East Coast Wine Geeks Podcast

The wine geeks pull out an 2011 East Coast Chardonnay and discuss how it compares to the Napa Chardonnay from the last episode.   Lamoreaux Landing is a beautiful winery with breathtaking views located in Lodi, NY. The winery is located on the eastern side of Seneca Lake in the New York Finger Lakes. The finger lakes continues to gain worldwide attention for high quality wines and is best known for Riesling. We found that after years in the bottle, the wine has held very well and remains clear, smooth and balanced. If you have it in your cellar its a great time to drink it. Overall, Lamoreaux Landing is worth the visit, producing high quality wines. Although the 2011 Chardonnay is no longer available, we have not tried a Chardonnay in the past 10 years that we would not recommend. The bottom line: This wine and wine maker are recommended by the East Coast Wine Geeks  

  We’re back! In this week’s episode, we talk about where we’ve been and the new Pennsylvania wine laws that will bring us into the 20th century wine-wise. We also look back on what happened the last time Pennsylvania tried to loosen up the laws a bit and gave us the Wine Kiosk. If you haven’t seen our video State Store Vs. Wine Kiosk, have a look, its really very funny! Oh, and we enjoy this Napa Cellars 2013 Napa Valley Chardonnay. It was aged in a mix of French and New Oak, which allows the fruit to shine through with a beautiful oaky nose and subtle woodsy flavors.   Want to know more about the Pennsylvania wine law updates? Here’s a good Q&A article explaining what the changes mean for PA residents: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Pennsylvania-Liquor-Wine-Law-Changes-Governor-Tom-Wolf–382579901.html   Bottom Line: This wine is recommended by East Coast Wine Geeks    

The baby’s in bed, so it’s time for another episode of the East Coast Wine Geeks Podcast!In this episode Chris, Bryan, Jen and Kate embark on our yearly tradition of exploring the year’s Beaujolais Nouveau. We choose Georges DuBoef each year for the sake of consistency. Bryan and Chris discuss wine making techniques. Jen and Kate discuss...how to get Beaujolais Nouveau out of white carpet. The nose: fragrant and fruit-full with rich berry and warm vanilla notes.The flavor: tart and light with slight cranberry nuances.The scores:Jen 79Chris 87Bryan 86Kate 81

Who was there: Bryan, Kate, Tim, Chris, Jen, Joe & RomanWhat happened on the show: Bryan looks boss in sunglasses, we can never get anywhere without Chris, Chris knows what Tuna is, Kate’s plans to scare Bryan go awry.What the wine is made of: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc (no matter what Chris tells you).nose: “toast” , honeysuckle, apple and flintflavors: clean and crisp chardonnay, honey, astringent feel, Food suggestions: spicy food, pork, salmon, tuna pokeScoresChris; 83 “The pinot gris is not doing it for me”Bryan: 83Jen: 80 “I liked the toasty flavors of previous blends and this one is more astringent, which I like less.”Kate: 78 “It’s really, really astringent. It’s got a great nose, but the flavors are too astringent”

After a bit of a hiatus, we’re back with our newest podcast member.Who was there: Chris, Jen, Kate, Bryan, Tim, Joe...and RomanWhat happened: we reviewed this pleasing rose from the Finger Lakes while watching some of Washington’s finest EMS action.Scores:Chris: 88 perfect for enjoying on the deck.Bryan: 86 it could be a little sweeter.Jen: 86 the fruit and minerality are a little disjointed.Kate: 88 it’s nice and astringent!

OK, so we’ve been a little busy... Here is an episode recorded in February when it was cold and snowy. This wonderful traminette is perfect, though, no matter what the weather.ScoresChris 91Jen 93Bryan 90Kate 90

Chris and Jen meet with Jen’s favorite “character” from Summer In A Glass , Johannes Reinhardt of Kemmeter Wines and talk about his current wines, what he’s been up to since the book and many, many other interesting things. A great conversation with a fascinating guy, if you will excuse the on-the-road audio!

  Chris and Jen meet with Jen’s favorite “character” from Summer in a Glass, Johannes Reinhardt of Kemmeter Wines and talk about his current wines, what he’s been up to since the book, and many, many other interesting things. A great conversation with a fascinating guy, if you will excuse the on-the-road audio! And don’t forget to read this great book!    

