Hello to everyone!

What a great board and a wonderful sight overall. I have been starting to ramp up my desire to learn and appreciate the multiple facets of wine and wine making. The biggest concern I have is obviously the value of wines and where and what types that I can buy without feeling .

I have a chance to purchase several wines from a peer. I have been doing some research on the net but a lack of information sums up the incredible magnitude of wineries, varieties and such. These are a few of the wines my friend has suggested. If anyone can help me with some info on these wines (prices/reviews) I would appreciate it:

1997 Sparrow Lane Zin- very limited info.

1998 Ken Wright Pinot Noir- seems to be a winner as the region boasts that '98 was a solid year for the pinot and the region.

1994 Ste Chateau Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon (CC)- no info at all based on extensive Goggle web and dir searches but later vintages have yielded some mixed reviews.

1992- Arrow Wood Cabernet Sauvignon- Again, very limited info but I am going to keep looking.

C.J. -- There are a lot of folks on this board who know alot more about these than me. Every one of the wines you've posted come from labels with multiple vinyard designations. For example, is it the Sparrow Lane Beatty Ranch or the Howell Mountain.

I don't have any recent experience with any of these, but here's what I think generally:

Ch. St. Michelle - 1994 -- this one is most likely over the hill. My experience has shown me that the 1994 California wines are aging pretty nicely, but with the exception of the big boys, the Washington state wines aren't holding up.

Sparrow Lane -- again, it depends on which bottling you have, but I'd guess that the 1997 is pretty much as good as its going to get from an aging standpoint. I'd be really interested to hear your perceptions of this after you drink it -- I encourage you to post a tasting note.

Arrowood -- while it depends quite a bit on what you have, I'd say this is the gem of what you have purchased. Drink the other ones first, because this one most likely will last another year or two at least.

Ken Wright Pinot Noirs -- These are, I suspect, good wines, too, but I don't know nothing about no Pinot Noir. its my least favorite grape, and I never drink the stuff. I'm sure some of the other guys can help you with this one.

Semper ubi sub ubi!

Calcinor;
Welcome to the boards.

If the CSM is the Cold Creek Vineyard bottling, you might want to give it a try if the price is reasonable. The Cabs and Merlot from this vineyard consistently received high-80s/low-90s from '94-96. '97 and '99 were a bit off, but '98 was a very good year in that neck o' the woods.

Steiman (WS) gave WA reds from '94 a 'drink or hold' rating just a couple years back, and my last bottle of '94 Apex Cab consumed in June was still quite delicious; huge, and in need of an hour of decanting.

I remember having several '94 and '95 CSM Cold Creek Cabs and Merlot from around '99-'01 and they were on their way up. As with any purchase from a private collection, I'd be more concerned w/provenance. BTW, this wine retailed for around $28 in these parts.

Chances are the '97 Sparrow Lane Zin has 'morphed' into a softer creature than when originally released, though you may get a surprise. I had several '92 Ridge York Creek back in '02 that were very tasty (and zin-like), showing little signs of aging. FWIW, Laube (WS) gave the '96 86 pts., which was also a very good year for zinfandel.

"This wine should be eaten, it is too good to be drunk."
Jonathan Swift

Robert Parker's vintage chart rates the 1994 Washington Cabs as "90" and "ready to drink."

Semper ubi sub ubi!

gzn;
Not to highjack Calcinor's thread, but I spend about 5-10 days in Atlanta per month at our home office, and have had several off-liners w/other Atlanta BB members. To boot, I'm a bit of a zin and golf nut myself!

Any chance you'd want to pop a cork or two w/like-minded wino's in the future?

"This wine should be eaten, it is too good to be drunk."
Jonathan Swift

Welcome to the WS Forums!

Shoot me an e-mail, and we'll discuss particulars...

jaycain@mindspring.com

Semper ubi sub ubi!

Welcome.
I've recently had the 94 CSM and it is still very drinkable but I would say do it quickly. I sampled it at the winery in November and bought two bottles for the holidays. They were very good, but then coming directly from the winery, had been stored well.
Sorry, don't remember what I paid for it...

por vino

I have been reading with glee!

This is helping me set my mind and pallet at ease. I will gather more information on the specific regions and the vineyards for these respective wines.

I had a feeling after reading a bit that the CSM was probably worthy of opening very soon. I do know that the Arrow Wood Cab is from the Sonoma region. This friend of mine has kept all his wines in proper storage. He is moving from Illinois to California and is looking to unload as much as possible. I was quite impressed.

Also, I was able to take my lovely girlfriend into the Napa region as part of a trip to Northern California in late October of last year. The region was going thru some incredible high temps and we had 2 days to be adventurous. We did sample and tour some of the wineries but as you can tell, a novice couple was just in hog heaven just taking it all in as it came along. We stopped at the Niebaum-Coppola, Beringer, Sterling and Rutherford properties. Greystone was another stop for a wonderful meal out on the terrace. I have extensive food service knowledge but I was never really thrust into the wines until I left the kitchen and joined the magnitudes on the other side of the table- so to speak.

