How to Assess the Age Ability of Red Wine

Gary: Hello everybody, welcome to Wine Library TV. I’m your host Gary Vaynerchuk and this, my friends, is the Thunder Show a.k.a. the internet. The most passionate wine program and today we have a guest. We have an interesting guest today. Roger emailed me a while ago now. It’s been a while. Roger: Yes, like October when I asked you actually about going to my first Jets game even though my Giants fan. Gary: Mott, this is a sabotage—end the episode. Seriously, get out of here—relationship guy huh? Roger: Yeah. Gary: Why don’t you tell the Vayniacs out there what you do. I thought this was interesting. I need time. I’ve been dying to do you know like great wines for couples. So this is a very unique Wine Library TV. I’m going to take still probably under five shows where we’re doing wines that I’ve had before and kind of like—so today I get to do a little recommendation action on wines that I think are spectacular and for a reason I’ll get into that, tying into what Roger does. Tell the Vayner nation what you do? Roger: Well first of all, thanks for inviting me you know I just love— Gary: The Jersey. Roger: Yes, better with the Jersey. Gary: Jersey boys, I like Jersey boys. Roger: Now actually, I’m a councilor. I work as over at a nonprofit organization over in West Orange. Support your local nonprofit’s people, but outside of that like, much of what I do is really just surfaces of works around just working with families. Trying to find out what exactly it is that’s going on. If there’s an issue inside of them rather than just people taking the approach you know, “Hey fix my kid,” which happens a lot unfortunately. I kind of work with the parents as a whole so if you have a child that maybe is a little bit, I like to call it PITA “Pain in the,” you know, it's a family show. But outside of that like when you work with families and you start to talk about what made them the way that they are. You start to kind of see you know, “Hey, crazy doesn’t necessarily grow up on it's own, it's just made almost.” So I just try to identify what the core issues are and just give them a couple of skill like look at them more like an emotional personal trainer. Gary: I like that. I just you know, obviously you know, I’m tied into family and how much I care about that and so what I think is pretty needed is that we’ve got to tie in, you know, I think a lot of times parents need to spend time together to themselves. Roger: Absolutely. Gary: I know that’s the core of what you believe and like you know maybe like a date night play. Roger: Yeah, one of the big things and that’s actually—that’s one of the reasons that you know it kind of get Gary his prop because in spite of being busy a thousand hours a week, he’s always shouting out on his family, please I’m not brown nosing people so I don’t you know the Vayniacs are kind of blame me. But no—but seriously though, I mean a lot of people wants to have kids, wants to get a house, they start to work 80,000 hours a week, they forget that they’re actually a couple and so what you end up having is that you have a family. They might go into family vacations. They do this. They do that but they forget about date night. They forget you know hey you still actually have to court this person after you’ve already gotten the wedding ring on. Gary: Mott, are you recording the better half? Mott: No, all the time. Gary: Give me an example. Mott: I’ll show some car washing that— Gary: Washing? Awesome. So yeah, and so that’s where the tie-in came in, I mean Roger, he had a lot of passion on what he does and I will respect that. And that’s why I wrote “Crush it.” But what I’m excited about is these two wines represent two wines that I highly recommend bringing on your date night with your husband or wife. This is not the new couples. This wine is not for new couples. This is stuffed for the folks that got the ring on. Roger: Absolutely. Gary: So tell the Vayniacs out there, where is your wine palate at these days? Amateur, below amateur, more than I know or Mott? Roger: Alright, up until about a year ago, I thought I didn’t like wine. My only exposure to wine was probably the cheap stuff that my uncle used to bring over during the holidays. Gary: Like the big jugs? Roger: Yeah, like you know the big stuff that you get— Gary: Carlo Rossi? Roger: Oh, absolutely with those things. Gary: It got so big. Roger: No, actually, that’s too many twinkies but it's another one of my issue. Gary: That’s another story. Roger: That’s another story but right now, I’m probably somewhere like I love my red wines and see it's a white, but I love my red wines and actually I first discovered that I actually like wine last year with my girlfriend Lisa. Baby I love you. I had to had to get that shot of— Gary: She would kick your face. Roger: Yes. Gary: Go ahead. Roger: Yeah but you know and actually—“I’m like Holy crap, I actually like this stuff,” up until then, I was a beer guy. You know I love to craft beers. I love the bitter stuff. I love the things that make you face go— Gary: Well that bitter stuff is why you probably like wine. I mean that’s almost like tannins structured in red wines? Roger: Yes. Gary: And so you still kind of soft at white