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Subject: Gallo of Sonoma

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ChangeMe

Grape Destemmer
Posts:88

01/24/2003 11:29 PM
I have the opportunity to get some 98 Cabernet and 2000 Chardonnay at super cheap (like fell off a truck cheap). Any reviews of these 2?

JonesWineNo1 User is Offline

Sommelier
Posts:8568

01/25/2003 12:15 AM
TCK I think this one is yours to answer.

Budman

Master of Wine
Posts:11834

01/25/2003 12:27 AM
The 98 cab was very good for the vintage. I think WS gave it 88 points. Not bad for a <$10 wine. This is speculation on my part, but Gallo never released a 98 Barrelli Creek cab. My suspicion is that the Barrelli creek grapes were declassified and dumped into the basic G of S 98 cab. This may in part explain the unusually high rating.

TCK

Barrel Filler
Posts:1279

01/25/2003 7:51 PM
Petey, How cheap are we talking, becase even when this is overpriced it's still dirt cheap. I'm assuming that you are looking at a price around $5 to $8 per bottle. What do you have to lose? Your not going to wow anybody that's for sure, but this is a solid bottle for "everyday" drinking. Your looking at a fruity wine, with a bit of zippy acidity, and a solid dose of extra oak chips to hide any imperfections. Buy how much you think you'll drink over the next 12 months or so. It's not going to get better with age so drink it up. The 99 and 00 are on the shelf right now and they taste exactly the same as the 98. If there is one thing I can say about Gallo that everyone has to agree with going all the way back to Hearty Burgundy, there is no such thing as bottle variation (or vintage variation for that matter). Bud, if you look in the WS California wine review there are ratings for the 98 Gallo Cabs (all 88's I think) so they did release it. Besides, do to the production level of the GoS County series wines I don't know if the addition of any one vinyard would have any type of effect on the total quality anyway. As a side bar from what I have read any Barrelli Creek fruit not used by Gallo is usually sold to the vinyards neighbors at Silver Oak.

Budman

Master of Wine
Posts:11834

01/25/2003 9:29 PM
TCK, Your comments on selling to SO make sense. While Gallo does show a Frei and Stefani 98 cab, there's no mention either on the G of S website or on winerelease.com of a Barrelli Creek 98 cab. Zin, yes, but not cab. I was just curious where the wine went.

dinwiddie

Barrel Sampler
Posts:2155

02/24/2003 6:42 PM
Gallo has a practice of putting their better grapes into some of their cheaper wines when they are experimenting with making a new style or label or feel that it isn't quite good enough for the current upper priced labels they own. That is one of the reasons that the Gallo of Sonoma PNs were so good for a while, they had the juice from the better vineyards as they experimented with making a mid-range PN. That said, I have always found the Gina Gallo's stuff (Gallo of Sonoma) is a very good buy for the money. Not monster wine, not that ageworthy, but definiely drinkable, and for the price, blows the competition out of the water. O course it helps to have Gallo's money and vineyards backing you. Kind of buying Columbia Crest, you know you will get a good bottle of wine, not great, but not bad. And a great QPR.

Budman

Master of Wine
Posts:11834

02/24/2003 7:47 PM
Dinwiddie, I ALWAYS have some G of S and CC in the cellar. You're right. They are consistent high QPR producers.

dinwiddie

Barrel Sampler
Posts:2155

02/24/2003 8:32 PM
I constantly have people who assume (wrongly probably) that because I drink wine and have a huge interest in it, I am an expert on what is good. When the ask what is a good everyday wine, or what wine can I buy that is good but inexpensive, I usually tell them that G of S or CC is a good place to start. While they may not be as good as some other, more expensive wines, I have never found them to produce a "bad" wine.

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