[BMWGUYinCO]

Originally Posted by hubbahubba

It’s funny in a sad way, but here is the current collection. It was much larger until a few months ago Mrs H made one of the few mistakes I can remember in 33 years, and threw away this canister full of corks. I had been saving them to make her a cork board…. Gotta drink more wine!

What, no cork from a nice Carlo Rossi Sweet Red???

https://showcaseliquor.com/shop/prod...tm_medium=feed

(And yes, I know - it has a screw top. I just googled "cheapest red wine")

[hubbahubba]

Originally Posted by BMWGUYinCO

What, no cork from a nice Carlo Rossi Sweet Red???

https://showcaseliquor.com/shop/prod...tm_medium=feed

(And yes, I know - it has a screw top. I just googled "cheapest red wine")

Saving it for my sons wedding….😂😂

[BMWGUYinCO]

Last night, we enjoyed the first bottle from our Paso Robles trip: a 2019 Justin Isosceles Reserve Cab. I read reviews and most are between 4.5 - 4.9 on Vivino, with some of the experts calling it exceptional but needing a few more years.

I'm not exactly an expert, but my wife and I both found it excellent, especially paired with a juicy ribeye.

And it was a spectacular Colorado evening, perfect for dining al fresco.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by hubbahubba

It’s funny in a sad way, but here is the current collection. It was much larger until a few months ago Mrs H made one of the few mistakes I can remember in 33 years, and threw away this canister full of corks. I had been saving them to make her a cork board…. Gotta drink more wine!

In my experience, which is only 23 years, those types of things aren’t mistakes.

[hubbahubba]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

In my experience, which is only 23 years, those types of things aren’t mistakes.

You may be on to something….

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by hubbahubba

You may be on to something….

Yeah, 48 years here (married) and stranger things have happened.

[flybigjet]

Our next-door neighbor dropped the news on us today that she's moving (widowed and wanting to downsize), so we had her over for dinner.

Started off with Pfifer Pavitt Reserve Sparkling, then hit it out of the park with a bottle of Arkenstone paired with lamb with blueberry reduction and a smear of pistachio spread, brocollini and pan-seared small potatoes (wife's a gourmet cook so everything was made from scratch). Finished off the evening with a bottle of Outpost, fresh strawberries and chocolate.

Happy and sad for our neighbor, but it was a hell of a dinner tonight.

R.

[hubbahubba]

In case you haven't noticed, I am a HUGE fan of Tor wines. This is a cool article from Robb Report from August about Tor Kenward, and the history of how Napa hospitality has changed in the last 40 years. Tor is the man. When we were at the Wheeler custom crush facility last January, we were given this signed copy of his book "Reflections of a Vintner" after our tasting and purchase. It's a good read also should you care to pick up a copy.

https://robbreport.com/food-drink/wi...on-1234881119/

[ASAP]

Had my bottle of Austin Hope last weekend... it never disappoints... its a top dog.

[flybigjet]

I just got this email today-- my wife and I and another couple go every summer and have a blast. This would be equally fun I'd think. If you like Howell Mountain Cabs, it's a hoot and if you're remotely in the area, I'd highly recommend going.....

Join the Howell Mountain Harvest Celebration...featuring world-class wines from 30+ Howell Mountain wineries, gourmet small bites from The CIA at Copia and Silent Auction filled with limited production Howell Mountain wines and winery experiences!

Saturday, October 28, 2023
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
The Culinary Institute of America at Copia, 500 1st Street, Napa, California

Click HERE to purchase your $150 Special Advance Tickets now, before they sell out again…or visit HowellMountain.org or call 707-965-2665 today! $300 Tickets at the Door

DON'T MISS OUT...this is a RARE opportunity to TASTE and ORDER wines from 30+ Howell Mountain wineries all in one place...many of which are not open to the public and are difficult to acquire. We look forward to seeing you there…CHEERS!

PARTICIPATING WINERIES
Adamvs
AMPL Wine
Angwin Estate Vineyards
Arkenstone
Bremer Family Winery
Cade Estate Winery
Clif Family Winery
Cornerstone Cellars
Coyoacan Vineyards
Haber Family Vineyards
Hall Wines
Howell at the Moon Winery
Howell Mountain Vineyards
Ink Grade Estate Vineyard
KrisTodd Vineyards
La Jota Vineyard Co.
Lamborn Family Vineyards
Mondavi Sisters Collection
Moone-Tsai Wines
Neal Family Vineyards
O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery
Outpost Estate Winery
Pestoni Family Estate Winery
Red Thread Wines
Robert Craig Winery
Seek
Spence
Stressed Vines Cellars
Summit Lake Vineyards & Winery
Tobias Vineyards
Tom Eddy Winery
Torcia
Zakin Family Estate

[hubbahubba]

rebekahb I totally spaced on Pride Mountain. Great wines and is on the county line between Napa and Sonoma up the mountain from St Helena. Cool caves too! Having this tonight.

[rebekahb]

Originally Posted by hubbahubba

rebekahb I totally spaced on Pride Mountain. Great wines and is on the county line between Napa and Sonoma up the mountain from St Helena. Cool caves too! Having this tonight.