wines, right? Roger: I like— Gary: Which is fine. Roger: No, absolutely! She likes it you know my girl like it. She like you know, one of your guys downstairs recommended a wine last week and it really went over really well with that. Gary: God. Roger: But outside of that like, you know, I like more the full body stuff. The kind of stuff that makes you go— Gary: Sure. Let’s get into these wines and I’ll tell you why I picked them and where I want with it. so the first wine, the Auratus 2008 Marlboro Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc $14.00. So far from you know really strong to push a little bit. I would say expensive because you can’t sell many in New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs at $112.00. Have you had New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc? Roger: Yes, I have. Gary: I love it. We’re expanding palates, one man at a time. But there is not like this wine is for a couple is because this wine is really, really great for conversations starters. It's a great appetite-wine even if you don’t want to go out. If you want to make you date night because you’ve got three twins, you know three pairs of twins, that would be tough. Yeah, three twins, meaning you know six kids. Roger: Okay. Gary: And you can’t go out and maybe your living in a place where you family is not around, this is great porch wine. This is the kind of wine, close the porch for a second. Keep your eye on them whatever but maybe you’ll sleep at just for a second because this is by itself for a food. A tremendous wine and I’ve been pretty critical about New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc but I had this recently. It blew my face off. Let’s see if it does it again. This is a very interesting thing. When I was thinking about this putting this together, I was thinking about a wine I had the other night that it was like Gigondas that I had that I loved. Roger: Yeah. Gary: Six or seven weeks ago and I had it two nights ago at home and hated it. I didn’t hate it. It was super disappointing. So I was wondering will that happen again on the show? Roger: Does that normally happen to you? Gary: It can happen. You know sometimes it's mindset. You know if you’ve got a wine that you love and then you hate it or dislike yu know it could be the mindset. It could be—there are so many different things could happen. It could be an off bottle. It could be a lot of different things. So, let’s give it a sniffy sniff and tell me what you get? Roger: I get like peach apricots snapple. Now, I’m not going to like—no don’t get me wrong. I’m like I said I’m kind of new to the wine thing so I’m not going to smell that like yeah, this smells like central park pigeon feed. Gary: Okay. Roger: But you know this is—that smell like apricoty kind f like you know— Gary: Smell it again because I think it smells extreme and I’ll swirl it because if you swirl it, you’ll get a lot more air in there. Roger: Yeah. Gary: I get—it's alright. There you go. I think it's extremely grassy, like green grass and peppery. Roger: I’m not smelling the grass. Gary: No, huh? I’m getting a lot of green grass. I’m getting a little bit of kiwi. I am getting the peachiness a little bit but a lot of like green peppers and grassiness. It s just—it smells green to me. Roger: Yeah. Gary: Let’s give it a whirl. What do you think? Roger: I like it. Gary: It's got a lot of acid. Roger: Yeah, I noticed that it's a little hot on the back. It's— Gary: It is a little hot in the back which is good things sometimes. Roger: I don’t know it's—I mean I don’t really taste like the peachiness or apricotiness that I was talking about before but you know it's like a really nice, light— Gary: Do you taste the green melon flavor? Roger: I can’t say it. I’ve never had a green melon so. Gary: Ever had a cantaloupe? Roger: I’m probably the one Hispanic guy that’s not big on tropical fruits. Gary: You hate them? Roger: I don’t so much hate them. I prefer them in Jolly Rancher form. Gary: Oh, as do I. Roger: You know so— Gary: That’s as everybody. So you’re down on that but you consider this a light white wine, right. Roger: Yeah, I guess its light. It's something I like and I don’t think my lady would like it because it's a little hot on the backend but either ways— Gary: Yeah, don’t forget this is at room temperature so you can get a little more heat than if it was cold. Roger: Yeah. Gary: You wouldn’t feel as much but for me what I love about this is the razorblades. The acid that I taste in the beginning of my—it's almost like Edward Scissorhands, snucked in my mouth and went to town on my tongue. I like that. I want that acid. I like the cantaloupe, meaning golden apple flavor and I’m still tasting it. Are you still kind of lingering and tasting it out or no? Roger: Just a little bit but now it's kind of like calm downs, it’s no more hotty, they’re kind of like all peace—peaceful Gary: Yeah, there’s peace in the valley of the mouth, yet its subtle kind of on your reference, green like apple Jolly Rancher flavor in my mouth that just—it's green fruit apples, cantaloupe, water melon peel flavors on the backend but it's quite long. I mean it's got a lot of acidity, a great wine. I mean just a spectacular wine if