February 26, 2010

Structure, Concentration, Energy: Bouchard Le Corton

Structure, Concentration, Energy, Value
2007 Bouchard Le Corton
Secret Gem of the Vintage - Lowest Price in the Nation

"A truly magnificently complex nose that is layered, dense and broad... rich, full and powerful big-bodied flavors... the length seems to go on and on. Impressive and built like it."
- Burghound

No region in the world is more confounding than Burgundy. Vintages like 2005, where you can throw a dart and hit a masterful wine, are very rare.

In nearly every other year, to find the great wines, the wild values, some sleuthing is necessary. You have to talk to your neighbor about that hail in Vosne. You have to ask about that new upstart in Gevrey - what exactly was that gleaming stainless steal machine they brought down into the cellar?

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Posted by Ian McFadden at 10:49 AM | TrackBack

February 25, 2010

Huet 2008: New Releases, Special Pricing

2008 Huet: New Releases from the Legend
Clos du Bourg Sec and Le Mont Demi-Sec
Special Pre-Arrival Pricing

"The 2008 Domaine Huet wines deserve to be singled out for their beautiful quality this year, as they have really turned out special and will make cellar treasures."
John Gilman, View from the Cellar

Huet is one of the special, soulful, collectible and still (gulp!) affordable treasures of the wine world.

The Vouvrays of Huet are simply adored, they are lovingly sought out by collectors, wine geeks, everyday drinkers and just about everyone else with a taste for purity and elegance.

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Posted by Ian McFadden at 1:37 PM | TrackBack

February 24, 2010

Pinot Noir "Back Up the Truck" - Copain

Masterful Pinot Noir Value
2007 Copain Pinot Noir "Tous Ensemble"
Our First Ever "California does Burgundy"
BACK UP THE TRUCK!

"It's clear from the superb quality of several of these wines that Guthrie is a first-rate talent and will be heard from in the future." Allen Meadows, Burghound

First of all, let's correct the Burghound's words: Wells Guthrie is already being heard from!

Wells has certainly established a cult-ish reputation for his authentic, old-school Syrahs and Pinot Noirs. Yet the Burghound's comments are noteworthy as they come from a man who has spent his life completely immersed in Burgundy... yet he has to give Wells serious praise for the Pinots he produces in California.

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Posted by Chris Cottrell at 10:34 AM | TrackBack

February 23, 2010

Gaillard Syrah Sequel (50% Off)

Fruit, Spice and Everything Nice: The Sequel
A Selection of Pierre Gaillard's 2006 St Josephs
More 50% Off Stunners from the Northern Rhône

As you may remember, our Gaillard Côte Rôtie email sold out in a few hours. Today we present you with the chance to snatch up his St. Josephs at up 50% off - but act quickly!

Because we don't have much of this wine!

This is the "Syrah Sequel" to the other week's Gaillard Côte Rôtie offer. Today we feature an exploration of St. Joseph, one of the Northern Rhône's most misunderstood appellations, once again at simply ridiculous prices.

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Posted by Chris Cottrell at 11:00 AM | TrackBack

February 22, 2010

2007 Fourrier: Special Pre-Arrival Pricing

Brilliance, Clarity, Precision: 2007 Fourrier
Special Pre-Arrival Pricing
Gevrey-Chambertin VV - Aux Echezeaux - Cherbaudes
Clos St. Jacques - Griottes and more...

"The 2007s here are pure magic, and amongst the very finest wines to be found up and down the Côte in this lovely vintage... I cannot recommend them highly enough."
-John Gilman, The View from the Cellar

This time of year, thoughts of Fourrier loom large for just about every Burgundy fanatic. This is the season when importer Neal Rosenthal receives his allocation of Fourrier and the feeding frenzy begins.

For 2007, the frenzy is likely to be considerable. Those who have tasted Fourrier's 2007s speak of an incredible marriage of producer and vintage: John Gilman's comments, above, are but one example. 2007 offered everything Jean-Marie needed and the collection has just incredible grace, clarity and such a tremendous nuance of expression.

