I can honestly say that I never made a wine off this vineyard that was less than extraordinary.
I can definitely say this is not extraordinary, sadly. I’d happily settle for a wine that was merely sound, but this is unpleasant to put it gently and many people have said it’s out right undrinkable.
I’m hoping it improves. I know Clark said this wine is starving for oxygen and it needs time to breathe. So I’ll see what happens over the next 10 days.
@kawichris650 sounded like there may have been a bad bottling batch for this, I don’t know. I’m not going to tell anybody that they aren’t testing what they’re tasting. Truly a bummer if you’ve got a bunch of bad bottles.
I’ve had two bottles of Roman reserve. The 2010 vintage, back in July of this year, I had great things to say on CellarTracker. I was also a rat for the offer and I’m sure you could go back and read the report on it if you cared.
The bottle of 2012 that I opened last November it appears that I bought in 2020, not from the mystery case. I said it was enjoyable every night even if not for the same reason as it kept changing.
So next I’m going to open a bottle of the 2012 from last year (I got 4 in my case) and see what I see. I hope it’s consistent with my other bottle and not yours!
WD did acknowledge there seemed to have been a bad batch. But after that, nothing was done about it. I certainly hope your bottles are enjoyable, and maybe eventually I’ll be lucky enough to open one that’s sound.
@kawichris650 Well, if your 650 is your area code I’d be happy to share a sound bottle with you one of these days! We’re up in the Bay Area from time to time.
Unfortunately I’m far away in the frozen tundra of Minnesota. The “kawi” and the “650” in my username come from the Kawasaki 650R motorcycle that I ride.
@kawichris650 OK, I’m going for it! Initial sniffs do not suggest anything off, although certainly odd as these wines are. Nothing remotely like vinegar. But certainly weird and could easily be off-putting to some (many?) at first pop.
Ok, finally trying the last of my recent overload on dN pinots (needs to stop)…weather cool here but the green stuff and white stuff is enjoying it so went and picked some, stuffed a chunk of pork and pasta
@davirom@FritzCat@kaolis
No claim to a cylinder, but no reason to constrain the shape.
I did go shopping for these last time the pic was posted.
Don’t recall why I didn’t get any, other than I’m running out of room for glasses as well as bottles.
@davirom@kaolis@rjquillin Those are musical notes, a scale if you will. It’s marked A G# F# E D C# B A, which I think is an A major scale, backwards or descending from bottom to top. Got 'em at the Thrifty Shopper for probably $10 for the pair. Oh, and when you run your finger around the rim…resonance! But I haven’t checked the accuracy of the tone…something to do tomorrow…thanks for the suggestion.
I’m easily influenced by @kaolis half roasted duck and Pilaf, hey some parsley in the pilaf so green stuff present Jesus I could drink this champagne every day!
@rjquillin
I bought the 01 and 04 Isabelle pinots and the 99 chard. The 04 was pretty good with plenty of life left. The 99 chard was really good so I bought 2 more for near term drinking, don’t know how long they will hang on? Have not tried the 01. Not really familiar with his wines.
Finished that 2012 Wine Smith Cab Franc Roman Reserve
It’s the second night and it’s still not showing any signs of a fault. It’s very savoury, though, which can certainly be off-putting. But no vinegar or anything like that.
Ok, too many pics again and TMI…My first go at the Flannery chuck steaks, ugly but deeelish. Rollen, local farmer, has been showing up at our Saturday market lately and I picked up his Sea Island Yellow Guinea Flint Grits yesterday. First go at the grits also, deeelish. He sends his product to Anson Mills for milling.
@klezman The chuck steaks, absolutely. $19 for a package of two steaks, about one pound per package. Tender as can be, just tossed them on the grill like any other steak. Salt/pepper/garlic. They don’t have them all of the time, and right now link not working so I’m thinking not in stock. I sent an email today checking.
@kaolis@klezman Yeah I would order those steaks. Note that Chuck Eye is only the core center piece of a chuck steak/roast not including the less pleasant bits all around it. A few years ago a friend and I were following a cooking show that made an excellent Chuck Eye roast. (not same as a big chuck roast). I asked local store (still had a butcher department – getting rare these days except for specialty stores). Some stores offered it locally at times. Or butcher said if I requested one they could order/cut it. (this was for roast size, but I assume the steaks are just like 1" cuts from it.) Now I am very hungry.
@kaolis@pmarin Oh, I grill up chuck steaks often enough. Usually they’re a bit farther north on the cow, but then you still get half zabuton and half other bits that are often enough well marbled. At one pound for two steaks I’d be worried they’re too skinny for grilling, although the pics above don’t look overly thin.
@klezman@pmarin Well Denver, which is what you call zabuton, which I buy as well, is supposed to be a bit more tender than chuck eye, but I’d put this batch of chuck eye against any Denver. These were a solid inch or more, didn’t dig out the laser tape. That being said I’ve had a few sh*tty high end steaks from Flannery, ya never know
@kaolis@klezman@pmarin I buy ground beef and hangers from Flannery. My family’s taste buds are perfectly happy with Costco prime steak and even a good looking choice. Not aged I know, but also not frozen and available pretty much on demand.
@davirom@kaolis@pmarin Costco prime is pretty good. If you want to take advantage of my dry ageing chamber you’re welcome to. Just get a full slab rib or striploin from Costco and bring it on by…this is the season they carry bone-in rib, too, which is the ideal cut.
@davirom@klezman@pmarin I obviously still buy from Flannery but no longer strips and ribeyes etc. because of the bad pieces. I knew you did some dry aging, custom cabinet you made?
I didn’t so much make a custom cabinet for dry aging as I serendipitously (or not) had a standing freezer crap out on me. Right as we were about to leave for a wedding in MSP for the weekend. So after procuring the new freezer we did more investigation into the issue with the old one. Turns out the auto-defrost element or board or something crapped out and that’s what killed its use as a freezer. So I just reset the thermostat to make it a fridge. It’s now the overflow fridge and dry aging chamber. It’s got a fair wide temperature swing because the hysteresis of a freezer thermostat is pretty large, but it ranges from about -2 to 6 degrees C or so.
the phenomenon in which the value of a physical property lags behind changes in the effect causing it, as for instance when magnetic induction lags behind the magnetizing force.
@davirom@InFrom@kaolis@pmarin An example of induction lagging behind magnetism is more intuitive? Thermostats are a simpler example: you build hysteresis into the controller. If you had the a/c turn on every time the temperature detectably rose above the set point and turn off as soon as it got back to the set point you’d be starting and stopping the compressor/fan every couple of minutes. The leeway on each side of the set point - i.e. the hysteresis - allows it to cycle on/off at rates that make it far more efficient and save wear and tear on the machine.
If you’re at all into espresso machines, you’ll note that higher-end models come with “PID” control for the boiler. This is essentially the opposite of standard “on/off” or “bang-bang” control of temperature so that it minimizes hysteresis or fluctuations in the water temperature.
I’ll stop nerding out about control systems now…
@davirom@InFrom@kaolis@pmarin nope! I’ve got a pretty basic Gaggia but I am debating with myself whether it’s worth it to get PID when I get my next machine.
@davirom@InFrom@klezman@pmarin I had to Google most of it…ha! I’ve a Gaggia Baby Twin as well, actually quite like it. As far as PID, temp surfing works just fine once you get into the routine, my humble. However, if I was to buy a new machine today I’d probably get a Linea Mini but fortunately (in this case) kitchen is pretty small and that’s too big a footprint, saving me $$. The Silvia Pro X looks interesting and Breville DB gets some love actually but kind of big too.
@chipgreen@InFrom@kaolis@klezman@pmarin@rjquillin It would be nice to have this part of the discussion in the Wine Fridge Help Please thread where I might find it when the time comes. Just saying.
