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