As someone working the fires, the vineyards don’t particularly burn well. Most that I’ve seen are in good shape, not sure how the smoke and ash affect them though.
Thanks for the update and the work you're doing. Please stay safe. Smoke can taint grapes that haven't been picked.
That's really sad. When we were there, they were complaining about the heat. We had pretty good weather, but right before temperature rose again. People there said they had temps of 100+ sustained for weeks.
Tournament was played and ended yesterday; they posted a picture of the grandstands on fire today so very crazy to see
Yeah, looked it up and saw that. We walked the course every morning and they were setting those up while we were there.
I was there Friday. Andrew said that as of Saturday evening, their estate was untouched. Vincent Arroyo in Calistoga, one of the greatest tasting experiences in America, is estimating losing more than 20% of still hanging fruit to smoke.
So natural disasters and agricultural impacts is pretty much my job. It takes a lot of smoke at the right time to taint the grapes. When it happens, it typically occurs to a specific vineyard than say an entire AVA. This looks like there will certainly be an impact to multiple vineyards, but at the same time, a lot of the grapes have already been harvested. Quite a few scientific studies have proven that just because smoke is present, it does not mean the guaiacol and other smoke remnants will remain in the grapes. A lot of growers toss without properly analyzing their grapes There are osmosis processes available to remove smoke taint from grapes, but it's easier to just toss or sell off third party. It's a shame.
I opened a Jessup Cellars 2012 merlot tonight. Dryest, most tanniny merlot I've ever had (which is why I bought it). Last bottle of it I drank was coincidentally a year ago, and it hasn't really aged like I expected. It was new last year, but was supposed to peak 2017-2021. Still tastes new as shit. I'll probably wait a year for the next bottle just for the hell of it.
Found out I wasn't laid off today so I cracked open a bottle of Bergstrom Pinot, 2012. This one is everything I wanted to celebrate.
Drank so much Hungarian wines in Budapest this week This country can really make some delightful wines, shocked by the complexity and varieties
Did a tasting there a few weeks ago. Pretty cool. Had no idea he sold off the Prisoner. Still a good wine though. Drank it last night.
Cayuse--one of the most prominent producers of Syrah outside of the Rhone--has lost most of its 2015 vintage to faulty corks. Spoiler Since 1997, we at Cayuse Vineyards have been dedicated to creating world-class wines. We are committed to biodynamic farming and our mission is to produce wine that is the best possible representation of our unique terroir. We simply will not release a wine that doesn't meet our rigorous standards. Earlier this year, in preparation for the May bottling of many of our 2015 wines, we purchased the highest quality corks from our long time supplier. Despite taking every possible step to ensure that we are crafting the best wines possible, during bottling we discovered paraffin particulates caused by faulty corks. We stopped bottling immediately and we contacted the cork supplier right away. They told us they knew what the problem was with the first lot of corks and they assured us we could proceed with bottling the rest of the wines using a second separate lot of corks. After bottling, we checked periodically to be certain there were no problems and to see how the wines were developing. When we discovered the presence of paraffin and an oily film in the wines bottled with the second lot of corks we decided to bring in industry experts to help analyze the wines. Their analysis included a Military-Style Protocol Sampling which confirmed the entire bottling was defective. We agree with the conclusions of the experts and as a result we will not be releasing any of the wines from our May bottling. We have been working diligently with our insurance company to ensure that each customer receives a full refund for the following wines as soon as possible: 2015 Bionic Frog Syrah 2015 Cailloux Vineyard Syrah 2015 Camaspelo 2015 En Cerise Vineyard Syrah 2015 En Chamberlin Vineyard Syrah 2015 Flying Pig 2015 Impulsivo Tempranillo 2015 Wallah Wallah Special Syrah #8 Magnums 2015 Widowmaker Cabernet Sauvignon We are devastated at the loss of these wines which includes 2,995 cases (750ml) and 2,678 magnums. As you all know, there is considerable anticipation for the 2015 vintage from Cayuse Vineyards and the wines were outstanding prior to that bottling in May. In March, just two months before that bottling, Jeb Dunnuck of The Wine Advocate tasted barrel samples of these wines and scored them between 93 and 100 points. We are extremely disappointed to have produced such beautiful wines that we are now unable to release. Not all is lost. The rest of the 2015 vintage (bottled in August 2016 and July 2017) remains pristine. The following wines will be distributed, as planned: 2015 Edith Grenache Rosé 2015 Cailloux Vineyard Viognier 2015 God Only Knows Grenache 2015 Armada Vineyard Syrah 2015 The Lovers Cayuse Vineyards is passionately committed to creating world-class wines. We thank each of you for your ongoing loyalty, support and understanding. We know that you share our disappointment. Obviously this was beyond our control and we're very sorry. We really appreciate your ongoing trust.
That's insane...$5-10M of wine down the drain? Anyone have any pairing advice for sushi and pho particularly reds? I see a lot of Riesling recommendations with Asian foods, and I do like it, but still exploring that interest and not confident on pulling that off given the variation.
When I did a tasting at Corison, we actually had a conversation with the sommelier about reds that pair best with seafood. I think that the same answer would apply to sushi. Her response:
I've been waitlisted since March of 2012. In August I saw people commenting online that they received their annual "no soup for you" email. I hadn't received one yet so I was hoping I would get an allocation once the time for list members to respond to their allocation had lapsed and shipments made the first week of November. I did get added to No Girls last January so I'm assuming the timeline is similar for Cayuse. Hopefully this didn't impact their sister labels No Girls or Horsepower.
I have 3 laying down, and 3 of the 2012 laying down as well. I got 2 bottles of the Helios Cab Franc - did you get a chance to taste that?
Thanks guys I'll probably go with an Oregon Pinot or Beaujolais as I have lots of those around. Might have a finger lakes cab franc. Didn't get any trousseau from sandlands last year but hope I can this year. I hate how hard it is to find jura and other interesting wines around here.
Is the Jura stuff pretty ubiquitous at all retailers or do you still have to seek it out a little bit?
Seek it out a bit, but I have 3 places that deliver to me for free that I like and have extensive selections. http://www.misterwrightfinewines.com/ http://www.67wine.com/ http://www.astorwines.com/
I had this last night with steak, rosemary potatoes and Brussels sprouts. At 10 years past vintage, the wine was in great shape. Spoiler for size. Spoiler
Had a little mold on the top of the cork, which concerned me a bit. Opened and decanted it, and it’s fire.
I was indecisively milling about the Rhône Reds section at the grocery when the wine director (who’s a legit sommelier) walked up and asked what I was looking for. Me: “Just trying to make up my mind, [his name]” Him: “What are you in the mood for?” Me: “Don’t even know. Got the house to myself, a steak, and an iceberg wedge with a fuckton of blue cheese.” Him: “I got you fam.”
On that Rhone note, I had a 2012 Vieux Telegraphe CdP "La Crau" with NZ lamb chops at a restaurant tonight.