Estampa Viognier-Chardonnay, 2009 Chile

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Yes, I know.  I just wrote about a Chilean wine.  But I warned you that I’m in a Chile phase, so I’m back at it this week!  And this one is WORLDS different than the last Chilean wine I wrote about.  Most notably that it is white, and the last one was red.  However, it is equally delicious and I am equally obsessed with it!  It’s especially fun to say- es-STAM-pa!  You will start to feel South American just by saying it. 

As you can see, I dipped into this bottle just a wee bit last night- just last night.  Not right now.  Definitely not right now, it’s only 2:30!   I would never do that.  Sure, there’s a glass of it sitting next to me here at the desk, but I’m just using it to remind myself of how it smells.  So let’s get to that, shall we?  Pretty notes of jasmine, fresh flowers and perfume are predominant, as this wine is mostly Viognier (85%).  The Viognier shows off nice hints of apricots and peaches as well- then the Chard kicks in a perfect punch of citrus to give it that pnice acidic quench.   Which is what I always search for in a summer white- you want your thirst to be quenched and to feel refreshed.  While at the same time achieving your optimal level of pleasant afternoon-in-the-sunshine buzz.  When this wine is very cold (which is how you will probably want it once July rolls around) it’s more of a lean-mean-heat-kickin’-machine, but if you let it come to just under room temperature (which is how a lot of hardcore white wine fans like thier wine) it shows off more of it’s round viscosity and hints of nice residual sugar.  It’s a true double personality- but that’s just what makes it more versatile! 

Check out Estampa’s website  for further evidence of why I MUST.GO.TO.CHILE. 

 

Oh, I almost forgot!  You’re going to love me for this one- this wine’s ONLY $11!  No way?  WAY!  If you don’t believe me, stop in to Cellar this Saturday, March 26th from 12-2 for our next Giant Wine Sale & Tasting and give it a try! 

Well that’s all the wine-nerding I have time for this afternoon, but here’s another little fun nugget for you:  my fellow ginger and Columbia wine nerd, James Alford, has just started a wine blog of his own!  He’s got a shite-ton of information crammed in that little brain of his, so be sure to check it out!   Fun reading.  If you don’t understand all the words he uses, you’re not alone.  That’s why Google was invented.  Just don’t dare play him in Words with Friends, or you might not like him anymore.  Just kidding, J.  Good luck in the blogosphere!

A Saturday afternoon quickie…

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A beautiful Saturday was spent by me at Cellar on Greene, with the doors wide open and my favorite Pandora stations on rotation all afternoon.  No wine sale today, so it was a fairly quiet day.  So what made it even better?  Ricky showed up at 5:00 with an open bottle of the 2008 Migration Pinot Noir, which MIGRATED (get it??!) all the way from Solstice to Five Points just to see me!

Actually, there was a wine sale this morning at Solstice, which is why this open bottle of Migration arrived at my doorstep.  I got lucky and scored some leftovers!  Anyway, this is a nice little treat for a warm Saturday afternoon.  For anyone that doesn’t know, this is a second label to the celebrated winery Goldeneye, and since I can remember we have sold the bejeezus out of every vintage!  This wine is perfect for that person you know that just LOVES Pinot Noir.  Which is a lotta people.  I guess that’s sort of an obvious statement on my part, but it’s true.  I personally go through wine “phases” as I know many of you probably do.  Can’t you think of one friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, mom, granny, who-ever that is in that phase where they feel like they’re the ONLY ones in the world who know about how awesome Pinot Noir is??  It’s like when you rediscover an old band and go around for days (weeks, even) convinced that you’re the only person on the planet who TRULY appreciates it.  Well, I’m sure their birthday is probably coming right up, isn’t it?  They would love this.  It’s a special bottle, but it won’t break the bank at $28. 

Moving on to the most important part- TASTE!  It’s a delightfully smokey little pinot, with fabulous notes of roasted herbs, mushrooms, violets, cherry cola, and a juicy backbone of red fruits.  It’s classy without being overbearing.  It has a nice “bang” of lush aroma, but not in a “I’m trying to be a Syrah” sort of way.  It’s firm in it’s identity as a Pinot Noir.  Which reminds me- here’s a hilarious “Dear Pinot Noir” letter, which might only be funny in a wine-nerdy sort of way, but I think it’s fantastic.  Go figure.  