Chris and Jen met with Alexandra Doniger, assistant winemaker and social media and events marketer for Hector Wine Company on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes.We enjoy some of their tasty Essence Syrah and find out how Alexandra landed in the Finger Lakes, doing Jen’s dream job.Who was there: Chris, Jen, Alexandra Doniger

Find out what happened at the 2013 Wine of the Year celebration!In what was the most embarrassing podcast of Chris’s career, we introduce our judges, the wine geeks do some blind tasting of the finalists and we announce the winner!Get the score details here

Who was there: Jen, Chris, Bryan, Kate and TimWhat happened: This theme wine, believe it or not, is NOT from Lodi...its is from big distributor Diego (which also brings you Guinness) Bryan suggests that we have a blind tasting of random wine flavors.We discuss opening a strip club/day care center called “Whiskey Nipples”Chris randomly brings up the topic of regrets and makes us all awkwardly share ours...we all lie.Nose: cherries, chocolate, vanilla, cocoa a typical big red blendTaste: “big” zinfandel flavor, a hint of sweetness, heavy alcohol , black pepper, and touch of sweetness and tobaccoScores:Chris-87 Bryan-88Kate-87 “great with chocolate, pork or beef”Jen-88 “the tannins translate into spices, that makes it interesting”

Who was there: Jen, Chris, Bryan, Kate and Tim.what happened: Joe’s getting old, so he went home...at 7:30. Happy birthday, Joe!Everyone has the flu. Chris explains wine legs. Kate explains her graphic tongue. About the wine: Vincent is a French-American hybrid made to withstand colder climates, such as the NY Fingerlakes, where this wine is from.Color: Dark, inky, black-purpleNose: cherry, oak, blackberry and seediness. Addictive to smell.Taste: Rich and chewy with oak, tart cherry, tobacco, a hint of tobacco with some slight green notes. Like a cold weather Cabernet Sauvignon.Score:Chris: 86 “So unique and so dark!”Bryan: 86 “For $10, it’s a buy!”Jen: 88 “I like the nose and complexity”Kate: 85 “Would be best with spicy Italian foods, Paella or dark chocolate” Recommendation; not a first date wine, this will will turn your tongue black. Drink only with trusted friends!

The Wine Geeks get together after the holidays and the cold snap and randomly pick a wine to try!Who was there: Bryan, Kate, Chris, Jen, Tim and JoeThe wine: South River 2012 Cabernet Franc from Geneva, OH (Lake Erie Region)Color: light garnet colorNose: vanilla, hint of oak, light fruit and tobaccoFlavors: light cherry, green notes, slight oak, very light on tanninsScoresChris: 88 “I might like it better if I didn’t have a cold”Bryan: 86 “I would like a little more structure”Kate: 85 “The flavor is just too fleating to me”Jen: “I really can’t taste well enough to score this fairly due to my cold. I remember that I really enjoyed this wine when I tried it this summer”What else happened on the show: Bryan thought he was going blind, Jen caught a cold, Chris bought new tires and everyone was sick. Chris gives an update on the wine making and Kate found a new nickname for Bryan.

OK, so I know its pretty much beaujolais “vieux” at this point, but here is our annual review of the Georges DuBoeuf.Who was there: Kate, Bryan, Chris, Jen, Joe, Tim and Jen2.What we talked about: Kate’s crazy long Dr. Who scarf, bad French wine that we’ve had, and Chris’s attempts at wine making.Color: light and bright rubyNose: cherry, vanilla, and bright fruitTaste: Very light, with slight cherry fruit. No follow through from the rich nose. Tart with a cranberry quality.ScoresChris: 80 “It’s good for what it is, but it’s not my style”Bryan: 80Jen: 80Kate: 79 “It’s kind of tough, we’re not eating anything, we’re just drinking this. t would be much better with food”Jen2: 78

