2018 “The Crossings” Marlborough SB is a dynamite wine, and it has outstanding distribution throughout the USA:
What did you think of the Mimi’s Mind bottle? Is it “worth” the $90 bucks?
I have to ask why you ended up having lunch on the property of a place that makes wine you didn’t wanna like?
No the person you are asking, but I would have to say based on the AVNI, which is just under half as pricey, if it is actually much better than its probably worth $90. if its not, I’m gonna stick with the AVNI, because it seems like a steal for mid $30s.
I don’t think so since there are much better Pinot for 2/3 the price at Cristom. Walter Scott etc all nearby.
Give the cost I really hoped that La Tache would prove to be overrated.
It wasn’t.
Any time I have a wine from what I perceive to be a hubris-driven winery, I want to dislike it. Sometimes, despite the hubris, the wine is fine. A second category of things I don’t want to like are those that are priced really high in their peer group - I really want those to be labels, not great juice. Results there vary (thankfully).
Finally, there are the categories of wine I largely ignore because the style simply doesn’t align well with the majority of what I enjoy in wine. When one of those ends up being fantastic, it’s bittersweet. Here, I’ll cite examples… Kay Hillside and Block 6 Shiraz and anything Sine Qua Non.
Cheers,
fred
Just curious, which vintage and at what purchase price?
The only one I’ve had was the 1996. I could never justify paying the price as great as the wine undoubtedly is.
2012 Vina Vik, a Cab/Carmenere/etc blend from Chile that my boss gave me. I expected expensive blueberry milkshake but it was all juicy red/black fruit, finesse and restraint. I’m not going to get more but I have a newfound respect for it (and my boss’s taste)
I will say that the wines I’ve had from SQN, while experiences, have never done it for me. I would much rather take that same amount of money and buy a few ridiculously good bottles of northern rhone Syrah.
Carmenere in general. To me almost gives the first impression of a run of the mill Napa Zin - the lazy softness, some brambly notes - but then I just find myself loving the heck out of them.
Adrian always goes in expecting to find a 93 point wine.
Seems like I say that every time I drink Chardonnay. There is a reason its a noble grape…
I didn’t read the question as being about value, but about wanting to have your negative bias about a wine confirmed rather than debunked. I’m paying more for Chave Hermitage than for SQN, but I want to like Chave because it’s a classic. Generally, I’m not buying wines that I have a negative bias against - there’s simply too much out there to spend my money on. So, when something I want to hate (because I’m not buying it based upon my perceptions, not actual tasting) ends up being really good, I’m left with another thing to potentially add to the list of “I’d buy that in the right circumstance ($/availability/need/etc.)”.
fred
I often will open a bottle precisely because I expect I won’t like it (or at least that I won’t love it)…sometimes with the intent of simply “getting rid of it” (getting it out of my cellar). This could be, for example, if either (i) I’m having a quick meal that doesn’t merit a good wine, or if I likely will only be able to 1-2 glasses that night (and maybe will be out the following night and unable to finish), (ii) someone who really won’t care about the quality of the wine is over and just wants a glass of wine to drink, or (iii) I need to use 1-2 cups of the bottle for cooking.
In most of those scenarios, I’m hoping the wine will be “just good enough” to meet the current needs. In those situations it is (in a sense) “disappointing” when the wine greatly outperforms expectations. In another sense, an upside surprise always has its upside…
Fun little subject. I do this quite regularly for kids Y-guides campouts… cheap Italians, Napa wines that were bought on visits that just don’t do it for me anymore or aren’t my style, eregions my wife doesn’t like tc. I think it is the campfire… lots of sausage , grilled meats, beer/liquor appetizers, sharing with friends or whatnot but wines that shouldn’t do it for me regulalry do. Off top of head…
2008 Bucella Cab - given I remember this from 4 years ago tells you how well it showed.
Many Turley’s - honest;y these are perfect for campouts
Various Napa Syrah (wife doesn’t like them much so perfect to take) - Saxums fit the bill here
Italian Rosso’s - more made for campouts as they are so versatile (La Massa was last weeks)
Rioja - usually they do not do it for me … at all. American oak or whatever. But they show well.
Rose, NZ Sauvignon Blanc
I think I kind of meant it either way. whatever reason you didn’t want to like it. For SQN for me, the reason I didn’t wanna like it was the price seems extravagant. whereas for Chave, I guess my own internal thought is the price is justified. I’m sure others feel exactly the opposite (though I’m not sure many of them are on this board)!
If I was gonna have a campout with fire-cooked food, Turley, Ridge Zin, or Bedrock would definitely be what I would grab. So many wines I’ve had have been good because of the company and setting far moreso than the contents of the bottle.
You make my point, Matt…I have never wanted to hate Chave, because of its bona fidaes. I wanted to hate SQN because it’s basically a “this one goes to 11” winemaking ethos. But, the wine in the bottle (and glass) works for me. Hrmph.
Sometimes, being a bit of a curmudgeon leads to people wanting to show you the light. It’s not all bad.
Side note, sparkling Shiraz was something I had no opinion on, but actually thought was pretty fun when I did drink one.
Cheers,
fred
“Not sure why their cheapest bottle was their tastiest one”
I frequently find this with Pinot Noirs, whether Burgundy or Oregon or California.
Dan Kravitz