Wine thread - what are you enjoying?

[Timcognito]

Took this from the web because I did not want to take picture of empty bottle. At the higher elevation,1500 ft, this smaller Napa Valley vineyard makes highly ranked but valued priced wines, this $30 2022 Sauvignon Blanc is very refreshing slightly fruit forward taste and may hard to find but well worth the hunt. A new favorite white wine discovered recently at La Costanara Restaurant at the Half Moon Bay Harbor and our local wine shop now stocks some as many have asked for it.

 

[Eric Natural]

Bien Nacido vineyard grows fabulous grapes. Other wineries also use these grapes. There is also Bien Nacido Winery, the owners of the vineyards . . .

this label says that the Miller family own Bien Nacido - or a part of it & this is their bottling with a hired-gun winemaker.

Bien Nacido Estate - Vineyard | Miller Family Wine Company

The heart and soul of the Santa Maria Valley AVA, the renowned Bien Nacido Vineyard is the worlds's most single vineyard-designated site.

biennacidoestate.com

I visited this vineyard site many years ago with Ken Brown of Byron and had dinner with Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat. Mad respect for this fruit.

 

[CtheArgie]

@Eric Natural
Thanks.
We loved almost every Bien Nacido wine. Talley also makes wine from these grapes. The Syrah and Chardonnay are equally good. Their Grenache is delicate and delicious.
Sadly, the Bien Nacido Winery charges way too much for tasting and buying the wines. Better to get the other wineries’ versions.

 

[USER]

The 2020 Bodegas Ponce La Estrecha is starting to hit its stride. Wonderful combination of elegance and freshness, and the tannins are so well integrated now (after an hour of air). What a terrific winemaker. The cliche that he makes high-quality Mediterranean-accented "Pinot Noir" from Bobal grapes is true. There's a hint of garrigue in there. One for the red fruit lovers. Think fresh strawberry jam on toast on the nose. Herbs and rock salt. I'm not a big points guy but being able to get wines that consistently get 97 points plus from folks like Luis Gutiérrez for around $30 in this day and age is nothing short of a miracle. If you haven't tried his stuff, everything is excellent, including the $13 La Xara Garnacha, which is probably the biggest bang for the buck wine that I know of. An extremely well-respected wine that goes for a pittance.

 

[Chaconne]

Got to let the good stuff breathe.

 

[Ilkless]

Parsnips, red bell peppers, anchovies, powdery rose, cherry blossoms.

 

[Fahzz]

Question for the group: I had a bottle of Sangiovese in a rack, laying on its side. Rack is in my dining room. Weather here has been summerish but not extremely hot.
Came down the other morning and red wine all over the walls and floor. I thought maybe I spilled it the night before.
Turns out the cork spontaneously blew off the bottle for some reason,right through the foil. Is this something that happens often?

 

[Redacted]

Cote du Rhone Villages from Tesco (AKA Ron's Coat) - with clubcard and 25% off for 6, worked out at £6 a bottle - a bit over budget, but hey, everything costs an arm and a leg in the UK .. Sadly, we also have terrible food & drink labelling here, which means they don't have to tell you all the crap that goes into wine and beer, but we're all being poisoned by crap in our food anyway, so I don't worry much. Reviews, like for audio gear are all made up, often for freebies!

 

[Eric Natural]

...I thought maybe I spilled it the night before.Turns out the cork spontaneously blew off the bottle for some reason, right through the foil. Is this something that happens often?

very random & rare

 

[Eric Natural]

I see the 2021 Brunellos starting to be released & recco you cats take a position if possible. Once in a decade, decade-plus vintage tho prices are ridiculous. I'm curious about the quality of the Maremma wines as well !

 

[USER]

I see the 2021 Brunellos starting to be released & recco you cats take a position if possible. Once in a decade, decade-plus vintage tho prices are ridiculous. I'm curious about the quality of the Maremma wines as well !

I'd like to say that I'm going to get a bottle of Stella di Campalto (hahahaha in my dreams) --OK, Poggio di Sotto, but with the way the world is going, I am probably going be tighter with my budget.

