Spatlese, Spain, Andrew Will, and more

These wines were tasted on January 25th.

2005 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese –
Fresh, bright citrus aromas. Sweet, with a light spritz. A little racy, and fun. I’d be happy paying up to $24 for this wine. (Actual price - $27)

2004 Dr Pauly Bergweiler Bernkastler Badstube Riesling Spatlese –
Mineral aromas with mineral and fruit on the palate. Very nice. $28? (AP $24)

1995 Cune Vina Real Grand Reserva –
Quite earthy, with barnyard aromas. On the palate, it’s got sweet, dark fruit and chocolate. It’s rich, and quite nice. $50+? (AP $43)

2003 Condado de Haza Ribera del Douro –
Tight, dark fruit on the nose. Fruity, complex and spicy with medium tannins. Very complex but restrained. $49? (AP $25)

2003 Andrew Will Klipsen Vineyard –
60/40 Merlot/Cab Sauv blend. Soft and easy, fruity nose. Wow. Red candy fruit. Soft and balanced with a velvety mouthfeel. $50? (AP $50)

2003 Andew Will Sheriden Vineyard –
Cab Sauv/Merlot/Cab Franc – Earth, spice and dark fruit aromas. Mmm! Chocolate and currant. Great balance. Mmm again! $60+? (AP $48)

2003 Ridge Geyserville – Big and juicy! Chocolate and dried berry flavors. Juicy, spicy and refined. Quite nice. $40? (AP $33)

2004 Shimmer Shiraz/Merlot –
Bright, earthy red fruit aromas. Easy drinking and mellow. Like a chocolate-covered cherry. $20? (AP $15)
All of these wines are available through Glazers distributing.

Punt Road

Jan 23 – Punt Road - Australia
www.puntroadwines.com.au

Impressive!
I’m surprised at how reasonable these wines turned out to be, but you’ll have to look around to find the best deal, because there are a number of discounts/incentives available for these wines.
I was told that they typically retail for right around $22, but with no discounts being applied, you can expect to pay $24 with the “low margin” from friendly retailers.
Not to worry, that’s still a bargain! (Of course, I had no idea what the prices were before I tried them)
Here’s what I tried:

2004 Pinot Gris – Fleshy, fruity nose. Acidic, but with mellow fruit. Honeysuckle and tropical fruit flavors. Great balance! This wine is ideal for shellfish! I would be happy paying up to $40 for this wine.

2004 Chardonnay – Light toast and marshmallow aromas. A little uneven, with the acidity cutting in flavors that are usually found in full-bodied wines. I guess it’s like a full-bodied Meursault. It definitely grows on you! I’d gladly pay up to $34 for this wine.

2004 Pinot Noir – Lean, red fruit nose. Juicy and acidic with lite, crisp, pure Pinot flavor. Very nice. $36?

2003 Shiraz – Deep, juicy aromas. The palate has deep, dark berry and tobacco flavors with just a hint of cedar. It has some real depth, but it’s understated and silky. This screams for a coffee encrusted venison loin. Doesn’t Café Annie do something like that? The acidity really lends itself to complement food! I couldn’t quite put me finger on a price, but I wrote down <$40.

2003 Cab Sauv – Dust, earth and dark fruit on the nose. Wow! Big, dark fruit flavor explodes from the glass. Notes of leather, Blackberry and black cherry. Like the Shiraz, also silky and feminine. Very nice! I’d be happy paying up to $60 for this wine!

Just a reminder…
I tasted these wines from freshly opened bottles.
I’m as generous as possible when assessing wines for price, and try to leave my personal biases at the door.
These are just my opinions, so bear that in mind when comparing my tasting notes to yours, and remember about bottle variation and oxidation from open or decanted bottles.
Cheers,
Chuck

Billington Imports

Jan 22, 2007
I sat down today with John Linklater of Billington Imports, and tasted a few of his wines.
These wines never cease to amaze me for their ability to over-deliver.
And remember, you should be able to find lower pricing on this stuff!


2004 Catena Chardonnay – Golden, light oak and bright fruit on the nose.
Nutty and mellow with tropical fruit and candy apples. $19? ($16 – Glazers)

2004 Catena Malbec – Dusty, leather and dark fruit nose. Soft and easy with layers of earthy fruit. Dark earthy and velvety. $22+ ($21 – glazers)

2004 Cousino Macul Finis Terrae – Tight, minty nose. Dark red fruit, mocha and mint. A variety of unusual flavors, but it works! It’s soft and lush. $30 ( $20 – Glazers)

2004 Antiguas Riserva – Mineral and petrol on the nose. Berry and coffee flavors with a silky texture and medium tannins. $27 ( $14 – Glazers)

Cheers!

