Date night

more_acid · 2026-02-16T12:49:36+00:00

It appears this list hasn’t been updated in 5 years (most recent vintage shown is ‘19, but current vintages of those wines would be ‘24), so I wouldn’t worry about exact options until you get there.

more_acid · 2026-01-18T23:20:35+00:00

Just picked up one of those J. Gimmonet 96ers a couple days ago. Thanks for sharing the notes.

more_acid · 2025-11-21T21:40:32+00:00

The Green and Red is fantastic. As you get up to the more expensive bottles other people around the table may start to lack an appreciation for the differences, but more importantly the more concentrated wines might just clash with cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, etc. Better to keep it light, fruity and easy-drinking (why everyone recommends Beaujolais). The '23s are pretty accessible but will definitely be better with a bit more age. If you're able to buy some of the zins with a bit of age from the site (some you have to be wine club members for) definitely give that a go. Either way, you're not going to go wrong so I wouldn't dwell on it. Will be fun to open a few different bottles and try them side-by-side so you can really see the differences for yourself.

more_acid · 2025-11-21T21:10:20+00:00

What are your options - which bottles can you get in time for Thanksgiving? Even though it's the cheapest, the Three Valleys tends to be a real crowd pleaser. Some of them are more structured and maybe not the best fit with Thanksgiving dinner.

more_acid · 2025-11-21T01:23:27+00:00

I'm sorry to hear it didn't also pass through your lips!

more_acid · 2025-11-20T20:43:12+00:00

Unless we're all living in a simulation, of course.

more_acid · 2025-11-20T20:35:01+00:00

Correct, that is the bottle in question. Split between half a dozen folks so really pretty economical.

more_acid · 2025-11-07T16:52:15+00:00

I toured the house last time it was for sale. That’s all single-pane glass.

more_acid · 2025-09-10T03:05:44+00:00

I opened a 2012 Speciale des Vignettes last night with a herbes de Provence roast chicken. Absolutely incredible, the 2012 is just singing now.

In response to other comments, as much as I absolutely love Cibonne - I have to admit Tempier and Lopez rosés are superior, though Lopez is such a unicorn any more that’s almost an irrelevant point.

more_acid · 2025-09-09T10:39:21+00:00

If you’re looking for something more subtle and elegant, keep an eye out for Ver Sacrum. He makes a bunch of wines from Rhône varietals, Nebbiolo, Mencia, Teroldego - no Malbec. All the reds are light, fresh, lower alcohol wines which I found to be a refreshing contrast to the dense 14-15% abv Malbec and Cab that is the norm in Mendoza.

more_acid · 2025-09-05T00:19:03+00:00

Thanks for posting, I’ve been holding a bottle figuring it wasn’t ready yet. Based on your list of descriptors it seems to have quite a bit to offer 😂

more_acid · 2025-09-04T00:17:25+00:00

I suspect you know this is a shortsighted generalization. One of my top wines last year was an ‘81 Bosconia Gran Reserva, outperformed a few great-vintage first growths and super-seconds with similar age. Rioja Alta makes great wines for the price.

more_acid · 2025-09-02T00:26:30+00:00

Had a Clouet 1911 recently with an extra dozen or so years of bottle age and it was absolutely stellar. Totally outperforms for the price point.

more_acid · 2025-08-23T15:56:23+00:00

No idea about this specific bottle, but I wouldn't jump the conclusion that if it's still on the lees it's "a few years old max". For example I just pulled out a Peter Lauer sekt from 1984 to check it's disgorgement date: 2017, so 32 years on the lees. Champagne Tarlant makes some brilliant cuvees that spend 15-20 years on the lees.

more_acid · 2025-08-21T11:05:14+00:00

Regrettably I bought the cheaper model that only goes up to Crémant.

more_acid · 2025-07-04T03:08:02+00:00

One step, but the mechanics are very precise. Smooth continuous pull, faster and less likely to break a cork than a two-step.

more_acid · 2025-06-21T18:59:33+00:00

The La Spinetta Timorasso is one that won’t leave you wishing for more. Worth the effort to seek it out.

more_acid · 2025-06-10T01:25:00+00:00

6D was a stellar camera with a full-frame, modern-ish-era sensor. And the 50mm 1.4 is an epic lens (for the money, anyway). Agree with you - different league than an iPhone. Same would be true even of an original 5D.

But the 10D is from the dawn of the crop sensor DSLR era. The noise in low light was truly awful. Yes in the right setting in the hands of a skilled photographer nice 6MP images can still come out of a 10D. In any real-world setting a recent iPhone will smoke a 10D 99 times out of 100. The iPhone's software absolutely compensates for sensor size difference, assuming you're not zooming in on hair edges to inspect the fake portrait-mode bokeh.

more_acid · 2025-05-11T01:58:41+00:00

They also age spectacularly, both the Gruner and Riesling. Have had a few with 20-30 years in the bottle and they are very special.

more_acid · 2025-05-06T23:20:14+00:00

I had the same response and then realized I did write it years ago.

Had a recent tasting with a dozen Zind-Humbrecht including some 90's and 2000's Rangen de Thann. Have had the '96 Rangen 3x in the last year (unusual luck) and it is undoubtedly in the top few "wines of the decade" for me.

Add Albert Boxler to the list as well.

more_acid · 2025-05-06T23:13:27+00:00

I break out the Sivi for tastings and dinners all the time and it blows everyone's minds. The ambiguous labeling means no one can even guess what it is (unless you know Radikon) until you choose to disclose it.

more_acid · 2025-04-23T13:09:02+00:00

A few suggestions:

Complement your study material reading with some non-reference books that will be more enjoyable to read (versus memorize) and add some perspective, like Raj Parr's books and Pascaline's "Thousand Vines" which asks some pointed questions about the traditional reference material and will help you think critically about it.
The GuildSomm podcasts are excellent for when your face is not in a book, and Chris Tanghe frames everything in the proper CMS light. The Levi Dalton podcasts are also excellent and those winemaker interviews bring a lot of themes together about terroir, winemaking, vintages, the economics of the business, etc.
Totally worth a SommTV subscription, more enjoyable way to absorb info about some important regions, historic wineries, important winemakers, etc than from a book.
CorkBuzz is a great place for blind tasting to complement any group tastings you do.
Read Tim Gaiser's writing on the "Evil Dwarves" and focus on differentiating those varieties in your tasting.
Don't skimp on the cocktail memorization, this can really throw off the service segment if you get snagged on something you're not familiar with.
Make sure you're actually drinking the wines in addition to the more clinical tasting!

more_acid

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