Source: http://thecaveman.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-dry-dam-aint-dry-damn.html
Sunday 17 November 2013
Saturday 16 November 2013
2007 Sauternes & Barsac
Here you find the ratings of the 2007 Sauternes and Barsac wines from Robert Parker, Decanter and Wine Spectator:
Sauternes & Barsac
Decanter
Wine Advocate
WineSpectator
Price
Chateau d’Yquem
***** 19
96 - 98
97 - 100
Chateau Guiraud
**** 17,5
92 - 94
91 - 94
Chateau La Tour Blanche
**** 18
86 - 88
90 - 93
Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey
**** 18
91 - 93
91 - 94
Chateau de Rayne-Vigneau
***** 19
91 - 93
92 - 95
Chateau [...]
Sauternes & Barsac
Decanter
Wine Advocate
WineSpectator
Price
Chateau d’Yquem
***** 19
96 - 98
97 - 100
Chateau Guiraud
**** 17,5
92 - 94
91 - 94
Chateau La Tour Blanche
**** 18
86 - 88
90 - 93
Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey
**** 18
91 - 93
91 - 94
Chateau de Rayne-Vigneau
***** 19
91 - 93
92 - 95
Chateau [...]
Source: http://www.wine4freaks.com/41/2007-sauternes-barsac/
A Wine for Tonight: 2012 Apaltagua Unoaked Reserva Chardonnay
Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won?t break your budget and is widely available? If so, you might want to check out the 2012 Apaltagua Unoaked Reserva Chardonnay from the Casablanca Valley of Chile. Our selection criteria include: A very good Quality rating of [...]
A Wine for Tonight: 2012 Apaltagua Unoaked Reserva Chardonnay was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WinePeeps/~3/pnfbT5fCqVw/
Announcing Wine Blogging Wednesday 80, Dry Ros�
Back in the the first year of wine blogging (2004 for those just joining us) Lenn Thompson of LENNDEVOURS (now New York Cork Report) made a modest proposal and Wine Blogging Wednesday (WBW) was born. I joined the monthly virtual tasting back at WBW 7 in early 2005 and have continued off and on over […]
Announcing Wine Blogging Wednesday 80, Dry Rosé originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/X__cXo3Az7A/
2007 St. Emilion Grand Cru Class�
In this post you'll find an overview of the ratings of the 2007 St. Emilion Grand Cru Class� wines. We have gathered all ratings from Robert Parker, Decanter and Wine Spectator.
Source: http://www.wine4freaks.com/36/2007-st-emilion-grand-cru-classe/
Pinot Blanc Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Pinot Noir Syrah or Shiraz
Competition Winners Announced
The winners of the 70th annual Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition were announced today and the list is an impressive one! A box wine, a Scotch whisky, repeat winners (Armida Winery and baseball legend Tommy Lasorda) and so much more! Take a look at the winners here then check out the buzz on [...]
Greetings from Spain: Thoughts going into a week-long visit to Murcia
 |
| Cathedral of Murcia |
Mary Cressler http://vindulgeblog.com
Julia Crowley http://winejulia.com
Amy Gross http://vinesleuth.com/uncorked
Meg Maker http://megmaker.com
Cynthia Lowe Rynning http://www.grape-experiences.com
Ward Kadel http://www.winelog.net/blogs/drxeno
Beth Fontaine http://rollerskatingwithscissors.blogspot.com
Reputation
I was leafing through my Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia to get a sense for the relative esteem of the wines of Spain, and the regions we'll be visiting specifically. My copy is probably about 5-10 years old but as of then the region was generally not well perceived:
Regarding the Yecla DO:
"You might think that these stony-limestone vineyards between Alicante and Jumilla should do rather well in terms of quality, but although some decent wines can be found, nothing special stands out."
Regarding the Bullas DO:
"This is a large region just south of Jumilla where the soil is so poor that, aside from vines, only olives and almonds can survive."
But things are changing here quickly.
My first introduction to wines from this region came from The Capital Grille's Master Sommelier George Milliotes. George has selected a number of fantastic wines from this region - this quotes sums it up nicely:
"Monastrell is the greatest underappreciated red in the world today from a growing area (Alicante) that is barely known in Spain, let alone here in the US."
To be successful finding value wines with a similar flavor profile to the wines of Napa you've got to become familiar with lesser known regions and varieties like this one.
Lack of Familiarity
Despite my increasing interest, Spanish wines still comprise a very small portion of my wine spend. I asked friends on Twitter what percentage of their wine collection/consumption were from Spain and it sounds like I'm not alone. Most everyone I asked had less than 2% of their collection from Spain and the number was only slightly higher in terms of consumption.
I can only speak for myself but the primary reasons for this is are:
- A lack of familiarity with the regions
- A lack of affinity for specific brands
And how many Spanish wine producers can I think of that I'd specifically seek out? Hardly any especially compared to domestic brands. Brands are tremendously important in the American market and one thing I'll be looking at closely this week is how producers market their brands.
