenberry and asparagus and pairings with delicate French cheeses either. Now that I got that off my chest, just know that the Twenty Bench is a really solid wine. I don't know just how I can emphasize that statement. Pick one up and see for yourself.

Be ready for a barrage of posts in the next few days. Once I find a reliable internet connection for my unemployed self, it will be on.

In the meantime you can read about the wikipedia entry about the Judgement of Paris that was also mentioned in a previous blog entry concerning the movie Bottle Shock. Fairly interesting. See you in a few.

The New Everyday Wine

2005 Twenty Bench Cabernet Sauvignon
*at BevMo*
Neel: Dude, I've been looking for this wine ever since my pops mentioned it to me 2-3 years ago along with the Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon & the 6th Sense Syrah but this motherfucker has eluded me ever since.
Rich: Well if your dad mentioned it, I'm game. The other two were legit.
Neel: If this is anywhere close to the other 2, we may have another 'everyday' wine!
Rich: Let's do this.

*at Rich's*
Neel: Smells full bodied.
Rich: I'm stoked.
Neel: Pretty good but needs some air.
Rich: Word.

*minutes pass, wine decants & swirls*
Neel: Oh shit. This opened up nicely. Very nice and robust.
Rich: Oh damn. Strong.
Neel: Peppery.
Rich: Pretty damn good.
Neel: This might be another keeper.
Rich: Dude, at $15 we have another keeper and it's budget friendly.
Neel: This will mature well over the next few years. Maybe put a few away for later.
Rich: For a 2005, this wine is freaking good, just imagine in a few years.
Neel: I tried to find this when I lived in SoCal, searched the Ralph's, the Pavilion's, the BevMo's etc and no go!
Rich: We've been the that BevMo a bunch of times and this is the first time I've seen it!
Neel: Glad we finally got to try it.
Rich: It tastes like wine molecules surrounding a water molecule.
Neel: Yeah, probably just needs a little more maturity but you can drink this now!
Rich: This is good dude. Your dad came through again.

*Rich proceeds to pick up 2 more bottles, one to drink and one to put away. Neel proceeds to do the same. Within the span of 6 days, that BevMo location sold 5 bottles of the Twenty Bench*

Beaulieu Vineyards Chardonnay

Who says this blog is only for promoting good wines? The Beaulieu Vineyards Chardonnay, Carneros Napa Valley is really bad. I bought it on a whim at Costco, actually I may have been influenced by Robert Parker's Wine Spectator rating and at $13.99 was a bad choice.

The chardonnay lacked any butteryness and sweetness and tasted more along the lines of alcoholic blandness, almost salty. I was fairly disappointed.

I also tried the Heitz Cellars Chardonnay at $12.99 and it also disappointed. Tasting more like a sauvignon blanc than a chardonnay. While very crisp and sweet, it did not have have the butter that good chardonnays have. *sigh*

With summer coming to an end you can proceed with drinking reds now. Look out for more reviews of red wines forthcoming...

Bottle Shock

"I am not drinking any fucking merlot!" - Miles

For those interested, filming for Bottle Shock has already begun. Basically a movie pertaining to the birth of the wine industry in Napa and how a little ole white wine from an nondescript area north of San Francisco shocked the wine world by beating a French Wine. More information can be obtained here and here.

Chardonnay's on a hot summer day

Chardonnay's and Sauvignon Blancs

Recently, i began drinking white wines due to the hot weather, and well, cheap ass prices. (compared to Cab's) I typically drink Chards (Chardonnays) and Sauvignon Blancs. These wine provide a more lighter, sweeter, more refreshing experience to drinking wine. I would recommend that you drink one of these very cold and before a meal. There are some other white wine varieties that people drink, but I dont really drink them, so I dont have much to say about them. But to distintify these two different whites, the Chard is a more flavorful, savory and buttery taste, while the Sauvignon Blanc's are a lot sweater in taste. But be careful! Sometimes you get some that taste like cat piss. Below is a simple list of ones that I have tried and enjoyed. I will go through a more comprehensive review of some of my favorite whites at a later time. Here are some of my picks:
(prices are currnet of BevMo(if they have prices))

