A bun in the oven and wine in the glass

Picture this: a guy sitting around a table with three pregnant women having drinks. That was the scene recounted to me once by an internist about his wife, an obstetrician, and two of her OB/GYN colleagues while they attended a medical convention. He told me that the doctors considered drinking in moderation was safe. They [...]

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Mystery: whole cluster

The harvest of the 2012 vintage has begun in some parts of the northern hemisphere. Here’s a picture of some whole clusters of grapes, just harvested. Strut your grape savvy by telling us which variety are they are. Degree of difficulty: 8. Let’s hope they don’t have a stuck fermentation, otherwise would be a whole [...]

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New York Wine Retailers Dealing Aces Lately

I've noticed some enticing deals from wine retailers lately - especially from New York. Here's a few that caught my eye the past couple weeks:

Sokolin

Is it just me or do flash sale sites typically come out of the gates strong then fizzle? That may be the case, but it's all the more reason to jump on Last Call by Sokolin. Their first offer was impressive: 2006 Oreno for $39. Compare at around $110 in Massachusetts!

Empire Wine

I visited this place last year on our way to Michigan. I've never seen on operation quite like it. At noon on a Friday and they had 5 registers ringing people up as fast as they could and the line was still 20 people deep. Their latest Ship 4 Free deal is a nice one: The 2008 Betts & Scholl The O.G. Grenache for $17.95/btl with free shipping on 4.

Zachys

I'd heard of Zachys for years but never associated them with deep discounts. Until now. Have a look at this list of California Pinot Noirs before they're all gone. Littorai, Cobb, Black Kite, Radio-Coteau, Pisoni, Loring, etc. Quite the list. Free shipping on $100 or more. (thanks to my friend who sleuthed this from this deals thead on the CellarTracker forums and the original poster)

Grapes the Wine Co.

If you're not on Daniel Posner's email list you're missing out. He's always offering great deals but you've got to be on the list to hear about them. Sign up for his newsletter if you like wine deals.

And subscribe to The Wellesley Wine Press if you like hearing about wine deals.

Question of the Day: Where are you finding wine deals lately?


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Kendall-Jackson Humanizes Their Brand

It’s rare when network TV and wine come together but when it does I take a look. I’m not a regular viewer of Undercover Boss but might be after this episode at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates. New President Rick Tigner works at the bottom of this organization and learns a lot. And he does the right [...]

Kendall-Jackson Humanizes Their Brand originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.

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iTunes Now Includes All Podcast Episodes

This podcast predates iTunes so when it started only a portion of my shows appeared on the feed. After I posted my latest podcast I decided it made sense to consolidate all the shows into the iTunes feed with all future podcasts published in mp3 format. Down the feed to Winecast 33 are enhanced AAC [...]

iTunes Now Includes All Podcast Episodes originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.

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Gift Baskets

It seems that every year the gift basket business gets bigger and bigger. From corporate gift baskets to those of us who simply don’t know exactly what to buy for our loved one’s…..gift baskets offer a real alternative and the industry is growing as a result. While I can appreciate that every business (like every [...]

Source: http://winewithmark.info/archives/668

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2010 Calera Central Coast Pinot Noir: QPR Alert?

When Wine Spectator dropped a 93 point rating on the 2010 Calera Central Pinot Noir it was a second validation that this bottling has become one to be reckoned with in the California Pinot Noir value spectrum.

The 2009 vintage was rated 92 points by the Wine Advocate, and combined with its modest $24 release price and relatively high production levels (around 10,000 cases) the wine seems destined to join the likes of Siduri and Loring as perennial Pinot value plays.

I was just browsing through the Wine Spectator rating database and man...I had a hard time finding a 93 point California Pinot Noir for $25 or less. I had to go back into the early '90s to a time when Pinot was in its infancy in California and producers were just getting started with the grape to find a Pinot this affordable and highly rated.

But when you're buying by the numbers you're hanging your hopes on one person's palate. In the case of Wine Spectator that's James Laube who has a reputation with some for preferring ripe wines - and he states as much in his tasting notes for the wine: "very ripe but still complex". [Spectator online subscription required]

If we consult the wisdom of the masses we currently see a Cellar Tracker community rating for the 2009 at 89.1 and the 2010 is currently averaging 90.3.

If we run these metrics through the WWP QPR Calculator (what's that?) we get a 2.5: A Very Good value.

The wine is also referred to as the 35th Anniversary Vintage - and there's some confusion and duplicate entries on Cellar Tracker for sure. But there's no special bottling to seek out. If you're buying the 2010 Calera Central Coast Pinot Noir you're getting the wine that Spectator rated 93 points. Here are my thoughts on the wine:

2010 Calera Central Coast Pinot Noir [35th Anniversary Vintage]
$24 Release Price
14.9% Alcohol
7,688 Cases Produced

Primary [very] ripe plum notes mug the otherwise nice Pinot characteristics lurking in the background. 14.9% alcohol (up from 14.2% in 2009) and it shows. The wine clings heavily to the glass and there's heat at the backend of every sip. An instantaneous aerator the first night and an evening of rest under stopper didn't help accelerate the aging process. Will this be better with time? I wouldn't count on it. But for $24 retail it's a decent wine I guess. I just can't see my way to 92 or 93 points.

88/100 WWP: Very Good

Where to Buy


In Massachusetts:
Elsewhere: Search on Wine-Searcher.com in your state

Question of the Day: Have you had this wine? If so, what did you think?


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