I'm eagerly waiting on my bottle of 2019 Conti Costanti, which I find on especially good years to be a superb value. Probably going to get the 2021. Likely a few different tiers of La Ragnaie as well.

What's interesting is that I am often seeing better scores for the 2019s from the same reviewers, for whatever that is worth, so, for instance, seeing the 2019 Poggio for $80 less than the 2021 (and with two years head start) is a lot more tempting to me. Also, I was able to find a lot of Tuscan wines from 2019 on heavy discount last year (from Zachy's for instance) so I wonder if I will regret not waiting on 2021s and picking up some a few years down the line. I may be wrong, but I think they generally don't sell out like other higher end wines can.

But yeah, I'm also all ears on some good tips. You guys know your stuff.

Edit: And when I mean stuff on sale, I mean holy shit on sale. Am I crazy for thinking this Zachy's sale will happen again? Also, yes, I am that person that will grab only 1 bottle so that others can get in on it too, though likely some greedy person will take everything.

 

[USER]

Had these rose sparklers recently. We enjoyed the $20 ones every bit as much as the Laurent-Perrier (2019 vintage/2024 disgorgement) at almost 5 times the price. (Off vintage? Too young?) While not as bubbly as the other two, we both are still talking about the 2023 Renardat-Fache, which we drank way too quickly. (I think I read about it here.) The 2023 Raventos i Blanc is a crazy good deal (I've only recently found out how good Cava has gotten in recent years) and will be quite terrific in a few years.

 

[GD Fan]

I'd like to say that I'm going to get a bottle of Stella di Campalto (hahahaha in my dreams) --OK, Poggio di Sotto, but with the way the world is going, I am probably going be tighter with my budget.

I'm eagerly waiting on my bottle of 2019 Conti Costanti, which I find on especially good years to be a superb value. Probably going to get the 2021. Likely a few different tiers of La Ragnaie as well.

What's interesting is that I am often seeing better scores for the 2019s from the same reviewers, for whatever that is worth, so, for instance, seeing the 2019 Poggio for $80 less than the 2021 (and with two years head start) is a lot more tempting to me. Also, I was able to find a lot of Tuscan wines from 2019 on heavy discount last year (from Zachy's for instance) so I wonder if I will regret not waiting on 2021s and picking up some a few years down the line. I may be wrong, but I think they generally don't sell out like other higher end wines can.

But yeah, I'm also all ears on some good tips. You guys know your stuff.

Edit: And when I mean stuff on sale, I mean holy shit on sale. Am I crazy for thinking this Zachy's sale will happen again? Also, yes, I am that person that will grab only 1 bottle so that others can get in on it too, though likely some greedy person will take everything.

View attachment 541737

It's been quite a while since I looked at Zachy's. Honestly I only recently learned they abandoned their longtime stronghold in Scarsdale (noticed that on a visit to the Rudy's Music outpost up there last summer). Are their 'sale' prices still roughly what other stores charge as a headline price?

 

[USER]

It's been quite a while since I looked at Zachy's. Honestly I only recently learned they abandoned their longtime stronghold in Scarsdale (noticed that on a visit to the Rudy's Music outpost up there last summer). Are their 'sale' prices still roughly what other stores charge as a headline price?

Yes, their regular "sales" basically put their goods at what I consider normal prices. They target the ultra wealthy from the Tri-State area and they can get away with it. But this doesn't mean you can't find reasonable deals if you are considerate. And, yeah, sometimes they have things that are hard to find elsewhere so if you want it you have to spend a few extra bucks--but honestly around the same as any wine shop in an affluent town. They do hold your wines for a couple of months in cold storage for free so that's a plus. However, once a year or so they have a massive sale (usually Italian wines?) where they seem to just want to get rid of inventory. All the above were at by far the best prices I have seen and seemingly well below cost. And I live in Jersey, which has some of (or simply) the best prices in the country. Le Pupille for instance goes from $30-$45. $15 is crazy. It's a good wine. The Brezza Barolo goes for $65 and is a pretty good deal at that price, especially for a good vintage. The Gattinara is the more expensive (and actually really good) riserva version that goes for $65-$75. The nice thing about those sales is that they generally carry good wine so you can feel comfortable grabbing something you don't know much about. That's what I did with the Barbera d'Asti, which was delicious and probably the most enjoyable $6 wine I've had.