Coming from a more domestic wine driven background I'm comfortable picking up a bottle and seeing winery, vareity, vineyard/appellation and vintage. I was holding a bottle of Spanish Monastrell a few weeks ago and it wasn't clear to me at all where the wine was from vs. what was a family name vs. what was a brand name.
Clearing this kind of haze and knowing what to ignore when looking at a label is a key hurdle in building affinity for a region. It's like looking at street signs in a foreign country - you need to know how to ignore the multiple names for a street and focus on the important part of the name.
I once saw a tasting note where the reviewer said "I don't like the Bodegas wines" as if Bodegas was a producer. Bodegas means winery in Spanish -- the reviewer was clearly confused and didn't have familiarity with Spanish wine labels. It's this kind of confusion that visiting a place in person quickly clears up.
Outlook
I watched a bunch of episodes of Spain on the Road Again to familiarize myself with the region before coming. Remember that show? It aired on PBS a while back and it was the one where Mario Batali and Gwenyth Paltrow drive around Spain eating and drinking. As far as finding content that's aligned with an upcoming trip it was an excellent match, but it was really quite boring at times.
My goal this week? To avoid boring you. :)
I hope to provide some immediately actionable recommendations of wines of tremendous value from visits on this trip.
Here are 3 Sub-$10 Spanish Monastrell (that offer silly value) to get you started.
We're visiting Yecla tomorrow and slated to visit:
- Bodegas La Purisima
- Bodegas Senorio de Barahonda
- Bodegas Castano
- Bodegas Hijos de Juan Gil (in Jumilla on the way back)
Friday 15 November 2013
ZAP Festival 2014 Changes Course
The 2014 ZAP Saturday event will have a new look and feel this coming January. The location will be new and the format will be entirely revamped for the 22nd year of this annual Saturday gathering of Zinfandel oenophiles. What has been the ?Zinfandel Grand Tasting? will now be known as ?Tasting Tracks.? I spoke [...]
The post ZAP Festival 2014 Changes Course appeared first on Napa Valley Wine Blog.
Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/zap-festival-2014-changes-course/
Academy of Wine Communications:Twitter Basics Immersion for Wineries
Our next meeting of the Academy of Wine Communications here in the Finger Lakes will be followed by an interactive Twitter Basics Immersion for Wineries for AWC members.� The meeting and seminar will be held at Ravines Wine Cellars on Keuka Lake thanks to their offer to host us and let us utilize their wireless [...]
Canonica A Cerreto Sandiavolo 2004
I just had this lovely Italian wine the other day. It's a so called SuperTuscan so its made of other grapes that the local Sangiovese. The Canonica A Cerreto Sandiavolo 2004 is made of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese. Canonica A Cerreto is located in the heart of the Chianti Classico area in the town of Castelnuovo near Sienna. They also make traditional Chianti Classico but this one is their top wine only produced in the best vintages.
Source: http://www.wine4freaks.com/46/canonica-a-cerreto-sandiavolo-2004/
$20 for $40 at Alta Strada in Wellesley
Firmly the second best finer dining establishment in town (behind Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger) Alta Strada positions itself as offering upscale yet approachable Italian cuisine.. The voucher expires September 24th, 2013 so you'll need to use it this summer (when most everyone is summering in their Cape houses) or after back to school/parents night festivities shortly after schools reopen.
The offer can't be used towards alcohol but since restaurants in Wellesley require you to buy food when you're buying a drink you can use it towards the food items you enjoy along with wine. They've got a very good Italian wine by the glass program. And if you get in a jam and can't use it before the expiration date you could always grab some take-out from their market downstairs.
Check out the offer on LivingSocial here
TTB shutdown means wine label slowdown
The federal government has shut down “nonessential” services as of today. Surprisingly, that means that the federal agency that regulates the wine industry is also largely shut down. This is surprising because the agency collected $26 billion in revenues for the government–you’d think they would want to keep that flowing. I spoke with a staffer […]
The post TTB shutdown means wine label slowdown appeared first on Dr Vino's wine blog.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/fbtZ_g9UA8g/
Square Cash: The (new) dead simple free way to send money to wine friends
A while back I wrote about Amazon Payments and how it can be used to settle up financially with friends when splitting a wine purchase. Square Cash makes it even easier.
I've been experimenting with Square Cash since it came out last week. It's clear the service is obsessively focused on making it as simple as possible to transfer money from one person's checking account to another. The design is so minimalist it makes you wonder whether it'll really work - until the money is effortless deposited into your checking account and you wondered why money has been so hard to move around for so long.
Here's how it works...
In its simplest use model you send an email to a friend, cc: cash@square.com and include the amount you want to send on the subject line. I doubt anyone will be convinced this works right out of the box so I suspect many will, like me, download the app (iPhone and Android are supported) to trigger their first exchange. But the apps just populate an email so after a while I suspect we'll become comfortable with sending money via email.