BV Chardonnay Carneros '04 - ~16 bucks, good stuff, very sweet
Ch Montelena Chard - any year, very pricey, but tasty
Chalone Chard - good stuff for under 20 bucks
Clou Du Bois Chard- good for under 10 (the reserve for less then 20)
Clou du Val Chard - very good, very popular wine maker, everyone knows them, but you can get better. Around 20
Cakebread- probably the best chard you can drink-if you can find it.
Far Niente Chard- one of the top chards, sooooooo good. about 50 bucks
Franciscan Chard- strudy wine for 15ish bucks
Grigich Hills Chard- very good Chard, probably one of the better wines to come from there
Groth Chard- pretty good, almost like a cab,but a white, if that makes any sense...
Kenwood- pretty good for less then 10 bucks
Sanford Chard- a good wine esp for around 15
Sonoma Cutrer - Excellent wines, probably the best bang for your buck at 25 bucks (lot of bucks though)
Pine Ridge- excellent chards as well.
ZD Chard- Pricey, but tasty

Thats a pretty good list to work off of. I dont have too much experience in white wines, but these are pretty good. So sample some new stuff and let us know what you all think. If you want a good Savignon Blanc, try any one of these brands, and they should be really good as well.

Happy tasting.

Cakebread Cellars

I went wine tasting with family during the long 4th of July Holiday week. The first winery we hit up was Cakebread Cellars, an appointment I made well in advance for my family. Located along the St. Helena Highway, it's one of the first wineries you see before being deluged with a gazillion wineries along the road.

Tastings are by appointment only, you get to keep the wine glass and at $10, must be the best value in all of the Napa Valley. The tasting lasts about 45 minutes and you'll be able to taste about 6-8 different wines. From the delicious chardonnay, the grand reserve chardonnay, the cabernet sauvignon as well as some other wines they have on hand. On this particular day, they also had a merlot, rubiayat and sauvignon blanc, all of which paled in comparison to the other 3 I mentioned earlier. The weekend we went, they had just opened up their new tasting room which allows you to sit down and casually drink and taste while the wine steward waxes poetic about tasting notes, food pairings and restaurants. The rest of the time we strolled the premises, took pictures and relaxes before driving to the next winery.

Again, I can not stree enough at how good of a value this is, we all know that wine tasting can put a pretty dent in your wallet so being able to do a tasting at a very high end winery and that allows you to keep the glass is okay in my book!

2005 Joseph Phelps Innisfree

A new wine released by the folks over at Joseph Phelps Vineyard? Say word?!?! A 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon? When I first saw it while perusing the aisles at my local Costco, I thought to myself that this must be Joseph Phelp's newest entry into the affordable wine market! Usually, Phelp's wines will hit your pockets for about ~$40, so buying a Phelps wine in the $17-19 would be an awesome look. After going online onto the Phelps website I wasn't able to find much information. Some more google searches and I was able to find that it was made with excess grapes from the Phelps vineyards, the same grapes used for the regular Phelps cabernet as well as the baller Insignia label. Unfortunately, this wine failed to live up to the Phelps standard, lacking in aroma and taste, I must say I was very disappointed. A small gamble to take especially if the wine turned out to be something worth buying in bulk to store away. Onto the next adventure.

*Danny, Laurie, Neel, where you at? Old Chinese proverb say drinking wine improve vitality!*

Friends with Whitey!

Don't discriminate against white wines. Especially during these hot summer days, having a chilled glass or bottle of white wines is kind of nice.

One particular white wine that comes to mind is the Kendall Jackson Chardonnay Grand Reserve. Granted the regular chardonnay is tasty is its own right, the Grand Reserve really puts the 'grand' in it. Very smooth, crisp and buttery, it really refreshes.

At about $13 - 16 a bottle, it's very reasonable. Do yourself a favor and grab a few for the summer.

The Value Wine: 2004 Les Caves Joseph Bordeaux

Sometimes you just gotta buckle down and go cheap. Especially when you are kickin down 4 bottles with your fellow wine snob on a given night. Until recently, I always considered Liberty School to be the only value wine for me. But even at 11-13 bucks a pop, it can get a little pricey.