I’m off to Vegas next week to drink wine for four days straight!  Follw me on twitter @winesnobsc and I’ll be posting whatever I’m drinking.  Not because I’m such a social media whore, but it’s probably the only way I’ll  have a chance of remembering what the heck I drank while I was there.  Stop in to Cellar on Greene to grab a bottle of Migration!  Or email us an order at cellarongreene@gmail.com!  If you mention that you read about it on The Wine Snob, you can have it for $26 a bottle, how’s that?  Sounds good.  Happy drinking!

Oscar Edition 2011… Veramonte Primus

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Okay, so last year I was enamored with Jennifer Lopez’s Oscar dress and wrote a blog comparing it to a delicious, pretty, feminine rose.  I suffered through watched the Oscars again this year because I really loved many of the nominees and looked forward to seeing the winners… anyway, what a snorefest.  Anne Hathaway, you are completely adorable and I loved five out of your seven dresses throughout the evening, and you were the only interesting thing about the awards this year.  James Franco is just too squirrelly.  You’re beautiful and bubbly and did not seem one bit nervous, which was awesome.  There were some great dresses this year, too- I loved Mila Kunis, though I don’t particularly adore the color lavender.  I loved Jennifer Hudson (even though there was clear evidence that her breasts maybe had makeup on??  wtf?) and  there were lots of other pretty dresses on rich people.  Of course. 

But really, who notices what the guys wear?  A tux is a tux is a tux, most of the time.  Like Jerry Seinfeld once said, “a tuxedo was clearly invented by a woman, who thought- ‘well, they’re all the same, we might as well dress them all the same.'”  So this year I decided to give the fellas a thorough examination.  Who was my winner?  Well, he’s a lovely mix of sex appeal and bad boy:

Jeremy Renner!  What a fine specimen he is.  And a damn good actor.  Even if you don’t find him attractive in the classic sense, you must admit that he’s chock full of sexy.  And he is rocking the heck out of this YSL tux.  Now I’m really no fashionista, but the navy detail on the jacket just takes it over the top.  Here he is in his badass role in The Town, rocking the “I’m-sort-of-an-asshole-but-doesn’t-that-make-you-want-me?” look:

Now, where to go from here?  Ah!  the wine.  What wine is classic, yet sultry and edgy?  A traditional blend of grapes that has been successfully modernized, looks clean and polished, and also offers some serious bang for your buck?  Well, since you read the title of this post, you already know.  So enough with the guessing games- Veramonte Primus, 2007 Colchagua Valley Chile!   I absolutely adore this blend of Cab, Syrah, Merlot & Carmenere.  I’m also going through a love affair with Chilean wines in general.  This wine is just FUN to drink.  It’s smoky, spicy, tangy, racy, has deep gorgeous color, and a bountiful nose of herbs, licorice, tar (yes, tar- and it’s not gross), and no shortage of ripe bursting-at-the-seams fruit!  It pulls off all this exotic-ness with such finesse that it’s almost shocking.   Oh and PS- Colchagua = Col-CHA-gwa.

So what does this wine have to do with Jeremy Renner?  Well, nothing technically– but this is what makes wine FUN!  Thinking of ways to draw your everyday life into learning about and tasting wine.  So while you’re google-ing (googling just doesn’t look right) pictures of attractive men and also drinking wine, it gives you an excuse to label it “productive.” 

So I made the mistake of sitting down to write while hungry… which has led me to fantasize about what to eat with this wine.  Just a thought:

When I go to heaven and meet baby Jesus, I want to be surrounded by nothing but cured meats, fresh grilled bread, cheese, olives, cornichons, mustards and any other little accompaniment I can think of.  HEAVEN in and of itself.  I require nothing more.  Except an endless supply of wine.   So we’ve covered almost all my vices in today’s post- sexy guys, good wine, good food, and good movies.  What have I forgotten?  Ah!  we have this wine in stock at Cellar on Greene for $16!  A bargain.  Happy drinking, eating and watching!

Spring Fevah! the only cure is… white wine.

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I’m pretty sure I’ve used that tag line before… but don’t hate.  Will Ferrell in a belly shirt hitting a cow bell never goes out of style.  But as for today- we’re having a small and miraculous dose of SPRING in February!  Isn’t it fantastic!  I love how we, in South Carolina, act like it’s been suuuuch a long winter and we’re SO ready for Spring- when the poor souls in New England (and lots of other places, too) suffer a much longer and more brutal winter than we’ve ever even imagined.  But be that as it may, we still get to throw open our windows for a few hours, air out the house, put a spring in our step and rejoice that we live in a Southern climate. 

Which is why I have had a serious taste for white wine the last few days!  And even though those who know me know that Chardonnay is not exactly my favorite grape- I’ve found two that really put me in my place with their deliciousness!   

