Gary: Hello everybody and welcome to Wine Library TV, I am your host Gary Vaynerchuck, and this my friends is the thunder show, aka, the internet’s most passionate wine program. And let’s call a spade of spade merlot is getting pissed on and I want to bring it back Mott. I mean, merlot is look upon as a boring, simplistic, entry-level type grape. That is the farthest thing from the truth, shame on you Hollywood, for positioning this beautiful grape varietals in such an awkward place and we’re looking at a Chilean, Washington state, California merlot today on the thunder show. But there’s a couple of things I want to talk about first. First and foremost, Mott, link it up, the thunder pack, the thunder pack? Excuse me, the election pack, secret pack, we’re tasting this on Election Day, really looking forward to it, and we are almost out of them. Tthey are flying, so if you got any thoughts of possibly doing the election secret pack, which means you’ll be tasting along with me the exact wines on election day, I highly recommend you do that ASAP.
Also, coming off a epic two part series with Randall Graham, couple of things I want to talk about, read the comments. one, I massively apologize for putting the bottles in front of Randall, that was a mistake of my part, I’m bad, I’m not good, I deserve to be punished and I apologize. Mott, you should also said something, I saw you pointing, I thought you were trying to be my friend, you weren’t here, and you would’ve saved me. Number 2, a lot of people said, shut the hell up, shut your mouth, let Randall speak. There is one thing I hope you do understand about the thunder show, unlike network television or other places, we don’t edit and so, sometimes I have to jump in and try to get the conversation moving, because, you know, otherwise, it will be too long. Obviously, you know, half way thru, you know, I didn’t realized what would cut it, you know, so I would cut this into a two part because it’s going to 50 minutes. So, please give me a little leeway on that. I’m still way to hyper and way to pump up and do jump on people, but, please keep in mind, no editing, which means we have to speed up the conversation. We don’t the benefits of like Oprah, or Katie Corrett, where they edit all that crap to make it perfectly fit in a box.
Thank you Mott, anyway, Jets – Kansas City game, plfft Casa Lapostelle, 2005 cuvee Alexandre, merlot. This is one of the really great wines coming out of Chile for a long time, this wine rolls at 17 US dollars, there is 15% carmennier on this wine. Keep that in mind, and the 85 percent of merlot come from 85, excuse me, 16-year-old grapes. So, this is a wine that has been really doing well for years, commonly scored in the 90 point range by the wine spectator, and really is a wine that I haven’t tasted about 4, 5 vintages. I’m really excited about trying this wine. You know, merlot being the classical original grapes in Bordeaux, has found great life all over the world, Italy, Spain.
I don’t know as much Spain. Italy, Argentina, Chile, California, obviously in lots of parts of France, and so, it’s a grape product that probably deserves more respect that I think it has this point. This is the casa Lapostelle, 15% carmennier blend. Gorgeous. Gorgeous color, I mean Mott, just beautiful, isn’t it? I mean, just really, just pretty, pretty color. Let’s give it a sniffy sniff, coz that’s what we do. This comes across with a lot of chalk dust coming through on the initial attack, so again really dark chocolate and a little bit of green, you know, bell pepper is coming through. Quite a bit of greenness coming through, Mott, give it a little sniffy sniff. Mott might be happy about himself, Giants won…
Mott: That was a great game.
Gary: Great game, snap, crazy snap. Green, right?
Mott: Yes.
Gary: Very basily, green pepper, very fascinating, by the way, really, enjoyed last week’s shoe, I mean, that Randall Graham two parter was awesome. Really appreciate all the comments; really appreciate all the people with the secret pack. Oh, I’m going to be out Wine Library this weekend on Saturday from noon to five, so please come and say hello, I’m helping people out on the floor, looking forward to that, and soon you’ll be finding out about the green wrist bands. Very soon. Little more sniffy sniff. Very green, let’s give it a whirl. I get some dark covered cherries coming through on the palette, you definitely get a sense of oak, so it’s a little bit more of a new world, there’s definitely that oak aspect coming through. Very mocha, very dark bitterness of coco bean coming through, I like it.
