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THE Summer Sipper! 2005 Berlioz Chignin

The thermometer is finally rising - as are your requests for an imminently sippable, crisp and classic white wine to pair with the 80+ degree days that are already upon us.

Yes, it's time to "Back Up the Truck" for summer! From vineyards that date back to t

2006 Rudi Wiest "Riesling Preview" Barrel Tasting at Grand Sichuan

Joe Salamone and I were lucky enough to attend this excellent lunch in February which highlighted barrel samples from a medium swath of Rudi's producers. Here are our long overdue notes:

We are reticent to provide any definitive conclusions based on this modest (but fun) selection of barre

Jean-Louis Chave: Crozes Feat!

A Crush Exclusive!

As many of you know, the Hermitage of Jean-Louis Chave is a very personal wine to me. I've written this before, but it bears repeating: If I were restricted to only one producer in the Rhone, it would be Chave. There is just no one who can coax the intens

2005 Vatan Sancerre "Clos de Neore": Legendary Sancerre from Chavignol

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Edmund Vatan is thought of in many circles as the single greatest producer in Sancerre, tenderly fashioning a minute amount of wine that is renowned for its purity, depth, expression of terroi

Domaine des Grecaux: Rhone has Fallen!?

Gone are the days when one could pick up top-notch Chateauneuf-du-Pape for under $30. Even Côtes du Rhônes, what can amount to the bargain-bin category of the region, are fast pushing $20-$25.For those

Pinot Noir - 2004 Vignoble Guillaume

Since Crush opened, I've had the hardest time finding a great Pinot Noir for under $20.

California has pretty much priced itself out of the market; same with Oregon.

And you can forget Burgundy.

The New Zealand Pinots are often good but have never inspired me the way a truly exc

Back to Scholium: A "Noble" Lesson for Sauvignon Blanc

Abe Schoener's Scholium Project is definitely one of the most interesting, outrageous and original Cult Wine endeavors taking place in California today.

We've previously offered a number of his sometimes luscious and always cerebral wines and have been blown away by the responses.

F

Simon Says: 1989 Ex-Cellars Riesling for Under $40

I have to admit, I struggled with the idea of yet another Riesling email so early into 2007. After your strong interest and support of the 2005 vintage led to its enormous success, I felt that perhaps we should take it easy with the Riesling offers - even though Germany, along with Burgundy and C

Bob's Wine of the Year: 1981 L�pez de Heredia Vi�a Bosconia Gran Reserva

Arriving at a singular wine, one that I would anoint as the “Wine of the Year,” is a daunting task. Obviously, my choice would have to be a wine that truly stands apart from the hundreds of great e

Wine of the Year: Schäfer-Frohlich Bockenauer Felseneck Spatlese

Obviously, my wine of the year had to be a Riesling. I love Riesling and this year I tasted more Rieslings than one could possibly shake a stick at.

This summer I went to Germany with importer extraordinaire Rudi Wiest and tasted over 400 Rieslings in nine days. (My dentist will be able to

Wine of the Year: Schäfer-Frohlich Bockenauer Felseneck Spatlese

Obviously, my wine of the year had to be a Riesling. I love Riesling and this year I tasted more Rieslings than one could possibly shake a stick at.

This summer I went to Germany with importer extraordinaire Rudi Wiest and tasted over 400 Rieslings in nine days. (My dentist will be able to reti

Stephen's Wine of The Year: Montesecondo Rosso

I knew Silvio Messana痴 2004 Montesecondo would be my "Wine of the Year" the first time I had it.

A Tuscan red with supercharged fruit, fresh acidity and a thrilling vibrancy, it痴 one of the greatest food wines I致e tasted in 2006. It is honest and unpretentious, a wine that doesn稚 o

Magnum Force: The Ultra-Rare 2005 J.J. Prum 1.5s

Due to your groundbreaking support of our �Riesling Futures� campaign and our corresponding support for some of Germany�s best vintners, we have secured some serious rarities that seldom see the American market.

It certainly helped that we were visiting these same winemakers this sum

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 $600-9

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

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

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 t

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

Dom Pérignon Oenothèque 1990

One of the great champagnes of the 20th century is 1990 Dom Pérignon Oenothèque. This bottle absolutely blew me away the first time I had it, which was at the priv

Teobaldo Cappellano

When I first asked Teobaldo Cappellano about his winemaking process he shrugged his shoulders and looked at me with a soft sense of disappointment. I

Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spatlese 1993

This find is not from '05, but comes directly from the cellars of the producer that made our 2005 "Spatlese of the Vintage" ... and along with the '05 is considered one of his best e

Layer Cake Shiraz 2006 - at a Special Crush Price!

Layer Cake may be the most popular (and undervalued) Australian Shiraz ever.

We featured the 2005 vintage in an email about a year ago and the response was overwhelming. What was truly amazing was the incredible number of customers who must be called: Layer Cake Fanatics!

German Steel: Willi Schaefer

We often talk of tiny productions, but let's put it in context with some numbers from 3 of the highest quality (and best known) producers in all of Germany:

Prum: 10,000 cases from 14.5

Emidio Pepe: The Ballerina with Boxing Gloves

The handmade wines of Emidio Pepe are absolutely unique, combining the raw power of California reds, the elegant perfume of Barolo, the earthy complexity of Bordeaux and the finessed grace of Grand C