I am in Davis Estates, Seavey, and Schramsburg. We also get an allocation from Rudd and Kapscandy for now. We have a trip in a little over a month so I am sure we will sign up for a few more.

Not sure where everything will go.

GoBearsGo said:

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I am in Davis Estates, Seavey, and Schramsburg. We also get an allocation from Rudd and Kapscandy for now. We have a trip in a little over a month so I am sure we will sign up for a few more.

Not sure where everything will go.

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yeah, i'm about to have storage issues myself. I'm going to probably cut way back in 2022 on purchases because while I can drink some of my cellar, a good chunk is stuff I really want to hold for a bit to see how it evolves.

bularry said:

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GoBearsGo said:

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I am in Davis Estates, Seavey, and Schramsburg. We also get an allocation from Rudd and Kapscandy for now. We have a trip in a little over a month so I am sure we will sign up for a few more.

Not sure where everything will go.

---

yeah, i'm about to have storage issues myself. I'm going to probably cut way back in 2022 on purchases because while I can drink some of my cellar, a good chunk is stuff I really want to hold for a bit to see how it evolves.

---

Same boat. I only have a 56 bottle cooler. Wife doesn't know but we are going to need to expand that. I just have a tough time drinking some of the 16 & 18 I have now because I know it will get better. I also have a tough time opening an older bottle for a weeknight or hosting friends who like Moscato.

I am starting to force myself to just drink it.

GoBearsGo said:

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bularry said:

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GoBearsGo said:

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I am in Davis Estates, Seavey, and Schramsburg. We also get an allocation from Rudd and Kapscandy for now. We have a trip in a little over a month so I am sure we will sign up for a few more.

Not sure where everything will go.

---

yeah, i'm about to have storage issues myself. I'm going to probably cut way back in 2022 on purchases because while I can drink some of my cellar, a good chunk is stuff I really want to hold for a bit to see how it evolves.

---

Same boat. I only have a 56 bottle cooler. Wife doesn't know but we are going to need to expand that. I just have a tough time drinking some of the 16 & 18 I have now because I know it will get better. I also have a tough time opening an older bottle for a weeknight or hosting friends who like Moscato.

I am starting to force myself to just drink it.

---

I have 2 bottles of 2010 Caymus, had 4. But i was in the same boat as you and just had to open em up. Hard to do it on people who usually drink YellowTail. I drank the 2 by myself and they were great.

GoBearsGo said:

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bularry said:

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GoBearsGo said:

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I am in Davis Estates, Seavey, and Schramsburg. We also get an allocation from Rudd and Kapscandy for now. We have a trip in a little over a month so I am sure we will sign up for a few more.

Not sure where everything will go.

---

yeah, i'm about to have storage issues myself. I'm going to probably cut way back in 2022 on purchases because while I can drink some of my cellar, a good chunk is stuff I really want to hold for a bit to see how it evolves.

---

Same boat. I only have a 56 bottle cooler. Wife doesn't know but we are going to need to expand that. I just have a tough time drinking some of the 16 & 18 I have now because I know it will get better. I also have a tough time opening an older bottle for a weeknight or hosting friends who like Moscato.

I am starting to force myself to just drink it.

---

you need a 250 bottle cooler before you start stressing about space!!



I'm looking at my lists and going to drop most from '22 purchases just to reassess space. I joined a group where I can get access to more European wines of note and more older vintages from new world and old world, so probably buy more from that channel. Nice thing about buying older items is you can usually drink pretty soon without worrying about it being too early.

Curious as to the group....

We used to do stuff with the Texas Wine School and would get access to a ton of old world stuff with a few years on it.

CTCBear said:

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Curious as to the group....

We used to do stuff with the Texas Wine School and would get access to a ton of old world stuff with a few years on it.

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that's it... i joined AOC recently

After this next trip to Napa, I think I am going to slow down the automatic clubs, etc.

I'd like to be able to drink more from around the world. Right now we get 3-4 cases a year and it's all Napa. So now my 56 bottle fridge is full, I get more in a few weeks plus I'll buy more in Napa soon. All the bottle are $60-$350, which is not my usual drink on a Tuesday drink. I fell like since I have so much in stock and coming I need to drink it. I also don't get to buy other things since I don't have a ton of room.

I'd love ideas on how you collect, drink, store.

Lots of clubs? Buy more from a few allocations? Offsite storage.

I'm in Beaumont so the closest for that stuff is in Houston.

I thought about AOC and all they have to offer.

I'm a member of one club, William Harrison from Rutherford. Small production family owned winery, receive 2 shipments a year. That's all I need because I like the freedom to try other stuff, including Old World wines.
I'm sitting on about 6 cases right now, fortunately I have 3 wine fridges.

I run into the same problem with sitting on good stuff too long waiting for the right crowd that will appreciate it. We should have a Sic'em wine tasting and everyone bring a bottle.