I’m between the Profitec Go on the higher end (PID, bigger boiler, etc.) and the Gaggia Classic Evo Pro 24 on the low end. There are a few in the middle. But my 12-ish year old Gaggia Evolution is still doing a decent enough job at everything except steaming milk. I’ve never gotten into the temp surfing thing, tbh. And one of the internal gaskets is a bit leaky and it’s not clear it’s possible to replace it.
2013 Winesmith Meritage
Very lively, not showing its age at all.
(SWMBO says “Very California…fruity”)
81% Merlot, 19% Cab Franc…I never woulda guessed.
Average on Cellartracker is about 88 points.
I’ll give it a 90, and not in a bad way.
@FritzCat Interesting. I wouldn’t normally associate Winesmith with California…fruity. (California yes, fruity no). But “fruity” can be interpreted many ways so I would accept it.
Not something I would normally open now but found a Kent Rasmussen Esoterica 2004 Touriga Desert wine 375m. Don’t usually do the sweet desert wines but I swear after sitting around for 2 decades this is better than ever. Cork kind-of disassembled but contents are fine.
@kawichris650 The (deceased) brother-in-law of a friend had an extensive port collection. My friend does not care for port, so he gave most of it away. But, I digress. Google it. BTW, what is your friend’s birth year?
@jmdavidson1
I did do a little bit of searching on Google. I’m just not sure about reliable & recommended sources since I’ve never bought 40 year old wine before.
@jmdavidson1@kawichris650
There are currently 54 offers (both single and multiple bottles per offer, some verticals) on winebid for 1985 vintage.
Currently no port, but there is a Frog’s Tooth cab
@rjquillin
Graham’s port is truly preferred because of the name correlation, but if necessary I might have to get him something else from that year. Luckily I have a decent amount of time to find him something.
@kawichris650@rjquillin I have a 1985 Fonseca but not Graham’s. I DID have a 1985 Graham’s that we drank with some friends at the end of our wedding night, though. It was excellent.
@jmdavidson1@kawichris650@klezman@rjquillin Well CT tells me I have 1 half bottle of 1985 Graham’s, that may be accurate or not but good chance it is. However, if I do, I have no idea if it’s here in SC or up in WI. I’ll check here and if not I can have my daughter check WI over Christmas. Assuming I have it, it’s yours for the price of shipping.
Short version is I may or may not have a bottle and will get back to you…ha!
That would be absolutely amazing! I might be in Spooner, WI for a belated Christmas celebration. When you travel to WI, which area do you usually visit? Feel free to send me a whisper if you prefer. Thanks so much!
@rjquillin
Got these before the BK. It’s decent. Some green pepper on the palate almost makes it drink more like a Cab Franc. Nothing special but not plonk, either.
@kawichris650@klezman@rc70@rjquillin oh gosh, I had one recently before moving houses as I drank through some stored bottles and MAN. It was delicious!
@jchasma@kawichris650@klezman@rjquillin
It was tasty last night, finishing it up tonight and it is Delicious. Looking forward to following it over the coming years.
2021 Desire Lines Cabernet Sauvignon Experimental Series #12 Cachagua Ridge, Carmel Valley
At K&L for $20, with wagyu zabuton. Initial impressions are that it’s good and doesn’t have any of that “young wine” ick that turns me off. Should be good for a decade.
@klezman Oh, I’m of good cheer…I have a full bottle of Piccolo in the cupboard. I thought a bowl of sprouts would get mixed reactions. I love 'em with good Balsamic…even with mediocre Balsamic.
@FritzCat@kawichris650@klezman
Here here I would be a Pessimist also if all I had on my plate was a pile of the nastiest green stuff on the planet…brussel sprouts!
@FritzCat@kawichris650@klezman@ScottW58 Fry 'em up and crisp 'em up with a heavy bacon and brown sugar ratio, might be the gateway you need to start loving them!
Elevating Wellington from a Wednesday to Friday
2001 Wellington Syrah Reserve
absolutely pristine cork, 2mm penetration, with some Costco ribs and other leftovers. Welly did well.
@rjquillin You’re already done dinner? We haven’t even started making child dinner! (Although about to get on that…)
Then I get to pick tonight’s wine…something to go with pork chops most likely. Good ol’ Shabbos pork.
@klezman
I also become horizontal well before y’all up there.
But it was a bit earlier than the norm.
Desert also some leftovers
Some hot apple cream pie and leftover cranberry relish from T-day. The sweet from the pie and tart from the relish was actually amazingly complementary.
All this Wellington talk inspired me: 2011 Wellington Zinfandel, Estate. With the Shabbos pork, probably the last box of chanterelles, and some green stuff.
@jmdavidson1 Understanding I have no idea what this was like young, or in it’s “prime”, I think it’s drinking as I’d expect a gracefully aged BdX should. I find none of the characteristics of the two newest CT comments. The label states recorked in 2020. I’d not hesitate to serve this to anyone, excepting a ripple drinker.
@jmdavidson1@rjquillin was curious about this myself. A few bottles of Fonbadet have crossed my lips but has been awhile and I don’t recall this vintage
Just pulled out at 2013 Consumerus and brought to a Holiday party. Still drinking great - got some positive comments from others. Also, brought a 2019 Inzinerator - I think it is one of the best years - much more balanced than this year’s.
@kaolis
Here’s the recipe I used in case you’re interested. The chops are great on their own, but that recipe is pretty simple and it takes the chops to the next level.
This is tasty, and surprisingly very balanced considering the abv. It has aged well and I suspect it will continue to do so for many more years to come.
Last glass of 2013 Wellington Mohrhardt Ridge Cabernet (purchased at a local wine shop in 2018) soft cork with surprisingly little sediment but no issues, minimal staining. Great bottle - over 3 nights, a fair amount of sediment at the end. Showing age, but still has life to my taste.
And popped a 2022 meh Cheer close to right off the truck. Easy drinking, big fruit, definitely a crowd pleaser. I give these out as gifts for the employees and they have been well received over the years.
German with leftover leftover Chinese, day two on the YNOT. Forgot it was like $9 all in. Right off the truck, day one was good, it is on the leaner/tart side but sound, day two def lost a step or so.
@kaolis@tercerowines
I wasn’t sure if that was intentional or not, but added the extra wiggle just in case; the two sure aren’t close on any normal keyboard.
@ScottW58 looks great! Merry Xmas to you and your crew! I’ve got a rib roast in at 130 for 8 hours or so to see how it works out. Will sear at the end.
If you’re around the rest of the year let’s get together before the calendar flips to 2025!
@kaolis@ScottW58 It was good. Not developing as much as I’d have expected for a wine this age, but it went well with the beef and should have a long life ahead of it.
@CorTot Was that store bought (just cook) or did you roll your own from scratch? Never done one before, that I can recall, and using Kenji’s recipe, while not difficult, is powerfully time consuming.
@kaolis@PeterW
I was gonna ask how you did the texturing?
Looking back, and thinking, I actually started on Monday, not Tuesday, and thought yesterday was Thursday. Sigh. I’ve been taking some time off work and truly have had no idea what day of the week it is…
I wonder if Peter knows he has a day named after him; we did well yesterday; hopefully he would be proud, and thank you.
@kaolis@PeterW@rjquillin It’s a mixed-up week, maybe that’s why yesterday I kept thinking it was Friday. I was a day early for Wellington Wednesday – opened a '13 CS Handal-Denier vineyard on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday I opened a '23 Orr Chenin Blanc. Both wines greatly outshone our takeout cuisine (Uzbek on the 24th, and Taiwanese on Xmas)
@kaolis@rjquillin The Chenin is wonderful, get into it already! Stood up well at a range of temperatures, against the strong flavors of three-cup chicken, and noodles with beef and Chinese watercress.
to funny. Tuesday I pulled a 2.5# Flannery tenderloin roast out of the freezer with the intent on cooking it Wednesday, until I realized just how much I underestimated how long the prep for Wellington takes. Skip to today. The roast is about to go into the oven and the '05 Victory is breathing in anticipation.
