Gary: Hello everybody and welcome to Wine Library TV, I am your host Gary Veynerchuk, and this my friends is the thunder of show, aka the internet most passionate wine program and it is a glorious Monday in November, the beard is intact, look at it, it’s gorgeous, and you know why? It’s because its mine. My New York Jets rolled in to national Tennessee and dismantled it. It wasn’t even as close as the score was, Matt.
Completely bombarded effort by the New York Jets, and they destroyed an undefeated Tennessee team, I went on to watch your team play quite well against a high powered Cardinal’s offense, it was a nice game, you guys did your thing, and the, the stage is set, plenty of people are writing about it, very early, long way to go. I mean, you won the Super Bowl last year, and this week last year you guys get dismantled by the Minnesota Vikings, and everybody was calling for Elay to be done. Bench on, he was horrible and so, I’m not going to get ahead of myself. The Jets have me awfully fired up the beard is growing. I think they’re on a magical run, Matt, to me versus you in the beard wars, and I’m excited about that. I’m also extremely excited that it is thanksgiving, coming up, a great holiday, one of my favorites, probably favorite, and you know lot of people are talking about Zinphondel. This is the great, that a lot of people are focus on, a lot of people drink more Zin.
And so at Wine Library this week, then the rest of the year. By far, it is a bridle that caught a lot of attention in the mid to late ‘90s it kind of died of, but starting to see a little resurgence. A wine that’s actually fairly well price, you can get a lot of California zinfandel between 15 and 30, which is kind of a fair price for a high quality wine that is, by percentage chabornnay and brawlos and bronelos. Shoponthepop, have grown in price more of the last half decade, and so, not that I consider them a value plague, coz I remember great zinfandel at 12 bucks, and I haven’t been in that long, but I’m excited to be doing a blind tasting get up. This is become our set up for blind tastings. I’m excited about this, we got 6 different wines, oh, I need a marker Matt, or pen, can you grab that for me? I’m excited to be doing this blind, but first I’m going to get it into the tennat, so if you didn’t see Friday’s episode. Matt, link it up, last Friday we had a tenant on the show, 60 percent tenant, a little 9-dollar wine. We so thought it was an extremely young, extremely tight, we’ve letting it sit out for about 3 days now, and I want to give it a sniffy sniff, and a whirl and see what happens.
It’s open up a little bit, I definitely get a little bit more black berry flavors coming through, also a very interesting, like a kind of lot like a granola component coming through in the nose. It’s really weird, I’ll make sure that it’s not the glass, just let me…nope, it’s kind of meat, kind of like a granola kind of cereal thing going on. I can’t put my finger on it right now, really wild, little orange peel coming through as well, little granmanier action coming through. Let’s give it a whirl. Big shout out to Ben Smith, who hooked me up to a bunch of new He-man toys. Which is old school age, we’ll be checking those out, Ram-man is here, unfortunately, Ram-man is a little broke, flip it, I don’t know how they X-man, they just really put it and expect you to hit it, when it work it would shoot up, Ram-man is where it’s at.
One of the great all time characters. Definitely much more approachable now than it was 3 days ago, for sure, it’s open up quite a bit, I get much more floral play on the mouth feel, it’s open up a whole lot, little bit of tar action coming through, it’s a little bit medium bodied than I expect. It’s actually border line between medium to light coming across my palette, and is disappearing, very unhappy with the finish of this wine. But a very, wow, really opened up, still some be nice taste on the back end but, it’s clearly become a lilac meets black chocolate, which is use that combo quite a bit, but what’s different about this is, it’s got, remember bottle caps? Like purple bottle caps, mix in here as well, little more candisque than I expected, not really feeling it that much. If it was scored today just like this, I suppose to score it an 83, 84 point wine, not bad for the price point, I’m not, did not do anything too great after probably over aired, really, just kind of started falling apart. So all right, let’s get in the cracks of the show, it’s a blind tasting.