First is the Novellum Chardonnay, 2009 Vin de’Pays.  I don’t think I’ve been this excited about a Chardonnay since the Chamisal Stainless I reviewed last year!   First because it tastes good.  But keep reading to find out the most awesome reason.  Robert Parker said this about the 2008 vintage of this wine, which I’ll quote since I can’t really put it better:  “The only reason not to enjoy this often over the coming year is if you insist on making an anti-Chardonnay or big-spending statement.”  So, ARE you one of those people who will insist on making an anti-Chardonnay statement??  That is so uncool.  Even worse are people who insist on making big-spending statements.  Just don’t do it.   Who are you really making the statement TO anyway?

Anyway- lovely, lovely, and more lovely is this wine.  Fresh, lively, gorgeous acidic and mineral content, and knock-out fruit- white peach, granny smith apple, tangerine, and a very pleasant hint of hazelnuts and light caramel.  It’s 30% barrel fermented, which translates to a beautiful silky mouthfeel and viscosity.  I really can’t say enough about this wine.  Oh wait- yes I can!  the best part… IT’S $11!  Oh.Em.Gee.  It’s really pretty stunning that this wine can be so good and so inexpensive.  How do they do it?? 

Next is another perennial favorite in the unoaked California Chardonnay category- Four Vines Naked Chardonnay, 2009 Santa Barbara– worth mentioning because it’s also pretty darn good.  And it’s $12!  That’s nothing to sneeze at.  Wine Spectator gave the 2009 vintage a nice little 88-point rating.  My taste generally points me more towards French Chardonnay, but the Naked is a pretty fun wine- more tropical than the Novellum, with lots of citrus, a nice quenching palate almost similar to a Sauvignon Blanc, and notes of pineapple, melon, and pears.  A ripe, flirty little Chardonnay.  This is the Chard that will leave you wondering why so many people hate on Chard.  So lets hear it- why do you think people hate on Chardonnay?  because Grandma drank it?  because they tasted a really cheap disgusting one (or two or three) at some sort of function and decided it sucked?    I’m curious.  

Before I sign off for today, a few items for consideration: the Novellum is available as part of our $90 Mystery Case this week (a new group of wines will be sent out today or tomorrow, but for last weeks- click here).   Huh?  you don’t get our wine club emails?  Tsk tsk.  $90 plus tax for a case of wine can’t really be beat, trust me.  Email us if you want to sign up!  Also it will be at the Wine Sale this Saturday the 19th (it’s supposed to be 75 degrees out!  holla!) from 12-2. 

AND- check Cellar on Greene out in the Free Times this week!  Bite of the Week- Duck Quesadilla.

Patricia Green Reserve Pinot Noir, 2009 Willamette

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I dreamed a little dream of an Oregon Pinot Noir… and it tasted JUST like the ’09 Reserve from Patty Green!   This here is a truly exceptional expression of Willamette Valley at a can’t-be-beat cost.  I love this winery.  Where else would you see a shirt like this?

I stole this from their website. Nice shirt!

It says Women Taste Better for the “I can’t find my glasses!” crowd.  I actually own one of these t-shirts, as I was extremely fortunate to be able to attend a wine dinner last year with co-owner and winemaker at Patricia Green Cellars, Jim Anderson.  I won’t brag about all the wines I had, but I did get to try the last vintage of their Chardonnay AND a special little late harvest Muscat that they only make a tiny bit of.  And let’s just say- everything they make at Patricia Green, they make well! 

The 2009 Reserve of which I write has yet to receive an “official” rating from Wine Spectator or the Wine Advocate, but if you look at the last several vintages, there is barely a rating below 90 points for the last couple years.  Many of their single vineyard selections are built to last (I sampled an ’04 at the dinner that was still a giant), but this ’09 Reserve is absolutely perfect as a young’in!  Basically the idea behind the Reserve bottling is- in simple terms- they take a bunch of wine from all the different single vineyards, put ’em together, wave their magic wand and POOF!  it is born. 

Okay, maybe not JUST like that.  But yes, the ’09 Reserve is made up of fruit from all the single vineyards (Ana, Croft, Four Winds, etc).  The juice that ends up in the Reserve isn’t of poor quality, before you leap to that conclusion.  No, they don’t just take the schwag juice and throw it in a bottle to sell.  They take tremendous care with all their fruit, and in particular they make sure that each vineyards specific qualities are expressed to their best potential.  So let’s say Vineyard A typically produces smokier fruit, just as an example.  If there’s a portion of Vineyard A that isn’t quite as smoky, WHOOSH- off it goes to be bottled under the Reserve label.  Kapiche?  Hopefully that makes sense. 