@kaolis Nice! I’ve got some duck leg quarters that I’ll be cooking later in the week and probably opening up a nice Pinot to go with it.
I’ve recently found that I don’t like roasting whole duck. I want the breasts seared to medium rare and the rest roasted so that’s my m.o. now.
@klezman Funny you should say that. My wife and I decided yesterday this was maybe the last one… whole duck is a lot of work, little reward for those of us who like pink breasts. We’ll either roast/confit legs or do breasts rare/med rare. I will get some nice stock out of the carcass however.
@kaolis True – it took me two or three tries before I felt like I was decent at it. But it’s also not that hard to disassemble a bird. First cut off the wings. Then the leg quarters. Then remove the breasts from the bones. The major difference compared to a chicken is that the sternum on a duck is really flat.
Alright made the best waffles on the planet this morning imho. So chopped up some chicken thighs and fried with some fine maple syrup and hot sauce. Sorry if you don’t like sweet heat you are missing the greatest thing in the world
@ScottW58 You do indeed. It’s a spur of the moment Mediterranean mash-up - chickpeas and chicken sautéed in Turkish spices over wild rice pilaf, with lots of butter. Very tasty. Farmers’ market mixed veggies including 3 varieties of carrots. The wine was also pretty good. . .
I thought I was having duck legs and Pinot, but then I learned we’re having company and I don’t have enough duck! So I’ve got some meat sauce on the stove and will pick out a couple reds.
2014 Corison Cab from the Christmas 2017 offering on the old site - paired with prime (prime) rib, stuffed mushrooms, caesar salad, and garlic bread. This is the second bottle we’ve opened (first was in 2019 and next will be in 2029) and it has matured nicely.
@sosptuba
@ 10 years, that should be getting to a good place.
Looking back at my w.w/Corison purchases over the years, I only wish I’d have been a bit more greedy (or better financed); and that some would show up on CM
@rjquillin@sosptuba Seriously…if I hadn’t been in grad school when it was $30/bottle and seemed crazy expensive at the time I’d be rolling in cases of the stuff by now.
I checked some old emails and found the following deals:
5/25/10 - cab vertical 2 pack $59.99 + $5 shipping
10/21/10 - cab vertical 2 pack $59.99 + $7 shipping
11/30/10 - cab 2 pack $59.99 + $5 shipping
• I don’t have any further details on these as these emails came from the EWN - Emergency woot network alert system. Corison offering during a Wine off/Woot off - those were the days!
9/7/12 - There is a note about an engagement at Corison during a RPM tour: “What happens when “community engagement” turns literal? Wine.Wooters Hitanykey and Cheron98 first noticed each other on the Wine.Woot boards. Then they met in person at one of the famous Wine.Wooter-initiated gatherings. Word is that the others saw the spark before they did. Well, one thing led to another, and you guessed it… “HAK” popped the question during the now famous wooter RPM tour this summer at one of their (and our) favorite wineries, Corison. Congrats to Hitanykey and Cheron98! We love it when wine love leads to true love!”
10/5/12 - 2005 Red set (3) $149.99
12/25/12 – Corison Helios Duo - $76.99
10/30/13 – Phoenix Ranch Library Napa Syrah $69.99 – Note there isn’t a vintage year listed on the email but Cathy was involved in winemaking there until 2007? I think
Then we jump to the 12/25/17 offering of Napa Cab 2 pack $169.99.
Fun trip down memory lane.
I am a club member at Corison – next time Angela emails I’ll make another suggestion of a CM offering sooner than later. A mag offering would be cool – looking at the price list of what they have available kronos would definitely be a black tie offering.
@rjquillin@sosptuba Nice…although I’d been buying from woot since late 2008, my first two black tie buys (at $30/btl at the time) were TyTanium in Nov 2009 and then Corison in Feb 2010. I really should have loaded up later in 2010 when I had just started work but I didn’t know better and it seemed like way too much money.
But two years after HAK and cheron98 got engaged at Corison on the RPM Tour, molarchae and I did the same. That hadn’t been the plan, but she wandered off the night before at Iron Horse!
Hope Cathy sees fit to offer here again. With the coming wine glut maybe she’ll have excess. Who knows if she’d have survived the 2008-2012 recession without woot…
Wine quite tasty, bought a couple in a mixed case, going to grab a few more…Cubed up some Flannery tenderloin tail, fresh pasta (local joint, not mine) fresh rosemary/thyme/ton of garlic, butter/olive oil/pasta water
@jmdavidson1 Looks great! Way back in the day you could buy sequoia tree seedlings in their tasting room (maybe still can) suffice it to say we have no sequoias thriving from those purchases
@InFrom@kaolis
How ‘destructive’ is this to the surface of a well seasoned skillet?
I have one that is decades old where I don’t want to disturb what has taken me years to achieve.
Is it recommended to use one that is not so cherished?
@InFrom@kaolis@rjquillin AFAIK there are only two ways to ruin a nicely seasoned cast iron. 1) cook an acidic sauce (e.g. tomato) in it for a long time. 2) disrespect it by using sharp utensils on it. I don’t see how making a pan pizza would do that. Just slide it out to cut!
Then again, if there’s enough oil on the bottom then you could use a pan with any level of seasoning and it won’t stick.
@InFrom@klezman@rjquillin I am somewhat anal with my cast iron, pizza away with no worries, but a non cherished pan if not crazy non cherished will work fine. There is a bit of oil involved either way
@InFrom@kaolis@klezman@ScottW58 Yes, we will having something similar tonight, latkes (for Hanukah) and shrimp (our traditional NYE meal). Oh, and the 2006 Cristal, from UC.
@davirom@InFrom@kaolis@ScottW58 Love it!
No idea what we’re doing yet…going to pop by a neighbour’s and it might be snacks or might be dinner. Should probably take a bottle with us, too. They don’t usually have anything all that good wine-wise.
@kawichris650 First, the disclaimers: We don’t usually drink champagne, mostly sparklers from IH and Argyle. This is the most expensive bottle of bubbly we’ve had by at least $100. That said, the color was a pale yellow/gold, perhaps showing some age? The nose was muted, maybe some citrus. Lots of elegant teeny tiny bubbles. The flavor was mellow, with no sharp edges. I tasted yeast, SWMBO didn’t get that but did get lemon and vanilla. Our daughter, who drinks wine only in sips, liked it. No fall off the second day, after storing in the fridge with a proper stopper.
After being sick for over two weeks and having to say goodbye to our dog, finally got out of the house for a bit as we pretty much skipped the holidays and my birthday this year. Lovely afternoon with friends.
@kawichris650 I’m going to open one in the next few days also.
@klezman
To quote Clark from the original offer thread…
I can definitely say this is not extraordinary, sadly. I’d happily settle for a wine that was merely sound, but this is unpleasant to put it gently and many people have said it’s out right undrinkable.
I’m hoping it improves. I know Clark said this wine is starving for oxygen and it needs time to breathe. So I’ll see what happens over the next 10 days.
@kawichris650 sounded like there may have been a bad bottling batch for this, I don’t know. I’m not going to tell anybody that they aren’t testing what they’re tasting. Truly a bummer if you’ve got a bunch of bad bottles.
I’ve had two bottles of Roman reserve. The 2010 vintage, back in July of this year, I had great things to say on CellarTracker. I was also a rat for the offer and I’m sure you could go back and read the report on it if you cared.
The bottle of 2012 that I opened last November it appears that I bought in 2020, not from the mystery case. I said it was enjoyable every night even if not for the same reason as it kept changing.
So next I’m going to open a bottle of the 2012 from last year (I got 4 in my case) and see what I see. I hope it’s consistent with my other bottle and not yours!
