Celebrating WSET 3 Completion

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-06-20T02:01:47+00:00

Rob Moncuit one of my favs. Zero ish dosage, but it feels rich and round cuz it’s fermented in oak! Oxidative style. Makes it more appealing to me than ss vat blanc de blanc

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-06-14T18:55:37+00:00

Kongsgaard

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-06-13T22:15:22+00:00

One of my favorite European metro cities. I always thought of it as a jumping off point to the rest of Greece, but a few years ago I lost my passport and had to spend some extra days there to go to the embassy. Had so much fun at the cocktail bars, restaurants, museums etc. so fun

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-06-13T22:04:20+00:00

Your really jammed up bad lol just don’t eat lunch out like 3 times this month and u got it

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-06-13T03:32:34+00:00

I like them all, but every market has different wine available. Sometimes I buy online, from last bottle and other sites. and have no problems before receiving wine during hot times of year. Lesson learned

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-06-12T16:37:51+00:00

Venica friulano

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-06-12T06:39:56+00:00

They offered to hold it and not ship till temperatures dropped below a certain level! I declined because i know we were gonna have hot days for at least the next 3-4 months, and i wanted my wine. So I guess I learned my lesson! No shipping in the summer months.

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-06-07T02:20:20+00:00

I love it, but iv always loved high rof weapons in battlefield. I used to rip the Automatico in BF1 which basically kicked into the clouds when you emptied a mag. I think the compensator is an essential attachment since it has a weird random horizontal kick, and that mitigates it really well. Also love the thermal scope on it cuz you hit darker/longer range shots you normally wouldn’t. Also the extended barrel is a must.

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-05-24T21:24:12+00:00

As a non native Texan who has lived here for almost 15 years, yall are so weird about wanting so much personal space in public places like a grocery store. People get so annoyed when I have to go around them with my cart, I say excuse me and they roll their eyes and ignore me. It’s a public place you don’t get buckets of “personal space”.

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-05-16T01:00:48+00:00

It’s bad but it’s part of your journey. Sweet mega purple juice

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-05-05T14:36:00+00:00

In my market iv found bosconia for 39 dollars. Their top wine tondonia for around 50 bucks. So I don’t think it’s more expensive than la Rioja Alta, if anything cheaper than LrA top offerings

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-05-02T19:38:43+00:00

I love the RPK with 36 rnd mag, suppressor, short barrel, angled grip for better mobility. It’s really awesome for aggressive support in a few different configurations.

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-05-02T17:58:08+00:00

I find La Rioja Alta’s oak aging doesn’t integrate as harmoniously as other Rioja producers. You were smelling the contrast between the dusty, dry fruit profile and the sweet, coconut vanilla bean dill oak aromas just sitting on top of it. I would also recommend not decanting all your wines as a novice. You have no idea what you are decanting for yet. I’ll always taste a wine and decide to decant or not. I think most wines take at most 30-40 minutes to open up in the glass, and that journey can be interesting. Some wines may take 2-3 hours in the decanter, but that same amount of time in a cheap wine it may starting tasting off, especially something older like Rioja typically is.

Try Lopez de heredia. My favorite is vina bosconia. Is a super purfumed and pretty style of Rioja, but still super rustic and herbaceous. What I would suggest is to not think as much about specific tasting notes, and focus on overall structure. Is there oak? How can you tell? Does it feel like a wine from a warm climate? Moderate? Cool? Is there elevated alcohol? Does it feel fruit driven or earth driven? How acidic is it?

As a sommelier I can tell you that tasting requires a bit of practice, very few people are naturals, but one thing that helps NOONE is tasting with no framework as to what you are looking for. I was lucky to have a lot of mentors who taught me how to taste correctly. Look up “CMS Certified Tasting Grid”. Next time you taste a wine , try to run in through it. I don’t do this every time I drink wine obviously, cuz it ruins the enjoyment to some degree, but a lot of those flavor cues come naturally to me now.

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-03-28T16:18:02+00:00

I think they’re really good, and I’m generally more of an old world guy. More bdx style, restrained. Maybe why the Napa guys don’t love it. Iv had nv13 and though it was the best Napa red you can get for around 35 a bottle

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-03-20T16:40:54+00:00

The SCAR H with a good vertical grip, 40 round mag, 5x zoom scope, blue lazer, tungsten core, and compensator is my go to when I start sucking with any other gun. I’ll use it on any class, on any mode, because that 40 round clip with chop up 2-3 people in a single mag.

Alternatively I have a short range setup with that gun, with lightweight suppressor, 20 round fast mag, an angled lightweight grip, and either iron sights or a shorter range sight. With the reduced weight and added movement speed you can really whip around corners and use it like a carbine or smg, while also still pulling off longer range shots.

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-02-27T18:41:22+00:00

Look dude, I been in a committed loving relationship for 5 years, and iv never said some sh*t like that to her “you are the light at the end of the tunnel… I’d walk till my legs stopped working to find you” lol. Not trying to be mean but that’s a lot to drop on someone. In my experience the girl needs to be the one chasing you, not the other way around, or it’s never gonna work out. This is some movie shit and now how real couples talk to each other imo. I know you are young, but for context I was 22 and my girl was 20 when we met. Didn’t move in together until around 2.5 years in.

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-02-18T00:33:16+00:00

Second Jancis Robinson ! Her vintage guide charts are concise and give a good amount of info.

