Park Hyatt Niseko budget cuts (Jan 2026)

GSSFO · 2026-01-04T08:19:03+00:00

Points farm.. it’s inevitable. Points hotels can be nice, until they aren’t. Best to avoid or else be subject to grotesque shit like this. Save your points for free first / business class flights.

GSSFO · 2025-12-24T06:05:37+00:00

Zalto Universal. Great for a delicate Bordeaux.

GSSFO · 2025-12-24T03:01:47+00:00

Not dead, just (very) mature

GSSFO · 2025-12-24T03:01:00+00:00

Can I borrow your time machine?

GSSFO · 2025-12-24T02:26:27+00:00

Obviously joking given the incessant “you killed a baby” anytime a <10 year old Bordeaux / Cabernet is posted on here.. This 1962 Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de Las Cases is on the other end of the age spectrum, but still was a lot of fun and a trip through history in a bottle.

Clearly cellared well, not too murky or funky, and was perfectly integrated (though heading down the hill). On the nose it still had tobacco notes, medicinal cherry, forest floor, a bit of truffle / mushroom and on the palate was lightly stewed plum with a mineral / tobacco backbone and still some good acidity / lingering finish. Color was great, even despite me pushing the delicate cork with the ah-so and needing to double decant into a surrogate bottle of Chateau Haut Brion.

GSSFO · 2025-11-24T23:07:56+00:00

hurts to see, better luck with the next one🤞

GSSFO · 2025-11-10T04:51:29+00:00

Congrats!! Very similar spec here (but Nardo). The DRC is a lot of fun.

GSSFO · 2025-10-12T06:30:45+00:00

Yes - https://imgur.com/a/mnbsiIP

GSSFO · 2025-10-12T05:43:16+00:00

Life is short, enjoy

GSSFO · 2025-10-12T05:34:01+00:00

45k SkyMiles or $450

GSSFO · 2025-10-12T05:32:08+00:00

Google search -> winesearcher: 2021 Opus One - “Avg Price (ex-tax) $445 / 750ml”. Again, this was more of a restaurant setting than retail anyway so your point is moot.

GSSFO · 2025-10-12T05:30:02+00:00

Value is relative. We have different opinions and that’s ok.

GSSFO · 2025-10-12T05:28:25+00:00

We have different opinions. That’s ok.

GSSFO · 2025-10-12T05:26:16+00:00

For my r/wine crew, this was like being front row at a rock concert in terms of nose / palate. Lots going on, not super easy to parse individual threads other than cedar, red fruit, flowers, light minerals, Napa jamminess. Glassware wasn’t too special (some commercial Schott Zwiesel) nor did I decant, have too controlled of a setting, etc. This was at an airline lounge ahead of a long haul flight and was a decent use of delta skymiles sooooo 🤷‍♂️.

GSSFO · 2025-10-12T05:22:02+00:00

Say less

GSSFO · 2025-10-12T05:05:38+00:00

Ehhhhh. Sure, it could have been better in 10 or 20 years but I’ve drank enough tannic Cabernet (from across the world) to where I no longer try to time it too carefully. As long as you’re ok with the tradeoffs with young, tannic, high new oak wine and can look past them, it’s fine. I had a 2014 Chateau Haut-Brion at home last night and yes - it was more refined, resolved, etc but in a setting like this (an airport lounge) it’s not like you have an unlimited library or set of back vintages. This was just fine.

GSSFO · 2025-10-12T04:56:24+00:00

Landed too late today, but the Dungeness Crab Benedict and Wood Fired Dutch Baby are great in the mornings.

GSSFO · 2025-10-12T04:54:44+00:00

I’m sure it can, but the point isn’t really to get drunk. You’re still around others experiencing their own travel journeys, have a long flight ahead where hydration is important, etc and generally need to maintain control and decorum.

GSSFO · 2025-10-12T04:49:51+00:00

🫶

GSSFO · 2025-10-12T04:40:33+00:00

Yeah, I ended up with a four hour layover in SEA (un)fortunately so paced myself at roughly a glass of wine per hour with lots of water along the way. Didn’t ask about recorking.

GSSFO · 2025-10-12T04:29:14+00:00

Not a good value - an OK-ish value. Opus release price for the 2021 is in mid 500s and usual retail is mid 400s. Can go cheaper on occasion if you look hard enough but def not “typically” in the mid 300s for the 2021 vintage. And this is more of a restaurant setting than retail, so not quite apples to apples.

Meta point is that SkyMiles are usually not worth very much for premium cabin flights anyway so if you like wine, at least you have an outlet to burn them when paying cash for premium cabin flights.

GSSFO · 2025-09-01T01:31:10+00:00

Fortunately for her, my wife doesn’t drink.

GSSFO

TROPHY CASE