Had Ian get some low end and some high end? I want to be a little humble today, Matt, you know got called out a little bit, maybe scored the 8 dollar wine that’s in here or the 10 dollar wine that’s in here, or whatever the low end of these as the best wine. Coz I don’t mind, I mean, that where it comes down to, trusting your own palette, so that’s what I’m going to do. So let’s get into wine number one, wine numero uno, see what’s going on here, California zinfandel, think so, let’s see. Let’s see on what’s Ian going on, primativo. Really nice color on the first wine. Let’s see what’s going on, I am ecstatic over the Jets ever. I’m just going to say, so every wine here is at least one or two point higher, that’s where my mind sets at, we just gonna call it like we see it that’s fine as well, because, I’m in a one good mood. Let’s give it a sniffy sniff, and the Knicks made some big trades, Matt. So we’re well on our way to get Lebron, it’s about to get really silly in New York, Jets are about, Farbs not about to retire now for another 8 to 10 years.
It’s going to be amazing. Let’s give this a sniffy sniff. Really interesting nose, I get like a burnt rubber component coming through right out of the back of the nose, wow, really comes across, like a big serious tire which was stuff directly into your nose piece, so that’s coming across from this wine. I also got a little bit of a coco aspect, so a little bit of star bucks, kind of hot chocolate meets a rubber tire, very aromatically pronounce. Matt, smell this I think you would see the rubber tires pretty much coming through, you know, pretty unusual nose for a zin for me, you know, you usually get a little bit of pepper, a little more black fruit, did you get it?
Matt: Yeah.
Gary: Pretty neat right. kind of like rubbery, burnt out BMX skid mark kind of thing going on. I also get a little bit of like a, little purp, little plum, little plum coming through, yeah, little plum coming through. Let’s give it a whirl. Very candy like, high fruit, good meat palette, good transition, good start of the show, good fruit, good meat palette, great black berry flavors on the back end, nice ripeness. Little fake, takes a little fakey fake to me, little to candy store five and dime rules in my mouth right now, but not horrible and a good play. It will be interesting, it will be interesting to see what this wine prices itself at. For me if it’s a 15-dollar wine. I think I might be pretty happy with it. Not a, you know, we’re pulling on a little bit, that last little taste there I got a little fake for me. Let me let you into my mind a little bit, good fruit, very clean, very pure, but zinfandel, especially inexpensive not as good zinfandels can get very, you know, hi-c fruit punch, you know, the guy runs through the wall. Hawaiian punch guy kind of stuff going on, you know what I mean?
Guy running through the walls is the Cool Aid guy I know, Hawaiian punch is a different guy with a hat. I get it, but, you get a little bit of that. It taste like, really melted down fruit candy, and it gets a little artificial, kind of like the difference between fresh squeeze orange juice, and the orange juice you buy in the supermarket. Probably canned, it says fresh squeezed, but you know what I’m saying? You could just taste the difference. That’s what happens with zins quite a bit. I use that orange juice analogy quite a bit, and lower end zins tend to get a little fake for me. The sugar levels get a little high, and this one is holding off, it was teetering; it was tight roping it, on that last drink. I kind of just saw it go there, became a little more obvious to me, oh man this might be a 7 dollar kind of average zinfandel style, so, I don’t know, interesting wine. Good start. In life I could like that wine, if it’s a fair price, could be interesting. Wine number two, let’s get into this, rinse. Matt, what do you think about the Giants performance yesterday? You happy with it? What’s that?
Matt: I’m impressed with their depth.
Gary: That’s where the Jets are in trouble. If one good player on our team goes down, we don’t have the depth, I’m very worried about that in comparison, I agree. No Plack’s, no Jacob’s right, then do what you have to do. I mean, if you guys don’t go to the Super Bowl at this point, you’re a huge disgrace, yeah. Wine number two; let’s see what’s going on here. Thank you Matt, appreciate it, let’s give it a sniffy sniff. Now this is coming across with all that tropical fruit candy fakeness that we’re talking about, wow, very candy flavored, I get a little coconut, mango, tropical fruit Hawaii vacation, being drilled directly into my nose piece.
