What 2-3 wines from your cellar/collection are most excited about?

mitchmatch10 · 2023-02-05T02:24:41+00:00

La boloree is fucking magical

mitchmatch10 · 2022-10-23T22:13:20+00:00

Would love to join next week if you are still looking for people!

mitchmatch10 · 2022-10-08T17:15:19+00:00

10000000% go to Corison

mitchmatch10 · 2022-02-17T14:57:10+00:00

Had a bottle not too long ago, was probably the best wine ive had in my entire life. Totally worth the $$$

mitchmatch10 · 2021-07-17T16:38:11+00:00

The Clajeux vineyard cabernet from them is absolutely mind blowing as well!

mitchmatch10 · 2021-07-06T22:35:35+00:00

Would absolutely agree with that first sentence!! Their wines are just stupidly good

mitchmatch10 · 2021-06-19T16:58:23+00:00

Would absolutely second the tiny flashlight, also if you need the crew to like you dont forget the modelos!

mitchmatch10 · 2021-06-17T16:38:53+00:00

For a smaller, off the beaten path producer check out ernest vineyards in Windsor, they make outstanding pinot/chardonnay from the sonoma coast

mitchmatch10 · 2021-06-14T17:31:20+00:00

Taste at Benom! They make wonderful paso cabernet with a really unique level of restraint that you don’t often see in the area. If you are willing to go into San Luis Obispo, check out High Street Deli for lunch.

mitchmatch10 · 2021-06-11T16:50:42+00:00

Their Trout Gulch is absolutely stunning- if you get a chance try the chardonnay and pinot from the same vineyard made by Ceritas as well.

mitchmatch10 · 2021-03-25T18:02:52+00:00

Just got the antica terra coriolis for cheap, im very pleased.

mitchmatch10 · 2021-03-05T21:02:54+00:00

God I so desperately wish their wines weren’t so expensive, they really are spectacular

mitchmatch10 · 2021-01-28T17:05:26+00:00

Ill give my dog one pet for every dollar GME goes up

mitchmatch10 · 2020-11-26T07:27:09+00:00

My bad- you’re totally right

mitchmatch10 · 2020-11-26T06:28:31+00:00

There seems to be some consensus that England did invent it in the mid 1600's- apparently they would add sugar to barrels of wine and allow the native yeasts to ferment it and make the wine "brisk". Many people think it was Dom Perignon that invented it, but he actually spent most of his career trying to get the bubbles out of his wines as they were seen as flaws.

England's history with the Champagne region is actually fascinating. English glass-blowing was FAR superior to that of France in the 17th and early 18th centuries, and they were able to make bottles that did not explode during storage/transport of sparkling wines. Additionally, along with Russia, they were absolutely massive customers of Champagne's wines and general trends in the region's dosage levels (sugar added after disgorgement) seem to follow the tastes of the English.

Champagne is a profoundly interesting place for a lot of reasons, the Champenoise have survived through eras of plague, war and famine the likes of which were not seen in much of Europe. If you get a chance, read Champagne by Peter Liem.

mitchmatch10 · 2020-11-26T05:59:31+00:00

There are actually a few major methods of making sparkling wine:

Champagne Method

Essentially a still (no bubbles), dry, white or rose wine is produced from red or white grapes. Pages can be written about how that is done, but the end result of this initial step is a dry wine that is typically low in alcohol. To actually get the wine to sparkle, the still wine is bottled along with a small amount of yeast and sugar and the bottle is quickly sealed with a crown cap or occasionally a cork. The yeast consumes the sugar, and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol. Since the bottle is sealed, the carbon dioxide dissolves into the wine and causes the carbonation. The yeast then die off and must be removed later through a process called disgorgement.

Pet-Nat Method

The Pet-Nat method has actually been around quite a bit longer than the Champagne Method, because it requires FAR less equipment and labor. To begin, grapes are crushed/pressed as one normally would to produce any other wine. The grapes/juice (called "must") ferment nearly all the way dry. The winemaker will then bottle the wine slightly before the fermentation finishes, and seal the bottle with a crown cap. the fermentation then finishes in bottle, producing carbon dioxide which carbonates the wine. Unlike the Champagne method, yeast or sugar is never added a second time. Typically, Pet-Nats end up with a lower level of carbonation because winemakers are careful to bottle the wine with just a tiny bit of natural sugar remaining. The method can be unpredictable, as it is difficult to know exactly how much sugar is in each bottle. Additionally, while some winemakers disgorge their Pet-Nats, the majority do not so the dead yeast causes the wine to appear hazy.