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Posted by Ian McFadden at 11:49 AM | TrackBack

February 19, 2010

Keller 2007 Spatlese R: "Natural Balance"

"So maybe this is a 38-year wine?"
2007 Keller Riesling Kirchspiel Spatlese "R"
Lavish, Exotic Rheinhessen Riesling from the Master

This is what happens when Klaus-Peter Keller lets an 1,800 liter barrel of Riesling from the awesome 2007 vintage ferment spontaneously and find its own "balance."

What you end up with is a Spätlese of nearly overwhelming concentration - this is, after all, an expression of the already legendary 2007 vintage (the bottle was simply released later by Keller).

This 2007er flaunts exotic fruit that seduces the palate, a textural play that is spellbinding and a style and length that is very impressive. There is not a rough angle to be found in this wine - not a gracious curve out of place - this is supremely elegant, a flowing gown of a Riesling with layer after layer of texture.

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Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 1:00 PM | TrackBack

February 18, 2010

Ruthless Mineral: Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne

Ruthless Mineral
2007 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne
The Greatest Grand Cru Burg Buy Out There?

This is fairly shocking.

Go to the Burghound database and do a search *only* for the words "Corton-Charlemagne."

What you'll find is a string of legendary Coche-Dury - this is not the surprising part. The 1989 Coche Corton tops the list (estimated price $2,000+ per bottle). Then the 1996 and 1999 (expect to drop over $2,000 a bottle here too) followed by the 1990 - which, if you can find it, will set you back about $4,000.

In position #5, however, after this $10,000 parade of Coche-Dury, is the glorious 2007 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne. Today we offer this stunning Grand Cru white Burgundy at the lowest price in the nation at as low as $123.46.

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Posted by Ian McFadden at 10:18 AM | TrackBack

February 17, 2010

2004 Rinaldi: "A truly majestic Barolo"

"A truly majestic Barolo"
2004 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate-Le Coste
A Rare Cache of 750ml Bottles and Magnums

"Profoundly expressive... readers will not want to miss this exceptional wine." Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate

Only 41 bottles and a handful of magnums are available, though honestly, we're very proud of this parcel.

The iconic Brunate-Le Coste Barolo of Giuseppe "Beppe" Rinaldi is impossible to find in any real quantity - he's been selling the lion's share of his tiny production privately from the cellar for decades, quietly becoming one of those producers everyone is talking about.

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Posted by Ian McFadden at 11:24 AM | TrackBack

February 16, 2010

Winter Mixed Case: 20% Off

Winter Mixed Case
The Eclectic, Artisanal Antidote to Winters Chill
BIG SAVINGS: Every Bottle Discounted 20%!

Last week's blanket of snow reminded us that it was time to get a "Winter Mixed Case" together to provide you with fortification against this final stretch before spring.

So we've put together a case of our favorite winter wines, which, inevitably resulted in an eclectic group of stars from the peripheries of the wine world. This is where a fascination of culture and taste reside - it's also where the value is extreme.

To make it even better, this mixed case represents the BEST DEAL on these wines: A stellar cast of bottles, discounted 20%.

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Posted by Joe Salamone at 6:21 PM | TrackBack

February 12, 2010

Cote Rotie Friday Steal: 2006 Gaillard

Fruit, Spice, and Everything Nice
2006 Pierre Gaillard Côte Rôtie
Côte Rôtie at 60% Off: Pair with Lamb or Blizzards

Guigal, Vidal Fleury, Yves Cuilleron, Pierre-Jean Villa, Françoise Villard...

For someone relatively unknown outside of the Rhône Valley itself, Pierre Gaillard has an impressive resumé.

He's worked with everyone in the list above and continues a negociant project with the last three guys - James Molesworth of the Wine Spectator calls them the "four musketeers" of the Northern Rhône.

But today's offer is most decidedly not about any negociant project; it's about a robust, floral, and vivid expression of Syrah from Gaillard's own 3.3 hectares of steep-slope vines.

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Posted by Chris Cottrell at 2:27 PM | TrackBack

February 5, 2010

Grand Cru Burgundy 1987-2002

Grand Cru Burgundy: 1987-2002
Incredible Values for Drinking Grand Cru Burg
Geantet-Pansiot, Bourée, Jayer-Gilles, Remoissenet, Girardin
Single-Owner Cellar from the North East

If you have to be somewhat careful in using the words "Grand Cru" and "value" in the same sentence, today's email is about as close as the two get.