Wow, definitely just like candy, like orange candy, like really, really like tropical fruity coming across the nose, getting that little bit a hint of oak, little vanilla. Really comes across like a prison Maui towey, you know like, pinacoladaesque. I mean very, very tropical on the nose, little dark, cherries coming through a little bit on the back of the nose, but very fake fruit, exactly what disgusts me with the zinfandels, but, not the biggest level, this is a 7 on the disgusting meter 10 out of 10 of what zinfandels can get like. Let’s give it a whirl. Better, from tenants on the mouth feel, little bit less of that roller coaster fruit that I worried about so much. Little bit more bitter, good pack and dryness, if you like a dry zin, this wine could work for you, still very hollow. You know, very make up, up, you know, just like fake, and I’m a little bit worried about that.
I’m just not enjoying this wine so much, it’s got a little bit of trickiness to it, entry level wine drinkers. I mean who’s drinking wine for the first time might be seduce by the fruit, they might like it, but anybody who’s looking for something with a little bit of depth. If I’m going to get married, instead of date, I think you going to find this wine to kick to the curb. A little bit boring in that approach, the fruit is very basic, I find a lot of 10, 15-dollar zinfandels like these in the market, that’s what I’m pegging this to be. Good tenants, I can see this wine lasting between 2 and 4 years, I pair this up with like a hotdog, you know just classic barbecue fourth of July ribs, burger, barbecue kind of stuff going on, kind of boring though, definitely boring. You know, 2-buck chuck zin can probably compete with this if someone—a, three.
See what’s going on here, wine number three, Matt. Right off the bat, even on the rinse. I’m noticing that it has a very light color. That’s always one of the tell tales for something that’s a little bit less expensive, not as good, and this is by far, by far, the lightest wine of the bunch. It’s just by far, I mean, get in here, put on a real something that you can really see right through it kind of just very, very, very light into poach, well I could see right through it, very light. Let’s give this a sniffy sniff, tight nose, not a lot going on, you know, right off the butt, I’m telling you right now, I’m riding 7 dollars, smells like a garden hose. You know just kind of like a yard, you know, just like, nothing coming through. A little bit of like plum flavor, but I’m squeezing out of them, it’s like there’s a plum. Like 17 miles from here and that’s the only fruit within 17 miles and I see it. I run to it, grab it and smell it, and then it’s like, just an emptiness of fruit coming through on the nose. Except a tail, a little, a hair of plum, but it’s doing not much for me, little orbaciousness which I kind of like, but definitely not what you look for in a zinfandel.
Let’s give it a whirl. Awful, awful, extremely light, with completely expect us to be in a jag wine format for, you know, 1 five liter for 10 bucks. Very light, nothing there, they probably pick every grape on, no, no, I mean just everything wrong with this wine, it’s serviceable, this I think would be 2 buck chuck, if I didn’t know better that we didn’t carry it. I mean to me, it’s a really bad effort, very hollow, didn’t like the last one. Didn’t even love the first one, we’re off to a very negative start on my opinion, if this is what America has to drink for zinfandel, we’ve got a major problem, and the wine makers of the world have to step up. I’m a little bit disappointed, Matt, there’s a big holiday, zins are going to be consumed, and if it’s going to be crap like these, there’s going to be a problem. Matt, do something.
Wine number four, and this coming off from a big time mood Matt, I mean, there we go, there’s some color, hopefully C4 can change the turn in me. This is really going poorly; this is about what most Titan fans felt like after the first quarter and a half yesterday when we were whipping your face off. Let’s give this a sniffy sniff. There we go, all right, now we’re getting into something, almost like got the brain freeze headache. I call it the black pepper headache, if you ever smelled a black pepper heavily as quickly as you eat an ice pop, you’ll know where I’m going. There’s a very heavy dose, just like you were squirting, and like it broke, and all the pepper went into your meal, that kind of black pepper. Loaded with gorgeous black pepper coming through on the nose, also you get a gorgeous kind of leathery, Venice kind of thing going on, which I like. But that’s off the pepper and it’s all being overshadowed by the clear cup black berries cassis blue berries, dark fruits that I like so much, and some nice nose.
