Ballentine Vineyards ? Nice Change of Pace in the Napa Valley

Would you like to try something a little different than the usual wine-tasting fare of the Napa Valley? Try Ballentine Vineyards! It?s a little more on the old-fashioned side, with down-to-earth folks running the winery and keeping a very low profile. Continue reading

Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/ballentine-vineyards-%e2%80%93-nice-change-of-pace-in-the-napa-valley/

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Cos and Lamb

My good friend Marty Freitas has long carried a love of Bordeaux?s magic nectar, and on a blustery weekend in February, there really is no better time to crack a bottle or two, pop some lamb in the oven and enjoy the pleasures the two together can deliver. Marty had stood bottles of Cos d?Estournel [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gangofpour/uncZ/~3/5XBygU1W29M/cos-and-lamb

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Tasting Report: 2009 Roar Pinot Noir

Garys', Rosella's, Pisoni... While exploring top California Pinot Noir producers you'll inevitably bump into a short list of vineyards that supply folks like Kosta Browne, Loring, Siduri, A.P. Vin, and Miner with grapes. When you dig a little deeper you'll find that Gary and Rosella Franscioni are the owners of these vineyards and they produce wine under their own label: Roar.

The vineyards are within the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA in Monterey County California, which has become one of my favorite regions for Pinot Noir. The Russian River Valley, Anderson Valley, and the Sonoma Coast are up there too, but I'm really enjoying the bold fruit-forward Pinot Noirs from SLH.

The Franscionis have been farming in the area for over 100 years before getting into wine. They planted Rosella's Vineyard in 1996 then decided to make their own wine in 2001. It's amazing how quickly Pinot Noir quality has risen in California.

The name Roar comes from sound winds make as it tears through their vineyards. Roar recently released their Spring 2010 offer to folks on their mailing list. Their Pinots sell for $40-$50.

The winemaker here is Ed Kurtzman (Freeman, August West, and his own label Sandler) with consultation from Adam Lee (Siduri). They also make Syrah and recently added Chardonnay to their lineup.

Here are my thoughts on their 2009 appellation bottling.

2009 Roar Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir
994 Cases Produced
$40 Release Price
14.9% Alcohol

I had high hopes for this wine and it didn't disappoint. At all.

Opened it to help decide whether to buy their 2010's and I think I will. It's ready to go immediately upon opening but boy does it reveal more with time. Each sip was better than the one before it. Tremendous.

Started off as a very good/outstanding Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir but evolved into much more.

Brimming with incredibly ripe strawberries with supporting notes of dry kindling. Like imagine you're starting a campfire in the desert and you grab some mesquite and snap one open. Wow. But not doubt - the fruit dominates. It's just always followed up with enough savory complexity to keep it interesting.

Unfined and unfiltered, and it shows at times with slight siltiness throughout and occasional rogue sediment. The mouthfeel is silky smooth and in keeping with its category. Long finish. Tremendous wine. Carries its price tag ($40) and then some.

If it were an NFL running back it would be Barry Sanders - starts off looking like it's going to be just a solid effort and ends up breaking it wide open. So fun to watch it in action.

94/100 WWP: Outstanding

Based on this experience I'll be buying their 2010s and looking forward to trying more of their wines. You can find them around at retail, but you've got to look around.

Further Reading:

Question of the Day: Have you tried Roar Pinot Noir? If so what did you think? If not, what other producers in this category would your recommend?


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/15--RvKmI6w/tasting-report-2009-roar-pinot-noir.html

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Taste of the Nation Boston 2012 Promo Codes

Taste of the Nation Boston 2012 is coming to the Hynes Convention Center Thursday, April 19th. The event features a chance to taste dishes from over 65 Boston restaurants, 100 different wines, specialty cocktails, craft beer, and a silent auction and live entertainment.

Boston?s chefs and restaurants will participate alongside the event?s three Honorary Chef Chairs: Gordon Hamersley of Hamersley?s Bistro, Andy Husbands of Tremont 647, Jody Adams of Rialto, and Joanne Chang-Meyers of Flour Bakery.

Here's a list of participating restaurants:

  • Avila
  • Blue Inc.
  • Brasserie Jo
  • Cambridge School of Culinary Arts
  • Craigie on Main
  • Davio's
  • DelFrisco's
  • Flour
  • Hamersley's Bistro
  • La Morra
  • Myers & Chang
  • Rialto
  • Sandrine's
  • Tremont 647
For more information and to purchase tickets: http://www.strength.org/boston

Use promotional code VDAY2012 for 20% off.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/8yUwuGjLQeE/taste-of-nation-boston-2012-promo-codes.html

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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.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/x4ruIoL8u44/

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Do Case Discounts Actually Stifle Wine Purchases?

