November 30, 2009

Germany 1963-2002: Rarities on Holiday Special

Germany 1963 - 2002
Masterpieces in Riesling from J.J. Prum, Weil,
Karthauserhof, Von Schubert, Dr. Thanisch...
A Library of German Rarities - Special Holiday Pricing

Mature German Rieslings are mysterious and evocative - few wines age as long, and with as much grace.

It's an experience not to be missed.

Older German Rieslings are some of the hardest bottles to find - the collectors who buy these wines tend to obsess about them as much as we do, and for good reason. There are few things as nuanced and mysterious as Riesling with 20+ years of age. The sweetness, slowly, disappears; the texture and frame of the wine gains in delicacy; the fruit and mineral integrate. They can be absolutely magical.

Suffice it to say that today's small library of wines from the top producers in Germany has taken well over 6 months to assemble.

| Read More

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 12:43 PM | TrackBack

November 25, 2009

Old-School Pommard: 93 M. Gaunoux Grands Epenots

Glorious, Evocative Old-School Pommard
1993 M. Gaunoux Pommard 1er Grands Epenots
Burgundy STEAL from Top Vintage, Drinking Now...

This is worth the quick read before you take off for your Thanksgiving feast. (You'll thank us later!)

Today, a quick indulgence into a small parcel of beautifully savage, old-school Pommard with all the fruit, game and muscle-bound grace you'd expect from one of Pommard's best producers and top sites...

...at a price that puts gorgeous, mature, glorious Burgundy within everyone's reach. (The pricing today is about as sharp as it will ever be.)

| Read More

Posted by Ian McFadden at 12:10 PM | TrackBack

November 24, 2009

Authentic Brunello: 2004 Cerbaie

2004 Cerbaie Brunello di Montalcino
"Burgundian" Brunello with Finesse and Purity
THE Value of the Monumental 2004 Vintage
Stunning Brunello at as Low as $38.95

Think Brunello is only about muscle, weight and heft?
Think again.

Brunello in its purest form has a shocking clarity to it, an aromatic fineness that can be incredibly evocative - smoke, fresh black cherry, bramble, fields of wild grass and perfumed flowers.

With Thanksgiving but hours away and a parcel of our favorite Brunello from the great 2004 vintage en route to the store for as low as $38.95 a bottle - it's time to "Back Up the Truck" under the Tuscan sun! (Wine should arrive today!)

| Read More

Posted by Bob Schagrin at 5:38 PM | TrackBack

November 23, 2009

"...salivating uncontrollably..." Willi Schaefer Back Up the Truck!

Willi Schaefer, DANCING
on Your Thanksgiving Table
A Magical Kabinett from a Magical Vintage,
Special Monday Back Up the Truck!
The Top 2007 Willi Schaefer Kabinett as low as $17!

"...left me salivating uncontrollably... I'm not sure I'll outlive it, but those who can ought to contemplate saving some for 25 years from now. Just make sure you have lots for in-between too!" -David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate

We'll cut to the chase here, because today we present one of the top Kabinetts from the utterly superb 2007 vintage at as low as $17 a bottle.

This is a mighty Monday "Back Up the Truck" with special Thanksgiving pricing available only on this single parcel of 2007 Schaefer Kabinett, received directly from the cellar of Willi Schaefer himself.

As Schildknecht suggests (above), this wine is stunning now - our white wine pick for the Thanksgiving table - but it will also develop in the cellar to join you for Thanksgiving 2034, should you have the patience.

| Read More

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 10:45 AM | TrackBack

November 19, 2009

Loire Royalty: Baumard Library Friday Steals

Loire Royalty, for a Song
A Library of Baumard's Epic Chenin Blancs
Savennières - Coteaux du Layon - Quarts de Chaume
1992 - 1995 - 1999 - 2001 - 2002

The legendary sweet and dry Chenin Blancs of Baumard cast a long shadow across the Loire.

The Baumard family is Loire royalty - they own some of the choicest real estate for producing monumental, long-lived Savennières and the famous sweets from the Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume. The wine journals are littered with tales of how these wines, both young and old, have served as mind-blowing benchmarks.

| Read More

Posted by Joe Salamone at 9:22 PM | TrackBack

Thanksgiving Pommard Special: Back Up the Truck!!!

2004 F. Gaunoux Pommard 'Les Tavannes'
1er Cru Quality at a Bourgogne Rouge Price!
A Special Thanksgiving "Back Up The Truck!"

Admit it. With a week to go, you still haven't decided what to pour for Thanksgiving.

It's a difficult situation to navigate. You’d like something bold, a juicy red that will stand out and impress, yet also pair well with the Thanksgiving meal. You'd like something special without breaking the bank but you've got 10 people (more?) coming over and aunt Mildred, let's be honest, will drink anything.

For us, the hunt for the perfect Thanksgiving wine began in late August and it wasn't until early October that we found the bottle.

It was worth the effort, because today we can offer a beautiful, traditional Burgundy at an incredible price, over 30% off its regular price: Francois Gaunoux’s Pommard "Les Tavannes" at as low as $33. (The last retail price we can find for this wine was $49 a bottle.)

| Read More

Posted by Tom Stephenson at 8:43 AM | TrackBack

November 17, 2009

The Return of Rayas: Profound Chateauneuf-du-Pape

2005 Rayas Chateauneuf-du-Pape
The Greatest, Most Collectible Chateauneuf?
The Mystique, the Magic of Rayas is Back

"The 2005 is clearly the greatest wine made at this estate since the 1995...utterly profound Chateauneuf du Pape."
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

Just to set the record straight: Rayas is back, with a vengeance.