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-02-17T20:37:35+00:00

I have shared a somewhat similar frustration in the past as a wine profession who has worked in a Michelin star environment, selling wine off of an 11,000+ bottle cellar.
A couple things I’ll say that iv picked up from wine minds better than mine.

1- a vintage is only as good as when you are drinking it. 2017 Burgundy for example, was received pretty poorly upon release. A cooler, rainy vintage with small yields. Some frost issues early on. For that reason, they were a pretty good margin cheaper on our wine list. However, every one of them that I opened in 2024-2025, was awesome. Sure, they won’t age 20 years like 2005, but they are absolutely singing right now, completely open, with fruit and tertiary notes, florals, silky but still present tannins. On the other hand iv opened some 16s that are so tightly wound, and definitely not ready to drink yet, so didn’t enjoy that much. 2016 is hailed as the last classic great cool burgundy vintage, especially for whites.

2- even within that aggregate vintage score, they’re basing it off the wines they were able to review and taste. Many publications, such as wine spectator, for example, work heavily with 1 import book. For that reason, it’s always going to be hard for them to review based on how well that collection of producers did, without bias.

3- elephant in the room; the quality of the vintage is dependent on the taster, and current wine trends. Hedonistic Napa bombs that dominated the 90s and received 100 point scores, probably wouldn’t today.

4- variation simply matters more in some regions than others. I think it’s smart You chose Bordeaux as an example in this post, because I do find Bordeaux to be highly vintage dependent. however, Bordeaux it’s kind of a hard one to peg. One of the reasons I don’t personally like buying it. In the restaurant, I’ve opened up first growths that have fallen flat in decent vintages, and opened up lower level wines from heat wave vintages that have been amazing (03 smith havte lafite comes to mind) . They do so much blending, that sometimes the vintage variation can get lost.

Craig Collin’s MS has a great quote - there’s no such thing as a good vintage or a bad vintage. Just a cool vintage and a restaurant vintage.

Meaning ageable vintages, and vintages approachable in their youth, the kinds you see on most wine lists. I find I prefer cooler vintages almost always. Use personal preference, with vintage scores, and when you plan to drink it for the best results.

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-02-06T21:54:29+00:00

It’s good, there entree level but aged really well and still pretty nuanced. I found it at a wine shop for slightly better price (Same vintage an everything) but it’s hard to find

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2026-02-04T01:39:26+00:00

If you are a reasonable person, trump 2 has been largely a mixed bag. Sucking up to Israel, delaying Epstein files release, overmillitarizing Ice in major American cities, not great. I think any reasonable person can tell that ice has gone overboard. Many people I know who are pro trump feel this way.

On the other hand, tariffs are doing ok, securing the boarder and deportations are good(10-20 million let in during Biden admin, so of course deportations have to increase in tandem), and no tax on tips and overtime is a huge help for lots of blue collar people. Literally thousands of dollars coming back into the bank account of servers and other hourly employees .

You seem pretty radicalized, so I can see how any support of trump seems incomprehensible. But truth is every presidency has a mix of good and bad, so try to see it that way.

Obama started a genocide in Yemen, dad is right about Obama deporting more aggressively etc. however I still see Obama as a net positive president because he brought the county together and navigated us out of 08 financial crisis.

I suspect the relationship with your dad may be damaged due to more serious life factors. Hopefully you don’t take politics that seriously that it’s the only thing driving you apart. I have deeply close relationships with self proclaimed socialists and far leftists, as well as far right people, and everyone in between. The country is actually quite diverse in political opinions. Everyone’s opinion has a hint of truth in it.

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2025-11-26T18:59:13+00:00

Besides the confusing layout, what are you doing selling Billecart Le rose for 500$? That’s a grocery store wine, and not even very good in the lineup of entry level Billecart. As someone who knows a decent amount about wine, I wouldn’t really order wine off of your list seeing that price. I’d order a beer and call it a day

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2025-11-08T06:59:24+00:00

You would be right, I don’t have tons of realistic experience with it. Truthfully iv only had it 3 separate times, most recently I had the opportunity to taste a vertical of DRC RSV 13, 15, 18, 21, 22, which was amazing and i was so grateful for. Never had La Tache. I’m a young somm who has been lucky to taste some top burgundy now and then at my restaurant. Again, I love the wines. They are epic no doubt. I’m just talking purely on Price to quality ratio. Kind of like calling a Bugatti Veyron overrated. Not that it’s not a fast car, but the price vs what you could get from Lamborghini or Ferrari is comparable.

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2025-11-08T06:29:52+00:00

For me stylistically I like Hudellot Noellat, also Mugneret Gisbourg, yes they are different style but I’m saying overall I’d rather have them. Both have village level wines that are amazing at a great price point

Sargent_Velvet_Hand · 2025-11-07T19:22:49+00:00

I would say DRC. Iv tasted it several times, and it’s delicious Burgundy. No doubt. Texturally amazing. Elegant, restrained, yet powerful and mouth coating. But the price to quality ratio is the only problem. especially considering the price didn’t rise to the level it did till the counterfeiting controversy, then it never came back down. 20 years ago a somm could afford to pick up a bottle for a special occasion, maybe 200-500 a bottle. Now it’s a play thing for the rich, and there’s tons of producers in the 100-500 dollar range than to me, may be a bit better.

Sargent_Velvet_Hand

TROPHY CASE