Comments on: ☆ 2009 Silver Birch Sauvignon Blanc (Octavin)

By: Joshua S. Sweeney

Joshua S. Sweeney — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:11:35 +0000

Well, I personally did like the wine, and I managed to quaff the whole box before it "took a crap" so to speak, so I would still call it a value wine.

And boiling it down to a price per bottle suits my model just fine, but that's where Steve and I will agree to disagree ;-)

By: Yet Another Summer Wine Value « wine(explored) by wine(accessorized)

Yet Another Summer Wine Value « wine(explored) by wine(accessorized) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:52:02 +0000

[...] a value buy, not just a bargain, at $11, as my mate Steve Paulo at Notes From The Cellar will gladly and bluntly differentiate. It delivers a beautiful balance, a full-bodied flavor, and a complexity beyond the typical [...]

By: Ben Simons

Ben Simons — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:16:59 +0000

I haven't tasted this one yet, so I can't really comment on it. I do think that the "punching about its weight class" line is how I would view value though. Your point about not boiling these boxed wines down to $6 a bottle is well taken. If you can't drink all of the wine before it takes a crap, then you didn't get a good value out of it. I guess you would just have to view it as being reserved for large gatherings or something, in which case you have to ask whether you would want to serve it to a large gathering.

By: Sam @brokewino

Sam @brokewino — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:59:33 +0000

Value is totally an abused word in wine blogs, too often used as a synonym of bargain. To tee off of your point, just because you got a buzz off something that cost you $6 doesn't mean it's a value in a quality sense. Shit, go buy some Thunderbird, that's some fuckin' value.

By: Jesse

Jesse — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 01:08:15 +0000

i'm of the mindset – if a wine is 'punching above its weight class,' it's a good value. i just like saying 'punching above its weight class' more than anything.

By: Joshua S. Sweeney

Joshua S. Sweeney — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:58:20 +0000

Haha all I can say is “fair enough.” I'll keep my Silver Birch to myself next time you're around :)

By: Steve Paulo

Steve Paulo — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:10:34 +0000

We're none of us perfect ;)

By: Steve Paulo

Steve Paulo — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:10:15 +0000

Good luck, Brian! Go into any tasting with an open mind. As Josh points out below, I am, by significance, the minority voice here.

By: Steve Paulo

Steve Paulo — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:09:40 +0000

This is essentially my point, Jesse. It's also where I believe this wine falls down, and cannot be considered a “value.” In my opinion, it tastes just as cheap as it costs.

By: Norcalwingman

Norcalwingman — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:50:58 +0000

I wonder if you salted a highball glass and added a shot of vodka if it would make a decent greyhound?

Well, I have abox of this sitting on the bench waiting for review. I must say, this makes me warry, to be sure.

I've been on a Sauv Blanc kick lately. I tasted some seriously good ones over at Rutherford Dust tasting the other day too!

Should be fun (or terrible)
Cheers
Brian
norcalwingman