Wines for mid-January, 2007

Here are the wines that I've tasted most recently:
January 2007
BARGAINS
2002 Artesa “Elements” – Fairly complex and layered with earth and fruit. It gets better and better. $24+ ($20 – Glazers)
2005 Stellar Winery Organic Wine Cellar Shiraz (South Africa)- Rich, Rustic, deep drk berry nose. Earth and bittersweet chocolate with black cherry flavors. Also has a pinotage/iodine note. $24+ ($9 – Ambiente)
2004 Reynard Grenache (California) – Spicy, lush nose. Deep and lush, with terrific red fruit and a ribbon-candy finish. Mmmm. $44? ($35 – Virtuoso)
Dios Baco Amontillado (Spain)– Nutty and off-dry. Delicious! Great balance. $30? ($24 – Horizon)
Dios Baco Oloroso (Spain)– Dry, dusty nose with hints of minerals. On the palate, it’s dry with notes of caramel. 29? ($24 – Horizon)
2004 Four Vines “The Peasant” (Paso Robles) – A Syrah/Mourvedre/Grenache/Counoise blend that smells juicy and sweet. Lush, spicy and tasty. Smooth and ripe. $38 ($30)

MIGHT BE WORTH THE MONEY – IF IT’S YOUR STYLE
2004 Amisfield Pinot Noir (Central Otago – New Zealand) – Fat and earthy with some dark fruit on the nose. The palate is full, fruity and plumy. I rated it $35+ (Actual cost, $31 - Glazers)
2004 King Estate P.N. (Oregon) – Soft and fruity nose. Layered and simple with a little smoke. $26? ($27- Glazers)
2005 Rex Hill P.N. (Oregon)- Spicy, with a little smoke on the nose. Smoky and spicy. A little thin, but nice! $24? ($21- Glazers)
2003 Rex Hill Jacob-Hart P.N. (Oregon) – Full, smoky, red berry aromas. Big and rich, but not heavy. Layered and very elegant. Complex with great balance! $45+? ($48 - Glazers)
2004 Marques de Caceras MC (Spain) – Deep, dark and inky. Full and chewy with a little spice. Silky, with dark red flavors. $40? ($39 - Glazers)
2001 Marques de Caceras Gaudium (Spain)– Closed, dense nose. Chewy, dark fruit with aromas of pepper and chocolate. Very intriguing, with medium tannins. $45+ ($50- Glazers)
2004 Roessler Alder Springs P.N. (Mendocino) – Tight, deep aromas. Dark, deep and spicy. $38 (Allocated - $41 – Glazers)
2004 Roessler “La Brisa” P.N. (Sonoma Coast) – A full, mellow nose. Spicy, sweet, mellow and a little smokey. Very nice. $30+ ( $28 – Glazers )
2004 Margerum “Black Oak Vineyard” Syrah (Santa Barbara County) – Ripe, perfumy, rich and peppery. Tasty! $50+ ($45 – Glazers)

I EXPECTED MORE - FOR THE MONEY
2004 Road’s End P.N. (Oregon) - Earthy, dusty and fruity nose. Bracing, with good acidity and spice. Pure Oregon Pinot Noir! $45
This wine is made by Ken Wright, and is allocated. You may not be able to get it, and if so, not at this price. ($52 – Glazers)
2003 Chehalem Reserve P.N. (Oregon) – Tight and rich. Seems more like a Merlot-Zin blend, but it’s soft and lush. $50 ($57 – Glazers)
2001 Artesa Syrah (Sonoma Valley) – A little green and earthy with dark tobacco fruit. Some funky flavors, but spicy and cool. $18 ($20 – Glazers)
2005 Artesa P.N. (Carneros) – Corked

The first price is the maximum I'd be HAPPY to pay for the wine.
The second price is the maximum actual price you should expect to pay if you have a retailer "special order' the wine for you.
The name with the actual price is the Distributor who carries the wine in Houston.

Tasting procedure

Here's a quick outline on the way I evaluate wine:

1) I take every effort NOT to know the price of the wine I'm tasting.
I feel that knowing the price influences the way I assess the wine. For instance, if I know a wine cost $45 wholesale, I'm expecting a complex wine with a certain level of balance and depth, whereas if it costs $7 wholesale, I have different expectations.
I've found that I'm more frequently surprised when I don't know the price beforehand.

2) When tasting, above all, I look for balance. You could have a focused German Riesling that on first glance seems simple , but reeks of purity, or a lush, rich American Cab with a broad range of flavors. However, it doesn't matter how good the individual components are if the wine is unbalanced.