Good fruit on the nose, nice, nice solid start, you know why I think of the bouquet, let’s see what’s going on the palette, little worried that it can get too explosive. God damn it, aaaah! The oak monster ruins this wine. I need to take a huge two by four out of my mouth right now because it’s pissing me off. This wine has all the makings of a top notch zinfandel, but in my opinion, this wine is over oak, and I just don’t understand why wine makers continue to allow this to happen. When they allowed the barrels to tell the story of the land, it’s wrong, it’s a broken system. L et me rephrase that, it’s not wrong, do what you want, I mean, and people will drink different things, that’s great. I think it’s a mistake. It’s you’re taking away your individuality. I got the pepper, I got a nice component in the beginning, shredded dark chocolate, which is always nice to see, pepper, and all of the sudden, wood. Massive amount of wood, started exploding on my palette, and that’s a problem, for many reasons. At the end of the day, it hides character, I get a lot of vanilla all of a sudden on the back end, I could be drinking California cap for all I know.
A massive missed opportunity, it’s a little cinnomy, a massively big missed opportunity in my opinion. Starts tasting, you know, see, that’s what happens guys, I start tasting the little bit of the pina colada coz of the milkiness of the oak, French oak, or new oak, whatever. Its starts tasting like wine number two. Ah, man, big missed opportunity, didn’t catch a nose at all, you know, it really catches me apart. Wine number five, my lucky number, hopefully it will come through on the thunder show. Right now, we are on an awful trouble with this show in my opinion. I mean there’s, I mean it’s, its really big trouble. Let’s give it a little bit of a pour, really dark coming across, extremely, extremely dark. Let’s give it a sniffy sniff. This is a wild nose, very aromatic, massive levels of pomegranate, smell this Matt… really interesting.
I got a heavy dose of pomegranate coming through the nose, not sure what else I’m picking it up, it’s very aromatic, the first thing that came alive is bug spray believe it or not, but I don’t know what that means, kind of minty, eucalyptus kind of on the nose, but not really, if you know what I mean. So good red fruit, I get a, almost like a watermelon, believe it or not. It’s what kind of coming, you feel that a little bit? I don’t know, really weird, I definitely pomegranate, for days, right off the top, really pure, not palm juice, the real stuff. But I get a watermelon coming through as well, big nose, interesting, let’s give it a whirl. Great tenants, nice use of oak, big wine, woo, pucker city, I’m feeling this wine a little bit, I like this wine a lot more, I did not love the nose, believe it or not.
But I do like the mouth feel, there’s good dryness, there’s a complete backbone to this wine, structure that I look for, good dark tenants coming there, little black herbal tea kind of component. I get plums, I get a little bit of a little, like a black pouties, really nice little flavor there, it’s got a nice tenants to it. Little spice, little black pepper, little gaminess, good breakthrough in the end. A solid wine, nothing to go crazy about though, to be honest with you, just really good, not great, and ahm, and definitely best of show, that’s not saying much. It’s like having best smelling fart in a room.
Number six, a little rinse. I actually stole that line from a guy who use that on twitter, after the guy from Microsoft got up and talk on the conference and said, I have the best job in Microsoft, and the guy twittered it out that’s like having the best fart in the room. Thought that was kind of interesting. Felt like I had to use it, and I did. Let’s give it a sniffy sniff. Before I get in to the last wine, man this is going to end up like a absolute bloodbath. Secret pack, I will see you Thursday, Matt, let’s get this show up about 10 am, people eat thanksgiving dinner’s early, I’ll tape it, oh you don’t even want, I’ll post it, I’m a big boy. I got it, no, I know how to click a button. 10 am or so on the east coast, we will post the thanksgiving show, which a, I’m really excited about, which is the secret pack, so hopefully bunch of you got your secret packs in the mail and we will rock that out.
I want to talk to you guy about something that’s been really interesting. I’ve been really reading a lot of the Wine Levity forum. The what are you drinking section, Matt, so Matt, link that up, the what are you drinking section is quite interesting. Really interests in what people are tasting, different palettes, you know, you get my point of view, but it’s great to see fellow vaniacs, so click that linked below. See what other people are drinking, try them if you have that wine, and also big shout out to San Francisco next Saturday. Not this up coming Saturday, but the following Saturday, big party, bring on some wine out there, come along. A couple of bucks for food, Matt link that up, that’s our second annual Fort Mason party, great location, hope some vaniacs are there, and finally, just on the cost of starting to announce the wines that are going to be part of the thunder cruise. We’re taking a cruise next year, all wine, all the time. We’ll going to rock it out, Matt link up the thunder cruise page, excited about that. I’m getting really itchy with this beard. Lot going on with that, really excited, and , I think everybody in this economy can take a vacation and enjoy, specially the value we put together, so I think that’s going to be a big hit.