 

[GD Fan]

Yes, their regular "sales" basically put their goods at what I consider normal prices. They target the ultra wealthy from the Tri-State area and they can get away with it. But this doesn't mean you can't find reasonable deals if you are considerate. And, yeah, sometimes they have things that are hard to find elsewhere so if you want it you have to spend a few extra bucks--but honestly around the same as any wine shop in an affluent town. They do hold your wines for a couple of months in cold storage for free so that's a plus. However, once a year or so they have a massive sale (usually Italian wines?) where they seem to just want to get rid of inventory. All the above were at by far the best prices I have seen and seemingly well below cost. And I live in Jersey, which has some of (or simply) the best prices in the country. Le Pupille for instance goes from $30-$45. $15 is crazy. It's a good wine. The Brezza Barolo goes for $65 and is a pretty good deal at that price, especially for a good vintage. The Gattinara is the more expensive (and actually really good) riserva version that goes for $65-$75. The nice thing about those sales is that they generally carry good wine so you can feel comfortable grabbing something you don't know much about. That's what I did with the Barbera d'Asti, which was delicious and probably the most enjoyable $6 wine I've had.

Your comment about NJ having some of the best prices certainly caught my attention - I'm a short drive away. Would love a few recommendations of reliable merchants if you are comfortable sharing in any way.

 

[USER]

Your comment about NJ having some of the best prices certainly caught my attention - I'm a short drive away. Would love a few recommendations of reliable merchants if you are comfortable sharing in any way.

Very hard to beat Bottle King for prices. (My local Total Wine has refused to price match, lol.) There are 6 stores close to where I live and between them and throughout the year I find a lot of what I like. They are a big chain but care about what they carry so they not only have all the Wine Enthusiast and Wine Advocate wines but also more fun stuff. A lot of things pass through them so you do have to be quick sometimes. Think Patricia Green or Kelley Fox. Or one shop getting Domaine de la Pépière 'Clos de Briords.' Each shop caters to their neighborhood so you can find fancier wines in some and more value forward wine in others. So one store will have Olga Raffault Chinon 'Les Picasses' and another 'Les Peuilles.' What I respect is that they don't raise prices when end of the year lists come. For instance, they still have the 2023 Ridge Lytton Springs for $40 and the 2021 Produtorri de Barbaresco for $35. Those are fabulous prices. Gary's/Buy Rite is pretty good. I was able to get the 2023 Bouchard Roses Val Vilaine for a very good price at Central Wine Merchants. Sometimes, you can even get good deals at Total Wine here --shocking, I know. I've had luck with Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay and grabbed all the Pieropan Soave Classico Calvarino I could when it was $25.

Jersey is also full of shops that essentially sell close-out wines that need to get sold before they start to decline. They are a lot of fun if you know what you are doing, especially if you are into Spanish and Portuguese wine.

I compliment my shopping online with Saratoga Wine and B-21, which have crazy good shipping prices to Jersey, $15-23 for up to a case (!)

 

[Eric Natural]

SaratogaWine.com - Great Wine. Better Prices. Delivered Right to Your Door.

Shop over 50,000 wines and spirits! Since 1996, we offer an extensive selection from everyday values to rare, vintage, and hard-to-find Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Bourbons. Enjoy expert advice and exceptional customer service from a trusted wine retailer.

www.saratogawine.com

in upstate NY somewhere & they ship(to mich). Fair prices
edit - USER mentions them as well

 

[Eric Natural]

fwiw - these guys are my go-to(with shipping) & great closeouts : https://www.plummarket.com/store/wine.html
peace

 

[CapMan]

Fancied a red, but it's so hot here it had to be light. This Cinsault is a great option - 12.5% and somewhere between Gamay and Pinot Noir.

A little bit chilled is perfect for a hot summer evening with a bbq

 

[DY2]