But enough about that, let’s hear about how it tastes!  Oh, darn… would you look at that… my glass seems to have been emptied since I started writing!  Funny how that happens.  I’ll need to top myself off, since I wouldn’t want to forget how it tastes…. 

Now, where was I?  Right.  Ripe, plentiful fruit greets you at the nose- cherries- both sour and black,  plums, and a pleasant hint of red fruit snacks (red fruit snacks can really be any one of a number of fruits).  After this wine introduces herself to you with the fruit content, her second act consists of notes of spice  box, cedar, savory herbs, and a little rose petal.  An  acidic backbone rounds it out and gives it a nice lift.  You almost want to smack your lips after you take a sip, it is so pleasant.  This would go so perfectly with so many foods, it makes my mind race… DUCK!  duckduckduck.  With any kind of fruit-based sauce like a cherry-balsamic glaze, or an herb bordelaise.  Topped with GOAT CHEESE!  Duck and goat cheese together are sublime.  If not Duck, easily Salmon.  Two of the most versatile species to prepare. 

Currently we’re pouring this gem of a wine at ALL THREE of our restaurants!  That would be Cellar on Greene, Mr. Friendly’s, and Solstice Kitchen & Wine Bar.  See my links/shoutouts page if you so desire.  You can also purchase a bottle to take home from us at Cellar for $27!  email us at cellarongreene@gmail.com if you’d like to order some!  Chances are it will be open for tasting at the Wine Sale next Saturday (February 5th from 12-2) as well.  Now, if that doesn’t give you many opportunities to taste and/or buy it, I don’t know what does.  Please stop in for a glass, we’d love to have you try it!  Hope everyone’s enjoying this 60+ degree day!

New Years Resolution: drink more.

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I’m really not one for New Years resolutions.  But I’m always happy to lend a hand for those of you who make them!  And I’ll offer my support in any area, really- but if you should happen to desire to DRINK MORE in 2011 (or even just learn more about wine), I can certainly offer my services!  So I’m starting 2011 off with one of my favorite wines of 2010.  I had fully intended to have this be a end-of-the-year post, but life gets a little too intense in the last two weeks of December, as I’m sure you know. 

But now we get to breathe and relax!  And take some time with a good bottle of wine again!  So allow me to reiterate:  I FREAKING LOVE THIS WINE.  I’d like to hail myself as having known the Craggy Range wines were something special when I first tasted them back in early summer.  As anyone who is in the restaurant business knows, we taste a lot of wines with different distributors over the course of any given week- and let’s be honest- not all of them are mind-blowing.  I am almost always polite when I taste wine, but a lot of times am forced to do the smile and nod.  Smile and nod. 

But every so often you have to do the “holy s@*!” and really mean it!  As in this case, with the Craggy Range Te Kahu, 2008 Hawkes Bay, New Zealand- a blend of 64% Merlot, 15% Cebernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Malbec.

I have a clear memory of the first time I tasted you, Te Kahu: I of course, was only half-listening to the schpiel about what I was tasting (true confession, sometimes I only half-listen until I realize it’s worth listening TO) and I assumed you were a Pinot Noir at first- why?  because I don’t think I’d ever had a red wine from New Zealand that wasn’t Pinot Noir.  True story.  As soon as I smelled you, I knew I loved you.  But no, no.  You are definitely not Pinot Noir. 

Rich and intense on the nose, it offers deep blackberry, exotic notes of sandalwood and incense, bay leaves, black olive and cinnamon.  There’s a nice salinity to this wine as well, that make it a really nice match for food.  Red meat is kind of a given, as Te Kahu’s tannin really calls for something to match it’s intensity.  However, it manages to strike a nice balance between a big red that you can sip on solo AND a big red that you can eat with a steak.  Hints of chocolate, tobacco and an untamed, wild and savory sort of personality round this bad boy out. 

FYI- I would die to go to New Zealand...

I sold a case of this wine, bottle by bottle, BEFORE it’s cool little 92-point rating from Robert Parker came out!  AND before your sister wine, the 2008 Te Muna Road Pinot Noir, was named one of the Top 100 Wines of the Year by Wine Spectator!  AND before Wine Enthusiast gave Craggy Range a 2010 Wine Star award for New World Winery of the year!  I knew you were a winner, Te Kahu!  And the more exciting part was that everyone I sold it to loved it.  You might think, a case?  that’s not really that much.  Well, it is when you’re a small wine shop.  And it is when you consider that we sell mostly $15 and under bottles of wine, and Te Kahu’s price at the time was $28.  We have a little over a case left right now, and we’re selling it for $24!  And yes, it’s the same wine.  We didn’t take a glass out and then seal it back up.  It’s the SAME.  But like every other kind of store on earth, sometimes we’re offered more competative pricing, and we, in turn, like to pass it on to YOU! 

