OTBN 13: A Night of Regret & Discovery

Although I was an avid and longtime reader of Dottie Gaiter and John Brecher’s weekly Wall Street Journal wine column, I never have participated in Open That Bottle Night (OTBN). Started in 2000, the event was created as an excuse to open a special wine that remains for whatever reason languishing in your cellar. I [...]

OTBN 13: A Night of Regret & Discovery originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.

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Spectator Surprises with Wines 10 through 6

Wine Spectator began revealing their Top 10 wines of 2012 today and there were more surprises than ever. Of the 5 wines revealed only 1 was guessed in our Scoop the Spectator 2012 contest - a shockingly low number.

Here are the 5 wines revealed today, along with some commentary on each along with Wine-Searcher links...

10. Achával-Ferrer
Malbec Mendoza Finca Bella Vista 2010

95 points / $120
1,250 cases imported

Surprising because Spectator tends to favor wines south of $100 for attainability purposes, plus Argentine Malbec is a value driven category so this pick is seems particularly strange. Where's the value?

Wine-Searcher from $88.99

9. Ciacci Piccolomini d?Aragona
Brunello di Montalcino 2007

94 points / $60
3,750 cases made

A bit of a surprise because it didn't hit 95 points. But $60 is a good price for a really nice bottle of Brunello and thanks to healthy availability it can be had south of $40. Definitely buy a bottle of this one.

8. Beringer
Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley Reserve 2009

94 points / $45
3,602 cases made

This one was the only one that wasn't a surprise. In their 2009 Napa Cab report this wine sticks out like a sore thumb in a good way. It's hard to find a 94 point rated 2009 Napa Cab for less than $100 let alone less than $50. Expect this one to vaporize quickly. Buy buy buy!

7. Shea
Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Shea Vineyard Estate 2009
94 points / $40
3,555 cases made

I think this was the most surprising of the surprising picks because none of the wines from the heralded 2008 vintage made the Top 10 and now a 2009 makes the list? Crazy.

The availability, at least according to Wine-Searcher, is a bit quirky. I'd expect to see more of this wine around given its production level. Maybe they've moved on to the 2010s by now? I'd be up for trying some. < $40 for a 94 point Oregon Pinot Noir is hard to find. Shea puts out a classy bottle of wine.

Wine-Searcher

6. Château Léoville Barton
St.-Julien 2009

95 points / $105
21,000 cases made

Okay, this one wasn't a huge surprise in hindsight either. Bordeaux isn't cheap but the metrics here stack up well and the wine is still available.

Wine-Searcher


I'd expect one more 2009 Bordeaux in the Top 5 (Pontet Canet maybe?) but I'd be really surprised if less than 2 2009 Rhones were in the Top 5.

So as of now, Joe C is in the lead for the $200 Amazon gift card courtesy of Grapes the Wine Co.

Further Reading:

Check back tomorrow as Wine Spectator reveals wines 5 through 3 tomorrow.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/P7A6SjE65so/spectator-surprises-with-wines-10.html

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More New Wines from Tablas Creek Vineyard

Hey, we got some new wines to try from Tablas Creek Vineyard, and guess what? They?re really good!!! (Like we haven?t been saying that for how many years now??) Here are our impressions, starting with one that we’ve never had previously. (Click images to enlarge.) 2011 Tablas Creek Vineyard Vermentino Paso Robles, 100% Vermentino, 13.1% [...]

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?Lafite is out, Conti is in.?

China pivots to Burgundy. Source: Theatlantic Via: The Atlantic Thankfully, the wine market’s sour turn could also just be a sign of changing tastes. Eighty-six of the 100 bottles Liv-ex tracks are Bordeaux, the traditional king of fine wine. But as the Financial Times wrote in May, recent auctions suggest that Hong Kong buyers, perhaps [...]

“Lafite is out, Conti is in.” originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.

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Top Values in 2010 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (and where to buy them)

Photo by wburris

With all the excitement surround 2010 Rhone as it relates to Scoop the Spectator 2012 I thought it would be interesting to pause for a moment and focus on the best actionable values in 2010 Chateauneuf-du-Pape. When I say actionable I mean wines that can still be had at retail for at or below release price.

But determining value is a little more complicated. Sometimes when people talk about value wines they really mean wines under some arbitrary price. But the deal hound knows that value can be had at all price points - it depends on what you get for your dollar.

When scanning through the ratings and prices in Wine Spectator's recent 2010 Rhone issue I noticed they didn't have a Top Values section for 2010 Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Although they did have a Top Southern Rhone Values section (CdP is part of the Southern Rhone) it was capped at $20. That being the case there were no CdPs in the value rankings.

We can scan the Top CdPs for good Quality-to-Price Ratio (QPR) wines but I thought I might be missing some good wines because the lowest rated wine in that list is 94 points.