3) Rather than rate the wine on a point system, whether it's 100 points, or 5 stars, and totally subjective I might add, I ask myself "What's the most I'd be happy paying for this wine?"
I then note that price as ...um... let's call it a "value factor".
I've found that, although still subjective, it's much more practical in determining whether or not a wine is a good purchase.
For instance, if I think I'd be happy paying $60-$70 for a wine (This is where I rate many $100+ wines), and the wine costs more than that amount, I'd seriously consider other factors before purchasing the wine. Similarly, if I can buy that wine for $20 a bottle, I'd go out and stock up on that wine.

As a young wine buyer under the instructions of "never buy anything the day you taste it", I can't tell you how many times a broker or distributor would contact me a week after I'd tasted one of their wines, inquiring whether I was still interested, and I'd check my notes and say, "Yeah, I really liked that wine!" Then they'd tell me the wholesale cost, and I'd find myself in a quandary, asking "Can I sell that wine for $70?"
This "dollar" system I devised took all of the guesswork out of whether I consider it a good buy.

4) General facts about my tasting experiences:

• There are probably less than 10 wines that I've ever deemed worth in excess of $100. (I can't just throw money around, y'know).
• Most of the better wines I've tasted fall within $70-$80 range.
• I've had the opportunity to taste all of the "best wines", including Gaja, Ch Petrus, Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, DRC, and all of the first-growth Bordeaux, just to name a few.
• These are just MY opinions. You should use ALL reviews, including mine, as a guide to help you decide what is the best purchase for you. If you find that you have similar tasting experiences with someone else, those are the people you should turn to for your buying advice.
  This holds true whether it's me, a writer for a major publication, or the guy in the next cubicle.
  Everyone's likes and dislikes are different.
  As for me, I like brussel sprouts, but hate liver, and if I had only two wines to drink for the rest of my life, they'd be Zinfandel and Amarone. (At least this week, anyway...)
  
  ...and last, but not least, until you've found someone you trust to tell you what to buy; buy one or two bottles of a recommended wine and see what YOU think. After all, you can't drink ratings, and if it doesn't taste good to you, it's not worth any price.

Cheers,
Chuck

2007 - A new Year!

Greetings!
Last year saw a lot of changes for me, including keeping me so busy that I barely had time to post anything.
This year, I hope to do a little better, but with a slight change.
For the last two years, I've worked as a sort of "freelance wine salesman".
I basically sold wine to you through selected retailers, and they paid me a commission on the sales I sent their way.
Since I did all of the work, and all they had to do was place your order, they accepted a lower-than-standard margin on your purchase.
That meant that everyone won.
YOU got a lower price.
THEY got free business.
I got paid!

Here comes the change for 2007:
I can no longer accept payment from retailers for the business I send their way, so here's the new procedure:
I'll send out my regular e-mails informing you about wines that I recommend, and telling you a price you SHOULD be able to pay at any retailer that does not already stock the wine I'm telling you about.*
This price will be an even lower price than I could get you before, because no one is paying me a commission on the sale.
The only downside is that you need to contact your favorite retailer directly to negotiate the price. (It should be as easy as taking them a copy of my e-mail and asking them to order your wine at the price mentioned, or forwarding my e-mail with instructions on which wines to order.)
If you have ANY problem ( in the Houston area) getting the price I'm quoting, just let me know, and I can steer you toward a more reasonable retailer.
Once again, everybody wins!
YOU get a lower price.
THEY get free money.
I get loyal customers who will pay me even lower prices once I get my own store open. (That's years away, but it's still the plan).

In the past, I never mentioned the wines I didn't recommend, but for the short term, I hope to post all of my tasting notes on this site, and my recommended wines in the weekly e-mail.
This should give you a better opportunity to compare notes with me, and see how our tastes differ.

DISCOUNTS - In this business, volume discounts abound. There are frequently deals to be made on multiple case orders. Don't be afraid to ask your favorite retailer if they can match a price found elswhere, if you're purchasing multiple cases. Of course, sometimes "elsewhere" is purchasing huge amounts of the wine in question and getting huge discounts, so don't hold it against your retailer if they are unable to match a lower price.

* I specifically mention wines that are not carried by the retailer, because if they've invested the money and shelf space for a wine I mention, it's only reasonable that they get the higher margin for their risk. Of course, it can't hurt to ask, but please don't hold it against them if they decline on that particular wine.

I hope to start posting my tasting notes within 48 hours, including many wines that are still available, but tasted a while back.

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