As if that weren’t enough, we’re also pouring the Craggy Range Kidnapper’s Vineyard Chardonnay, 2008 by the glass right now at Cellar- which is a pretty kick-ass little Chard- and she is no slouch compared to her big brother, as she earned herself a nice little 92-point rating from Wine Spectator!  Come  give her a taste next time you’re on Greene Street!  She is mostly stainless steel with a little oak- lean and elegant, yet flirty with notes of apricot, almond and pear.  YUM.  Craggy Range makes about a million other wines that I’m dying to get my hands on, too.  Be sure to check out their website.  Beautiful stuff. 

Hope your 2011’s off to a good start!  and don’t forget to drink more.

Could it be?? The Perfect Sparkling Gift?

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The answer, of course, is YES!  It’s perfect.  The Mumm Brut Prestige (NV, Napa Valley) really had me at “Hello.”  The bottle looks sophisticated and well designed- Good Gift Reason #1.  It tastes delicious- Good Gift Reason #2.  It’s #48 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2010- Good Gift Reason #3.  Soooo… I’m thinking that’s all you really need to know.  No?  Well, okay, I’ll tell you a little bit more about it, but only because I like you.

Aight, so the Brut Prestige is an assemblage of primarily Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.   In true Napa-sparkling style, it strikes a near-perfect balance of gorgeous, warm, sunny fruit characteristics and a lively, refreshing, quenching acidity.  The website states that it is aged in *mostly* stainless steel- there are hints of yeasty spice and vanilla, which suggest a small amount of oak- but whatever the amount, doggone it if it ain’t just right!  The rest of the nose is pear, apple, fresh white flowers, apricot and melon.  What I love BEST about it (besides the fact that it’s reasonably priced) is the mouthfeel- it has that delicate “lift” that a sparkling wine can have- it feels sort of like an air-bubble in your mouth for a second, and the mousse is very fine, but not so fine that you can’t find the bubbles.  Cuz you want to know where da bubbles at when you’re drinking sparkling wine!

Here it is on our Top 100 Shelf at Cellar on Greene, flaunting it’s cool little 90-point rating.  Sooo… let’s see if we can find a celebrity to liken this wine to… Awwww man- I’m bringing out the big guns for this one! 

So this wine is classy, elegant, and most importatly- has never, and probably will never, go out of style.  Even if you’re not in the mood for wine drinking, it’s still bound to brighten your day.  Sometimes you probably forget how good it is, until you pop a bottle one Tuesday for no reason and are reminded- WOW- it’s been this good all along and has never faltered not even for a second!  Can you guess it?? 

sweet jesus that’s a good looking man

BRAD PITT!!  Yes, that’s right folks.  Did you forget about Brad Pitt?  You might have, since he’s so busy with the kids nowadays, and he has the beard sometimes which is a little distracting.  And he’s basically started a second career as a philanthropist and spends a lot of time on that.  But… do you remember Thelma & Louise?  I DO!!  I love him in that movie.  That might be my favorite cute boy movie of all time.  And by that I mean, you watch it just to see the scene with the hairdryer one.more.time.  So in a nutshell, the Mumm and Brad are one because they are timeless and perfect for any occasion. 

So, the last thing I need to mention is that the Mumm can be had for the cool price of 20 bucks!  Good Gift Reason #4- twenty bucks is the ideal amount of money to spend on a gift, in my humble opinion.  Stop in to Cellar and mention this post when you purchase the Mumm and I will also give you a pretty sparkly wine bag to put it in, thus negating the need for you to wrap it!  So that should wrap things up for this edition.  All in all it’s been a good writing experience, given that I got to stop halfway through and Google pictures of Brad Pitt.  Just what I needed tonight, and hopefully it was what you needed, too!

Chateau blahblahblah, 2007 Bordeaux Superieur

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I am just kidding.  I take wine VERY seriously, and I would absolutely NEVER make such a slight against this lovely bottle of French wine.  It’s proper name is Chateau Haut-La Pereyre, 2007 Bordeaux Superieur. 