@klezman
WD did acknowledge there seemed to have been a bad batch. But after that, nothing was done about it. I certainly hope your bottles are enjoyable, and maybe eventually I’ll be lucky enough to open one that’s sound.
@kawichris650 Well, if your 650 is your area code I’d be happy to share a sound bottle with you one of these days! We’re up in the Bay Area from time to time.
@klezman
Thank you, that’s very kind of you
Unfortunately I’m far away in the frozen tundra of Minnesota. The “kawi” and the “650” in my username come from the Kawasaki 650R motorcycle that I ride.
@kawichris650 yeah, that’s different
I’m not up there all that often. Less so if you’re not in twin cities.
@kawichris650 OK, I’m going for it! Initial sniffs do not suggest anything off, although certainly odd as these wines are. Nothing remotely like vinegar. But certainly weird and could easily be off-putting to some (many?) at first pop.
Garlic, cumin, chili roast chicken, green stuff lurking somewhere.
@ScottW58 We really enjoyed this Keenan Chardonnay.
@msten
It’s a good one !
@ScottW58
Love the char on that chicken! Looks really savory. How did the Keenan hold up to it?
@chipgreen @ScottW58 Yeah that Keenan is dang tasty, probably a good one to hang on to a bit but I’m betting I don’t …recipe?
@chipgreen @kaolis I won’t either
recipe so good and easy.
@chipgreen
Keenan held up quite well! I bet it’s even better with something briney.
@chipgreen @ScottW58 The Keenan was the White for my son’s wedding in October; it is very nice and was well liked.
While watching MNF
Man I have not had a belt in a long time, I miss them
@ScottW58 Pretty decent tot wine!
@kaolis
Imho no wine is too good for tots or bacon
Ok, finally trying the last of my recent overload on dN pinots (needs to stop)…weather cool here but the green stuff and white stuff is enjoying it so went and picked some, stuffed a chunk of pork and pasta
@kaolis
Love your rolled pork!
Waiting for Judy to get home from work.
@FritzCat By pouring two glasses you potentially saved her at least a sip…
@kaolis I’ve got incredible self-control…except when buying, of course.
And a little 20-year Taylor Fladgate for after dinner.
@FritzCat @kaolis
And I notice again the metered glasses to insure comparable pours.
@FritzCat @kaolis @rjquillin Odd shape for a graduated cylinder, but what the hey.
@davirom @FritzCat @kaolis
No claim to a cylinder, but no reason to constrain the shape.
I did go shopping for these last time the pic was posted.
Don’t recall why I didn’t get any, other than I’m running out of room for glasses as well as bottles.
@davirom @kaolis @rjquillin Those are musical notes, a scale if you will. It’s marked A G# F# E D C# B A, which I think is an A major scale, backwards or descending from bottom to top. Got 'em at the Thrifty Shopper for probably $10 for the pair. Oh, and when you run your finger around the rim…resonance! But I haven’t checked the accuracy of the tone…something to do tomorrow…thanks for the suggestion.
A Syrah side-by-side.
Happy Wednesday!
@kawichris650
Unfair comparison, but do tell us anyway.
@kawichris650 @rjquillin Why is it unfair? Two different but top notch Syrahs…
It’s Natl Cab Franc Day, with mostly leftovers
@rjquillin I promised next bottle I’d open would be a 2023 bottle of the Winesmith RR CF, so I guess today is a good day for it!
I’m easily influenced by @kaolis half roasted duck and Pilaf, hey some parsley in the pilaf so green stuff present
Jesus I could drink this champagne every day!
@ScottW58 Somebody has to do the hard work!
Let’s do dinner again soon?
@klezman @ScottW58 Looks delish, reminds me I need to buy some orzo, and that’s not a shabby everyday wine…
With steak & chicken stir fry, sticky rice and spring rolls
@chipgreen Interesting. We plan a bottle of exactly that vintage for our anniversary tomorrow.
@chipgreen @davirom Well happy anniversary!
@davirom
Happy anniversary!
@davirom
Congrats!
Syrasagna!
@chipgreen
Syrasagna what the hell is that??! Looks delicious gotta look it up
@ScottW58
It’s just a made up word like Bennifer.
@ScottW58
try any more of the au bon climat?
Which ones, thoughts?
@rjquillin
I bought the 01 and 04 Isabelle pinots and the 99 chard. The 04 was pretty good with plenty of life left. The 99 chard was really good so I bought 2 more for near term drinking, don’t know how long they will hang on? Have not tried the 01. Not really familiar with his wines.
Finished that 2012 Wine Smith Cab Franc Roman Reserve
It’s the second night and it’s still not showing any signs of a fault. It’s very savoury, though, which can certainly be off-putting. But no vinegar or anything like that.
whipped up some last minute tacos #everydaywine
and finished up 2016 Geodesy Sage Ridge Red and a 2019 Handley Anderson Valley pinot
Where there are bubbles, can fried chicken be far behind? With pink green stuff courtesy of the chicken joint, and green green stuff courtesy of me.
@InFrom Always a nice combo!
@InFrom @klezman
Nicely done! IIRC, Gosset is the World’s oldest Champagne house.
2015 Goodfellow Pinot Noir, Fir Crest Vineyard
Found some venison flanks in the freezer and going to sear those up quickly on the grill…
@infrom you knew I would do it
great stuff but I’m buying the hotter bottle too, I do love plenty of heat! 
@karenhynes nice pairing
@karenhynes @rjquillin Like the chard?
Ok, too many pics again and TMI…My first go at the Flannery chuck steaks, ugly but deeelish. Rollen, local farmer, has been showing up at our Saturday market lately and I picked up his Sea Island Yellow Guinea Flint Grits yesterday. First go at the grits also, deeelish. He sends his product to Anson Mills for milling.
https://rollensrawgrains.com/
@kaolis I totally forgot about those being offered. Worth it?
@klezman The chuck steaks, absolutely. $19 for a package of two steaks, about one pound per package. Tender as can be, just tossed them on the grill like any other steak. Salt/pepper/garlic. They don’t have them all of the time, and right now link not working so I’m thinking not in stock. I sent an email today checking.
@kaolis @klezman Yeah I would order those steaks. Note that Chuck Eye is only the core center piece of a chuck steak/roast not including the less pleasant bits all around it. A few years ago a friend and I were following a cooking show that made an excellent Chuck Eye roast. (not same as a big chuck roast). I asked local store (still had a butcher department – getting rare these days except for specialty stores). Some stores offered it locally at times. Or butcher said if I requested one they could order/cut it. (this was for roast size, but I assume the steaks are just like 1" cuts from it.) Now I am very hungry.
@kaolis @pmarin Oh, I grill up chuck steaks often enough. Usually they’re a bit farther north on the cow, but then you still get half zabuton and half other bits that are often enough well marbled. At one pound for two steaks I’d be worried they’re too skinny for grilling, although the pics above don’t look overly thin.
@klezman @pmarin Well Denver, which is what you call zabuton, which I buy as well, is supposed to be a bit more tender than chuck eye, but I’d put this batch of chuck eye against any Denver. These were a solid inch or more, didn’t dig out the laser tape. That being said I’ve had a few sh*tty high end steaks from Flannery, ya never know
@kaolis @pmarin I’ve also had the occasional lacklustre steak from Flannery. Extra annoying given the price.
@kaolis @klezman @pmarin I buy ground beef and hangers from Flannery. My family’s taste buds are perfectly happy with Costco prime steak and even a good looking choice. Not aged I know, but also not frozen and available pretty much on demand.
@davirom @kaolis @pmarin Costco prime is pretty good. If you want to take advantage of my dry ageing chamber you’re welcome to. Just get a full slab rib or striploin from Costco and bring it on by…this is the season they carry bone-in rib, too, which is the ideal cut.
