This year we decided to drive which gave us an opportunity to explore another well-kept secret: The I-90 Wine Retailer Trail.
There is no such thing formally but wine deal hounds know the best deal come from retailers and some of the best can be found in Springfield, MA (Table and Vine review), Albany, NY (Empire Wine review), and another I discovered this year in Rochester, NY: Marketview Liquor.
I love to stop in Rochester on the way home at DiBella's Subs. A visit to their Italian Market at 620 Jefferson Road provides a look into the future of sandwiches in America. The build-out is impressive and the sandwiches are delicious. Hands down the best sub I've ever had. 99+ points!
Their location is situated in a strip mall with a Five Below and a DSW. When Deanna and the boys were talking about a quick stop into those stores I recalled that I'd seen Marketview Liquor advertisements on The Reverse Wine Snob. I popped out my iPhone and Google Maps told me I was less than 5 minutes away. Time for a quick trip!
The place quickly reminded me of Empire Wine. Tons of SKUs with an astute eye for value at all price points. Marketview is the size of a small/medium sized grocery store with entire aisles devoted to wine categories.
I was on a time budget so I set my sites on 2 categories: My long-time favorite California Pinot Noir and my new favorite Spanish Monastrell. Here are 6 wines I picked up:
2011 Juan Gil Monastrell - $11.99
I discovered this wine at The Capital Grille but I fell in love with it in Spain. I've tasted this probably 10 times by now alongside a lot of other wines each time, which provides an opportunity to appreciate its qualities. This may very well be the best red wine value in the world right now. Fantastic stuff.
2010 Alta Maria Pinot Noir - $24.99
I wrote about the 2009 vintage of this wine as a value alert and the 2010 is 90% as good. Such a solid wine in an very attractive package - can't go wrong here.
2008 Luzon Crianza Seleccion - $11.99
We visited this winery on our trip to Spain. Luzon is one of the benchmark producers in the region and I thought this specific bottling was where peak value occurred. We tasted a more recent vintage but this particular one got 90 points from Spectator and a Smart Buy nod. Popped one open - solid stuff. More recent vintages are even bettter.
2011 Francis Ford Coppola Votre Sante Pinot Noir - $9.99
I enjoyed this wine at Ruth's Chris not too long ago and hadn't seen it around at retail in MA so I hopped on this opportunity to pick some up at $9.99. At $9.99 you have to temper your enthusiasm a bit -- I'd call this wine "very good" rather than "outstanding" --- but what I like about it is how creamy the texture is along with legit Pinot markings. Hard not to like it. And for $10? Please!
2011 Castano Monastrell - $7.99
I don't know how else to say it: This wine is wildly under priced. I think it tastes like a $25 wine. So bold and delicious with enjoyable freshness. These guys know what they're doing and if you can find this for $7.99 (before discounts) I don't think you'd go wrong tossing a few bottles in to round out a case.
2009 Lynmar Pinot Noir - $38.99
I've been looking for an angle to get this in MA after finding it on a business trip to San Diego (at San Diego Wine Co - great shop) a few years ago. Former Kosta Browne winemaker Shane Finley is at the helm at Lynmar but this vintage was before his time. I loved what I've tested from them before and I'm even more excited about it now with Finley on board. Haven't tried this yet but will update once I do.
Marketview offers a 10% mixed case discount and ships to nearby states for around $25 (full policy and prices here). Unfortunately they can't ship to MA. Sign up for their newsletter here and follow them on Twitter: @Marketview
Question of the Day: What are some of best buys you see at Marketview right now?
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