Marlin said:

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I'm a member of one club, William Harrison from Rutherford. Small production family owned winery, receive 2 shipments a year. That's all I need because I like the freedom to try other stuff, including Old World wines.
I'm sitting on about 6 cases right now, fortunately I have 3 wine fridges.

I run into the same problem with sitting on good stuff too long waiting for the right crowd that will appreciate it. We should have a Sic'em wine tasting and everyone bring a bottle.

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I am down for that.

GoBearsGo said:

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Marlin said:

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I'm a member of one club, William Harrison from Rutherford. Small production family owned winery, receive 2 shipments a year. That's all I need because I like the freedom to try other stuff, including Old World wines.
I'm sitting on about 6 cases right now, fortunately I have 3 wine fridges.

I run into the same problem with sitting on good stuff too long waiting for the right crowd that will appreciate it. We should have a Sic'em wine tasting and everyone bring a bottle.

---

I am down for that.

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one bottle? everyone bring a few...

bularry said:

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GoBearsGo said:

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Marlin said:

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I'm a member of one club, William Harrison from Rutherford. Small production family owned winery, receive 2 shipments a year. That's all I need because I like the freedom to try other stuff, including Old World wines.
I'm sitting on about 6 cases right now, fortunately I have 3 wine fridges.

I run into the same problem with sitting on good stuff too long waiting for the right crowd that will appreciate it. We should have a Sic'em wine tasting and everyone bring a bottle.

---

I am down for that.

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one bottle? everyone bring a few...

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I'm in

J.R. said:

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bularry said:

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GoBearsGo said:

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Marlin said:

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I'm a member of one club, William Harrison from Rutherford. Small production family owned winery, receive 2 shipments a year. That's all I need because I like the freedom to try other stuff, including Old World wines.
I'm sitting on about 6 cases right now, fortunately I have 3 wine fridges.

I run into the same problem with sitting on good stuff too long waiting for the right crowd that will appreciate it. We should have a Sic'em wine tasting and everyone bring a bottle.

---

I am down for that.

---

one bottle? everyone bring a few...

---

I'm in

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We doing this at someones house, at the last tailgate of the year or what?

GoBearsGo said:

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After this next trip to Napa, I think I am going to slow down the automatic clubs, etc.

I'd like to be able to drink more from around the world. Right now we get 3-4 cases a year and it's all Napa. So now my 56 bottle fridge is full, I get more in a few weeks plus I'll buy more in Napa soon. All the bottle are $60-$350, which is not my usual drink on a Tuesday drink. I fell like since I have so much in stock and coming I need to drink it. I also don't get to buy other things since I don't have a ton of room.

I'd love ideas on how you collect, drink, store.

Lots of clubs? Buy more from a few allocations? Offsite storage.

I'm in Beaumont so the closest for that stuff is in Houston.

I thought about AOC and all they have to offer.

---

I'll tell you how I do my own cellar and have for 30 yrs or so. For bottles to cellar, there are only a few wines that actually age. Roughly 5% of wine produced is built to age. They generally are....Bordeaux (rouge and blanc), Burgundy (rouge and blank), Riesling, Rioja, high end Rhone, Sauturnes and Port. I have bought Bordeaux futures for 30 yrs or so. Most of the good Bordeaux needs at least 15yrs of aging in a temp. controlled environment. Now that I'm older (55), I'm not sure how much more futures I'll be buying as I may not be around to drink them. We have started buying Bordeaux at auction (Hart Davis Hart) as we can find good vintages that are ready to drink..(2000, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2016). I, like most folks who get into wine, start with Napa/Somoma. I made some serious mistakes early on (90s) in my wine journey buying Napa Cabs as I woke up one day and alot of them "turned" and were not good.

I buy Burgundy upon release where ever I can find good QPR. Burgundy (Red) is really tricky as you can spend $100 and get a dud. I have lots of duds in my cellar. Nothing better than a great red burg, but they are hard to find and are expensive. I do buy alot of white burg (Chardonnay) upon release and drink or hold for 10 years or so. They are a lot more consistent than the reds. Vintages in Bordeaux and Burgundy really, really, matter.

As I mentioned earlier, I don't drink a lot of domestic wines (there are lots of good stuff). with the exception of Pinot and Chardonnay from Oregon. I prefer the nuance of cooler climate wine. Not a big fan of the "beat you over the head" , high alcohol wines. I'm not a big fan of wine clubs as I feel that I'm "locked in" regardless of vintage or relative quality. Generally, I can find something less expensive and better. I recently moved to a high rise and don't have a whole lot of storage , so I had to go offsite for storage. Had a large cellar at the house. Kind of a pain in the ass to go off site to get wine. Everything off site is ageable or aged.