@davirom @klezman @pmarin I obviously still buy from Flannery but no longer strips and ribeyes etc. because of the bad pieces. I knew you did some dry aging, custom cabinet you made?
@davirom @kaolis @pmarin Did you get a lot of bad pieces? Did they not make it right?
I didn’t so much make a custom cabinet for dry aging as I serendipitously (or not) had a standing freezer crap out on me. Right as we were about to leave for a wedding in MSP for the weekend. So after procuring the new freezer we did more investigation into the issue with the old one. Turns out the auto-defrost element or board or something crapped out and that’s what killed its use as a freezer. So I just reset the thermostat to make it a fridge. It’s now the overflow fridge and dry aging chamber. It’s got a fair wide temperature swing because the hysteresis of a freezer thermostat is pretty large, but it ranges from about -2 to 6 degrees C or so.
@davirom @kaolis @klezman @pmarin Of course as a non-STEM person, I needed to Google hysteresis:
the phenomenon in which the value of a physical property lags behind changes in the effect causing it, as for instance when magnetic induction lags behind the magnetizing force.
@davirom @InFrom @kaolis @pmarin An example of induction lagging behind magnetism is more intuitive? Thermostats are a simpler example: you build hysteresis into the controller. If you had the a/c turn on every time the temperature detectably rose above the set point and turn off as soon as it got back to the set point you’d be starting and stopping the compressor/fan every couple of minutes. The leeway on each side of the set point - i.e. the hysteresis - allows it to cycle on/off at rates that make it far more efficient and save wear and tear on the machine.
If you’re at all into espresso machines, you’ll note that higher-end models come with “PID” control for the boiler. This is essentially the opposite of standard “on/off” or “bang-bang” control of temperature so that it minimizes hysteresis or fluctuations in the water temperature.
I’ll stop nerding out about control systems now…
@davirom @InFrom @klezman @pmarin So you are telling me I’m a loser for no PID on my Miss Sylvia? Ha!!
@davirom @InFrom @kaolis @pmarin nope! I’ve got a pretty basic Gaggia but I am debating with myself whether it’s worth it to get PID when I get my next machine.
@davirom @InFrom @klezman @pmarin I had to Google most of it…ha! I’ve a Gaggia Baby Twin as well, actually quite like it. As far as PID, temp surfing works just fine once you get into the routine, my humble. However, if I was to buy a new machine today I’d probably get a Linea Mini but fortunately (in this case) kitchen is pretty small and that’s too big a footprint, saving me $$. The Silvia Pro X looks interesting and Breville DB gets some love actually but kind of big too.
@davirom @InFrom @kaolis @klezman @pmarin
I just call that “fuzzy logic” and move along.
@chipgreen @InFrom @kaolis @klezman @pmarin @rjquillin It would be nice to have this part of the discussion in the Wine Fridge Help Please thread where I might find it when the time comes. Just saying.
@chipgreen @davirom @InFrom @kaolis @pmarin @rjquillin Maybe Ron can do some copying over on the back end…
I’m between the Profitec Go on the higher end (PID, bigger boiler, etc.) and the Gaggia Classic Evo Pro 24 on the low end. There are a few in the middle. But my 12-ish year old Gaggia Evolution is still doing a decent enough job at everything except steaming milk. I’ve never gotten into the temp surfing thing, tbh. And one of the internal gaskets is a bit leaky and it’s not clear it’s possible to replace it.
@chipgreen @davirom @InFrom @kaolis @klezman @pmarin
any of us can copy, but the @OP is lost, I’ve been told even the higher level mods cannot retain that. The OP would need to repost.
2013 Winesmith Meritage
Very lively, not showing its age at all.
(SWMBO says “Very California…fruity”)
81% Merlot, 19% Cab Franc…I never woulda guessed.
Average on Cellartracker is about 88 points.
I’ll give it a 90, and not in a bad way.
@FritzCat Interesting. I wouldn’t normally associate Winesmith with California…fruity. (California yes, fruity no). But “fruity” can be interpreted many ways so I would accept it.
Day 2, less fruit…“grippy”.
Not something I would normally open now but found a Kent Rasmussen Esoterica 2004 Touriga Desert wine 375m. Don’t usually do the sweet desert wines but I swear after sitting around for 2 decades this is better than ever. Cork kind-of disassembled but contents are fine.
@jmdavidson1
Where does one get their hands on something like that? And how much will it set them back?
My best friend is named Graham and I think it’d be cool to get him one of these from his birth year.
@kawichris650 The (deceased) brother-in-law of a friend had an extensive port collection. My friend does not care for port, so he gave most of it away. But, I digress. Google it. BTW, what is your friend’s birth year?
@jmdavidson1
I did do a little bit of searching on Google. I’m just not sure about reliable & recommended sources since I’ve never bought 40 year old wine before.
My friend’s birth year is 1985.
@jmdavidson1 @kawichris650
There are currently 54 offers (both single and multiple bottles per offer, some verticals) on winebid for 1985 vintage.
Currently no port, but there is a Frog’s Tooth cab
@kawichris650 I don’t have an 85. Good luck in your search.
@jmdavidson1
Thank you! His birthday isn’t until April, so I have some time to track one down.
@rjquillin
Graham’s port is truly preferred because of the name correlation, but if necessary I might have to get him something else from that year. Luckily I have a decent amount of time to find him something.
@kawichris650 @rjquillin I have a 1985 Fonseca but not Graham’s. I DID have a 1985 Graham’s that we drank with some friends at the end of our wedding night, though. It was excellent.
@kawichris650 Just for reference, or in case something surfaces, which state is home? And/or where is home for your frirnd?
@jmdavidson1
We’re both in Minnesota (Twin Cities metro area).
@jmdavidson1 @kawichris650 @klezman @rjquillin Well CT tells me I have 1 half bottle of 1985 Graham’s, that may be accurate or not but good chance it is. However, if I do, I have no idea if it’s here in SC or up in WI. I’ll check here and if not I can have my daughter check WI over Christmas. Assuming I have it, it’s yours for the price of shipping.
Short version is I may or may not have a bottle and will get back to you…ha!
@kaolis
That would be absolutely amazing! I might be in Spooner, WI for a belated Christmas celebration. When you travel to WI, which area do you usually visit? Feel free to send me a whisper if you prefer. Thanks so much!
@chipgreen UC bk blowout?
Your bottle better than CT suggests?
@rjquillin
Got these before the BK. It’s decent. Some green pepper on the palate almost makes it drink more like a Cab Franc. Nothing special but not plonk, either.
2018, delicious. This is my kind of wine
BTW it was @rjquillin idea
@ttboy23 Finishing up tonight the bottle opened on T-day.
Still going strong; I think I like that it’s softened up a bit. Frig, no Ar.
Happy Wednesday!
Finished off the Syrah from last week. It’s still delicious by the way. The merlot is next.
Oh and dinner was a roasted leg of lamb with potatoes, bourbon glazed carrots, and cheddar bay biscuits.
@kawichris650 Looks amazing
@kawichris650 @klezman It sure does
@rc70 nice looking pie, and I see washed down well too!
@kawichris650
Are those '12’s getting close to drinking age?
@kawichris650 @rc70 @rjquillin 2012 Victory has got to be good - it’s getting to its teens!!
@kawichris650 @klezman @rc70 @rjquillin oh gosh, I had one recently before moving houses as I drank through some stored bottles and MAN. It was delicious!
@jchasma @kawichris650 @klezman @rjquillin
It was tasty last night, finishing it up tonight and it is Delicious. Looking forward to following it over the coming years.
I don’t even seem to know when it’s Wednesday.
The last of that T-day '12 Bourriquot is doing just fine tho~
@rjquillin crazy patience
@kaolis
naw, just too many open bottles to work thru
2021 Desire Lines Cabernet Sauvignon Experimental Series #12 Cachagua Ridge, Carmel Valley
At K&L for $20, with wagyu zabuton. Initial impressions are that it’s good and doesn’t have any of that “young wine” ick that turns me off. Should be good for a decade.