you’re like a lobster salad kind of person, if you’re a crab eater this is a huge play with crab by itself or crab cakes. The acid will rip through most seafoods and really work extremely what clearly I’m doing a good job and made them want to try again. It would ripped through most fish and just do an amazing job pairing together. I’m very impressed with the structure this wine. It's got Leroy Valley structure, meaning there’s no hole in the mid palate. It's complete. It's got more “umphf” if you think this is like—you should taste the 90% of the Sauvignon Blanc’s on the shelf. They get real light. This has some minerality on the backend. It's showing some “umphf.” I scored at 90 points on my notes when I looked it up and again this falls into that 90-point category, $14.00 which I think it's really cool. Roger: It sounds good. Gary: Let’s give it one more shot. Roger: Absolutely. You don’t have to ask. Gary: I like it. Mott, try it real quick. Let’s see what the master says. Mott: Oh, it has a smelled like a melon. Gary: You got the melon? Do you get the greenness to it a little bit? It's so green on those for me. Mott: It's good. Gary: What do you think Mott? Mott: It’s good. Gary: Yeah, you like it? Mott: Yeah. Gary: And you’re not the “Biggest white guy.” Mott: No. Gary: You do like it or you don’t? Mott: No, I do. Gary: Nice, what do you like about it? Mott: I like the tartness. Gary: Alright now, this wine was our Cinderella wine. This was a deal I worked on forever. This is the wine I’m in love with. This is Havens 2005 Bourriqquot. This is a blend of 67% Cabernet Franc and 33% Merlot. Its 92 points to Parker, 90-93 points Steven Tanzer. It's a $35.00 US dollars. It's a red blend kind of like white Banc Bordeaux. Almost like a California Cheval Blanc as Parker has referenced in the past. This is a big wine with a lot of flavor and acts a whole lot like $75.00 and so this is the wine I want a couple to take because this is a long conversation wine. You know this is a kind of wine that evolves three, four hours over dinner. So take your lady, go to a beautiful dinner and pop this open and then drink it. It’s not red wine that yu drink for an hour and a half after your dessert has left the table. That opens up conversation. Roger: That means take your time guys, take your time. Gary: Take your time in a lot f ways and more importantly, this is the kind of wine that is so delicious and you hear me talking about delicious factor that I think you guys will finish the bottle hence, making you a little drunky drunk, making you flap your lips a little bit more, inducing the conversation. Roger: Absolutely! You know it’s all about warming up even more ways than one. You know don’t try to drink it just to get ripped. You don’t want to get fit chased or anything like that don’t want to get fit, chased or anything like that. Gary: Yup, I saw what you did. Roger: Alright, but you know this is something you just want to take your time anytime your talking about romance. Anytime you just got to develop that bond, develop that conversation with somebody. You just want to take your time. Gary: Isn’t that at the end of the day. It's conversation. Roger: Absolutely! Gary: And to me, that what this show is about and why wouldn’t I bringing on another tie in. I just want people to start conversation about different things. Those things excite me. It works ridicule. It’s getting people to think about different things and I’m dying for you to give this a sniffy sniff. Roger: I’m already smelling it from here. Gary: Alright. So see that’s when I talk about when a wine takes over the whole room. You could smell it from distance. Roger: This smell, it is good at home. Gary: Mott, smell this. You get different wines here. Now, this is just a gorgeous red fruit component. Roger: It's good. I’m just have a hard time wrapping my head around just what I want— Gary: Articulating it? Mott? Mott: Just a little bit in the back— Gary: A little oak monster for you? Roger: Vanilla, kind of a little bit. Gary: Yeah, you should have pick up a little palate here. You it scared me, maybe you will take over the show when I retire. There’s cranberry fruit, there’s also a Rhubarb on the nose which I think is fascinating and then it gets—but your absolutely right. It's this vanilla creamy seeder. That’s where you guys are getting, the oak monster played, it’s the oak from the wines, you know, where it sat all those years. Alright, let’s give it a whirl. Mott: I think I might have a little bit of the older wine stuck in my mouth. Gary: Mott, were really using you here today as a spring board. Mott: Yeah. Gary: I don’t know it's like—go ahead talk. Roger: It's a little bit like—that mind you this is the very lay person kind of tongue. You know I just want to make sure everybody understands that. Gary: They got it. Roger: It's kind of like flat in the front but in the back, I’m getting a lot of action going on there like it’s a little bit tiny bit of spice there. Gary: Yes, absolutely. Roger: Hot on the back end but there’s not a lot of happening in the front of my tongue. Gary: So, you feel like it's light and not a lot going on and then a lot more happens and Mott, you’re agreeing with that? Mott: I agree with that