Rhone blends are so universal, and mostly fairly priced. That's why I keep on touting a few of the AOCs and village wines that haven't gone bat-shitz because of the Chinese or whomever.

 

Had a really nice bottle of Joseph Swan Mancini Ranch Zinfandel 2011 last night. My favorite producer. A restrained Zin, with really pure fruit and a ton of acidity. I'm an acid freak ... when it comes to my wines.

 

This is a great thread. With two small kids and my own small business, most of my money outside of my Vegas degeneracy goes to Disney and kids stuff, but my wife and I have visited Napa a few times. We get 12 bottles a year from Peju and Tamber Bey. Peju's cabs are meh, but I enjoy their Syrah and Zinfindel which are always priced reasonably. Tamber Bey has some interesting blends in their wine club as well.

Ken you made a comment way back about Wine Spectator's ratings being off kilter (or something similar) are they getting paid to play?

 

For the little slice of my wine world with which I'm somewhat familiar, I don't find the rankings crazy. But what's not disclosed is who wasn't asked to submit, or who chose not to submit, or who couldn't submit because they didn't feel their wines ready. Wine Speculator reviewers know wine, no doubt; the question remains what does it take to get those results in print?

 

Gotcha. I guess then a bad review should stand out even more, since the winery should have just refused to provide the wine for tasting?

 

When have you ever seen a really bad review in those magazines?

 

I'm kinda saying the opposite. WS is reputed to let winemakers know of particularly good reactions and their "participation" with the magazine determines how much coverage it gets.

 

There was one awhile back for Round Pond in Napa Valley which I think was a 79/80. Those stick out like a sore thumb since everything in there is clustered around 89-92.

 

A one-off or is that common?

I flip through each issue, mostly looking for big-picture stuff -- 2013 a tough year for Bordeaux, Rhone trends, whatever -- and to see what's being noted about wines or regions I might actually know and for which I might then have a reference point. But you can pick the producer and/or varietal -- Ridge Zin, for instance -- and pretty much anticipate what the results will be. There's a lot of evergreen in there as part/parcel of the alleged vote-buying.

 

Harlan Estate, 2011.
"Only" $895 at Legal's Harborside 2nd Floor Dining room!

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