@klezman Not a bad Wednesday meal…
@kaolis I need to keep up with y’all!
Pessimist
@FritzCat Is your pessimism coming from the nearly empty Botte Piccolo? This pic makes it look like you poured the vinegar into the glass!
@klezman
Would you prefer @FritzCat drinks it straight from the bottle?
Side note: Only green stuff???
@klezman Oh, I’m of good cheer…I have a full bottle of Piccolo in the cupboard. I thought a bowl of sprouts would get mixed reactions. I love 'em with good Balsamic…even with mediocre Balsamic.
@FritzCat @klezman https://www.woot.com/offers/cavedoni-botte-piccola-balsamic-vinegar-37?ref=w_cnt_wp_0_1
@FritzCat @kawichris650 @klezman
Here here I would be a Pessimist also if all I had on my plate was a pile of the nastiest green stuff on the planet…brussel sprouts!
@FritzCat @kawichris650 @klezman @ScottW58 Fry 'em up and crisp 'em up with a heavy bacon and brown sugar ratio, might be the gateway you need to start loving them!
Picked some more white and green stuff, and finally the last of the Harris Teeter bargain bin dry aged
Elevating Wellington from a Wednesday to Friday
2001 Wellington Syrah Reserve
absolutely pristine cork, 2mm penetration, with some Costco ribs and other leftovers. Welly did well.
@rjquillin You’re already done dinner? We haven’t even started making child dinner! (Although about to get on that…)
Then I get to pick tonight’s wine…something to go with pork chops most likely. Good ol’ Shabbos pork.
@klezman
I also become horizontal well before y’all up there.
But it was a bit earlier than the norm.
Desert also some leftovers
Some hot apple cream pie and leftover cranberry relish from T-day. The sweet from the pie and tart from the relish was actually amazingly complementary.
The cork
@rjquillin Ooo…molarchae would love that dessert combo.
@karenhynes You are a stockholder, right?
@rjquillin
LOL! I wish!
@karenhynes @rjquillin nice
All this Wellington talk inspired me: 2011 Wellington Zinfandel, Estate. With the Shabbos pork, probably the last box of chanterelles, and some green stuff.
And while the previous bottle was so-so, lacking any real fruit, this bottle was absolutely singing.
2003 Vincent Arroyo Petite Sirah Winemaker’s Reserve
2008 Chateau St. Jean Johannisberg Riesling Select Late Harvest Belle Terre Vineyard
Krabby Patty? no, no, no…crabby patty
@kaolis
Lol somebody has been watching too much SpongeBob! Nice bottle )
@rjquillin So? Passed its prime? Drinking well?
@jmdavidson1 Understanding I have no idea what this was like young, or in it’s “prime”, I think it’s drinking as I’d expect a gracefully aged BdX should. I find none of the characteristics of the two newest CT comments. The label states recorked in 2020. I’d not hesitate to serve this to anyone, excepting a ripple drinker.
@jmdavidson1 @rjquillin
Is ripple still a thing? I prefer the champipple.
@jmdavidson1 @rjquillin was curious about this myself. A few bottles of Fonbadet have crossed my lips but has been awhile and I don’t recall this vintage
Just pulled out at 2013 Consumerus and brought to a Holiday party. Still drinking great - got some positive comments from others. Also, brought a 2019 Inzinerator - I think it is one of the best years - much more balanced than this year’s.
I’m easily influenced by @kaolis creamy garlic chicken.
@ScottW58 Ha! Nice bottle! and another tasty looking chicken dish
NV Marc Hébrart Champagne Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut
Someone upstream had some local chops that looked delish so grabbed a few local myself. With Rollen’s Raw Grain Carolina Gold Rice and stuff…
@kaolis
That was me
Those look delicious!
@kawichris650 Thanks for the inspiration, I was too lazy, I mean busy, to look
@kaolis
Here’s the recipe I used in case you’re interested. The chops are great on their own, but that recipe is pretty simple and it takes the chops to the next level.
Side note: The aromatics are amazing!
https://goodeandlocal.com/blogs/mangalitsa/apple-butter-and-sage-mangalitsa-pork-chops
@kaolis @kawichris650 Yes they do!
2018 Mollydooker, The Boxer.
Wanted something with the multiple “Yum” factor.
This is tasty, and surprisingly very balanced considering the abv. It has aged well and I suspect it will continue to do so for many more years to come.
@kawichris650 Ok, yet another one I’ve not yet pulled a cork on; sigh…
@kawichris650 @rjquillin I’m halfway through my set, I think, and it’s been solid throughout. Mother Clone, I’ve assumed, ftw.
@karenhynes So sorry. Been there. Done that. Prayers for a speedy recovery.
@danandlisa @karenhynes
Ahhh, but there’s relief for cellar stock depletion, at least for a bit. Just lookin’ for a bright side.
Get well!
@karenhynes
Is this for some sort of new sangria recipe I haven’t heard of?
All joking aside, I truly hope you start feeling better soon.
@karenhynes
Feel better! I remember when Nyquil was 50 Proof.
@chipgreen @karenhynes Them were the days!
@kawichris650
That actually looks good! Hahaha!
Last glass of 2013 Wellington Mohrhardt Ridge Cabernet (purchased at a local wine shop in 2018) soft cork with surprisingly little sediment but no issues, minimal staining. Great bottle - over 3 nights, a fair amount of sediment at the end. Showing age, but still has life to my taste.
And popped a 2022 meh Cheer close to right off the truck. Easy drinking, big fruit, definitely a crowd pleaser. I give these out as gifts for the employees and they have been well received over the years.
Happy Wednesday!
A fried hot honey pork chop burger, regular burgers are so 2024
with a really nice Kiwi Pinot
@ScottW58 Trend setter! I like my patties and that def looks worth the bun
German with leftover leftover Chinese, day two on the YNOT. Forgot it was like $9 all in. Right off the truck, day one was good, it is on the leaner/tart side but sound, day two def lost a step or so.
Randomly picked a 2014 Substance Me (Merlot).
The cork fell apart and my glass is full of crumbs.
Definitely ready to drink. Delicious!
From the mystery champagne offer (Casemates, not UC).
@hscottk
That looks delicious!
Futures from a few years ago recently unearthed.
@msten How’s that doing? I have a half case of those/OMV. I figured I’d want to wait several years before popping one.
@klezman Very nice after 90 minutes. No need to be in a hurry.
@klezman @msten I think I have a 2015 somewhere. They age well.
@CorTot I remember picking up some of those; still drinking well I’d assume?
@rjquillin holding up well.
2013 Wind Gap Wines Pinot Noir Amaya Ridge Vineyard
Another find that wasn’t entered in CT; drinking quite well
@kaolis
So, duck? Lookin’ mighty fine with that old bottle
@rjquillin Duck it is, espresso based rub. And a little 19 year cheddar in the grits. Bottle was in great shape.
@kaolis
That sounds (and looks) delicious!
Check out the RWS offering today
@tercerowines
Already posted in Deals!
@rjquillin @tercerowines Was looking for RVS, someone came to the rescue. Hey, shouldn’t we just wait a few weeks for it to show up cheaper here…ha!
@kaolis @tercerowines
I wasn’t sure if that was intentional or not, but added the extra wiggle just in case; the two sure aren’t close on any normal keyboard.
@kaolis @rjquillin not sure that’s gonna happen . . .
2019 iron horse unoaked chard with grilled mahi mahi
Last night: 2016 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas
Tonight: 2017 Paul et Marie Jacqueson Rully 1er Cru Les Cloux
2021 Onesta Cinsault Bechthold Vineyard
Every time I see the Cheez-Its commercial where the chubby guy slides down the snow covered mountain, it reminds me of Fat Gus in the tub.