As far as daily drinkers, I get a lot of wine at Costco as they are the largest wine seller in the world and they have access to really good stuff for great prices. I actually get some stuff from Last Bottle as someone mentioned early. If one knows what they are doing , they have some interesting stuff. Lots of crap too. My daily go to's are a little off beat. White- Chablis, Sancerre, Vermintino, Pinot Gris, Soave, Rhone White, Rose. Reds...Willamette Valley Pinot, Cote du Rhone, Nebbiolo, Rioja, Chianti Classico. I just buy this stuff as I need it. Probably don't spend more than $20 on daily drinkers. Lots of good stuff about there for under $20. Lastly, one think I have learned is we all hold on to "the good stuff" for the right time or people. I've learned that you have to plow through it once mature or it goes over the hill and that stinks. Drink up the good stuff....It won't last forever. Just share it with someone who appreciates it. Hope this helps

my "daily drinkers" usually range from $18-35 and mostly CA from some offbeat stuff. Also get some great whites from Italy and less well known areas of France.

I thought I'd put this out there...

I'm currently serving as a rookie on the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Wine Sales Committee. If anyone is interested in tax benefits to close out 2021, supporting scholarships for Texas youth, and getting wine in return... we're selling Double-Barrel Sampler Cases and tickets to the Roundup & Best Bites Competition and Champion Wine Auction & Dinner.

If anyone wants more info, send me a DM and I'll give you additional details.

We are day 2 of tasting in Napa valley. Some great wines so far. Only thing is we should have built
In more down time. I planned a very aggressive schedule and won't make that same mistake.

I'll give a rundown of our trip I had posted earlier-

Stayed at the Vintage House in Yountville. Across from Bouchon Bistro and Bakery. Great property and location. Not sure I'll ever stay somewhere else.

Day 1-
Seavey-I'm a member there. Will be my only club soon. It was Phillipe Melka's first Napa job. He's still involved. They have a great library. Nice to try and get some wines with age.

Eisele Vineyard-Wow. Blown away. They were bought in 2013 by Artemis, which owns Chateau Latour as well as some other superb French wineries. The wine was special. The property was unreal. I'll be on their allocation list as long as I'm drinking wine.

Schramsberg- sparkling wine. Enjoyed it. Get wine from there.

Day2-Long Day

Blankiet Estate-Great view. Wine was very very good. Had a great port style wine.

Goosecross-Good wine.

Rudd-very very nice. Some really high end neighbors. Screaming Eagle etc.

Paradigm-relaxed and pleasant. Good but probably second least favorite of the trip.

Day 3-

Kapscandy-My #1A. We came in April and returned with our friends who are wine buyers. Lots of accolades etc. Juts a wonderful place, I think about 1500 cases a year, all red. 2020 will be maybe 400.

David Arthur-great view. wine is ok. host is funny. least favorite wine of the trip.

Gondona Vinyards-view is awesome. Wine is pretty good.

Next time we visit I'll do 2 a day max. By the end of the trip I was done.

I have cancelled all but Seavey. Everything else will be allocation or from various stores. No more 12 bottles a year and 2 are Chardonnay that I don't enjoy.

your first step is to learn to enjoy chardonnay.... it is really a magnificent grape variety for wine...

AStaton said:

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I thought I'd put this out there...

I'm currently serving as a rookie on the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Wine Sales Committee. If anyone is interested in tax benefits to close out 2021, supporting scholarships for Texas youth, and getting wine in return... we're selling Double-Barrel Sampler Cases and tickets to the Roundup & Best Bites Competition and Champion Wine Auction & Dinner.

If anyone wants more info, send me a DM and I'll give you additional details.

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that sounds like fun, but I'm out of wine $$ this year

bularry said:

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your first step is to learn to enjoy chardonnay.... it is really a magnificent grape variety for wine...

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I like it from most of the world but the buttery and oaky Napa style.

GoBearsGo said:

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bularry said:

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your first step is to learn to enjoy chardonnay.... it is really a magnificent grape variety for wine...

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I like it from most of the world but the buttery and oaky Napa style.

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.

Oh so true

bularry said:

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GoBearsGo said:

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bularry said:

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your first step is to learn to enjoy chardonnay.... it is really a magnificent grape variety for wine...

---

I like it from most of the world but the buttery and oaky Napa style.

---

.

Oh so true

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Agreed. White Burgundy can be one of the best wines on the planet. Buttery/Woody Chard. from Napa or Australia can be one of the worst wines on the planet. There are some really good no or lightly oaked Chards from Oregon (Willamette Valley)

My wife definitely feels this way. Loves chardonnay without the butter.

J.R. said:

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bularry said:

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GoBearsGo said:

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bularry said:

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your first step is to learn to enjoy chardonnay.... it is really a magnificent grape variety for wine...

---

I like it from most of the world but the buttery and oaky Napa style.