Today we have a very small, very fun collection. Every bottle in this offer has been culled from the cellar of a collector in the northeast, every bottle was bought close to release and carefully cellared.

Grand Cru Burgundy from 8 to 23 years old and from $55 dollars to just over $200.

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Posted by Ian McFadden at 11:47 AM | TrackBack

February 4, 2010

La Paulee: Burgundy comes to the U.S.

Burgundy. In San Francisco.

Every year, the greatest winemakers of the Côte d'Or and beyond come to the U.S. to take part in one of the most joyous, thrilling and comprehensive celebrations of Burgundy on planet Earth: La Paulée. This year, La Paulée is in San Francisco.

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Posted by Bob Schagrin at 4:29 PM | TrackBack

Dagueneau 2007: LIMITED

The Friendly Side of Dagueneau
2007 Dagueneau Pouilly Fumé "Buisson Renard"
Sharp Pricing for a Microscopic 48-Bottle Parcel!

This wine involves a top single-vineyard,
Didier Dagueneau,
France's leading wine critic Michel Bettane
and a spelling mistake.

The Buisson Menard is a top vineyard site in Pouilly Fumé it is also the source of Dagueneau's most friendly, most forward, most luscious Pouilly Fumé.

In a review, France's leading critic Michel Bettane incorrectly called the wine the "Buisson Renard." This amused Dagueneau greatly as the phrase could be, well, suggestive. He immediately changed the name of the bottling to the "Buisson Renard" and gave the wine the rather bizarre label, pictured below.

Today we focus on the wine itself, because Didier Dagueneau needs no introduction.

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Posted by Joe Salamone at 10:24 AM | TrackBack

February 3, 2010

Jura Wiseman: Macle

The Wiseman of the Jura
2006 Macle Côtes du Jura
Avoiding the Whims of Wine Fashion, Beautifully

"[Macle's wines] seem to rifle through a repertoire of the natural world as you sniff and sip."
- Andrew Jefford, The New France

Today we present one of the Jura's true greats.

In our opinion, Macle should be included with the traditional wines of Vatan, Verset, and Trollat; benchmark producers who intuitively produce soulful, subtle, and long lasting wines that seem nearly impossible to replicate.

This is our fourth Macle offering - a past Macle bottling (the 2004 Côtes du Jura) was a "Crush Wine of the Year." That's how strongly we believe in these wines. For those who have never experienced traditional winemaking in the Jura, there is nothing else like it. Today we offer thanks. Thanks that there are wines as challenging and inspiring as Macle's lovely creations. Thankful there is still a strong audience for these wines.

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Posted by Joe Salamone at 10:31 AM | TrackBack

February 2, 2010

Cote-Rotie Opportunity: Eric Texier

Côte-Rôtie: Unplugged
2005 Éric Texier Côte-Rôtie "Vieilles Vignes"
Rare Buying Opportunity - 15% Below Lowest Price

Côte-Rôtie is challenging.

The slopes are steep and treacherous (the parcels Éric Texier farms have inclines up to 55 degrees). This is unforgiving land; everything must be done by hand.

Some of this severity translates into the wines themselves, which can be impartial, unrevealing, even temperamental. Yet when they choose to show themselves, Côte-Rôtie can be absolutely haunting.

In Éric Texier's hands, Côte-Rôtie is elegant. (John Gilman uses the word "classy," see his very enthusiastic note below.)

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Posted by Ian McFadden at 10:23 AM | TrackBack

February 1, 2010

The "Forgotten" Schloss Lieser

Juicy, Juicy, Juicy, Juicy, Juicy, Juicy Juice!
2008 Schloss Lieser
Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Spätlese
Serious, Mouth-Watering Fun in a Bottle

I do NOT like to include cheeky photographs of myself with winemakers in emails.

But there's a story to tell today.

A story that involves today's wine and a cheeky photograph, below, of myself and Thomas Haag, the winemaker/owner of Schloss Lieser.

As we all know, the Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr is one of  the Mosel's great sites. The Fritz Haag estate, with its relentless focus on the Juffer Sonnenuhr, has basically guaranteed the vineyard's stature. When Thomas Haag left the family circle and went out on this own, revamping the old Schloss Lieser estate, he was given some of his father's plots in the Juffer Sonnenuhr.

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Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 10:28 AM | TrackBack