October 2006
October 26, 2006
Betts & Scholl Hermitage 2001
To my mind, the reference point Hermitage is from Jean-Louis Chave. If I were to own only one producer, he would be it. His legendary wines are, without a doubt, the most collectible bottlings from the appellation (the ultra-low production 2003 is currently trading between $600-900/btl, if you can find it).
The wine is sought out year after year due to its consistency, greatness, and scarcity. The Chave family's uncanny ability to turn out great Hermitage for the last half-century has been absolutely unmatched.
In the great 2001 vintage, Chave produced yet another masterpiece - a textbook, traditionally crafted Hermitage, now selling for $200-$300 per bottle.
Enter: Betts & Scholl
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Posted by email offers at 12:41 PM
October 25, 2006
Cambra "Uno" 2003
Imagine the following:
You're a 50-year-old vine. Every year, feet in the dry, infertile dirt, you're exposed to a blistering 2,160 hours of sunlight with summer temperatures pushing 105 degrees Fahrenheit. You're burning up, and the young enigmatic genius who tends to you won't give you a single drop of water.
The irony is that it's exactly because of this life and death struggle that you produce a grape of almost unimaginable intensity and concentration.
Yes, Rafael Cambra, one of the most innovative young winemakers in Spain, is pushing you to the limits of your existence to make a wine of other-worldly richness.
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Posted by email offers at 2:13 PM
October 18, 2006
Peacock Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
One of our specialties at Crush is finding rare, high-quality New World Cabernet Sauvignon for under $100. These are wines that have the palate impact of bottlings that sell for 50-200% more.
Small production wonders from this difficult-to-navigate category have been delighting our customers for the last year and a half.
Of note lately is the 2002 Peacock Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Posted by Bob Schagrin at 4:16 PM
October 17, 2006
Shelter Sauvignon Blanc 2005
We can�t tell you too much about this wine because its exact origins must be kept a secret. Yes, this is 007 meets the wine business.
What we do know is that 2005 Shelter Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley is blended from the top vineyards of one of the most famous winemakers in the region. Superstar vintners obviously don't want you to know where their extra juice goes, so it is sold with the promise that its identity will kept on the DL.
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Posted by Bob Schagrin at 3:06 PM
October 12, 2006
Guigal Côte-Rôtie Chateau d'Ampuis 2001
Ripe. Rich. Huge. Monstrous. But Elegant. Palate coating - teeth staining. What else would you expect from the famed Rhône Valley appellation Côte-Rôtie?
After all, it translates as "Roasted Slope." Unlike its southern neighbor Chateauneuf-du-Pape, wine from this region is nearly 100% Syrah - and I might add, this is the Syrah that defines Syrah.
The family estate of Guigal has defined Côte-Rôtie for many decades and is consistently the benchmark for all other winemakers in this region. They produce the three most revered and collectible bottlings of Syrah-based wine on the face of the earth: La Turque, La Landonne and La Mouline (collectively known as the "La-La" wines).
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Posted by Bob Schagrin at 12:33 PM
October 4, 2006
Vare Vineyards Bianco 2004
What do the following all have in common: Thomas Keller of restaurants Per Se and French Laundry, famed Californian winemakers John Kongsgaard and Abe Schoener, and eccentric Italian winemakers Josko Gravner and Stanto Radikon? They're all friends and fans of Vare Vineyards, a miniscule Napa Valley estate focusing on the "great whites" of Italy - Pinot Grigio, Ribolla Gialla and others. The results were so dazzling in 2004 that Per Se and French Laundry bought almost the entire production. But not all of it!
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Posted by email offers at 12:07 PM
October 3, 2006
Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray 2005
Today's Crush offer features the stunning wines of Vouvray's Phillipe Foreau. Foreau (along with Gaston Huet) *defines* Vouvray in the same overpowering way Penfolds Grange defines Australian reds, or Dom. Romanée-Conti defines Burgundy, or Chateau d'Yquem defines Sauternes. And while the wines just mentioned sell for hundreds of dollars a bottle, the legendary and mind-twisting wines of Phillipe Foreau sell for under $50!
Why so inexpensive? Chenin Blanc (the main white grape in Vouvray) simply isn't well known. Additionally, as Eric Asimov wrote in his New York Times blog the other week (lamenting Chenin's obscurity), Vouvray is one of the few places in the world suited to transform the grape into a wine of such complexity and finesse.
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Posted by Joe Salamone at 2:35 PM