---

.

Oh so true

---

Agreed. White Burgundy can be one of the best wines on the planet. Buttery/Woody Chard. from Napa or Australia can be one of the worst wines on the planet. There are some really good no or lightly oaked Chards from Oregon (Willamette Valley)

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there are lots and lots of good chardonnay from CA. I don't mind a little bit of oak, just not real strong American Oak. definitely don't need 100% oak on domestic wines. I like a bit of 1 yr and neutral oak. chard done in steel or concrete has such a one note feel to me...

We drink a lot of chardonnay from SB County and some Sonoma Coast...Sonoma Coast is a huge AVA that actually encompasses a large area that isn't very coastal (big wine companies getting their vineyards included) so you have to know the producer.

I definitely also encourage anyone to check out Santa Cruz mountain AVA chard and cab.... good stuff in that area.

WILLIS said:

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My wife definitely feels this way. Loves chardonnay without the butter.

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the butter is usually more from malo fermentation and not oak....

bularry said:

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WILLIS said:

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My wife definitely feels this way. Loves chardonnay without the butter.

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the butter is usually more from malo fermentation and not oak....

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yes, some places in CA even double Malo. I just don't prefer that style. I prefer my chard and pinot grown in "coo climates"

J.R. said:

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bularry said:

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WILLIS said:

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My wife definitely feels this way. Loves chardonnay without the butter.

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the butter is usually more from malo fermentation and not oak....

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yes, some places in CA even double Malo. I just don't prefer that style. I prefer my chard and pinot grown in "coo climates"

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Ever been to Lompoc? Definitely colder there than Williamette Valley

J.R. said:

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bularry said:

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WILLIS said:

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My wife definitely feels this way. Loves chardonnay without the butter.

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the butter is usually more from malo fermentation and not oak....

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yes, some places in CA even double Malo. I just don't prefer that style. I prefer my chard and pinot grown in "coo climates"

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And it can be heavily influenced by the yeast used in the fermentation.

bularry said:

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J.R. said:

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bularry said:

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GoBearsGo said:

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bularry said:

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your first step is to learn to enjoy chardonnay.... it is really a magnificent grape variety for wine...

---

I like it from most of the world but the buttery and oaky Napa style.

---

.

Oh so true

---

Agreed. White Burgundy can be one of the best wines on the planet. Buttery/Woody Chard. from Napa or Australia can be one of the worst wines on the planet. There are some really good no or lightly oaked Chards from Oregon (Willamette Valley)

---

I definitely also encourage anyone to check out Santa Cruz mountain AVA chard and cab.... good stuff in that area.

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I second this, visited Santa Cruz several years ago and hit a few wineries. Less crowded than Napa and some really nice wines. They make some fantastic Pinot Noir's too.

Like others, not a fan of the CA Chards. There are a few unoaked that are decent but prefer a good Pinot Gris if I'm going New World whites. I do enjoy white Burgundy and Chablis on occasion. Sancerre is one I also enjoy occasionally. I just prefer to put my money in reds.

Any keep a wine fridge in the garage? We are running out of room and I'm thinking I keep a freezer in the garage with no issues, why not a wine fridge.

GoBearsGo said:

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Any keep a wine fridge in the garage? We are running out of room and I'm thinking I keep a freezer in the garage with no issues, why not a wine fridge.

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Yes my big wine fridge is in the garage, no issues so far and I live in Houston.
Now I will say I didn't purchase this fridge it was used and given to me. But still, no issues.

GoBearsGo said:

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Any keep a wine fridge in the garage? We are running out of room and I'm thinking I keep a freezer in the garage with no issues, why not a wine fridge.

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In Houston also. I keep a large wine fridge in our detached garage storage room. I was concerned about heat and humidity so I cut out and installed a cheap and small $150 window unit to keep the temps below 80. Probably equally important it keeps the humidity way down in our swamp environment. And as a bonus it's way more pleasant of a space to be in and work in year around. Definitely notice the wine fridge and old garage fridge/freezer not having to work near as hard since adding that in. I need to get the air compressor out and blow the dust/dirt away from the coils. Been about a year.

WILLIS said:

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GoBearsGo said:

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Any keep a wine fridge in the garage? We are running out of room and I'm thinking I keep a freezer in the garage with no issues, why not a wine fridge.

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In Houston also. I keep a large wine fridge in our detached garage storage room. I was concerned about heat and humidity so I cut out and installed a cheap and small $150 window unit to keep the temps below 80. Probably equally important it keeps the humidity way down in our swamp environment. And as a bonus it's way more pleasant of a space to be in and work in year around. Definitely notice the wine fridge and old garage fridge/freezer not having to work near as hard since adding that in. I need to get the air compressor out and blow the dust/dirt away from the coils. Been about a year.

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humidity not a problem for wine bottles... temp can be, obviously