Good balance, good acidity, like tannic acid. I get a little hint of like liquor coming through here, like dark liquor, almost like a… really, remember those chocolates that have liquor in it Mott? You know, like cheesy chocolate you get sometimes during the holidays, they’re like 3 bucks, I get a little bit of that flavor (slurry), coz the heat is coming across a little bit too much for me. But not awful, but definitely coming across, 14.5 alcohol content. A solid wine from Casa Lapostelle, a wine that a lot of you can find, I think 3 to 5 years is going to be a nice window for him. Maybe up to 7 years in the drinking window, I would put it away in the cellar from 24 to 36 months; I would decant it for 3 to 4 hours, believe it or not. I think it has a lot more to open up, and I would pear it with very big foods, you know, steaks and things with that nature. Solid wine, I’ll going to go 89 points on this wine, the alcohol probably hurt it a little bit for me, it’s a little bit disjointed and off balanced, but I do see on the next 24 to 36 months.
This wine coming together, becoming more epic value, 17 bones, definitely not something to frown upon, it does try to deliver the best, you got to give it A for effort, and let’s move on. Now, dying to try this, I’ve heard some things about this. Mercer Estates, 2005 Washington merlot from Horse Heaven Hills vineyard, 14.5 alcohol content, David Froyes is the, is the wine maker, this wine is 18 US dollars, 91 points wine spectator, that is some pretty sexy stats Mott. You know, some pretty sexy stats, like 24-24, I don’t know what sexy stats are. This has sexy stats, I mean, on paper, you know people love ratings, even though you shouldn’t listen to them. Eighteen bones, 91 points spectator, from Washington Estates, from one of the great vineyards, from Horse Heaven Hills, I mean this is pretty neat to me, I’m very enthusiastic about trying this, PS by Farv, pbfft. Let’s give it a sniffy sniff.
I mean the man just heaves the ball for no reason, anyway, don’t more offensive line, coz the play calling, you got to put yourself, third of one Mott, against the worst Russian team in the NFL, and we throw the ball five times. Gorgeous, gorgeous, raspberry fruit exploding on the nose on this wine, just really coming across guys, really liking it. There’s clearly like a check, wow, action. That being said, Mott, I love to get you involved today. Bowl boats, I mean bowls, like, give me like seven bowls of gorgeous cherries coming through on the nose, right, I mean just cherry juice, the cherry juice train has landed Mott. The CJT is here, here’s my ticket, punch it, I appreciate the kind sir, now load my nose with it, that’s what this wine is doing, cherry juice, and raspberries still there as well, but cherry juice for days. Wow. Let’s give it a whirl. Just a very interesting wine, first and foremost, first and foremost, completely attacks your palette, I love my ring. Completely attacks your palette, coats it with cherry juice, and crème fresh, you know what I mean about crème fresh?
Crème fresh component, that’s where the oak is coming through, I do get vanilla, I get a hint of mocha, mocha in there, and I like it. There’s good balance, there’s texture, it’s a tad tannic, which is nice, makes me think a little bit more breathing, with a meal, a little meat action, little juice from the animal in my mouth, with this wine, I think I like it. Endure the price point at 18 bones, Mott, 18 dollars. Big wine, huge aspirations, like I feel this wine is extremely ambitious, which I like about it, I like ambition. Far superior wine in my opinion with its overall length of fruit than the prior wine, a little bit disjointed, good, good, good, solid backbone, just like it has girth, it’s got a foundation folks, tornado comes thru.
This house is standing, the rest of the place, uh huh, it’s like the one house in development, you know, when you see that. That’s what this has, a very solid effort from Mercer Estates, a good merlot, and this is where people call merlot fancy ass, where I want to just drop kick them and put them directly into the camel clutch, because this wine is far from fancy ass. This wine my friends, this is like, tough wine, you know like, helmet wine, like lunch pale, go to the construction site for 17 years you worked with your hands, it’s so dirty you can’t wash them kind of wine. This wine being serious effort and structure, good job by Mercer, good merlot, I’m giving it one more shot.