As a sender, you provide Square with your debit card number, expiration date, and zip code. The recipient is notified of your generosity via email then the money gets deposited in their account once they provide a debit card number or ACH information associated with their checking account. The money is then transferred with in 0-2 days. In my early trials, transactions took less than a day. In some cases they money was there almost instantly.
The sign-up process with Amazon Payments is quite a bit more involved with occasionally cryptic error messaging that makes it unclear what's wrong with the accounts involved. Square Cash is a lot simpler in this respect. There is no Square Cash account per se - you just send money via e-mail and they try to stay out of the way.
The killer feature of Amazon Payments is how credit cards can be used with no fees. This provides an opportunity to rack up points and miles via credit cards transactions.
Some debit cards provide cashback or airline miles however, so if you can combine these with the ability to send money to friends it's a really compelling service.
But either way, Square Cash is my new favorite way to send money to friends to settle up for wine purchases. Shout out to my pal JF for the heads up on this service.
Limits are $250 per week until you provide the last 4 of your social at which point it bumps up to $2,500 per week on a rolling basis. That's enough to accommodate some serious wine transactions!
Related Reading
- Maximizing the value of the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Freedom credit cards
- 10 Reasons why the Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best travel rewards credit card
Thursday 14 November 2013
The Texas Viticulture Certificate Program
The Texas Viticulture Certificate Program Texas Tech University and Texas A&M AgriLife extension just pushed a email today and is now accepting applications for the Viticulture program starting this fall semester. This is your chance to get the education tools to get you started and not only grow and learn yourself but your vineyards […]
Source: http://thegrapesaroundtexas.com/2013/05/31/the-texas-viticulture-certificate-program/
TMiW 2 ? The Tastes They Are A-Changin?
Jeff Lefevere and I return to review the top wine stories of the past month including tongue-twisting wine names, a disturbing wine manifesto, trends in wine marketing, the stellar 2009 Bordeaux vintage and much more. Hosts: Tim Elliott and Jeff Lefevere Topics If the wine is hard to pronounce, is it worth more? Has wine […]
TMiW 2 – The Tastes They Are A-Changin’ originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/iEGpZ5My1aY/
Field Notes from a Wine Life ? Cover Story Edition
Odds and ends from a life lived through the prism of the wine glass…
The Wine Spectator Affect
When I received my November 15th issue of Wine Spectator on October 11th, featuring a cover shot of Tim Mondavi and an feature article on him and his estate winery Continuum, I captured some online research reference points so I could have a baseline to measure the effect that a flattering Wine Spectator cover story might have on a winery in the digital age.
Using Wine-Searcher, CellarTracker and Google Keywords search data to track various data points, the results, while not directly linked to conclusions, do indicate a small bump in interest as a result of the cover piece.
For example, Wine-Searcher data indicates that the average bottle price, an indicator of supply and demand, rose $2 month over month, from $149 a bottle to $151 a bottle.
In addition, the Wine-Searcher search rank (always a month behind) indicates that Continuum was the 1360th most popular search in September. By Friday, November 11th the Continuum search rank had increased to 471st for the month of October. (See the top 100 searches for October here).
Likewise, interest at CellarTracker increased, as well. The number of bottles in inventory from October 11th to November 11th increased by 177 bottles, likely no small coincidence.
Finally, Google searches increased fivefold from an average of 210 monthly searches to approximately 1000 monthly searches.
What does this all mean? Good question. The truth is, a Wine Spectator cover appears to have moved the needle a bit, and while the easy route is to take a righteous Eeyore approach to mainstream media and its blunted impact in the Aughts, as contrasted to what a Spectator cover feature or glowing words from Parker meant just a decade ago, I believe a more tangible takeaway is to realize that these sorts of cover stories don’t happen in a vacuum and that Wine Spectator cover and feature was likely a result of weeks, months or even years’ worth of effort from a PR professional.
In an attention-deficit, social media-impacted, offline/online hybrid world of information consumption with mobile and tablets proliferating, in order to break through to (and ultimately assist) the consumer, the value of the PR professional, an oft neglected part of the marketing hierarchy, in reaching out and facilitating the telling of a winery’s story seems to be more important than ever.
It’s not about press releases, it’s about people supporting and telling the winery story, repeatedly, as a professional function – that leads to media notice, and that leads to 14 cases of wine being sold and inventoried at CellarTracker in a 30-day period of time. It’s perhaps obvious, but not adhered to.
Wine Labels
To me, a wine bottle is a blank canvas that can either inspire in its creativity or repel in its insipidness. While I have a reasonably conservative approach to the kinds of wine I want to drink relative to technological intervention, I am unabashedly progressive when it comes to the kind of wine labels that appeal to me. In support of my interest with wine packaging, I keep an eye on The Dieline wine blog to see what’s happening in wine label design (another example from The Coolist here) and I also pay attention to the burgeoning field of wine label design contests.