All right, wine number six. Nice fruit actually, smells like nerds candy actually like red, and blue, like purple and cherry, you know, you split them down the side, and if you eat them both together at the same time like I use to. I got a little bit of that going on, so artificial candy flavor, but not to over the top like wine number two. Let’s give it a whirl. Let me, before I break this wine down make a very serious statement. I’m a very big California zinfandel fan. I’m very high on them. I think collectively their great. Matt, you know what, link up the Niers zinfandel that we have in the store that I think is tremendous, and just link that up with the wines. You know, just put not in this episode that they’ll see why it was there. Great, great drinking over 50 dollar Bordeaux, I am completely disappointed with this show. I’m, I am baffled, I am a, embarrassed by some of these efforts, this wine is just a goop of fruit, it’s like taking fruit, it’s like taking fruity toothpaste that you give to like a 40 year old because they don’t like the flavor and just glopping in your mouth and biting it.
I mean this is just like gloppy unfocused fruit, no mid palette, no seconteer flavors, no structure, boring at best, I don’t like it, I don’t like it at all. Alright, I mean, I don’t even know where to go with this, but, here is where we’re going to go. That’s a, this is like ridiculous. All right Matt, here’s how they finished. This is how we are going to finish this. Guys, I am so sorry, I really highly thought today, there’s some 90 pointers in here, for sure, for sure, maybe not, maybe Ian’s up to his trick. Then we will find some zinfandel that you will going to take a look, my whole plan today is find some zins, you can go to your local stores. Have a list and find some things that you may be able to serve, I’ll be very honest with you, unless this is a very inexpensive wine, 15 and under, I don’t think I’ll be able to recommend one wine from today’s show. This is a complete disaster. I apologize, I can do a whole lot, but I can’t control the quality of the wines. All right, in last place, with the wine that I’m guessing is this is really, completely, in last place, with the wine that I think is 7 dollars, and I’m scoring 62 points that I think is a boat load of crap is Thomas Henry zinfandel from Napa valley 2005 vintage this is 9 US dollars.
13.5 alcohol, from Sabasta polo, I’ve never had any wines from these guys before. They say it’s a great zinfandel, berry flavors, good tenants structure, and pleasing aromatics, enjoy sensibly for all occasions. I disagree, I think you can ruin all occasions with this wine. I apologize, I’m sure you’re wonderful people, but this wine is completely unacceptable to me. Boring, terrible, it’s awful, let’s, I mean, really it’s 3, 4 dollar wine. Let’s move on. In second to last place, at 67 points is, wine number six, I’m get, I guess this was seven, it was nine, so it was in the range, I’m guessing this wine 11 to 13 dollars. I did not like this wine at all. You know, toothpaste gloop, garbage, big name in the game. You get a little zingy zing for this, this is Ravenswood Olds Vine zinfandel 2006 vintage, 87 to 88 points Josh Reynolds, 12 buck, so I did a good job with the price range. This is one of the great producers, 15.4 alcohols, some of that spookiness came from, I don’t know. I disagree, did not like it, but I’m a big fan of Ravenswood wines. I highly recommend you seek out some of their stuff, really like their Load eye not too long ago.
I think they are a quality producer but this I thought is a terrible effort and this is the kind of wine because of the mental pedigree, and excitement I have for them that you know. And points don’t mean crap, like I go 67 points in some other or something like that, this is the kind of wine, unbind. I probably went 72, 73 points with them you know what I mean? Just like in the back of my mind, you know, so that’s what kind of fun about blind. Again, I hope you don’t go by every point by me or anybody else, but this is bad. I mean, you know, I probably would’ve hated it just so much, made the same comments but just mentally probably scored it a little bit higher. I think, there’s some interest to me on that psychology. Though I could’ve went as bad, I really did not like it. All right, which wine is that? That was wine number six, yeah. Number three, we have. Alright, next, at 70, no actually here, I had them both at 80 but, I was being to kind, why number two is not good, I’m going to go 79 points on this, I’m going to guess 15 dollars, and so I have to say. Yep, Francis Ford Coppola zinfandel, 13 dollars, I’m doing good with ranges Matt, California appellation.