A very nice wine, I give Dop, David Froyes a lot of credit. I think he put together this wine very nicely, there is a clear distinction of tannic, bitter tenants on the mid palette transition to the finish, so if you don’t like the bitterness of the red wine, keep note of that. I on the other hand like it. I’m going 90 plus points on this wine. I think it is a gorgeous representation of why Washington Estate merlots do extremely well, a little cool climate action. I like it, it’s good, reminds me of some Bordeauxs, with a little bit of umph. You know, it’s like giving, you know, a brawley like tough guy in a guinea tea a dandelion, so he can hold it for picture, it just adds a little softness to the overall picture Mott, you like that, right? It’s a … alright, let’s move on. Dying to try this as well, heard, heard good things about this, this wine is flying at the Wine Library, so clearly other people like it.
Bravante, 2005 merlot from Howell mountain, 15 percent alcohol, big wine, 92 points wine and spirits, wine maker Dwayne Dappen is extremely talented, this wine rolls at 33 dollars. Mott, give it to me, give it to me, little Patrick Ewing over there. Oh yeah baby, see the, I know, I know. Little 33, it’s dark? Can they make it out?
Mott: Let me swing the light around.
Gary: They the scariest Patrick Ewing, 33 bones, this wine comes from the Howell mountain, very small production, only 200 cases made of this wine. 92 points wine and spirits, and, I’m excited about trying this Mott, 33 bones, not bad for 92 wine spirits, small production, people really been ranting and raving about this wine, I love Howell, excuse me, Howell mountain. I think they produce some of the finest wines continue people on the way, by peoples lack of excitement of merlot. I hope this show shows, so far so good. Let’s give it a sniffy sniff. Aaahhh, the oak monster has made an appearance, and we’ve missed him Mott. He’s been far and few in between, we’ve been pretty lucky, this wine is loaded with serious oak.
Let’s see if there’s anything going on here, our merlot has aromas of fruit, herbs, and toasty oak, you’re damn right Bravante, toasty oak it is, and it’s the oak monster if you really want to know what’s up. heavy doses of oak, I do also get a little bit of like, like a cranberry, raspberry, kind of concoction going on, like a cocktail, not the juice, you know what I mean? And interesting, lot of fruit, but heavy in the oak, I’m starting to have oak headache, it’s like somebody stuck a 2 by 4 directly into my brain piece and I’m not sure I like it. Lot of creaminess, reminds me on the nose, to be honest with you, a lot of 8 to 12 dollar wines, coz it’s over done by oak, let’s give it a whirl. Big wine, no doubt, far from bashful, the fruit is very pure and very seductive, hot raspberry jam is the first thing that comes to my mind.
I do get a little stick, a little brush, a little weeds, actually a little, you know, this time of year, fall, you know, red leaves, you’re playing football, you get ugh, you had in your mouth. You got little stick, little worm, little rock, little like that. I get a little bit of that action, but I got to be honest with you, it’s overwhelmed by Hacksaw, nice Mott, good work, hooo! This wine is loaded with oak, and Hacksaw would be proud, he’d be, walk around with this wine instead of his 2 by 4. Over oaked for me, I think a lot of people like the vanilla and the cherries that come with oak and red wine and merlots, this wine have a little bit of cabernet in it, that should be mentioned, but all in all guys, I got to be honest with you, I’m not very happy with this wine, at all.
Really over oaked and just reminds me of so many things. I mean you just can get this from Francescan and semi, and Randy Strong and something of that nature. Probably not within as much umph as this wine has, I would be remistic to not mention the choc, chocolate accord type component, almost like granmanier aspect of this wine that I kind of like. But this is not my cup of tea, it is not, because it is replica table, you could do this in Australia for 15 bucks. I’m going to score this wine 84 points and give it a pass, and pretty, pretty interesting to me that you can buy this two bottles for a combined 35 bucks and have by far better experience, in my opinion, or my palette than you can for this for 33 bones. That’s how I roll Mott. Happy belated birthday time Roberto Roxas Sr, Paige Montag, Paul Stonier, who had miss so many times, who is huge, huge, huge fan, big friend of his, and Stacy Brontagier, I wish you guy all happy belated birthday.
The New York Jets play the Buffalo Bills this week; I promise you as I poked myself in the eye, clearly I’m in a bad place, ouch. I promise you that I will not be picking the Jets, I wish your families are all healthy and happy, I see you next time. You, with a little bit of me, especially when I’m a pirate, we’re changing the wine world, arrgh.
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