assessment. Gary: And for me what’s happening is—I understand where you guys are coming from. For me, what your talking about is young wines, so you’re getting the tannins really at the mid palate level and then what your tasting is a lot of the bitterness and to me what’s going on in the beginning is the exciting part. That subtle rose petal meets kind of a Grenache chocolate cake, like a Souffle flavor that’s going on in the front. It's getting over powered by the bitterness in the back end because this wine hasn’t been opened long enough. It's a big wine, a beast of a wine, big structure, big tannins. But what I think is fascinating, this wine is loaded with tannins but you guys aren’t appalled by it because the tannins themselves are some what sweet. And so, this is the kind of wine that says to me of what’s going on in the front and what’s going on in the back. Wow, what’s going to happen here 36-72-90 months from now, three, four, five, six, seven years. It’s got to really open up and then 12 to 15 years, really I add on that charisma level. I like the chocolate, the red fruit, you know it's kind of like sour strawberries on the back end but it's a bitter wine. It's got a lot of tannin structure. It's a structured wine. Roger: Yeah, I mean sometimes you do mention—you’ve mentioned in the past about a wine that ages well. Gary: Yes. Roger: What exactly should somebody be looking for? You have to look until—I like to call it anniversary wines. Gary: Yeah. Roger: What’s something that— Gary: And this is what this is. Roger: Yeah. Gary: Like if you have a special date in ‘05, if you have a special date in ‘05, this is a classic wine at a $35.00 entry. This will age like a $75.00 to a $100.00 wine because that backend—here’s what you’re looking for, when you taste it—now, when you taste it—now you see that bitterness that’s going on? Roger: Yeah, in the back. Gary: In the back? It's like right—huh? You see that? That’s the tannins that start painting a picture of how long this wine will age and because their bitter and their tight and your tasting much else, you know there’s has time to open up. Some wines never open up. We assume their going to work out and they don’t. It's kind of like drafting Derrick Homen, first overall by the Nets. You think it's going to work out, but it didn’t. Other times, it's a Tim Dunkin situation. So that’s all it is. Some people are good GM’s, some aren’t. However, this wine clearly because the fruit is so pretty in the beginning and it's subtle. It's so subtle that both of you kind of thought nothing’s going on. It's a nuance and I’m not saying that I’m right, it's what I taste from my palate. I’m only articulating my point of view, but it's that beautiful nuance. It's like looking at a painting and your like, “Oh, it's a house.” There’s more going on there. It's like the way my parents starting watching football—they didn’t like it. They didn’t understand the beauty of the guard pulling and giving the running back to hole. That’s what I like. So you know, it's all—this is something I’m passion about and I live it and so I can taste those wines because I look for them maybe more than—oh, it taste more serious in the back than in the front. I love this wine. I think it's spectacular. I think Parker hit that they only have it when it gets a 92, 93 point wine. Again, a wine that is of this caliber at this price point out of California is rarity and that’s why I like it s much. Any parting shots? Roger: I guess, again, Lisa, I love you baby you know how it goes. But— Gary: He’s just holding it down, you know. Roger: No, check me out on twitter, twitter.com/icouncil4food. Gary: And we’re going to link that up my man? Roger: Yes, absolutely number 4, icouncil4food. But one of the things I also do—I should do a little psycho educational show called the “TheluvBuzd.TV.” Try to be a Web2.0. It's just not necessarily working out but— Gary: You’re having fun? Roger: Absolutely. Gary: And what about wine wise, what do you have on these days? Roger: Wine wise? I’ve got to be in it right now. I’m probably—I want o say like some of the Reisins. I just love that really like spicy that kick that just comes with it and it's just some— Gary: You like the spiciness—and delicious. Roger: Oh, yeah and it's just my lady doesn’t like to because it is too spicy but— Gary: I love you, Lisa. Roger: Absolutely! Absolutely. Gary: Question of the day. Roger: Alright, you’re with yours but significant other. What are you going to—before you go and pop a bottle, what are you guys are going to go out and do it? Are you guys are going to paint the town red or you guys are going to go and catch a movie or you just guys going to you know what lets not paint the town red, let’s stay home and pop a bottle and then do what you’re going to do. Gary: What’s your dinner like prior to the popping the bottle? Roger: Date night, it all depends on— Gary: I mean is that what you’re asking them, kind of? Roger: Yeah, kind of. I thought your asking me what my dinner is like? You know so— Gary: Well, you can fire away while I’m going to do the closing. Roger: No, absolutely not. Gary: No, I really want to know. Roger: Okay. Gary: You with a little bit of me, we are changing the wine world.