I was turned onto a 5 dollar value Bordeaux from Trader Joe's. Normally, Bordeaux are your very expensive French wine. When I say very expensive, I mean VERY expensive. An average bottle of decent Bordeaux (think something like a St Supery or Provenance) would set you back about 50 bucks, at the least. The 2004 Les Caves Joseph is an excellent alternative to these.

The wine itself is a very different wine to what I normally drink. It is a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cab grapes. Typically, I stay away from the Merlot scene, but this wine hides it very well. While nothing spectacular, it is extremely smooth and decently flavorful. I definitely recommend trying it. I recommend opening up the bottle about 30 minutes before you drink it. Decanter it if possible (see other blog about decanters), and pour a little into your glass. Be sure to swirl the shit out of the wine. This wine loves oxygen, and definitely needs it. For 5 bucks you can't go wrong!

Storage Solutions

So you got yourself a 2001 Silver Oak, a 2001 Joseph Phelps, maybe even a 2001 Jordan Cabernet... if you're smart you'll hold onto those and let them age. Now the question comes to mind, where to store them? Wine isn't something you leave out, being sensitive to sunlight and temperature changes, you really shouldn't be letting it sit on your kitchen countertop next to the oven.

One way to store them and this is how I do it is use a cooler. A simple igloo ice cooler is all you need. granted it is a pretty pedestrian remedy, it works fairly well, at least I hope. Just make sure to store bottles sideways and tuck the cooler away in a closet someplace cool.

Another way to do it is converting that old mini fridge you had in college into an inexpensive wine cooler. This is what Neel ended up doing and it seems to work well. Just remember to turn it down so it isn't so cold, you don't want to end up with frosty cabernets.

Wine coolers range from your affordable 8-bottle holders to massive industrial sized ones, from $100 to the thousands. Why spend it on that when you can spend it on more wine? Happy ghetto-rigging.

yellow tail cab 2004

not bad for $5.50. pretty strong vanilla flavor. Laurie likes it. now u go give it a spin.

Don't Be That Guy!

2004 Sockeye Cab

Sockeye Cab 2004:
Neel was able to price this wine just on taste alone. $9.99 at Sam's Club this wine has a smooth finish, but not much flavor, stick to the Black Mountain Cab.

Eat Drink & Be Merry

Now I'm no expert when it comes to wine, in particular pairing wines with food. I will eat and drink with reckless abandonment regardless of any complimentary pairing before me.

Now some experts will say that certain foods bring out the flavours and the aromas of wines, I won't discount it but being the young novice I really don't have the time or the patience. I'm sure red wines will pair most excellently with braised lamb shanks or perhaps even a roast duck with the mango salsa, or maybe white wines will taste superb with grilled swordfish steaks but for me who really cares?

Let's be serious here, who eats 7-course meals daily? Last time I checked, I don't have a a souz chef or a sommelier working for me nor do I want to do the dishes that come with such a meal. Being a regular joe, I eat regular joe food.

For example, don't discount pairing red wine with some smoky barbecued ribs, the Wednesday Subway sandwich of the day (smoked turkey), falafels, New York style thin crust pizza, Philly cheesesteaks, a bowl of udon, homemade corn tortilla quesadillas, an 20oz bone-in ribeye steak or maybe even some sashimi.

Moral of the story? Wine is good with anything. Tip your glass and salud!

Why you should decanterize your wine

The decanter is a red wine's best friend. A decanter, for those of you that don't know, is a vase-like container that red wine is usually poured into. The better decanters usually have a very wide base followed by a narrow opening.

So what is the purpose of a decanter? Well, you normally see people swirling the shit out of red wine in their glasses. The purpose of this is to "oxygenate" or "open up" the wine. Wines that have been sitting for a few years in a bottle tend to be tight at first (hence the swirling, and pouring very small tastes at first as to oxygenate the wine). When oxygen is thrown into the equation, much of the tightness goes away contributing to the overall smoothness and taste of the wine. Oxygen "completes" the wine making process, and helps with the "polymerization" of the complex sugars found in wine. (yeah, i know, I lifted that off some other paper :P)

So how do you decanter a wine? Basically you pour the entire bottle into the decanter (unless you have a jankey one like RIch had, then you pour maybe 1/3 of it) Make sure you dont pour it in like it's a glass of grape juice, slowing pour over the neck of the decanter, as it "water falls" or cascades into the base. This way, all the wine gets exposed to the oxygen.