Okay, true confession… I just spent a good five minutes Googling how to properly pronounce the name of this winery, but get this- they have no website (that I can find) and basically I have such a short attention span and get so intensely irritated when something cannot be Googled and resolved within five minutes, that I have elected to stop searching.  French has always been difficult for me- maybe it’s because I studied Spanish and my brain automatically wants to apply Spanish rules to French, which ultimately leads to disaster and embarressment.  Spanish makes sense to me- French does not.  Whenever I try to say something properly, I always feel like I’m saying it wrong and people will laugh at me.  So here’s my best guess- I know “Haut” is “oat,” and “Pereyre” is maybe something like “Pear-yay.”   There you go.  Now I feel stupid. 

French wine makes sense, though- which leads me back to my original point- we’re going to call this one Chateau blahblahblah for now, so that we can discuss how utterly fantastic this wine is, and not have to worry about how to pronounce it!  Okay??  Okay. 

Alright, let’s get started, shall we?!  This wine is ABSURDLY good!  You may remember from one of my last posts about French wines, when I was obsessing about the Domaine Lalaurie Marselan- that when I find a French wine that I like, I do tend to- well, like I just said- obsess.  Truly, it doesn’t happen that often, as most French wines I’ve been blown away by have also been very expensive and being paid for by someone other than me.  And in order for me to get into full-on obsession mode, it HAS to be reasonably priced.  Because how exciting can a wine be if you can’t afford to drink it??  Exactly.

Moving on.  So many beautiful aromatics on this wine’s nose!  Vanilla, cloves, cinnamon and black fruits are very densely accummulated in the glass.  The palate gives you a very distinct punch of graphite, minerality, thyme, and meatiness.  Everything is so seamlessly interwoven and nicely concentrated.  It’s only 13% alcohol, which means it’s a perfect wine to sip on for the duration of the evening.  Ever try to drink Zinfandel all night?  not pretty.  Trust me.  This wine, you can really invite in for the night.  Sit down on the couch with it, in front of the fire.  Now I’m really starting to sound like a single person, I suppose.  It would be tragic if this wine really wasn’t a better companion than most of the single male population of the Columbia area.  (I kid, I kid). 

a cute graphic of where exactly this wine comes from! if you care.

You know what?  that’s really all I have to say about this.  Oh, AND you can buy it at the Wine Sale at Cellar on Greene TOMORROW, 12/4 for $18!!   Yeah, that part is pretty cool. 

Thanksgiving Wine Packs!

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Alright, alright… I was absent for two weeks.  In my defense, my computer is having issues, but by sheer determination, I will bring you today’s post because it’s just that important!  It’s THANKSGIVING next week!  And that means Thanksgiving wine packs!  We at Cellar on Greene have prepared not one, not two, but THREE different four-packs of wine for you to choose from!  So without further delay, I present Thanksgiving Pack #1- “The Beginner”! Here they are looking all artsy because I have a cool new photo app…

“The Beginner” includes Conde de Subirats Cava Rose- NV Spain, St. Michael Riesling- 09 Germany, Chime Pinot Noir- 2009 California, and the L’Oca Ciuca “The Drunken Goose” Sangiovese-Merlot-Syrah blend- 2006 Italy. All four of these wines have been IMMENSELY popular in the last few weeks at Cellar.  I’m a huge, massive fan of the Subirats Cava Rose- its pleasantly dry and thirst quenching, but with nice amounts of juicy red fruits- strawberry, raspberry and a lean tight finish.  Fantastic stuff.  The St. Michael Riesling from Germany is a light, racy little Riesling with just the right amount of sweetness and great acidity.  We sold tons of this stuff at last week’s wine sale!  Chime Pinot Noir is nice and delicate smooth, with just the right combination of fruit and light earth.  And many of you will fondly remember the Drunken Goose Sangiovese blend!  We’ve sold cases and cases of this wine in the last several months, and it’s literally the perfect Italian “house” red!  It’s more new world in style, compared to the dry, dusty, tannic Italian reds that many of you distastefully remember.  It’s incredibly smooth and palatable.  An interesting blend of Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah that really overdelivers for it’s pricetag.  Speaking of pricetags!  This Beginner pack will only run you $38! That’s less than $10 a bottle!  This pack is perfect for bringing to a gathering of family members when you can’t break the bank, and want to bring something a lot cooler than green bean casserole!!

Next, the middle child- “The Wine Lover!”


