More OBC, Kistler, and The Corkscrew

Greetings!
I apologize for not keeping you more informed lately, but 've been extremely busy wrapping up my wedding details and consulting with stores and restaurants the last few weeks.
In the consulting aspect, I'm happy to tell you that I'm going to be taking on a fairly significant roll at the Corkscrew (1919 Washington Ave.) starting next week, and plan on doing a lot of classes and seminars. I'll keep you posted as things progress, but my e-mails may become even less frequent as I help the Corkscrew get things up and running. However, I'll certainly get back to a weekly e-mail once everything is in place.
Also, I'll still give you the option of picking wines up at HWM, so if that's your preference, then you needn't worry.

As a reminder, the two prices listed are Houston Wine Merchant price/The Corkscrew price...

Now, for some great wines that may interest you....
2002 Balgownie Estate Shiraz - 91+ points from Robert Parker and 92 points from the Wine Spectator, which said "A wonderful balance of crisp texture and expansive flavor, dripping with pure blackberry, currant, mineral and hints of game as the flavors persist impressively. It's all poised and ready to develop with cellaring. Best from 2005 through 2012. 300 cases imported." I wrote that it was big, with notes of coffee, and guessed the price to be $50, but your price is $26/$25
2003 d'Arenberg Laughing Magpie Shiraz/Viognier - 91 points from the Wine Spectator, which said "Dense and dark in color, with lots of intense flavor but still in proportion, offering blackberry, black cherry and a distinctive twang of floral peach from the Viognier, finishing with licorice and pepper that lasts and lasts against vibrant acidity and fine tannins. Drink now through 2010". I guessed the price to be $50, but it can be yours for $26.50/25.50
2004 Leeuwin "Siblings" Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon - 90 points from Robert Parker, who said "One of the bastions of high quality wine in Western Australia, Leeuwin Estate has a well-deserved reputation for flavorful, elegant, and occasionally long-lived wines. Their venture into Loire Valley-inspired Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon, the 2004 Siblings, is a crisp, medium-bodied, aromatic effort possessing terrific fruit intensity, wonderful definition, and loads of honeyed cantaloupe-like fruit. This cuvee has never seen a day of oak, and is all the better for it. Enjoy it over the next several years" I merely wrote "Great!", and guessed the price to be $40, but your cost is $18.25/$17.50

Dessert Wines
Chambers Muscat - 93 points from R.P, who said "My notes essentially read the same every year, even though the bottlings are non-vintage and I taste the most recent releases. Consistency and greatness are the norm at this Rutherglen winery. The average age is 7-10 years for the regular cuvees, about 70 years for the grand cuvees, and the ancient rare cuvees date back to soleras from 1890. It is redundant to keep repeating the same tasting notes, so readers will have to take my word for it ... this is one of the world’s most remarkable dessert wines, and is worth every effort to latch on to a half bottle or so." I merely wrote "white raisins" and guessed the price to be $25 for a half bottle. Your cost is $14.50/$14
Chambers Muscadelle (Tokay) - R.P gave this wine 92 points, saying "This wine is a great buy. The wine exhibits a light to medium amber color as well as an extraordinary bouquet of molasses, brown sugar, roasted nuts, and sweet fruitcake. Unctuously-textured as well as juicy, sweet yet fabulously fragrant and well-balanced in the mouth, this is a spectacular fortified wine to savor slowly after dinner. After bottling it neither improves nor declines, and is capable of lasting up to a decade." I wrote "figgy!" for this wine, and personnaly prefered it over the Muscat although I also guessed the price for this to be $25 for a half bottle. Your cost is the same as the Muscat. $14.50/$14

...and, available at the Corkscrew only,
2004 Kistler Sonoma Coast Chardonnay - I called the winery to ask why I couldn't find any info on this wine on their webpage, and was told that this is the wine that they send out to their distributors, and it's not available at the winery. They said that it most closely resembled the "Vine Hill" Chardonnay, but for me, the bottom line is that when Robert Parker tasted the 2004 wines in barrels, he didn't rate ANYTHING below 91 points. (FYI - he rated the Vine Hill 94-96 points.)
I haven't tried this wine because it's difficult to get, but when I saw it on the shelf I wanted to let you know about it, but being the Corkscrew, I'll need payment info to secure it for you. Your cost is $63 a bottle

If you'd like any of the above wines, just let me know how much and which ones, and where you'd like to pick it up. (If you prefer to pick it up at the Corkscrew, I'll need your payment information, and you can call me if you prefer not to send it via e-mail)

As always, thanks for your time, and enjoy your wine!
Cheers,
Chuck

OBC/Corkscrew

Greetings!
I've been extremely busy lately, and I've tasted a ton of wine that I hope to be telling you about within the next week.
I'll also try to break it all up in easy-to-digest pieces...