To determine value within a category I use the wwpQPR equation (Wellesley Wine Press Quality-Price-Ratio). There's a JavaScript implementation of this calculator on the right side of my site. Give it a try if you're interested, but I've pulled Spectator's ratings for 2010 CdP and put them through the equation:

More on the WWP QPR here if you're interested, but here's what the wwpQPR scale looks like:

Interpreting the wwpQPR's Normalized Scale:

  • >8.0 Incredible value
  • 4.0-7.99 Outstanding value
  • 2.0-3.99 Very good value
  • 1.5-1.99 Good value
  • 1.01-1.49 Above average value
  • 0.5-0.99 Below average value
  • 0-0.49 Poor value
Normally I try to obtain these wines and taste them to offer an additional opinion to consider. But these 2010s, from what I've tasted, really need time to be enjoyable. Compared to the gregarious 2007s, these 2010s are more classically styled. That being the case, I doubt I'm going to pop a lot of these in the near term, least of all before the best values have disappeared from retailers.

All of these are 2010 Chateauneuf-du-Papes, sorted by value according to the wwpQPR Calculator:

  1. Domaine St. Prefert Charles Giraud 99WS/$75/3.20 wwpQPR (Very Good Value)
  2. Domaine St. Prefert Auguste Favier 97WS/$58/2.16 wwpQPR (Very Good Value)
  3. Domaine de Beaurenard Boisrenard 97WS/$70/2.16 wwpQPR (Very Good Value)
  4. Chateau Fortia Tradition 93WS/$31/1.94 wwpQPR (Good Value)
  5. Kirkland (Costco) Signature Cuvee de Nalys 91WS/$20/1.89 wwpQPR (Good Value)
  6. Le Vieux Donjon 96WS/$66/1.82 wwpQPR (Good Value)
  7. Domaine Giraud Les Grenaches de Pierre 98WS/$105/1.81 wwpQPR (Good Value)
  8. Domaine Giraud Tradition 95WS/$54/1.76 wwpQPR (Good Value)
  9. Domaine Giraud Les Gallimardes 97WS/$88/1.72 wwpQPR (Good Value)
  10. Domaine Ferrando Colombis 95WS/$58/1.64 wwpQRP (Good Value)

    How about that Costco wine sneaking in there? Don't think I would have caught that if I hadn't done this exercise. (PS I've tried had the wine, didn't much like it. 86 points WWP)

    Some of these we've talked about before -- Four 2010 Chateauneufs that have a very real chance of slipping away -- but those four wines were more through the lens of which CdPs have a shot at winning WS Wine of the Year.

    I wanted to push a little further to find the 5 best CdP values you can still actually buy.

    So I had to press on to the next 10 wines. I started catching white CdPs - had to filter those out of course ;)

  11. Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe La Crau 96WS/$75/1.60 wwpQPR (Good Value)
  12. Domaine de la Cote de L'Ange 93WS/$39/1.54 wwpQRP (Good Value)
  13. Clos des Papes 98WS/$128/1.49 wwpQPR (Good Value)
  14. Domaine Tour St.-Michel Feminessance 95WS/$66/1.44 wwpQPR (Good Value)
  15. Tardieu-Laurent Vieilles Vignes 96WS/$85/1.41 wwpQPR (Good Value)
  16. Chateau Fortia Cuvee du Baron 92WS/$55/1.37 wwpQPR (Good Value)
  17. Domaine de Cristia Renaissance 96WS/$88/1.36 wwpQPR (Good Value)
Of these 17 wines, here are the 5 best 2010 Chateauneuf values you can still buy along with some commentary:

Domaine de Beaurenard Boisrenard CdP
97WS/$70/750 Cases Produced
2.16 wwpQPR: Very Good Value

Still available between $60 and $70 but only from a few retailers: Wine-Searcher

Best East Coast play: Empire Wine at $70
Best West Coast play: K&L at $60

Note: Beaurenard also makes a regular CdP bottling that's also a nice value (93WS/$44). RP only went 91 points on this one so this should temper enthusiasm a bit.

Chateau Fortia Tradition CdP
93WS/$31/9,000 Cases Produced
1.94 wwpQPR: Good Value

Still available between $28 and $38 from numerous retailers: Wine-Searcher

Best East Coast play: $28 at Gary's
Best West Coast play: $28 at Vinopolis

Note: There is a 92WS/$34 "Cuvee de Baron" bottling as well (also a good value) and some retailers list a Rouge bottling which I don't see a rating for from Spectator.