Another good oxygenation technique- another good idea to do for a nice bottle of red, is open your wine (and decanter it if you have one) maybe 30 or so minutes before you drink it (longer if the bottle is older) this is a trick i picked up from my dad, it really cleans up the taste and that sucker becomes crazy smooth. Another cool trick is to freeze the bottle for a few minutes- just to give it that straight out of the cellar chill. Freezing the wine for a few minutes freezes up the acids in the wine, and brings down the acidity, giving it a much smoother taste. If you are lucky enough to have a mini wine fridge, this isn't a necessary step, because you typically store it at below room temperature, which does the trick.

A decanter is probably the single most thing you can do to greatly enhance the wine drinking experience. If you are serious about red wine, I would suggest that you go out and pick one of these suckers up. Just dont expect a bottle of 2 buck chuck to turn into a 97' Caymus Special Select (probably my fav wine by the way :P)

Discovering Cardinale

I discovered San Antonio Cardinale the same day I discovered that there is actually a winery located right on the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles. You can read more about the San Antonio Winery here: www.sanantoniowinery.com. San Antonio Cardinale is a sweet red wine, claimed to be "a proprietary blend created by the Riboli family," which owns the San Antonio Winery. This wine is easy on the palate and very delicious slightly chilled. Definitely a dessert wine. Almost tastes like super sweet alcoholic grape juice (description for the lay person, ha). Priced at $6.95 at the winery and online. Have also found it at some Chinese markets in Cerritos and in a wine/beer tasting cellar in Solvang!

If you ever have a chance to visit the winery, I would highly recommend it. They give free tours and wine tastings, and there is also a cafeteria-style restaurant at the winery that's decent. This is the winery that supplies all of the sacramental wines for religious ceremonies to many of the Catholic churches in Los Angeles (not that this fact will matter to any of you, just thought it was interesting).

Speaking of dessert wines, can anyone comment on ice wines?

Browsing the Isles at Ralphs

Voga Pinot Grigio:
$8.99 (on sale, Ralphs) Don't buy it. If I could give a negative rating on the wine itself i would. The bottle is awesome, just like a bottle of VOSS water. Sadly the only reason why i decided to buy this wine. The taste reflects something you would find out of a box. The wine just doesn't want to leave your mouth. Did i mention you get a chill like u just took a shot of vodka when take your first sip, and every sip thereafter. Oh and if u are as lucky as me, I kept getting that same chill seconds later because that damn taste just won't go away.

Sutter Home Chenin Blanc:
$3.50 (on sale, Ralphs) Buy it if it's on sale. I wouldn't be willing to go over the $3.50 sale price for this wine. It is very light and crisp. like a lighter not so sweet Muscat. if u got the extra $.50 opt for the Beringer.

Beringer Chenin Blanc:
$3.99 (on sale, Ralphs) Clean finish, excellent taste. Nothing more u could ask for. It's semi sweet just like the Sutter Home version, but with a better balance. A very well crafted wine, something you would expect from Beringer.

Wine on the go!

This is insane, two posts in one day! This particular post is dedicated to those instances when drinking alcoholic beverages i.e. wine in public with a blatant disregard to any sort of rules or laws is absolutely necessary.

One such instance is the movie theatre. What better way to quench ones thirst then some wine in a juice box or a mini aluminum can. Take it back to your youth when mini apple juices reigned supreme.

Two options:

Target stores offer a 4-pack of individual sized wines perfect for a brown bag lunch and comes highly concealable. They don't go far in terms of taste, are fairly cheap but what do I know, I drink wine in the movies.

Coppola Wines also offers a 4-pack of sparkling wines called Sofia Minis, although on the pricey side especially considering you will be smuggling wine in non-alcoholic designated areas, they are very refreshing.

Drink up and don't get caught.