Thanks!! I’ve got them on my list to call tomorrow. Looks like a great option!

[hubbahubba]

Another from the Palouse Winery on Vashon Island, Wa. Smooth and delicious.

[hubbahubba]

Tonight we went to a wine dinner at High Tide in Chandler Az. We have been regulars at High Tide for years, and they just started the wine dinners. First, believe it or not, in the desert of Arizona, High Tide has the best seafood I have ever had. It is flat out excellent. Tonight was the best wine dinner we have ever attended. Sorry, but I forgot to take a pic of the first course… We’d never had Freemark Abbey wine before, but all of the tastings were very generous, and super tasty. It is on our list for next Napa visit for sure. Great evening!

[rebekahb]

I can’t remember who suggested Davis Estates but whoever did, thank you!! Great experience and wines. Love they don’t put them out in the masses at stores. They do a small plate food and wine paring which was amazing and the wine was fantastic!

[flybigjet]

Here's one for all you Napa fans:

Relic. They make "micro batches" of damn good wine at a reasonable price point-- think two barrels per bottling (each barrel is ~25 cases).

They source their grapes and then blend and bottle on-site-- they're basically a concrete production pad and a freakin' BUNKER in the side of the hill with tunnels for wine storage.

Definitely out of the way, definitely worth the drive. I posted up the card of the person to call to set up tastings. It's very one-on-one. You'll literally be the only people there other than Madison, sitting on two couches and doing a Tasting.

R.

[hubbahubba]

Some more Frank family Winston Hill at La Jolla Cove for sunset. Playing my guitar and got my best gal. Doesn’t get much better.

[hubbahubba]

After a little delay from the summer heat, Realm shipped yesterday and arrived today. From left to right, The Bard, Tempest, and Moonracer. RickFLM4 do you know what is up with the weather reports on the bottom of Moonracer? Or what those dates signify?

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by hubbahubba

After a little delay from the summer heat, Realm shipped yesterday and arrived today. From left to right, The Bard, Tempest, and Moonracer. RickFLM4 do you know what is up with the weather reports on the bottom of Moonracer? Or what those dates signify?

The Label
We met Spanish artist Sergio Albiac through a good friend and customer. Sergio works with computer codes and programming to create unique pieces of art. On his website he says: “I write computer programs that transform reality to express ideas about identity, beauty, chance and human emotions.” We admired Sergio’s work - it’s striking, modern and abstract - and we thought it would play well on a wine label.

We told Sergio about Realm and Moonracer and the name’s derivation from the Wappos. Sergio pointed out that Native Americans blended art, science and nature throughout their lives as a means of survival and pleasure. Winemakers, he said, do the same thing: there’s an artistic, scientific and natural component to what we do. Sergio wanted to develop a label that would incorporate these three components.

He developed an algorithm using data Benoit provided from weather stations on the Estate, including temperature, wind and solar radiation throughout the 2014 growing season (the first vintage of Moonracer). He inserted the data into the algorithm, and the computer was able to “read” the information and produce abstract images. What’s cool, though, is that there was enough data to create a unique label for each bottle of wine. So each label is different. All 4800 labels. It’s all the same code, so there’s a familial feel to them, but they’re different images. On the bottom, each label is stamped with the date and the data from which that label was created.

No one has ever done this before.

https://www.realmcellars.com/our-rea...onracer-estate

(Nice marketing)

[hubbahubba]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

The Label
We met Spanish artist Sergio Albiac through a good friend and customer. Sergio works with computer codes and programming to create unique pieces of art. On his website he says: “I write computer programs that transform reality to express ideas about identity, beauty, chance and human emotions.” We admired Sergio’s work - it’s striking, modern and abstract - and we thought it would play well on a wine label.

We told Sergio about Realm and Moonracer and the name’s derivation from the Wappos. Sergio pointed out that Native Americans blended art, science and nature throughout their lives as a means of survival and pleasure. Winemakers, he said, do the same thing: there’s an artistic, scientific and natural component to what we do. Sergio wanted to develop a label that would incorporate these three components.

He developed an algorithm using data Benoit provided from weather stations on the Estate, including temperature, wind and solar radiation throughout the 2014 growing season (the first vintage of Moonracer). He inserted the data into the algorithm, and the computer was able to “read” the information and produce abstract images. What’s cool, though, is that there was enough data to create a unique label for each bottle of wine. So each label is different. All 4800 labels. It’s all the same code, so there’s a familial feel to them, but they’re different images. On the bottom, each label is stamped with the date and the data from which that label was created.

No one has ever done this before.

https://www.realmcellars.com/our-rea...onracer-estate

(Nice marketing)

That is really cool! Thank you!

[hubbahubba]

We tried The Bard tonight. Excellent, as recommended. Thanks RickFLM4 !

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by hubbahubba

We tried The Bard tonight. Excellent, as recommended. Thanks RickFLM4 !

I am pending 15 bottles from Realm to be delivered in November, 9 of which are The Bard. It really is a nice all around wine for home or corkage. Enjoy!

(Which vintage did you try there?)