I have no excuse for not blogging for 5 weeks.  There is nothing to say other than I am slack, slack, slack!  The funny (or not so funny) thing is, I actually wrote a post 2 weeks ago, and then COULDN’T bring myself to finish it.  I just COULD NOT come up with the right ending, and I got disillusioned with it and just left it unposted.  Ponzi Pinot Noir.  Interestingly, it is quite delicious and deserving of being posted.  So maybe one day when I get over my writer’s block, I will finish the darn thing.

But to break the dry spell, I’m going to pick several of the wines we’ll have open this Saturday (TOMORROW, November 7th from 12-2!) at Cellar on Greene and tell you a little bit about each one in the hopes of picquing your curiosity just enough to get you in here!  Saturday’s tasting will be a bit different from our normal Saturday set-up; there will be a charge of $10 per person to come in and taste- but every wine open retails for $30 and OVER!  It’s an amaaaazing opportunity to try some bottles that you’ve never had or might not normally pick out.  Plus, they will be available at CLOSEOUT prices!  And there’s something for everyone- we’ll have Bruts, Rose Bruts, Demi-Sec’s, wines from France, Italy, South Africa, California, Washington, and pretty much all over.

So, here we go!  First is a fantastic Brut from Iron Horse in CA, their “Classic Vintage” 2004.  For anyone that doesn’t know, most sparkling wine is labeled NV for Non-Vintage, which means it’s a blend of grapes from several different growing seasons.  Whenever a sparkling wine is a Vintage Year, like this 2004, it means that that particular growing season produced grapes of particular high quality, and they had enough character to stand alone in a bottle.  The Classic Vintage from Iron Horse is the most traditional of the Iron Horse Sparklings.  It’s rich, creamy, and goes with everything.  This is perfect for the person that thinks that only France makes good sparkling wine!  Isn’t it nice to prove those people wrong?  Wine Enthusiast gave this vintage 92 points! It will be sold for $28 on Saturday, normal retail is $38!

Next up is an amaaazing riesling, Jakob Schnieder Spatlese, 2007.  Oh please, please someone buy this wine.  My heart has been breaking for months because it is SO GOOD, and no one has noticed it sitting amongst the other rieslings.  This is a vibrant, round, pure riesling with a beautiful refined structure.  Packs a lot of fruit, finesse, and power- white peaches, tangerines, white flowers and candied citrus are all over this wine.  Wine Spectator gave it 94 points!  Normal retail is $36, this Saturday only $28!

This wine is something of a show-stopper; 2007 Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir from South Africa.  I lovelovelove this wine because it is so unique and different, and extremely well-made.  It scored a nice 93-point rating last year from Spectator. Now, in total honesty, this is not your sister’s friend’s Pinot.  It’s not going to be the light, bright, juicy strawberries and raspberries that a lot of people look for in a Pinot Noir.  This wine has a heck of an earthy substance to it, and it’s not afraid to use it.  It’s bold, aromatic, and ripe with black cherry, bramble, smoke, incense and the finish goes on for days.  We sold out of this wine several months ago at $38 a bottle, and we have a limited amount back in for $25 a bottle!

Another favorite of mine is the Le Serre Nuove della Ornellaia, 2006 from Bolgheri.  Lots of wine nerds that I’ve been reading online say that this wine is “Monumental!”  I’m not making that up.  It scored 94 points from Wine Advocate. Apparently the 2006 was something of a hallmark vintage for this winery.  I have nothing to compare it to, much less the 17 vintages that a certain Wine Advocate reviewer has tasted, but I can say that this wine is LIGHTS OUT.  Beautifully structured and approachable for being only 3 years old, it gives off ripe dark fruit, tobacco, grilled herbs, leather, tar and has an irresistible personality!  Normal retail on this one is $55, this Saturday for $42!!

Alright, and last but not least is the D’Arenberg “Dead Arm” Shiraz, 2006 from McLaren Vale, Australia!  This wine is also very well-known, and scores very high with pretty much every vintage, this year got a 91 from Spectator and 95+ from Advocate.  Dark purple in color, it is rich with aromas of meat, bacon, truffles, blueberries and blackberries.  Ready to drink right now, but it is built to age and could stand a few years in a cellar, if you have the patience.  Normal retail is $55, tomorrow for $40!!

Remember, there will be LOTS MORE to choose from, this is just a sampling!  I know $30-$40 a bottle is not exactly a small amount of money to pay for a bottle of wine, but keep in mind how 1.) insanely GOOD these wines are and 2.) you won’t find them for LESS!!  It’s the perfect time to grab that special bottle for your wine snob Uncle for Christmas!  And you get to TASTE all of them for $10!  I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  Plus you can hang out with some of the coolest people in the restaurant business, myself included!  See y’all tomorrow at Cellar from 12-2!!