Cameron Hughes

For those of you who are fortunate to live by a Costco and have a membership, Costco stocks wines by Cameron Hughes. Go check out their website at www.chwine.com for more information. Basically, they are not a winery, they go about buying wine juice from high end premium wineries who have excess wine and bottling it as there own. Think generic with good tastes and great value. The website has some interesting information including an audio clip where Cameron Hughes speaks with Tom Leykis about his 'wine' as well as a breakdown of why wine costs differ so much from winery to winery. Check it out and be informed.

Okay,

...someone else needs to add something to this blog before I start looking like a wine-o.

Don't Drink This

While perusing the aisles of Trader Joe's one fine afternoon, I came across a new Black Mountain wine that I had never seen before - a 2005 (I think) Malbec, $4.99. The label promised "notes of violet and plum" and a "pleasing experience." It did taste like plum, but a very sour plum. It was also rather acidic upon first taste, although it did mellow out a bit the longer it sat. Almost thought I had bought a cooking wine, but upon further investigation, apparently it is an Argentinean wine that has experienced "declining popularity" over the last 40 years and is now typically used as a minor blending variety with merlots and cabernets. I think I can see why. I would not recommend it; save your 5 bucks for the Black Mountain "Fat Cat" Cab or a couple bottles of Charles Shaw.

Here is some additional history and background on Malbec:
http://www.uncork.com.au/tidbits18.htm

A Nice Vanilla Finish

Last week Danny, Rodney and I drank a bottle of 2006 Yellowtail Cabernet Sauvignon. It was a mild cab with a really nice vanilla finish, which I enjoyed very much. If you don't care for the essence of vanilla in your wine, I wouldn't recommend it, because the taste was pretty bold (I think Rodney didn't care for it), but if you do like vanilla, then I would encourage you to try it. I believe it is an inexpensive wine (well, aside from the fact that it was free for me and Danny, I think it was probably inexpensive for Rodney too).

The List

i tried posting this once, but i guess some see it some don't, just kinda depends if you've had wine or not.

from Neel:
So as per Danny's request, ive broken down some wines i like below 50 bucks.

I picked out almost only cab, i dont really drink the other stuff, but if you want, i can piont you to a couple of good bottles of other stuff as the time arises...:P I basically went on BevMo.com and used the price as a filter and selected stuff that i like. next time i go to costco (best place to buy wine) i'll compile another list, i usually have to see to remember, haha.

$10 - 20

Liberty School Cab - find it anywhere, cant beat it
Alexander Valley Cab - still young, but will be very good in about a year or so
Chateau St Jean Cab 04' - pretty good stuff
Conn Creek Cab Limited Release 03' - really good stuff, raising star
Estancia Cab 04' - we drank one of these that my dad gave me, like a '97
Franciscan Cab- cant go wrong for under 20
Kenwood Cab '03- cant go wrong
Rodney Strong Cab '03- people really like it, im so-so on it, but its not bad
Simi 04' Alexander Valley
6th Sense Syrah
St Francis Cab' '03

$20 - 30

Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Cab - good stuff esp when its on sale for ~20
Markham Cab 02' - good stuff
Provenance Cab 04' - love this stuff
Sequoia Grove Cab 03'
St Supery Cab '02- good stuff, esp when on sale for ~25
Simi 03' Alexander Valley

$30 - 50

Groth '03, love this stuff one of my favs, esp when you can find it for like 40 bucks
Jordan 02', great stuff as well, same price as groth
Pine Ridge Rutherford 03, great wine
Silverardo Cab, excellent cab
Joseph Phelps Cab, 03 or if you must 04
Simi Landslide Cab
Stags Leap Cellers Artemis
Stags Leap Winieries '03 Cab
Stags Leap Piette Syrah, the only one id drink.
Trefelton Cab, good wine, a little over rated in my opinion, but you can be the judge if you wish. id drink it.
Franciscan Magnificant, you can pick this bad boy up for like 28 bucks at costco.

happy trials, i guess we got ourselves a little wine club going, hahahha.

drink this

Black Mountain "Fat Cat"
Cab, any year, only $4.99 at TJs (trader joe's)
enjoy

Keepin' cheap and simple, and of course, real.

so you want to keep it real as a wine drinker eh?