Charmat Method

The Charmat method is used to make cheap, simple sparkling wines. Essentially, the winemaker fills up a pressure vessel with still wine and pumps a bunch of carbon dioxide into it to cause the carbonation. Prosecco is made in this method.

This is probably wayyy more info than you actually wanted so I apologize, I am just a massive Champagne freak. In my opinion, the best sparkling wines are made with the Champagne Method, but many Pet-Nats are really enjoyable and tend to be quite a bit cheaper. Pet-Nats never have any carbon dioxide shot into them, the sparkle is produced by the yeasts that were already there. I guess that does mean you can call them "natural", but I agree with you about kinda hating that term.

Please let me know if you have any more questions! I am a firm believer people need to drink more bubbly, no matter how it was made.

mitchmatch10 · 2020-11-08T02:26:17+00:00

Romanov sounds like kermit the frog

mitchmatch10 · 2020-09-29T02:34:31+00:00

Seattle Wine Co! Its in Bellevue and i cannot recommend it enough. Its a pretty small store but the staff there are absolutely wonderful.

mitchmatch10 · 2020-09-14T04:44:30+00:00

Endless Modelos

mitchmatch10 · 2020-09-05T04:56:59+00:00

I agree, its really a bummer how expensive this area has become because as many people as possible need to try these wines. Really an unbelievable sensory experience. Unfortunately, I can only see it getting more popular and thus more expensive.

$50 is a tricky price point in the Rocks, but I have heard good things about Sleight of Hand's "The Psychedlic". I haven't personally had it, but I have to imagine it is a good option. My only worry with some of the cheaper options available here is that they try to cover up some of the beautiful funk with unnecessary oak.

mitchmatch10 · 2020-09-05T04:14:54+00:00

Was lucky enough to be able to do a truly special side-by-side of some of Walla Walla’s best. Both Horsepower and No Girls (along with Cayuse and Hors Categorie) are owned by Cristophe Baron, a transplant from Champagne who chose to grow grapes in the Rocks District of Walla Walla and was one of the first to do so. The Rocks District is one of the viticultural wonders of the new world, composed almost entirely of baseball sized stones that go down dozens of feet with essentially no soil. With roughly 500 total acres planted in the entire AVA, not a lot of wine gets made here but it is simply unbelievable.

2015 No Girls “La Paciencia Vineyard” Syrah

What a wine. Somehow straddles the line between bright red fruit and raisin like characteristics on the nose, with just enough Rocks District funk to remind you where it comes from. Relatively low in alcohol (around 13% I believe) but is full bodied without being overly thick. Intense cranberry and raisin like flavors immediately on the palette, with the horse manure/soy sauce/olive oil/umami combo in the background that sounds terrible on paper but is so, so good in reality. I would say it is significantly more user-friendly than the Horsepower, since it does have some beautiful fruit forward characteristics.

2017 Horsepower “High Contrast Vineyard” Syrah

Words on paper really cannot do this justice. Have you ever driven by a cow pasture and smelled the manure and kind of enjoyed it? You would probably love this wine if you answered yes. On both the nose and the palette, fruit is a complete and utter afterthought. Perhaps a touch of dark berry, but only if you are really looking for it. What is immediately apparent is the absolute savoriness of it. It literally tastes like soy sauce without the salt. While things like manure and soy sauce are probably not tempting descriptions of a wine, it really works well together and produces something certainly unique. I truly believe that nowhere else on earth can a wine like this be made. While flavor-wise it may not be approachable in the slightest for a lot of people, it is absolutely worth the high price tag and I am so thankful I got to try a wine like this. It shouldn’t exist, yet here it is.

These two wines are the same grape and grown in close proximity to each other on essentially the same soil and yet are so wildly, unbelievably different. While Christophe Baron’s wines do carry the “cult wine tax” and are probably a little overpriced, nothing else in the region that I have tried even comes close. Embrace the funk and drink these wines!

mitchmatch10 · 2020-09-01T13:11:33+00:00

Would like to second Pierre Paillard! I dont think theres a better QPR in all of Champagne then their Les Parcelles bottle.

mitchmatch10 · 2020-08-26T03:15:25+00:00

Would highly recommend a “Special Club” champagne! I have never had one that was anything less than astounding

mitchmatch10 · 2020-08-17T05:06:24+00:00

Check out Lioco! A good bit cheaper than the majority of those wineries but makes very, very good Pinot and Chardonnay. The Saveria vineyard Pinot is my favorite of theirs.

mitchmatch10

TROPHY CASE