What say you about progressive labels? Like ‘em? Loathe them? I placed a poll to the right.
Below is a slide show of winners from the recent International Wine Label Design competition.
Reconciling the Contradiction
I will lobby the nominating committee of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences on behalf of anybody who can help me understand how it is that in the span of a week I can see multiple research reports (here and here) on a revived sense of fiscal austerity by consumers yet other reports (here and here) indicate that wine above $20 is the fastest growing segment this year.
These two clearly don’t jive with each other, yet I’m witless to understand why wine is “trading up.” Help!
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/field_notes_from_a_wine_life_cover_story_edition/
Alan Kerr?s Vintage?s October 26th Release ? Tasting Notes
October 26th sees the first of the 2010 Bordeaux wines to come through Vintages. Naturally once again, 2010 is being heralded as one of the greatest vintages from Bordeaux in living memory. Gee, when have I heard that statement before? Given what I was able to taste, there was little that really impressed me. However, [...]
Comparing Wine Tasting in the Rhone Valley to the Napa Valley
We have just spent a wonderful week in the Southern Rhone Valley, roaming the vineyards of this beautiful land and visiting several wineries. I could not help but compare our experiences in the Rhone Valley to that of our broad travels in the Napa Valley. As I visited the Rhone Valley wineries, I was wishing [...]
The post Comparing Wine Tasting in the Rhone Valley to the Napa Valley appeared first on Napa Valley Wine Blog.
Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/napa-valley-rhone-valley-compared/
Sancerre to bid adieu to the AOC system?
The growers in the Sancerre AOC are more pissed off than pipi du chat. According to Jim Budd, their hackles have been raised because the national appellation bureau is closing their Sancerre outpost and centralizing regional functions in Tours, about 120 miles away from Sancerre. Jim says the growers find the situation so frustrating that […]
The post Sancerre to bid adieu to the AOC system? appeared first on Dr Vino's wine blog.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/o8QUO5lPDZU/
Saying Hi to Hye Meadow Winery
By: Dave & Kelli Potter We were excited to finally meet Mike & Denise Batek at Hye Meadow. The new winery is still under construction, but is filling out nicely. Apparently we were the first guests to visit, which is exciting in itself. As we drove down the muddy road to the site we […]
Source: http://thegrapesaroundtexas.com/2013/05/29/saying-hi-to-hye-meadow-winery/
Sparkling White Wine Rose Alex. Vall. Vyds Andrew Murray Arrowood
A Life in Wine: Stu and Charles Smith, Smith-Madrone
The Smith Brothers are living legends in Napa Valley. This great interview tells their story. via Hawk Wakawaka Wine Reviews A Life in Wine: Stu and Charles Smith, Smith-Madrone originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
A Life in Wine: Stu and Charles Smith, Smith-Madrone originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/nAKzbE3qYKs/
Wednesday 13 November 2013
EWBC12 ? Tech Tools
Every year at the EWBC, I conduct a workshop on tech tools that you may, or may not, be familiar with. Some are right off the innovation line, while others, have been around for awhile but need a reintroduction as to how they’ve grown or changed. I try to make it as jam packed as [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/RyyhE1zSp1A/
?For me, as my cellar can attest to, there is no more consistently delicious and over-performing wine in Beaujolais?
Beaujolais is�arguably�the best value in red wine right now and Lyle has an excellent list here to back up this claim. via�Rockss and Fruit “For me, as my cellar can attest to, there is no more consistently delicious and over-performing wine in Beaujolais” originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
“For me, as my cellar can attest to, there is no more consistently delicious and over-performing wine in Beaujolais” originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/zan4RAbNIVg/the-top-10-beaujolais-according-to-me.html
Public Service Announcement: Passwords Protect All of Us
Hacked. All files lost. Computer hard drive wiped. Phone dead. Twitter account hijacked. Think it couldn’t happen? Think again. Listening to the frightening details�on this podcast�about being hacked�that made me realize every niche community needs to hear a few basic facts on passwords. In a world where we all are supposed to remember details for [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/hcWq5-W4iDU/
The wines from Pierre Usseglio I
Domaine Pierre Usseglio is first and foremost a maker of�Chateauneuf-du-Pape but has also a couple of vineyards just outside the appellation. From these they make a good value�C�tes-du-Rh�ne and�a Vin de Table, where Merlot makes up�80 % og the blend. �I gave the 2006�C�tes-du-Rh�ne 2006�88-89 p. which makes it a good value. It’s a sort [...]
Source: http://www.wine4freaks.com/44/wines-from-pierre-usseglio-1/
Field Notes from a Wine Life ? Cover Story Edition
Odds and ends from a life lived through the prism of the wine glass…
The Wine Spectator Affect
When I received my November 15th issue of Wine Spectator on October 11th, featuring a cover shot of Tim Mondavi and an feature article on him and his estate winery Continuum, I captured some online research reference points so I could have a baseline to measure the effect that a flattering Wine Spectator cover story might have on a winery in the digital age.