Domaine Ferrando Colombis CdP

95WS/$58/400 Cases Produced

1.64 WWP QPR: Good Value

Some east coast availability between $60-$90: Wine-Searcher

Best East Coast Play: Grapes the Wine Co
Best West Coast Play: None

Note: A whopping 97 points from RP on this one so I'd expect it to go quickly.

Domaine de la Cote de L'Ange CdP
93WS/$39/6,000 Cases Produced

Better availability on the east coast south of release price: Wine-Searcher

Best East Coast Play: Gary's and Wine Library both at $32
Best West Coast Play: Vinopolis at $36

Note: They also produce a pricier Vieilles Vignes bottling (94WS/$62). 93 RP as well.

Clos des Papes CdP
98WS/$128/5,600 Cases Produced

Availability beginning to diminish at favorable price points but the ship hasn't sailed yet: Wine-Searcher

Best East Coast Play: Grapes the Wine Co
Best West Coast Play: Premier Cru
Best Massachusetts Play: Gordon's (though I doubt their pre-arrival offers are still actionable)

Note: Even when the 2005 won Wine of the Year it could still be found for just slightly over retail. I wouldn't go too nuts trying to track this one down. It's out there. 99 RP.

Hope this is useful. If you haven't already, don't forget to get your entries in for Scoop the Spectator 2012! Many of these wines haven't been guessed yet. Contest ends Friday and we're playing for a $200 Amazon Gift Card. Thanks for the entries so far! I've updated each of the entries with Wine-Searcher links to make it easier to find these wines.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/gHwGuU_otEQ/top-values-in-2010-chateauneuf-du-pape.html

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Who Needs a Sale When You Have Empire Wine?

Editor's Note: This site recently reached 700 subscribers! Thanks so much for following along - it means so much to me that so many of you find this kind of wine info useful. If you're not subscribed with an RSS Reader -or- signed up for email notifications of new posts you can sign up here.

I stopped and visited New York Retailer Empire Wine last summer on our way to vacation in Michigan. What an operation. Located within a large strip mall, I never would have thought to stop in if I wasn't aware of their reputation online. I couldn't believe the volume of wine they were pushing through their registers on a summery Friday afternoon.

One thing I want this site to be about is helping friends find better wine values. Part of that is finding outstanding retailers who sell wine on razor thin margins. As I'm writing this I'm imagining co-workers and cousins looking for specific retailers to order from, and specific wines to get started with. I think 6 or 12 of the wines below would make a great stash of wines for the holiday season.

With deals swirling around this weekend I thought it would be a good opportunity to peruse their selection and make a few recommendations:

  1. Cakebread Cellars Zinfandel 2010 $23.95
    $23 for what's sure to be a delicious red from Cakebread? Sold.
  2. Failla 'Sonoma Coast' Pinot Noir 2011 $31.95
    Great producer. Love the ~$30 price point for high quality California Pinot Noir.
  3. Snowden 'The Ranch' Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 $37.95
    Not the prettiest label in the world but this one over delivers for its price point.
  4. O'Shaughnessy 'Howell Mtn.' Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 $74.95
    Bumps the price up a bit over the Cakebread/Caymus/Silver Oak ~$60 level, but it's worth the splurge.
  5. Beaurenard 'Boisrenard' Chateauneuf du Pape 2010 $69.95
    97WS, great vintage. Getting harder to find these 2010s.
  6. Soter 'North Valley' Pinot Noir 2009 $24.95
    Soter's a great producer and I'm looking to try more 2009 Oregon Pinots before they disappear.
  7. Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2011 $23.95
    People love this producer and I'm hearing good things this 2011 Cru Beaujolais.
  8. Belle Glos 'Meiomi' Pinot Noir 2011 $15.93
    Stunningly low price, even when shipping costs are included.
  9. Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 $16.95
    Tasty fruit forward Napa Cab at a great price.
  10. Ridge Vineyards 'Estate' Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 $34.95
    Hard to go wrong with Ridge and priced in the mid-$30s this is a nice value.
  11. Bodegas Volver 'Tarima Hill' Monastrell 2009 $8.95
    I always like including a bargain Spanish Monastrell to round out a case. Original referral on this one came from The Capital Grille. Big and bold.
  12. Bodegas Borsao Tinto 2011 $5.95
    Robert Parker called this "Possibly the single greatest dry red wine value in the world" and rated it 90 points. Plug this into the WWP QPR Calculator (what's that?) and you get 3.36: Very Good Value. I've enjoyed other Borsao wines before and I'd bet this one is good too. What do you have to lose at this price point?
Wine Retailers: Do you have an e-commerce site I can peruse and build up a similar list? Drop me an email and let me know.

I'd love it if you subscribed to The Wellesley Wine Press to receive email notifications of new posts. I'm working on some great stuff in the coming weeks.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/WKnuBPmFcbM/who-needs-sale-when-you-have-empire-wine.html

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