Cork Hoarder

Dario Cecchini Solociccia | Vino de Vittorio

If you’re a meat eater and find yourself in Panzano in Chianti, DO seek out Dario Cecchini’s Solociccia. This place met, then surpassed our expectations by bounds. As soon as you enter they’ll also offer you a glass of their simple house wine, “Vittorio’s Wine” they call it, and for a simple wine it is delicious. For a simple wine it possesses structure, integrity and the entire spectrum of flavor profiles one expects in a classic Bordeaux - although, of course, very subtle.

Castelnuovo Tancredi | 2006 L’Assedio (Orcia DOC)

Outstanding Sangiovese Merlot blend hailing from the Orcia region of Tuscany. Thanks to Michael Giuliani of Astrum Immobiliare for the bottle.

Opened for 12 hours. Earthy palate cluttered with clumps of dark red fruit.

Drinking our way through Tuscany.

Beluga Russian Vodka | Frozen Martini

Left the bottle of Beluga in our fridge for weeks and it’s chilled itself into a syrup like consistency  Pours thick, and served with a quick squeeze lemon essence. Yum.

Matthiasson | 2009 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

This bottle had a “tang” from the get go but after sitting around for the past 2 or 3 years that “tang” turned into a “thunk.” Well, it certainly wasn’t what I expected and was actually pretty tough to drink. Rather than drain pouring this bottle, as I usually love what Steve Matthiasson does with his wines we capped it and left it in the fridge overnight. On the second evening those notes we were seeking for arrived. Some pineapple, grapefruit, some grass and a bit of acid. Maybe we should have opened this one earlier, but reminded us that the good ones are still worth not giving up on. 

Drakes Brewing Co. | Hefe

Did you know Drakes made a hefe? We didn’t either until we sat for into San Jose’s Smoking Pig BBQ, a BBQ joint with an extensive craft beer menu. Honey, Orange and Citrus notes. Kept the pepper sauce at bay. Tasty.

Mint Julep 

Today’s the Kentucky Derby, and in keeping with tradition we’re drinking Mint Juleps. Muddle some mint and sugar, crush some ice and pour some Kentucky Bourbon. Make sure it’s Bourbon, and make sure it’s from Kentucky. Enjoy!

Ridge | 2008 Mikulaco Chardonnay

This bottle has been mind-boggling, and we don’t mean that in a most positive way. It’s been open and sitting in our fridge for the past 72 hours now. Upon uncorking it was tight, a bit unsettled, even sour. There was no fruit, and just not the chardonnay we recalled when we originally had it at Ridge. Fast forward to tonight, strange notes hit us immediately - oak and butter. How odd, we usually pride ourselves on skipping past those bottles but it was there; oaky and buttery, but the tropical fruits were also back and something tangy further back. Maybe we’ll hope for tomorrow. 

Joullian |  2009 RogerRose Chardonnay

We fell in love with Joullian’s big luscious reds early on, but for some reason never partook in their whites. During one random visit and unplanned tasting I had a chardonnay that stopped the the multi-task nature of my mind. This is tasty I thought, no…this is just delicious, incredible even. Although tasty, did it have the legs to age?

This bottle has sat in our cellar for a few years, and we decided to open it as the recent weather was balmy enough for us to want a white wine. Still fantastic and an abundance of life. Wish we had more.

Stack House | 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon

Although you haven’t heard of Stack House, you may have heard of its winemaker - Anna Monticelli. If you haven’t heard of Anna, hopefully you’ve had her wines in the form of Piña or ESCA. 

Alright, so you may not have heard of Anna or Stack House, but I’m sure you’ve heard of Philippe Melka as well as Bryant Family. Anna studied under Melka, and was one of his assistant wine makers while at Bryant Family. Regardless of pedigree and experience Anna Monticelli’s a name you’ll want to familiarize yourself with, and Stack House is something you’ll want to keep on hand to not just please the crowds that walk through your threshold but the oenophiles that find their way into your living room. 

Big earthy notes, bright red fruit, composed tannins, and a velvety mouth feel. It’s a cheaper bottle ($18-22), with a big return. Scot at STASH wines mentioned that if one wanted they could lay this bottle for 2-3 years, we thought it was drinking well right now. Regardless, one can’t lose when the odds are stacked in their favor. 

Purchase at STASH wines

Luli | 2012 Sauvignon Blanc

Forgot what this actually costs, but this is probably one of the best summer QPR wines we’ve come across. Bright clean flavors. Hints of grass, and almost completely dry. Perfect for the hottest climates. 

Pick some up from STASH wines!

Philz Coffee | Jamaican Blue Mountain

From Philz’s website: 

“The world’s most desired coffee is grown on the eastern end of the beautiful island of Jamaica in the majestic range of hills known as the Blue Mountains. Cool misty conditions mixed with the rich earth and generous rainfall provides the perfect environment for growing coffee that is full-bodied and as smooth as silk. 

Corkhoarder’s thoughts: It’s so muddled with cream and sugar that we couldn’t tell. However when iced it makes for a decent summer drink. At $10 for the large, the most expensive iced coffee we have ever consumed. 

Tor Kenward | 2009 Hommage Allen Rock

One of my favorite Syrahs from the 2009 vintage. Upon release it was medium bodied, eloquent, clumps of black fruit. As it aged it developed broader shoulders, some tannin structure, spice, and it’s once luscious fruit has subsided just a touch. Still a favorite.  

Edward Sellers | 2011 Rosé

A 50/50 blend of Grenache and Syrah, and one of the biggest surprises from our recent Paso Robles visit. I believe this was a $12 bottle, and of all the rosés we had the pleasure of consuming was head and shoulders above with the exception of Denner’s…which was also north of $30. 

Find some. Buy some. 

Locations | 2011 F(rance)-1

We’re continuously surprised by Dave Phinney’s wine making here at Corkhoarder. Have been fans of his Orin Swift label for years. As he parted with some of Orin Swift, he brought in his Locations project. Currently offering a red blend from France, Spain, and Italy. We opened our France (F-1) bottle recently and it’s quite a bit different than his D44 bottle under the Orin Swift label. Softer tannins, bigger fruit, and chewy. The Spain and Italy shouldn’t disappoint if this is the standard.