Caltrops - Motherfucking News - Re: Caymus is good?

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by Moab 06/09/2003, 7:22pm PDT

I need clarification wrote:

Moab wrote:

You killed my expensive buzz. I forgot all about SP69, that was so cold a good bottle of Caymus couldn't dull it.

I just had a friend visiting with his French wife, and they were knocking all California wines as "cheap rip-offs" of the European stuff. I couldn't get them to order a bottle of the local stuff to save my life, so it's good to have recommendations for the next time they're out here.

Up front I should mention that all I know are domestics and that I learned from my time spent in the part of California that does not suck. I'm not a utter wine fag so I might be missing current UberSelections. All these choices are based on me visiting (and revisiting) the vintners mentioned and grabbing up superior selections cheap (library wines are the way to go). You are close enough to be able to get world class drunk on the cheap. Get any of these reds cheap at the slaveway and store them a while, sideways out of the sunlight. If they are young give them a good while to breath. Oh fuck it drink them first and you'll want to know how it all works.

Caymus's Cabs are exquisite and you would have to be from France to not appreciate them (American's are now demonstrating the same snobbishness to South American and Australian vineyards). Also try Pine Ridge Cabernets as well, arguably better (I would argue), you really can't get an embarrassing selection from them. Krug had a great year in '97 and the Merlots are very impressive. Cosintino does a unique Red Zinfandel using only American oak (almost all California vineyards use imported French oak) so that should be extra offensive to your friends. If they prefer buttery Chards go with Grgich Sunny St Helena or http://www.frogsleap.com/flash/intro.html There are a lot more I can toss at you but I would like to check my collections before I start screwing up Vintners, vintages and varietals.

The guys at Cosintino and Grgich are cool as hell, if you go after the crush you might miss the circus but you will certainly miss the pain in the ass tourists and hearing the most annoying words ever spoken (the only thing more agonizing then a wine snob is a dilettante wine snob). Going after the crush also allows you to talk to a more relaxed and mellow crowd of vintners that will open 20 bottles at a six wine tasting, just because you're cool and appreciate the wine. (also, don't bring a woman up to Napa/Sonoma if you don't want to keep her. If you take a chick up there, stay the weekend or week in the valley and you don't have the most wicked sex of your life, head south on Hwy 101 and near Big Surr hang a sharp Right.)