Using Wine-Searcher, CellarTracker and Google Keywords search data to track various data points, the results, while not directly linked to conclusions, do indicate a small bump in interest as a result of the cover piece.
For example, Wine-Searcher data indicates that the average bottle price, an indicator of supply and demand, rose $2 month over month, from $149 a bottle to $151 a bottle.
In addition, the Wine-Searcher search rank (always a month behind) indicates that Continuum was the 1360th most popular search in September. By Friday, November 11th the Continuum search rank had increased to 471st for the month of October. (See the top 100 searches for October here).
Likewise, interest at CellarTracker increased, as well. The number of bottles in inventory from October 11th to November 11th increased by 177 bottles, likely no small coincidence.
Finally, Google searches increased fivefold from an average of 210 monthly searches to approximately 1000 monthly searches.
What does this all mean? Good question. The truth is, a Wine Spectator cover appears to have moved the needle a bit, and while the easy route is to take a righteous Eeyore approach to mainstream media and its blunted impact in the Aughts, as contrasted to what a Spectator cover feature or glowing words from Parker meant just a decade ago, I believe a more tangible takeaway is to realize that these sorts of cover stories don’t happen in a vacuum and that Wine Spectator cover and feature was likely a result of weeks, months or even years’ worth of effort from a PR professional.
In an attention-deficit, social media-impacted, offline/online hybrid world of information consumption with mobile and tablets proliferating, in order to break through to (and ultimately assist) the consumer, the value of the PR professional, an oft neglected part of the marketing hierarchy, in reaching out and facilitating the telling of a winery’s story seems to be more important than ever.
It’s not about press releases, it’s about people supporting and telling the winery story, repeatedly, as a professional function – that leads to media notice, and that leads to 14 cases of wine being sold and inventoried at CellarTracker in a 30-day period of time. It’s perhaps obvious, but not adhered to.
Wine Labels
To me, a wine bottle is a blank canvas that can either inspire in its creativity or repel in its insipidness. While I have a reasonably conservative approach to the kinds of wine I want to drink relative to technological intervention, I am unabashedly progressive when it comes to the kind of wine labels that appeal to me. In support of my interest with wine packaging, I keep an eye on The Dieline wine blog to see what’s happening in wine label design (another example from The Coolist here) and I also pay attention to the burgeoning field of wine label design contests.
What say you about progressive labels? Like ‘em? Loathe them? I placed a poll to the right.
Below is a slide show of winners from the recent International Wine Label Design competition.
Reconciling the Contradiction
I will lobby the nominating committee of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences on behalf of anybody who can help me understand how it is that in the span of a week I can see multiple research reports (here and here) on a revived sense of fiscal austerity by consumers yet other reports (here and here) indicate that wine above $20 is the fastest growing segment this year.
These two clearly don’t jive with each other, yet I’m witless to understand why wine is “trading up.” Help!
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/field_notes_from_a_wine_life_cover_story_edition/
St. Clement Staglin Stag\\\'s Leap Stags\\\' Leap Santa Barbara
The Real Reason Wine Bloggers Are Not Relevant To Advertisers
Almost all of us don’t treat blogging as a business. And those few who do find building a community around a wine blog very, very difficult. Without hundreds of thousands of pageviews a month, advertising on blogs of any topic is not a viable business. Source: Typepad Via: FERMENTATION There are are a grand total […]
The Real Reason Wine Bloggers Are Not Relevant To Advertisers originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/XmEQn_LBewI/
Tuesday 12 November 2013
Announcing Wine Blogging Wednesday 80, Dry Ros�
Back in the the first year of wine blogging (2004 for those just joining us) Lenn Thompson of LENNDEVOURS (now New York Cork Report) made a modest proposal and Wine Blogging Wednesday (WBW) was born. I joined the monthly virtual tasting back at WBW 7 in early 2005 and have continued off and on over […]
Announcing Wine Blogging Wednesday 80, Dry Rosé originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/X__cXo3Az7A/
The Ten Most Affordable Wine Spectator WoTY Candidates (you can buy right now)
Go to this post to submit your entry for Scoop the Spectator 2013
I spent a little time researching which Wine Spectator Wine of the Year candidates were still available for purchase at retail.
I searched using these characteristics:
2009 BODEGAS MUGA Rioja Selecci�n Especial Reserva
I've enjoyed Felsina Fontalloro but haven't tried this bottling. Strong availability at around $50 and some listings below $40 even. Buy buy buy!
