94 gallo barrelli creek

[newsguy]

can anyone offer an opinion on this wine? i had their 95 at a tasting in december and loved it. bought a bottle and drank it a few weeks later. a major-league, heavy-duty cab: unfiltered and huge tannins. tasted great for the 15 seconds or so before the tannins kicked in [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]

anyhow, a local shop seems to have found 4 bottles of the 94 and is selling them at $17.99 each. just grabbed two and was gonna try one before deciding whether to get the other two. since the 94 was such a good vintage, i have pretty high expectations for this wine, but hope it is much closer to drinkable than the 95 was a few months back.

so, anyone out there care to share some TNs on this, or should i just run back and grab those last 2 bottles on principle? (Remember: I'm a married guy whose wife doesn't really share my passion for wine, so my purchases must be well thought-out!)

and i'd hate to "waste" a bottle of the 94 now only to find that it still needs a few more years.

thanks,

keith

[This message has been edited by newsguy (edited 02-21-2001).]

[raggedy1]

I don't have an answer to your original question, but instead have a question for you. Would you recommend sitting on the 95 Barrelli Creek a little longer? I have 3 bottles of it and was wondering what they would be like right about now....

[newsguy]

IMHO, and as someone who's a relative newcommer to the wine scene, i would DEFINITELY keep sitting on those 95s.

i haven't had the pleasure of tasting the same wine over a period of a few years and seeing for myself how the tannins have softened.

but that said, if i had some 95s sitting around, i wouldn't pop another one until at least mid-2002. and if i were patient -- which i'm not [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img] -- i'd wait until 2003. in december 2000, i found this to be a very tannic wine.

but whenever you do pull that cork, enjoy. you've got a nice wine there.

keith

[winoweenie]

Replying to both questions at once...PUT BOTH ON HOLD AND RUN,DON'T WALK, to buy those two remaining Barillas'. 94, if you'll go back on the cab thread, is IMHO , an even better vintage than the 97. It may come to pass that my views will change but I've had hundreds of wines from both vintages and still think the 94 is marginally superior. The Gallos', Both Frei and Barilli, are killer bottles-to-be. I've been on Ginas' BW since the outstanding 92s'. Rags, hold the 95 at least another 3-4 years. Great structure that can only get better. Youse' lucky sucker. WW

[raggedy1]

NG & WW, thanks for the tips. Actually, I just checked my inventory and discovered that I have the 95 Frei Ranch Cab and not the Barelli. One of these days I'm going to have to keep better records of my stash... [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img] I'm glad I asked because I was ready to pop one of these open two nights ago. I'll wait and enjoy the 96 Frei Ranch Zin in the meantime. While on the Gallo subject, it's too bad they no longer produce the Frei Ranch Merlot. I bought two bottles of the 94 vintage a few months ago at a gourmet grocery store that was closing them out at $13.00. That WAS a fantastic merlot (and I'm not a fan of merlots). Gallo needs to rethink their labeling and marketing strategy; they have great QPR wines that don't get much attention...

[Drew]

Last tried this wine a year ago and re visited while away on vacation...what a difference a year makes! Beautiful, almost opaque, dark/black garnet with lightening at the edges. Nose of sweet oak, roasted coffee, and dark plum. Flavors of mature plums, dark chocolate and sweet oak all in perfect balance. Mid palate and finish are long w/integrated tannins. At it's peak, IMHO...and I know where to find more @$17 a bottle!

Drew

[newsguy]

drew,

is this the '94 barrelli creek you're referring too? if so, i might have to crack a bottle tonight to have with a T-bone!

and i haven't been around that wine shop to grab those last 2 bottles. i see you're in bel air -- i was born in D.C. and grew up in montgomery county. if there's plenty of $17 bottles up there to be had, perhaps it's time i go home for a another visit [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]

keith

[Drew]

Keith, it is the one and only '94 Barrelli Creek.

Drew

[newsguy]

FYI: i went back to the store and grabbed the last two bottles of this. now i have four tucked away in my closet.

wonder how long they'll stay there [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]

keith

[Drew]

For less than $20 I'm really impressed with this wine...and to still find it available? I hope WS never starts to report favorably on Gallo wines.

Drew

[winoweenie]

Drew, WS has been reporting favorably on the Gallos' for the last 4-5 years. The only reason the Frei, Barilli, and Sonoma Estates haven't shot up in price is the " SS Factor " ( Super-Snobs ). Hard to imagine a meeting of Les Amis du Vin with the gathering OOOHHING and AAAHHING over the evenings presentation of Gallo Cabs! giggle. WW

[Drew]

You're right, Gallo jug wine et all. The only part I disagree on is that WS seems to treat the Barrelli Creek vineyard like a "red headed step child". The only Barrelli they've rated since '90 was the '96...and I have a full access account.

Drew

[newsguy]

well, i finally popped my first of four bottles of the 1997 gallo of sonoma barrelli creek cab and it was everything i hoped for. a deep, reddish-purple color with a deep nose of sweet oak, plums and a touch vanilla. tasted of plums, oak, hint of chocolat with a very slight bit of spice on the long finish. this is a really tongue-coating wine, with deep, rich flavors. tannins have diminished.

drew, you were right on the money. this baby is ready to go. i can only imagine it's downhill from here. i'm thinking a bottle a month will get me through the summer. and a case of the 97 definitely is in my future. (assuming there's any left in june when my wife-imposed wine-buying moratorium is lifted).

keith

[winoweenie]

Newsguy, If you have good storage, IMHO, the 96 wil stay on its' plateau for at least another 5 and probably closer to 7 years. Don't kill those lil' babies in their puberty. WW

[newsguy]

WW,

i don't have good storage, although i've been looking into renting space locally. but what i have is the 94, and your post said the 96 have 5-7 years left. do u mean the 94? this stuff is actually gonna get better?

my only worry is that the bottles i have surely have not been stored at 55 degrees the past few years. i'd guess more like 65. and the few months i've had 'em, they've been at about 75. so even if properly stored bottles of the 94 have several years to go, i'm thinking these don't. in the bottle i had the other night, the tannins were *gone.*

keith (whose really wondering what to do)

[winoweenie]

News=feller, provenance is the key after the winemaker dances wif' grapes. If you don't have good storage then it's caveat emt-winer Until you get a place that's stable ( 55..60..65 * ) then buy only in the amounts you'll drink in 6 months. Every posting I make is predicated on fine storage. WW

[newsguy]

that's what i figured, WW. that's why i'm planning on having a bottle a month of the 94s in may, june and july. then i hope there's still 97s still around when i am back in the buying mode on june 21 and trying to get a case or two. at that point i will rent some real storage space for this and my other new purchases. then i wait until around dec. 2002 before i even pop the first of the barrelli creek 97s.

the only thing i don't like about this wine thing, WW, is that it takes patience [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]

[hotwine]

Like one buzzard said to another while sittin' on a fence line: "Patience hell, I'm gonna kill somethin'!"

[newsguy]

yeah, like a few bottles of "good juice."

[winoweenie]

" Buzzards Talking" "" Let's do din din at Hotsies herd tonite "" WW