weather you consider yourself a beginner, novice, or a fellow wine snob, the liberty school cabernet sauvignon is probably the best bang for your buck you will find.

this wine is bottled from grapes found along the CA coast. while they never tell you exactly where, it can go head to head with a lot of the napa mondavi's and bv's that will cost at least double the price. its got a real smooth, rich taste with the right amount of bite and fruit.

im not about to go into the "hints of strawberry" and what not, cuz quite honestly, i can never taste or smell that shit, but i do know what tastes good and what doesnt. i guess thats the "Neel way to drink wine". liberty school has a clean start and finish, very consistant, and coats your tongue very well. you dont really have to know how to drink wine to drink this bottle. if you dont know much about wine but want to drink it, id start out with this one. although, i wouldnt order it if i were at a restaurant, they typically charge you an arm and a leg for most bottles, but thats a another blog for another time.

it will cost you anywhere from 10-15 bucks, but this bottle is usually the one i recommend as an everyday drinking wine - rich and danny can testify to that. the best thing about this wine? it keeps it real by being what it is, not tryin to be something its not. but thats an entirely different subject.

fyi, i know i didnt put the year, because you will mostly find 04's out there with an occasional 03. they might be even into the 05's now. any way, its just about the same thing for this wine.

im honoed

im honored to have a style of wine drinking named after me. i would like to thank my amigos, danny and rich, for being great fellow wine drinkers. without you guys, id just be considered a drunk rather then a wine snob.

let me start with what exactly a wine snob is. a wine snob is simply someone who may or may not know wine, but act like they do. they are also very particular to a region and/or brand/type of wine. i like to think i know my wines (you can be the judge), and im very particular to napa valley cabs. (cabernet sauvignon) thats not to say i dont drink other wines, because i do, its just not as often. however if you are particular to any other variety, id be happy to discuss some of those.

i look to you guys to drive what you want advice on. i'll probably start with the basics, but if you have any other suggestions, give us a holla'.

peace easy, and drink (un)responsibly.

Danny's request

from Neel:
So as per Danny's request, ive broken down some wines i like below 50 bucks.

I picked out almost only cab, i dont really drink the other stuff, but if you want, i can piont you to a couple of good bottles of other stuff as the time arises...:P I basically went on BevMo.com and used the price as a filter and selected stuff that i like. next time i go to costco (best place to buy wine) i'll compile another list, i usually have to see to remember, haha.

$10 - 20

Liberty School Cab - find it anywhere, cant beat it
Alexander Valley Cab - still young, but will be very good in about a year or so
Chateau St Jean Cab 04' - pretty good stuff
Conn Creek Cab Limited Release 03' - really good stuff, raising star
Estancia Cab 04' - we drank one of these that my dad gave me, like a '97
Franciscan Cab- cant go wrong for under 20
Kenwood Cab '03- cant go wrong
Rodney Strong Cab '03- people really like it, im so-so on it, but its not bad
Simi 04' Alexander Valley
6th Sense Syrah
St Francis Cab' '03

$20 - 30

Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Cab - good stuff esp when its on sale for ~20
Markham Cab 02' - good stuff
Provenance Cab 04' - love this stuff
Sequoia Grove Cab 03'
St Supery Cab '02- good stuff, esp when on sale for ~25
Simi 03' Alexander Valley

$30 - 50

Groth '03, love this stuff one of my favs, esp when you can find it for like 40 bucks
Jordan 02', great stuff as well, same price as groth
Pine Ridge Rutherford 03, great wine
Silverardo Cab, excellent cab
Joseph Phelps Cab, 03 or if you must 04
Simi Landslide Cab
Stags Leap Cellers Artemis
Stags Leap Winieries '03 Cab
Stags Leap Piette Syrah, the only one id drink.
Trefelton Cab, good wine, a little over rated in my opinion, but you can be the judge if you wish. id drink it.
Franciscan Magnificant, you can pick this bad boy up for like 28 bucks at costco.

happy trials, i guess we got ourselves a little wine club going, hahahha.

Introduction

Wecome, this is where Neel will give suggestions or recommendations for excellent wines. While Rich, Danny and whom ever else will give input if any.

Enjoy, and come again!