I searched using these characteristics:
- Rated in 2013
- 95 points or bettter
- $150 or less
- 500 cases or more produced
- Ignored unusual categories like Tokaji, Port, and Vin Santo
- Decent availability remains according to Wine-Searcher
Here are the ten most affordable WoTY candidates you can actually buy right now:
2011 BEDROCK The Bedrock Heritage Sonoma Valley
95WS/$37/500 cases
The metrics on this one are mind boggling, and fans of Bedrock are delighting in the high marks this one received. Unless it means diminished future allocations then they're against the publicity. This is what Bedrock is known for: Incredible California wines at fair prices.
The naming convention on this one is the kind of thing that drives consumers bonkers. Typing in "bedrock heritage 2011" into Wine-Searcher and you'll get a lot of false positives. But some availability remains. Even if this one doesn't win Wine of the Year (I doubt it will) it seems like a good wine to track down.
95WS/$43/4,000 cases
I see wines from Bodegas Muga around quite a bit, but I'm not terribly familiar with their lineup. This wine has tremendous availability in the mid to high $30s so at 95 points it's definitely one to try. WoTY metrics certainly look strong but somehow it would be a surprise if this wine won.
2008 SCHIAVENZA Barolo Serralunga
95WS/$50/511 cases
I've never heard of this producer but availability is surprisingly strong given the production levels.
Wine-Searcher link
2009 FATTORIA DI FELSINA Cabernet Sauvignon Toscana Maestro Raro
95WS/$50/511 cases
I've never heard of this producer but availability is surprisingly strong given the production levels.
Wine-Searcher link
2009 FATTORIA DI FELSINA Cabernet Sauvignon Toscana Maestro Raro
95WS/$60/6,000 cases
I've enjoyed Felsina Fontalloro but haven't tried this bottling. Strong availability at around $50 and some listings below $40 even. Buy buy buy!
2004 CUNE Rioja Imperia Gran Reserva
95WS/$63/4,000 cases
It's unclear whether this 2004 was released late, or Wine Spectator just reviewed it this year. The tasting note mentions this being "firm and a bit austere" so I'm not a buyer. But it's readily available below $50.
2009 SHAFER Relentless
95WS/$63/3,300
When the 2008 was named WS WoTY the 2009 had just been released. I went out and bought 3 bottles of the 2009 for $55. Both the 2008 and 2009 are fantastic in my opinion. The 2009 has an even higher CellarTracker average rating than the 2008. If you're buying for enjoyment (as opposed to investment/flipping purposes) I say buy the 2009. There's a scattering of availability around the country in the mid to high $60s.
2010 DOMAINE SERENE Evenstad Pinot Noir
95WS/$65/6,000 cases
I've been chasing this one a while now. I've seen a few email offers from retailers for this, but by the time I'm ready to pounce on them they've sold out. Great metrics here from a well regarded producer. Still available in the $50 to $60 range and a viable contender for WoTY.
2010 DONUM Carneros Pinot Noir
95WS/$72/589 cases
I'm a buyer on this one if I can find it for around $60 fully loaded. That's a challenge, although I do see it available at Wine.com for shipping to some states (but not all). I've never tried Donum but would like to. I think this is a long shot for WoTY but I bet I'd enjoy it more than the Domaine Serene.
2010 DOMAINE CHARVIN Chateauneuf-du-Pape
95WS/$75/500 cases
2010 Rhone reds were the odds on favorite to win WoTY last year so I was shocked when the Shafer Relentless was selected. I thought for sure St. Cosme or Donjon would win. This Charvin seems to have snuck into their 2013 ratings as a web only review. I think Wine Advocate was 95+ on this one as well so it's got solid metrics even if it's a little pricey.
2010 E. GUIGAL St.-Joseph Lieu-Dit St.-Joseph
95WS/$75/665 cases
Another recently reviewed 2010, this one from the Northern Rhone. Available for as little as $57.95. I think Rhone is a huge longshot this year but if you like the style this one sounds like a good play. 95 WA as well.
Conclusion
So will one of these wines, that's sitting in plain actionable view, be selected as Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year? Imagine the arbitrage opportunity if you bought a couple cases of the winning wine and flipped it! ;)
Many of these wines haven't yet been selected as entries in this year's contest. If you haven't submitted your entry yet have a look at the list of wines that have been guessed and pick a wine that hasn't been selected yet.
Questions of the Day: Do you think any of these wines have a shot at WoTY? Which of these wines do you think are the best plays for sheer enjoyment?
The Texas Viticulture Certificate Program
The Texas Viticulture Certificate Program Texas Tech University and Texas A&M AgriLife extension just pushed a email today and is now accepting applications for the Viticulture program starting this fall semester. This is your chance to get the education tools to get you started and not only grow and learn yourself but your vineyards […]
Source: http://thegrapesaroundtexas.com/2013/05/31/the-texas-viticulture-certificate-program/
How long does it take wine to overheat in a car on a hot day?
"How long? Not long. Because what you reap is what you sow."
-Rage Against the Machine
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
-Galatians 6:7
Friends, I've got good news and bad news.