Mr. Coppola makes great movies but this was not one of the best. This goes direct to DVD, in my opinion, and there’s a pass. A lot of people will drink this wine and like it, I think that some of the diamonds here is decent, I like their serran and pass, for example but, this had not do it for me, and I think it’s a pass. Next, I’ll stick with the 80 points for on this wine. Not bad, this probably is a 20 dollar wine I guess, 80 points, not too horrible, let’s be honest, didn’t like it, you know, really would pay 8, think it’s 20, acted more like a 15 to 20 dollar play, but didn’t love it, I mean, major pass, will never drink it again. Sebastiani 2006 zinfandel, 91 points connoisseurs guide to wine, 20 US dollars. Matt, I’m showing some skills here a little bit I just say. 20 bones, 91 points connoisseurs guide, very good score from them. I’m tight for 11 points lower but Sebastiani makes good produ—good wines, I didn’t love it. I didn’t hate it, you know, too candy, if you remember I kind of like it until the finish. Actually it was high as an 86 originally, I just thought I got a little candy in the end, but not bad, not bad, and I’ve been a little too critical, just saying it. Because I, reminding my mind, coz I did go from 86 to 80, and that might more like an 83, you know, Chris, 83, whatever.
All right, next, I felt this wine was a 20 to 25 dollar wine, but I scored it 83 points, and I would’ve paid more to 10, I thought it was limited, wine number four, is this the one that pissed me off with the a…yes. This is the one I really thought had the great nose, but then like, got gooby and all weird on me, over oaked. This is the oak monster, liked this wine, could’ve been a really good wine, really again, came across with the nose, has a 25 dollar 30 dollar play, but only 83 points. This is a major player in the game. Ian brought in some boys today. Outpost Howell Mountain zin, 91 to 92 points tanzer, 40 US dollars, big time producer. Some of the best zinfandels I ever had, had been this producer, I am not on board on the 86 on the ’06 vintage, I thought it had big potential, but completely fell apart by having too over oak, yeah, it’s too fake, weird. Great producer and the wine I like the best, 89 plus, 6 wines blind, not a single 90 mop, I guess this one is 22 bucks, hoping I think. If this wine is 15 to 18 dollars, it is a buy.
Rosenblum, 2006 Richard Sauret Vineyards, this wine is 19 dollars, 90 points connoisseurs guide to wine, I don’t know how they give this a 91, but a very good producer. As we know, one of the great producers of zinfandel of all time, Rosenblum, this is one of their top wines. Tell you what, I was hitting ranges out of the park today, I’m pretty happy about that, right, you’ve notice how I guessed this was higher than this, it’s kind of fun, got the ranges, little disappointed. This could be a good wine, maybe a little bit more decamping, this wine can be a very good wine. 19 bucks, maybe a play, and oh look, you can peel off the information about the wine on the back. I think it’s a good little marketing, probably think more wine should do that. Kind of just peel that off here, it’s got all the information and the website on it, smart job by Rosenblum, kudos to being innovative slightly.
In 2008, sad that’s an innovation in the wine world, and a, really a solid, getting choke up by the lack of effort today. I would say 19 bucks, probably the biggest play in and plus, you know, doesn’t mean that it’s an 88, really because the good mood with the Jets. Imagine what would’ve happen if we were got pounded, by the Titans. Pretty disappointing show, all in all, but I’m pretty happy on where my palette went blind, I think I, for myself, I’m happy with myself.
Question of the day, what zinfandel has rock your boat and what zinfandel has sucked in your world lately? Definitely check out what are they drinking, very neat, and thank you for the people that are getting stumbled upon and dig buttons above the videos they’ve been actually pretty crazy, some of them as well, you with a little bit of me we’re changing the wine world.
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