Happy Holidays, 'maties!
Morgan rib roast is ready and wines picked out, tradition of course calls for a baby Jesus
Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
@ScottW58
That looks like some delicious Roast Beast!
@ScottW58
That looks amazing! Merry Christmas eve to you and your family.
@ScottW58 Looks fantastic! I’ll take a piece on the rare side please
Merry Christmas
@ScottW58 looks great! Merry Xmas to you and your crew! I’ve got a rib roast in at 130 for 8 hours or so to see how it works out. Will sear at the end.
If you’re around the rest of the year let’s get together before the calendar flips to 2025!
Rib roast, green things and such.
NV Elise Dechannes Champagne Tradition
2013 Provenance Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Casual here, just the bride and I… Flannery lamb riblets…
@kaolis
Yum hope you had some side dishes
@kaolis @ScottW58 nice! How’d the lamb go with the Burg?
@klezman @ScottW58 Forgot how good those riblets are…great with the burg. How was that Provenance To Kalon?
@kaolis @ScottW58 It was good. Not developing as much as I’d have expected for a wine this age, but it went well with the beef and should have a long life ahead of it.
@CorTot
After this?
@CorTot @kaolis Wellington on Wellington Wednesday?
@kaolis would be excellent. I’m doing a tenderloin (sous vide and seared) as well but going to make a red wine orange sauce to go with it.
@CorTot Was that store bought (just cook) or did you roll your own from scratch? Never done one before, that I can recall, and using Kenji’s recipe, while not difficult, is powerfully time consuming.
@rjquillin that pic was not mine, @kaolis did the beef welly. We did a simple tenderloin roast sousvide and bbq.
@CorTot @rjquillin I didn’t do the beef, was just trying to make a Wellington Wellington holiday funny… guess it didn’t work!
@kaolis @PeterW
I was gonna ask how you did the texturing?
Looking back, and thinking, I actually started on Monday, not Tuesday, and thought yesterday was Thursday. Sigh. I’ve been taking some time off work and truly have had no idea what day of the week it is…
I wonder if Peter knows he has a day named after him; we did well yesterday; hopefully he would be proud, and thank you.
@kaolis @PeterW @rjquillin It’s a mixed-up week, maybe that’s why yesterday I kept thinking it was Friday. I was a day early for Wellington Wednesday – opened a '13 CS Handal-Denier vineyard on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday I opened a '23 Orr Chenin Blanc. Both wines greatly outshone our takeout cuisine (Uzbek on the 24th, and Taiwanese on Xmas)
@InFrom @kaolis
How’s that Orr Chenin doing?
I’ve got some '22s I’ve not yet gotten into.
I am sooo behind on consumption
@kaolis @rjquillin The Chenin is wonderful, get into it already! Stood up well at a range of temperatures, against the strong flavors of three-cup chicken, and noodles with beef and Chinese watercress.
2020 Chiron Cabernet Sauvignon Bolt of Cloth with beef tenderloin.
2012 Wellington Victory , with Christmas lasagna. In a very nice spot to my taste.
All this Wellington chatter…
to funny. Tuesday I pulled a 2.5# Flannery tenderloin roast out of the freezer with the intent on cooking it Wednesday, until I realized just how much I underestimated how long the prep for Wellington takes. Skip to today. The roast is about to go into the oven and the '05 Victory is breathing in anticipation.
It was worth the effort, and the Welly was spot on.
with some
2006 Wellington Old Vine Port Estate
to finish up
@rjquillin nicely done sir
@kaolis @rjquillin I second that…well done! I’ve been considering trying a Wellington myself one of these days.
@kaolis @klezman
Highly recommend the Kenji recipe I used.
@kaolis @rjquillin The man knows his cooking, that’s for sure…
2009 Wellington Victory with spaghetti & meatballs, outstanding.
I guess we’re joining Wellington Wednesday. 2007 Estate Port.
But we’ve got Buffalo wings, French cider, and beer before the Wellington.
Duck, again. Not my finest effort but hey…
@kaolis Nice! I’ve got some duck leg quarters that I’ll be cooking later in the week and probably opening up a nice Pinot to go with it.
I’ve recently found that I don’t like roasting whole duck. I want the breasts seared to medium rare and the rest roasted so that’s my m.o. now.
@klezman Funny you should say that. My wife and I decided yesterday this was maybe the last one… whole duck is a lot of work, little reward for those of us who like pink breasts. We’ll either roast/confit legs or do breasts rare/med rare. I will get some nice stock out of the carcass however.
@kaolis I still buy whole duck. I just butcher it myself and treat the different parts separately.
@klezman Well there is that but there is a learning curve to butchering. At least for me
@kaolis True – it took me two or three tries before I felt like I was decent at it. But it’s also not that hard to disassemble a bird. First cut off the wings. Then the leg quarters. Then remove the breasts from the bones. The major difference compared to a chicken is that the sternum on a duck is really flat.
Alright made the best waffles on the planet this morning imho. So chopped up some chicken thighs and fried
with some fine maple syrup and hot sauce. Sorry if you don’t like sweet heat you are missing the greatest thing in the world 
@ScottW58 as always, nicely done!
I’d just skip the honey on that and go with the hot sauce. Yum.
@klezman @ScottW58 That looks tasty as hell. Whiteford’s!
@kaolis @klezman yeah love Whiteford’s thanks for the rec!
Oh and the wine…
@ScottW58
while you eat and drink well, your recipe posting is total ghetto
@rjquillin
Lol I was born that way what’s your excuse
@davirom
Looks great but no clue what it is? I think I see chickpeas?
@ScottW58 You do indeed. It’s a spur of the moment Mediterranean mash-up - chickpeas and chicken sautéed in Turkish spices over wild rice pilaf, with lots of butter. Very tasty. Farmers’ market mixed veggies including 3 varieties of carrots. The wine was also pretty good. . .
Finishing up that '78 Ch. Fonbadet from a few weeks ago with some noodle pasta with 'shrooms, aspergras and shrimp SWMBO offered up.
@rjquillin
I still can’t believe they would recork a Fonbadet? But topped off with a current vintage?
2004 Sant’Elena Cabernet Sauvignon, Venezia Giulia
The end of the 2007 Wellington Port from last night.
Left over lamb leg and latkes.
I thought I was having duck legs and Pinot, but then I learned we’re having company and I don’t have enough duck! So I’ve got some meat sauce on the stove and will pick out a couple reds.
2014 Corison Cab from the Christmas 2017 offering on the old site - paired with prime (prime) rib, stuffed mushrooms, caesar salad, and garlic bread. This is the second bottle we’ve opened (first was in 2019 and next will be in 2029) and it has matured nicely.
@sosptuba
@ 10 years, that should be getting to a good place.
Looking back at my w.w/Corison purchases over the years, I only wish I’d have been a bit more greedy (or better financed); and that some would show up on CM
@rjquillin @sosptuba Seriously…if I hadn’t been in grad school when it was $30/bottle and seemed crazy expensive at the time I’d be rolling in cases of the stuff by now.
@klezman @rjquillin Same for me as well.
I checked some old emails and found the following deals:
5/25/10 - cab vertical 2 pack $59.99 + $5 shipping
10/21/10 - cab vertical 2 pack $59.99 + $7 shipping
11/30/10 - cab 2 pack $59.99 + $5 shipping
• I don’t have any further details on these as these emails came from the EWN - Emergency woot network alert system. Corison offering during a Wine off/Woot off - those were the days!