Good news first
The good news is Blanchards in West Roxbury, MA has 1.5L bottles of 2007 Donjon CdP for $100 and they're eligible for 15% if part of a mixed 12 bottle case. That's a great price for a great wine from a great vintage.
Donjon is one of my favorite Chateauneuf producers year in and year out. It's like they can't make a bad wine. Even in challenging vintages the wine is tremendous, and the 2007 in particular is spectacular. All juicy, brambly and earthy. If you're able to find 750ml bottles clanging around they typically sell for $55-$60. And magnums of CdP usually sell for more than double the 750ml (for some strange reason).
So $85 for effectively 2 bottles of '07 Donjon and no tax on wine in Massachusetts!
What's the bad news?
The bad news is I bought one of the magnums (last I checked online they had 5 bottles remaining) and did a very dumb thing with it. I accidentally left it in my car during the day and we're experiencing a summer heat wave here in Boston.
Here's how it happened...
Last night I met with a couple of great friends who are into wine for a BYOB night at a restaurant in West Roxbury. Blanchards is in also West Roxbury so we stopped there prior to dinner since I hadn't been there in a while. They had some nice deals especially on daily drinkers! The 2011 Castano Monastrell for $7.99 before discount. The 2011 Juan Gil Comoloco for $7.97 - not eligible for discount but it does qualify towards 12 bottles for the 15% off. With those and a few others I was able to get to 12 bottles no problem.
But then we were going to dinner and had a bunch of wine we didn't know what to do with. It was evening so the sun was going down yet it was still pretty warm - probably in the mid 80Fs. We brought a bunch of bottles into the restaurant with us especially the more expensive ones like the Donjon.
After dinner we brought the wines back to my car and headed home. When I got home I brought in what I thought was all of the wine - a cardboard 12-pack box and a 6-pack carrier.
The next morning I went off to work and visited a customer site. It was toasty out, but I figured I would be inside in air conditioning all day so no biggie, right?
However, when I went out to lunch at noon I heard a couple of bottles clanging around behind the back seat of my car. I got a sinking feeling I'd left some wine in the car from the night before. In fact, I had.
I thought "Good thing I realized this before it got too hot in the car!" However, when I stopped the car and had a look at which bottles were behind my seat I discovered two very bad things:
- One of them was the magnum of Donjon!
- One of the bottles was already leaking red wine!
What happens when wine gets hot?
Here's a good article from Jancis Robinson on the subject:
Heat is a quiet killer of fine wine. At just 28 �C, the cork seal breaks, pumping fresh oxygen into the headspace.
Above 30 �C, in less than 18 hours, the aroma oxidises and loses its brightness, the colour browns, the sulphur dioxide drops, and there is permanent chemical damage to the wine. At 39 �C this damage occurs in just six hours!
Much of this damage occurs silently, well before the wine seeps out of the cork as a telltale sign. The only indication of this damage is that when the consumer drinks it she says, 'I cannot believe Parker gave this 95 points and my supplier highly recommended it! I trusted him!' The brand loses value, and you lose a customer.
What now?
It got hot enough for my wine to seep out by noon. Although, I'm not sure whether it was the Donjon -or- the other 750ml bottle I had next to it. I just saw that it leaked on the brown paper bag and the Donjon label. I might get lucky - it might have been the 750ml bottle that leaked first. It would seem logical that a larger bottle would take longer to heat up. But according to the article quoted above even if the wine hasn't seeped out the damage could already be done.
What should I do? Should I drink the wine right away to see if it's bad? Should I devote it to science and drink it alongside a (hopefully) known good other bottle of the same wine as a control? Should I taste it blind to see if I can guess which one is cooked if it's not obvious? I could learn from this situation!
What does "cooked" wine taste like?
Unfortunately I've got some experience with what cooked wine tastes like. When we were moving back to Massachusetts from Arizona I had a couple cases of wine. I didn't want to fly back with it so I took a chance and had the moving company move it along with the rest of our stuff. Bad idea - especially in the middle of summer in Arizona where temps regularly crack 110F.
Every one of the bottles was cooked. I could see red wine remnants on each of the capsules and after tasting one bottle after another I thirsted for something - anything - fresh. Every one of the wines was just dead. Stewy. Non-fresh. Not good.
So I have a sense for what cooked wine smells and tastes like. So I think I'll be able to detect what state this Donjon is in.
Lessons Learned
Obviously the lesson learned is that wine can heat up very quickly in a car - even in New England. A common occurrence in Napa in the summer is for someone to love a wine at a winery, put it in their car, let it roast then wonder why it's not as good at home as it was at the winery. I knew not to leave my wine in the car in the heat, but even when I realized my mistake I thought for sure I'd be okay if the car was in the shade and it was the earlier part of the day for a few hours.
That's not the case and this will make me more conservative when I have wine shipped here - even from in-state retailers and wineries. The back of those FedEx trucks can get warm I bet! Better to be safe than sorry.