First up, I've found an additional place for you to pay for and pick up your wine.
Besides Houston Wine Merchant, you can now ask me to order your wine through Houston's newest wine bar, The Corkscrew! (1919 Washington Ave. near downtown)
The pros: it's close to downtown and open later than HWM AND open on Sunday. Additionally, the price through them will be about 4% less than at HWM.
The cons, they'll need to pay for the wine when it arrives at the store, so you'll need to provide your credit card info when placing your order, but they won't run your card until the wine actually arrives.
Their webpage isn't open yet, but I'll include it at the bottom of this e-mail. In the meantime, you can get some info at http://houston.citysearch.com/profile/41892832/?brand=smx_bar-c#sponsorTop

So for now, I'll use a chart to show the prices you'll be paying.

...and now for some wine from Old Bridge Cellars, one of America's premier Australian wine importers.(You can read about the wineries and check out the labels at http://www.oldbridgecellars.com/)

I recently tasted almost 70 Australian wines from this importer, and felt that almost all of them were good values. I also felt that some of them were EXTREMELY good values! Here they are:

2003 Zonte's Footstep Cab Malbec – Ratings in the high 80’s from Stephan Tanzer, the Wine Spectator, and Robert Parker, who gave this wine a “Best Buy”, saying “Readers looking for more structure, leather, tobacco, and herb-tinged black currant and berry fruit should check out the 2003 Cabernet Malbec. Well-made, richly fruity, soft, and supple, it is the ideal choice for pizza, hamburgers, and picnics.” I would be happy paying up to $33 for this wine, but your price is less than $14!
2004 Zonte's Footstep Shiraz Viognier – Another “Best Buy” from Robert Parker, and Stephan Tanzer said “Bright ruby. Sweet aromas of cassis, ripe plum and blackberry, with subtle dried flower and herbal nuances. Velvety and round, showing a distinctly lush dark berry personality accented by fennel, lavender and a hint of camphor. Closes juicy and softly tannic.” I’d be happy paying up to $35 for this wine, but your cost is less than $15!
2003 Penley Estate Phoenix Cab Sauv – 91 points from Food and Wine magazine, and a “Best Buy” from Robert Parker, who gave it “Best Buy”, saying “Dark ruby/purple color is followed by sweet aromas of cigar smoke, black currants, dusty earth, and a hint of road tar. Structured, with outstanding depth and purity as well as a long finish” I’d be happy paying up to $45 for this wine, but your cost is under $18
2003 Innocent Bystander Shiraz Viognier – A ‘Best Buy” rating from Robert Parker, who said “Offers an exotic marmalade and black currant-scented nose, medium body, no hard edges, plenty of fruit, little oak, and a lovely finish” I thought this was a $50 wine, but your cost is less than $18
1999 Leeuwin Estate "Prelude" Cab Merlot – I couldn’t find any published reviews on this wine, but I was struck by the depth and balance of this complex wine. Plums, chocolate and coffee were a few of the notes I wrote down. I’d be happy paying up to $60 for this wine, and your cost is well under $30!
2004 Leeuwin Estate "Prelude" Chardonnay – Once again, I couldn’t find a published review on this wine, but of the winery, the Wine Spectator has said “Leeuwin is the benchmark (Chardonnay producer), not only for the region, but for the country as a whole”. I have to admit that I found this Chardonnay rich and complex with notes of fig and fresh fruit. A very intriguing wine that I’d be happy paying up to $50 for. Your cost is about half that!
2004 d'Arenberg "Stump Jump" Riesling/Sauv Blanc/Marsanne – Yet another “Best Buy” from Robert Parker, who said “The value-priced cuvees include the 2004 The Stump Jump Riesling/Marsanne/Sauvignon Blanc, a tank-fermented and aged blend offering crisp, elegant aromas of citrus, grapefruit, apples, and lemon zest. Drink this light-bodied, fresh, tasty white over the next year.” I thought that this wine could sell for over $20, but you could buy TWO bottles for that price!


Prices…
Wine/My wine value/Spec’s price/Your price at HWM/Your price at the Corkscrew
2003 Zonte’s Footstep Cab/Malbec/$33/NA/13.75/13.25
2004 Zonte’s Footstep Shiraz/Voignier/$35/NA/14.25/13.75
2003 Penley Estate Phoenix Cab/$45/$18.57 (2001)/17.50/17.00
2003 Innocent Bystander Shiraz/Viognier/$50/$19.84/17.50/17.00
1999 Leeuwin Estate Prelude Cab/Merlot/$60/NA/26.00/25.00
2004 Leeuwin Estate Prelude Chardonnay/$50/$27.85/26.00/25.00
2004 d’Arenberg Stump Jump White/$20+/NA/10.00/9.75

If you'd like any of the above wines, or something else, just let me know and I do what I can to get you your wine as soon as possible.
As always, thanks for your time, and enjoy your wine.
Cheers,
Chuck