12/25/11 kronos and napa cab 2 pack $119.99 + $5 shipping
9/7/12 - There is a note about an engagement at Corison during a RPM tour: “What happens when “community engagement” turns literal? Wine.Wooters Hitanykey and Cheron98 first noticed each other on the Wine.Woot boards. Then they met in person at one of the famous Wine.Wooter-initiated gatherings. Word is that the others saw the spark before they did. Well, one thing led to another, and you guessed it… “HAK” popped the question during the now famous wooter RPM tour this summer at one of their (and our) favorite wineries, Corison. Congrats to Hitanykey and Cheron98! We love it when wine love leads to true love!”
10/5/12 - 2005 Red set (3) $149.99
12/25/12 – Corison Helios Duo - $76.99
10/30/13 – Phoenix Ranch Library Napa Syrah $69.99 – Note there isn’t a vintage year listed on the email but Cathy was involved in winemaking there until 2007? I think
Then we jump to the 12/25/17 offering of Napa Cab 2 pack $169.99.
Fun trip down memory lane.
I am a club member at Corison – next time Angela emails I’ll make another suggestion of a CM offering sooner than later. A mag offering would be cool – looking at the price list of what they have available kronos would definitely be a black tie offering.
@rjquillin @sosptuba Nice…although I’d been buying from woot since late 2008, my first two black tie buys (at $30/btl at the time) were TyTanium in Nov 2009 and then Corison in Feb 2010. I really should have loaded up later in 2010 when I had just started work but I didn’t know better and it seemed like way too much money.
But two years after HAK and cheron98 got engaged at Corison on the RPM Tour, molarchae and I did the same. That hadn’t been the plan, but she wandered off the night before at Iron Horse!
Hope Cathy sees fit to offer here again. With the coming wine glut maybe she’ll have excess. Who knows if she’d have survived the 2008-2012 recession without woot…
Tank Garage Winery Truth or Dare
@chipgreen Never heard of, interesting
@chipgreen @kaolis
I recalling seeing this offered. I thought here, but it turns out on a couple other flash sites.
@kaolis @rjquillin
Yeah, we had the Skin Flick orange wine offered here but I picked up the sparkler from Invino.
Wine quite tasty, bought a couple in a mixed case, going to grab a few more…Cubed up some Flannery tenderloin tail, fresh pasta (local joint, not mine) fresh rosemary/thyme/ton of garlic, butter/olive oil/pasta water
@kaolis
Not a lot of that around domestically; what vintage. '22?
@rjquillin '22 it is
@kaolis
Lots of green stuff on that plate but sounds and looks acceptable
@ScottW58 Eh, the green stuff just there to go with the cab franc in the blend…ha!
@kaolis lol
@jmdavidson1 Looks great! Way back in the day you could buy sequoia tree seedlings in their tasting room (maybe still can) suffice it to say we have no sequoias thriving from those purchases
@jmdavidson1 @kaolis
Yup looks fantastic, man I used to love those cabs! Need to try again it’s been a minute to put it mildly.
@kaolis @ScottW58 Every time I open a bottle that’s 10 years or older, +1 remarks that she gets it why we cellar for so long. This was singing.
Cooking a couple duck legs and going to open a 1991 Charles Noellat Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Peuillets
@klezman Not many of those around, but those that are seem to exhibit a SoCal concentration. How was it?
@rjquillin was from Envoyer…
Pretty good. Not transcendent.
So simple so delicious and for tradition will save some for New Year’s
@ScottW58 Looks hoppin’ good
While spending time with family on Christmas, I contacted Norovirus.
It… was… horrible.
Fortunately I’m feeling better now and I can eat normal food finally. Having Ossobuco with polenta for dinner tonight.
The mystery wine is an upcoming offer. All I can say is, it’s delicious (as is the meal).
@kawichris650
Nice!
@kawichris650
Nice presentation.
M - I - C . . . K - E - Y
Mouse!
@kawichris650 yuck. Norovirus is why molarchae won’t go on a cruise. Apparently it’s crazy contagious.
1994 Ravenswood Merlot, Sonoma County
Another great aged Ravenswood!
Left over prime rib.
Yesterday, 2017 Shiba Wichern Pinot Noir, Lewman. In a good place. With sushi (of course!).
Ok 'za wine… speaking of which I know they are different animals but the lazy winter old guy says cast iron is a lot less fuss than the Ooni!
@kaolis
Never tried the way of the iron.
Suggest anyplace to take lessons on how it’s done?
@kaolis @rjquillin Follow the way of Kenji…
@kaolis @rjquillin Although I will say, he goes way overboard on the yeast.
@InFrom @kaolis
How ‘destructive’ is this to the surface of a well seasoned skillet?
I have one that is decades old where I don’t want to disturb what has taken me years to achieve.
Is it recommended to use one that is not so cherished?
@InFrom @kaolis @rjquillin AFAIK there are only two ways to ruin a nicely seasoned cast iron. 1) cook an acidic sauce (e.g. tomato) in it for a long time. 2) disrespect it by using sharp utensils on it. I don’t see how making a pan pizza would do that. Just slide it out to cut!
Then again, if there’s enough oil on the bottom then you could use a pan with any level of seasoning and it won’t stick.
@InFrom @klezman @rjquillin I am somewhat anal with my cast iron, pizza away with no worries, but a non cherished pan if not crazy non cherished will work fine. There is a bit of oil involved either way
@InFrom @klezman @rjquillin We’ve been using this. Thinner crust and it’s ready to go right away. Not rocket science, even I can do it ha!! https://melaniemakes.com/perfect-pizza-crust/
But if you do let it sit or fridge it, it will def rise, trust me on that
As promised Costco dungeness crab salad on top of Latkes with creme fraiche and a beautiful PYCM.
@ScottW58 Wow, looks amazing. A reward for all that crab-pickin’.
Those are some crunchy-looking latkes!
@InFrom lots of picking is right
I like crunchy even if it gets out of hand sometimes.
@InFrom @ScottW58 Krabby Pattyies? No no… crabby patties! Nice bottle
@InFrom @kaolis @ScottW58 Yum…sacrilicious.
@InFrom @kaolis @klezman @ScottW58 Yes, we will having something similar tonight, latkes (for Hanukah) and shrimp (our traditional NYE meal). Oh, and the 2006 Cristal, from UC.
@davirom @InFrom @kaolis @ScottW58 Love it!
No idea what we’re doing yet…going to pop by a neighbour’s and it might be snacks or might be dinner. Should probably take a bottle with us, too. They don’t usually have anything all that good wine-wise.
@InFrom @kaolis @klezman @ScottW58
@davirom @InFrom @kaolis @ScottW58 Looks delish!
@davirom
So how was the Cristal?
@kawichris650 First, the disclaimers: We don’t usually drink champagne, mostly sparklers from IH and Argyle. This is the most expensive bottle of bubbly we’ve had by at least $100. That said, the color was a pale yellow/gold, perhaps showing some age? The nose was muted, maybe some citrus. Lots of elegant teeny tiny bubbles. The flavor was mellow, with no sharp edges. I tasted yeast, SWMBO didn’t get that but did get lemon and vanilla. Our daughter, who drinks wine only in sips, liked it. No fall off the second day, after storing in the fridge with a proper stopper.
After being sick for over two weeks and having to say goodbye to our dog, finally got out of the house for a bit as we pretty much skipped the holidays and my birthday this year. Lovely afternoon with friends.
@chefjess Looks like a good start to recovery. Cheers to 2025!
@chefjess Glad you’re feeling better! That’s not a bad way to celebrate…
@chefjess Glad you’re feeling better, just in time for NYE. Sorry to hear about the pup.
@karenhynes
@karenhynes
@karenhynes Malbec for the Cassoulet.
@InFrom @karenhynes
Another dish I need to make soon! Happy new year everyone!
@InFrom
Yuuuum!
veal…not fancy, distracted watching my Illini…last pic to prove not everything is rare…ha…Happy New Year
@kaolis We don’t even see veal often, let alone get it. Probably why I often order it at a restaurant when it’s an option.
Looks delish!
Happy New Year!