The unfortunate irony is I was razzing my friend about being too paranoid about provenance. And I was careless and got burned.
It could be $85 down the drain. Not the end of the world but obviously not the desired state.
How long does it take wine to overheat?
How long? Not long.
I accidentally left the wine in the car for 3 hours and it leaked.
Like Tow Mater says in Cars 2 "I never leak! I never leak!"
What you reap is what you sow.
Be careful with your wines and eliminate owner-inflicted exposure to heat to give yourself the best chance of enjoying your wines at their peak.
It seems like just yesterday we were talking about it being too cold to ship wine. Now it's way too hot. Best to stick to spring and fall shipping schedules and avoid iffy situations in extreme temperatures.
I'll try to find an occasion to pop the Donjon soon. I'll let you know how it goes when I do. Subscribe to the WWP and you'll never miss an update.
Question of the Day: What would you do now if you were in my shoes? Pop the bottle open as soon as possible? Get another bottle as a control to compare this potentially cooked bottle to? Relax and try to enjoy it - it might be fine?
Monday 11 November 2013
Rolando Herrera ? Mi Sue�o Winery
Our weeklong adventures continue in the Napa Valley with a tour and tasting at Rolando Herrera’s Mi Sue�o Winery, and then a visit to the busy Oxbow Public Market in Napa. Rolando Herrera Rolando Herrera is a winery owner, winemaker, and wine entrepreneur. We met Rolando as he was tasting barrel samples at his Mi [...]
The post Rolando Herrera – Mi Sue�o Winery appeared first on Napa Valley Wine Blog.
Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/rolando-herrera/
November 5, 2013 ? Florida Jim Cowan?s 2013 Tasting Notes Archive
The 2013 archive is presented by date the notes were compiled and submitted. Prior year?s tasting notes may be found here. November 5, 2013 2004 Fevre, Chablis Les Clos: Either this is tired or the pox is just beginning; pleasant but not more. Find this wine 2004 Ridge, Chardonnay Monte Bello: Darker in color than [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gangofpour/uncZ/~3/xlBmnnqwmGo/jim-cowans-2013-tasting-notes
2007 Medoc 5. Grand Cru Class�
Here you'll find an overview of the ratings of the 2007 Medoc 4. Grand Cru Class�. We have gathered all ratings from Robert Parker, Decanter and Wine Spectator.
Source: http://www.wine4freaks.com/33/2007-medoc-5-grand-cru-classe/
TMiW 2 ? The Tastes They Are A-Changin?
Jeff Lefevere and I return to review the top wine stories of the past month including tongue-twisting wine names, a disturbing wine manifesto, trends in wine marketing, the stellar 2009 Bordeaux vintage and much more. Hosts: Tim Elliott and Jeff Lefevere Topics If the wine is hard to pronounce, is it worth more? Has wine […]
TMiW 2 – The Tastes They Are A-Changin’ originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/iEGpZ5My1aY/
Sunday 10 November 2013
Grand cru, says who? Nespresso edition
Ah, the power of wine terminology in conveying cachet to food, drink or other luxury products never ceases to amaze. Today’s case in point: Nespresso, pre-ground espresso beans encased in tin pods that stay fresh for a decade. As I wandered out of Grand Central Terminal one day last week, I was accosted by a […]
The post Grand cru, says who? Nespresso edition appeared first on Dr Vino's wine blog.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/OXyOTCATLjo/
Whitehall Lane Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc Riesling Chenin Blanc
Blue Ostrich 2011 Roussanne
What has not been said about the Blue Ostrich Winery & Vineyard that has not been said? Not much so if you have not made the trip up to Saint Jo, Texas you?re missing out on a hidden gem of a winery. If you live in the North Texas area you really have not […]
Source: http://thegrapesaroundtexas.com/2013/04/07/blue-ostrich-2011-roussanne/
A Little Competition Never Hurts!
That’s right – it’s time. The Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition begins tomorrow. Nearly 100 international judges, more than 3,000 international wines. Who will take the gold? Keep coming back to find out more information about the 3-day event and watch for judges to be blogging and twittering in between judging!
How to improve the use of social media in the wine business?
Introduction: For over 3 years, we have worked closely with the Burgundy School of Business both as a company – hiring interns to work with the EWBC, and as a research engine – helping us conduct field studies on various subjects. This year, Aymeric Dehont conducted a host of research for us, which eventually inspired [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/dLfNv2Jzzxw/
TasteCamp East:Bloggers Arrive in the Finger Lakes
This is one of my favorite times of the year.� I’m fortunate enough to be included on the list of wine bloggers and writers who get asked to attend TasteCamp East, organized by Lenn Thompson and Evan Dawson at The New York Cork Report. Last year, Long Island Wine Country hosted our group and although […]
Source: http://familylovewine.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/tastecamp-eastbloggers-arrive-in-the-finger-lakes/
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