The 2005 is perhaps the first truly spectacular Chateauneuf produced by the estate since the passing of Jacques Reynard. It is a simply explosive Chateauneuf - the 2005 Rayas is expansive, saturated with sweet dark fruits, an elegant and seemingly endless mid-palate awash with concentration and aromatics that can fill any room. Parker's notes, reproduced below, are worth reading.

| Read More

Posted by Ian McFadden at 8:52 PM | TrackBack

November 13, 2009

Sweet (Friday) Steal: BA at a Shocking Price

2003 Bert Simon Serrig Herrenberg BA
The Noble Art of the BA at an Extraordinary Price
Full 750ml Bottles for as Low as $38.50!

Producing a BA involves risk, patience and painstaking selection. They are among the greatest expressions of sweet wines in the world and they are priced accordingly...

...but not for today's sweet Friday Steal!

The BA is one of the highest art forms in German winemaking.

These are the rare German dessert wines, every bit the equal of the great Sauternes. Most German wine aficionados (unsurprisingly!) will tell you that the best German "stickies" present more than what a Sauternes can offer, with more elegance, finesse, minerality and acidity along with that magical, noble rot-inflected array of mango, apricot and honey. (See sidebar for more on the BA and noble rot.)

| Read More

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 11:34 AM | TrackBack

November 12, 2009

The Most Seductive Chardonnay: 1998 Dom Ruinart

1998 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs
The Most Seductive Side of Chardonnay...
at least north of Montrachet
As low as $99.99

"The 1998 Dom Ruinart is simply gorgeous."
- Wine Advocate

Dom Ruinart has a serious reputation for their Chardonnay - their Blanc de Blancs present one of the most suave and graceful expressions of the grape, at least north of Montrachet.

This is a bottling that is held in the highest esteem in Europe; it resides in force on the great wine lists of the continent, alongside elites such as Dom Pérignon, Krug, Cristal and Salon. Dom Ruinart has a reputation for aging that hangs with the big boys.

| Read More

Posted by Bob Schagrin at 10:53 AM | TrackBack

November 10, 2009

2005 Monprivato Pre-Arrival Deal

2005 G. Mascarello Barolo Monprivato
Rich Monprivato Echoes the Powerful 1999
Special Pre-Arrival Pricing...

"The best 2005s are exceptional and aren't too far off the levels top producers achieved in 2004."
- Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate

Mascarello's Monprivato is one of the greatest expressions of Barolo; it is also perhaps our favorite. Few achieve the Burgundy-like finesse that Mauro Mascarello coaxes from this top site.

Though long considered one of the great traditional Piedmont reds by insiders, it is really only in the last five years that this bottling's reputation has exploded. Make no mistake about it, Mascarello's Monprivato is now one of the most collectible Barolos, right up there with the top wines of Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa and Bartolo Mascarello, though at a fraction of the price.

| Read More

Posted by Bob Schagrin at 10:14 AM | TrackBack

November 9, 2009

2007 Hajszan Weissleiten Gemischt Satz Gruner Veltliner

2007 Hajszan "Gemischter Satz" Weissleiten
"Gemischter Satz" hits the New York Times!
Vienna's Traditional Field Blends on the World Stage

"My favorite gemischter satz is the 2007 Weissleiten from Stefan Hajszan, a gorgeous wine that is both delicate and intense." - Eric Asimov, New York Times, November 2nd, 2009

You have to give credit to the New York Times chief wine writer, Eric Asimov, for taking the wine drinking collective consciousness to new and fascinating places. Last week's article, about the traditional field blends of Vienna, is well worth reading - click here for article.

| Read More

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 6:58 PM | TrackBack

November 6, 2009

Burgundy 1990-2003: Friday Steals

Burgundy 1990-2003
Bachelet, Barthod, Chevillon, Drouhin, Faiveley, Jadot, Rousseau and more...
Special Pricing on Back-Vintage Burgundy

FRIDAY STEALS!

Today we present a special collection that we've spent some time putting together - beautiful red Burgundies from 1990 to 2003, from Grand Crus to village wines, every one specially priced for this Burgundian "Friday Steal."

This is a category of wine we are constantly on the hunt for, and we have to say, these bottles can be very elusive. Young Burgundy is easy to find, but as these wines slowly take advantage of time to open up, to develop, to come into focus, into balance...well, collectors are less inclined to give them up.

| Read More

Posted by Ian McFadden at 8:33 PM | TrackBack

November 4, 2009

Traditional Soul of 07 Chateauneuf: Vieille Julienne

2007 Vieille Julienne Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Tradition and Soul in Chateauneuf
Sharp Pricing on a Star from this Top Vintage

"Always one of my favorite Chateauneuf-du-Pape estates to visit, proprietor Jean-Paul Dauman has made Domaine de la Vieille Julienne a brilliant reference point for this appellation."
- Robert Parker

It's amazing the genius that can be produced when wines are not manipulated, when very old vines (100 years plus) are tended to thoughtfully.

Perhaps we shouldn't expect anything less, especially in "the greatest vintage" Robert Parker has experienced in his thirty years working the Southern Rhône, yet still, even with all the hype, the purity and soul of the 2007 Vieille Julienne is impossible to deny.

| Read More

Posted by Ian McFadden at 12:11 PM | TrackBack