This one could be my favorite.  It includes Domaine Carneros by Taittinger Brut- 2006 California, Loosen Brothers “Dr. L” Riesling- 2009 Germany, J Pinot Noir- 2007 Russian River Valley, and the Gilles-Robin “Cuvee Papillon” Rhone blend- 2009 France. I’m not sure you could pick four cooler wines to package together!  They’re like the boys from Entourage!  You probably won’t find a better vintage Cali sparkler than this one!  We normally sell it for $24 a bottle, so when you hear the final price on this four-pack, it’ll be a guaranteed shocker.  It’s fresh, with light toasty-yeasty notes and pleasant hints of cherry and lemon, PLUS it got a cool 91 points from Wine Spectator!  The Loosen Brothers “Dr. L” is definitely a customer and staff favorite I really don’t think you can do better than this.  It’s acidity is perfection and it’s fruit content is divine.  Beautiful pear, honeydew melon and peach fuzz.  Sunny and warm like a spring day!  This will be a mah-velous palate cleanser on Thanksgiving!  The acid content will help you recover from almost any rich dish you’re been indulging in.  Likewise, the J Pinot Noir has been immensely popular the last few weeks at Cellar.  Why?  Well, number one it’s good, and number two- we’ve been selling it for $22 a bottle which compared to the average retail/online price of $28-$30 is frigid’ rad!  It’s a gorgeous, sunny, plush, round, fruit-forward expression of the Russian River Valley!  Perfect for any Pinot-lover.  And last but not least, a delicious little Syrah that can be summed up with two words: WHITE. PEPPER!  White pepper, white pepper.  Well, okay- there are also some lovely aromas of violets, plums, prunes and olives.  This is a lighter, springier Rhone red- meant to be drunk young, and perfect with food.  So, you ask- what is the cost for this lovely four pack of perfection?!  Individually these would cost you $24, $13, $22 and $24 respectively, for a grand total of $82.  But, just for you- you can have ’em for $68! That’s a little more than 15% less!  I’m not the most excellent with calculations, so that is the closest I can get.

And last but certainly not least is Pack #3- “The Connoisseur!” This one is not for the faint of heart.

These are some seriously good wines!  And although they’re a bit pricier, you’re still going to be getting a MASSIVE savings of about 25% when you purchase this four-pack!  It includes Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve- NV Champagne, Chehalem Reserve Pinot Gris- 2007 Willamette Valley, Penner-Ash Pinot Noir- 2008 Willamette Valley, and Peter Lehmann “Stonewell” Shiraz- 2004 Barossa Valley Australia.  For anyone unfamiliar with the wonder that is Billecart Salmon- these bubbly’s are some of the best out there.  Their Brut Rose is literally to die for (but it will cost you an arm and a leg, as will their Blanc de Blanc).  The Brut Reserve, on the other hand, is a surprisingly affordable model!  A developed, rich nose of butter and cream, followed by a crisp, crunchy palate with an ultra-fine mousse and notes of white currant, lemon and apple.  French fizz simply don’t get much more delicious than this!  The Chehalem Reserve Pinot Gris is a simply gorgeous Alsatian style wine, and only 700 cases were produced!  This is smooth, polished Pinot Gris with a round, full mouthfeel and hints of lemon, ginger and pear.  It certainly will not disappoint.  Penner-Ash Pinot Noir, 2008 is brand new to SC!  I believe this is the first year, in fact, that they have been available here.  Several of my regulars have been blown away by this wine.  It has a slew of fantastic ratings- 91 Parker, 91 Wine Spectator, and 90 Stephen Tanzer.  Firm and lively, it literally glows with cherry, rose petal, incense, black raspberry, and vanilla.  Long, expressive, layered and exquisite!  And finally, the Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz- or as I like to call it “Mr. T.”  This wine pities the fool that cannot handle its immense intensity, masculinity and density.  A dark palate of chocolate, dark plum, licorice and mint.  This one’s a classic, and many consider the 2004 vintage to be the best in a decade.  It may require smoking a cigar post-drinking so that you can recover.  A perfect ending to the evening.  Now, get this- you can go ahead and google all these wines to see if we’re *really* offering good prices, but I know you won’t be able to beat ’em.  Individually these would cost you about $165- but when you buy the four pack from us- $120!