This question has been on my mind for some time so I thought I'd get it out there for discussion both from consumers and retailers alike.

If you're like me and many of my friends, your cellar is full, you've got more wine than you need and yet you're always in the market for certain specific wines. If a retailer has a wine you're looking for, and that retailer has a pricing model where for example a mixed case is 20% off - what do you do?

Do you put together a 12 bottle case of other wines you know you'll eventually drink? Do you get together with friends to split a mixed case? Or do you consider the whole production a hassle and delay the purchase indefinitely?

Are case discounts actually having the opposite effect they're intended to have?

There are basically three pricing models in stores in this respect: Low, medium, and high case discounts.

  • Low
    On the low side we have operations where the first bottle is offered at the maximum discount. There are no case discounts.
  • Medium
    In the middle is a more moderate 10% - 15% discount for a mixed 12 bottle purchase.
  • High
    At the other end of the spectrum are placed where 25% or even 30% discounts are offered for mixed case purchases of 36 bottles. Typical margin for a retail wine shop is 33% so when a retailer offers a 30% discount it's usually what's required to get the prices down out of the stratosphere.
For both the middle and high discount case purchase models, sale items are typically excluded because offering a wine for 30% off would create a situation where the retailer would sell a product for less than they paid for it. Not that a retailer would like to do this, but it's illegal in Massachusetts. Sale items usually count towards reaching the required quantity of bottles, but they're not discounted below their sale price.

Which model works best for consumers? And which is most effective for retailers?

My reason for writing this is I often find myself not buying from retailers whose model requires hefty case purchases for favorable pricing.

If there's one thing a deal hound hates it's paying more for something than he has to. Even if it's just a few dollars here and there, it's a percentage game because over time the dollars add up.

Some retailers will give you a case discount if you're a regular even if you buy just 2 or 3 bottles. While this sounds good in theory in reality it's annoying to both consumers and retailers. It's annoying to consumers the first time they visit a shop and the employee who typically gives them the discount doesn't ring them up. And it's annoying to retailers because once a customer gets a discount they expect it forever.

What do I Like?

I like a model where I only have to buy what I want, and everything I buy is at the best possible price. I like receiving emails offering specific wines at very aggressive prices that I can pick and choose from, buy what I want, and over time build towards a case purchase. Then, I'll either pick it up at the store or arrange for shipment a couple times a year.

This is different than what I look for when buying, for example, a bicycle. Or tires. I don't buy bicycles or tires often enough to sweat it. I just visit a local shop or two, consider convenience and service, and go with my gut instinct.

But when you're buying wine again and again it pays to think about this stuff. 

Consumers: What do you think? Looking back over the past couple years which models have earned more of your business?

Retailers: What are your thoughts on this? How did you decide to go with the case discount model you're using? And what trends have you seen as you've run specials offering deeper discounts with lower quantity purchases?


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/nbzNW5h5L1U/do-case-discounts-actually-stifle-wine.html

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April 11 ? 2012 ? Florida Jim Cowan?s 2012 Tasting Notes Archive

The 2012 archive is presented by date the notes were compiled and submitted. Prior year?s tasting notes may be found here. It has been awhile since I have had a wine like this and, of course, these days I can?t afford them. But yesterday, an old friend brought over a bottle that carried me away: [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gangofpour/uncZ/~3/nUQeMMr7YtY/jim-cowan%e2%80%99s-2012-tasting-notes

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Taste of the Nation Boston 2012 Promo Codes

Taste of the Nation Boston 2012 is coming to the Hynes Convention Center Thursday, April 19th. The event features a chance to taste dishes from over 65 Boston restaurants, 100 different wines, specialty cocktails, craft beer, and a silent auction and live entertainment.

Boston?s chefs and restaurants will participate alongside the event?s three Honorary Chef Chairs: Gordon Hamersley of Hamersley?s Bistro, Andy Husbands of Tremont 647, Jody Adams of Rialto, and Joanne Chang-Meyers of Flour Bakery.

Here's a list of participating restaurants:

  • Avila
  • Blue Inc.
  • Brasserie Jo
  • Cambridge School of Culinary Arts
  • Craigie on Main
  • Davio's
  • DelFrisco's
  • Flour
  • Hamersley's Bistro
  • La Morra
  • Myers & Chang
  • Rialto
  • Sandrine's
  • Tremont 647
For more information and to purchase tickets: http://www.strength.org/boston

Use promotional code VDAY2012 for 20% off.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/8yUwuGjLQeE/taste-of-nation-boston-2012-promo-codes.html

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