Where the heck have we been? I bet you’re wondering. Well, the truth is, Bryan and Kate have been working on some projects that have kept their weekends tied up. No weekends means no podcasting. But they’re back and so we’re back!Who was there:Bryan, Kate, Chris, Jen, TimWhat did we talk about:Chris is making wine. There’s a batch of Bacco Noir and DeChaunic fermenting, but that’s not done yet, so we’ll just have to drink this Apothic Dark.The wineColor: As the name implies, it’s very dark. It coats the glass with thick legs. Its a very deep berry/blood color. The color holds all the way to the edges.Nose: Everything good in a red wine: vanilla, cherry, tobacco and leather.Taste: Wow! Very big for a main stream wine. It has Petit Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Teroldego. The dark fruit and smooth, thick mouthfeel of the Petit Syrah combine with the pepper of Cabernet Sauvignon. There are hints of leather. Its drinkable right of the bottle, the tannins are calmed, so it is not a wine that needs to be aged or aerated. Whiskey drinkers would love it.Scores: Chris--89 you can drink it right now.Bryan--91 Apothic makes wines beyond what they should be for the price point. This wine is one of the best value plays out there.Jen--91 They did a really good job blending these wines. Its really well balanced and I like the flavors. Great nose, mouthfeel, flavor palate--an excellent sensory experience!Kate--90 Fantastic. I really, really like the mouthfeel. The color is beautiful. The taste is excellent. I really like the nose, too. I would love it with some goat cheese.

Who was there? Bryan, Kate, Jen, Chris, Tim and JoeWhat happened on the podcast: everyone is in a meat coma after eating giant steaks. Joe is double fisting beer and cider. Brian explains what a honey hop is. About the wine: This is actually a cider from the Bellwether Cidery in the Finger Lakes. It is made from a mix of Liberty and Spy apples. Jen & Chris visited earlier in the year and a visit is recommended. The place is beautiful and the people there were nice, plus they have many tasty ciders to sample.The nose: crisp apples, dry Riesling, bread yeast and honey.Taste: fizzy. Crisp, juicy and dry. Brown fruit flavors with bread. Acidic at the start, but soft at the end. Very refreshing, dry, and light. The light dry finish makes you want to have another sip.Perfect for after eating a giant steak!Special note: Fingerlakes Cider Week is coming up (October 4th-13th and there will be a Cider maker’s dinner, seminars and cider specials.Scores (on the wine scale):Chris: 88 Bryan: 88Joe: 88 very crisp, very good for fall. If you like beer and you’re not as into wine, I would recommend it.Jen: 85 Kate: 86 It’s lovely. A great palate cleanser and would go really well with pork.

About the wine: This is a home made Syrah sourced from California grapes from Chris’s coworker. So, unless you know Baldo, your not getting any.Nose: light, brown fruitFlavor: fizzy...but a rich mouthfeel and red fruit a slight licorice flavor with a light, soft finish.Scores: Chris: 83 (85 if it is decanted)Jen: 81Kate: 81Bryan: 83All in all, aside from the fizz, a pleasant wine for a home brew.Note: Due to technical difficulties, this podcast was cut off before it was finished, but luckily, the entire piece about horse constipation got recorded...so there’s that...

-Chris and Jen start making plans to visit Long Island.-Chris finds it necessary to tell us that this rose is not white zinfandel-Jen is really excited that this rose is 100% Cabernet Franc.Other topics of discussion: William Shatner, voices on tape, childhood discipline, what that spoon with the hole in the middle is for and how women talk too quietly.Nose: crisp, juicy strawberries, sweetness and minerality (chalk, limestone)Palate: Nice acidity and minerality, tart strawberries, with a deep tannic Cabernet Franc Core.Scores:Chris: 88 “It’s a really good rose”Jen: 90 “I love that Cabernet Franc core”Bryan: 85 “A little acidic for me--its a personal thing--its really a technically good Rose.”Kate: 87 “I like the acidity”

We celebrate Mandi’s birthday with this interesting Australian blend.Nose: strawberry, dark fruit and a hint of spiceflavors: smooth, vanilla red fruit and a kick of pepper on the mid-pallet then smooth againScores:Chris: 84Jennifer: 89Jen2: 89This wine is currently a Chairman’s selection at PA Wine and Spirits and at $6.77 it’s a great deal for such an interesting wine!

Who was there?Kate, Bryan, Jen, Chris, Joe, TimWhat happened:Apparently, there is some sort of Cinco de Mayo rap concert or political rally going on in town...Chris wonders if many of the Ohio wineries use the same strain of yeast, as all of the wines have a similar “something on the nose” to them.We assert that we can walk around our houses naked if we darn well please.Chris catches his deck on fire and Joe offers to get his hose to help.We decide that we are all partial to east coast cool climate Pinot NoirNose: Strawberry candy and “something robust”Taste: Strong strawberries on the front. Some bright acid. sprightly and cheerful. with a bit of buttered veggies. Subtle finish. The wine has held up well to its aging. ScoresChris: 88Jen: 89 Bryan: 86Kate: 89This wine is very good, but it’s time to drink it!