Here’s an important thing– we *cannot* guarantee walk-in orders on these, especially The Connoisseur pack, because we have limited quantities.  Our E-Wine Club members get priority!  What, you’re not on our e-list??  Well then you’re missing out, and we must change that.  Email us at cellarongreene@gmail.com and just ask to be added, and it’ll be a done deal.  The reason we prefer to do this is, well, it’s easier to keep track of all the different wines we have and what we’re selling- but also it WAY easier for you!  Just email us your order, and as long as you have a credit card on file with us, your wines can be ready in less than 24 hours!  You don’t even have to park your car in our pain in the ass parking lot!  Just pull up by the door- run in- we’ll pull your box- and you’ll be on the way home in no time.  I’m not trying to sound like a salesperson here, but it’s pretty easy and awesome.  So try it!  For many of our regulars, it’s the only way they buy wine and they swear by it.  Happy almost Thanksgiving, and I hope you can enjoy one (or two or three) of these wine packs!

In closing, my wine-blogging assistant wishes you a restful, stress-free holiday season:

Wine Sale Bargains!

/ thewinesnob / Leave a comment

Yes, ma’am- we’re still having a wine sale tomorrow (10-30), depsite the fact that there is a noon football game!  We’re just hoping that there’s enough of you out there that like wine more than football… or at the very least- wine BEFORE football- that it won’t just be us employees standing around looking at each other from 12-2 tomorrow.  Please, please don’t make us do this!  So today’s post will be short, sweet and to the point- bargains, bargains & more bargains!  Well just five, actually.  But they’re good!!

hot kitchen photo shoot

Here they all are, posing together.  First is Ca’Lunghetta Pinot Grigio, 2009 Italy.  Normally around $10-11 online or at your average Wine-o-rama store, we’re selling for $8 tomorrow!  Here’s all you need to know about this one- it’s light, bright, crisp, and it goes down reallll easy.  Or, in more polite terms, it’s “easy to drink!”  Refreshing flavors of green apple, citrus, melon, and a pleasant zesty finish.  You’re bound to love it.  It’s hard not to find it at the very least, quaffable. 

Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve Pinot Gris, 2008 California.  If there was one phrase that I would’ve seriously doubted would ever enter this blog it would be Kendall Jackson.  I doubt if I ever would have picked this one up at a store for the simple reason that I tend to stay away from the Big Cali Hype… but okay I’ll level with you- it’s actually very nice!  Brighter and not as “wet” as an Oregon Pinot Gris, it offers some pleasant flavors of apple, spice, lemon zest and nice floral aromatics.  Upon further investigation, it turns out this wine is 88% Pinot Gris, and the rest is made up of various percentages of Roussane, Gewurtz, Viognier, Muscat, Chardonnay & Riesling.  Go figure!  A prettt cool little blend.  Average price- $17, tomorrow for $13!

 

Time for some REDS!!  Two Pinot’s for all you Pinot-lovers out there… Dante Pinot Noir, 2009 California, just $10!  This is a Michael Pozzan wine, which I did not know until just now when I googled looking for images.  This wine is very competatively priced- it’s price range matches- IE $10 at your average grocery store- don’t even hold a candle to it, as it easily drinks in the $14 range.  Not super new-worldy, it’s a touch more earthy and gamey than you usually find in California.  Sour cherry, cloves, leather, and an easy-going palate.  Not the most complex wine on the planet, but who doesn’t love a good Wednesday wine for $10 that would taste great with a frozen pizza?  I sure do. 

Then we skip to the little “Superstar” of today’s post- J Pinot Noir, 2007 Russian River Valley!  Now we’re stepping up to $22 a bottle for this one, but given that it averages at least $30 a bottle, that ain’t bad!  Plus, this is some great Russian River juice- classic raspberry and strawberry, but with interesting additions like hints of mint, wintergreen, cinnamon, cloves, and lovely dark, rich black cherry.  100% French Oak aged.  This one will be a welcome addition to the “grown up” wine shelf in your house, for when you need something just a bit more, but aren’t willing to break out the reserve wines just yet.  Save those for when it’s December 23rd and you haven’t finished your Holiday shopping.  You’ll need them. 

And last but not least, our old friend the L’Oca Ciuca “The Drunken Goose” Sangiovese-Merlot-Syrah, 2006 Italy.  This has been a staple around here for quite a while and folks seem to really like it.  Maybe it’s the name, who knows!  This little goose is awfully cute, too.  The long and the short of this wine is that we’ve sold it for $10 a bottle in the past, but this weekend we’re marking it down to $8!!  What could be better than a good wine for $10, but a good wine for $8?!  Especially one you know you like.  But if you’ve never had it, remember you can try it on Saturday!  It’s very smooth, versatile, and is more fruit-forward than you might expect from the Chianti region. 

So come check these bad boys out!  Actually, if you come to the sale on Saturday and mention that you read this blog- or at least this post- I might hook you up with a little gift.  I’m something of a baker, didn’t you know?  Can’t turn that down, can you?