Reschke Bos Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra, South Australia, 2002

Ok, here is my insider's-killer-find-of-the-week (I just made that up). Read on...

Tonight I cracked a bottle of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a small winery located in the Coonawarra region of S. Australia. Coming from a 100 year old farm, but 20 year old winery, this wine showed great finesse and balance for an Aussie Cab. Being 6 years post harvest, I was expecting something with a bit of softness and a touch of earthiness. When I opened the bottle there was an immediate release of black fruits and sweet dried leaves mixed with a touch of compost: all things I greatly enjoy in aged Cabs. I decanted and tasted over several hours. The wine's initial restraint relaxed and opened into a smooth claret style cab that had a touch of the Coonawarra "mint" at the beginning, but which evolved into juicy black cherry, boysenberry and plum flavors. The wine spent time in mostly new French and some new American hogs heads. Smooth ripe tannins, deep fruit wrapped around great weight/mouth-feel in this wine - a truly pleasurable wine - wish I had more. This wine finished in a medium-full, dry style that would work extremely well with a bit of dry-aged beef. Very tasty.

Price differences from state to state

I received an email from the website www.corksavvy.com this week titled: "Be Smart About the Price You Pay for Wine at Restaurants" - you can read the entire article at
http://www.corksavvy.com/savvy-reporter/articles/be-smart-about-the-price-you-pay-for-wine-at-restaurants

I have a bit of in-sight into this "phenomenon" being in the wholesale end of things as well as someone who travels from states to state fairly regularly. Essentially all you need is a basic understanding about the ways and whys of state to state laws with respect to alcohol legislation. What the hell does that mean? It means that every state has different laws - the result being different prices for the same product. Here is my response (posted on Facebook) to the article.

Re: article on the differences in wine pricing from city to city...the example of Duckhorn Merlot being $96 in one city and $160 in Pittsburgh can be explained by the fact that Pennsylvania is a control state and the rest's in that state have to pay retail prices for their wines, which they have to buy from the state who is acting as the wholesaler. All wine in Penn rest's are more expensive than almost any other state. Also, there are different laws from state to state that can allow for drastically different discounts in one market, but not in another. This can be done through quantity discounting (the more you buy, the less you pay) or through channel pricing (one price for on premise, one price for off premise). You also have national accounts - Flemings, Ruths Chris, etc - that have "National Cuvees" priced lower than the "regular" bottling of what is essentially the same wine. This leads to disparity from the national and the locally owned rest's. And then there is the ego!

Tom Stevenson's Wine Report 2009

One of the best wine books available is published annually by Tom Stevenson: WINE REPORT 2009. This book is a compilation of opinions and assesments of all the wine regions of the world with respect to the most recent available vintage, as well as recent past vintages. But it goes beyond that with recomendations of top wineries as well as new and up-and-coming ones, recent news and trends and much more. There is detail from each region by a "specialist" wine writer hand selected by Mr. Stevenson. This means that there are a variety of writing styles and opinions expressed throughout this book. The amount of info here is great for the wine professional, but can be used by the enthusiast as well. Check it out - you'll get a new one every year - the book is released every October. About $15, or less.

Pinot Noir Seminar 11-20-08

Thanks to all who attended last night's Pinot Noir seminar at Sonoma Wines in Glastonbury. There were a lot of great questions, hopefully I was able to answer them all to your satisfaction.

As a review the wines that were tasted are as follows:

1. Lucien Albrecht Cremant Rose, nv - 100% Pinot Noir sparkling rose done in the traditional method (just like the folks in Champagne), but from Alsace.


2. Cono Sur Pinot Noir, 2007 - great entry level Pinot Noir from this Chilean powerhouse.


3. Villa Maria Pinot Noir Private Bin, 2007 - 100% Pinot Noir from one of New Zealand's top wineries.


4. Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir, 2006 - from the Napa side of Carneros - produced by one of the top sparkling wine companies in California.


5. Laetitia Pinot Noir, 2006 - from Arroyo Grande Valley in California's Central Coast region - Laetitia owns the world's largest contiguous Pinot Noir vineyard - this was the crowd favorite, I believe.


6. Four Graces Pinot Noir, 2006 - Willamette Vallee, Oregon Pinot Noir - just delicious and such a departure from the Californian's - earthy and elegant.


7. Morgan Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard, 2006 - the "bonus" wine from Santa Lucia Highlands in the Monterey area - who doesn't like this wine?

All-in-all, a great time had by all. See you next month at Sonoma Wines for the BIG REDS tasting (December 11th).

WINE DISCOVERIES 11-15-08

Three new wines I discovered and recommend…

Everyday Value: Rocca delle Macie I.G.T. Sasyr, 2006 (about $17) – 60% Sangiovese, 40% Syrah with smooth, ripe new world fruit just bursting from the glass – this easy drinking wine will please those looking for a great everyday wine to go with just about anything on the dinner table. Rocca delle Macie is one of the leading producers of Chianti Classico, as well.
www.roccadellemacie.com

Premium: Kunin Central Coast Pape Star, 2006 (about $23) – 50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 25% Mouvedre – this small producer from California’s Central Coast area (most Santa Barbara wines) is making some kick-butt wines from small vineyard parcels scattered around his region. A strong focus on what grows best in this area (Zins and Rhone varietals) makes Seth Kunin’s wines a sure stand out for me. This wine has great mouth-feel and body with a juicy, plush fruit component that comes out after a quick decanting. A modern Rhone Ranger.
www.kuninwines.com

Ultra Premium: Lancaster Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley, 2005 (about $90) – 90% Cab Sauv with small amounts of Merlot, Malbec, Cab Franc and Petite Verdot, 22 months in new French barriques - loaded with huge Cabernet flavors of dark plum and blackberries with a smooth juicy core of sweet oak and tannins. This wine will age wonderfully over the next 15 years. Great estate from Sonoma. (Also try their Roth Cabernet at about $50)
www.lancaster-estate.com

AN Affinity for Affinity

Tonight's tasting spanned two vintages of Robert Craig Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Affinity. Affinity is a classically styled Napa Cabernet (it did not carry the Cabernet designation before 2003) that is sourced from vineyards in the Stag's Leap District and near St Helena. The combination of fruit sources adds depth and complexity to this wine.

One of the things that strikes me about Affinity every time I taste it is that the wine shows great intensity of Cabernet fruit (plums, dark berry, tobacco) but with balance and finesse in an easy drinking style - it is almost too easy to drink.

I tasted through the 2003 and 2004 vintages (and I have had the 2005 within the past two weeks, as well).

The 2003 is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot with a total production if about 3300 cases.

The 2004 is just slightly different with 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and about 3600 cases produced.

The difference I found between these two wines is that the 2004 is (predictably) a bit tighter and has a bit darker fruit component. The 2003 was quite lovely and we polished that bottle off with little problem (I said it was easy to drink!). The 2004 will probably be a better wine for the long-term, but do not discount either of these vintages. The 2005 was even tighter - showed beautiful depth of fruit and a long, youthful finish. Another winner for aging.

All-in-all Affinity is a great wine to consume for those looking for wines that are in the premium category, but drink like ultra-premium wines.

Should retail for about $45-50. Visit www.robertcraigwine.com for more details.