I just love wines and have been introduced to a lot of great tastes but this is a vocation now and information seems to be the key. Thanks again to all and I will come back very soon! All my best on a wonderful weekend!

CJ-

Welcome to the forums- I think you will find it invaluable in your wine journey

Cluricaunwines:

Thank you very much! This message board is just incredible. The search feature is chock full of information...

-CJ

CJ-

You should definitely look up the Chicago Mafia- a search on this site will track them down-

They appear to be quite the force

...oh no, here they go again...

Chicago Wine Mafia




"This wine should be eaten, it is too good to be drunk."
Jonathan Swift

What happened to the tradition of hazing the new guy? Are we getting soft?

CJ-

Welcome!

The only wine I have experience with is the Ken Wright. Ken Wright makes wines from various different vinyards. The only '98 I had was from Shea Vinyard and it was very good. I imagine it would be in prime drinking right now. I had, I believe, the entire portfolio of KW '99 Pinots and I can say, with confidence, that all of his vinyards have, at least, the potential to be very strong. KW's should cost in the low (sometimes mid) $40s range.

Cheers!
a

"What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?" -- W.C. Fields

An update here had my lovely G/F and I popping the CSM Cold Creek Cab this past Friday. We ventured into a BYOB Indian restaurant and I must say that it was absolutely wonderful. It blended well with the spices. We started with a nice Aaloo Tikki and cruised into a Bhindi Masala (okra w tomato, onions and spices). Maria had a beautiful Chicken Vindaloo and I had a Seekh Kabob (lamb kabob) which came to the table on a sizzling platter with lemon and onions. We also had a yogurt and chick pea dipping sauce and then we split a garlic Naan. The Cab was more than willing to blend in with these flavors. It really opened up after the first half hour but all in all it was most pleasing. One down three to go!

Welcome Calcinor!

Be sure to check out the "Off Line Events" often. We Chicagoans get together reasonably often. Yeah, somebody thought to call us the Chicago Wine Mafia but don't let that scare you away.

As you'll notice, Sam's in Chicago is having a big French wine tasting tonight, but looks like not many of our group are showing up. If you're interested check out sams wine soon, it's tonight!

Nancy

Nancy,

WoW!

Thanks for the invite. That is very cool. Sam's is a nice place for us Mafia types to hang and get the best deals (a deal that you cannot refuse)- he he he...

This is a great area as there is a very nice Whole Foods Market 2 blocks south.

Unfortunately, the weather will put a damper on things as you know by now that we are gaining on the 4 inches+ that they have predicted.

Please let me know about more tastings in the future. My brother and sister live in the area as well and would probably love to come in and help sample.

Regards,

CJ

CJ,

Don't know exactly where you are, but there's a little nice store in Palatine that's having wine tastings every two weeks on Saturdays from 1pm-5pm. This Saturday the 31st is California wines. Feb 14th is Stickies and Sparklers. They haven't updated their web site in a while though.

Binny's, Sam's and DiCarlo's announce wine tastings on their web sites:

Binny's

Sam's Wine - look for "Coming Events" on the left after you click OK on the first page

Click on Tastings and Events on the next page after you check the box and click Enter

The Wine Cellar in Palatine, Click Coming Events, call them if it's not updated

I know Mainstreet and Sav-Way have tastings too, I just have never been to one of them.

If you live in the city you should ask all the stores you can find when they do tastings, I'm sure there's a lot. I mostly focus on the suburbs since I live out there.

As for meeting the other Chicago area forumites, please check the Off-Line Events part of this forum. No plans yet, but something is bound to come up.

I kinda hope some people stay away from Sam's tonight due to the snow, I could ask more questions that way! Also, taking cabs and trains, only have 1.5 miles to drive myself in all...

Nancy

Nancy,

Thanks for the links. They will come in handy. Yes, that was a bad winter night. It was very cold and the snow was blowing and drifting. That is why we love January so much. Just tough to see it all end!

I live in the western suburbs. DiCarlo's is about 10 minutes away so that is perfect for all the tastings. I will keep my eye open on these opportunities.

Winter + no shows = ample tastings.

I love that formula!

-CJ

Had the Sparrow Lane Zin this past Saturday night prior to a trip to Spiaggia Cafe and it was just wonderful. It was very well rounded with a wonderful finish. We actually shared this with my sister and her boyfriend and all 4 of us were just completely happy. 2 down 2 to go...

Tasting notes, CJ, tasting notes ----------

Semper ubi sub ubi!

stop now and take up drinking beer instead. You will be able to retire 10 years sooner.

quote:

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Originally posted by TERPS:
stop now and take up drinking beer instead. You will be able to retire 10 years sooner.

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Don't understand the nature of this statement. Can u please expound on what you are trying to say here.

Thanks,

-CJ